The Sin-Eater - a Shadowdark compatible campaign seed

The red dragon, Edzaralenpoe, amassed a vast and secret horde of treasure in the mountains to the north. Over many years, crawlers have gone into the mountains in search of glory and gold. Those lucky enough to return, always do so empty handed, but thankful to be alive.

This supplement is not intended to bring the Player Characters (PCs) to the hidden lair of Edzaralenpoe. Well, not directly within these eight pages, at least. It will instead help you with key campaign-elements, establishing locations, recurring characters, and a nightmare creature generator to assist you in extinguishing their light!

Thank you to the public domain art used "The Bookman - for sale here; price, 20 cents" originally via by Dodd, Mead & Co. [1896] for the cover inspiration.

For the 2024 Shadowdark Weird Tales Game Jam, authors were encouraged to use “any or all” of the three assigned inspirational covers. The cover for Vol. 45, No. 3 was visual inspiration for the village map on page 3. The House in the Valley by Derleth, in the same issue, brings out the slimy, eerie sahuagin, that harmless religious cult, and the nightmare creature rules.

The striking cover for Vol. 34, No. 3 inspired the red dragon motif which was planted into the lore. Additionally, it names easter eggs: Nevermore owned by Rhey Ven, and the dragon, Edzaralenpoe. Finally, Vol. 32, No. 6 provides the malevolent sorcerer, Pendarves. And of course, the titular Sin-Eater!