The Darkness of the Mountains is a 2-hour Adventurers League-legal adventure for level 1-4 characters. It is the first part of a series set in the town of Aetherglen, which stands on the crossroads of the Ilinver Trail and the North Glister pass, north of the Moonsea. Refugees settled it from Vaasa and Damara, and its background calls back to the classic AD&D adventures of the Bloodstone War.

This is a short adventure that primarily emphasises combat and role-playing. The great Gulthias trees protect the town, but something is corrupting them, and the protection is waning. Worse, roots are burrowing into sleeping villagers and killing or transforming them. There is a strong sense of horror in this adventure. Undead and aberrations feature as opponents.

The ideas and encounters presented here work very well. Less successful are their presentation and structure. There are three key encounters to set-up, but if you follow the adventure’s advice and go directly to the third encounter, you’ll bypass the others! I feel that a better structure would present the first two encounters, allow the characters to investigate them in either order, and then proceed to the third. It would also combat some of the information overload, as there are many rumours and tales in the tavern. They’re all relevant, and they allow for excellent role-playing, but they muddy the storyline.

Another problem is that the adventure describes two graveyards: one for the Church of Lathander and one for the Church of Kelemvor. The final encounter then takes place “at the graveyard”. Which one? Is there a third one? Was it the intent to only run one of the church graveyard encounters and then return to that graveyard afterwards? For what should be a relatively simple adventure, it ties itself into knots with its structure.

This is a pity because, although the links tying the encounters together are confusing, the individual encounters are memorable. The adventure uses despair and tragedy to great effect and impresses the characters with the importance of the situation.

This adventure also demonstrates very well how to introduce a situation, resolve the immediate dangers, and present closure, but still lead on to additional tales.

Overall, I enjoyed running The Darkness of the Mountains, because, despite its issues, it has a strong underlying story and excellent encounters. Recommended.