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RQ3 From the Shadows (2e)

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Deep beneath the foundation stones of Castle Avernus, Azalin the lich hatches his plots. The grand conjunction is coming, when all the lands and lords of Ravenloft will be set free upon the realms of man. Azalin does not intend to let this oppurtunity slip by. All he needs are a few deadies. Fortunately, there is a party of adventurers nearby....

This is the first of two adventures that feature Azalin the lich and Strahd von Zarovich in their eternal conflict. This module contains complete floorplans for Azalin's dark home, Castle Avernus.

From the Shadows will take characters to places they've never been before - places spoken of only in hushed whispers and terrifying legends.

Product History

RQ3: "From the Shadows" (1992), by Bruce Nesmith, is the sixth Ravenloft adventure. It was published in October 1992.

Continuing the Ravenloft Adventures. "From the Shadows" was the third Ravenloft adventure published in 1992. At the time, TSR was switching their adventure codes every calendar year, rather than keeping them in tune with any arcs or stories. As a result, "From the Shadows" was also the third "RQ" adventure for 1992 and would be followed by new "RM" adventures in 1993.

Plotting Along. Ravenloft took a break from the Grand Conjunction metaplot with the publication of RQ2: "Thoughts of Darkness" (1992), but RQ3: "From the Shadows" continued on as the fifth part of the series that had previously spanned RA1: "Feast of Goblyns" (1990), RA2: "Ship of Horror" (1991), RA3: "Touch of Death" (1991), and RQ1: "Night of the Walking Dead" (1992).

"From the Shadows" was also where the metaplot got serious. The first two parts of the metaplot were originally unconnected adventures, then the second two parts were linked only by a prophetic poem. "From the Shadows" finally explains what's going on: the lich Azalin is trying to create a Grand Conjunction where the domains of Ravenloft will return to other worlds … and more importantly where a single dark lord might win free of the demiplane. "From the Shadows" also puts that plot in action, as Azalin weakens the demiplane by stealing an ancient artifact from Caste Ravenloft. It's what's required for the Grand Conjunction to occur!

The Hyskosa prophecy that was at the heart of the previous adventures also makes an important return in "From the Shadows"; the players get to meet Hyskosa himself, and finally learn the entirety of the prophecy. That includes the missing sixth verse, which describes this adventure:

The bodiless shall journey to the time before
Where happiness to hate creates land and lore.

This describes how the PCs are beheaded then thrust back through time.

The adventure ends with the actual occurrence of the Grand Conjunction, which leads to the final adventure in the sequence, RM1: "Roots of Evil" (1993).

Adventuring Tropes. "From the Shadows" starts with a rather surprising encounter where everyone is killed! In later years this sort of thing would become a clichéd trope in Ravenloft adventures, but for now it was a shocking (albeit, scripted) beginning.

The rest of the early adventure is event-based, but it includes one rather innovative bit of adventure design: Azalin sends the PCs back in time to the wedding of Strahd at Castle Ravenloft. There, they must steal an artifact in a limited amount of time. If they fail, they're sent back to the Castle again and again — not only repeating the same events, but also getting to see the results of their previous trips! It's an inspired bit of whimsy unlike anything seen before in an AD&D adventure.

The tail end of the adventure moves from events to delves, in the form of an extensive trek through Castle Avernus that's reminiscent of the adventure through Castle Ravenloft in I6: "Ravenloft" (1983). After that, events return, to properly set things on the path for the next adventure!

Expanding Ravenloft. "From the Shadows" is the first Ravenloft book to provide an extensive look at Azalin's domain of Darkon. Most of the focus is on Castle Avernus, which gets room by room descriptions, but there's some description of surrounding lands too.

Castle Ravenloft also gets a slight amount of attention, but there are better sources for that infamous dwelling.

NPCs of Note. Azalin comes center stage in "From the Shadows" as the mastermind behind the Grand Conjunction plot. Players tour his castle and his domain, while the GM learns more about Azalin himself — including the fact that he's from the World of Greyhawk, something previously unknown. At the end of "From the Shadows", Azalin is absorbed into his phylactery, which will free him from his domain.

The Headless Horseman from RR1: "Darklords" (1991) is also briefly featured, as a PC-killing antagonist.

About the Creators. Nesmith continued to be one of the more influential Ravenloft authors throughout the early '90s. His previous credits included Ravenloft: Realm of Terror (1990), RR1: "Darklords" (1991), RA3: "Touch of Death" (1992), and Forbidden Lore (1992) while he'd go on to produce a final few adventures in the next few years.

About the Product Historian

This history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

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Reviews (3)
Discussions (4)
Customer avatar
Derek N December 23, 2023 6:03 am UTC
The PDF has been updated this year. Did they add the maps?

Also PoD on more Ravenloft modules please :)
Customer avatar
Lair O August 30, 2022 6:40 am UTC
PURCHASER
I'm disappointed: no map of Castle Avernus included? It's an indispensable part of this adventure.
Customer avatar
Carl V October 29, 2014 1:40 am UTC
"From the Shadows" is part 5 of the six-part Grand Conjunction series of adventures. Part 6 is "Roots of Evil". "Requiem: The Grim Harvest" is separate and not part of the Grand Conjunction series, but it should probably occur after "From the Shadows" because Azalin is existent in "From the Shadows" but seems to have been destroyed at the beginning of the events described in "Requiem". The main focus of "Requiem" is the somewhat clunky 2E rules for playing undead PCs, though a good deal of background about Necropolis is provided.
Customer avatar
Andrew K October 28, 2014 3:17 pm UTC
Is "Requiem: The Grim Harvest (2e)" the second module is this story? It would be helpful if the write-up explained that.
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This title was added to our catalog on October 28, 2014.