I am transforming the campaing-adventure 'the red hand of Doom' in to a possible campaing to run in the Dragonlance world (for more info about just ask me)
I have a few questions:
1) would I black rob help the army's of the Dark Queen or would he fight against them?
2) If a nation or big city (for example: Tarsis, at the moment Tarsis is the home of the players and is still a free city) would ask the Tower of High Sorcery (Wayreth) for magic-casters to help them against invading enemys, would they help?
3) If the wizards would help, who would come (White robes, red robes or black robes,...) and how many would come?
4) If the wizards wouldn't send magic-casters (because there are to little of them or some other reason), what could they still do to help the city or the nation?
5) If the wizards wouldn't help in the first place, would they be more interested to go, if the lord of Tarsis promised them that in return for helping the city, he would allow the wizard to build a new tower of high sorcery in the city?
6) I know that the portal to the Abyss only can be opened through a good cleric and a black robe. But would a powerful artifact of a Good God (I was thinking of 'the Fist of Eli') have enough divine power to help a person to open the portal? (still a powerful black robe would helps opening the portal)
1) They can do either. The Dragonarmies had many Black Robes working for them. But the most powerful one, Raistlin, assisted in causing their downfall in the end.
2) At the time of the WotL, the Towers aren't in a position to really help anyone on a grand scale. They are more concerned with their own survival and the study of magic itself. Individual wizards worked for both sides.
3) I personally don't think they'd come. Tarsis is a city in decline. As a matter of fact, it is already dead, but its inhabitants don't seem to notice yet. There are no resources and the locals are hostile to outsiders.
4) See 3.
5) I don't think the wizards are in the position to try to build a new tower. Besides, with one not so far away in Wayreth, They might want one further away. They'd probably be better served by trying to retake Palanthas.
6) If you want your players to go to the Abyss, they feel free to make up a special device to allow it. You could use the adventure in the source book Legends of the Twins that details the Anvil of Time. You could alter it so that it sends the players to the Abyss.
I was already afraid that it would be very negative answers concering the wizards aid (specialy questions 2, 3 and 4).
But about the answer of question 5:
I always thought that the wizards wanted to build in Tarsis. Beside if they originally wheren't planning to do this, would it not be a good plan to do, specially if Tarsis wanted to help them build the tower and allow wizard to come to ther city. It would help them to survive, expand the area to attract new people to study magic and the have a new tower. 2 towers are beter than one, I would think. Yes, I know there is still a tower in Palanthas, but this tower will only be available to Raistlin at the end of the war, so this still would not be a option for the wizards.
7) Can you think of some possible allies that could help the city?
I was thinking of some dwarfs from Thorbardin (they already have opened the gate to ther underground cities) or maybe a group of Kagonesti elves wondering the plans of Kharolis or the South-East hills of the Kharolis Moutains(they run away from Southern Ergoth because they don't wanted to become slaves of ther Silvanesti and Qualinesti cousins).
If someone have a other idea or opinion on the questions, please let us know!
I will promiss that when we start to play this campaing I will post the adventure on this thread.
I still hope you understand me.
1) would I black rob help the army's of the Dark Queen or would he fight against them?
A black robe will do what he wants to do (as long as he promoted black magic) of Nuitari. In the Legend of Huma, the Black Robes were working with Takhisis, but they realized that if Galen Dracos succeeded in bringing Takhisis to Krynn, Nuitari and the black robed would be removed. So they betrayed Takhisis. The same thing could apply to the black robe.
2) If a nation or big city (for example: Tarsis, at the moment Tarsis is the home of the players and is still a free city) would ask the Tower of High Sorcery (Wayreth) for magic-casters to help them against invading enemys, would they help?
3) If the wizards would help, who would come (White robes, red robes or black robes,...) and how many would come?
4) If the wizards wouldn't send magic-casters (because there are to little of them or some other reason), what could they still do to help the city or the nation?
5) If the wizards wouldn't help in the first place, would they be more interested to go, if the lord of Tarsis promised them that in return for helping the city, he would allow the wizard to build a new tower of high sorcery in the city?
As Rube said, It's not likely. I think if you wanted to, you'd have make a few miniquests that open up economic life to Tarsis. I take it from your background story, that Tarsis has somehow recovered from the cataclysm (i.e. a new trading center between the people of the plains of dust and Thorbardin).
6) I know that the portal to the Abyss only can be opened through a good cleric and a black robe. But would a powerful artifact of a Good God (I was thinking of 'the Fist of Eli') have enough divine power to help a person to open the portal? (still a powerful black robe would helps opening the portal)
I think you'd have to add more information. You can do whatever you want as DM to enter the Abyss, but traditionally, the whole point of the Legend's trilogy relied on the fact that it was really really hard to open the portal (unless Raistlin have the portal open in Test of the Twins).
7) Can you think of some possible allies that could help the city?
Definitely Thorbardin. The human refugees from Solace would help. If they had an indication of rebuilding in Tarsis, it might help the economy. I'm sure the Qualinesti elves who ally with the whitestone forces will help drive out the red dragonarmy from tarsis. I'm sure the ice folk from Icewall Glacier might help (once the threat of Feal-Thas the white highlord is removed).
Tarsis kept alive through the many trades with Alsip, Hamlet, Hopefull, Willik, Zeriak and the hill dwarfs in the northern regions (and just recently with Thorbardin).
At the moment the campaing begins the most refugees from Solace are in Thorbardin or on there way to Hopefull. The mountian dwarves are already united. The Council of Whitestone will take place in a few days, but it will still take some time until elves, humans and dwarves are united. Also the rumours of Verminaards death and a halt to the dragon army spreads through the lands, and brings a little bit of relief to the people of plains
I will write a possible time course of the campaign for the first 6 days (if everything goes as planned):
day 1 The party overhears a conversation of 3 humans, about a deal of a powerful artifact and the plan of burning down some of the barracks of the city. Also Tran Tower is maentioned in the conversation.
That night, the party interrupt the transaction of the artifact and stopping the persons from burning down the barracks.
day 2 The party can do 2 thing:
1) they go to the city guards and tell about the event. This event will told the lord of Tarsis. later on the Lord of Tarsis will summon the party, and ask them to investiged this strang event. They will travel on to Tran Tower.(this will take them 4 day)
2) they don't tell the city guards anything and go investiged this event.
They will travel on to Tran Tower. (this will take them 4 day)
day 5 Arriving at the ruined keep, they will find out it is not deserted as it looks. The party find some important documents and maps of the plans of the new dragonhigh lord "The Blood Lady". The red dragonarmy is reinforcing a gigantic army of goblins, hobgoblins, human mercenaries, ogers and hill giants in Itzan Nul. (there is also a draconian army gathering somewhere in a mysterious place but this isn't mentioned in the documents) There are also other things mentioned in the documents:
other Lords who are working along; blocking traderoads and travelroads; something mentioned about the "Fallen Moon" place and about a ruin near Wayend, and a Map with details.
day 6 the party can now do several things:
1) they can go back to Tarsis and alarm the city for battle. (this will take them 4 days, )
2) Warn Hopefull or/and Thorbardin for war and undertaking some plans for evacution or battle. (hopefull takes 2,5 days and Thorbardin will take 5 days)
3) destroy the old bridge to Itzan Nul, so the army will be slowed down for a few days, (the bridge will be guarded by a green dragon and a small group of enemys) this time delay for the dragonarmy will be a big advantage for the party and the people of the plans. (this will take 1,5 day travel to the bridge and it they succeed it will give them 10 days of advantage before the brigde is repaired and the army cross the bridge)
4) search for the other Lords or the other places that are mentioned in the notes and documents.
What do you think of what I have wrote down??? Any new ideas or remarks???
Still I have a few questions;
How could the party persuade:
1) Thorbardin to help them fight Tarsis the upcoming army? Would the documents be enough proof for them to help the humans? (maybe this is a stupid question, but I rather ask it.)
2) If the moutain dwarves help the army, can the party still ask the hill dwarves to help them to or would this be to difficult, because of the relationship between the 2 dwarvenarmies?
3) The Blood Lady will be they new Dragonhigh lord and is even a more powerfull dark cleric than Vermineraad was, she will sommun some minions of the Dark Queen out of the Abyss to help her in the war. What kind of minions would she most probable summon out of the Abyss? Because I don't know what kind of minions the Dark Queen has got to her disposal.
Some reply on what you have said Granakrs about opening the portal:
I want it also to be difficult to open the portal no doubt about that, so maybe I have a other idea for bringing back the Dark Queen to Krynn.
In this campaign the Dark Queen is furious because Verminaard is death and Berem is still not found. She is tired of waiting and in secrecy she calls upon some powerful clerics (including The Blood Lady).
She tells them that ther is a other way for her to enter Krynn. This other way includes a difficult ritual, wher a artifact of the most powerful god good (Palidine>>> Fist of E'li) and a powerful artifact of her (the Nightbringer) most be sacrificed along with a innocent child and 5 dragon eggs. The ritual most be carried out by 5 dark clerics who will each have 1 dragon egg (red, blauw, green, black and white). If the ritual is completed the Dark queen will exchange places with the child, and will ones more walk the world of Krynn as a goddess.
4) What do you think about this idea for bringing back the Dark Queen?
I want it also to be difficult to open the portal no doubt about that, so maybe I have a other idea for bringing back the Dark Queen to Krynn.
In this campaign the Dark Queen is furious because Verminaard is death and Berem is still not found. She is tired of waiting and in secrecy she calls upon some powerful clerics (including The Blood Lady).
She tells them that ther is a other way for her to enter Krynn. This other way includes a difficult ritual, wher a artifact of the most powerful god good (Palidine>>> Fist of E'li) and a powerful artifact of her (the Nightbringer) most be sacrificed along with a innocent child and 5 dragon eggs. The ritual most be carried out by 5 dark clerics who will each have 1 dragon egg (red, blauw, green, black and white). If the ritual is completed the Dark queen will exchange places with the child, and will ones more walk the world of Krynn as a goddess.
Its not a bad idea, but instead of a innocent Child, I would take the blood lady. I would be more like in the War of the Souls when the dark queen want to come back. Mina had to sarafice her soul for Takhisis, so that the Dark Queen could enter the world ones more.
I all ready played RHOD adventure. And our party had the advantage to use the great owls as fast trasport over the land, how are you going to solve this? Because there aren't many elves and/or elven society around Tarsis in this time periode. However there are many Silvanesti elves in Alsip who want to go to Silvamori. But I don't think they would help any humans at that time.
maybe for this problem, you could:
1) still have some Qualinesti elves taking shelter in the Kharolis Moutains or the woods near the village 'Barter'.
2)Instead of great owls you could take griffons, that's more common for the Qualinesti elves.
it isn't a bad idea, the thing you said about the griffons.
Now I only need to find a way to fit in the elves in the campaing :D
Does someone else have any idea's or questions?
The party will meet the elves that remained in the forest, Morenda will ask them to find out were her daughter is or save her if possible, in return she will help the party as match as she can with anything they ask her.
I find this a good way to fit in the elves in the campaign.
What do you think? Do you have some other ideas or some other suggestions?
In a few week the party will begin the campaign.