A quiet night in the forest turns deadly. This leads to the sleepy town of Silvermist which hides a sinister secret. The story for this module is continued in its sequel, 'Shadow from a Soul on Fire.'
Posted by Bianca at 2011-09-07 07:53:43 Voted 9.00 on 09/07/11
Good but short _________________________ Everything you do has a meaning...
Posted by Mirgalen at 2010-07-05 16:30:03 Voted 3.75 on 07/05/10
Interesting but...
Visuals : 5
Sound : 5
Gameplay : 5
Documentation : 2 (description above and clues/hints buried in the comments)
Roleplaying quality : 5
Fate of character is predetermined. No real choices. OK otherwise.
Action quality : 2
Not properly balanced for the four base classes. The module is certainly playable with a fighter or cleric but rogues and mages will get toasted before they get a chance to rest.
Replayablility : 2 (you could try another character but the game will play out the same)
Fun Factor : 4
Posted by edosan at 2009-09-14 13:56:51 Voted 9.00 on 09/14/09
like other mods from the same author, great story, very atmospheric. Not for people that want a lot of loot though.
Posted by Also Copy at 2009-05-25 09:10:48 Voted 7.75 on 05/17/09
Posting to add that the sequel is an improvement over A Halo of Flies. If you have a few hours over the weekend to spend on a pair of horror themed modules, these ought to be worth your time.
Posted by Also Copy at 2009-05-17 09:04:15 Voted 7.75 on 05/17/09
some *Spoilers*
Here's the ugly news:
Pacing- This module has a very quick pace. By that I mean your hand is held as you are rushed through a succession of plot areas. You are always acting on the bidding of a NPC, half or more of the time a very specific one. Tension reaches its peak early on and only drops from there.
Characterization- Stems from pacing. I didn't care about any of them as they were one dimensional plot devices. Seriously, most of them have only one purpose and they have nothing further to say or do in particular after achieving that purpose, even if logically they should.
Purposelessness- There doesn't seem to be any reason for being called into the mayor's office except to loot it. There's nothing to do there and you get nothing but an offhand mention of the incident later. Similarly, there was no point to having an island excursion. If the wizard tower had been on land, everything would have played out the same way, but perhaps without the tension breaking change in tone.
Lastly, except for one, maybe two, of the Seven, they were all throwaway characters who were randomly violent. They didn't even pose a threat and you don't really achieve anything for beating them. Why there were seven instead of just the two who had plot related lines, I can't guess.
Combat- In most of the mod, combat is laughably easy. In one specific place it's grueling. The final boss can cast heal several times, and possesses the same immunities as the Seven as well as spell resistance. Even fighting it the right way is chancy and tedious.
The worst part of all is that it's clear the author had the ability to make a much better mod, but did not.
Okay, so that's enough grousing. Maybe I'm being too harsh on such an old module. I don't know. The dialogue was pretty good in some places, as was the concept. The atmosphere faltered after awhile, but early on it was strong. I encountered no bugs. You could do worse with the time this module takes. I plan to play the sequel and hope for better.
Posted by Kilvain at 2009-04-13 01:16:15 Voted 9.00 on 04/13/09
A fun module with an interesting plot and a healthy dose of creepy.
Posted by Sir Mordred at 2009-03-29 01:31:49 Voted 9.75 on 03/29/09
A great, atmospheric module -- with a really creepy "what lurks below the innocence of what we see" feel... _________________________ Fear of the unknown, creates a fear for the flesh...
Okay, finished "Some Distant Shore" and LOVED IT, Starlight says this one is good too, so, without further ado... a download we will go! Or I'm a bearded gnome! _________________________ Durned Elf..
Posted by M.D. Contra at 2008-07-07 10:32:40 Voted 10.00 on 07/07/08
Definetly in my top ten list.
Posted by Ugleberg at 2008-03-31 08:29:39 Voted 8.50 on 03/31/08
Oh Darn!
I forgot to vote, sorry!
Posted by Ugleberg at 2008-03-31 08:28:44 Voted 8.50 on 03/31/08
Yep, it`s woth playing if you like scary atmospheres.
Posted by LeviTosha at 2007-11-14 19:17:40 Voted 9.00 on 11/14/07
Immersive plot; I enjoyed a lot.
Posted by nullsah at 2007-09-22 04:57:48 Voted 7.25 on 09/17/07
One more thing: don't expect to level up more than once/twice in this module. Combat and hunting for quest xp is less pronounced here and I love it.
Posted by nullsah at 2007-09-17 05:52:28 Voted 7.25 on 09/17/07
*spoilers*
I had to resort to a dirty trick (hiding and resting) to beat the final boss, even after I turned the guardian against him. He healed in a nasty way AND I had very few potions/buffs (the town supply was quite thin). Other than that it was quite enjoyable, good writing and little hacking & slashing.
(Ranger 5/Rogue 2; 3.5 rules; Tony K's hak)
Posted by jimp at 2007-07-06 14:22:12 Voted 4.00 on 07/06/07
I liked this mod up to the end..but after dying 8 times. even with luring the mummy to attack the badguy, Ive had enough. I knpw the author dosnt come here anymore but if you ever change this modify the end for pete's sake.
Posted by Astero at 2007-07-03 08:40:22 Voted 9.00 on 07/03/07
Nice short module. Great atmosphere. As others posted, loved the seven serial-killers and their backgrounds. Nice touch having the bookkeeper's guidance.
Although, there weren't many dialog options, their context was well-written. I was a little perplexed when I confronted Azag. He didn't attack me first, so I did. But he was too powerful for me. It took me a while to figure it out. The guardian, thankfully,attacked Azag. Also, what about the lighthouse? Was I suppose to do something there? When I found the runestones, I went to the bookkeeper to examine them. After a while, I realized that I was missing one, when I remember having four. I don't know how this happened. I continue playing cause I was near the end and I hoped that this wouldn't create a problem, and luckily, it didn't.
By the looks of it, shadow from a soul on fire should be promising :). Well done!
Posted by amethyst347 at 2007-04-19 10:10:31 Voted 9.00 on 04/19/07
Doesn't look like anyone comes by here much anymore, but I'll vote anyway.
Nice, short and sweet module with a good story and suitably creepy atmosphere (the abandoned house was particularly effective at freaking me out). However, as others have posted, it looks like subsequent patches have broken the final encounter (and I wouldn't have guessed the "trick" to defeating the final boss had I not seen it here on these pages); I couldn't finish it without cheating. :(
Posted by Razide0506 at 2007-01-10 10:33:41 Voted 9.00 on 01/10/07
Very nicely done, short, atmospheric mystery-horror module. I particularly liked the seven villains, all of whom were creepy and interesting. Fun for an evening's entertainment. Very linear, and not especially original, but neither of those things bothered me. My only minor complaint is that at first, I lured the money to fight the demon, the demon won, and I had no way to beat the demon. I had to replay the end to make sure that the demon lost.
Posted by SusanMcKinney at 2006-11-07 21:13:25 Voted 9.50 on 11/07/06
A great, spooky storyline! I really enjoyed the plot twists, Jerias, and the "7".
Posted by medevac99 at 2006-10-15 10:17:16 Voted 9.25 on 10/15/06
Great feeling of suspense. I especially enjoyed the "7". Playing the sequel right now - so far it is GREAT!
Posted by Moonglimmer at 2006-10-08 13:56:05 Voted 8.00 on 10/08/06
I agree it was a good module and the linearity wasn't a problem, in fact I didn't even feel it was that linear.
My problem was that my level 6 rogue couldn't finish it, even with the assistance of the sneaky spoiler pointed out below. I would never have thought of that if I hadn't seen it here.
Anyway, I was hoping Hack and Slash = light would be ok for a rogue, but the end was still too tough. More a problem with the game's balance in general than this specific module. The lack of healing supplies was also problematic.
- 'Glim
Posted by Grail Quest at 2006-09-26 08:54:55 Voted 10.00 on 09/26/06
The main strength of this module comes from the intrigue and tension that never lets up. It plays like watching a great movie. If you are looking to revel in your character's combat prowess, or even use a lot of skills, this is not the module for you. If you are looking to roleplay, this module isn't for you either: Playing this module is like watching a movie--You can guess at what happens next, and probably guess at different options, but the fact remains that you are powerless to change the next scene and act (although, you will probably find yourself so engrossed as to be racing from one event to the next too quickly to reflect on this).
GOOD
.Excellent build-up of suspense. Story never gets bogged down.
.Nice touch that even inconsequential NPCs have names.
.Areas small and to the point. No superfluous areas, and also no too-long treks.
BAD
.An unfortunate module name.
.Not having dialogue choices moves the story along, but makes conversations feel dull. Having more than one tone in conversation at least gives the illusion of the PC having some choice in personality.
Posted by Vidal at 2006-08-30 14:45:13 Voted 9.75 on 08/30/06
A great Mod! The story alone is enough reason to play it. The atmosphere is haunting, and the whole concept is helped by a careful design, from the visuals to the conversations, even with minor characters... it is very good indeed, and the sequel is even better and helps to explain the whole idea...
Posted by katclanman at 2006-08-20 23:08:20 Voted 7.00 on 08/20/06
One othere thing that needs to be amplified -- I loved the mystery aspect of the module. And it really made me feel as if I were racing the clock as my sources of information kept getting killed off.
Posted by katclanman at 2006-08-20 23:06:15 Voted 7.00 on 08/20/06
Good storyline. Nice graphics. Loot seems somewhat light for a lv 6-7 character. Final boss is disproportionately powerful. Don't see how a level 7 character could take him. It took me 10 minutes with a lvl 20 Ranger to kill him. Mummy guardian that is supposed to help kill final boss dies after two blows. Still above average module. If the final boss were scaled back somehow (or given a weakness), I would be willing to raise my vote from a 7 to a 9
Posted by MasterDecoy at 2006-08-14 18:43:14 Voted 10.00 on 08/14/06
Awesome story-driven module, Awesome/10!
XP and loot was appropriate and the story was done well so I didn't notice the linear aspect of the module.
Posted by Drexar_Heulbric at 2006-04-08 21:31:46 Voted 6.00 on 04/08/06
Awful balance; no loot; no xp; can't even put a scratch on the final boss' glorious mug; if the module was HoF material up to there, I forgot about it at the final battle. Below average.
Posted by mirian ( 61.185.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-03-30 05:35:20
Great. Thanks!
Posted by ralebeau at 2006-03-21 13:23:10 Voted 8.75 on 03/21/06
nice work
Posted by poptay ( 204.117.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-03-06 18:38:35
hey i beleve i found a bug, or something, but after getting back from lion isle, and the guard tells me that the guy at the barracks wants to see me imediatly. i go to the barracks and all the guy says is, "im very busy right now" !! what do i do?
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