Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands (5e)

A 5e compatible adventure for 1st-level PCs by Creighton Broadhurst

Hidden deep in the borderland forest, bandits lurk in the ruined castle of a long-dead border lord. Their incessant raids draw a band of neophyte heroes to the derelict keep. There they discover fouler, more odious dangers lurk below the ruins. 

Dare you brave the terrors of the Shadowed Keep to crush that which lurks within or will darkness shroud the surrounding lands?

Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is an adventure for 1st-level characters compatible with the 5th edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game. Designed for the Duchy of Ashlar campaign setting the adventure can be easily inserted into a GM's home campaign.

Praise for the Pathfinder edition of The Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands

“If you’re like me, then you are a sucker for old school on-the-frontier dungeon crawls. Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is more than an homage to those days of yore. It plays and expands on the theme with intriguing characters, compelling stories, and cunning encounters. There is such a wealth of adventure packed into this ruined little keep that it will keep your players engaged session after session, and keep them coming back for more. So make a run for the junk food and pop, come up with pithy character hooks, don’t forget to buy a 10-foot pool, and always keep your wits about you. It’s that kind of adventure and more.”

 —Stephen Radney MacFarland

“...it is all about the details in this particular adventure - the whole adventure makes for such an immensely detailed place, the foes and their tactics are so detailed that actually RUNNING the adventure is a blast, especially with all the things to show your players. Even better, the module provides quite a challenge... we had a surprisingly awesome time while clearing out the keep...I'll settle for a final verdict of 5 stars for this very old-school module.”

 --Endzeitgeist

“Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands is an excellent location-based adventure; not only in design but also in flavour and layout. Every single room within the keep is extensively described and detailed, making the GM’s job much easier, and the flavour of which change or grow as the PCs get deeper and deeper into the adventure, which avoids the feeling of repetitious or mundane. Don’t expect the same old thing when you enter a new room, because you will possibly be very surprised at what you find.””

 —Aaron T. Huss (Roleplayer’s Chronicle)

 “If you're looking for a new module to kick off a 1st level PFRPG campaign, definitely check out Shadowed Keep on the Borderland from Creighton Broadhurst and Raging Swan Press. It has a little bit of everything and an open feel that gives your players room to explore at their pace.”

 —Brian Fitzpatrick (Game Knight Reviews)

“Following the background is a footnote suggesting how a GM might incorporated the Shadowed Keep into their own campaign, among which is put forth what is probably my favourite part of the module's potential: once the party has cleared the keep, they might endeavour to claim and rebuild it themselves.  Given the thorough detail and flavour of the environs throughout the module itself, I love this prospective aspect and feel that it could serve as the foundation for a campaign in and of itself.”  

 —Gozuja

Early 2024 Edition

This is the Early 2024 edition of Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands. This adventure now includes a comprehensive treatment of Dulwich.

Update Log

• Early 2024 Edition: Extensive expansion of the town of Dulwich. 
• Late 2023 Edition: Extensive proofing and editing.

Once you've purchased Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands you get all future 5e PDF editions of the adventure for free.