The layout of this looks great and the writing is super compelling and (when it needs to be) chilling, full of gripping details like "A character hears their own voice whisper a terrible secret." I think the escalation with the clock is a useful device. The ultimate goal of the adventure and the subversion of the "boss" encounter is really effective. There's something really haunting about this one.
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Thank you; I am happy that you found the writing compelling and the adventure's haunting quality effective.
The subversion of the boss encounter was a central design goal. I wanted to replace the traditional evil archlord with a tragic anti-hero, much in the vein of Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melniboné. Like Elric, Pellen is a character bound to a dark power, and his inescapable fate is a necessary ritualistic death. It is great to know that this approach landed well.