I'm currently in the planning stage of an adventure module I'm working on that takes place in the Moonsea North region during the current present time (1490s). I estimate this adventure to be for 5th to 7th level players, but it may be subject to change. I need lore for the following locations: Phlan, the Quivering Forest, the Dragonspine Mountains, the Ride, and Thar. Players will have to traverse each of these locations with the exception of Thar, but the latter does have an influence on the plot. I've already done much of my homework, but I still need help from master lorekeepers to review my research and help me complete it. The adventure is made up of four chapters, plus the prologue and epilogue. The players start in Phlan, then they travel through the forest and mountains to the Ride, before finally backtracking to Phlan again. Please tell me if any of the things written below contradicts official lore.
Adventure Hook
The party arrives by sea to Phlan. It may be part of a multi-stop voyage or the final destination. Alternatively, they may be traveling on the road. If Phlan is a central location in the campaign, this adventure can easily be integrated. If you have any idea on how to use my adventure in other campaign settings, please tell me which locations could be used as a replacement.
Prologue: Phlan
The quest giver is a wealthy human in his fifties looking for a party of adventurers at the Laughing Goblin Inn, a tavern usually bustling with them. He invites whoever is interested to his mansion in the Nobles' Quarter to talk privately and show that he's capable of paying. His Water Genasi daughter was kidnapped a tenday ago. With the help of divination magic, he knows that she's currently being held somewhere in the Ride along the Stoneshoulder Creek. Also with the help of divination magic, he knows that if she isn't rescued within the next seven days, the outcome is death. Unfortunately, the safest and shortest route by foot is impossible to be traversed within that time frame (I used this interactive map to calculate the travel time). The only option is to take a direct path, which means hiking the hazardous Dragonspine Mountains. Fortunately, he knows of a shortcut through an abandoned mine, but it requires passing through the Quivering Forest. The players are given a map with directions to Greenhall, a village of wild elves (could their village be located close to the mountains?), along with some item to gain the elves' trust and gain passage.
Chapter 1: Quivering Forest
I know that part of the forest was recently pulled into Barovia, the Domain of Dread from Curse of Strahd. Although I don't intend on having the players visit it, I will include some Barovian monsters who spilled out into the Material Plane. Did Jeny Greenteeth return to the Material Plane? If the answer is yes, then I might use her as an antagonist. Otherwise, I'll use a coven of green hags who took advantage of Jeny's absence to take over the region. Much of the difficulty of finding Greenhall comes from pixies pulling pranks on the players to confuse them and lead them astray. I know that there's a pixie village called Thornbud that I could use, which I believe is from the AL module Reclamation of Phlan. Could anyone share the lore on it? Once the players find Greenhall, they learn that their employer was actually raised in it. His mother fled Phlan with her newborn baby into the forest to escape unknown pursuers. She successfully escaped them, but died from her injuries. The baby was found by the inhabitants of the forest. While they were still figuring out what to do with him, a she-wolf approached the baby as if charmed by him and proceeded to breastfeed him. Understanding that the human baby was special, the forest council decided to raise him. As the human grew older, he became more interested in learning of his origins. Eventually, they agreed for him to return to his kind. There's a lot more to this story, but you don't need to know all of the details. It's basically an adaptation of the Mark of Handling to make it fit into the FR setting.
Chapter 2: Dragonspine Mountains
The wild elves eventually guide the players to the Ticklebelly Hills, where I plan them to go through an obstacle course involving stone giants throwing rocks at them from afar. I'd like to gain more information regarding the orcs of the Burning Banner, as well as Coldborn, the dragonborn druid of the Emerald Enclave. Both are from the AL module Pool of Radiance Resurgent. After that, the players will face a young red dragon. Defeating it is nigh impossible, but they don't have to. They only need to escape and find refuge inside a cave, which just so happens to be part of the Lost Ways, a network of subterranean passageways that are remnants of the ancient dwarven realm of Sarphil, and also their shortcut to the Ride. Are there existing maps and descriptions of the Lost Ways? While I intend on creating the dungeon myself, I do want to take inspiration from existing material in order to make sure my version of it fits the lore. Since the ancient dwarves mined copper, I plan on introducing a copper dragon.
Chapter 3: The Ride
Once on the other side of the mountains, the players must follow the creek until they find the tribe holding their employer's daughter hostage. I made her a Genasi because I needed a reason for that tribe to want her. There's this tribe called the Vaegould who worship primordials and (I think) seek to summon powerful elementals to dominate the world. I think they're from a 4e adventure called Monument of the Ancients that was published in issue 170 of the Dungeon magazine. My knowledge of it is pretty limited, so if anyone could share some lore about it, I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, the Genasi inherited her father's Mark of Handling but with the ability to affect elementals with an Intelligence of 3 or lower. Some of the most powerful elementals just so happen to fit that criterion. Obviously, the tribe can't force her to help them, but they can forcefully impregnate her in order to produce someone they could raise as their own. It doesn't matter if their employer was mistaken or lied about his daughter's fate, the quest suddenly became much more important. I plan on putting a Warlock Knight of Vaasa among the tribe's ranks as a powerful enemy, but I don't know which warlock subclass would fit him. The barbarians are holding a tournament to determine who would get the honor of fathering the Genasi's offspring. If the players arrive too late (remember the seven days time limit), then the champion of the tournament already started ****** her. Arriving early gives the players the chance to use the tournament as a distraction.
Chapter 4: Thar
After going back through the Lost Ways with the woman they rescued, the players see smoke coming from the Quivering Forest. The forest is being invaded by the Burning Daggers, a tribe of fanatical Kossuth-worshipping orcs. They came from Thar with fire elementals in tow. I initially planned on having any tribe of orcs looking to log the forest. As I was looking for such a tribe, I learned of this one. I saw the opportunity to put to use the Genasi's mark. So I came up with the idea to have the players distract a phoenix while the woman attempts to charm it. Meanwhile, the wild elves, fey and dark fey of the forest are fighting together (a rare occurence) to repel the invaders. But as long as the phoenix remains hostile, they have no chance to win. The whole world, not just Phlan, is at stake here. Who knew such a simple rescue the damsel in distress mission would turn out to be so much more? It also gives a different meaning to "the outcome is death" if the Genasi wasn't rescued within seven days.
Epilogue: Loose Ends
So the players saved the girl and the world, and got their reward. What's next? My module will include plot hooks for DMs wishing to continue the campaign. The players learn that it was agents of the Zhentarim who kidnapped the woman. They handed her to Vaegould in exchange for something they wanted. The players may also want to travel to Thar to eliminate the rest of the Burning Daggers and close the rift to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The Warlock Knights could also pose a greater threat in the overarching plot.
Unanswered Questions
Does any of the things written above contradict official lore?
Which locations from other campaign settings could be used as a replacement?
Could the wild elf village of Greenhall be located close to the mountains?
Did Jeny Greenteeth return to the Material Plane?
Could anyone share the lore on the pixie village of Thornbud from the AL module Reclamation of Phlan?
Does anyone have information regarding the orcs of the Burning Banner, as well as Coldborn, the dragonborn druid of the Emerald Enclave, from the AL module Pool of Radiance Resurgent?
Are there existing maps and descriptions of the Lost Ways, remnants of the ancient dwarven realm of Sarphil?
Could anyone share some lore about the Vaegould from the 4e adventure Monument of the Ancients?
Which warlock subclass would fit the Warlock Knights of Vaasa?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
I know the map of the basement to the manor exists- I use it in my current campaign. Generally graphics of recent WOtC additions to lore won’t be there for copyright reasons but as your link showed the info on where to get the copyrighted material will be. As for non graphic stuff it generally makes up there pretty quickly I’ve found since it can be paraphrased fairly easily without breaking copyright.
Yeah, not everything can be copied to the wiki due to copyright. But even with that in mind, a lot of things that would still be allowed aren't on the wiki. Some AL modules can be bought on DMs Guild, but certainly not all of them. The 4e adventure I mentioned was posted online by WotC, but it was later removed. They basically don't care about preservation.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
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I'm currently in the planning stage of an adventure module I'm working on that takes place in the Moonsea North region during the current present time (1490s). I estimate this adventure to be for 5th to 7th level players, but it may be subject to change. I need lore for the following locations: Phlan, the Quivering Forest, the Dragonspine Mountains, the Ride, and Thar. Players will have to traverse each of these locations with the exception of Thar, but the latter does have an influence on the plot. I've already done much of my homework, but I still need help from master lorekeepers to review my research and help me complete it. The adventure is made up of four chapters, plus the prologue and epilogue. The players start in Phlan, then they travel through the forest and mountains to the Ride, before finally backtracking to Phlan again. Please tell me if any of the things written below contradicts official lore.
Adventure Hook
The party arrives by sea to Phlan. It may be part of a multi-stop voyage or the final destination. Alternatively, they may be traveling on the road. If Phlan is a central location in the campaign, this adventure can easily be integrated. If you have any idea on how to use my adventure in other campaign settings, please tell me which locations could be used as a replacement.
Prologue: Phlan
The quest giver is a wealthy human in his fifties looking for a party of adventurers at the Laughing Goblin Inn, a tavern usually bustling with them. He invites whoever is interested to his mansion in the Nobles' Quarter to talk privately and show that he's capable of paying. His Water Genasi daughter was kidnapped a tenday ago. With the help of divination magic, he knows that she's currently being held somewhere in the Ride along the Stoneshoulder Creek. Also with the help of divination magic, he knows that if she isn't rescued within the next seven days, the outcome is death. Unfortunately, the safest and shortest route by foot is impossible to be traversed within that time frame (I used this interactive map to calculate the travel time). The only option is to take a direct path, which means hiking the hazardous Dragonspine Mountains. Fortunately, he knows of a shortcut through an abandoned mine, but it requires passing through the Quivering Forest. The players are given a map with directions to Greenhall, a village of wild elves (could their village be located close to the mountains?), along with some item to gain the elves' trust and gain passage.
Chapter 1: Quivering Forest
I know that part of the forest was recently pulled into Barovia, the Domain of Dread from Curse of Strahd. Although I don't intend on having the players visit it, I will include some Barovian monsters who spilled out into the Material Plane. Did Jeny Greenteeth return to the Material Plane? If the answer is yes, then I might use her as an antagonist. Otherwise, I'll use a coven of green hags who took advantage of Jeny's absence to take over the region. Much of the difficulty of finding Greenhall comes from pixies pulling pranks on the players to confuse them and lead them astray. I know that there's a pixie village called Thornbud that I could use, which I believe is from the AL module Reclamation of Phlan. Could anyone share the lore on it? Once the players find Greenhall, they learn that their employer was actually raised in it. His mother fled Phlan with her newborn baby into the forest to escape unknown pursuers. She successfully escaped them, but died from her injuries. The baby was found by the inhabitants of the forest. While they were still figuring out what to do with him, a she-wolf approached the baby as if charmed by him and proceeded to breastfeed him. Understanding that the human baby was special, the forest council decided to raise him. As the human grew older, he became more interested in learning of his origins. Eventually, they agreed for him to return to his kind. There's a lot more to this story, but you don't need to know all of the details. It's basically an adaptation of the Mark of Handling to make it fit into the FR setting.
Chapter 2: Dragonspine Mountains
The wild elves eventually guide the players to the Ticklebelly Hills, where I plan them to go through an obstacle course involving stone giants throwing rocks at them from afar. I'd like to gain more information regarding the orcs of the Burning Banner, as well as Coldborn, the dragonborn druid of the Emerald Enclave. Both are from the AL module Pool of Radiance Resurgent. After that, the players will face a young red dragon. Defeating it is nigh impossible, but they don't have to. They only need to escape and find refuge inside a cave, which just so happens to be part of the Lost Ways, a network of subterranean passageways that are remnants of the ancient dwarven realm of Sarphil, and also their shortcut to the Ride. Are there existing maps and descriptions of the Lost Ways? While I intend on creating the dungeon myself, I do want to take inspiration from existing material in order to make sure my version of it fits the lore. Since the ancient dwarves mined copper, I plan on introducing a copper dragon.
Chapter 3: The Ride
Once on the other side of the mountains, the players must follow the creek until they find the tribe holding their employer's daughter hostage. I made her a Genasi because I needed a reason for that tribe to want her. There's this tribe called the Vaegould who worship primordials and (I think) seek to summon powerful elementals to dominate the world. I think they're from a 4e adventure called Monument of the Ancients that was published in issue 170 of the Dungeon magazine. My knowledge of it is pretty limited, so if anyone could share some lore about it, I'd really appreciate it. Anyway, the Genasi inherited her father's Mark of Handling but with the ability to affect elementals with an Intelligence of 3 or lower. Some of the most powerful elementals just so happen to fit that criterion. Obviously, the tribe can't force her to help them, but they can forcefully impregnate her in order to produce someone they could raise as their own. It doesn't matter if their employer was mistaken or lied about his daughter's fate, the quest suddenly became much more important. I plan on putting a Warlock Knight of Vaasa among the tribe's ranks as a powerful enemy, but I don't know which warlock subclass would fit him. The barbarians are holding a tournament to determine who would get the honor of fathering the Genasi's offspring. If the players arrive too late (remember the seven days time limit), then the champion of the tournament already started ****** her. Arriving early gives the players the chance to use the tournament as a distraction.
Chapter 4: Thar
After going back through the Lost Ways with the woman they rescued, the players see smoke coming from the Quivering Forest. The forest is being invaded by the Burning Daggers, a tribe of fanatical Kossuth-worshipping orcs. They came from Thar with fire elementals in tow. I initially planned on having any tribe of orcs looking to log the forest. As I was looking for such a tribe, I learned of this one. I saw the opportunity to put to use the Genasi's mark. So I came up with the idea to have the players distract a phoenix while the woman attempts to charm it. Meanwhile, the wild elves, fey and dark fey of the forest are fighting together (a rare occurence) to repel the invaders. But as long as the phoenix remains hostile, they have no chance to win. The whole world, not just Phlan, is at stake here. Who knew such a simple rescue the damsel in distress mission would turn out to be so much more? It also gives a different meaning to "the outcome is death" if the Genasi wasn't rescued within seven days.
Epilogue: Loose Ends
So the players saved the girl and the world, and got their reward. What's next? My module will include plot hooks for DMs wishing to continue the campaign. The players learn that it was agents of the Zhentarim who kidnapped the woman. They handed her to Vaegould in exchange for something they wanted. The players may also want to travel to Thar to eliminate the rest of the Burning Daggers and close the rift to the Elemental Plane of Fire. The Warlock Knights could also pose a greater threat in the overarching plot.
Unanswered Questions
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
Have you looked up any of this on the FR wiki?
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Yes, hence why most of the links lead there. The sky is also blue during daytime.
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
Sorry it took so long to reply - if the info isn’t on the wiki then it probably doesn’t exist and you are free to make it up as you see fit.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Plenty of stuff isn't on the wiki. Let me guess, you think a map of Tresendar Manor doesn't exist because it's not in the wiki?
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player
I know the map of the basement to the manor exists- I use it in my current campaign. Generally graphics of recent WOtC additions to lore won’t be there for copyright reasons but as your link showed the info on where to get the copyrighted material will be. As for non graphic stuff it generally makes up there pretty quickly I’ve found since it can be paraphrased fairly easily without breaking copyright.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Yeah, not everything can be copied to the wiki due to copyright. But even with that in mind, a lot of things that would still be allowed aren't on the wiki. Some AL modules can be bought on DMs Guild, but certainly not all of them. The 4e adventure I mentioned was posted online by WotC, but it was later removed. They basically don't care about preservation.
Age: 33 | Sex: Male | Languages: French and English | Roles: DM and Player