Ruins of Adventure
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Ruins of Adventure CREDITS TABLE OF CONTENTS Writing: Mike Breault, David Cook, Jim Ward, and Steve Winter Introduction ......................................................................... 2 10 Editing: Scott Haring Civilized Phlan ...................................................................... Reconquest of Sokol Keep ............................................................ 13 Cover Art: Clyde Caldwell Kovel Mansion ...................................................................... 16 Interior Art: James Holloway Mansions .......................................................................... 18 Cartography: Diesel, Dennis Kauth, and Slums .............................................................................. 19 David Sutherland The Temple of Bane ................................................................. 20 Typography: Betty Elmore Delving Into Kutos Well ............................................................. 23 Keylining: Stephanie Tabat Mantors Library .................................................................... 26 Stojanow Gate ...................................................................... 29 Podol Plaza ........................................................................ 31 The Cadorna Textile House ........................................................... 33 Valhingen Graveyard ................................................................. 36 42 Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Valjevo Castle ....................................................................... Random House Inc., and in Canada by Random Sorcerers Island ..................................................................... 55 House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby Zhentil Keep Outpost ................................................................ 60 trade by regional distributors. Distributed in the United Thri-Kreen Village ................................................................... 64 Kingdom by TSR UK Ltd. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & Orcs ............................................................................... 66 DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, Nomad Camp ....................................................................... 68 PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR Lizardmen Lair ...................................................................... 70 logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Kobolds Kingdom ................................................................... 73 76 These adventures are protected under the copyright Hobgoblins Lair ..................................................................... laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork printed Random Encounters Section .................................................. .81 herein is prohibited without the express written Forest .................................................................. ..82 permission of TSR Inc. Grasslands .............................................................. ..83 River & Coast Areas ....................................................... ..84 Low Hills ................................................................ ..85 Mountains ............................................................... ..88 . .87 TSR UK Ltd. Human Town Areas. ...................................................... TSR,Inc. ............................................. POB 756 The Mill, Rathmore Road Unorganized Inhuman Town Areas .88 Lake Geneva Cambridge CB1 4AD Organized Inhuman Town Areas ............................................... .89 WI 53147 U.S.A. United Kingdom Outside Town Areas ........................................................90 Specials..................................................................91 Evil Specials ............................................................. ..92 Humans.. .......................................................93 Inhumans ............................................................... ..94 RandomMonsters....................................................95 TSR, Inc. Swamp ................................................................. ..96 PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION ©1988 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 0-88038-588-X 9238XXX2001 Ruins of Adventure is a module that more to their initial level. tary survivors straggling in to lose allows players of the ADVANCED Many of the episodes in this module themselves in the maze of the slums. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game to can be lifted whole from the Phlan set- Then families arrived perched on enjoy the same adventure as players ting and used in an ongoing AD&D® plodding wagons. They told stories of of the AD&D® computer game, Pool of campaign in a completely different neighboring villages set to the torch, Radiance, produced by SSI, Inc. fantasy world. This is especially true the humans slaughtered—or worse. Ruins of Adventure uses the same of the wilderness adventures. Trade dropped off. Fewer caravans plot, background, setting, and many So take the elements you like out of arrived. Fewer ships came to collect of the same characters as the com- this module, leave the rest, and struc- the scanty cargoes. The merchants puter game. In fact, players of Pool of ture an adventure that best fits your were concerned. Scouts were sent. Radiance will find useful clues to the preferences and your players. And They returned telling of hordes of successful completion of their com- most of all . Have fun! orcs, goblins, ogres, and giants doing puter mission in this module. what they had never done before— Ruins of Adventure is set in Phlan, a Background marching as armies with order and small town on the northern shore of the discipline. It was the fear of their com- MoonSea in the Forgotten Realms. It has been 50 years since the city of manders, fearsome dragons, that Anyone running a FORGOTTEN Phlan was a small but growing city on held them together. Towns closer and REALMS™ campaign will have no trou- the shores of the great MoonSea. closer to Phlan fell, the stream of refu- ble fitting this module right into their Trade sailed into to Phlan, past the for- gees increased. Cautious merchants game. While this module is designed tress of Sokal Keep where the watch packed their goods and left. Greedy for beginning and low-level characters scanned the sea for pirates, into the merchants hurriedly amassed for- who will grow in power as they take on small harbor at the mouth of the Sto- tunes from the frightened people bigger and bigger challenges in the janow River. Galleys, pinks, cogs, and while keeping one eye always on the ruins of Phlan, it is also flexible schooners came from the merchants door. The Council fretted and fussed. enough to accommodate player char- to the south, braving the sea to this Some wanted appeasement, some acters of nearly any level. small northern port. Townsmen off- favored an army, and still others The module is divided into many loaded pungent spices, dark woods, poured money into the walls of Phlan. separate episodes, some taking place reptilian leathers, filmy cloth, gnarled But no strategy was ever agreed inside the city of Phlan, and some barks, hammered steel, veined upon. occurring in the wilderness around the marbles—the riches of the southern When the armies finally came, area. Some episodes are crucial to ful- shores. From the north came thick- Phlan was simply not prepared. For a filling the ultimate goal of the bearded men—men of the bitter day the Council watched the lines adventure—freeing Phlan from the plains, granite mountains, and icy drawn up outside the walls—ranks of evil forces that have held it for 50 swamps beyond, leading caravans leering, skull-painted beasts dragging years—and others have no specific tie burdened with silky furs, heavy wools, obscene machines of war. They could to the goal at all, and are in the adven- rare ores, straight-beamed woods, not surrender, for they knew there ture for a change of pace. Many of the and the ivories of beasts long- would be no mercy from these episodes will also lead off into tan- forgotten in lands further south. Slow- cohorts. Valiantly, but futilely, they gents of their own if the DM wishes to ly, with patience and endurance, the mustered their men. Their spearmen develop them, giving a party of adven- caravans plodded to Phlan meeting were ready to meet the charge. turers many choices throughout the others, friends in the dwarves of the From the start of the attack, the play of the module. Dragonspine and elves of the Quiver- humans were defeated. They were The DM should read through the ing Forest, foes in the orcs who came out-numbered, out-fought and out- various episodes carefully. Also, pay from the Tweenhill gap or the reptilian generalled. The first wave struck from attention to the descriptions of Por- race of the swamps. In Phlan north- the air—wheeling flights of dragons phyrys Cadorna, Tyranthraxus, and man and southerner met, haggling, after dragons swept over the rooftops, the various “stock” NPCs that appear cheating, lying and drinking. Phlan setting ablaze vast portions of the city. later in this introduction. Use these was well on its way to becoming a As the flames licked over the chim- NPCs liberally to encourage the play- prosperous trading town. neys, the attackers charged into the er characters to tackle the various And then the dragons and their arm- trapped militia. The Battle of Phlan challenges of Ruins of Adventure only ies came. At first the men