Pathfinder Revisited – Rise of the Runelords Part Three: The Hook Mountain Massacre

The Hook Mountain Massacre continues the trend of incorporating

The Plot

After defeating the Xanesha and the Brotherhood of the Seven the party has made their way into the good graces of the lord-mayor of Magnimar. Impressed with their skill in defeating the threat posed by the cult, Lord-Mayor Grobaras asks the party to investigate Magnimar’s most distant holding – Fort Rannic. On their journey to the remote town of Turtleback ferry (the closest settlement to the fort) they are accompanied by Shalelu Andosana, a ranger who assisted them in the fight against the Thisteltop goblins. Upon arriving in Turtleback Ferry they find a town made dour by early spring rains, lack of contact from Fort Rannic, and the recent sinking of the pleasure barge Paradise. The players are also quickly greeted with a troubling sight, townsfolk marked with the Sihedron Rune, which the players last saw etched into the skins of the Skinsaw Man’s victims. When they investigate the heroes discover that the runes were tattooed on VIP customers of the Paradise by Lucretia, the late owner of the floating casino.

Venturing out from town the heroes encounter a lone firepelt cougar pursued by a horrifically deformed ogrekin named Ruckus Graul. However the players navigate the situation the cougar guides then back to an isolated homestead kept by the Ogrekin’s family. The homestead itself is trap filled and claustrophobic, defended by the vicious Graul brothers at the behest of their mother. Fighting their way through the Graul’s defenses the payers discover three captured Black Arrow Rangers, the only survivors of an Ogre attack which captured Fort Rannic. By speaking with the surviving rangers the players learn that a surprise attack by the Kreeg clan of Ogres was able to capture the fort and kill most of the rangers while these survivors and the their orders captain were out on patrol. They don’t have to look far to discover how this attack was arranged, as one of the survivors is revealed to be a traitor. Bearing the Sihedron that shows him to be a VIP of the Paradise this Ranger was blackmailed and turned against his order by Lucretia. There are happier surprises with this group however, as their leader is Shalelu’s estranged stepfather.

Working with Shalelu and the surviving Black Arrows the heroes coordinate an attack on Fort Rannic. It’s a tough battle, which quickly reveals the savage slaughter inflicted by the Kreegs on the Black Arrows, with no ranger in the fort at the time of its capture surviving. In a battle across the fort the heroes are able to defeat and push the Kreegs out, discovering a still living Lucretia in council with the Ogres warleader, Jagrath Kreeg. Lucretia is revealed to be a Lamia in service to the Runelord Karzoug, the Paradise and its VIP program part of an elaborate plan to cultivate and collect greedy souls in the same way Xanesha used that the Skinsaw Cult. Worse, the Kreegs have been conscripted by another of Karzoug’s servants, Barl Breakbones, and their clanhold at Hook Mountain has been transformed into a forge complex to supply an army of gaints.

The heroes don’t have long to dwell on these revelations as a sudden flood sweeps through Turtleback Ferry. Weeks of rain have raised the level of the Storval Deep to the towns north, and a flash flood is quickly shown to be the least of the towns problems as Black Maga, an ancient lake monster, is swept down the valley along with the floodwaters. After defeating Black Maga and rescuing townsfolk from the flood the heroes are dispatched to Skulls Crossing, an ancient Thassilonian dam at the outlet of the Storval Deep to see what caused the sudden flood. Arriving at the dam the players discover more Kreeg ogres set to wreck the dam, which would unleash a devastating flood, completing Lucretia’s plan for a mass sacrifice of greedy souls. While the players are able to defeat the Ogres, this does not bring the dam back into operation however, and they must enter the dam, to restart its ancient mechanisms. By doing so the spillways of the dam are opened, preventing any further overtopping of Skulls crossing.

With Turlteback Ferry safe from any further flooding, the party readies for an attack on Hook Mountain. But before they can set out they are approached by a sprite from the fae communities of the Shimmerglens. Fort Rannic was not the only place brutalized by the Kreegs and the heroes must venture into the dreamlike wetlands slowly being twisted into a nightmare. Navigating the surreal glens, the players encounter the shade of the nymph lady of the glens, murdered by the Kreegs along with her lover, the captain oft eh Black Arrow Rangers. After killing the captain and his lover the Kreegs stole the captains body, and in order to calm and put the ghost of the fey to rest to the players must agree to return his remains to the glens.

With all the crises near Turtleback Ferry diffused the players can finally strike against the army gathering at Hook Mountain. This is a tough fight, but witht assistance oftheir allies they are able to dislodge the Kreegs , and discover that Barl Breakbones serves a figure known as Mokmurian, who is gathering army of giants amassing on the Storval Plateau. In addition to Breakbones and the Kreegs, the players discover a coven of hags enlisted by Lucretia to create the storms and constant rains that have soaked the region, along with a wight created from the remains of the Black Arrow captain. Defeating all of these threats ensures the safety of Turtleback Ferry and an opportunity for Fort Rannic to be rebuilt, but it is clear that greater threats are on the horizon.

What Worked

The efforts to infuse the classic D&D formula with horror is one the most effective elements of the early parts of the Rise of the Runelords campaign, and I think its at its most effective here. Infusing Ogres with a heavy dose of hillbilly horror gives them a distinct flavor beyond “dumb low level giants” and adds a lot of flavor to their encounters. This is especially notable in the Graul homestead, which channels Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the classic X-Files episode “Home” to great effect, resulting in the most memorable encounter of the module. This similarly adds a lot to the attack on Fort Rannic, elevating it beyond a simple “retake the castle” adventure.

I also really enjoyed the way that the connection between Shalellu and her stepfather adds further depth and stakes to NPC allies. It means that players won’t only work to keep the surviving Rangers alive for the sake of having allies in their fight against the Kreegs, but for story reasons. It also does a lot to add depth to these characters, showing that they have lives and motivations beyond the plot of the adventure.

Skulls crossing is as interesting as most of the Thassilonian ruins, but its very unique look and location elevates it further. I also really enjoy the arcane puzzle at its heart as it reveals a lot about just how the Thassilonian empire was able to build and maintain these huge structures, and presents an interesting challenge to players.

What Didn’t

As much as I think the use of hillbilly horror elements work here, it’s worth noting some of the problematic elements of that genre and the ways it intersects with already problematic elements in Pathfinders pulp fantasy. At its heart hillbilly horror others and monsterizes people marginalized by geographic isolation and generational poverty, living in places that have been exploited and systemically neglected. Its use in this adventure dovetails with the always problematic tropes of contamination and “always chaotic evil” races that crop up again and again in pulp fantasy. While I think its a strong point of the adventure, it’s worth remembering the ways the the Ogres as presented in this adventure reinforce harmful stereotypes about “inbred and degenerate hillbillys”.

On a plot level the most frustrating part of this adventure is Lucretia’s plot. Ultimately this is one of the major throughlines of the module, with many of the threats and the background of the adventure tied to her machinations,. However for me her plan is convoluted to the point that it is a bit hard to follow, and the way that players are expected to encounter and learn about it is almost guaranteed to be confusing. Barl Breakbones provides something else for players to grab onto, but for as central as the gathering of souls is for the early adventures of Rise of Runelords, it’s frustrating that its embedded in such a convoluted plot here.

The Shimmerglens has the potential to be an outstandingly flavorful and interesting location, but the way it is presented here just didn’t work for me. I understand the intent but in an already crowded adventure it’s yet another ball to keep in the air and ultimately feels like padding, and a bit of a distraction from the main plot. There’s potential for it to pay off in later chapters, but even that doesn’t really justify its inclusion for me.

Conclusions

Overall The Hook Mountain Massacre does a great job of establishing and leaning into its atmosphere, and has several really strong set pieces. That said, the plot is a bit complicated and by the end things start to drag a bit. While this is overall still a really strong adventure there are several places where I wish things had either been expanded or cut. I also think that for all the strength this has in its own merits, the convoluted nature of the parts tied to the plot of the overall campaign weakens its place in the whole slightly. Still well worth a read, and I think in the context of a full campaign this is still early enough that the pacing issues aren’t a significant problem.