Maure Castle Redux - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Maure Castle Redux

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Feb 23, 2004 18:53:20 Looks like an old classic is going to be updated for 3.5 by one of it's original co-authors, Rob Kuntz. This version of the castle will include a previously unseen fourth level. The whole thing is slated for Dungeon 109.

Any thoughts on this one?
#2
Mortepierre
Feb 24, 2004 6:00:48 I loved the setting and the references to little-known abyssal lords. The big wolf demon with tentacles wasn't half-bad either :D

The only thing I found annoying were the impossible-to-open doors at the entrance. If you weren't Mordenkainen with an artefact of Dalt in your pocket, you could just go back home empty-handed

Looking forward to it.
#3
zombiegleemax
Feb 24, 2004 12:42:03 Very cool, I wasn't a huge fan of M's Fantastic Adventure but a update could be pretty cool.
#4
Brom_Blackforge
Feb 25, 2004 16:21:16
Originally posted by monkeybone
The whole thing is slated for Dungeon 109.

Well, since no one has pointed this out yet, I guess I'll be the one to nit-pick. IIRC, Maure Castle is slated to appear in Dungeon 112, not 109. Dungeon 109 is the current issue (it does feature an ad for the Maure Castle update, though).
#5
Mortepierre
Feb 26, 2004 6:05:19 Istus bless Erik Mona for working on Dungeon!
#6
mortellan
Feb 26, 2004 8:30:55 I am very happy to see a redux on Maure castle. I did like M.F.A. for it did have some interesting elements most notably Kerzit and Eli Tomorast, whom I saw a delicious picture of in one of the LGJ's. They are both highly unique beings in the WoG and that's not an easy accomplishment.
#7
boz_shulun
Feb 27, 2004 22:06:22 Eli Tomorast....

Wasn't he a fixture in my bar?
#8
zombiegleemax
Feb 27, 2004 23:18:14 I agree Boz. Eli Tomerast is about as scary as a stuffed (as in by a taxidermist) baddy can be.

Bring him on (again). I'm sure he'd make nice luggage.

Valkaun
#9
mortellan
Feb 27, 2004 23:53:44 Stuffed? Fixture? Only a couple of newbie players would resent such a unique villain.

May Kerzit whip you in the ass and a mountain fall on top of you!
#10
zombiegleemax
Feb 28, 2004 0:17:56 What are bad guys for if not resenting them and making fun of them? I seem to remember one of my characters "winking" at Iuz himself.

And we're hardly newbies.
#11
cebrion
Mar 03, 2004 3:43:47 "M's Fantastic Adventure" turned out to be one of the more challenging adventures for the players I DM for. It took them three times to successfully penetrate the lower levels after they had tipped off the villains that they were upstairs smashing up the place. I look forward to an update of the adventure, particularly to any added areas. Hopefully there will also be some more info on the Tome of the Black Heart and the Elder Gods.

Maybe I'll have Eli Tomorast return, particularly if there are new areas added in. Currently in my campaign, a dwarven npc has a fortified citadel near Maure Castle. Perhaps they are in for some trouble...
#12
erik_mona
Mar 04, 2004 17:13:33 They are _definitely_ in for some trouble.

And it wouldn't be Maure Castle without Eli Tomorast back from the dead, would it?

--Erik
#13
boz_shulun
Mar 04, 2004 17:47:51 As a player, my DM loves to bring back notable and quirky bad guys. We’ve encountered (and defeated) Eli twice.

Mr. Kuntz…. Mr. Mona…. Whomever it may concern…..

You’re not helping things. ;)
#14
Argon
Mar 04, 2004 19:03:53 Original posted by Boz: As a player, my DM loves to bring back notable and quirky bad guys. We’ve encountered (and defeated) Eli twice.

Mr. Kuntz…. Mr. Mona…. Whomever it may concern…..

You’re not helping things.

While you are entitled to your opinion on a past product or location being redone. You could not be more wrong when you state that Kuntz, Mona, or anyone who is trying to keep the Greyhawk fires burning, that they are not helping.

Now if you are in anyway trying to enhance the Greyhawk experience by devoting your time to a site or donating some articles or perhaps writing letters in favor of keeping GH running, then your helping. But if you are not doing one of the following then I ask you, who's not helping?
#15
boz_shulun
Mar 04, 2004 19:28:57 You misunderstand,

What I said was meant tongue in cheek.

I agree that anything enhancing GH is for the best.

As is par for message board conversation, the intent was not clearly portrayed.

My apologies to anyone who was put off by my joke.
#16
boz_shulun
Mar 04, 2004 21:46:59 Just to clarify (a.k.a. dig a deeper hole),

My favorite DM loves to develop adversaries (either original or otherwise) that really get under your skin to the point that the mere mention of their names cause the players to cringe with their faces contorting with frustration and rage. Eli Tomorast is a prime example.

When the news of the Maure Castle adventure in Dungeon was announced, I recognized that familiar gleam in the ‘ole DM’s eye. I knew that the powers that be were putting my poor, misunderstood, loveable character in harms way again.

Thanks to them, I will now be fighting for my existence once more.

……..

I wouldn’t have it any other way.
#17
zombiegleemax
Mar 05, 2004 11:07:32 The same could be said for Andrade, Iuz, Vecna, Jumper, Blackblood, etc. Okay I think those last two the DM made up. But I definately know what you mean. I remember, ages ago, killing a villain, cremating him, sealing his ashes in a jar, tying it to a boulder, sailing out to thye Azure sea and dropping it in the deepest part of the ocean. And the guy still came back.
#18
zombiegleemax
Mar 05, 2004 13:43:47 You just can't keep a good Bad Guy down! :D
#19
mortellan
Mar 06, 2004 5:21:56 The wonderful thing about D&D is if the hero can be resurrected or wished back from nothingness, so can the villain. The villains just have fewer friends who are willing to do this.
#20
zombiegleemax
Mar 12, 2004 16:36:21 Emperor Norton is quite excited by the prospect of seeing a updated Maure Castle. Will Kuntz be rewriting the whole thing or will we only see the new unseen level?
#21
erik_mona
Mar 15, 2004 14:48:58 Rob has provided a completely new level, and both he and Gary Gygax have been very helpful with feedback, answers to questions posed by the original adventure, and general ideas. My staff (which is to say Associate Editor James Jacobs and I) are updating everything to the latest edition of the game, bringing it to the current era in a way that leaves virtually everything from the original intact, and filling in some of the previously empty rooms with new encounters. The whole will have more than 150 encounters and should be as seamless as possible. The final adventure will include updates of all the creatures from the original adventure as well as a few new ones (including some designed by Rob for his new level).

Unlike in the original, you get to play this version with your own characters. Mordenkainen, Bigby, Riggby, and Yrag penetrated the castle years ago, and now it's your turn. A creature of habit, the revivfied Eli Tomorast replaced many of his old traps and allies with comperable (if slightly tougher) counterparts, and of course the guardian demon Kerzit still lurks in his cave with the Tome of the Black Heart.

Rob's new level is nasty as nasty can be, which is exactly why we got him to write it. The entire adventure is deliciously old school, and we sincerely hope it's the start of something new and exciting in the pages of Dungeon. If the feature proves popular, it's very likely that we'll bring Rob aboard to provide more dungeon levels for us in the future. I'm certainly hoping that'll be the case, but the readers will ultimately decide.

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dungeon Magazine
#22
mortellan
Mar 22, 2004 12:46:33
A creature of habit, the revivfied Eli Tomorast replaced many of his old traps and allies with comperable (if slightly tougher) counterparts, and of course the guardian demon Kerzit still lurks in his cave with the Tome of the Black Heart.

Revivified, such a sweet word, music to my ears.

Erik, any chance the Tome of the Black Heart will be explained in greater detail?
#23
zombiegleemax
Mar 22, 2004 14:31:01 I wonder if this adventure could be pumped up for an Epic Level Adventuring Group. Maybe a group that took him on before? Oh the possibility boggles the mind.
#24
mortellan
Mar 23, 2004 13:45:24
I wonder if this adventure could be pumped up for an Epic Level Adventuring Group. Maybe a group that took him on before? Oh the possibility boggles the mind.

The original Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure dealing with Maure Castle was for levels 8 to 14. As I have gathered, this redux is going to be midlevel again. Most articles for adventures do have rules for scaling an adventure up or down a few levels, but scaling one up to epic calls for an entire re-write. No thanks my friend.
#25
erik_mona
Mar 23, 2004 14:04:27 It won't be an epic level adventure. The final adventure is still taking shape, but it looks like it'll start at 12th level and will advance characters to about 14th by the time they finish.

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dungeon Magazine
#26
knightfall
Mar 28, 2004 15:31:36
Originally posted by Erik Mona
It won't be an epic level adventure. The final adventure is still taking shape, but it looks like it'll start at 12th level and will advance characters to about 14th by the time they finish.

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dungeon Magazine

I'm SO looking forward to this. Thanks again, Erik, for keeping Greyhawk alive for us diehard Greyhawk fans.

What issue of Dungeon is this going to be in, BTW?

Cheers!

KF72
#27
omote
Mar 29, 2004 10:16:08
Originally posted by Knightfall
What issue of Dungeon is this going to be in, BTW?

KF72

Dungeon #112, June Issue I believe.

.......................Omote
#28
mortellan
Apr 07, 2004 5:28:53 Dungeon #110 has a new ad for the upcoming Maure Castle adventure. It sports an evil pic of Tomorast. Be afraid, very afraid.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Feb 23, 2004 18:53:20	Looks like an old classic is going to be updated for 3.5 by one of it's original co-authors, Rob Kuntz. This version of the castle will include a previously unseen fourth level. The whole thing is slated for Dungeon 109. Any thoughts on this one?
#2 Mortepierre Feb 24, 2004 6:00:48	I loved the setting and the references to little-known abyssal lords. The big wolf demon with tentacles wasn't half-bad either :D The only thing I found annoying were the impossible-to-open doors at the entrance. If you weren't Mordenkainen with an artefact of Dalt in your pocket, you could just go back home empty-handed Looking forward to it.
#3 zombiegleemax Feb 24, 2004 12:42:03	Very cool, I wasn't a huge fan of M's Fantastic Adventure but a update could be pretty cool.
#4 Brom_Blackforge Feb 25, 2004 16:21:16	Originally posted by monkeybone The whole thing is slated for Dungeon 109. Well, since no one has pointed this out yet, I guess I'll be the one to nit-pick. IIRC, Maure Castle is slated to appear in Dungeon 112, not 109. Dungeon 109 is the current issue (it does feature an ad for the Maure Castle update, though).
#5 Mortepierre Feb 26, 2004 6:05:19	Istus bless Erik Mona for working on Dungeon!
#6 mortellan Feb 26, 2004 8:30:55	I am very happy to see a redux on Maure castle. I did like M.F.A. for it did have some interesting elements most notably Kerzit and Eli Tomorast, whom I saw a delicious picture of in one of the LGJ's. They are both highly unique beings in the WoG and that's not an easy accomplishment.
#7 boz_shulun Feb 27, 2004 22:06:22	Eli Tomorast.... Wasn't he a fixture in my bar?
#8 zombiegleemax Feb 27, 2004 23:18:14	I agree Boz. Eli Tomerast is about as scary as a stuffed (as in by a taxidermist) baddy can be. Bring him on (again). I'm sure he'd make nice luggage. Valkaun
#9 mortellan Feb 27, 2004 23:53:44	Stuffed? Fixture? Only a couple of newbie players would resent such a unique villain. May Kerzit whip you in the ass and a mountain fall on top of you!
#10 zombiegleemax Feb 28, 2004 0:17:56	What are bad guys for if not resenting them and making fun of them? I seem to remember one of my characters "winking" at Iuz himself. And we're hardly newbies.
#11 cebrion Mar 03, 2004 3:43:47	"M's Fantastic Adventure" turned out to be one of the more challenging adventures for the players I DM for. It took them three times to successfully penetrate the lower levels after they had tipped off the villains that they were upstairs smashing up the place. I look forward to an update of the adventure, particularly to any added areas. Hopefully there will also be some more info on the Tome of the Black Heart and the Elder Gods. Maybe I'll have Eli Tomorast return, particularly if there are new areas added in. Currently in my campaign, a dwarven npc has a fortified citadel near Maure Castle. Perhaps they are in for some trouble...
#12 erik_mona Mar 04, 2004 17:13:33	They are _definitely_ in for some trouble. And it wouldn't be Maure Castle without Eli Tomorast back from the dead, would it? --Erik
#13 boz_shulun Mar 04, 2004 17:47:51	As a player, my DM loves to bring back notable and quirky bad guys. We’ve encountered (and defeated) Eli twice. Mr. Kuntz…. Mr. Mona…. Whomever it may concern….. You’re not helping things. ;)
#14 Argon Mar 04, 2004 19:03:53	Original posted by Boz: As a player, my DM loves to bring back notable and quirky bad guys. We’ve encountered (and defeated) Eli twice. Mr. Kuntz…. Mr. Mona…. Whomever it may concern….. You’re not helping things. While you are entitled to your opinion on a past product or location being redone. You could not be more wrong when you state that Kuntz, Mona, or anyone who is trying to keep the Greyhawk fires burning, that they are not helping. Now if you are in anyway trying to enhance the Greyhawk experience by devoting your time to a site or donating some articles or perhaps writing letters in favor of keeping GH running, then your helping. But if you are not doing one of the following then I ask you, who's not helping?
#15 boz_shulun Mar 04, 2004 19:28:57	You misunderstand, What I said was meant tongue in cheek. I agree that anything enhancing GH is for the best. As is par for message board conversation, the intent was not clearly portrayed. My apologies to anyone who was put off by my joke.
#16 boz_shulun Mar 04, 2004 21:46:59	Just to clarify (a.k.a. dig a deeper hole), My favorite DM loves to develop adversaries (either original or otherwise) that really get under your skin to the point that the mere mention of their names cause the players to cringe with their faces contorting with frustration and rage. Eli Tomorast is a prime example. When the news of the Maure Castle adventure in Dungeon was announced, I recognized that familiar gleam in the ‘ole DM’s eye. I knew that the powers that be were putting my poor, misunderstood, loveable character in harms way again. Thanks to them, I will now be fighting for my existence once more. …….. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
#17 zombiegleemax Mar 05, 2004 11:07:32	The same could be said for Andrade, Iuz, Vecna, Jumper, Blackblood, etc. Okay I think those last two the DM made up. But I definately know what you mean. I remember, ages ago, killing a villain, cremating him, sealing his ashes in a jar, tying it to a boulder, sailing out to thye Azure sea and dropping it in the deepest part of the ocean. And the guy still came back.
#18 zombiegleemax Mar 05, 2004 13:43:47	You just can't keep a good Bad Guy down! :D
#19 mortellan Mar 06, 2004 5:21:56	The wonderful thing about D&D is if the hero can be resurrected or wished back from nothingness, so can the villain. The villains just have fewer friends who are willing to do this.
#20 zombiegleemax Mar 12, 2004 16:36:21	Emperor Norton is quite excited by the prospect of seeing a updated Maure Castle. Will Kuntz be rewriting the whole thing or will we only see the new unseen level?
#21 erik_mona Mar 15, 2004 14:48:58	Rob has provided a completely new level, and both he and Gary Gygax have been very helpful with feedback, answers to questions posed by the original adventure, and general ideas. My staff (which is to say Associate Editor James Jacobs and I) are updating everything to the latest edition of the game, bringing it to the current era in a way that leaves virtually everything from the original intact, and filling in some of the previously empty rooms with new encounters. The whole will have more than 150 encounters and should be as seamless as possible. The final adventure will include updates of all the creatures from the original adventure as well as a few new ones (including some designed by Rob for his new level). Unlike in the original, you get to play this version with your own characters. Mordenkainen, Bigby, Riggby, and Yrag penetrated the castle years ago, and now it's your turn. A creature of habit, the revivfied Eli Tomorast replaced many of his old traps and allies with comperable (if slightly tougher) counterparts, and of course the guardian demon Kerzit still lurks in his cave with the Tome of the Black Heart. Rob's new level is nasty as nasty can be, which is exactly why we got him to write it. The entire adventure is deliciously old school, and we sincerely hope it's the start of something new and exciting in the pages of Dungeon. If the feature proves popular, it's very likely that we'll bring Rob aboard to provide more dungeon levels for us in the future. I'm certainly hoping that'll be the case, but the readers will ultimately decide. --Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief Dungeon Magazine
#22 mortellan Mar 22, 2004 12:46:33	A creature of habit, the revivfied Eli Tomorast replaced many of his old traps and allies with comperable (if slightly tougher) counterparts, and of course the guardian demon Kerzit still lurks in his cave with the Tome of the Black Heart. Revivified, such a sweet word, music to my ears. Erik, any chance the Tome of the Black Heart will be explained in greater detail?
#23 zombiegleemax Mar 22, 2004 14:31:01	I wonder if this adventure could be pumped up for an Epic Level Adventuring Group. Maybe a group that took him on before? Oh the possibility boggles the mind.
#24 mortellan Mar 23, 2004 13:45:24	I wonder if this adventure could be pumped up for an Epic Level Adventuring Group. Maybe a group that took him on before? Oh the possibility boggles the mind. The original Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure dealing with Maure Castle was for levels 8 to 14. As I have gathered, this redux is going to be midlevel again. Most articles for adventures do have rules for scaling an adventure up or down a few levels, but scaling one up to epic calls for an entire re-write. No thanks my friend.
#25 erik_mona Mar 23, 2004 14:04:27	It won't be an epic level adventure. The final adventure is still taking shape, but it looks like it'll start at 12th level and will advance characters to about 14th by the time they finish. --Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief Dungeon Magazine
#26 knightfall Mar 28, 2004 15:31:36	Originally posted by Erik Mona It won't be an epic level adventure. The final adventure is still taking shape, but it looks like it'll start at 12th level and will advance characters to about 14th by the time they finish. --Erik Mona Editor-in-Chief Dungeon Magazine I'm SO looking forward to this. Thanks again, Erik, for keeping Greyhawk alive for us diehard Greyhawk fans. What issue of Dungeon is this going to be in, BTW? Cheers! KF72
#27 omote Mar 29, 2004 10:16:08	Originally posted by Knightfall What issue of Dungeon is this going to be in, BTW? KF72 Dungeon #112, June Issue I believe. .......................Omote
#28 mortellan Apr 07, 2004 5:28:53	Dungeon #110 has a new ad for the upcoming Maure Castle adventure. It sports an evil pic of Tomorast. Be afraid, very afraid.