Curse of the Azure Bonds
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OFFICIAL GAME ADVENTURE Curse of the Azure Bonds CREDITS TABLE OF CONTENTS Writing: Jeff Grubb and George MacDonald Introduction ....................................................... 2 With the appreciated aid of: Tracy Hickman (Chapter 11) Chapter 1: The Awakening ........................................... 7 Kate Novak (Appendices 1 and 2) Chapter 2: Tilverton ................................................ 11 Steve Perrin (Appendix 1) Jim Lowder (Appendix 1) Chapter 3: The Thieves ............................................. 17 Editing: Kim Mohan Cover Art: Clyde Caldwell Chapter 4: The Sewers .............................................. 21 Interior Art: Dennis Beauvais Chapter 5: The Fire Knives .......................................... 25 Cartography: Diesel Typography: Angelika Lokotz Chapter 6: Into the Realms .......................................... 34 Keylining: Cory Graham Chapter 7: Yulash .................................................. 39 Distributed to the book trade in the United States by Random House Inc., and in Canada by Random Chapter 8:Sample The Temple of fileMoander ................................... 47 House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors. Distributed in the United Chapter 9: Zhentil Keep ............................................. 51 Kingdom by TSR UK Ltd. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, FORGOTTEN REALMS, Chapter 10: The Temple of Bane PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR and the Tower of Fzoul . 56 logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. These adventures are protected under the copyright Chapter 11: The Village of Hap ...................................... 63 laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork printed Chapter 12: Haptooth Hill ........................................... 67 herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc. Chapter 13: Myth Drannor .......................................... 71 ©1989 TSR Inc. All Rights Reserved. Chapter 14: Tyranthraxus! ........................................... 77 Appendix I . 80 TSR, Inc. TSR UK Ltd. Major NPCs, magic items, POB 756 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton Lake Geneva Cambridge CB1 3LB and new monsters WI 53147 U.S.A. United Kingdom Appendix II . 92 Wilderness encounter tables and players maps TSR, Inc. PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 0-88038-606-1 9239XXX1501 Curse of the Azure Bonds has a stranger REALMS module, Ruins of Adventure, ture, but he should not expect that the history than most adventures created as well as itsSample companion product, file Pool of same tactics that saved his characters in for the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & Radiance, the first AD&D® computer one situation will prove equally effective DRAGONS® role-playing game. The game from SSI. Some of the places and in the other. This is provided only as a adventure book you hold in your hands personalities from Ruins of Adventure warning: both games are branches from is based on the novel Azure Bonds, by and Pool of Radiance reappear in this the same tree, similar but not exact. Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb, and set in product, and in some senses Curse is a the sprawling FORGOTTEN REALMS™ continuation of Ruins— but it is not nec- campaign setting. This adventure is also essary to have played the earlier module Background tied directly to the Curse of the Azure before beginning to enjoy this one. Azure Bonds (the novel) is the story of Bonds Computer Game, produced by Likewise, playing the Curse of the Alias, a warrior woman who awoke one Strategic Simulations, Inc., under Azure Bonds computer game (or reading morning with a strange set of mystic tat- license with TSR, Inc. the novel) is not necessary before play- toos branded on her arm and a large The result is the first “triple-play” sto- ing this adventure, though your enjoy- lapse in her memory. She quickly dis- ry in TSR’s history—a novel forming the ment may be enhanced by picking up the covered that the tattoos were magical in basis for a role-playing adventure computer game and/or the novel. By the nature and very dangerous. They (something we have gotten very good at same token, the computer game and this caused her to perform actions against over the years) and a computer adven- adventure are not duplicate products her will (for example, she attacked a ture game. The computer game and the designed for different mediums. While young noble named Giogi Wyvernspur, role-playing adventure are closely tied the gaming products follow the same plot who had the misfortune to be doing a but do not mimic one another—each for the adventurers, they are very differ- very good imitation of King Azoun of has been designed for maximum enjoy- ent in the nature of monsters and Cormyr). Her tattoolike brand was made ment in its element. encounters, as well as portrayal of the up of a number of smaller symbols, and We have done the computer-RPG tie- maps. A player of the computer game will what those symbols stood for indicated in before, of course; many of you are get the feeling of his computerized that an evil alliance of some sort was familiar with the earlier FORGOTTEN adventure through playing this adven- responsible for her condition. 2 Ordinary magical methods proved ance that created Alias’s bonds. The the pumpkins, Tyranthraxus’s plan has useless for removing the brands, so Ali- great magic-wielders of the group— come to full ripeness. The Curse of the as set out to discover who was responsi- Zrie, Cassana, and Phalse—were Azure Bonds has returned. ble for her curse. She was joined in her apparently dead. A few followers of quest by three allies: Dragonbait, a Moander and a smattering of Fire mute creature similar to a lizard man; Knives fled Westgate for safer havens to Running This Akabar, a merchant from the South with the north. These fleeing minions were of Adventure moderate magical abilities; and Olive low level, but carried the tales of the Ruskettle, a halfling who claimed to be a Azure Bonds and their use in controlling This adventure is designed for a party of bard but seemed to be much more along others. These survivors encountered 4-8 characters, each of 6th-9th level. It is the lines of a thief. agents of Tyranthraxus, and a new plot assumed in this module that the heroes The adventurers passed through began to form in the daemon’s mind. have previously gone through the many perils (as is the lot of adventurers), Gathering new allies in the form of the adventures detailed in Ruins of Adven- including a battle with a crystalline ele- Zhentarim and a renegade Red Wizard ture, but this is not necessary for enjoy- mental, a confrontation with a beast of Thay, Tyranthraxus formulated ment of play. called a kalmari, a duel of honor with a another plan for gaining power in the The adventure may start in one of two dotty old red dragon, and the freeing of Realms. ways, at the DM’s discretion or as dic- an elder god, Moander. Moander was As with the original alliance, each tated by circumstances. The first meth- one of the individuals responsible for member of the New Alliance of the od is to move the characters directly to Alias’s curse, and with his defeat, his Bonds has its own agenda for the use of Chapter 2. The heroes awaken in their symbol faded from her arm. controlled characters. The Fire Knives quarters in Tilverton with a lapse of a Alias and her companions were cap- are still seeking the death of the King of month in their memories, and with tured by the evil alliance, and the Cormyr. The followers of Moander (now strange blue tattoos branded on their secrets of the brand and of her own ori- called the Survivors of Moander) are forearms. The heroes must discover gin were revealed. The alliance respon- seeking a reinstatement of their god. what has happened to them during the sible for her condition consisted of the Zhentil Keep is looking for a way to turn lost time. followers of Moander (now broken in good characters to evil acts, and sees Alternately, the DM can run through power following the defeat of their god’s this bonding as a test case for that the events of Chapter 1, ending with the physical form on this plane), a thieves’ experiment. The renegade Red Wizard ambush encounter in which the heroes guild called the Fire Knives (which holds of Thay wishes to enlist the aid he needs are captured. This method works best a grudge against the King of Cormyr), an to create another Flight of Dragons, sim- when playing the adventure in connec- evil female mage named Cassana, a lich ilar to the one that ravaged the North a tion with a long-standing campaign. It named Zrie Prakis, and a powerful entity few years ago. has the disadvantage that player char- from the Lower Planes named Phalse. And TyranthraxusSample sees the file new bond- acters, being a wise and crafty group, A second attempt to slay Dragonbait ing process as a way that he can create may elude multiple attempts to defeat and bind Alias to her masters resulted in multiple, living Pools of Radiance, allow- and subdue them. If the player charac- the destruction of Zrie Prakis and Cas- ing him to possess several individuals at ters prove to be too effective at eluding sana and the breaking of the power of once and control them for his own ends. the ambushes, the DM should feel free the Fire Knives. Alias and her compan- His rise in power thereafter will be expo- to simply place the heroes at Tilverton, ions tracked Phalse down to his extradi- nential as his influence spreads, creat- and let them try to account for the miss- mensional lair and destroyed him with ing his own army of minions whose ing time. the aid of Elminster the Sage and the souls belong to him.