B6: The Veiled Society

B6 "The Veiled Society" (1984) by David Cook is a plot-driven, city-based adventure for character levels 1-3, set within Specularum, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

Module B6 "The Veiled Society" (1984) by David Cook.  Cover illustration by Steve Chappell.

The adventure is a good way to introduce characters to Specularum, and serves as a handy sequel to "The Haunted Keep".

The PCs arrive during the Procession of Lucor:

...a religious celebration honoring a legendary local cleric named Lucor.*  It winds through the streets of the city to the harbor, where the statue of Lucor is floated out to sea.  Each year a woman of notable rank and importance leads the procession.

The Veiled Society

*the term "lucor" might be Latin for "brilliance" (denoting a Lawful saint), but alternately Middle English for avarice (possibly a play on words by Cook...)

Paper building with 25 mm miniatures, from this review. 

The adventure makes use of paper sculptures of houses and walls, created by Dennis Kauth, as well as paper miniatures, illustrated by Jim Roslof.

Paper miniatures, illustrated by Jim Roslof.

Basically, Jim Roslof, who did all the art in the module, drew these in black and white.  PMTs -- high resolution photo-mechanical reproductions -- were made, which Roslof colored using inks.

The colored PMTs were pasted to a board, which was then photographed to create the color separations used in printing the final product.  (At 1/3 the size.)  Players would cut out the minis and use them at the gaming table. 

posted by Brian Stillman on Facebook May 31, 2016

A small hexmap of the area surrounding the city of Specularum is included, demonstrating its relation to the river and adjacent Duke's Park:

Overview of the city of Specularum, from module B6 "The Veiled Society" (1984) by David Cook.

Walled on the landward side, Specularum is also protected by two breakwaters that extend into the harbor, restricting passage upriver.

Overlooking the harbor is the Duke's castle, providing ample defence:

More detailed map of the city of Specularum, from module B6 "The Veiled Society" (1984) by David Cook.

XSOLO "Lathan's Gold" (1984) by Merle M. Rassmussen begins in Specularum, and appears to use the map from B6 as a template.

(The map of Specularum was completely revised in GAZ 1 "The Grand Duchy of Karameikos" (1987) by Aaron Allston.)

I've run "The Veiled Society" twice, and once wrote up a brief epilogue to the adventure using material from GAZ 1, entitled "Law in Karameikos".

AC2: The Treasure of the Hideous One

"The Treasure of the Hideous One" by David Cook is a mini-adventure for character levels 4-7, set within the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

A "treasure map".

Cook provides a glimpse of the earlier history of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos in the background:

The expedition was undertaken 100 years ago by Colonel Rosentos.  The colonel led a troop of 200 soldiers, most of whom were on foot.  Duke Stefan the Hermit ordered Rosentos and his troop to explore and claim the lands to the west.  At that time, the duke's lands were very new.

The Treasure of the Hideous One

I used this information in my article "Karameikos: The Hidden Years" published in Threshold #1, to reconcile the adventure with material in GAZ 1 "The Grand Duchy of Karameikos".

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos (left) and suggested wilderness map for "The Treasure of the Hideous One" (right).

Location:

The adventure takes place in the northwestern part of the Grand Duchy, although the native villages seem out of place.*

*I wonder whether Cook used material originally intended for I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City"

The lagoon lowlands of Serpent Peninsula or swamps of Thanegia Island work as alternate locations in the Mystara setting.

New Monsters:

Cay-men, Giant Serpentweed

Those looking to expand the adventure should check out "Crypt of the Hideous One" by SkinnyOrc.

AC2: Combat Shield and Mini-adventure

AC2 "Combat Shield and Mini-adventure" (1984) was the second in the "AC" line of D&D accessories, fully compatible with the revised/2nd edition of the D&D Expert Set rules (1983) and Companion Set rules (1984), edited by Frank Mentzer.

Illustration by Jeff Easley

The 8-page mini-adventure was "The Treasure of the Hideous One" by David Cook (to be covered in more detail, tomorrow).

"Treasure of the Hideous One" by David Cook.

Interestingly, Cook's mini-adventure was replaced with "The Elven Home" by Anne Gray McCready in the Finnish version of AC2 (published in 1988):

"The Elven Home" by Anne Gray McCready

Gray McCready's 4-page mini-adventure originally appeared in Dungeon #1 (Sept/Oct 1986).

XL-1: Quest for the Heartstone

XL-1 "Quest for the Heartstone" (1984) by Michael L. Gray is a D&D adventure for character levels 5-10.  The module includes prerolled characters based on the AD&D action figures produced by LJN toys.

Module XL-1 "Quest for the Heartstone" (1984) by Michael L. Gray.  Cover illustration by Jeff Easley.

About the Author:

Michael Gray worked at TSR from 1981-84.  He designed the Fantasy Forest boardgame, and wrote two "Fantasy Forest" gamebooks, "Shadowcastle" (1983) and "The Lost Wizard" (1984).

In addition to module XL-1, Gray also contributed the adventure "Dargaard Keep" to DL 16 "World of Krynn" (1988) as a freelancer.

An interview with Gray about module XL-1 and the Kingdom of Ghyr was posted in Michael L. Gray's Kingdom of Ghyr on the Piazza, back in August, 2018.

Special Characters:

Many of the special characters previously described in AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn" are included, with minor changes/errors:

Mercion - level 7 instead of 6, but referred to as "elder" (6th level) with same hp; Cha increased from 8 to 17
Figgen - same stats; AC does not include Dex adjustment

Peralay - different spells, likely those in spellbook, not spells memorized (missing sleep)

Elkhorn - same stats

Ringelrun - different spells, likely those in spellbook; staff of power got 7 more charges!
Strongheart - Int and Dex increased from 9 to 12; sword +2 "Purlblade" becomes intelligent with special/extraordinary powers

These six characters are also mentioned in X10 "Red Arrow, Black Shield" (1985).

Zargarsh - Str increased from 5 to 8; gains a snake staff
Zarak - Str increased from 12 to 13, Con 7 to 16, (hp 15 to 27), although Cha decreased from 11 to 6; dagger +1 becomes throwing with magical returning (boomerang), gets potion of invisibility
Skylla - Wis increased from 8 to 15, Dex 9 to 11, Con 9 to 10
Kelek (different illustration) - same stats, although alignment changed from Neutral to Chaotic
Warduke - Con increased from 8 to 14, (same hp); properties of magical helmet described (infravision 60 feet, causes wearer's eyes to glow red)

*Fox Fingers the thief, and Raven the cleric from AC1 don't appear (Fox Fingers was exposed to the Heartstone, but Raven didn't participate in the quest)

New "good" characters include Molliver (lawful thief), Hawkler (good ranger), Deeth (good fighter), Bowmarc (good crusader), and Valkeer (good norseman).

New "evil" characters include Grimsword (evil knight), Zorgar (evil barbarian), and Drex (evil warrior).

The Heartstone:

The Heartstone.  Illustration by Jeff Easley.

Character bios in AC1 describe the Heartstone as "a magical gem that brings out hidden things about a person":

The Heartstone brought out even more of Mercion's good, but uncovered the evil in the others.

(Peralay) and Zargash were friends, and found the Heartstone, which brought out Zargash's evil nature and Peralay's lawful nature.

Elkhorn joined in the search for the Heartstone, and seems unchanged by it, perhaps because of his dwarven abilities, or perhaps because dwarves are immune to the stone.

Long ago, Ringlerun and Kellek were adventuring and discovered the massive Heartstone that changed Kellek into an evil man, bringing out his hidden flaws, and purified Ringlerun, making him wise and more just.

Strongheart, aided by Peralay and Ringlerun, escaped unharmed, but Warduke and his friends became twisted and evil.

When exposed to the Heartstone, Fox Fingers began to hate everyone who knew he was a thief.

(Zargash) hates the Heartstone and Ringlerun for bringing out his dark nature.

Zarak now hates Peralay, though he was once Peralay's friend: when the two of them were exposed to the rays of the Heartstone, Zarak's cruel and evil nature was brought out while Peralay's good nature was brought out.

Once (Skylla) was a student of Ringlerun's, but when she was exposed to the Heartstone, she began to seek out the evil, harmful side of magic.

from AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn" (1983)

From these descriptions, it sounds as though the Heartstone can change or enhance a character's alignment (details are provided in the climax to the adventure).

The Kingdom of Ghyr:

Cover to the unofficial Ghyr fan gazetteer (2006).  Illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

For a comprehensive fan expansion of the Kingdom of Ghyr, see Gaz F4 "The Hidden Treasure of Ghyr" (2006)* by JTR.

*additional material on Ghyr can be found on the Vaults of Pandius, here.

See also Gaz F5 "The Western Alliance" (2006)** by JTR

**map and alternate cover by Jeffrey Kosh

AC1: Errata

AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn" is replete with errors, partly owing to alternate reference to B/X or BECMI rules, but also involving simple arithmetic.  This undermines the supplement's usefulness as a quick source of NPCs, since every stat needs to be double-checked.

Numbers in parentheses mean one of two things: if found in the armor class of the character, they show the adjusted armor class when he or she is wearing a magical protection device. If found in the saving throws of characters who have high Wisdom, they show the adjustment for magical attack.

The Shady Dragon Inn (1983)

AC is not given with adjusted AC in parenthesis in most cases (the only exceptions are in the magic-user section), and saving throws are modified to account for high Wisdom, not given with the adjusted value in parenthesis, (or adjusted for characters with a ring of protection).

Fighters:

#4 Charles the Bold should have a THACO of 18 (not 16) with a Str 15

#5 Donal of Clear Water should be AC 4 (not 8) for chain mail + Dex bonus; should have a THACO 18 (not 16) with a Str 15
#6 Eric the Honest should be level 4-6 (not 2) for saving throws and THACO to be accurate (hp 31 suggests level 5); AL is given as "4"

#7 Fiona has a sword +7 (likely +1)

#9 Harold Forkbeard should be AC 6 (not 4) for chain mail + Dex penalty

#9-15, 17-18 have BECMI (revised/2nd ed.) saving throws, but B/X THACO progression

#20-22 sword +7 (likely +1)

Fighters have BECMI (revised/2nd ed.) saving throws, and B/X THACO progression.

Magic-Users:

Spells listed probably represent those memorized, not those contained in spell books (only one character is listed with read magic, known by all magic-users in BECMI).

B/X (top) vs. BECMI 1st printing (bottom) magic-user spell progression

#24 Apris the Wondrous should be AC 10 (not 9) with Dex 7
#27 Deidre Hrolfsdottir is correctly listed as AC 9(8) with Dex 13
#30 Gregor Grimmin is correctly listed as AC 10 with Dex 7, without parentheses
#31 Horatius the Woad is correctly listed as AC 9(10) with Dex 7

#32 Jasper the White is correctly listed as AC 9(10) with Dex 8
#36 Paulinus Ravenfriend has an extra 1st level spell (read magic), otherwise B/X or BECMI 1st ed. spell progression
#37 Rhys the Quick has an extra 1st level spell, otherwise B/X or BECMI 1st ed. spell progression
#38 Selina of the Black Coast should be AC 11(10) (not 9(10) with Dex penalty and ring of protection +1; has BECMI saving throws, B/X THACO progression, and B/X or BECMI 1st ed. spell progression

#39 Tomas Tarn has BECMI saving throws, B/X THACO progression, and BECMI 1st/2nd ed. spell progression, although is missing a 4th level spell
#40 Umberto the Ugly has BECMI saving throws, B/X THACO progression, and B/X spell progression
#42 Zarkon the Blue save vs. wands should be 11 (not 12); is level 7, but has BECMI 1st/2nd ed. level 8 spell progression

Magic-users have BECMI (same in both 1st and 2nd ed.) saving throws,* B/X THACO progression, and B/X spell progression (with a couple of errors)

*not adjusted for those with a ring of protection, with one exception

Clerics:

B/X (top) vs. BECMI 1st printing (bottom) cleric spell progression

#47 Egbert Swordbreaker has BECMI saving throws
#48 Friar Fergus has BECMI spell progression
#49 Humbert the Large save vs. wands should be 10 (not 9), THACO should be 18 (not 19) using mace +1 with Str penalty
#50 Jerome the Holy has BECMI spell progression

#51-59 have BECMI saving throws, B/X THACO progression, and BECMI spell progression

#54 Nestor the Wise has an extra 5th level spell

#56 Penelope of West Haven should have AC 2 (not 3) for plate mail/shield, is missing two 3rd level spells and has an extra 4th level spell

Clerics have BECMI (same in both 1st and 2nd ed.) saving throws, B/X THACO progression, and BECMI spell progression (with a couple of errors)

Thieves:

#60 Aiden Ablefingers should be AC 8 (not 6) for Dex bonus alone

#62 Celeste the Swift OL should be 25% (not 20%) and PP 30% (not 25%)
#64 Fenris the Filch RT should be 30% (not 40%); THACO includes weapon bonus?

#65 Gwynne Cutpurse HS should be 35% (not 36%)

#68 Katie Cruell HS should be 65% (not 75%)
#69 Lenore the Beautiful THACO should be 15 (not 13) with Str penalty

#70 Miles the Highwayman THACO should be 15 (not 13) with Str penalty
#71 Olwynn White-Hand THACO should be 13 (not 11) with Str bonus
#72 Sara of the Slight Touch THACO should be 9 (not 7) with Str bonus
#73 Zacharias the Nimble THACO should be 13 (not 11) with Str penalty

Thieves have BECMI saving throws (same in both 1st and 2nd ed.), B/X THACO progression (with several errors), and B/X or BECMI 1st ed. (identical) skill chances (with a few errors).

Dwarves:

#77 Eben of Whitemount save vs. spells should be 10 (not 9)
#78 Hugi Tunneltrue save vs. spells should be 12 (not 11) with Wis penalty
#79 Ifor, Hill-Lord Dex should be 13 (not 3) for AC 1
#79-83 have BECMI (revised/2nd ed.) save vs. spells

Dwarves have BECMI (revised/2nd ed.) saving throws, and B/X THACO progression.

Elves:

#84 Aithne of Far Isle save vs. MW should be 13 (not 3)

#85 Aneurin of the Oak should be AC 6 (not 7) with Dex penalty

#86 Blaise Barkbreaker should be AC 2 (not 3) with Dex bonus, also speaks Orc, but elves already speak Gnoll, Hobgoblin, and Orc

#87 Cathal of Greendale save vs. spells should be 10 (not 11) with Wis bonus

#94 Rorie the Red is missing a 5th level spell

Elves have BECMI (revised/2nd ed.) saving throws, B/X THACO progression, and B/X or BECMI 1st ed. (identical) spell progression.

Halflings:

#99 Dorcas Deepdelver should have a THACO of 18 (not 16) with a Str 6
#105 Wat Watershed should be AC 2 (not 3) with Dex bonus

Halflings have BECMI (revised/2nd ed.) saving throws, and B/X THACO progression.

Special Characters:

Mercion - BECMI saving throws, B/X spell progression
Figgen - BECMI 2nd ed saving throws, B/X THACO progression (doesn't account for Str bonus)
Peralay - BECMI 2nd ed saving throws, B/X THACO progression (doesn't account for Str bonus), B/X spell progression, but is missing a 5th level spell
Elkhorn - BECMI 2nd ed. saving throws, BECMI THACO progression
Ringlerun - AC with ring +1, B/X THACO progression, B/X or BECMI spell progression, but with extra 2nd level spell
Strongheart - BECMI saving throws (save vs. spells doesn't take into account Wis bonus), BECMI THACO progression

Fox Fingers - BECMI saving throws, THACO 7 too low (even with a Str 18), B/X or BECMI 1st ed. thief skill progression
Zargash - BECMI saving throws, THACO should be 18 (not 19), BECMI spell progression
Zarak - BECMI saving throws, RT should be 30% (not 40%), BX or BECMI 1st ed. thief skill progression

Skylla - AC with ring of protection +1, BECMI saving throws
Kelek - AC with ring of protection +1, save vs. spells should be 11 (not 12) with Wis bonus
Raven - BECMI saving throws, B/X THACO progression
Warduke - BECMI THACO progression

Special characters have BECMI (2nd ed.) saving throws, either B/X or BECMI THACO progression, B/X or BECMI spell progression, and B/X or BECMI 1st ed. thief skill progression.

AC1: The Shady Dragon Inn

AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn" (1983) by Carl Smith contains a roster of ready-to-use NPCs, along with a fold-out map of the Shady Dragon Inn, the first in the "AC" line of D&D game accessories (some of which are also suitable for use with AD&D).

Title page to "The Shady Dragon Inn" (1983) by Carl Smith

About the Author:

Carl Smith was a game designer at TSR in the early 1980s.

He also wrote N2 "The Forest Oracle" (1984), and "Guardians of the Tomb" in Dungeon #1 (Sept/Oct 1986), in which the following mini-bio appears:

Though his true love lies in Westerns, Carl Smith has been active in fantasy and science-fiction gaming for years.  He was a part of the DRAGONLANCE design team for TSR, Inc, and worked on CA1, Swords of the Undercity, an AD&D module set in the LANKHMAR universe.  He is currently a freelance writer and contributing editor for Model Retailer magazine.

Dungeon #1 (Sept/Oct 1986)

Smith wrote "Tin Star: Western Role-Playing and Miniatures Rules" (1980) published by Adversary Games, Jacksonville, Florida.

Design Origins:

Years ago, I asked Frank Mentzer on Dragonsfoot:

Where the heck did Carl Smith get all those NPCs to populate AC1 The Shady Dragon Inn? I've always wondered if they were from an old OD&D campaign of his, since the Dex and Con scores are reversed throughout.

There are a lot of tantalizing place names scattered here and there. Do you know if these were from an actual campaign or were they just pulled out of the air?

posted on Dragonsfoot, (October 7, 2009)

To which Frank replied "Thin air" (Dragonsfoot, November 17, 2009).

Smith definitely had a knack for names, and the mini-bios are gems.

A few years ago, a list of place names from AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn" was posted on Dragonsfoot:

Clear Water, Sternmont, Glenroe, Black Coast, Stonehill, West Haven, Abbey Temaraire, Whitemount, Far Isle, Greendale, Wildwood, and Deep Hollow.

posted on Dragonsfoot, (January 27, 2018)

The feel is very similar to that present in N2 "The Forest Oracle".

Characters:

As mentioned above, ability scores are listed as Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Constitution, Dexterity, and Charisma, which is the order used in OD&D and Holmes Basic.

Many characters are described to possess helmets, an item from the equipment list in OD&D and Holmes Basic (as well as AD&D) but not in B/X or BECMI.

Levels range from 1-14, as the D&D Companion Set would not be released until the following year.  However, it appears that various editions of the Expert Set rules were used.*

*see Which BECMI D&D Expert Rulebook do you have? posted on Wayne's Books, (October 28, 2019) for a comparison of the two versions

Saving throws are listed as per the 1983 revised/2nd edition Expert Set rules edited by Mentzer, but THACO progression is taken from the 1981 Cook/March edition.

Spell progression for clerics is taken from BECMI (the same in both versions), although spell progression for magic-users and elves are listed as per B/X.

Finally, thief skill progression is taken from the 1981 Cook/Marsh edition or 1st printing of the 1983 Expert Set rules (before thieves got "nerfed").

What to make of all this?

Perhaps Smith devised stats as per OD&D/Holmes, wrote a first draft using B/X, and someone updated saving throws and clerical spells using the 1983 revised Expert Set rules.

Special Characters;

From left to right: Zarak the evil half-orc, Raven the cleric, Kelek the evil sorcerer, Zargash the cleric, Skylla the evil magic-user, Fox Fingers the thief, and Warduke the evil fighter.  Artwork by Timothy Truman, Jeff Easley, and Larry Elmore

Although it's stated that all the characters in this section have figures in the D&D/AD&D toy line, Figgen the halfling, Raven the cleric, Zargash the cleric, Skylla the evil magic-user* and Fox Fingers the thief** were never produced.

*not counting the Skylla "bendy" toy

**the illustration for Fox Fingers is from the 1983 D&D Basic Set Players Manual (pg. 43)

The illustration used for Skylla is that of Charmay, a good enchantress (the character description for Skylla states that she has "silvery dark hair" and "always wears her golden demon headress and her golden demon girdle" and "carries a magical staff").

Some of the special characters in AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn" appeared in Season 1 of the Dungeons & Dragons animated TV series:

Kelek appeared in episode 4 "Valley of the Unicorns" (October 8, 1983), Warduke appeared in episode 5 "In Search of the Dungeon Master" (October 15, 1983), and Strongheart appeared in episode 8 "Servant of Evil" (November 5, 1983).

Most of the special characters also appear in module XL-1 "Quest for the Heartstone" (1984) by Michael L. Gray, except for Raven the cleric and Fox Fingers the thief.

Mercion the cleric, Figgen the halfling, Peralay the elf,* Elkhorn the dwarf,** Ringlerun the magic-user,*** and Strongheart the fighter**** make cameo appearances as elderly, retired adventurers in module X10 "Red Arrow, Black Shield" (1985) by Michael S. Dobson.

*originally named "Melf", after Luke Gygax's player character

**possibly inspired by the nearby Elkhorn, Wisconsin

***featured on the "orange spine" AD&D 1e Players Handbook

****rides Destrier, a nihrain horse

Warduke***** appeared on the cover of Dungeon #105 (December, 2003), wherein the character was brought into Greyhawk lore and underwent a 3e update, in "Critical Threats".

*****name and character design a dark take on Mike Grell's "Warlord"

Finally, many of the special characters recently appeared in the "The Wild Beyond the Witchlight" adventure module for 5e:

The League of Malevolence: Kelek, Skylla, Warduke, Zarak, Zargash

Valor's Call: Elkhorn, Mercion, Molliver,* Ringelrun, Strongheart

*introduced in XL-1 "The Quest for the Heartstone"

The Shady Dragon Tavern:

The Shady Dragon Tavern is where all the members of the Adventurer's Guild meet. Members of the Guild gather here to swap yams, chat with old friends, or make contacts for the next adventure.  All classes and levels of members mingle freely, from novices to experts, and from fighters to halflings.

The Shady Dragon Inn (1983)

"The Shady Dragon Inn" by Carl Smith, from Polyhedron #16 (Jan/Feb, 1984).

A two-page article appearing in Polyhedron #16 describes the staff of the Shady Dragon Inn, along with a more complete description of the Inn itself.

Floorplan of the Shady Dragon Tavern, from Polyhedron #16 (Jan/Feb, 1984).

The original map is in 25 mm scale.*

*see also The Shady Dragon Inn (Dungeondraft Timelapse)

Quagmire!

The prerolled characters in module X6 "Quagmire!" (1984) by Merle M. Rasmussen are taken from AC1 "The Shady Dragon Inn", with minor modifications.*

*Magnus the Mage loses 3 hp and gains a sleep spell, Hugi Tunneltrue and Idris Darkelf change alignment from Chaotic to Neutral, and the latter gains a floating disc spell

Tower of Doom:

There's a Shady Dragon Inn located in the town of Nemiston in the Republic of Darokin, in the "Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom" video game (1994) by Capcom.

Credits:

Design: Carl Smith
Editing: Michael Williams
Product Design: Ray Silbersdorf
Art: James Holloway et al
Cover Art: Larry Day

B5: Guido's Fort

Module B5 "Horror on the Hill" does not contain a map or description of Guido's Fort, apart from a few short paragraphs concerning the inn (the "Lion's Den") and the trading post.

Some have simply used the iconic keep, from module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands", which isn't the best fit, in my opinion.

I've previously used the map of a frontier fort, borrowed from "Across the Thunder River" (2005) by Vincent Darlage, a supplement for Conan the Roleplaying Game.

Map of a frontier fort, from "Across the Thunder River" (2005) by Vincent Darlage.

The mess hall corresponds to the location of the Lion's Den, with the trading post beside it.

One might also wish to track down the "Guido's Fort Supplement" (2009) by Robert C. Pinnell.

B5: Horror on the Hill

B5 "Horror on the Hill" (1983) by Douglas Niles is a D&D adventure for character levels 1-3.  While similar in certain respects to B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands" (1980), there are thematic differences between the two.

Module B5 "Horror on the Hill" (1983) by Douglas Niles.  Cover illustration by Jim Roslof.

"Horror on the Hill" was designed using the Moldvay Basic rules (cited by page number) although was published after the D&D Basic Set edited by Frank Mentzer was released.

What lives on the mysterious and distant hill beyond the river?  No one knows.  Rumors say a powerful and evil witch lives there - but no living adventurer has ever returned to confirm or deny that story.  Only the river separates you from the answer - do you really want to know it?

from "Coming Soon..." in Dragon #80 (December, 1983)

The teaser in Dragon magazine differs slightly from the back cover blurb:

The Hill is filled with monsters, they say, and an evil witch makes her home there.  Still, no visitor to The Hill has ever returned to prove the rumors true or false.  The thrill of discovery is too great to pass up, and only the river stands in the way.  The adventurers' boat is waiting!

Module B5 "Horror on the Hill" (1983)

Nowadays, this brings to mind The Blair Witch Project (1999), although the emphasis is on wilderness exploration, during which the adventurers learn of an impending humanoid invasion.

The Frontier:

The preface to the module states:

Guido’s Fort.  The end of the traders' road.  Perched along the banks of the mighty River Shrill, this isolated frontier settlement is the last stop on the caravan routes.  The mile-wide river is all that separates the Fort from the shadowy bulk known only as “The Hill,” a land of nameless terrors and ancient legend.

Module B5 "Horror on the Hill" (1983)

There is no reference to the cosmological framework of Law vs. Chaos as presented in "The Keep on the Borderlands".  Rather, the setting evokes the American frontier, with "the end of the traders' road" to the west of civilized lands.

The adventurers are not coming to a lonely outpost in a besieged Realm as warriors in the eternal struggle between Law vs. Chaos, but as explorers of the mysterious and threatening unknown, beyond the borders of civilization.

Possible Inspiration:

As with Tom Moldvay in module B4 "The Lost City", Niles may have been influenced by the writings of Robert E. Howard.

Compare the preface above to this passage by Howard :

Fort Tuscelan stood on the eastern bank of Black River, the tides of which washed the foot of the stockade.  The latter was of logs, as were all the buildings within, including the donjon (to dignify it by that appellation), in which were the governor’s quarters, overlooking the stockade and the sullen river.  Beyond that river lay a huge forest, which approached jungle-like density along the spongy shores.  Men paced the runways along the log parapet day and night, watching that dense green wall.  Seldom a menacing figure appeared, but the sentries knew that they too were watched, fiercely, hungrily, with the mercilessness of ancient hate.

Robert E. Howard "Beyond the Black River" (1935)

"Beyond the Black River" by Robert E. Howard was published in two parts, in Weird Tales (May, 1935) and Weird Tales (June, 1935)

Later in the story, the governor at Fort Tuscelan declares:

“We are wise in our civilized knowledge, but our knowledge extends just so far—to the western bank of that ancient river! Who knows what shapes earthly and unearthly may lurk beyond the dim circle of light our knowledge has cast?  Who knows what gods are worshipped under the shadows of that heathen forest, or what devils crawl out of the black ooze of the swamps?”

Robert E. Howard "Beyond the Black River" (1935)

Much has been written concerning "Beyond the Black River" as a tale of the American West at heart (see this article on Black Gate).  The story is one of Howard's best, and can serve as inspiration for those running "Horror on the Hill".

Guido's Fort:

A while back, I corresponded with Niles to ask a few questions about "Horror on the Hill".  He kindly responded with the following amusing anecdote:

The name "Guido" was a masculine version of my wife's D&D character, "Guida" (a cleric.)  "Guida" herself was a feminized version of a character on Saturday Night Live during the seventies, a rather rascally priest named "Father Guido Sarducci".  So that's where that name came from; I used it because I thought it was kind of funny.

Douglas Niles, personal correspondence

The Hill:

I would love to see a 3D reconstruction of The Hill, and have considered building one in Minecraft (but lack the skillset) or out of LEGO.

There are 19 encounter areas, including a Killer Beehive and a Driver Anthill ("killer bees" and "driver ants" in Moldvay Basic were renamed "giant bees" and "giant ants" in the D&D Basic Set edited by Frank Mentzer).

The encounter involving two elderly sisters, Rosabella and Rosalinda,* was inspired by the witches of Morva in the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, as mentioned in this interview on the Save or Die podcast (December 20, 2010) from 04:55 to 09:05.

*the interior of the sisters' cottage appears to be an extradimensional space, as in "The Dancing Hut" adventure by Roger Moore, published in Dragon #83 (March, 1984).  (I've considered substituting this or "The Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga" (1995) for the sisters' cottage.)

The Ruined Monastery:

I created a Player's Map for the ruined monastery, which I printed on a poster-sized piece of paper at Staples.

Eye of Moloch statue, created using Nomad Sculpt

The pagan deity worshipped by the monks isn't named, although I have used Moloch,* since the statue on The Hill (encounter area #7) and in the old tomb seem a subtle nod to the cover of the AD&D 1e Players Handbook.

*stats for the arch-devil Moloch are given in the 1e Monster Manual II, in which the accompanying illustration by Jim Holloway resembles the idol on the cover of the 1e Players Handbook

Incidentally, the ruined monastery and the dungeon beneath can be used as a separate mini-module, since the ruined monastery can be located anywhere (the outskirts of town, etc.)

The Dungeon:

The dungeon is inhabited by a hobgoblin king and his warriors, although there are no female or young, another point of difference between this module and the Caves of Chaos in "The Keep on the Borderlands"

This suggests that the hobgoblin king is using the ruined monastery as a staging ground for a war party of humanoids, not as a permanent lair.  This also explains why the hobgoblins and their allies are poorly organized and scattered throughout the dungeon.

The kobolds and red dragon occupying the lowest level are reminiscent of the kobolds and red dragon in JG 76 The Dragon Crown (1979).

New Monsters:

Piranha Bird,* Steam Weevil,** Lava Lizard

*the stats for piranha birds and steam weevils are correct in their encounter descriptions, but were inadvertently switched in the New Monsters section

**the reader is referred to “Insect Swarms” in the monster section of the Basic rules book, although this entry was moved to the Expert Set rules in the version edited by Mentzer