[Free RPG Day 2025] Titanskeep: Where the Zal River Flows

Now in its eighteenth year, Free RPG Day for 2025 took place on Saturday, June 21st. As per usual, Free RPG Day consisted of an array of new and interesting little releases, which are traditionally tasters for forthcoming games to be released at GenCon the following August, but others are support for existing RPGs or pieces of gaming ephemera or a quick-start. This included dice, miniatures, vouchers, and more. Thanks to the generosity of Waylands Forge in Birmingham, Reviews from R’lyeh was able to get hold of many of the titles released for Free RPG Day.

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Titanskeep: Where the Zal River Flows is an introductory adventure set in the world of Kaelador and more specifically in Zaltroonia, a politically unstable region previously dominated by mining interests that have since left, relegating the area to one of lawlessness and greed. Worse, the major thoroughfare through the region, the Zal River, has been poisoned by the waters of a river in the netherworlds. Published by Hexed Ink LLC, it is actually intended as a systems neutral setting, but for this first adventure, it has been written to be played using six Third Level Player Characters for Dungeons & Dragons, Fifth Edition. As the scenario opens, the Player Characters are travelling down the Zal River aboard a skiff, heading for Harthorpe, the port that stands at the mouth of the river where she flows into the sea. After the opportunity for the players to introduce their characters, the action gets going with an attack by giant mutant crocodiles that pitch everyone overboard, smashes the skiff, and leaves them fleeing the shore, where hopefully they will escape the notice of the vile amphibious reptiles chomping their supplies, the skiff, and the remains of her poor captain.

The Player Characters are thus stranded on the banks of the river, with at least a week’s walking required if they want to get to Harthorpe, and they barely have time to recover before they are attacked by bandits. The journey south takes them through the barren terrain along the river, through a swamp and out again, to get to the port. Once the bandits are dealt with, the next problem they face is one of food and water, but the Player Characters will have to deal with former colleagues in service to a warlord, transforming demons, and their reputations. What makes these encounters interesting is that each of the Player Characters has his or her own secret which should come into play as the scenario proceeds. Titanskeep: Where the Zal River Flows includes two appendices. The second gives the stats for the Demon Crocodile, but the first—and far more interesting appendix—gives the background and secrets to each of the scenario’s six pre-generated Player Characters. They include a Human Bard who has been hired to investigate the strange magical properties of the River Zal; an Elf Rogue looking for partner after they got separated following a theft; a Half-Orc Paladin with secret knowledge about the region of Zaltroonia; a Dwarf Barbarian who found himself in the service of a would-be warlord; a Human Cleric transporting one half of a holy relic; and a Gnome Ranger who is a suspect in a murder case. In addition, all six Player Characters have a strong motivation for wanting to get to Harthorpe.

Physically, Titanskeep: Where the Zal River Flows is a surprisingly small book, just a digest-sized booklet. It is also quite short, at fourteen pages long. This leaves room for just the one piece of art, depicting the city of Harthorpe. There is one map, but it is rather plain and not all that useful. A map of the region and the travel route would have been more useful.

Titanskeep: Where the Zal River Flows is not a great adventure. It is linear and picaresque and does not really bring to life what it is that makes the setting of Titanskeep and Kaelador and Zaltroonia different from any other. Yet the adventure is playable and the backgrounds to the Player Characters and their secrets should encourage roleplaying and these are nicely tied into the events of the story.