Savage Tide

This painting is the first time you see Vanthus's face. The second time is when he locks you in a dungeon full of zombie pirates.

The first savage tide has already touched the mortal world. Unleashed from the cruel heart of a shadow pearl, the tide swept over an ancient civilization, transforming the citizens into feral, cannibalistic fiends. The hateful architects of the savage tide watched, taking pride in the ruin they had wrought. Now, after a thousand years, the savage tide is about to return. Yet this time, the doom will not be limited to one hapless city. This time, all of civilization waits unknowing on the shore, blissfully ignorant of what the tide is about to bring in...

WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.

Savage Tide is a 2006 Adventure Path released for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons during Paizo Publishing's run of Dungeon (magazine). The adventure begins when the adventurers are hired by a noblewoman of the port city of Sasserine, Lavinia Vanderboren, to track down her missing brother, Vanthus. Over the course of twelve adventures that follow, the Player Characters go from adventures in Sasserine to exploring the infamous Isle of Dread to braving the terrors of the Abyss itself in order to stop a plot by one of D&D's greatest villains to cast the entire world into savagery.

Savage Tide nominally takes place in the Greyhawk setting, though far to the south of the Free City of Greyhawk. It is the third in the Dungeon adventure path series, after Shackled City and Age Of Worms; the three adventure paths are in the same continuity, and Savage Tide assumes that the previous two campaigns have occurred.

The adventure path is notable for being the final adventure path released in Dungeon prior to its cancellation and relaunch as an online-only title for D&D Fourth Edition. The Grand Finale, "Prince of Demons," was the final adventure published in the printed era of Dungeon (magazine), and so served not only as a finale to the campaign, but to the magazine as well.

Tropes used in Savage Tide include:

Action Girl: Lavinia Vanderboren, Amella Vankalie, numerous villainous examples.
A God Am I: A possible fate of a PC - if Demogorgon is killed, his title, "Prince of Demons," becomes up for grabs, along with his territory in the Abyss.
Always Save the Girl: Oh, Lavinia.
Arch Nemesis: Vanthus Vanderboren. The players start the campaign searching for him, and when they find him, he locks them in a dungeon full of pirate zombies and leaves them to die. Over the course of the campaign, they track him down, discover his links to the savage tide, and eventually kill him on the Isle of Dread. Then Demogorgon brings him back as a Death Knight and they have to track him to the Abyss.
Back From the Dead: Vanthus
Big Bad: Demogorgon
Black Magician Girl: Iggwilv
Brother-Sister Incest: It's implied (and was outright stated by James Jacobs) that Vanthus lusts after his sister Lavinia. She, thankfully, is completely repulsed by him.
- "She's a GOOD girl!"
City of Adventure: Sasserine.
Cool Boat: The Sea Wyvern, which the players acquire after the second adventure. It stays with them until near the very end of the campaign.
Demon Lords and Archdevils: Stuffed to the gills with them towards the end. The players may even end up working with some of them, like Orcus, in order to take down Demogorgon.
Damsel in Distress: Lavinia, twice.
The Dragon: Vanthus Vanderboren, to Demogorgon
Enemy Mine: The penultimate adventure, "Enemies of My Enemy," natch. The players recruit the eladrin paragon Gwynharwyf, the Demon Prince of Undeath Orcus, the sorceress Iggwilv, and possibly Demogorgon's lover, the Horny Devils succubus queen Malcanthet.
Everything's Better with Dinosaurs
Everything Trying to Kill You: The Isle of Dread. Later, the Abyss.
The Evil Prince: Vanthus. He murders his parents in hopes of inheriting their fortune... Only to discover they left it all to Lavnia.
Fanservice: Malcanthet, Shami-Amourae, Lavinia, Harliss Javell, Iggwilv, Tyralandi... yeah, there's a lot of this. Especially Malcanthet. She's not called the Queen of Succubi for nothing. Especially when in order to meet with her and secure her aid in the penultimate section of the adventure path, you're required to walk through her palace naked (past several orgies) into her throne room, which is one massive orgy that she oversees from her throne.
Grand Finale: "Prince of Demons"
Hungry Jungle: The Isle of Dread, particularly in Chapter 4, "Here Be Monsters."
Lost World: The Isle of Dread
Mayincatec: The Olman Tribes on the Isle of Dread. In their distant past, they even built massive Mesoamerican-esque ziggurats and had a far-reaching empire... Until the first of the shadow pearls went off and destroyed their empire in one night. Now there are only seven small tribes left, huddled at the edge of the Isle of Dread.
Spiritual Successor: The Pathfinder adventure paths Serpent's Skull and Skull and Shackles can be seen as successors to different aspects of Savage Tide.
Wham! Episode: There's a few. In "The Bullywug Gambit," the players see the effects of the savage tide for the first time. In "Tides of Dread," they fight off a pirate invasion and finally get to confront Vanthus. In "City of Broken Idols," they destroy the source of the shadow pearls - by fighting an aspect of Demogorgon!
Wretched Hive: Scuttlecove, an anarchic pirate town the players visit late in the campaign.