| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 15 Aug 2008 : 19:49:33
Ok, so the title seems a little strange, but I couldn't find a better way of saying it.
Has any of you used the old B series of adventures from OD&D in the Realms? I was planning to reuse them some time soon and just got curious about other peoples experience with these.
The last time I used them I placed most of them in the mountains around Cormyr and the areas around. I am wondering if maybe the Moonsea could be an alternative this time. Hillsfar under the old council could be a good "safe area" as I used Arabel and Tilverton earlier.
I am looking forward to running these adventures again. It has been years now and reading them again I remember how much fun it was the last time. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| froglegg |
Posted - 13 Dec 2009 : 04:56:33
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
Ok, so the title seems a little strange, but I couldn't find a better way of saying it.
Has any of you used the old B series of adventures from OD&D in the Realms? I was planning to reuse them some time soon and just got curious about other peoples experience with these.
The last time I used them I placed most of them in the mountains around Cormyr and the areas around. I am wondering if maybe the Moonsea could be an alternative this time. Hillsfar under the old council could be a good "safe area" as I used Arabel and Tilverton earlier.
I am looking forward to running these adventures again. It has been years now and reading them again I remember how much fun it was the last time.
I can see B-2 The Keep on the Borderlands working very well in the mountains around Cormyr.
John |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 17 Apr 2009 : 18:26:57
Just thinking again. The harp is a Myth Drannor harp, it could be used to give some hints of future adventures and to introduce the story of the city to the players. I would not tie the gem itself to the city, it would be a bit to much.
One thing of note; if this is still used as a low level adventure the two items are a bit powerful for players, but its not difficult to base the adventure around a mid-level party. The differences between editions makes it to difficult for 1-3level parties in all other versions than Basic anyway. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 16 Apr 2009 : 14:47:37
I have a feeling that we are going to get a very long text. My part alone is about seven pages by this time. The ideas looks good, are you using them in your part or should I write them into the main text?
The prison idea has huge possibilities and could be varied in numerous forms to fit with whatever form the adventure takes.
I will take a look through The Magister a little later to check out the background of the harp and the sword and see if I get any more ideas from their backgrounds. If all three are needed to destroy the gem together they should have some common tie or point of interest.
One question though. If the dragons of the north are worried, why do they send a white dragon, the least intelligent and least trustworthy of their kin? Also, where does the knight fit in with their plans? He could of course be made into a renegade member of the Cult who has agreed to work in their service.
Any one else who thinks of anything, don't be afraid to chime in. |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 16 Apr 2009 : 12:19:42
Re the White Dragon and links with Faerun. If we use the idea that they are the Dragons of the North and are working against the Cult of the Dragon (who want the Eye for their own schemes) perhaps these are the Dragons that are descended from the Hoarfen (see GHoTR -323 and -327 DR for the entries).
Just a thought
Damian |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 16 Apr 2009 : 12:04:49
To throw some more sand into the box for us all to play with, to whit what the 'eye' actually is, what is in it and how to destroy it:
Cheers
Damian
The Eye is a ‘prison’ not rooted in Faerun, the gem merely acts as the ‘walls of the prison’, with the extra-dimensional space that holds the prisoner contained within (the gem is a window looking into another place/plane/world if you like). Over time the ‘window’ becomes brittle and the essence of the prisoner leaks out (hence sowing the chaos of the adventure), so to stop this, the prison the door must be opened (the gem shattered) and the prisoner confronted.
Adventure idea: The PC's must shatter the gem to stop the prisoner/arik so the solution is based on the idea of series magic. That is when ‘lesser’ magics are combined in order they exponentially become more powerful. So in this case to shatter the ‘eye of arik’ the following needs to be done.
The Sword (see below) breaches the barrier between the worlds of Faerun and the Prison i.e. the sword must strike the gem. As per the adventure the white dragon must then breathe upon the gem (this makes it very very cold and very very brittle), finally the Harp (see below) must be played and the lowest note plucked to shatter the gem into millions of tiny fragments.
(obviously when you ‘open the door’ you are inviting the prisoner to escape/attack you, the DM must decide appropriate actions taken by the prisoner at this stage)
To make the Harp and Sword more Realmsian, I suggest the following. Both items drawn from FR4 The Magister (I have typed up the pertinent info).
(Harp of Ice)
Esheen’s Harp: The tones of this harp cause all glass and metal within 3" to ring and resonate, “singing along with” the playing of the harp: an eerie and attention-getting effect. When the harp-player plucks the lowest string on the harp, any glass or metal objects up to 3" distant that the end of the body of the harp is pointing at must save versus “crushing blow” or shatter instantly into tiny shards. This path of effect is approximately 1' wide.
(Ariks Bane)
Syrar’s Silver Sword
This +1 silver weapon employs a combination of spells devised by the archmage Syrar. These magics allow the blade to breach the barriers between planes in much the same manner as a cockatrice and similar animals do. Thus, it can strike targets on the astral and ethereal planes which are susceptible to magical weapon attacks. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 23 Aug 2008 : 09:57:43
It should of course be Ghaunadar. For some reason I seemed to remember the Shield of the Knights Of the Shield having the eye as a symbol. On the other hand Garagauth would work just as well. I will look into it and differentiate the two a bit more.
As for the Dragonkings Eye, the problem is that if you run the adventure with the artifact as shown in the rules this becomes an adventure for a higher level party. I would maybe have the gem being a sort of mirror or shadow of the item. I am not thinking D&D rules here. I am thinking of some sort of incarnation made of a small part of the Dragonkings Eye, but one that if left uncontrolled can grow in power. Both suggestions should be included I think.
This will also lead us to the question of the Wand family, who are supposed to guard the artifact.
Now its been ten to fifteen years since I read Stormlight, so I cant remember if the artifact played a part in the book. |
| Asgetrion |
Posted - 23 Aug 2008 : 03:57:24
Nice work, Jorkens! 
I will read it properly through tomorrow, but even at a brief glance it looks great!
BTW, to echo Damian's words, didn't Dragonking's Eye appear in Ed's novel 'Stormlight', which takes place in Firefall Vale, in Cormyr? Hmmm...  |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 23 Aug 2008 : 01:36:03
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
I must admit that I am not comfortable with rewriting what other people write, so I would like some input on how/where to include the notes from your versions Asgetrion and Crazedventurer.
I think you have done an excellent job Jorkens, a very thorough and encompassing summary of all the relevant posts and info from the module. Well done!
A few minor points:
Should Gargauth be Ghaunadar? I thought Ghaunadar's symbol was an eye?
If I was to run it in the current realms (c1370DR or so)
Having reread the Dragonkings Eye from VGtaTM, I would definately make this the gem for the adventure - it resolves the issue of the various disparate monsters (its monster summoning ability) and can be assumed to have been used by the elves to protect their lands by summoning beasts to slay intruders (unknowing to them the Eye is evil!) and using the eye has the chance of a wild magic effect.
The explanation for the ruination to the surrounding land is because it has created a wild magic area (in this case drying up all the moisture in the soil, so the vegetaion slowly perishes).
Using the Eye also helps to explain the white dragon and the knight. We know that Garagos is 'duty bound' to destroy the dragonking residing in the gem, so the incongruity of a white dragon and dragon rider is lessened. The knight is (potentially) a powerful warrior/cleric of Garagos with his white dragon mount a familiar/cohort/follower/dominated and forced into service beast and they are both there to do Garagos' bidding after the elves unleased the power of the Gem's wild magic (therefore alerting Garagos to its whereabouts). Garagos is CN, so it is not a huge step to a CE White Dragon. (I personally prefer using Garagos to Auril if using the theory above - alternatively as discussed previously have the Dragon and Knight members of the Cult of the Dragon and make them Auril Worshippers - the Cult want the Gem destroyed as well for their owm reasons).
The Dragonking is described as an 8 legged dragon beast - sounds like a demonic greater basilisk to me which nicely explains why the all powerful elves are not destroying the gem (they are all petrified!)
Re the hook to get the PC's involved - Aubaerus the Ravenmaster (Heirophant of Silvanus) seems a logical choice to me if the adventure is set in and around Cormyr. Though i would use a servant of his to get the PC's involved, and not have the Ravenmaster himself turn up!
Re the immortal - why not make it a Sword Herald? (detailed in Volo's Guide to Cormyr). This explains the 'power' level of the individual and fits nicely into your 'hideyhole theory' as well.
Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the read and the plot hooks you added in fleshing out some of the NPC's/items etc and the potential to use them.
Cheers
Damian |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 22 Aug 2008 : 20:14:54
And that's what I have.
I must admit that I am not comfortable with rewriting what other people write, so I would like some input on how/where to include the notes from your versions Asgetrion and Crazedventurer. But from what I have seen these should definitely be included. I have no trouble with changing my own writing, so mention any changes you think would help. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 22 Aug 2008 : 20:09:40
Characters.
In addition to the two great powers that are of both sides of the pc's there are also a few other characters involved in this module. Some, like the doppleganger, the medusa, werewolf Ahla and the lich are simple encounters that you can develop into interesting side-quests. Others, such as the human Npc's demand a closer look, although most of them have a very little role in the adventure.
The inhabitants of the vale and the castle are given little attention in the adventure, so if you want the Pc's to have prior connections to the inhabitants or have them stay in the area after the adventure. it might be a good idea to do some thinking about the personality and motivation of some of these. As the adventure starts the inhabitants of the castle has already fallen under the curse, so there will be little interaction with these until the curse is lifted. Then the princess Argenta herself, her court mage and all the others will awaken. As there are to many possibilities here, depending on what road you choose for the adventure to take.
In addition to the locals caught in the curse of the gem there is also a foreign traveller that arrived the night before that has been imprisoned. I am now talking of course about the dragonrider I mentioned earlier. This character, Ellis, in the adventure a knight of the White Drake, is rather more interesting and we should therefore have a closer look at him. Especially since he might need a bit modification to fit in the modern Realms.
He rides, as is natural from the name of his order, a white dragon, who has also been captured by the ruby. The dragon is named Ariksbane in the adventure and is one of the three possible weapons presented in the adventure to aid the characters against the Ruby. Now, here is one of the elements of the adventure you should think about for a while. For a white dragon in the Realms is quite a bit different from the dragon presented here One thing is that the dragon is extremely more powerful in all other versions of the game than OD&D, so it might not fit a low level adventure such as this. This isn't necessarily a problem, as it is not the meaning that the characters should fight him. He only appears for a short moment (if at all)and then does not act against the characters, but at the least it will give the characters a very powerful future ally in Ellis and there is of course no way of telling what a group of players might think of that might create a combat situation with the dragon..
Another thing to remember is that the white dragon is a neutral creature in OD&D, in the other editions most players will be a bit sceptical of anyone riding a chaotic evil dragon. If you think you will have a hard time convincing them that the dragon is not a threat, then it might be a good idea to change him into another creature or at least do something to confuse the players about the species of the dragon.
Now what to do about Ellis himself? The first thing you should do is to change his name of course. and that would of course depend on the region and race you pick for him, so I can give few suggestions on that. But more importantly, who and what is he? The adventure gives few hints with except that he is Argentas fiancé and his name and order, so here some imagination is needed. Let's look at a couple of alternatives.
As there is so little concrete to work with you can just as well change him into whatever form suites your idea for the adventure. Ariksbane should of course change accordingly. If you want him to be a “normal” realmsian character that is more or less in the same league as the characters, then you might make him a low-level paladin and Ariksbane his warhorse. A bit boring, but easy and without to much lore needed to explain his appearance and motivations. He had a warning from his deity that he was needed and travelled to the valley. Short and sweet.
But if you want to make Ellis into a major plot-hook for further adventures and maybe spark the players curiosity, then the possibilities really start to open up. For example; he could be a dwarven champion from the Far Hills who has been warned about the danger his countrymen are about to loosen on the region. And, as the dwarves of the Far Hills are known to ride giant bats in their caverns, you have a natural substitute for the dragon that fits perfectly into Realmslore and still seems strange and exotic to the players. Of course, you must find some logical way for a bat to harm the gem, a wing buffet seems a bit unlikely for some reason. Whatever mount you choose for the knight, remember that it should have some logical way of destroying the gem. This makes griffs, griffons and wyverns less suitable, but a dragonne is perfect. Then again, if you want to keep the dragon and if the dwarves are air-riders to begin with, he can just as well have befriended a dragon in travels to the north. This version of the champion is especially fitting if the other dwarves are servants of Abbathor or if there are dwarfs among the characters themselves.
If you are the type of DM that likes lairs and lairs of intrigue there is always the possibility that Ellis is as evil as his dragon. Ellis can be a servant of Auril, sent by the goddess when she detects the presence of the gem, a threat so great that even helping the monks would be acceptable. This would make his bond with the white dragon more logical. In that version he can also be given a Winter wolf as an alternative mount. Or he might be a demonic creature called to gather the gem for his master, who plans to dominate the artifact and use it for his own aims.
Or if you have a more romantic inclination there is always the possibility that Ariksbane is in some way cursed into this form and now has little memory of his/her earlier form. Ellis, determined to stay with his friend/lover etc. is forced to go along with the dragons somewhat crude and greedy plots. Such as its plan to steal the jewel he heard about from a captured dwarf. In his original form he was fated to destroy the gem, but as the dragon he is now more interested in keeping it for his hoard. Ellis might be talked into helping the characters to deceive the dragon, but only if they help him lift the curse afterwards.
And now I have a last suggestion that allows you to use one of the more interesting npc's from official lore. If you have the Myth Drannor box sett, you could take a look at Emrock Uerngulphim and his Snow Ray Vheem. The dragon and the knight could be substituted by these with very little fuss. The slightly insane trader could have personal reasons to involve himself in the curse of the Gem. If you want your players to head to Myth Drannor in the future this character could be a useful link to the ruined city. Again, remember to change the name of the Snow Ray.
I earlier mentioned the bard Rowena, who shares the realm of the Immortal. The bard is another of the keys to destroying the gem. She only appears for a short moment to give the players a hint concerning the Harp of ice, coming out of the realm of the Immortal where she has spent the time since her mysterious disappearance. She is therefore not strictly necessary in the adventure, as there are at least two other methods that can be used. But I think that her appearance is a good opportunity to introduce some further adventure hooks or links to future allies. She could be a character from Cormyrean legends that disappeared mysteriously or a Harper that the organization has thought dead for years. She could be the source of other rumors of treasures or further plots involving the Harpers. Or she can be an inhabitant of some long dead kingdom or people, that has lived outside of time for generations. Her knowledge of such a period could be a treasure in itself for the Pc's, if they can convince her that so much time has passed. Without putting her in a state of shock that is.
The cursed guard Travis is another minor character you can use to ensnare the characters in various plots. He is a member of the guards that has fallen under the curse of the gem and will try his best to kill the pc's. Most likely he will be killed during the adventure, but will his friends and relatives accept the characters' story? If the module is placed in Cormyr he might have been a minor noble or rich merchants son serving in the Purple Dragons for a short time and his influential family is not happy about what has happened. If the players with time rise in importance within the Forest kingdom they will find themselves involved in quite a few political intrigues where Travis' family do their best to blacken the PC's names. Even before that a grieving fiancé or a enraged sibling might hire assassin to track down the group, convinced that their act was murder.
The last two characters I should mention is the two thieves Candella and Duchess. The meeting with these two in the keep itself is rather unnecessary. A better use for them would be to let the PC's meet them in the valley itself or wherever the players start they adventure. They can be rivals for whatever reward they have been promised. Freeswords, harpers or zentharim. These NPC's can be used anyway the DM sees fit.
Magic.
In addition to the various minor magical items found within the castle there are several items of note in the adventure:
The Harp of Ice is not given much detail in the adventure, so this item could be developed anyway the DM wishes. It could be a major artifact or a minor trinket. It could even be that the harp is the real goal of the plots against the valley. The instrument itself might hold the key to open a gate to a Netherillian tomb, be a long lost relic of Auril or a magical charm lost by the Shoon emperors during their battles with the early kings of Cormyr.
The same goes for the Sword of Arik, which has as its fate to destroy Arik (along with the dragon, the sword and the tones from the harp). But what else is there to say about the sword. Where did it come from and is its role fulfilled with the destruction of the gem?
Silverhearts Necklace. If the players have fallen under the curse of this item future adventurers will be needed to lift the curse. As both the alchemist who owns the item and the ruby itself has been destroyed this should include quite a bit of magical research on the part of the players.
Last, but not least there is the gem itself, but I think it is safe to say that under no circumstances should the PC's get control over the artifact. If they do plot to use it for their own gain they would be in more problems than this simple adventure could detail.
Maybe Crazedventurers whole conversion as an example of how this can be done could be added here?
|
| Jorkens |
Posted - 22 Aug 2008 : 20:08:01
Plot.
Now, the plot of the adventure centres around the gemstone known as My Ladys/Lords Heart that a group of dwarves has found in one of their mines. In reality, this ruby is an evil artifact named the Eye of Arik. When the dwarves took it up from the deep and gave it to the castle (or monastery if you use my Huthduth idea) the ancient being was again able to work its powers.
The Eye itself has taken over the monastery/castle, captured its inhabitants and attracted monsters to serve it. This gives one a good excuse to include whatever monsters one want within the keep and the valley surrounding it. None of the creatures included in the module are out of place in the mountains surrounding Cormyr. Some thoughts should be given to Catharandamus and the evil priests serving the Ruby. Are they tied to some divine power tied to the gem or are they serving another power who has interests in the gem and its powers? Banites and Zentharim are of course always a possibility.
The name Arik should of course be substituted with the name/nickname of whatever Realmsian being one would want to use. In the original the gem has clerics among its servants and from the text it seems likely that it is the gem itself that gives them their powers. Now, the stone might just as well hold an ancient wizard or demon, but in that case the priests must serve another master with interests in seeing this being released. An interesting idea would have it the be the Living Gem of Calimshan that has teleported northwards after the disaster a few years back. It is of lesser power at the moment, but that can soon change.
Remember that the name substitute should then of course also be done to the Sword of Arik and Ariksbane, unless you want a bit more subtle hints as to how the players should destroy the gem. Maybe the names are tied to the real name of the artifacts inhabitant, another name that the players will need to find to solve the riddle. Again, this all depends on how much you want to develop from the adventure. There are also inscriptions in room 48 and 71 that needs to be changed.
Another possibility, I mentioned briefly above, would be to tie it to the Queen of Air And Darkness (see Monster Mythology 2ed.). The plot of the module bears resemblances to the myth of the fallen deity and the cursed Black Diamond. The dragon rider (discussed later)can then have ties to Faerie and the Spirit (again, later)can be a demipower of the same place protecting the area from an ancient corruption made by the evil Faerie queen. This can lead to travels both in time and the planes. A whole campaign can be based around stopping the pieces from being gathered together for a ritual that would relies the deity. Other possibilities are Gargauth with his Eye symbol. This deity, universally revealed, is ideal if you want to have the characters make allies that usually would have nothing in common with them. Auril is a good example of this, especially with all the ties to frost and cold that can be found within the module. Jubilex or a half forgotten deity from before Cormyrs time are other alternatives.
One could even change the dwarves from unknowing tools of the Ruby to more sinister servants of Abbathor who, paranoid about their treasures, decide that the monks must be removed. Knowing the legend of the ruby from ancient writings they offer the gem as a gift knowing that the blight will only affect the surface lands and therefore be of little threat to them
If you want the eye to be a realmsian artifact instead of a deity or other supernatural creature, then the Living Gem would as mentioned be an alternative. The Eye could also have ties to the Dragonking's Eye (See Volo's Guide to All Things Magical for both of these items) . The summoning abilities and the captured divine being are both similar to this artifact. Maybe a lesser fragment of the god was captured in this gem. Or it could be that his spirit was separated into several gems to reduce his power enough to trap him in the stones. The Black Diamond that corrupted The Queen of Air and Darkness might be another fragment. A whole campaign can be made out of the quest to hinder these fragments from being collected again in an attempt to summon the Dragonking back to his full power.
And how do the characters get themselves involved in all this? The instigator of the adventure is an Immortal in the original module. It is this being that asks the characters to go against the cursed gem, it will also help them within its limits. In the module it does not know that the gem is the source of the curse. Now, in the Realms an immortal would be some sort of divine being; there are plenty of gods to choose from of course and in many ways the decision relates to what the nature of the gem is. I should note that the immortal in question is the protector of the cursed valley, and probably not of the most powerful kind, I think it would be a better idea to have it be some sort of spirit instead of a deity. Remember that the Immortal is being overpowered by the gem, so it should be somewhat weaker than the inhabitant of the gem, but not to much. As always it is a question of balancing the elements.
You can easily turn most of the suggestions given for the Ruby around and base the Immortal on these. For example, if you want something of a non-divine nature, is then the Immortal is an ancient mage or lich. In Cormyr he could be an ancient Netherilian or a mage of the Survivor States, even a member of the ancient Witch Lords..
One important note. If you are to include the appearance of the bard Rowena, another of the possible helpers the players will meet in the castle, it could be a good idea to have the wizard inhabit an old magical hideaway (see Volos Guide to All Things Magical). His power is then not that important, as the power of the ruby keeps him from acting directly with this world. With such a hideaway the mage might be affected by the extradimentional powers in ways that makes time flow differently within than in the Realms. This will give you the explanation both to the mages age and to the fact that Rowena is alive and unchanged after all these years. With faeries, spirits and divine beings it is easier to explain the ageless bard, of course. I should mention though, that the bard is not essential for the adventure, as she is just one more method of destroying the gem. You can easily just remove her from the adventure, but I think she adds a bit of magic to the whole setting myself.
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| Jorkens |
Posted - 22 Aug 2008 : 20:06:58
Time/planar travel
Another possibility used in Realmsifying the adventure is to include an element of time travel. The Dragon Knight and his steed is somewhat anachronistic for the Realms at the moment, but what if he is a warrior of ancient Netheril or one of the Survivor States, called into this time to stop a threat that has been hidden since his own lifetime. One can also turn it around and have the PC's traveling back in time through a gate to find the source of troubles in the modern Realms.
To give you a couple of examples of this I quote from Crazedventurer: “ I ran a shortish mini campaign game for two new players set in and around the time of the Witch Lords, and had the PotSP as a living breathing place at the time”
“I borrowed heavily from lord Dunsany's novel 'The King of Elflands Daughter' to evoke a faerie realm just the other side of that field as well as a general nod towards Jack Vance's Lyonesse books including the fay, magicians, and quarreling Kings (in my campaign they were Cormyr, Esparin, Immeresk and the Witch Lords).”
“Originally (some time before 900DR though the exact year is not set in stone) it was the Green Valley a small ribbon of farmed land surrounded by the great wood that stretched "as far north as the ice mountains where the dragons dwell. The wood 'past the fields we know' was where the faerie lived and frolicked and the Silver Princess was but a legend, a myth, the queen of the fay. What was (to become) the Witch Lords decided to remove her and used summoned water elementals to flood her land and destroy the Green Valley. The Gem was part of their plan however, the two players thwarted the gem from releasing whatever was trapped within it, but the unbound elementals did enough damage to eventually destroy the Green Valley over several years and therefore help what is now the Vast Swamp grow bigger. Over time the swamp has got bigger and bigger and all traces of the Green Valley are gone, except for the rotting ruins of the Palace now set firmly within the northern half of the swamp.”
“As they played through the game, it was destroyed by water elementals summoned by the Witch Lords which then became the Vast Swamp. Liberty was taken with place names and history and they never knew it was in 'Cormyr' or indeed the date, I just used the Roll of Year names, not numbers to identify the timeframe.”
“ few years later (RT) and into the current game with new characters set in Cormyr c1380DR and the party is tramping through the swamp and see the remains of the Palace and the two (now experienced) players, said oh my god as they started to explore the first few rooms! it was a priceless moment as they realized their old characters had been involved in the History of Cormyr at a critical point.”
Another idea, this time from Asgetrion: “I actually dropped it (years and years ago) in the Vast Swamp, as a swamped citadel of ancient Orva (which, at the time, I presumed had been an elven kingdom). I modified the adventure somewhat, adding some new hooks and made the BBEG a spellcasting wraith, IIRC. Anyway, the PCs made it through the module, but never found the 'Lady's Heart'...”
“Of course, I added a lot of FR flavour into the adventure, including a lot of pieces from Cormyr's history (e.g. multiple references to Ilyphar Nelnueve). I think that it worked surprisingly well, in the end.”
“Ariksbane I renamed Catharandamus (the BBEG cleric in the original module) and both it and the rider had been originally evil, and later "redeemed" through their actions (I can't recall if they were good or evil in the original module -- it was so many years ago). Anyway, Catharandamus the dragon had been captured by elves, and sent into the ancient past when Orva fell (There was a magical painting depicting the final battle, which served as a "time portal" -- one of the PCs almost stepped into it). The dragonrider had been the consort of the last elven princess (heir or Orva, who came seeking her legacy) -- a knight of Anauria, IIRC -- who fell in love with her. NOTE: I had presumed that Orvan ruins preceded the time of Thauglor and even the Fall of Netheril -- that's why it was "Ancient History" by the time the Survivor States arose from the ashes of Netheril. “
As I will show later, the ties to old Netheril can be many. The cursed gem itself could easily be tied to one of the mages that fled the fall of Netheril, maybe with an artifact too powerful for him to handle. The Ruby might even have had a role in the fall of Anauria itself. This could lead a more powerful group into a longer campaign where they follow the Dragon Knight (there is more to come) back to the ruins of Anauria searching for some long lost secrets. They might even enter the time portal themselves somehow. The castle itself, the characters and the Eye can all be natives of the old kingdom or its descendants. The same goes for other periods of the Realms. The Eye might contain the last scream of a High Mage of Myth Drannor and his madness might cause anyone coming in near contact with him to be pulled into the gem and thereby transported back in time to the last moments of the mages life. To be transported back the soul of the wizard must be placated in some way. The same plot can be used to take the players back to the Crown wars if this is what you wish.
The idea of using elements of Lord Dunsany is particularly interesting when you think of the role time and the fate of ageing plays in many of his short stories. Attempts by the protagonists or the npc's to change the inevitable doom of Netheril or Myth Drannor would fit perfectly with such a tone.
In the same way as different times and ages can be the setting for the adventure, there can be plenty of adventures tying the gem to different worlds and planes. It might have ties to the Black Diamond of faerie lore, be a lost part of the Greygem of Krynn or be the last avatar of a deity who still remains in its sentient form in one of the outer planes. The text of the adventure says that the gem captures the nobles and turns the court to stone, but it might just as easily transport these to another dimension or world.
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| Jorkens |
Posted - 22 Aug 2008 : 20:04:58
Palace of the Silver Princess in the Realms.
By Jorkens, Crazedvenurer and Astegeirion
Introduction.
B3 Palace of the Silver Princess by Jean Wells and Tom Moldvay is a part of the legendary B-series for the Dungeons and Dragons. First published in 1983 it can be found in three versions. One, the “orange” version was pulled shortly after being published(but can be freely downloaded from WotC's page),, the second version the “green cover version” is the one commonly found. This version was reprinted more or less complete in the collection In Search of Adventure. This last version will be used as a basis here.
The main object of this little piece of writing is to, just for fun, see what one can do with one of the old pre-Realms modules and play around a bit with some Realms lore. In other words just have some fun with the game and the setting. This is not a conversion, so no comments on the rules and details of the module itself will be given.
Setting.
The first question is of course where in the Realms to put the module. As the module itself takes place within a castle it is relatively open to any surroundings you would want. Some nearby hills and mountains are useful as dwarven mines play an important part in the intrigue/background. There should be some settlements in the area, so that the curse of the ruby will have a visible effect. The monsters in the module could fit anywhere, but a temperate climate would fit best.
Logical areas for this module ( and the rest of the B-series) is Cormyr and its surrounding lands. The mountain chains of the Storm Horns and the Thunder Peaks both have large areas of wilderness and could easily contain a relatively isolated valley settlement such as the one where the module takes place. Another possibility is to set the adventure in an area near a more inhospitable terrain such as a swamp or the desert of Anauroch. The original text says that the Ariks Eye, the cursed ruby that the plot centres around, puts a blight upon the land, destroying the fertile valley, but the catastrophe might just as well come from another threat, such as the drought from the desert or the spreading water of the swamps. The areas north of Arabel, bordering the Stone Lands or the Vast swamp are both perfect in that regard. Alternatively one can cross the mountains and put the module in the Tunlands if you and your players are weary of the more civilized Cormyr. Other good alternatives are High Dale (especially for a bit higher level versions of the module), the Dalelands in general,if you want ties to the modern elven lands and links to adventures concerning the elves(such as Rahasia, B ) and the interior of Turmish by the feet of the Orsraun mountains.
If you want to tie the module to existing settlements in the Realms the Volo Guides are as always a great source for smaller settlements that can be further developed by the DM. Yeomans Bridge in the foothills of the Thunder Peaks is a good example. It is a small settlement with an old stone bridge as its most important landmark. It has a legend about an ancient sorceress that can be used as a tie both to the ruby and to the Immortal (discussed later).
In the Storm Horns one can find the settlement of Huthduth, which in my opinion is an even better fit. This small settlement, Huthduth is a small keep in a small wooded valley. It is a small monastic community devoted to Chaunthea, but the victims of the curse might as well be monks as nobles and the princess. In many ways it is better as the solitary nature of such a settlement will make it more logical that others have not yet acted against the Ruby. The devastation of the surrounding lands are not much worry for the rest of Cormyr either.
There are also rumours of a slumbering power within the vale that guards the area. There we have our wizard or spirit. In addition there are abandoned dwarf mines in the area. This fits the plot perfectly as the Ruby is found and given by a group of dwarves. These dwarves, led by one Vapryn Undiruer, can be descendants of old Oghrann that have travelled to the area from the Well Caverns under The Far Hills(see Dwarves Deep)to search for the lost treasures of their forefathers. OK so it is a cliché, but it works.
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| Jorkens |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 21:18:10
I should be finished with the first draft tomorrow evening. Its done now, but I need the cool head of a librarian to look over my dyslectic ramblings. In other words I need my partner to have a look at it and make your lives easier.
I have included the comments made by you and Asgetrion until now and when I post it tomorrow I would appreciate if you had any changes/comments/additions/critical comments to make. I will include this last post in the final draft if I don't get the time tomorrow.
Thanks. |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 21 Aug 2008 : 19:11:18
Have been thinking about this and if I was to run B3 again I would do the following.
Campaign based in 892DR.
I would keep the dragon rider and the white dragon as is. Disturbed by the works of Sammaster, they learn of his quest to find artifacts of power, one of which is the Eye of Arik. So with the aid of the adventurers (PC's) they suceed in destoying the artifact and thwarting the evolving Cult of the Dragon this time. Due to the ongoing struggles against the CoTD and the Witch Lords the elves seek sanctuary across the Thunder Peaks near Lake Sember. They ask the PC's to help guard them and this leads nicely into B7 Rahasia.
I would keep the dragon as white purely for the moral issues of working with evil against a greater evil. The Dragons of the North have no wish to become undead (as per Sammaster), yet they desire the power of ruling, so they are forced into working with others to stop Sammaster and the CoTD before he "kills us all and turns us into flying bones controlled by mere humans".
I have posted up some more info here about the Vale and the timeline of events.
Cheers
Damian
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| Asgetrion |
Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 13:19:56
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
Tying the back story to the ancient faerie lands would also make a version tied to the Queen of Air and Darkness work better.
Do any of you mind if I try to collect and structure these ideas a bit and hear if Alaundo would want it submitted to the archives? With co-acknowledgements of course.
Thats ok with me, if you need any more info then just ask.
Cheers
Damian
Any idea that turns up in your mind. I will try to collect and edit the ideas we have put forward here into some sort of whole and I will then post the finished result in this thread so that you can add or remove anything if you wish. For example I more or less pasted yours and Asgetrions posts under the heading of time travel as examples of how the adventure could be used in that context.
It should take me a few days to finish however.
Oh, that sounds great! BTW, now that we keep discussing this subject, I recall more and more about said adventure and its impact on the campaign. The original "lure" I used was related to a dwarf that had got his hands on an elven map that lead to the place (unfortunately, he died in the adventure) *and* a green hag who appeared as an elf (she coveted the Lady's Heart) and helped them to find the place. I seem to recall that I also included a Grell Patriarch (and his bullywug minions) as another "main antagonist" (in addition to the trapped wraith Witch Lord).
Then there was a half-elven fighter, who was related to Sparusia, and sought her blade (I think this was also a hook in the adventure?). In reality, she was being manipulated by the Zhentarim (actually "The Lovelies" -- the gang of ogre mages in Arabel, see VGtC -- whom the Zhentarim had hired).
I can't recall if the PCs met her party or not, though... now, come to think of it, I don't think the PCs managed to find the Lady's Heart at all. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 11:29:16
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
Tying the back story to the ancient faerie lands would also make a version tied to the Queen of Air and Darkness work better.
Do any of you mind if I try to collect and structure these ideas a bit and hear if Alaundo would want it submitted to the archives? With co-acknowledgements of course.
Thats ok with me, if you need any more info then just ask.
Cheers
Damian
Any idea that turns up in your mind. I will try to collect and edit the ideas we have put forward here into some sort of whole and I will then post the finished result in this thread so that you can add or remove anything if you wish. For example I more or less pasted yours and Asgetrions posts under the heading of time travel as examples of how the adventure could be used in that context.
It should take me a few days to finish however. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 11:25:19
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Hmmm... Dragon Cult or the Church of Auril? Just thinking aloud... anyway, good ideas, Jorkens and Damian!
Jorkens, maybe the 'Eye of Arik' could be 'Eye of Ghaunadaur' in the Realms? Can't think of a much more evil and revolting deity than That Which Lurks, *plus* his/its/her symbol is naturally an eye!
The idea of Ghaunadaur struck me earlier. If one where to use a Forgotten Realms deity as the antagonist he would fit the role perfectly. In addition he is one of the few beings that almost all gods and organisations are weary of.
I had another idea. The Eye could also have ties to the Dragonking's Eye. The summoning abilities and the captured divine being are both similar to this artifact. Maybe a lesser fragment of the god was captured in this gem. Or it could be that his spirit was separated into several gems to reduce his power enough to trap him in the stones. The Black Diamond that corrupted The Queen of Air and Darkness might be another fragment. A whole campaign can be based around stopping the pieces from being gathered together for a ritual that would relies the deity. |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 19 Aug 2008 : 00:11:21
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Hmmm... Dragon Cult or the Church of Auril? Just thinking aloud... anyway, good ideas, Jorkens and Damian!
Interestingly my current campaign in and around the Thunder Peaks is to do with Auril Clerics and their membership in the CotD, they are poking around trying to find some lost relic of the past.......
Odd that
Damian |
| Asgetrion |
Posted - 18 Aug 2008 : 22:11:05
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
I should note that a Silver dragon makes the pair even more powerful though. The trouble is that all dragons are more powerfull than the white dragon.
Why not tie it in with the Dragon Cult? So we get to keep the white dragon, make the Knight evil, but they have to work with the party to destory the eye of Arik as it unleashes something even the CotD don't want released - it would make for some interesting moral choices for the players (assuming their characters are good)?
Alternatively, use a scaled down silver dragon, or maybe an Ed special (were-dragon, electrum dragon etc), which gives the DM plenty of elbow room to make the dragon an appropriate level for the game (without rule lawyering players grumbling........ ).
Cheers
Damian
Hmmm... Dragon Cult or the Church of Auril? Just thinking aloud... anyway, good ideas, Jorkens and Damian!
Jorkens, maybe the 'Eye of Arik' could be 'Eye of Ghaunadaur' in the Realms? Can't think of a much more evil and revolting deity than That Which Lurks, *plus* his/its/her symbol is naturally an eye! |
| Asgetrion |
Posted - 18 Aug 2008 : 22:04:28
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Heh, I actually dropped it (years and years ago) in the Vast Swamp, as a swamped citadel of ancient Orva (which, at the time, I presumed had been an elven kingdom). I modified the adventure somewhat,
Great minds etc......
I ran a shortish mini campaign game for two new players set in and around the time of the Witch Lords, and had the PotSP as a living breathing place at the time As they played through the game, it was destroyed by water elementals summoned by the Witch Lords which then became the Vast Swamp. Liberty was taken with place names and history and they never knew it was in 'Cormyr' or indeed the date, I just used the Roll of Year names, not numbers to identify the timeframe.
A few years later (RT) and into the current game with new characters set in Cormyr c1380DR and the party is tramping through the swamp and see the remains of the Palace and the two (now experienced) players, said oh my god as they started to explore the first few rooms! it was a priceless moment as they realised their old characters had been involved in the History of Cormyr at a critical point.
The B modules are great to place in and around the Realms and offer a different style of adventuring and playing styles to modern modules.
Cheers
Damian
Now that you mention it, I recalled that in my adaptation the spellcasting wraith had been a Witch Lord, also! I think he had fled to the Palace, and been eventually killed by Lord Othorion's elves? Something like that. Oh, I also recall giving him certain powers that he could tap via the Gem...  |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 18 Aug 2008 : 09:42:25
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
Tying the back story to the ancient faerie lands would also make a version tied to the Queen of Air and Darkness work better.
Do any of you mind if I try to collect and structure these ideas a bit and hear if Alaundo would want it submitted to the archives? With co-acknowledgements of course.
Thats ok with me, if you need any more info then just ask.
Cheers
Damian |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 18 Aug 2008 : 08:56:29
Yes, I am a Dunsany fan, and a Vance fan to for that matter. The Jorkens stories have, unfortunately proved to be somewhat difficult to get a hold of, although I did recently order the 2nd volume of the collected stories. I chose the name more out of whimsy and as a joke concerning the unreliability of any Realmslore I submitted to the cite. Besides, only a Dunsany fan would see the joke of calling myself Kib.
Tying the back story to the ancient faerie lands would also make a version tied to the Queen of Air and Darkness work better.
Do any of you mind if I try to collect and structure these ideas a bit and hear if Alaundo would want it submitted to the archives? With co-acknowledgements of course.
|
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 21:46:27
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
I am curious about one thing, both you and Asgetrion put the adventure in the swamps, so what was the effect of the ruby on the lands surrounding the castle? Or did you use a different motivation to pull the players into the adventure?
Hi Jorkens
To clarify:
Originally (some time before 900DR though the exact year is not set in stone) it was the Green Valley a small ribbon of farmed land surrounded by the great wood that stretched "as far north as the ice moutains where the dragons dwell". The wood 'past the fields we know' was where the faerie lived and frolicked and the Silver Princess was but a legend, a myth, the queen of the fay. What was (to become) the Witch Lords decided to remove her and used summoned water elementals to flood her land and destroy the Green Valley. The Gem was part of their plan however, the two players thwarted the gem from releasing whatever was trapped within it, but the unbound elementals did enough damage to eventually destroy the Green Valley over several years and therefore help what is now the Vast Swamp grow bigger. Over time the swamp has got bigger and bigger and all traces of the Green Valley are gone, except for the rotting ruins of the Palace now set firmly within the northern half of the swamp.
As I said, lots of liberties with canon history and game mechanics was taken by me to tell a story with two inexperienced players and let them get a feel of the grandeur of playing a role-playing game.
I borrowed heavily from Lord Dunsany's novel 'The King of Elflands Daughter' to evoke a faerie realm just the other side of that field as well as a general nod towards Jack Vance's Lyonesse books including the fay, magicians, and quarreling Kings (in my campaign they were Cormyr, Esparin, Immeresk and the Witch Lords).
So it wasn't set in the swamp, but the swamp has moved north and continues to do so, swallowing up acre after acre of land on its march towards the Hullack, I am hoping that my current group actually figure this out and try to discover why the swamp is getting bigger!
Hope this helps
Cheers
Damian
ps Jorkens given your Candlekeep name am wondering if you are a fan of Lord Dunsany (and his Jorkens series of books?). |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 18:14:32
quote:
Originally posted by crazedventurers
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
I should note that a Silver dragon makes the pair even more powerful though. The trouble is that all dragons are more powerfull than the white dragon.
Why not tie it in with the Dragon Cult? So we get to keep the white dragon, make the Knight evil, but they have to work with the party to destory the eye of Arik as it unleashes something even the CotD don't want released - it would make for some interesting moral choices for the players (assuming their characters are good)?
Alternatively, use a scaled down silver dragon, or maybe an Ed special (were-dragon, electrum dragon etc), which gives the DM plenty of elbow room to make the dragon an appropriate level for the game (without rule lawyering players grumbling........).
Cheers
Damian
If I were to run the module today I would probably keep the Dragon as a white dragon. The evil parts of its nature are simply held in check by its relationship with the knight. This would make it more or less chaotic neutral, as long as it is well fed the rider will have it under control. how ever, if a situation occurred where the dragon was left to his own decisions the situation could get very dangerous.
Both the Dragon Cult idea and the Auril idea will, if used, put the players in a somewhat difficult position when it comes to further helping the knight. If his quest against the Ruby is part of a larger scheme then the final goal might be part of a plot the players will be called upon to stop.
The same goes for his marriage to the princess, if the original nobles are kept. Him arriving at the time of the ruby's curse might be part of a more sinister ploy to be married into the Cormyrean noble class.
I am curious about one thing, both you and Asgetrion put the adventure in the swamps, so what was the effect of the ruby on the lands surrounding the castle? Or did you use a different motivation to pull the players into the adventure? |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 17:53:34
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
I should note that a Silver dragon makes the pair even more powerful though. The trouble is that all dragons are more powerfull than the white dragon.
Why not tie it in with the Dragon Cult? So we get to keep the white dragon, make the Knight evil, but they have to work with the party to destory the eye of Arik as it unleashes something even the CotD don't want released - it would make for some interesting moral choices for the players (assuming their characters are good)?
Alternatively, use a scaled down silver dragon, or maybe an Ed special (were-dragon, electrum dragon etc), which gives the DM plenty of elbow room to make the dragon an appropriate level for the game (without rule lawyering players grumbling........).
Cheers
Damian |
| crazedventurers |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 17:47:25
I like the idea and backstories mentioned.
I prefer to have it in and around the Thunder Peaks, simply because you can then link in the Rahasia module as a settlemtent in and around Lake Sember to give a longer campaign arc crossing from a Moon Elven realm into a Gold Elven realm with different 'morals and social mores' to challenge the players perespectives of what Elves are actually like.
Just my thoughts
Damian
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| crazedventurers |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 17:39:17
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Heh, I actually dropped it (years and years ago) in the Vast Swamp, as a swamped citadel of ancient Orva (which, at the time, I presumed had been an elven kingdom). I modified the adventure somewhat,
Great minds etc......
I ran a shortish mini campaign game for two new players set in and around the time of the Witch Lords, and had the PotSP as a living breathing place at the time As they played through the game, it was destroyed by water elementals summoned by the Witch Lords which then became the Vast Swamp. Liberty was taken with place names and history and they never knew it was in 'Cormyr' or indeed the date, I just used the Roll of Year names, not numbers to identify the timeframe.
A few years later (RT) and into the current game with new characters set in Cormyr c1380DR and the party is tramping through the swamp and see the remains of the Palace and the two (now experienced) players, said oh my god as they started to explore the first few rooms! it was a priceless moment as they realised their old characters had been involved in the History of Cormyr at a critical point.
The B modules are great to place in and around the Realms and offer a different style of adventuring and playing styles to modern modules.
Cheers
Damian
|
| Jorkens |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 10:09:11
quote:
Originally posted by Asgetrion
Ariksbane I renamed Catharandamus (the BBEG cleric in the original module) and both it and the rider had been originally evil, and later "redeemed" through their actions (I can't recall if they were good or evil in the original module -- it was so many years ago). Anyway, Catharandamus the dragon had been captured by elves, and sent into the ancient past when Orva fell (There was a magical painting depicting the final battle, which served as a "time portal" -- one of the PCs almost stepped into it). The dragonrider had been the consort of the last elven princess (heir or Orva, who came seeking her legacy) -- a knight of Anauria, IIRC -- who fell in love with her. NOTE: I had presumed that Orvan ruins preceded the time of Thauglor and even the Fall of Netheril -- that's why it was "Ancient History" by the time the Survivor States arose from the ashes of Netheril.
Without consulting my old notes and the original module, that's about what I recall about it all.
That gives one even more ties to Netheril. The gem itself could easily be tied to one of the mages that fled the fall of Netheril, maybe with an artifact to powerful for him to handle. The Ruby might even have had a roll in the fall of Anauria itself. This could lead a more powerful group into a longer campaign where they follow the Dragon Knight back to the ruins of Anauria searching for some long lost secrets. They might even enter the time portal themselves somehow.
One thing that is never discussed in the original module is the motivation of the dragon rider and why he comes at just this time. This gives one quite a few possibilities to deepen the plot of the adventure.
Thanks for the information.
PS the dragon and its rider where neutral in the original module. |
| Jorkens |
Posted - 17 Aug 2008 : 10:00:29
quote:
Originally posted by Tyranthraxus
Wow, thanks for the ideas . It's been awhile since I last read the module but I think I can use it as a little side quest while they are in Cormyr (currently playing Cormyr: Tearing of the Weave). Maybe Shar could somehow be involved, or their nemesis Tyranthraxus could make an unexpected comeback... I'll think on it.
Another impossibility would be to tie it to the Queen of Air And Darkness (see Monster Mythology 2ed.). The plot of the module bares resemblances to the myth of her and the Black Diamond. The dragon rider can then have ties to Faerie and the Spirit can be a demipower of the same place protecting the area from an ancient corruption made by the evil Faerie queen.
quote:
As for that dragonrider, it could be a paladin of Lathander and could befriend the cleric/paladin of Lathander in our group or could even be a paladin of Chauntea. As for the dragon, I don't know... I like to keep a dragon as mount, so maybe a silver dragon or something. I'll brainstorm on it when I come back from vacation .
I should note that a Silver dragon makes the pair even more powerful though. The trouble is that all dragons are more powerfull than the white dragon.
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