RC1 The Great Flanaess River Adventure Chapter 1: Blackmoor By The Oliver Brothers A CAMPAIGN ADVENTURE TAKING CHARACTERS FROM LEVELS 1-10+ Growing up in the Village Arneson, situated in Blackmoor, at the headwaters of the River Fler, you and your friends have long desired to visit the Gem of the Flanaess – Greyhawk! Having finally decided to gather together as an adventuring party, you set for yourselves a simple goal: Take to the river in canoes and paddle to the City of Greyhawk - or die trying! It is time to prepare for the journey: crafting canoes, hunting for food stores, and raising funds for supplies. Once all the preparations have been made, that fateful day will come, when you launch your canoes in the river and begin the journey of a life time. Get ready to return to the greatest world in all of modern role playing for some old school, classic, First edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Chapter 1 - Blackmoor his presence, and although he never said anything, he appeared to be looking for something; "Some nation yet shut in with hills of ice." something he did not find. -Henry David Thoreau, In the two weeks that he stayed, he told many a A Week on the Concord & Merrimack Rivers fanciful tale, some of which were about Blackmoor and beyond. Oddly, these were tales the village elders had never told. One was of an adventurer Start (For the Players) who mounted an expedition through the Land of Black Ice to a place he said the cavemen called You were born in the Village of Arneson, at the Rigodruok or, the Rainbow Vale. 3 After defeating headwaters of the Fler River, between the Burneal many monsters, including an “ice worm” he made Forest and the Land of Black Ice. Your small village it to the strange world that lay beyond the ice. has remained at peace in your lifetime with only While exploring this new land, the expedition was the occasional stray threat by some beast outside attacked by blue colored bugbears and giant the gates. The village is surrounded on the north spiders, and most of the party fell victim to the side by a large mount with a draw down the spiders’ webs. A few, including the party’s leader, center, and the south side is protected by a managed to escape and eventually found a tunnel stockade. The central feature of your village is the that traveled south under the Black Ice. They faced oversized pool of hot water that is derived from a further dangers along the way, explosive jets of hot natural spring, which is then warmed by a process water and thousands of large spiders everywhere. of vulcanism beneath the earth, thus providing They also found diamonds in abundance, warmth to the village itself.1 In addition, water protruding from the walls and simply laying on the channels its way down the draw and then splashes ground. They grabbed as many as they could from an overhang into the pool. When the cold carry, but had to abandon most of them for the water strikes the hot water it causes the entire weight slowed them down. Finally, they reached village to be enveloped in a fog, making for the the tunnel’s exit at the headwaters of the Fler River. perfect camouflage. Those unfamiliar with the Little did you know that the Village of Arneson was location of the village often wander for days so famous! Although you also know there are no looking for it because of this interminable mist. As secret tunnels in Arneson. When you asked what the pool overflows, it spills gently over the south happened to the survivors, Sormod told you that edge of the pool and begins to make its journey they fled south through the Burneal Forest where downhill, becoming the Fler River.2 the leader was killed by a poisoned arrow from one of the local tribesmen and the others fled to The strangest thing about the pool, however, is the destinations further south. monkeys. The snow monkeys lounge around all day in this pool. They play on the rocks, bathe in the While the stories of Rigodruok were exciting, it was water, and spend hours grooming themselves and when Sormod spoke of the City of Greyhawk, which each other. They never leave, they never eat, and he called the “Gem of the Flanaess,”4 that you no, they never poop in the pool. It is a mystery no became the most excited. You asked him if it was one has ever bothered to solve, but they are truly a gem and he answered, “The biggest gem in friendly, entertaining, and wholly amusing to watch. all the world.” In your youth you envisioned a giant The snow monkeys are truly the central feature and gem, so valuable it would be worth all the riches in symbol of the village. the world. But Sormod’s stories of the city with its temples, towers, and grand spires; its dark alleys, Your first ten years in the Village Arneson were secret hide-aways, and intricate tunnels memorable only in terms of matters of daily life, underground; and a place called the Green learning how to hunt, to fight, and to survive in the Dragon Inn where every adventurer worth his hills of ice. While your village is small, only weight in gold wants to be seen, all made you think numbering about 120, it is full of all manner of race, and dream of Greyhawk every morning, noon, and class, and skill. All are welcome in the village, for night, and the dreams you remembered from your there being such a limited population, it is a matter slumbers, were always of the Gem. You also knew of practicality; it is a matter of survival. What is most how you were going to get there as well for Sormod memorable from when you were ten, however, was told you that all one had to do was travel the river when the man who called himself Sormod came to to the second great lake, hug the southern shore to visit. He was clearly a warrior and a man of high the next river, and there you would find Greyhawk. charisma, for the whole village was mesmerized by 1 The dream, then, was to set canoes in the River Fler Horizons, Distance, Travel, and Roads. Fharlanghn and paddle all the way to the city. Each of you believes that everyone should travel in order to held this dream in common, the dream that one discover and learn new things. If the priests believe day you would journey to Greyhawk. This passion that no one should travel this tunnel, it should give enkindled in you a fire that has continued to grow, anyone pause to consider how dangerous the and grew even stronger when you discovered that tunnel and Rigodruok truly is. So, it is the duty of the nearly all of the elders at one time or another had elders of the village to prevent anyone from finding also ventured to Greyhawk. This was too much for the entrance to the tunnel. The priests hire you and your friends. You all shared the desire and adventurers who either need a reclusive break or you were all of age. It was time to go; time to go to wish to retire where they will no longer be known or Greyhawk. bothered. This is why the village is made up of all races and classes, and with high enough levels to There was one other factor to also consider. Nearly be able to train the young adventurers in this game. all of you are almost 20 years of age (in human The key elders will be detailed below, and although years), which means you will be asked to sit on the some have high levels for their class, they will not elders council and you will be given more admit it to anyone. responsibilities in the village. This is another reason why the time to leave is now. On the positive side, The mount that is situated behind the Village however, is the fact the elders will not be mad, for Arneson has a stream of water running down a most of them were adventurers at one time in their draw which spills into the pool, but it is not the life, so your leaving is not an issue. The key to source of the Fler River – it just looks like it. That leaving, however, centers on proper preparation. water is cold. The cold water then spills into the hot You will need some additional training and all pool, thus creating the eerie fog effect over the manner of supplies, to include plenty of food and entire village. The monkeys lounge in the pool all new canoes. The other thing you will need is day, preening themselves and each other (to get a money or goods to trade for the necessary supplies. sense for these monkeys and their environment and The elders can provide you all the needed training. antics, Google “Japanese Snow Monkeys, The hills of Blackmoor can provide the game for Jigokudani”). They never seem to leave and no rations. The Burneal Forest can provide the trees to one knows what they subsist on. Here is the key: fashion canoes. Now all you need is to figure out They take turns diving into the water to the back of how to secure some items of great value in order to the pool, under the waterfall.
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