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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tuerny" data-source="post: 2008325" data-attributes="member: 674">Originally reviewed by Jesse Dean on AtFantasy.comMadness in Freeport, written by William Simoni, is the final module in Green Ronin Publishing's Freeport Trilogy. It is designed for four characters of fourth through sixth level and is set in the city of Freeport. It is intended for parties who have completed the previous two portions of the Freeport Trilogy, and assumes their success in both of them. Plot OutlineMadness in Freeport starts out a few days after the end of Terror in Freeport, as the PCs, who are hailed as heroes for stopping the actions of the "villainous" Verlaine, are invited by Sealord Milton Drac to attend the Grand Lighthouse Ball. Due to Verlaine's untimely death the Ball is also being used to choose a new member of the Captain's Council, resulting in a complex political duel between Drac's allies and those of this most prominent foe on the Council, Lady Elise Grosette. This allows the PCs the opportunity to get to know the players in the city as well as influence the result of who is chosen for the council. Milton Drac also attempts to use the Ball as an opportunity to set up the PCs, removing them as a threat. The Ball ends with the arrival of a strange man who acts as a Prophet of Yig, propelling the PCs into the next portion of the adventure.After the Ball, it is assumed that the PCs have a good idea of what is happening and what to do next. Thuron, High Priest of the God of Knowledge, tells them that the Jade Serpent of Yig was found in the Temple of Yig in Ancient Valossa. Thuron does not know where the Temple is found but he does know that a pirate known as Blackdog, who disappeared many years ago, found a doorway that could very well be the entrance to it. A bit of quick investigation on the street leads to Blackdog's mate and directions to the cave where the door is found. Within the cave, and the temple after it, are a series of encounters with traps and monster culminating with the recovery of the Jade Serpent of Yig.With only a short period left to spare, the PCs have to storm the lighthouse with the Jade Serpent of Yig, in order to disrupt the ritual. This is impossible to do during the day, due to the presence of the Sea Lord's marine patrol. To further complicate matters, Drac has ordered the arrest of the PCs, in order to insure they do not interfere with his plans for the lighthouse. Assuming the PCs arrive at night, they find the interior of the Lighthouse well-guarded by cultists and serpent men. In order to stop the lighting of the Lighthouse, and the madness that would follow, the PCs must confront Milton Drac at the top, and replace the gemstone use to activate it with the Jade Serpent of Yig. If they do so the Cult of the Yellow Sign is defeated and the PCs have saved Freeport form a horrible fate.PresentationThe module, a standard laminated, stapled perfect bound booklet, is forty-eight pages long. The inside covers are illustrated with maps of the Sealord's Lighthouse. The margins are barely noticeable. The cover illustration, by Brom, depicts a man with a demented look on his face fondling a skull. The interior artwork, by Chris Keefe, Rob Hinds, Drew Baker, Toren Atkinson, is composed of black and white drawings appropriate for the material discussed in the text.The maps are informative, including a grid and scale where necessary, and including major furniture and physical features.OverviewMadness in Freeport is divided into an Introduction, four adventure sections, and an Appendix. The OGL/d20 System License is split between the first page of the book and the end of the appendix.The Introduction discusses the conventions used in the module, what happened in previous portions of the Trilogy, and an introduction on the Captains' Council and how it evolved to its present form. The conventions are standard for a d20 module with discussion about the handouts, where the stats for monsters are, and what Freeport is. The previous adventures are summarized well, with an explanation of what exactly the PCs were expected to have done and learned in the previous parts of the Trilogy. The history of Freeport is also expanded from the previous two modules with explanations of the Captains' Council's origins, how it gained more power form the previous Sealords, and its present form. The adventure sections subdivide the action in the adventure. Part One details the Grand Lighthouse Ball, including tips of how to run it, details of Drac's attempt to get the PCs, the arrival of the prophet of Yig, and an overview of each of the major visitors to the ball. Part Two talks about Black Dog's cave, including the search for it and a description of the caves themselves. Part Three describes the Sunken Temple of Yig. Part Four details the PCs return from the temple, the assault on the Lighthouse, and the Aftermath. The appendix has details of the stats of the NPCs and unnamed opponents in the adventure as well as some handouts. The statistics are standard for a d20 adventure, with the usual stat block detailing each of the NPCs. Three new monsters, the Shadow Constrictor Snake, the Shadow Serpent, and the Zombie Constrictor Snake, are introduced. Two handouts finish off the Appendix, each detailing documents that the PCs receive. The first is the invitation to the Grand Lighthouse Ball. The second is the remains of Blackdog's journal recovered by Thuron. Analysis Madness in Freeport is a fitting conclusion to the Freeport Trilogy that manages to maintain the overall themes found since the start of the Trilogy, while maintaining its own, distinct feel. The complex role-playing opportunity found in the Grand Lighthouse Ball shine in comparison to all the other d20 modules produced so far, save for In the Belly of the Beast. A number of intriguing adventure hooks and ideas are provided throughout the module allowing the threads introduced in the Trilogy to be carried even further within Freeport and beyond. Unfortunately the module suffers from linearity and inflexibility. This is understandable considering the timeframe (three days) involved within the adventure, but few options are provided for alternate ways to go about the adventure. Luckily, few groups are likely to notice this with the way the adventure is crafted. The dungeons included in the adventure serve as suitable representations of the dichotomy found in the Trilogy as a whole. One, Blackdog's Caves, is an apt representation of the freebooting, pirate nature of the city. The other, the Sunken Temple of Yig, serves as a good representation of the Cthulhuesque overtones that the setting has attempted to provide. The Lighthouse itself is a merging of both of the themes into one whole.The usefulness of Madness in Freeport for those who are not running the Freeport Trilogy is rather limited. The most useful of the materials within it for those who wish to use it outside of the Trilogy are the two dungeons. Blackdog's Caves and the Sunken Temple of Yig are both transferable to another campaign with only moderate difficulty. The material on the city itself and the Captains' Council may also be of use to those who wish to run a Freeport campaign without running the Freeport Trilogy. This material's usefullness is limited however, due to the release of Secrets of Freeport, a city guide for Freeport, later this year. ConclusionMadness in Freeport is a suitably suspensful closing to the Freeport. The strength of its connection to the two previous modules is also a weakness, unfortuantely, as the module has limited use to those who are not running the Trilogy. For those that are, Madness in Freeport is a worthwhile purchase that is worth the cover price.</blockquote>

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