The Krynnian Chronicles III

Well, well…what an adventure thus far.

Who would have expected the young warrior to fumble around, exposing himself to perilous danger. Or the ranger meeting his end at the hands of bloodthirsty draconians. Nearly, at least. The bard is inches away from being savaged by a werewolf while the cleric is but a drop of sand away from being burnt to a crisp. And if the appearance of Alexia was a surprise to some, none was more surprised than the shadowdancer herself when her quarry unveiled himself, to her shock.

Cleric Arwen led her band of young Solamnic squires through the forests, hoping to reach Palanthas before the Black Dragonarmy did. This did not materialise; the evil army had already encamped outside and Palanthas was preparing to lay siege. Faced with this gargantuan obstacle, the small group decided to proceed with their task, and divulge information on the attackers to the Lord of Palanthas. Things then took a turn for the worse as they were spotted by dragons. Just when they thought they were about to die, one of the squires revealed himself to be a dragon in disguise, an ancient one at that. As the four hung on dearly to the scaly neck of the gold dragon, a flight of reds gave chase, and just as the walls of Palanthas were within a touch away, the reds struck.

Heeding the invitation to a dining party, little did Siren know that he WAS dinner for the night. More specifically, fodder for a group of vampire spawn, eager to indulge in a spot of hunting. After barely escaping from the advances of a hungry vampire spawn, the bard nearly had his bones crushed by a hulking werebeast. Just when Siren thought he was home and dry, a snarling werewolf launched itself at the adventurer, maw frothing with foam as the lycanthrope anticpated a tasty morsel.

The ranger, on the other hand, attempted to rescue a group of peasants from certain death; instead it was he who faced near death as he battled the marauding draconians. Leading them into terrain more familiar to him, Spartan picked off the draconians one by one, though he sustained heavy injuries in the course of his battle. As he leaned against a tree to catch his breath and see to his wounds, a mysterious old man engaged him in conversation, indicating that it was in the ranger’s best interests to follow him. A cold shiver ran down the spine of Spartan, as he saw in dismay dozens of draconians crawling around him, ready to deliver death at the merest of commands.

As Martel crept about in the bowels of the citadel, he managed to stumble upon a chained woman. Gallantly, he attempted to release her and sought to proceed with her. The prisoner, Alexia, had only vague recollections of her past endeavours. The pair crept about silently, barely avoiding the patrolling draconians as they slipped into a room holding the biggest collection of gems. Elation turned to horror as they were ambushed by two rust monsters. It got even worse as draconians started to infiltrate the room. Luckily Alexia’s deadly attacks dispatched the enemies, and Martel followed her closely to the courtyard. While the shadowdancer scaled the walls of the parapet, the warrior strutted nervously into the courtyard, confident his disguise would see him through. It didn’t, and before long, he found himself back in the lower reaches of the fortress, accosted by a patrol of dragonmen. Alexia, fortunately, made it all the way up, where she climbed into what seemed like luxurious quarters and surprised its inhabitant. However, it was she who ended up receiving the most stunning of surprised as she looked into the face of an old acquaintance.

The adventure continues…

The Krynnian Chronicles II

A naked fighter, clumsy knights and a puzzling plot. Enough to pose a perilous challenge to even the most stoic of adventurers. Losing one’s arms and weapons can be quite a hassle, as Cristos discovered, much to his chagrin. Hooking up with the wrong crowd can have dire consequences, Siren would no doubt swear. Taking charge of a bunch of gung ho but less-than-intelligent squires is proving a major headache for Arwen. Add to that threat of an impending war, and one can quite clearly see why our adventurers might be out of their depth here on Krynn.

Siren, after escaping rather unheroically from Elmwood, encountered a group of robed figures along the road to Solanthus. Striking up a cordial relationship, he accompanied the merchants on the caravan to the capital of Solamia. His curiosity about the goods ferried aroused, the bard poked his nose into some rather unpleasant business, and soon found himself the target of his former caravan-mates. Having parties trying to end one’s life is quite perilous, but throw in a kender and you’re doomed. Which was probably what Siren was feeling as she wrestled with a particularly kleptomaniacal kender. An approaching robber duo didn’t help matters whatsoever.

Which is a whole lot better than where the fighter is. Stripped of everything he owned, Cristos launched an ambush on a draconian encampment with the aid of a band of kender guerillas. Excellent plan, it should be said, though the fighter had clearly forgotten about the nature of his allies. The kender retrieved his belongings, and made off with them. Frustrated, Cristos decided to return to the encampment to salvage what he could use.

Arwen would have been wishing for a group of kender instead of the four knight-wannabes she found herself accompanying to Palanthas. Strong in spirit, and weak in just about everything else, the squires at times seemed desperate to end their vocation prematurely at the hands of a dragonarmy. Wandering behind enemy lines, the cleric and the squires, attempted to sneak into Palanthas, where they would warn the leaders of the oncoming black wave. Just when this clumsy band had thought they only needed to deal with dragonmen, those pesky assassin vines made an annoying comeback. A zap from the cleric, and the group ran headlong deeper into the undergrowth, stealth and discretion tossed away in favour of escape.

And in case the reader is wondering where the rest of the companions are, the wizardess is sitting for a Test, the young warrior is lost in the bowels of an imposing keep, and the ranger is on a mission to find his soul.

Watch this scroll!

The Krynnian Chronicles I

Walking tentatively. That’s how the now-separated Companions are treading through Ansalon, and Krynn in general. The spellcasters are still feeling vulnerable from being unable to unleash their potent magic. The warriors, on the other hand, seem unaffected by the new surroundings, and are steadily flexing their muscles.

A quick recap. The Companions arrived in Krynn mysteriously. Completely unaware of their location, they sought to find answers to their burning curiosity. A chance encounter with a flight of Red Dragons left them shaken, as the dragons did not seem to behave like Faerunian ones. It was only a matter of time before they went their separate ways, each eager to spread his or her own wings and explore this fascinating new land.

The fighter stumbled upon a band of kender (think a dozen Tasslehoffs) as he ventured south. The kender were on their way to ambush a patrol of draconians. Cristos joined in the fray, and tagged along as the kender marched merrily towards their quarry. Once they spotted the draconians, the fighter decided to do a spot of reconnaissance and creep closer towards the enemy camp. To his great misfortune, he was captured and interrogated by a spellcasting Aurak dragonman. Cristos held his tongue, and the frustrated draconians decided to take him to a dragon. Luck smiled on the naked and bound fighter, as the kender mounted a successful ambush on the patrol, though the Aurak managed to ride away with the fighter’s belongings.

Siren Sing-a-lot, on the other hand, managed to steer clear of trouble relatively well. Walking alone after parting ways with the rest of the group, he chanced upon the grand village of Elmwood. There, he was celebrated as being the first Silvanesti elf to visit the village in more than a century. All fine and sundry, if he had any idea what a Silvanesti elf was. True to his character, Siren played along admirably and was feted with praise and a banquet. However, the true nature of the villagers’ warmth was revealed during the festivities, when the mayor (Elmwood is too grand for a mere village headman) pestered the bard to rid the village of menacing wolves from the nearby forest. This wasn’t exactly part of Siren’s plan to relax and head to the nearest city (Solanthus) the next day. He proceeded to avoid the villagers at all cost, though a frail gardener proved to be most pesky. Just as he was about to make a clean getaway, the bard was discovered by Jamsik who pleaded for his help once more, before having his spine torn out by a Worg. As the Worg leapt at the bard, Siren drew out his sword and…

Iliath continued her journey to Nightlund. Having visited Palanthas and discovering that the Tower of High Sorcery there had been taken to Nigtlund, she hastened by horse to reach her destination. The message she had received puzzled her, and Lord Soth’s apparent intervening hand seemed to further muddle things up. Even an ambush by draconian bandits did not stop her from blazing forward. At Vingaard Keep, a tense encounter with river pirates ensued, but keeping her temper down for once allowed her to gain passage across the Vingaard River, even making an acquaintance in the process. From then on, it was full steam ahead, and eventually the cypress forest surrounding the Tower came within eyesight. Two encounters tested her capability of keeping her head about her, the first involving skeletal warriors, and the latter being the apparition of Dalamar the Dark. He was to serve as her guide and teacher, as she entered the Tower to undertake the Wizard’s test.

The cleric and ranger stumbled upon the City of Lost Names soon after escaping from the Dargaard Mountains. The ruined city appeared uninhabited, though the ranger’s tracking skills proved otherwise. While Spartan rested, the cleric ventured deeper into the city, where she stumbled upon an army of skeletal warriors. Where once she would have easily turned them, now she warily stalked them, stripped of her devastating divine power. She followed the army of undead into a building that had seen better days. Inside, she ventured into the inner sanctum of what obviously had been a temple at one time. A spectre revealed itself and launched a deadly attack.

The ranger, worried about the cleric, then decided to search for her. Discovering her tracks, he followed them into the ruined temple. He remained invisible to the skeletal warriors, though he lost his advantage when he shoulder-charged a hollow wall. As he fell, he saw the cleric below him. Using his magical ring, he slowed his descent and mounted the cleric’s flying broom, before whisking Arwen away from the room, despite the attentions of a colony of steel insects.

Despite his best efforts, the ranger was unable to revive the sleeping Arwen. This was due to the cleric making contact with Mishakal, who explained the Disc the cleric had earlier found. Arwen was offered the chance to become a disciple of Mishakal, and was entrusted to return the Disc to its rightful owner. However the cleric, and the ranger were still not out of trouble as they were trapped in a room covered with falling debris.

The young Martel, fresh from his encounter with the dragon knights of Neraka, had infiltrated the city of Kalaman. However, things were not proceeding as planned. Having alerted the stockade of his presence, he escaped into the city proper, though he sustained heavy wounds. As he wove along the mazy alleys of Kalaman, the fighter kept working out his plan to gather the magic password that would open the city’s gates. A brief moment of carelessness led him to the path of two draconian sentries, who seemingly ended his life. However, the gods favoured him when a cleric of Shinare brought him back from life and allowed the fighter a brief respite. Damas then revealed a secret passage through the sewers into the fortress, before leaving the young giant from Godnest. There is almost nothing worse than getting lost in a sewer, and the struggling Martel began to learn his lesson the hard way, when a horde of dire rats fell upon him. He evaded them eventually and made his way to the end of the sewer tunnel, where he entered the fortress proper, and started his task in earnest.

The Blood Diamond

This was by far the longest campaign the Companions had ever been part of since they started D&D way back in 2004. What had initially been planned as a medium-length adventure eventually became one that had gone on for months. It was a pleasure DM-ing this campaign, and though some of the characters weren’t too happy with the conclusion, I felt it had been a unique and challenging experience for them.

The Story Before

Eons ago, Chaos and the Gods fought a war in the heavens over supremacy of the known worlds. Facing defeat, Chaos hid himself in a diamond He had earlier created. Unbeknown to the other Gods, Mystra discovered the diamond, and kept it for herself. To ensure it would remain hidden during the War in Heavens, she left it to the charge of a brass dragon residing in Faerun, but did not reveal the truth about it. Unfortunately, Mystra was slain, and the dragon became the sole owner of the diamond. Centuries passed, before a lich discovered the existence of the diamond and sought it out. He duelled with the dragon, who, facing certain defeat, used its fire breath to destroy the diamond. However, the diamond was not destroyed, though it had been split into two halves. The lich returned to his tower with the diamonds, intent on unlocking their secrets.

Several years passed by before a group of adventurers encountered the dragon, which had survived the battle. It convinced them to regain the two halves of the diamond, which they agreed to in exchange for countless treasures. They succeeded, but soon succumbed to in-fighting upon capturing the diamonds. The situation further worsened when the lich caught up with them, intending to regain what had been taken from him. In the ensuing fight, one half of the diamond was lost, while the other fell into the possession of one of the adventurers.

Enter the Companions

Siren, during one of his frequent forays into the city of Waterdeep, chanced upon the acquaintance of a retired adventurer, Ramirez. The ailing veteran and the bard soon became close friends, often sharing tales of adventure and song. As a token of friendship, Ramirez gifted Siren with a polished diamond, citing his gratitude as being the reason for the valuable gift.

A couple of weeks later, the Companions were invited to the wedding of Eduard Balanthor. However the wedding turned into a tragedy when a group of assassins attacked the guests and kidnapped the bride. The Companions were able to discover a link between the diamond Ramirez had given the bard, and the diamond on the wedding ring. The next day, they were contacted by a certain Glavias, who demanded the bard’s diamond in return for the bride’s release. The Companions, after consulting Khelben Blackstaff and the Wizards’ Guild, decided to comply with villain’s demands, fully intending to slay him once they had rescued the bride.

Around the World

Thus started an adventure that would take the Companions almost the entire length of Faerun. They travelled to foreign lands, a first for some of them, hunting down the elusive Glavias and his cohorts. They came upon the slave markets of Sembia, and duelled on the sands of Calimshan. They sailed to Tashalar, and battled through Halagard, before arriving in the Eastern Realms. Kozakura posed a challenging obstacle, as did Shou Lung. The Companions gave thanks to the gods when they finally crossed the Dragonwall and rode on the Plains of Horses. They were tired, worn and still unsure of the grander scheme of things. Throughout, Glavias had remained one step ahead of them, seemingly always knowing their next step. It didn’t help matters when the Companions discovered that Glavias had allied himself to Morgius, a previous acquaintance and sometime quarry.

The final showdown in the bowels of the Sister of Doom took place after the Companions had experienced a gruelling track through the volcanic mountains. By now, they had discovered answers to their many questions, but there would be one final surprise. As the protagonists in this epic saga readied to do battle for the last time, Siren, with the aid of Arwen and Iliath, fused the two halves of the diamond together. It would spell the end of Faerun as Chaos, his millenium-long plan finally realised, broke free from the whole diamond and destroyed the known world.

(Image taken from www.counterfeitchic.com at Google images)

Melina’s Keep

I must say, this was one of the creepiest adventure I ever planned. Much of that was due to the relatively-quiet ambience in Asia Cafe the evening we played. Only three players turned up – the rogue, wizard and fighter; and in a way, the smaller group made it possible to create a haunting and spine-tingling scenario which had the players fully immersed in the story.

In a nutshell, Melina’s Keep centred around a haunted castle. The players were called to the company of a local nobleman, who wanted them to investigate strange events occurring in the castle. From the moment they knocked on the castle’s doors, the players were drawn into a chilling tale involving undead creatures, wrathful spirits and even a diabolical witch. The players separated early on in the game, and each strutted around the castle confidently, sure of their abilities and fighting prowess.

But the things took a turn for the worse. The apparitions started to emerge thick and fast. Silent Blade got trapped several times in several closets, Iliath ran away from a confrontation with the earlier-mentioned witch, while Cristos was forced to fend off ghouls ahead of him, while keeping an eye on the ghosts behind him. I think two mind-screwing scenes were when the wizard approached the figure on the rocking chair, and when the rogue stood on the castle walls looking down on a corpse in the rose bushes. And when the very castle came alive, the companions hit the panic button.

Ultimately, they gathered their wits about them, and delved deep into the crux of the matter at hand. They were to discover that the spirit of Melina, the nobleman’s dead child, controlled the castle and she wanted revenge for her untimely demise. The threesome managed to overcome and placate her in the final reckoning, though it cost the nobleman his life. The companions departed the castle, looking on as the structure went through its ‘death throes’ and disappeared from the very site it had stood on.

The one ingredient that held this adventure together when I concocted it was atmosphere, as I mentioned earlier. It was necessary to have a quiet place to play out the adventure. Atmosphere and ambience were what made Melina’s Keep an eerie and extremely uncomfortable place to be in. On any other adventure, a lack of the aforementioned ingredient would have resulted in this being just another hack-and-slash-turn-undead walk in the park. I have to say that I referenced the official D&D site as well as Stephen King’s Rose Red to project a building that was not only alive, but malevolent and vengeful as well. And evil little children always add the chill to any haunting, every time without fail.

(Image from www.underworldtales.com)