Esperian Vale Adventures

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 17:16:52 -0000
From: "Farina, Jason"
Subject: Esperian Vale Adventures. Enjoy, but pay attention to the disclai mer.... or else.....

Below, I present the first part of the latest campaign to plonk from the sewer I call an imagination.

Be warned, it might contain information your DM doesn't want you to know and could very well ruin your enjoyment of an adventure.
this weeks episode (well this part of this week's) effectively destroys all mystery etc in The Four Season's of Jivaldi, and gives away a bit about the AD&D fast play rules beginning scenario and the Free download of B3 from the WoTC website.

I would strongly advise that you ask your DM if he intends running any of these BEFORE you read any further. If you read this and your DM pokes your eyes out with a pointy object, don't come crying to me!

Now, disclaimer aside, read on, enjoy, add plenty of salt and please dispose of any combustables or flammatory devices at the entrance. Thank you.


The Esperian Vale Campaign.

Week 1.

Characters involved:

Name level class Notes:
Stuffy 1st necromancer (human) Not the brightest mage in the world, or the strongest, quickest, wisest, nicest or hardiest.
Quote: "Manacles, wooden block, sledgehammer. Wanna find out what misery really is?"

Loreal 1st elf, Fighter Vain and arrogant, considers Gunther his 'familiar'
Quote: " because I'm worth it"

Gunther 1st` Dwur, fighter Lazy, rather prone to violence, dwarven really....
Quote: "We're all going to die! Where's that bottle of wine I found?"

Panthene 1st ranger (human) a good ranger if a little accident prone, not great person skills....
Quote: "Oops, I guessed wrong"

A bit of campaign information would be nice I suppose:

Right, well, the group consists of, currently, 4 friends. We are all aged between 23 and 26 and have known each other right the way through college.
That's over 6 years I have been Dming for them (and most of that was ToEE, which they never managed to finish :-), hey wow! Word includes smileys!!!).
Anyway, we are pretty used to how each of us play and react so I decided to put together a series of adventures into a 'campaign'. The main reason for this is that we are all working and we never know whether we will make a game or not so I wanted to have a more 'freeform' game than a linear campaign like ToEE. So, I went looking on the internet and in old modules (mainly 1st ed collections etc) as well as in the Lankhmar supplements and gathered together a load of scenarios that I would like to DM. When I saw B3, I was delighted. A low level adventure that fitted perfect with the introduction I had already planned. Many bits of modules have been changed to cram them into the general storyline, but by and large they should be recognisable. Note: I might not always remember who wrote what scenario, so don't take offense if I don't credit someone when I should. It's not done deliberately.

House rules:
1. fighters (single class) roll D12 Hp, and before I get stoned for this, it's working quite well since it's introduction over two years ago.
2. Mages CAN use non-mage weapons if they pay more for them
3. Mages MUST specialise and meet the requirements for specialisation.
4. Mages can wear quilted or padded armour as per the sugestion in simon Gibbs in his Armour of the Forgotten Realms article. He also did a weapons one (more later) well worth reading IMHO.
5. Character points are used for Weapon and non-weapon proficiencies.
6. Priests do not choose their patron deity. Through their actions, a deity may or may not call them to service
7. There is NO longsword in the game. I hate that weapon. It removes the flavour of culture. And makes polearms look ridiculous :-).

Righty, that's most of the rules, there are others but they aren't really important.
Oh yeah, Stuffy the Necromancer decided to take farm implements as weapons.
I saw no reason why not as long as they were in character. He took a Scythe (for clearing long grass in graveyards....) and a sledgehammer (for breaking open sarcophagi etc.). I may not have been right allowing it, but I just thought it was a good reason for them and made for an unusual character.

The Setting:

The adventures are set in the Grand Duchy of Geoff, in a makey uppy vale called The Vale of Esperia situated in the NorthWest of the duchy. The vale map is taken from the adventure "four seasons of jivaldi" by blue troll.
I've placed the Palace of the Silver princess to the NW, just on the edge of the crystalmists - the vale being the same one described in the background of the module B3. I've also included the AD&D quick play scenario (the one with the ghoul) and am considering adapting the quick play one about the smoke dragon to fit in as well.

Now, the adventure begins:

PART 1.1: Stefan and the Trail to Dolmor.

The party begin at an interview with the local lord, a minor noble called Ulrich Wolsden. They are hired to get word to his younger of two sons , Stefan, to return. The Elder son, Karl, has been struck by a terrible fever after falling from his horse, and, fearing that he will die, Ulrich wants Stefan nearby to be ready to assume the place of heir. Stefan set out just after Harvest time to collect the taxes, a tour of the lands that he has undertaken for the past eight years accompanied by 12 of the lord's men at arms. As well as collecting the taxes, Stefan uses this opportunity to 'meet the people' and pursue his own hobby of Herbalism, art and history. He usually winters in the town of Dolmor where he is working on a herbal encyclopaedia with the local druid Foswel and the town clergyman, Lehar. He loans horses to the party and supplies them with three homing pigeons so they can send word of their progress.

The journey to Dolmor is pretty uneventful.

Just outside of Dolmor they Panthene discovers tracks in the mud, human tracks, one of them trailing blood. Alongside these are canine tracks which he thinks are those of wolves, rather large wolves. Unsure, he guesses that there are at least four but certainly no more than eight of the creatures.
Stuffy is nervous but Panthene assures him that wolves rarely attack humans, (hastily adds elves and dwarves into that statement), unless they're really hungry, or rabid. The tracks are very recent, within the last half hour or so. Cautiously they continue. The forests around them seems darker than they should, despite the approaching twilight. After a few minutes of slow progress, Loreal hears the sounds of men calling for help, and the snarling of wolves. Gunther isn't surprised, after all, elves have big ears.
The party quickly decide to investigate. Pressing through the undergrowth, they enter a small clearing and see two men trying to fend off five large mountain wolves. Only three of the wolves are fighting, the two other stand back bleeding from the mens' recent successes. The wolves have not been the only victims. One man is bleeding badly from a wound on his thigh and a third man lies dead or unconscious behind. Their retreat is block by a mass of thorns and briars, their escape blocked by the position of the wolves. At the Party's approach, the two injured wolves turn and snarl, but make no move to attack or flee. The three fighting are quickly wearing down the humans' defenses. Gunther swings from his saddle and draws his battle axe.
Unslinging his shield he charges into the fray, Loreal provides covering fire with his shortbow, so skillful is his firing that his first arrow seems to ruffle the dwur's beard! Panthene dismounts also and tries to arc around to the flank. Stuffy, thinking quickly, decided to use his spell of tiredness on one of the injured wolves (Ray of fatigue) , the smokey beam strikes it's target and the beast collapses panting to the ground, it's blood loss from injury and this unnatural fugue overpowering it. Loreal's first arrow takes the second injured wolf in the chest, killing it instantly (OK, so I'm probably wrong about the instant thing, but it sounded good when I was describing it and it was the party's very first taste of action after all. I wanted to introduce a bit of a feelgood factor).
Gunther steps in over the corpse and swings hard. Unfortuately, he decided to attack a rock that looked like a wolf rather than an actual wolf and wound up taking quite a large chunk out of his axe blade.. "damn human smithy work"... Panthene manages to place himself between one wolf and the injured woodsman, the wolf, instead of attacking decides to charge Stuffy's horse causing it to rear and throw the mage, amost knocking him unconscious and certainly making him a sitting target. Instead the wolves flee herding the mage's panicked horse into the woods before them. Embarrassed Gunther decides to give chase but then remembers that he hates forests and can't track a trail of breadcrumbs if his life depended on it, so he returns to convince Panthene to help out. Panthene is talking to the woodsmen who are thanking him for the rescue, then, when Loreal coughs (wolf fur in the throat) they thank him. Stuffy, meanwhile, has regained his feet and is busy pulping the exhausted wolf (there was a type of ritual chant, but children might read this so I won't repeat them here ;-) ).

The woodsmen tell their story on the way to Dolmor. They describe the attack on Willy's Hen house in the town and their subsequent search through the woods. Wolves are a severe concern for a village that has a large dependance on furs and meats for trade and provisions. But these wolves were unusual.
Three days they tracked them through the woods, North, South, East and West.
Never did they find any sign of a den or community (Peter, the uninjured hunter, is quite proud of his knowledge of wolves - he asked Foswel the druid a few questions before the left as well). Then on the third day, just when they were about to give up the chase, the wolves found them. Three of them stepped into a glade, as bold as brass and, snarling and snapping, forced the hunters to back away. That's when the other two attacked from behind. The ambush was uncanny, almost human planned - certainly better than anything those pesky goblins ever tried anyway. The hunters ran, but Eugene (the unconscious hunter) was bitten badly and had to be carried most of the way. Eventually they were forced off the trail to that clearing where the wolves cornered them and launched their assault. If it weren't for the party's intervention they would surely have been killed.

During this, Morris, the injured hunter - but still conscious - assures Loreal that his nose will heal. It is obvious that Gunther lacks the elve's accuracy when he uses his fists, or maybe it was the elve's lack of facial hair that caused the error in judgement?

Finally the town of Dolmor comes into view and the party make their way to the temple of Beory to get Eugene tended to. They use the back entrance under Peter's advice for fear of causing a panic in the town.

Source so far: Four Season's of Jivaldi by Blue Troll.

Continued tomorrow in part 1.2. (I'm a bit of a slow typist.....)

Dwarven Clan: The Vidar

Date: Wed, 29 Dec 1999 00:49:05 -0500
From: Jason Zavoda
Subject: Dwarven Clan: The Vidar

Here is a Dwarven Clan from my campaign. They live in the mountains on the borders of Geoff. Any helpful suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda

The Clan Vidar

Addanc the Great, most renowned of all the Vidar, more so than even Vidar Spadehand himself, the first Clanchief. When the Vidar think of themselves they think of Addanc, greatest of clanchiefs. Addanc the Delver, he cut deep within the Stark Mounds. He brought vast wealth to the clan and great sorrow. Addancs desire was his and the clans undoing. Addanc the Lost. He followed the ore to its heart and of all those who went with him, worked alongside him, only one returned, and that one died before he could tell what happened. That night, as the Clan gathered to search for Addanc and the others, the mine shaft belched forth foul monstrosities of the UnderOerth. Many Dwarves died then, many disappeared, perhaps slain and their bodies taken or perhaps much worse, taken alive. All that had been built, all that had been gathered and crafted and stored, all that was of the Vidar, was touched by that night. The Mine of Addanc was at the heart of the Community and though the Vidar had built strong doors and deep chambers, these were set to keep them safe against
what was without, they had built no defense against what came from within.
The fighting lasted all that night. It stormed through the halls and from chamber to chamber. Young and old fought and died, those that could gathered in the Hall of Chiefs, those that could not died or were taken. This was a clan of miners and craftsmen, many of the warriors had died at the mouth of the mine when the horrors first sprang upon them, those who were left were the lucky or the strong.
Avanc the Young, son of Addanc, became leader of his people that night. He was still an apprentice learning the ways of the Oerth and its bounty, but he had the voice and bearing of his father. He called down a curse upon these horrors and swore an oath of blood-vengeance against them. With an iron hammer in one hand and a miners pick in the other he left the Hall of Chiefs and his people followed. All those of Clan Vidar, except the very babes and children, fought the horrors back to the mine shaft. As the strongest forced the monsters down into the UnderOerth the most Craftwise cut the supports and arches and collapsed the tunnel behind them. When dawn came to the Stark Mounds the survivors of the Clan had gathered once more at the Hall of Chiefs. The doors had been shut and the side passages guarded. They lay stunned or stumbled aimlessly among the relics of their chieftans. As dark came again there was a pounding at the main doors. Some Dwarves lifted weapons, others lay where they had dropped hours earlier and would not rise, but all awaited their fate; the end of their clan and their lives. "Open" a voice boomed "Open, it is I, Avanc, the way is closed, Open the door to the Hall of my fathers, Open!"

Till this day the Doors of the Hall of Chiefs have been left open (though the hinges have been carefully oiled and the oak trunk to bar the door kept handy). Avanc had returned and brought a dozen scarred and grim followers with him. They did not speak of what they had found, how they had survived or their means of escaping from the far end of the blocked mine shaft, but the Book of Chiefs, seen by only the clan eldars, is said to tell the tale.

That night, now long years past, changed the Vidar. Once an open community, friendly and generous, they became close mouthed and close-pursed. They had reached out to harvest the Oerths bounty and without warning had been struck a grievous blow. The Oerth itself now had two natures, Evil and Good, and they could no longer fully trust it.

Dwarves of the Vidar Clan are slow to trust. They believe first in their own Clan. The survivors of Addancs Night, less than half the Clan at that time, became very closeknit and insular. They passed this feeling of community to their descendants where it exists strongly among the present day Clan. The greatest honor that they can bestow upon an outsider is admission into the Clan. They have also inherited a dislike for the UnderOerth and a distrust for all creatures living below the ground. This has led to a surprising affinity for surface dwellers, even Elves who they consider no better or worse than other Non-Dwarves such as humans. Before Addanc they were renowned miners and skilled builders. Now they shun those who delve into the Oerth. Still they craft with metals and process ores bought from others who mine. Their work is considered sturdy and of high quality but there have been few Masters
of the Smith craft in their history. All Vidar learn the use of a weapon at an early age but they are generally an unaggressive lot. Their concern is defense and security but they also put a strong emphasis on wealth. Many of their riches had been taken on Addancs Night, most of what was left was used to rebuild and refortify their home. Young Vidar either involve themselves in craft or trade or seek wealth outside of their community. A Vidar returning to their community with wealth is highly respected, as long as they bring no problems back with them. Outward signs of wealth are not allowed within the community, such a display would be considered as tempting fate and bringing the Doom of Addanc down upon them all.

At their heart the Vidar have not forgotten what they were. Vidar Spadehand is still revered, He was no warrior but a master of his craft and wise. He lived a long life, even for a Dwarf and saw his Clan grow in both size and wealth. He wrote a book of laws for his Clan and they are carved along the columns in the Hall of the Chiefs and penned the first lines of history in the Book of Chiefs. The Vidar now think of
him as the Chief of the Golden Years. They seek to find those times once again but they always expect the worst and prepare for it.

Surprisingly the Vidar see Addanc as a lost hero rather than the source of their decline. Avanc his son did much to redeem his fathers name. According to legend there is a passage known only to the Chieftain and his family that leads deep within the UnderOerth. Younger sons and Daughters of the Chief often disappear on quests. It is said that they search for Addanc and follow this passage into the forbidding depths.

There are those among the clan who follow a solely warrior calling. They call themselves the Shield of Avanc. They serve as guards for the Clanhome and the Eldars. There is another branch rumored to exist called the Hammer of Avanc who take on a much more aggressive role. The Hammer is thought to be made up of Vidar who have returned home from the outside world and seek to protect the clan from aggression which might occur not just guard the halls and chambers from direct assault.

Vidar Dwarves tend to be broader and shorter than an average Dwarf. They are known for their fortitude and strength, but while sturdy they are not known for being quick or agile. They are normally quiet and dislike boasting. They dress in drab inexpensive cloth and are known to be miserly. They avoid loud celebration. Abroad they might be seen in the dark quiet corner of an Inn with their back to a wall and their eyes watching for danger.

Western Geoff, Part II - the baronies

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 23:37:33 +0000
Reply-To: The GREYtalk Discussion List
From: chuckt@MAIL.WIDOWMAKER.COM
Subject: [GREYTALK] {Greytalk] Western Geoff, Part II – the baronies
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU

What follows is the first of what will most likely be a three or four part text listing describing the locations and inhabitants of the western portion of Geoff. If you have any comments, be sure to let me know.

The locations, of course, are keyed to the map uploaded by myself earlier today.

Some of the things I didn't mention are most of the barons have fish ponds on their property, most have extensive stables and falconry facilities, and most have apiary operations to provide honey (both as a sweetener and for trade).

Population is in reference to the number of feudal obligations owed to the Baron in question. It is usually a number of families, but not always. A rough order of magnitude is to multiply by 10 to get the total population. Also, sometimes a number of small farms who each have an obligation will pool their obligations to provide a sergeant or knight instead of foot soldiers, after all a sergeant is worth 3 foot soldiers, and a knight is worth two dozen. However, if that is done, the families providing the obligation must also provide for the sergeant and knight while he is in the field every year, as well as provide his horses, squires, and armor.

Now, without further ado, I present the first three of eight distinct baronies. Those three are Krugerfels, Shimtt Hall, and Klefferstein.

Please let me know what you think.

The Baronies of western Geoff, listed by location of the Baronial Castle

Klefferstein
Location 02,06
Baronial seat of Baron Halcock (cn).
Population- 800

Barony includes the feudal village of Hronz (03,07). Klaur Von Halcock (f11) is a former knight-commander from the Grand Duke's army, and he is on “temporarily” inactive duty. The village, as well as the surrounding areas, are filled with many fields of grazeland. The local peasants make most of their living, and pay most of their feudal duties, through sheep herding and the resultant products. Hronz wool goes to make a good many wool stockings used throughout the duchy and exported to surrounding areas.

The Baron has two sons, Hitzee and Fronn. Hitzee has gone off north to the mountains to set up trade with the dwarven miners there. Fronn has set about building a tower along the trail halfway to Shimtt Hall, which he intends to build as a trade-stop between the two Baronies. His one impediment is that the trail is worthless during almost a quarter of the year (half the year if the winter weather is harsh).

Just outside of Hronz is a small chapel to Bleredd, which attracts a number of miners from the mountains every year during high holy days. Since Bleredd is becoming more and more popular especially amongst smiths, it looks as if chapel will be growing.

Shimtt Hall
Location 02,10
Baronial seat of the Baron of Shimtt (cg).
Population of Barony – 550

Vossfran of Shimtt (b12) is the master of Shimtt hall. It is an elegant manor hall, befitting of an accomplished bard such as Vossfran. Although he no longer rides the countryside, he makes his hall a welcome stop to all such travelers that pass through the western part of the Grand Duchy. While riding on to lands further to the west, messengers and couriers will often stop and enjoy the pleasant company that Vossfran has to offers in his hall.

The nearby village of Marak (04,10) is the home of a mage naming himself Isc the Sparrow. The villagers benefit from the many travelers that Isc receives so are not in any hurry to rush him out of the countryside. Besides, he is a grand old friend of Vossfran's.

Unless there is trouble in the area, Vossfran usually prefers to receive his feudal obligations in the form of workers for his grounds, or artisans and craftsmen to improve the life of the various farms that lay within the Barony.

The major export of the Barony, other than cartloads of charcoal retrieved from the forest to the south, is the hoart grown in the area. Hoart is a rather hearty grain native to this part of the world, and is rich and plentiful in the farm fields of the Shimtt Barony. Hoart bread is delicious and slightly sweet. The one drawback of the hoart fields is that they attract a large number of deer to the area, especially in their favored woodland-edge fields. Not a problem, until the deer start attracting owlbears or worse, so the farmers of the hoart often plant very tall and very dense hedges around their fields to keep the deer, and other predators, out.

Vossfran, true to his Velunese ancestry, appreciates the finer things in life. He often speaks in a version of High Keolander, and is rather fond of discussing philosophy and religion with his guests after supper. His seneschal of the hall, Neurd Pholantro, has attracted a number of Advocates of Lirr. They have set up a small “Tower of Worship and Adornment”, as they call it, just outside of the hall's gardens. Fine singing and bell-work can be heard from the tower every dawn, and exquisite performances of the great works of Velunese poets and playwrights accompany every holy day that the Lirr-ites hold sacred.

Shitt Mall would be in grave danger from raids by the trolls and frost giants that range out of the mountains to the north and west, were it not for the residence of one Fician Cessor (10th level knight of St. Cuthbert). His lady, Dame Ythori, and he reside in a small stone keep on a hill overlooking Marak. Ythori fancies herself to be a great lady of society, and demands that Fician and she remain here. In the meantime, Fician has attracted a rather sizable following of knights and sergeants from the surrounding lands. They don't actually owe fealty to Vossfran, but would come to his call if the Barony were threatened.

Krugerfels
Location 05,04
Baronial seat of Baron Kruger (lg)
Population of Barony – 650

Otto Von Kruger (F9) rules Krugerfels and the Kruger Barony with an iron fist. He is very strict in his interpretation of the feudal laws that govern his peasants, but he is also very just and fair. Common folk could have a much worse liege-lord than Baron Kruger.

The nearby town of Habben (07,04) falls under the protection of Von Kruger and his knights. Whenever possible, Otto encourages the offering up of knights to his service for feudal duty. He will even go so far as to subsidize a local smith to maintain the armor of a knight who is provided for by a group of farmers within his Barony.

Krugerfels itself is an impressive castle. It is built high on a huge rock overlooking the Ol'Crista river. The rock, known as the Crista Stone, rolled out of the mountains centuries ago, and nestled in the Ol'Crista valley. Then in the meantime, the Elder Kruger (Otto's grandfather, Hengist) cleared the local countryside of frost giants, and began building Krugerfels on the Crista Stone. Little to anyone's knowledge, deep within the stone exists an ancient and forgotten shrine to Tharizdun, peopled and venerated by primeval mountain men back during the Suel domination of the Flanaess.

The actual keep of the castle has four towers, one being much taller than the others, and a central two story high great hall. The surrounding village around the immediate area has a bridge going across the Ol'Crista river, and Krugerfels is on the Crista Stone overlooking it. Immediately about the Baron's throne in the great hall is a stained glass picture (two stories high!) of the Elder Kruger doing battle with frost giants. That picture is overlooking the bridge coming across the river. The picture reminds the peasants every day of the sacrifice the Baron and his men are willing to make for them.

The tallest of the four towers in the keep is still haunted to this day with the ghost of Otto's dead wife, now dead for a number of years.

The Baron's two sons, Eric (an invoker) and Wilhelm (a paladin of Rao) have gone off to the city states south of the Nyr Dyv to seek their fortunes.

There is a chapel of Rao in the keep itself, run by a Celerite of Rao, named Potts. Through generous tithing and cheerful feudal obligation paying, the local peasants of Krugerfels and Habben have collected enough to construct a great cathedral to Rao. Potts is a little scared, however, since he is unsure if the nearby Arch-Celerite in Bissel will see fit to promote Potts to be leader and steward of such a grandiose, important place.

In the nearby mountains (hex 04,02) there is a standing circle of stones built on white bleached ground. Nothing grows in the little mountain niche (not really big enough to be a vale or valley), and it is completely abandoned except for the standing stones themselves.

The place is called, in the ancient Flan tongue, the Circle of Kings. It is a gate used to get to another place somewhere (up to the DM) on the surface of Oerth. The gate is activated by an incantation that should be difficult, but not impossible, to obtain through a sage. The incantation must be read by either a bard or a mage, and while transporting through the gate, magical items stand a good chance of loosing their dweomer (saving throw allowed, artifact level items immune to this loss).
Chuck Turnitsa
cturnitsa@logicon.com