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Wolfgang · Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 7:32 am Post subject:

From the Shore to the Sea
Hazardous Expeditions and Horrific Explorations
by Brandon Hodge
System: PATHFINDER RPG
Level: 6th-8th Level Characters
Length: 50,000 words
Setting: Golarion (or general fantasy)

For centuries, the citizens of the small coastal village of Haversham lived in private isolation, survivors of an ancient cataclysm who wished only to live secluded lives far from the shadow of their ancestors' fallen empire. The community indeed had much to hide, for deep within the veins of these simple fishermen flows a dark and terrible taint – the Legacy of Old Azlant.

Now, after centuries of searching, the elder masters of that ancient civilization have found the hidden enclave of pure Azlanti, and those among the village blessed with the amphibious legacy of their forefathers have heard some strange calling from the waves; a lure that awakens dark secrets, warping their devotions toward the worship of foul, alien abominations.

As the sun rises over the Varisian coast, the characters rescue a fisherman caught in the tendrils of a strange abomination that has erupted from the depths of the murky sea. The raving, wild-eyed survivor sputters a warning of more lurking monstrosities and tentacled horrors descending on a nearby village. Traveling up the secluded coast to investigate these claims, the characters instead discover the disconcertingly quiet and deserted fishing village of Haversham, its streets eerily empty. Nets hang half-knotted, meals sit uneaten and boats tug gently against their docks. Exploring the village, the characters soon find evidence of a violent exodus of villagers dragged from the shore to the sea. None remain but a strange young girl with bizarre abilities, who recounts the terror of attack of the Legacies and the call that compelled them to betray their kin and enslave the villagers on a distant offshore island. Barely visible from the shore, the island beckons with ruined spires said to have once towered over old Azlant, while the girl warns the adventurers from interfering in the plans of “those we knew would someday come.”

Traveling to the island in search of the villagers, the characters discover ancient ruins and overgrown temples once devoted to unspeakable abominations. Horrific sacrificial sites have seen recent use, and the adventurers soon learn of the unnatural fate of the scions of Haversham.
Drawn into the dark depths of the ruins, the characters encounter generations of mutated villagers who have succumbed to the call of their masters and enslaved their non-gifted peers in an enormous excavation of some long-buried temple. Who has soured the hearts and minds of the gifted Legacies, and what horrors lay beneath this desecrated ground?

If they players wish to save the enslaved villagers and prevent the uncovering of the foul presence that was never again meant to see the light of day, they must confront the Azlanti Legacies and their alien masters among the decaying island ruins. As always, the patrons decide what terrors lurk in the crumbling temples of the isle and the events leading to the horrifying climax with the true masters of Old Azlant.

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By day, Brandon Hodge purveys candy and toys in his Austin, Texas shops. As night approaches, he returns to his cabinet of curiosities and, surrounded by accumulated centuries of dusty artifacts, produces his pen and sets nightmares to paper. His credits include Halls of the Mountain King and Dwarves of the Ironcrags.

Kobold Courier