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## D&D Classics: The Secret of Spiderhaunt (2e)

The infamous Sword of the Dales has always held a certain fascination in the
eyes and hearts of the citizens of the Dalelands. Thus, it was no surprise
when Randal Morn, rebel leader of Daggerdale, led an expedition into the crypt
of a long-dead wizard to recover the weapon.

Shaevyn the weapons-mage had created the Sword long ago, and it stood to
reason that the blade would be waiting within his tomb. Perhaps the Sword of
the Dales woulld allow Randal Morn to rule Daggerdale once again. But Randal
Morn never returned from that fated party. Only tales of terror told by a lone
survivor held any clues as to Randal’s fate. A brave hand of heroes
accomplished what Randal Morn’s group failed to do in part one of this
adventure trilogy, “The Sword of the Dales.”

Battling through the tomb’s undead inhabitants, those heroes reached the
burial crypt of Shraevyn. There, resting in the center of the coffin, was the
Sword of the Dales, its azure glow filling the chamber. However, there was no
sign of Randal Morn.

Only a note signed by his hand held any clue as to his fate. “Seek me in
Spiderhaunt,” it proclaimed. “The fate of Daggerdale is in your hands.”

This is the second part of a trilogy of modules that began with “The Sword of
the Dales.” The saga concludes with “The Return of Randal Morn.”

Product History

“The Secret of Spiderhaunt,” by Jim Butler, is the second adventure in the
“Sword of the Dales” trilogy. It was published in August 1995.

Continuing the Randal Morn Trilogy. “Secret of Spiderhaunt” continues on from
“The Sword of the Dales” (1995) as part of the fourth (somewhat) epic trilogy
of adventures designed for the Forgotten Realms.

Different Languages, Different Titles. In German, this adventure was published
as “Der Turm der Traeume” (“The Tower of Dreams”).

It’s All about the NPCs. As is common in the Forgotten Realms, this adventure
focuses on several NPCs. The players are searching for the missing Randal Morn
and are opposed by the villainous Gothyl. Several other NPCs move in and out
of the story, including the Zhent mage Ilthond, who had previously appeared in
Ed Greenwood’s novel Spellfire(1987).

Adventuring Tropes. This adventure is structured much like its predecessor,
“The Sword of the Dales”: There’s a bit of backstory followed by an episodic
trek through the wilderness and then an adventure into a dungeon. However,
there’s a bit more railroading in this adventure, as the PCs are first beset
by dreams, and then forced onward toward the third adventure. The plotting,
including the railroading, was pretty common in AD&D adventures of the 90s,
while the episodic wilderness and the climatic dungeon adventure could have
been from the 80s.

Expanding the Realms. This adventure is most notable for its depiction of the
Spiderhaunt Woods between Shadowdale and Daggerdale. The first mention of the
area was in Dragon #164(December 1990) in Ed Greenwood’s “Pages from the Mages
VI.” He described it as a “fell woodland” where “beholders continue to lurk.”
Later in Dragon #179(March 1992), another writer detailed a magic item called
Illag’s Abominable Beacon that was said to be held by orcs who dwelt just
northeast of the Spiderhaunt Woods. All around, it didn’t seem like a nice
place to visit in those earliest days.

The Woods more notably received a couple of page of description in the
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Revised Edition (1993) and FRS1: The
Dalelands(1993), and they were featured as an adventure locale in “Marco Volo:
Arrival” (1994). “The Secret of Spiderhaunt” expands and supplements the
previous description, detailing many of the encounters that could be found
within the woods, as well as the Forest Gnome village of Stormpemhauder.

Monsters of Note. This adventure introduced the Arch-Shadow, though it hasn’t
been notably used since.

The Adventure Continues. The Randal Morn trilogy concludes in “The Return of
Randal Morn” (1995), which was published two months later.

About the Creators. The “Sword of Dales” trilogy was Butler’s first published
work for TSR. He would produce all three adventures for release in 1995 and
then would continue with more Forgotten Realms books in 1996.

Converted by: Michael Davey

Released on June 16, 2019. Designed for Fantasy Grounds version 3.3.7 and
higher.

Requires: An active subscription or a one time purchase of a Fantasy Grounds
Full or Ultimate license and the included 2E ruleset.

Fantasy Grounds – D&D Classics: The Secret of Spiderhaunt (2e)