Azalin's Crypt- Lair (Roots of Evil)

[Mephisto of the FoS]

New project
Creating an STL model of Azalin's Crypt- Lair from the adventure Roots of Evil based on an illustration by Stephen Fabian.

[Mistmaster]

I mean, doesn't he resides in the royal palace of Ill Aluk?

[Mephisto of the FoS]

I mean, doesn't he resides in the royal palace of Il Aluk?

The crypt exists in Prime Material Barovia, it was his lair during the Grand Conjunction. Castle Avernus is located in the Forest of Shadows, Il Aluk is lying just beyond the forest's northern borders.

[Mistmaster]

Ok. Thanks.

[Igor the Henchman]

Looks like the real estate crisis is tough all over. Even Azalin had to downsize.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Looks like the real estate crisis is tough all over. Even Azalin had to downsize.

---THE HOUSE OF LAMENT---
*LOVE IT OR LIST IT RAVENLOFT EDITION*

[IanFordam]

---THE HOUSE OF LAMENT---
*LOVE IT OR LIST IT RAVENLOFT EDITION*

Finally! A show that the Lady Fordam and I would be equally excited to watch!

[Baron Von Stanton]

---THE HOUSE OF LAMENT---
*LOVE IT OR LIST IT RAVENLOFT EDITION*

Finally! A show that the Lady Fordam and I would be equally excited to watch!

According to the reviews, it's to die for. Repeatedly.

[Le Noir Faineant]

I am not sure if it's available, any more, but around 2015 there used to be a Greyhawk fan module by a writer known in the scene as "DM Prata". He detailed the Greyhawk origins of Azalin to a great degree, and made a module of an expedition into Azalin's (Greyhawk) lair.

If you can still find it, it might be worth a look. On my part, I have looked for it, and couldn't find it.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

I am not sure if it's available, any more, but around 2015 there used to be a Greyhawk fan module by a writer known in the scene as "DM Prata". He detailed the Greyhawk origins of Azalin to a great degree, and made a module of an expedition into Azalin's (Greyhawk) lair.

If you can still find it, it might be worth a look. On my part, I have looked for it, and couldn't find it.

First time I hear about it, sounds interesting.

[SkiBird]

... by a writer known in the scene as "DM Prata".

DMPrata is also the author of the ADDICT document for AD&D 1st Edition.

Still a very active forum member over at Dragonsfoot.org as well.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

I am not sure if it's available, any more, but around 2015 there used to be a Greyhawk fan module by a writer known in the scene as "DM Prata". He detailed the Greyhawk origins of Azalin to a great degree, and made a module of an expedition into Azalin's (Greyhawk) lair.

If you can still find it, it might be worth a look. On my part, I have looked for it, and couldn't find it.

Found it!
https://www.dragonsfoot.org/php4/archiv ... watchfile=

[Le Noir Faineant]

Nice! Thank you for reposting! -- Down with the flu this week, and this will make an interesting read, for sure.

As SkiBird says, the author is still pretty active online. I have not been on DF much in recent years, but he was always one of the guys with the most interesting content, over there: Obviously, he approaches this as a Greyhawk adventure, and not as a Ravenloft one, but for a Greyhawk-based intro to Ravenloft, there might be not many better texts. (That I can presently think of.)

[Le Noir Faineant]

Two notes upon glancing through the text for the first time:

Nearly three centuries ago, in 283 CY, a powerful magic-user named Firan Zal’honan [FEER-ahn zal-HOH-nahn] rose to power in the County of Knurl (in present-day Bone March), which he quickly freed from the depredations of roaming bandits. His subjects proclaimed him “Azal’Lan” [az-ahl-LAN] — “Wizard-King,” in Old Oeridian.

Azal’Lan swore fealty to the Overking in Rauxes and ruled his dominion with an iron fist for the next 30 to 40 years. The Wizard-King’s hold over Knurl gradually began to weaken, though the populace still feared his power. In particular, his active “discouragement” of priesthoods in Knurl — and the near-total abolition of worship that followed — led to growing peasant unrest.

Then, in 327 CY, Firan’s own son, Irik [EE-rihk], was discovered freeing some of his father’s political prisoners. Torn between devotion to his laws and devotion to his son and heir, Azal’Lan ultimately chose the former; not only did he order Irik beheaded, he wielded the axe personally.
While this drastic action quelled the rebellious peasants, Azal’Lan himself was wracked with self-doubt. He turned inward and began to heed the counsel of the nameless voices that spoke to him in his despair.
These dark powers guided the aging wizard-king (already nearing the 100th anniversary of his birth) toward the ultimate power of life and death that he sought; in 329 CY, Azal’Lan shed his mortality and became a lich. For another threescore years, the lich Azal’Lan ruled the County of Knurl, expanding his dominion ever outward and even daring to renounce his fealty to the Malachite Throne. From the bodies of his fallen enemies, Azal’Lan raised a veritable army of undead minions.
His reign of terror consumed the Blemu Hills, the Flinty Hills, and the whole of the Adri Forest. Finally, in 391 CY, the Wizard-King went too far.
After Azal’Lan captured the border town of Innspa, Nyrond was forced to march against him. The sorcerer Stakaster [stah-KAS-ter], an apprentice of the lich, betrayed his master and led him into a trap. Azal’Lan fled into a nearby fog bank and vanished into the mists, never to be seen in the Flanaess again…

This is the part in the adventure that is likely most relevant to Mistdwellers like us. I don't Azalin's exploits in the Flanaess were ever detailed like that before. (With the caveat that I tend to misremember this kind of stuff.)

I am also not sure whether the placement of Azalin's lair near Innspa is in accordance to canon. However, this is noteworthy because Innspa was the "base of operations" for the old RPGA quarter of "Living Greyhawk" in Germany. So, there should be A LOT of stuff out there, like, dozens of modules, that one could use as a base for further games. (That said, I doubt they deal in any way deal with Azalin or Ravenloft; I remember a tiny bit about them, but I think they went into a completely different direction, meta-plot wise.)