Crazy campaign idea: Lone Wolf saga recycled as a Sind Campaign
by Marc SaindonOkay this take a lot of time, effort and mind flips to work out, but imagine that Lone Wolf's Kai Order (sort of the "Jedi" of the Lone Wolf world) is instead a group of Elite Gurkha warriors (mixed in with some 'RRR' stunts).
In game terms the Kai are Monks, although a few cross-train to have functionnal units in the field (Monk-Cleric as medic, Monk-Wizard as magical back-up, Monk-Fighter for added muscle, Monk-Ranger for scouting). In Mystara, they would be known for wielding the Kukri as their signature martial arts weapon.
The Kai Order keeps the practice of naming players after animals (e.g. Lone Wolf, originally Silent Wolf) but you can raid the Jungle Book for hindi names (Bagheera, Sherkhan, Akela) or google them.
For those familiar with Lone Wolf, the tale begins with a Kai festival during which Silent Wolf gets sent to some distant chore as a punishment, and only returns when the Kai got destroyed by the armies of the Darklords from Helgedad, which the Kai were suppose to contain with their monastery on the border. The hero takes the of Lone Wolf, and decides to warn the king of the incoming invasion. That's most of book 1. In a Mystara campaign, Helgedad is Hule, which has been dormant for a long time, letting the Kai order grow complacent and off-guard by the Master of Hule's army. Instead of one person sent away for a chore, have the entire party be affected by similar situations that keep them out of the massacre.
Book 2 has Lone Wolf sent on a mission to the allied kingdom of Durenor to retrieve a magic sword that was part of diplomatic pact. Replace Durenor with Darokin, and make the artefact sword something from hindu mythology, like the undefined Astra or "Solar Chakra" (throwing star, light powers and instant return).
Book 3 sends Lone Wolf in the far north to capture a traitor. Although you could send the players in the Northern Reaches, very elevated mountains with eternal snows, so the Kurish Massif between Sind and Glantri could do the job.
Book 4 wasn't available at my library as a kid, I never got around to read it. Ruanon could any subject state of Sind with mountains and a pass, and the Sind-Darokin border could work, with Giaks replaced with Orcs that have spilled over from the Broken Lands.
Book 5 sends Lone Wolf in a diplomatic mission to the desert kingdom of Vassagonia to secure an alliance. I'm tempted to make this Ylaruam (especially if you re-positioned Ylaruam to the south with the Ramelin Mystara map) but it could also simply just be Jaibul.
Ramelin’s Ylaruam & Jaibul, 8 miles per hex
That would complete the Kai series, which is followed by other series that are beyond the scope of this book. A bit complicated, but it gives something else than LOTR or the Arthurian Cycle to emulate when creating a Good versus Evil campaign, while also making use of Sind as the main campaign setting (I haven't many Indian themed rpgs).
