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Cbad285
Learned Scribe
160 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Aug 2015 : 14:52:04
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I'm working on writing a module for my home game. Its set in the heartlands and tries to put a new twist on the events surrounding Daggerdale between 1368 and 1385. I know, there are a hundred renditions of this idea out there, but ya know...whatever. This is just the intro, but I'm just about finished with it. The plan is to post it on the forums for anybody that wants to use it for their own games, and to just kinda give my players some validity. I'm on my own with this though, so feedback of any kind would be great. I'm no realms scholar, and most of the time I find my knowledge of canon is waaay off. So this is what I've come up with for the setting, but I expect I've gotten a number of facts wrong.
Also mind my spelling, I did try and catch as many as possible but then again, I am pretty bad at it.
Rise of Morningdale
Welcome to the Heartlands circa 1371, Year of the Unstrung Harp. In this module you will be presented with a rendition of the Heartlands in the Forgotten Realms Campaign setting. This module’s changes the events surrounding the history of Daggerdale and specifically Daggerfalls. The intent of this module is to further develop the lands between Daggerfalls and the independent city of Tilverton. This module will place your PCs into leadership positions across these lands, how your players develop the young nation of Morningdale is up to you as the GM. In the back of this module you will find tables for adjusting reactions of NPCs and PCs alike, as well as NPC summaries for shop keepers, merchants and other figures of importance through each of the major cities encountered in the adventure. Provided is a detailed map of Morningdale, a trade-city founded on the old settlement of Daggerfalls. The Rise of Morningdale adventure seeks to build upon resources for the Daggerdale region while maintaining cannon Lore.
This presentation is Fanfiction and in no way is associated with Wizards of the Coast.
"Such a mockery of free peoples is this bureaucratic assault from every corner of the heartlands. I tell you now brothers, Mourning Dale will never rise from her altar if these embargos are not lifted, and we will have been a cowardly people to have done nothing." - Lyntern Palfrey to the Council of the Dales; 1371 Year of the Unstrung Harp.
As its kindred waterfall and the River Tesh along the western rock face rises with the tides, Daggerfalls is beset by a thick mist each passing evening. Tucked away in the vast green hills of the heartlands, the walled village is a jewel to many, and home to few.
The events of thirty years of war have blood stained the country and today its lord Randal Morn only just holds his lands from the continued threat of the Zhentarum and other neighboring powers that would take the Dale for their own. Prior to the retaking of the Dale by Lord Morn in 1368, the city of Daggerfalls fought off a variable group of rulers who sought to control the Dale. With the rise and fall of puppet Lords of the Zhentarium, the reclaiming of Daggerfalls by its hereditary Lord and heir to the nobility was to be a time of peace and prosperity in the Dale, but turmoil brewing within the Cormanthor would soon change the lives of those who called Daggerdale home. In the following year the Abraxus affair occurs, a magical attempt on the life of King Azoun IV where in the Bleth family and the Cormeril family are disavowed of their lands, titles and wealth. Lady Silver Cormeril, younger sister of Randal Morn and wife to Tamerith Cormeril is caught within the shadow of her husband’s own implications as a servant of the Fire Knives, and a traitor to the crown. She soon leaves her home in Suzail at the command of Tamerith for fear her life may be in danger. With the fall of Arabel and the Goblin Wars, travel by way of Tilverton is not a simple task. However Lady Silver’s fate has already been decided by her husband before she leaves for the north; Intent on escape and retaining his privileged life Tamerith manages to pass a message to allies within the Fire Knives, setting in motion a plan to take control of Daggerdale. After an arduous journey, Lady Silver safely arrives in Daggerfalls, and is taken into the arms and protection of her loving brother.
During this time, the dungeons of the great keep of Suzail are paid a visit by Datorian Aramvail, an ancient vampire and member of a sect of wizards called the Brotherhood. Datorian is not only an accomplished spell caster, but is one of the last surviving vampires sent upon Daggerfalls from the shadow realms of Raven Loft in 796, year of the Gray Mists. After the vampires were rooted out of the Dale, Datorian established an enclave in the Desertmouth Mountains and has spent the centuries since spreading his curse to others and rebuilding his followers. The dungeons of Suzail are not easily escaped of course, given the watchful eyes of the War Wizards, and certainly do not warrant an escape without great costs. For Tamerith’s complete devotion to the Brotherhood and allowing himself to be magically bound to his service, Datorian aids the noble and frees him from the prison, taking him to Tilverton and outside the reach of Cormyr. With Tilverton surrounded by Orcs invading Arabel to the south, and the Thunderpeak Mountains to the North, Datorian procures agreements with Sembia purchasing a standing army of sell-swords to defend the city. His Magi of the Brotherhood (those members not yet indoctrinated into the inner circles of vampirism) act as military commanders and a defense against agents of the War Wizards. Datorian’s coup d’état is still only half-complete after aiding Tamerith in taking control of Tilverton and the removal of Lady Silver. As fate would have it (due to carefully developed plans), only days after Lady Silver arrives in Daggerfalls, Randal Morn is attacked in his home by Dark Elf assassins. Though he manages to cut down one of his attackers; the other escapes through a dimensional portal but not before wounding the Lord with a poison dart. When help arrives they find the injured Randal on the floor unconscious. Further investigation of the home reveals Lady Silver’s body still under her sheets and dressed in her night gown, having been killed in her sleep. During the hours that the dying Randal Morn struggles to survive, a visiting cleric to the city, Father Dominic Quintus is asked to aid Randal, but to his regret he is unable to counter-act the unique Drow poison. On the 3rd of Nightal, Randal Morn Lord of Daggerdale passes away and secession of the nobility that would pass to Lady Silver is left to debate, as the city weeps for its murdered Lords. In the weeks that follow and Deepwinter in the north grows closer, those members of the Harpers and closest friends of Randal Morn gather together in the city to decide on who will rule the Dale in his stead. Word has already reached Daggerdale that Tamerith Cormaeril claims entitlement to the lands, but it is quickly agreed that the exiled noble is in no position to make such a claim. In contrast, Talath Hawksund, an Elf and friend to the Morn family reveals that in his time spent with Lady Silver during her years before she was married, the two had a daughter named Annalee. Being of half-elven birth and a bastard in the eyes of Cormyrian nobility, it was the decision of Silver and Talath to raise Annalee with her elven family rather than her human. This revelation is met with many insults as to the audacity of Talath in keeping the secret from Randal Morn for so many years. The High Elf is remorseful to the truth of this, but retains that it was the wish of Silver to protect Annalee from the pains of losing her short-lived human family to old age. Now however with mounting threats by Tamerith Cormaeril to seize Daggerdale by force, the council in Daggerdale decides to accept the hereditary rights of Annalee and name her Lord of Daggerdale and its proceeding lands. In memorial to her mother, Annalee’s first order as Lord of the Dale is the recasting of its name to Morningdale.
Annalee is left to defend her country with the aid of her Uncle’s 2,000 Freedom Riders and her father’s close ties to the Elven court. Her own love affair with a military veteran named Victus Carrington, soon leads to marriage and in turn bestowing the mantle of Marshal of the dale to the battle experienced Ranger. Though Victus spends little time at home, he struggles to secure the land as his predecessor had against the mounting forces of Tilverton. The saving grace of which is a sect of Elven youths who partner with the Ranger to protect and defend the Dale from her aggressors. The newly established Elven Court of the forest Cormanthor has placed their hopes in the cast of sons and daughters; left in Faerun after the fall of Myth Draynor, to defend the ancient pact between Humans and Elves. Their proclaimed leader Nafayal Redmoon works in unison with the druidic circle and representatives of the elven court to guide the Heartlands into peace, either with words or with the edge of a blade.
For the next year, Temerith vows to secure the lands of Daggerdale and those abroad by forcibly taking over Tilvers Gap and Ashabenford. What has now become a bad-land, the roads leading to Morningdale are strewn with battle grounds. Where once deep forests stood, fire has claimed them and the landscape is dotted with monuments to death in the form of great boulders cast down from the giants of the mountains. Even merchants who manage to slip past patrols recall the distant walls of Morningdale like a great headstone, marking the grave of freedom. Overseeing the border with Tilverton, the Twisted Tower continues to support the claims of the newly cast Morningdale, provoking a stand-off with Tilverton and at times outright war with its power hungry ruler. But the council of the Dales no longer gathers in the old chambers of the Twisted Tower, though Mourngrym Amcathra continues to resist the advance of the mercenary army and merchant sell-swords of Sembia.
The true power of Tilverton however, resides in the seemingly delicate hands of Tamerith’s advisor Lady Lucero. She is a noble daughter of a prominent land owner of Hillsfar whose inheritance has provided the best schoolings including arcane tutelage. While those Dale’s who continue to support the Morn family are pressed by Sembia; Scardale forms an alliance with the pirate kings of the Dragonsea who continue to stride for control of sea-faring trade. No matter the entitlements displayed across the heartlands, the young Morningdale remains the beating heart of the realm. Without it, they are not whole, and it is defended at every cost by heroes. Father Dominic Quintus has aided the Mourn family at every turn, even consecrating the destroyed temple of Lathander in the name of Tymora and calling for prevailing of the Goddess in the region.
For nearly a year hence, all trade moving through Tilverton or Sembia has been barred from entering Shadowdale or Daggerdale along the normal trade routes.
In an effort to stem the loss of the roads to the south, Morningdale, aligned with Shadowdale has continued to battle the expansion of Tilverton and the Brotherhood. Aid from neighboring Dales is all together absent however, as they do not wish to anger the rulers of Sembia and cut themselves off from much needed trade, or they do not recognize Annalee’s rule as legitimate, instead seeing the Wyvernspur family of Cormyr as the new entitled Lords of Daggerdale.
In the midst of it all, the sudden death of King Azoun IV in his battle against the Dragon Nalavarauthatoryl, has left what little hope for aid from the Forest Kingdom to the despair of Cormyr’s Lady Regent, Alusair Obarskyr. Though she intends on liberating Daggerdale, her forces have yet been unable to reclaim the lands surrounding Arabel, and the combined powers of Vangerdahast and his War Wizards have yet to pierce the shield of the Brotherhood, who continue to undermine the High Mage with seemingly limitless magical prowess.
As if the assault from the south was not enough, agents of the Brotherhood and Drow raiding parties continue to rise up among the Elven Court, and Hillsfar and Yulesh both have supported several attacks against Morningdale with the added affiliates of the citadel of the Raven who also seek to return to the region. It is only through the strength of Annalee’s allies does she retain her hold on her Mother’s lands and over the course of a year, they are enthralled in a multitude of battles against her enemies, the bloodiest of which is fought against a flying temple that descends upon the city, controlled by a hive of Beholders under the dictations of a Collector known as Xiggixatzcerin. When the forces of Morningdale prevailed against the hive, their flying temple fell from its magical heights and destroyed the barracks and much of the Northerly portions of Morningdale. Many lives were lost during the battle, but having little recourse in the matter, Annalee transformed the temple into a remarkably defensible cathedral and adding to the fortifications of the city by reusing left-overs to strengthen Morningdales walls and towers.
The common folk, or those that remain in the Dale, have taken a kinship to the group of protectorates and their new Lord; embracing the newly founded Temple of Tymora and its High Priest Father Quintus. Each month the city votes on matters of daily life and how Morningdale will fair in the coming month. These decisions are brought before Father Quintus who uses his weekly sermons to define cause and concern by edict of Lady Annalee when it is needed, and should the need for war arise, those who live among the Dale quickly rally to arms.
It is during such sermons that Father Quintus speaks of a premonition of salvation in a city of gold. In his dream he states a trail of coins led him along the Tethyamar trail to the south and into the temple of Gond in the city of Tilverton. Upon the altar lay three holy symbols, that of Torm, Lathander and Tyr, and in a cradle filled with gold coins, laid an infant with the wings and tail of a silver dragon. In the dream, the child stared into the priests eyes, and spoke into his mind as though he were a wiser man beyond his years. He told Father Quintus that he would defeat Tamerith Cormaeril and his armies, and that he would bring an end to the war. As the dream ended, Father Quintus was filled with an overwhelming sense of joy. It was clear to him then, that to secure the safety of Morningdale and the realm; he himself must travel to Tilverton and take their fight to the very gates of the city. However, in his vision Father Quintus states, that each coin was that of a changing face, and that they were in fact, the travelers that would join him on this holy mission. And so, the priest requests that all those with the conviction to rally with him and the church, to join the forces of Morningdale in the ruins of the old village of Tethyamar. As the city digests the words of the High Priest, those closest to the Lordship gather in the granite fortress to discuss preparations and see to the defense of the city.
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"Beware the Dream Fever!" |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2015 : 15:34:13
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Pretty cool. I like the idea of Tilverton getting isolated and taken over while Cormyr tackles some very big problems.
Will you be using mass combat rules along the way?
EDIT: this might be better in the Running the Realms forum. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
Edited by - Jeremy Grenemyer on 25 Aug 2015 15:35:07 |
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Cbad285
Learned Scribe
160 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2015 : 16:32:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Jeremy Grenemyer
Will you be using mass combat rules along the way?
EDIT: this might be better in the Running the Realms forum.
Well I just wanted a general chat about it. I wasn't sure if that warranted being posted there. So I posted it here instead. You guys are smart too ya know :P
I will be using some mass combat rules though I'm not sure how closely they relate to the battle system. Its just what I've devised from various stuff I've found. I put it in topic here --> http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20370 |
"Beware the Dream Fever!" |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 25 Aug 2015 : 18:10:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Cbad285
Well I just wanted a general chat about it. I wasn't sure if that warranted being posted there. So I posted it here instead. You guys are smart too ya know :P
No worries.
When you write about "maintaining cannon Lore," do you mean the adventure has to stick to canon or that you're going to try and present as much canon Realmslore as possible outside of the changes you needed to make to advance your campaign plot?
Also, what level do you plan to start at? |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Cbad285
Learned Scribe
160 Posts |
Posted - 26 Aug 2015 : 08:40:35
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-- going to try and present as much canon Realmslore as possible outside of the changes I needed to make to advance the campaign plot.
And the mod is set after the sword of the dales series. So 6-7thish? I haven't set levels yet. I've just laid out the mod. standing at about 50 pages atm after just finishing up in tilverton. moving on to the climax back at morningdale leaving enough time for the events of 1372.
originally the plot was to follow along with my home game and dismantle the whole cormyrian nobility, take out suzail and setup a lower ranking noble (probably tamerith) as king. but the implications were too much for me to handle. There are so many players in that event-line that the story would have been trumped, and it would have alienated people who want cormyr to remain as it is. So this scenario was less aggressive while still telling the story.
-- ps. I was never big on the vampire, werewolf gig that canon seems to hold onto for the area. the two monsters are bigger than their allowed to be in FR and they end up cheap tricks imo. But I developed Datorian and the brotherhood to try and pull away from the stigma. Essentially going after a human who didn't want to risk failing to become a lich when becoming a vampire was not only easier but reciprocating. I let him continue to duel-class as a human as well because there is no reason that I could find why he couldn't. Aside from their evocation most of the upper end brotherhood are reasonable fighters.
oh yea. its 2nd edition. simply because its the only edition i know how to play. |
"Beware the Dream Fever!" |
Edited by - Cbad285 on 26 Aug 2015 08:56:30 |
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Jeremy Grenemyer
Great Reader
USA
2717 Posts |
Posted - 27 Aug 2015 : 04:49:46
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| Sounds fun to me. I hope we get to see more of what you've written and perhaps campaign reports as play progresses. |
Look for me and my content at EN World (user name: sanishiver). |
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Cbad285
Learned Scribe
160 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jul 2017 : 17:11:01
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| So just to re-up on this post I finished the module. If you're willing to give some feedback and reviews I can provide you with a free copy. Just messaged me here and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Otherwise you can find the module at http://www.dmsguild.com/m/product/217362 |
"Beware the Dream Fever!" |
Edited by - Cbad285 on 27 Jul 2017 17:11:48 |
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My intro to a module I'm writing.
