With the expansion of the Empire and the extension of her protection to other, less ominous trade routes, Redmoon Pass has become frequented only by ignorant, wayward or weather-driven travellers who fear the whim of the elements more than they dread the terror of old legends. Situated centrally in the pass, the tiny village of Mitra's Fist appears to be a haven from the many storms that stalk wayfarers in the high mountain reaches. Even so, the wise and knowing do their best to avoid Mitra's Fist, better known as "Mitra's Curse".
The History, Dark Tower
Ranked among the 30 "Greatest Adventures of All Time" in Dungeon #116 (November, 2004), "Dark Tower" was also nominated for the 1979 H.G. Wells award for Best Roleplaying Adventure.
Full-page advertisement for JG 88 "Dark Tower" appearing in The Dungeoneer #11 (May/June, 1979)
The village of Mitra's Fist is described, as well as a sprawling four-level dungeon, complete with wandering monster tables.
Beneath the village, and interconnected with the dungeon, are the White Tower of Mitra, and the eponymous Dark Tower of Set.
Jaquays includes several minor artifacts, in addition to some memorable new monsters, the "Lions of Mitra" and "Sons of Set"*
*a possible inspiration or precursors to the yuan ti, from module I1: "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" (1981) by David Cook
AD&D:
Like Morkendaine, this adventure was published after the AD&D 1e Monster Manual and Players Handbook were released, but before the AD&D 1e Dungeon Masters Guide was available.
The Hyborian Age:
"Dark Tower" involves a centuries-long conflict between the forces of the Lawful Good deity Mitra and the god of Evil, Set.
Deities from "Robert E. Howard's Hyborea" in OD&D supplement IV: Gods, Demigods & Heroes (1976)
Both Mitra and Set, as well as the Lawful god Asura (from "Morkendaine"), appear in the Hyborian Age stories of Robert E. Howard.*
*Jaquays specifically cites the Conan story "Red Nails" as the major inspiration for "Dark Tower" in this interview on Grogtalk (July 6, 2021)
"Dark Tower" also uses the Minions of Set (described in the section on "Egyptian Mythology" from Gods, Demigods & Heroes).
The goddess Ishtar is mentioned as a patron goddess in "Dark Tower", and is likewise listed as a "Hyborean" deity in Gods, Demigods & Heroes.
Wilderlands of High Fantasy:
The original version of "Dark Tower" mentions an Empire, but makes only passing reference to the Invincible Overlord.
The module was re-released for the d20 system/3e in 2001 by RPG Realms.
Additional information explicitly situating the adventure within the Wilderlands of High Fantasy was included in a subsequent d20/3.5e version, JG3: Dark Tower (2007) by Jennell Jaquays and Greg Geilman.
Goodman Games recently announced the upcoming release of an homage and conversion to D&D 5e and Dungeon Crawl Classics.
Using "Dark Tower" in The Known World:
The continental setting introduced in module X1: "The Isle of Dread" (1981) became "The Known World" of the Gazetteers, and ultimately "Mystara".
A portion of the continental map from module X1: "The Isle of Dread" (1981)
With its pulpy roots, the Known World presents an excellent setting for "Dark Tower", somewhere in the mountains between the Empire of Thyatis and the Emirate(s) of Ylaruam.*
*Thyatis is a fitting location for the Roman mystery religion of Mithraism, while Ylaruam could possess Egyptian-style ruins for the cult of Set.
I would suggest locating the village of Mitra's Fist within Redmoon Pass along a seldom-used trade route across the Altan Tepe Mountains.
Nice overview! As I read this, I recalled seeing a follow-up article in one of the Judges Guild publications. Taking a look, there are actually two, each by Jaquays, in Dungeoneer #12 (July-August 1979), which I have a copy of. The first is "Designer's Notes: Dark Tower", on page 22 and part of page 23, which are answers to questions posed by a reader. The second is "Legends of Dark Tower" on pages 57-58, which is a table of True/False rumors in the format seen in some early TSR modules.
ReplyDeleteThanks - I was unaware of the two articles in Dungeoneer #12. I have a copy, so will check them out!
DeleteAlso, there appears to be another article titled "Designer's Notes - Dark Tower" by Jaquays on page 39 of Judges Guild Journal Z (Issue #17, Item Code 110, Oct/Nov 1979). I don't have a copy of this issue, so I can't take a look to see if it is just a reprint of the earlier notes or something additional.
ReplyDeleteAnother good find - I wonder if Goodman Games is going to collate these for their homage/conversion?
DeleteAnd it looks like there is yet another one in Pegasus #7 (April 1982), where Jaquays answers questions sent in by a young Wolfgang Baur (!).
ReplyDeleteWow - that's pretty cool.
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