Rats in the Walls and Other Perils features the classic Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure, “Rats in the Walls”, by Jeffrey P. Talanian. This adventure, originally published in 2014 as a special “swag bag” giveaway at Gary Con VI, was inspired by the eponymous story by H.P. Lovecraft. This revised and lightly expanded version brings that title up to date with our current catalogue of adventure modules.
Rats in the Walls and Other Perils also includes two more short adventures: Chainsaw’s “The Brazen Bull”, and “The Lamia’s Heart”, by Jeffrey P. Talanian. (An early draft of the latter was published in the AFS fanzine.) Edited by David Prata, all three adventures are set in the dismal City-State of Khromarium and designed for from four to six characters of 1st or 2nd level. Like our popular adventure module The Anthropophagi of Xambaala™, we think you will find this to be a great AS&SH campaign starter. It contains just enough mystery and danger to whet the appetites of your players, introducing them to the weird world of sword-and-sorcery role-playing in the City-State of Khromarium.
- “Rats in the Walls”: A dockside tavern in Khromarium is plagued by rats of a most unusual breed. These abominable rodents have ruined the tavern keeper’s business and his life. The man is desperate, and he offers a substantial reward for the elimination of his horrific problem.
- “The Brazen Bull”: Whilst traversing one of the seedier neighbourhoods of Khromarium, your party are solicited by a greasy-haired Pict. He offers to sell you a sheaf of magical lotus that allows one to see the future or to brew potions that empower the imbiber with sorcery. He beckons you to follow him into a dilapidated building....
- “The Lamia’s Heart”: Your party are contracted by the nascent master of an unsanctioned thieves’ guild. To earn his favour, you must steal a singular gem from the mansion of a prominent merchant. Purloining this gem, however, may raise the ire of the city’s official thieves’ guild; notwithstanding, the reward is significant.
Text: Jeffrey P. Talanian
Editing: David Prata
Additional Development: Chainsaw
Front Cover Art: Mike Tenebrae
Back Cover Art: Del Teigeler (inks), Glynn Seal (colours)
Interior Art: Ian Baggley, Johnathan Bingham, Mick Fernette, Diogo Nogueira, Glynn Seal, Jason Sholtis, Del Teigeler, Mike Tenebrae
Cartography: Andreas Claren, Glynn Seal
Product Type: Adventure Module
Product Format: 40-pages, 8½ × 11-inch saddle-stitched book with gatefold cover