Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Zardnaar Mar 15, 2008 6:30:19	I kicked off my latest DS game tonight as DM. I ended up with a party of 3 Elves for some reason- Water Cleric, Ranger and Psion. My PCs have played DS before and read some of the novels and sourcebooks but aren't overly familiar with the world. The campaign had 2 twists from their point of view. 1. They started as slaves in a caravan heading toward Balic. 2. I started the campaign in FY 1015. Last time I ran a game it was set in the revised boxed set era. The game started off with the 3 elves in a slave caravan on the way to Balic to be sold. Giants from the estuary of the forked tongue raided the caravan. Freeing themselves form the guards the PCs fled with a daggar, shield, spear and shortsword as their only possessions. The Giants looted the caravan and left while the PCs returned and met another survivor from Tyr named Paulus. Turned out they had trouble pronouncing Andropinis name so the PCs renamed him Apophis (Greek name for Apet, Stargate SG1 character). The name kinda stuck so I may have to rename Andropinis to Apophis) The PCs proceeded along the road heading to Tyr. They encountered the Dune Shadows a tribe of Elves who seem to put most clerics to death. The Psion managed to use her suggestion power on the leader of the Elves and convinced him to let the PCs go. The tribal cleric who had been sidelined by the leader recommended they journey to the mountains NW of Balic. Once they arrived there they found an elemental shrine to water where the cleric manged to recieve a holy symbol for his faith. The resident cleric also told them of the Dragon of Urik. Ancient tales once fortold that The Dragon was slain but the Dragon has risen again. One of the PCs had a theory that "The Dragon" isn't the original Dragon (AKA Borys) but they don't really know. I'll leave them guessing for a bit. They also encontered a group of Dwarven prospecters from Ledo looking for copper ore. After a few days they descended from the mountains near South Ledopolus and where ambushed by17 Kreen. It turned out that Paulus was capable of casting Lightning Bolt which fried a few of them while the rest of the PCs engaged stanndard Kreen from the MM2 in battle. The Kreen were led by a 3rd level Psion who used Mind Thrust on the Ranger a couple of times dropping him to negative 8 hit points. The PCs managed to prevail, loooted the Kreen bodies and made it to South Ledopolus and sold the loot. They went shopping and managed to get several hundred Cp worth of mundane equipment bringing their total belongings to not much but better than what they had. Continuing on they arrived at Graks Pool a few days later where they agreed to take a package to Alturak in return for a gold piece each. At the gates of Alturak they were searched by a Templar in the name of Queen Sadira where they also got to see the River Agis for the first time. My PCs aren't that familar with Darksun and I told them the date (FY 1015) they didn't realise the game was set over 1000 since the last time they played as they didn't pay to much attention to the actual date beinmg illiterate for the most part. They've read parts of Dragon Kings and one of them is convinced Sadira has become a Dragon Queen. Now she is called the rain goddess and each year she performs the Rites of Renewal on Kalaks ziggurat in Tyr. Anyway they got thrown in jail for trying to smuggle the package to "The Academy" a large building in the middle of town. They were questioned by a powerful Psion named Amiska (cookie to whoever recognises that name). They were let go with a fine after she realised they were innocent dupes and they're wondering why the defilers haven't defiled the area around the River Agis and what the hell is the Free State Alliance. They also learned that every city has a Sorcerer Monarch and a new city named Waverly rests in the Silt Sea. It turns out that the scribe Paulus is actually a Templar but they don't know that yet although I think they're beginning to suspect (Druids don't cast Flameblade and Lightning Bolt). Hes also in service to Hamanu of Urik. Now they're on the road to Tyr but that willhave to wait until next session. Sadira is about to do the Rites of Renewal but "The Cult of Kalak" might have somehting to say about that- the cult being led by dupes in service to agents of Rajaat...............
#2 Band2 Mar 17, 2008 16:42:00	Thanks for the journal, Zardnaar. Keep us updated on how the 1000 years in the future campaign goes. It is always interesting to see how others' campaigns turn out.
#3 Zardnaar Mar 17, 2008 20:03:11	Thanks for the journal, Zardnaar. Keep us updated on how the 1000 years in the future campaign goes. It is always interesting to see how others' campaigns turn out. IU'm probably a bit more lenient than some DMs here in regards to Athasian brutality but my PCs joke that they don't like DS that much. I'm using houserules like Athasian armor is -1 AC but has +1 higher dex bonus that PHB armor if its usually built out of metal. Also Clerics get one of their domains preselected for them and Druids are less powerful due the more limited selection of wildshape forms. No aquatic wildshape, and no dinosaurs and limited dire animals.