Castles & Crusades A0-A12 The Undying War

The Shadow of Aufstrag stains all the lands of the east. That dread tower that housed all the raving madness of hell sits now in the midst of the Gray Pools, a monolith of evil and ruin. Though the Horned God who built it is long gone, there are powers there that reach far and wide, into the lands beyond.

Embark on an epic journey filled with danger and intrigue! The Undying War starts innocently enough along a tranquil river beneath the shadow of Blacktooth Ridge. But beneath the serene surface lies a world of peril and ambition that will draw your party into a battle of epic proportions.

Prepare for heart-pounding encounters, treacherous dungeons, mysterious towns, formidable castles, and abandoned fortresses, a wide range of NPCs, all set against a backdrop of untamed wilderness.

As the story unfolds, you are thrust into a conflict between good and evil, led by the enigmatic Coburg the Undying, whose lust for power is intertwined with love and loss.

The Undying War combines the previously published adventure modules A0-A12. The epic adventure takes your party from 1st to 13th level, immersing you in the never-ending machinations of High Lord Coburg the Undying, that all lead to the very doors of hell itself.

Your journey begins here, on the path to destiny. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime? The Undying War awaits!

The road to hell begins with the first step…

The Undying War
The Undying War is an Adventure Path that begins in the verdant fields and loamy earth that lies along the banks of the Drunberry River, beneath the shadows of the Blacktooth Ridge. Here the party runs afoul of Gritznak, a gnoll of evil temperament. Thus begins an adventure that begins in the plundered ruins of a peasant’s barn, and ends before the gates of Aufstrag. There the characters battle or barter with the tower’s keeper Coburg the Undying, for luck and skill play their hands, they’ll have the Lady of Garun in hand, the one that Coburg loves more than all the power and majesty the world may offer.

The Undying War is divided into 13 adventures, an introduction and several possible endings.

• Introduction: Learn the lore that lies behind Aufstrag and the long wars that dread tower inflicts upon its neighbors. Its present master Coburg the Undying and his machinations to bring the power of his dead master back to the world and retrieve his lost love.
• A0 Rising Knight: The characters are introduced to the world of Aihrde in adventures up the Drunberry River valley against the gnoll Gritznak. Enemy or friend? Theirs to decide.
• A1 Assault on Blacktooth Ridge: North of the Drunberry lies the small town of Botkinberg. Overlooking the banks of the Hruesen River it is forever plagued by raiders from the Blacktooth Ridge. Here the party cuts their teeth on adventure in the wilds.
• A2 Slag Heap: South of Botkinberg lies the foul nest of brigands, called the Slag Heap. Once a lair for the minions of the fallen Horned God, it is now little more than a ruin of slag and filth. But the first hints of magic lie there, and pieces of the relic of the horn of opening are rumored hidden.
• A3 Wicked Cauldron: In the ruins of an old ziggurat the Witch Queen has taken up residence. Her minions are everywhere in the wilderness around Botkinberg and the neighboring town of Ludensheim. But there is more in the many storied tower of her lair, for she may serve a higher purpose.
• A4 Usurpers of the Fell Axe: Whatever the Witch Queen may or may not be up to, a minor trade war brews between the towns of Botkinberg and Ludensheim. It is up to the characters to navigate the tricky waters of palace intrigue and merchant’s greed.
• A5 The Shattered Horn: Raiders from the north plague all the river valleys. They are organized and move with purpose, issuing from the refurbished castle of Festung Akt, an old keep of the Horned Gods. Is this a portent of things to come?
• A6 Of Banishment and Blight: As all the wise know, the Gates of Aufstrag, the Araghon Den, that Maw of Darkness, are closed and only powerful magics can open them again. It is rumored that a Lord of Frost possesses such power and stopping him or the Horned God’s return is paramount. But there is more to this story than layered in the ice.
• A7 Beneath the Despairing Stone: Upon the windswept hills of the Blacktooth Ridge lie elemental magics bound by the Horned God’s spite before his fall. They dwell in despair, protected by devils of foul temple and single purpose.
• A8 Forsaken Mountain: The Gates of Aufstrag are open and a host issued forth. Not in a century has this occurred. Fear spreads through the lands and the servants of Coburg seek the mysterious Vessel of Souls. But that is not the strangest of things, for upon the shores of the Dreaming Sea lie secrets of which few could have foretold. Here the characters come face to face with the prospect of the Undying War’s upon the lands of men and the fear of the return of Unklar and learn of the missing love of Coburg’s and her own evil designs.
• A9 The Helm of Night: Leaving the Dreaming finds the party on the road to Aufstrag and on the doorstep of the Castle of Horesk. It guards the road the long road north and houses servants of evil the world cannot abide. And the treasured Vessel of Souls lies here, or so it is thought.
• A10 The Last Respite: The tangled story of the Vessel of Souls, sought after by Coburg and tied to the horn of opening brings the quest through the Defenlam up the old Imperial Way across the broad plains of Achrothos. Here the road ends in wicked Grafika, a town of notorious persons, where warring factions carry on their own Undying War.
• A11 The Wasting Way: At last, the journey takes the veteran adventurers toward Aufstrag. Across the long Wasting Way, 80 miles of ruined causeway across the Gray Swamps and the object of their quest.
• A12 The Paladin’s Lament: Upon the doorstep of the mighty tower of Aufstrag lies the Portico and the Kennel, the Ahragon Den; all this within the Fetid Morass. Ancient guardians, set here by the Horned God himself, watch the tower’s gate. A beast of ancient power and dark heart, who watches all beneath half closed lids and breathes a wyrm’s breath.
• Epilogue Upon the Steps of Hell: The journey into hell begins. For the many storied tower of Aufstrag stands 3000 feet high and more than 1000 feet wide. Here, in the 21 levels lie the ruins of the Horned God’s ancient Empire and somewhere in this nest lies Coburg the Undying.