AD&D RAVENLOFT: Servants of Darkness & The Shadow Rift by TSR staff; WOTC (1998)

Description

Up for your consideration are 2 AD&D RAVENLOFT adventure campaign module books :
1)Servants of Darkness (1998) : adventure book + map
2)The Shadow Rift (1998) : adventure and source book
Descriptions of each:
Servants of Darkness is a stand-alone adventure that can also lead the party to investigate the misty chasm at the center of the Demiplane's Core in The Shadow Rift, the next release for the RAVENLOFT campaign setting.
For four to six characters of levels 4-6
Product History:
"Servants of Darkness" (1998), by Kevin Melka and Steve Miller, is a Ravenloft adventure for the Domains of Dread. It was published in February 1998.
Origins: The Domains Line. Following the release of Domains of Dread (1997), the third iteration of the Ravenloft setting, Wizards of the Coast published just a handful of supplements — probably because the line was on its way out under Wizards.
"Servants of Darkness" (1998) was one of the most notable, because it was the first half of Domains' only multipart adventure, leading into The Shadow Rift (1998).
Adventure Tropes. Good people can do bad things. That's a pretty good trope for Ravenloft, which is much heavier on moral dilemmas than most D&D games, and it's front and center in "Servants of Darkness". As the introduction says, "If this adventure is run correctly, the heroes will almost certainly worry that they have made wrong decisions or that they are being led astray." They must investigate accusations, they must determine the worth of witch-hunters, and they must decide who is worth saving.
The actual adventure, steeped in horror, is heavy on investigation with just a bit of a dungeon crawl at the end, tying the world of Ravenloft to the world of D&D.
Exploring Ravenloft. "Servants of Darkness" is set in Tepest, a domain that was first described way back in Ravenloft: Realm of Terror (1990), but one that hadn't received much attention to date. Players visit both of its villages, Viktal and Kelee. There's even a nice color map of the domain of Tepest that shows its relation to the Shadow Rift … which is of course the heart of the next adventure in the series.
NPCs of Note. Though they won't necessarily appear in the adventure, Laveeda, Leticia, and Lorinda, the three Darklords of Tepest all get full descriptions.
They're not even the only Darklords in the adventure. Loht, the Prince of Shadows, once the Darklord of the shadow elf domain of Arak, is also present — and more integral to the adventure! Arak was one of the original domains from Ravenloft: Realm of Terror, but it disappeared during the Grand Conjunction and so was absent starting with the Ravenloft Campaign Setting (1994); Loht's appearance here was a nice touchback to the changing setting.
About the Creators. Melka is best-known as the lead for the second iteration of the Dark Sun campaign; "Servants of Darkness" was his only Ravenloft work. Miller was more central to the product line, coauthoring Domains of Dread and contributing to most of the later "Children of the Night" books.
Product information:
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (March 1, 1998)
Language: English
Paperback: 64 pages
ISBN-10 ‎0786906596
ISBN-13 ‎978-0786906598
Item Weight: 1.6 ounces
Dimensioned: 8.5 x 0.25 x 11 inches
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For many years folk have gazed into the churning black vapors of the Shadow Rift and wondered at the horrors that might lie within. Some have speculated that it might be a realm of the doomed, where tortured spirits suffer the hours of eternity. Others have speculated that it might be an empty domain, waiting for the arrival of a master who is evil enough to claim it and shape it in his own image. Even the mysterious Vistani do not know what secrets are hidden in the depths of this gaping chasm. Now, the time has come for the veil of shadows to be parted. Loht, king of the shadow elves, has reclaimed the mighty Sword of Arak. With this relic, he intends to set in motion a plan that has take thousands of years to form. He will throw open that very gate of darkness and invite one of mankind's greatest enemies to walk the land of the living. And if he is not stopped, the rivers of Ravenloft will run red with the blood of the innocent.
"The Shadow Rift" (TSR 1163) is a combined adventure/accessory book whish details the mysterious Shadow Rift, a gaping hole in the center of Ravenloft's Core which is filled with the mists. The Shadow Elves play a major role in this realm, and they will be the enemies who set in motion the grand adventure in this book. This was an interesting booklet, and it was full of information on the new domain of the Shadow Rift.
Product history:
Title :The Shadow Rift
Authors : William W. Connors, John D. Rateliff, Cindi Rice
Book Type :Adventure
Product information
Publisher: TSR Inc. Wizards Of The Coast (April 20, 1998);
Language; English
Paperback book
Pages: 160
ISBN-10 ‎0786907371
ISBN-13 ‎978-0786907373
Item Weight ‎12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‎8.5 x 0.5 x 10.75 inches
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Items come from a smoke free and pet free home.
Items are preowned yet well maintained (also well utilized, though complete) and clean.
Please note: the books do show some wear due to age and use. Please see photos as they are part of the description.
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Game on!