Who wants to do the "Return Azalin to power adventure?&

[Willowhugger]

Since I already did a write up for the Time of Unparalleled Darkness, I'm inclined to do this adventure as well.

[HuManBing]

I'll help. I'm a big fan of Azalin, and I like my plots twisted and convoluted.

[Alanik Ray]

Didn't Mangum say he would release his notes on this adventure some day?

[HuManBing]

I believe he said there really weren't many notes - just a basic outline for the plot.

[Alanik Ray]

I believe he said there really weren't many notes - just a basic outline for the plot.

That will do.

[Ail]

I believe he said there really weren't many notes - just a basic outline for the plot.

That will do.

And I guess he did that already. At least, he released the outline of the table of contents.

[Jonathan Winters]

I'm pretty sure I have the outline somewhere if you want it.

Patrick

[Alanik Ray]

Thanks, but I already have that. I was hoping for something extra... well, it doesn't hurt to dream.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Speaking purely from the peanut gallery: I think it would be really cool if anyone trying to write up this adventure managed to adhere to Mangrum's table of contents.

[HuManBing]

Sure thing. Where can we see that table of contents, by the way?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

He posted it here, about 1/3 down.
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.p ... 372&page=5

See also the speculation summary by Jester in the thread here:
http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... php?t=2323

[EDIT: corrected url. thanks, Ail]

[Ail]

Just an obvious correction to Gonzoron's post:


http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... php?t=2323

[/url]

[Mangrum]

For the record, everything up through Act I (as well as the brief Epilogue) was completely written (for 2nd edition rules). Acts II and III got as far as detailed notes and outlines, with rough maps also prepared.

Here's the adventure synopsis from the Introduction.

This adventure takes place in western Darkon, late in the summer of the year 755 on the Ravenloft timeline, soon before the depiction of the setting given in the Ravenloft setting book. Close to five years have passed since the doom of Il Aluk and the apparent destruction of Azalin in the Requiem. At the time of the adventure, the domain of Darkon is still commonly known as Necropolis and Il Aluk has not yet become a domain.

In the Prologue, the Dungeon Master is presented with numerous hooks to draw the heroes into the adventure to follow. The heroes head for Necropolis, but face minor obstacles and ill omens, including an errant tarokka card and a mysterious assailant who believes the heroes will usher in a dire prophecy.

The heroes enter Necropolis in Act One and quickly find themselves embroiled in the struggle for Azalin’s fate. The heroes discover the menace of Death’s dire influence over the domain as they first feel the effects of the Shroud, then have the misfortune to encounter one of Death’s knights: the Horseman Famine. Making matters worse, the heroes’ mysterious assailant continues her attempts to stop the PCs by any means possible. Fortunately, the heroes also encounter allies, Oldar and Balitor, who need help to recover the soul focus. If the heroes volunteer their aid, they and their new friends are off to Martira Bay.

In Act Two, the heroes must recover the soul focus from the clutches of the Kargat. Their investigation begins with Tavelia’s false religion — the Faith of the Overseer — and winds its way through threads of conspiracy to the Cosmopolis Club, secret headquarters of the Martira Bay Kargat. If the heroes infiltrate this house of secrets, they can obtain the soul focus and learn of Tavelia’s plot to usurp the throne. If luck is with the PCs, they may even recruit an unlikely ally: Lady Kazandra, a Kargat vampire still loyal to her king. If the heroes take too long investigating or fumble their attempts to regain the talisman, however, they may feel the noose tighten around their necks as another Horseman, War, appears on the scene and the Kargat mount a defense.

As soon as the heroes recover the soul focus, it’s on to Act Three. To restore Azalin, the heroes must combine the talisman with Azalin’s phylactery, still within Castle Avernus. With the Horsemen closing in, the heroes race to Avernus, only to discover that Galf Kloggin has betrayed them to Tavelia. The heroes must overcome both Kloggin’s werebeasts and the Horsemen to reach the phylactery, restore Azalin, and receive their just reward.

Finally, the Epilogue presents three possible outcomes to these events. The heroes themselves determine whether Death devours the domain, Tavelia rules as the queen of a puppet king, or Azalin Rex is restored to set his kingdom to rights.

Dramatis Personae detailed the following major NPCs: Oldar Wahldrun & Balitor, Tavelia of the Kargat, the Horsemen, Valana, Lady Kazandra, and Galf Kloggin.

[Joël of the FoS]

That seemed pretty cool. With a lot of surprises for the players. I would have loved to play/DM this

But many thanks for this summary, surely it will inspire many DMs. We now know more about the role of Death's Horsemens that you unveiled a year ago.

The heroes must overcome both Kloggin’s werebeasts and the Horsemen to reach the phylactery, restore Azalin, and receive their just reward.

That reward can be frightening too I guess. You do not stay around to get it

Joël

[Mangrum]

Here's the three probable endings.

"The Shroud" referenced here isn't the Shroud discussed in Gaz II -- that Shroud is referred to here as the death field. In this adventure, the Shroud is far more dispersed, and much weaker.

This day, this day of wrath
Shall consume the world in ashes.
—Traditional Requiem Mass

Death Victorious
If Death obtains the soul focus, then the heroes have failed utterly and the domain of Necropolis is truly doomed. Death activates the soul focus immediately, absorbing Azalin’s dispersed spirit into itself. Death’s campaign to devour the power of Azalin Rex now takes days instead of decades. Azalin is destroyed, and Death becomes the new darklord of Necropolis.

As Death absorbs Azalin’s strength, its powers expand to fill Necropolis. The effects of the Shroud intensify as Death tears the slivers of Azalin’s soul from every living heart; every creature in the domain must succeed at a saving throw vs. death magic each night or permanently lose 1 hit point. This loss is cumulative; any creature drained to 0 hp by the Shroud dies, rising within 1d10 rounds as an undead creature under Death’s control.

Even this nightmarish life is too good to last. Unseen, unheard, the deadly aura hanging over Il Aluk begins to expand at the rate of two miles per day, snuffing all life in its path. Three days after Death’s victory, Castle Avernus slips within the zone of death. Nearly a week later, the deadly energies reach Rivalis, slaying the town as it sleeps, and the horror begins. On day eleven, the death field slides across Viaki, Corvia, and Martira Bay. Enough survivors flee the doomed cities in time to spread panic throughout the remains of the domain. Mayvin falls in the following days, and hundreds of those fleeing dead Nartok are cut down by Drakov’s merciless troops at the Falkovnian border.

Three weeks after Death’s victory, Karg is slain; a week later, Tempe Falls and Maykle have joined it. Seven weeks after Death’s victory, when abandoned Nevuchar Springs becomes the last city to be consumed, all of Necropolis has been transformed into a land of the living dead. The surviving refugees claim the Hour of Ascension is at long last at its end, and that Death now rides across the silent country with its Horsemen.

But not even this vast new power can sate Death’s hunger. Within a year, the Shroud manifests in the domains bordering Necropolis, and the cycle begins anew. The Demiplane of Dread has taken one step closer to the Time of Unparalleled Darkness.

What shall I, a wretch, say then?
To which protector shall I appeal
When even the just man is barely safe?
—Traditional Requiem Mass

Tavelia Victorious
This result occurs if Tavelia succeeds in using the false soul focus to restore Azalin at half strength, binding him to her control. It is also conceivable that the PCs may learn how to use the rite to make Azalin into their own slave. Should the heroes follow this route, they inherit the fate described for Tavelia below.

With half of his spirit sealed within the false soul focus, the enslaved Azalin is too weak to completely throw off Death’s dire influence over his domain. The major effects of the Shroud lift, but a spiritual miasma still hangs over Necropolis and nightmares still lurk in the shadows. Azalin still gains the ability to read and modify the memories of anyone in his domain (as detailed in Ravenloft Gazetteer II), but he drops to 9th level.

Now secure behind the protection of her puppet king and husband, Tavelia Regina revels in her new power and freedom. She flaunts her undead nature and is feared as a brutal and sadistic tyrant. Exposed for the hollow mockery that it is, the Faith of the Overseer is shattered. Most priests of the Overseer are forced to flee before the wrath of lynch mobs — even those rare priests from outlying villages who were unaware of their religion’s true nature. The Nevuchar Springs sect of the Church of Ezra tries to spread into western Necropolis to fill the vacuum, but is stymied by the locals’ bitter distrust of all priests and organized religions.

Azalin is magically compelled to obey Tavelia’s direct commands and is unable to oppose her directly. Unfortunately for the queen, Azalin does not bear his chains gladly. As the months pass, he starts scheming behind Tavelia’s back to engineer her destruction. If the heroes proved themselves loyal to Azalin during this adventure, he may secretly recruit them to help him seek vengeance against his unwanted bride.

On the other hand, if it is the heroes who have enslaved Azalin, it is they whom he now seeks to destroy. Those who hope to keep Azalin as a pet should enjoy their power, for they will pay dearly for it soon enough.

That day is one of weeping
On which shall rise again from the ashes
The guilty man, to be judged.
—Traditional Requiem Mass

The Heroes Victorious
This ending is possible only if the heroes restore Azalin to full power by uniting the true soul focus with the lich’s phylactery. RAVENLOFT Third Edition accessories assume that the PCs were victorious and that Azalin has been restored.

In the instant Azalin exerts his control over the domain, Death’s ability to extend its essence into Necropolis is shattered. The heroes witnessed this severed connection in the immediate destruction of the Horsemen, a blow that strikes Death to the quick. The Shroud lifts from the domain, and everyone soon recovers from its draining effects. The Drowning Dreams come to an end. As the evil presence hanging over the domain recedes into Death’s realm, Il Aluk becomes a domain, its borders marked by those of the death field hanging over the city. Death becomes a true darklord. Rumors emerge that the destruction of the Horsemen has greatly weakened Death, damaging its ability to control the undead within its domain. The Hour of the Ascension has at long last passed.

Azalin must begin the long process of repairing his crumbling kingdom. Azalin quickly determines who were his friends and who were his foes during his dark days, and delivers fitting rewards and punishments.

Balitor: Azalin restores Balitor’s immortality, quickly returning his ally’s youth. But as Balitor knew, the extra years come at the cost of his spirit. When Balitor inwardly admits that he is again enjoying a life wrongfully wrenched from others, he becomes distant and troubled once more.

Oldar Wahldrun: If Oldar was slain, Azalin promises to restore his life (Azalin will also promise to do the same for any slain PCs). Azalin will clone Oldar in the Hall of Life, then pass off the copy as a restored original. When Oldar is thus revived (or if he survived), he asks only for Azalin to restore the spells protecting his family’s farm. Azalin complies, and Oldar returns to his family.

Tavelia: Her long reign in the Kargat comes to an end. Azalin still considers the Overseer an invaluable tool, so he will not allow the truth behind that religion to be exposed, but Tavelia herself is to be eliminated. Azalin offers the task to the PCs. If they accept the challenge, the heroes can return to Martira Bay in a follow-up adventure, with the explicit goal of executing Tavelia while enjoying Azalin’s patronage. If Tavelia survives the heroes’ first attempt at retaliation, Azalin may destroy her himself, or she may flee the domain to brood over her losses and prepare her own vengeance.

Galf Kloggin: If Galf escaped Avernus in Act Three, he and his surviving bandits flee deep into the Forest of Shadows. Azalin considers Galf another traitor, but recognizes him as the pathetic, shortsighted fool he is. Azalin does not deign to punish Kloggin personally, but he does alert the barons of Nartok and Rivalis to Galf’s identity and activities, assigning them the task of bringing the “bandit king” to justice.

Lady Kazandra: If Kazandra joined forces with the heroes, Azalin rewards the vampire for her loyalty by promoting her to the top of the Kargat’s ranks. General Kazandra is then assigned the lengthy and unenviable task of reunifying the fractured secret police. She will consider the heroes to be uncertain allies at best, but promises to ignore them so long as they return the favor.

The Player Characters: Last but not least, the heroes can reap rich rewards of their own. Depending on their interests, Azalin can offer restored youth, all the gold coins they can carry, or magical tutelage. If the PCs entered Ravenloft from another world at the beginning of this adventure, Azalin promises to find a way to send them back home. He may even be capable of fulfilling this task.

However, the first boon Azalin will offer to the heroes is to grant them knighthood, which includes a title, a small manor, control over enough farmland to sustain a hamlet, and a certain degree of wealth and power. Such rich rewards do not come without strings, however. Azalin expects obedience from his knights, which at the very least means that they must not betray his secrets. Azalin may also occasionally assign missions to the heroes. While these missions will certainly be filled with thrills and adventure, some of them may also require huge powers checks!

The knighting ceremony itself may prove even more chilling, however. As each PC kneels before Azalin, the king taps that hero’s own weapon to his or her shoulder. As the PC who killed Valana is being knighted, he or she should be reminded of Valana’s final prophecies. Azalin Rex is the King of Death, who would destroy the Land of Mists for the sake of a single soul — and it is the heroes who have unleashed him upon the world.