Publication:The Assassin's Knot

[  The Assassin's Knot]

System: Dungeons and Dragons 1e Levels: 2 – 5  Author: Lenard "Len" Lakofka  Publisher: TSR  Publication Date: 1983  Format: Paperback  Page Count: 32

Product Blurb "If you want someone murdered, go to Garrotten" is a common saying in Restenford. The small, peaceful town of Garrotten is rumored to be the headquarters of a deadly band of assassins. Perhaps there is nothing to this talk. Perhaps it is true. There has never been any reason to find out. Until now. The Baron of Restenford is dead. The first day following his death, Restenford was a hornet's nest of activity. No one was allowed to enter or leave. The castle itself was sealed t outsiders as soon as the murder was discovered. Wild rumors hinted that the body was left in a condition that made magical restoration impossible. That evening came an urgent summons from the reclusive sorceror, Pelltar, whose council continued late into the night. By midmorning of the next day, you were well on your way to Garrotten. Three slender clues are all that remain - three possible chances to unravel the tangled web of intrigue that doomed the Baron of Restenford. The sun is warm, and the land around your is full of life. By nightfall, you will arrive. For characters levels 2 through 5. This text is quoted from promotion material. Text and images are copyrighted by the original publisher.

Plot Summary

The Assassin's Knot is a sequel to The Secret of Bone Hill, picking up on themes from that module and shifts them to a new locale. The player characters must solve the mystery of who killed the Baron of Restenford, with evidence pointing to somebody from the town of Garrotten. The scenario describes the town and its castle.

The Assassin's Knot module is different from most of its contemporaries in that it contained no dungeon or dungeon-like area. The longer the players take to find the murderer, the more unfortunate events occur in the village.

The village, Garrotten, is reputed to be the place to go to have someone killed. The entire village shuts down when the Baron of Restenford is found dead, mutilated beyond the possibility of magical restoration. Three small clues are all the player characters have to unravel the mystery.

Publication History

The Assassin's Knot was written by Len Lakofka and published by TSR in 1983 as a thirty-two page booklet with two outer folders. It is a sequel to L1 The Secret of Bone Hill, and the second module in the Lendore Isle series. This series was originally planned to be five modules. The third module in the series, L3 Deep Dwarven Delve, was only available as a limited release as part of the Dungeons & Dragons Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition set released in 1999. In 2006, Lakofka announced on the Pen & Paper website that he would be releasing L4 and L5 through Dragonsfoot, introducing additional material and adventures set in the Lendore Isles. A subsequent threaded discussion on the Dragonsfoot forum gives the title of L4 as "Devilspawn".

The adventure "Priestly Secrets" in Dungeon #71 (Nov/Dec 1998) was set in Restenford and took into account events from this module in Garrotten.

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