Dragonlance Adventures Campaign Log

The Wargate Assaults the Great Saga!

Abanasinia, 351 A.C.

More than three hundred years ago, there was a great Cataclysm.  Following that, the Gods left the world of Krynn.  Soon, the Dragons followed.  This is the Age of Despair.

Now, terrible tales flow across the lands.  Evil seems to be growing, and the New Gods have never answered the pleas of mortals to aid them.  There are stories of wars, of hordes of monsters and darker stirrings across the lands of Ansalon.  Five years ago, the adventurers split up and searched far and wide.

The explorers searched for stirrings of evil, to verify the horrible tales they had heard of armies on the march.  They looked for a sign of the True Gods and the evidence of their blessings - a true Cleric who wielded the might of the gods.  

The travelers found nothing of what they searched for, but learned more of themselves.  Now they return to their hometown of Solace to meet each other on the appointed day, five years after the beginnings of their journeys.  From across the lands, they travel back home.

Yet it is when they return home that their true adventure begins...

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Non-Player Characters

• Goldmoon, Human Cleric of Mishakal VI
• Riverwind, Human Ranger VI
• Gilthanas, Qualinesti Elf Fighter V / Magic-User IV
• Tika Waylan, Human Fighter IV (Thief III)

Deceased

• Nodd Nali, Qualinesti Elf White Wizard IV
• Johann "The Bastard" Krane, Human Fighter V
• Zirgnoz, Human White Wizard IV
• Flashpony, Human Fighter VI
• Ral-Stron Glowbreaker, Kender Barbarian IV
• Flint Striker, Human Thief VII
• Silverhorse, Human Fighter VI
• Sir Conlin A'Hayas, Human Cavalier VI

Disbanded

• Matius Gellantara, Human Fighter V
• Galvan Armos, Human Thief VI
• Abendego, Human Red Wizard IV
• Moonshadow, Human Red Wizard IV
• Torgen, Human Fighter VI
• Maclarion Mackakandale, Human Fighter VI
• Stonecolt, Human Fighter VI

Key

• First Generation Player Character
• Henchman
• Second Generation Player Character (Replacement or Later Addition)
• Third Generation Player Character (Replacement)
• Non-Player Character Joined to the Party
• Non-Player Character  (Potential Henchman)

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Adventure Log  
Total Time: 48 hrs  (7.28.13)

1. Dragons of Despair (4.28.13 through 6.2.13) Total Time: 21.5 hrs - The adventurers return from their five year mission to find a true cleric, and run into trouble on the road to Solace.  They soon run across two members of the plains tribes who have a crystal staff that everyone seems to be looking for...
• The adventurers meet on the road outside Solace, and are attacked by hobgoblins who demand a blue crystal staff!  Of course, none of the characters knew what they were talking about, until later they meet Goldmoon and Riverwind, who dropped the staff and it healed the Bastard!  Going into Solace, they stay with the plainsfolk until a strange old man let them know he knew they had the staff, and that they should take it to Xak Tsaroth.  The party leaves Solace and heads north, seeing the fires of a great army and avoiding the camps that are scattered on the charred earth.  The session ends as they brave the forest and draw nearer to Xak Tsaroth, city of the Ancients.  (3.5 hrs)
• The party explores the swamps near to Xak Tsaroth!  A nasty surprise and a moment of awe is dropped on Zirgnoz, who kills what appears to be a small dragon with a Magic Missile as Ral-Stron is mauled by it as he was crawling out of the swamp water.  The adventurers encounter dragon-men, but their spells are thwarted by the party during a short battle.  Zirgnoz's hawk familiar is able to see a dragon hunched over a fire in the distance, so the party goes around that  particular patch of swamp.  As the party draws closer to the city, they come upon a well that is deep and dark.  Suddenly a great black dragon flies out of the well, and engages the party from the air.  However, the arrows and spells of the group prove quite formidable, but as the dragon retreats a hasty decision is made.  Nodd Nali leaps in the well to escape the dragon...and the dragon flies into the well.  The session ends as the party stands at the edge of the well, in a great plaza in the ancient city of Xak Tsaroth.  (3 hrs)
• The party enters the (mostly) intact temple at Xak Tsaroth.  Inside, they have an encounter with the image of the goddess Mishakal!  Through this, they deduce they must find the Disks of Mishakal far below in the dungeon.  The only problem is that it's guarded by the dragon the party met earlier.  After freeing Galvan from his dragonman captors in a deeper part of the temple, the party encounters a swarm of filthy gully dwarves who bid them go below to meet their leader.  The party descends to the Halls of the Ancestors, and after avoiding a much bigger swarm of gully dwarves the party comes to a huge chain mechanism with giant pots coming up from and going down into the floor, and they watch dragonman overseers whipping the gully dwarves into them.  When more dragonmen come up as the gully dwarves go down, the adventurers defeat them soundly.  The dragonmen turn to statues and crumble to dust, and the party regroups at the giant winch.  (3.5 hrs)
• The party descends in the pot the next time the winch begins to turn, and they are lowered into a subterranean city deep below the surface!  Instantly set upon by draconians demanding to know where their compatriots were, the adventurers begin to clear the plaza and surrounding areas of monstrous threats.  Many draconians meet their ends!  (3.5 hrs)
• The party continues to explore the collapsed city, but bumble into a huge troop of sixteen draconian warriors.  The adventurers proved their mettle, forcing the few draconians who lived through their onslaught into retreat.  As they poke around the dingy and broken buildings, they eventually find an underground river rolling down the broken streets from the waterfall.  While following it, they see the dragon berating her minions.  They are instructed who leave to find a "Que-Shu" woman who has escaped.  Evidently, there are more prisoners in the dungeon.  The session ends when they find a large pool where streams meet and head north, making the grisly discovery of Nodd Nali's body.  The stash his body in a collapsed building and vow to return for it once their bloody work is done.  (4 hrs)
• After finding the escaped Que-Shu prisoner of the draconians (Sunstar), the adventurers attempt to find a safe spot to rest.  Galvan sets a snare for the gully dwarves running around with a few rations, and he succeeds in getting the scavenging aghar to parley.  The pitiful creatures are so rejoiced at the gifts from their new "friends" that they take the party to their king.  The Highbulp Phudge is rejoiced to hear the adventurers have come to slay the dragon, and shows them a secret passage into the dragon's lair!  The adventurers find the dragon with a captive, who endures a berating by the monster!  The party attempts to sneak into the chamber, but the dragon detects them and begins to attack!  However, the heroes are much more than the dragon can take alone - and soon Goldmoon busts the Crystal Staff across the dragon's snout!  There is a pulse of light, and the whole cavern complex begins to cave-in!  Both the dragon and Goldmoon disappear into the light, but the party hurries as fast as they can out of the collapsing underground city.  The kender Hugon falls to his death attempting to climb the 700 foot chain to the surface, but the other members of the party survive.  They find Goldmoon as they exit the temple far above, now bearing the seal of the goddess Mishakal.  The party leaves the ruins of the city, leaving west over the mountains toward Solace.  The adventure ends as the party sees the plumes of smoke rising from their hometown.  (4 hrs)
2. Dragons of Flame (6.9.13 through 7.7.13) Total Time: 20.5 hrs - Once again the adventurers return to Solace, but find the city overtaken by the dragonarmy!  All resistance has ceased, and the party is allowed to wander amongst the ruins of what is home to many of them...
• The party finds Tika at the Inn of the Last Home, but after a few restful moments a brawl breaks out that finds five uncouth dragonmen dead.  However, the party is swarmed by the rest of the dragonarmy, and beaten nearly to death before being bound and thrown into a wheeled cage.  The party encounters the elf Gilthanas, and a few other men from in and around Solace.  The blacksmith, Theros Ironfeld, was badly mauled by the dragonmen - he was thrown into the cart to die.  Goldmoon heals him in the sight of all (except the draconians) to the astonishment of all who witness.  For three days, the party sits in the cage while the dragonarmy musters...then the huge slave caravan marches south.  After dark, the caravan is attacked - and Fewmaster Toede's aghar adjutant releases the players to in a fit of spite for Toede!  The party fights it's way free, and Gilthanas introduces them to their rescuers - an band of Qualinesti elves.  Gilthanas offers to shelter the party at his home, and they follow him through the woods.  (5 hrs)
• The adventurers arrive in Qualinost, city of the Elves.  After meeting with the Speaker of Sun, the party is escorted to a restful grove by Laurana.  After for most of the day, they are roused from their slumber and shown a great mosaic in the center of the city by the Speaker and the throng of the elven city.  They find out from the Speaker that the folk of Solace and the surrounding areas are held prisoner in Pax Tharkas, a fortress to the south.  The party agrees to accompany Gilthanas to the ancient city.  They return to the shady grove to rest for the night, but after Laurana shows them to the grove, they hear a sharp scream!  A wyvern has appeared, bearing Fewmaster Toede!  In the elven city, a battle ensues with dragonmen whose bodies degenerate into large acid pools when slain!  With most of the party succumbing to their evil poisons, Zirgnoz and The Bastard sacrifice their lives to protect Galvan and Goldmoon.  Sunstar also loses her life in this battle.  After this deadly encounter, Galvan elects to flee the dragonarmies, and leaves the party.  The adventurers leave to the south the next day, and after a time come upon a bloody scene near the Sla-Mori.  Dozens of hobgoblin and draconian bodies litter a clearing, and a bloody man emerges from beneath a heap of dead monsters.  He points and warns the party, who turn just as a troop of dragonmen emerge from the trees.  They are joined in battle by a small party of men, who help the man who gave the warning and assist against the dragonmen.  Silverhorse, Flashpony, Flint Striker and Eben Shatterstone join the party, and the adventurers prepare to find the Sla-Mori - a secret passage into dragonarmy occupied fortress of Pax Tharkas!  (4.5 hrs)
• The party enters the Sla-Mori, evading something hunting them outside the entrance.  For almost a day and a half the party wanders the lost halls beneath Pax Tharkas, thwarting traps and evading a 30-foot slug until they become trapped in an endless corridor.  Lost and without bearings, they eventually find the trap door they missed and force their way back into the main area of the Sla-Mori.  Although they found the ancient sword of Kith-Kanan, Wyrmslayer...the party must solve a dilemma when Ral-Stron feels the sword is a source of evil magic and attempts to destroy it.  Althought tensions are high, the need is greater.  Faced with dead ends and no leads, after being lost for so long they eventually arrive at the entrance of the Sla-Mori where they attempt to rest.  Soon after, they are beset by a party of hunting trolls, from which the rescue the Red Wizard Abendego.  The Wizard resolves to join and aid the party, since he has absolutely no idea where on Krynn he is.  (4 hrs)
• The party re-enters the Sla-Mori and rather deftly maps most of it.  In fact, they quickly find a hidden door they had overlooked upon searching the first time, and follow some hastily dug tunnels through a mountain of collapsed rock and structure.  The adventurers explore slowly, but quickly come upon a group of dragonmen menacing a young girl who happens to be Laurana, princess of Qualinesti!  They dispatch the dragonmen, and then work to free the other women imprisoned with Laurana in this part of Pax Tharkas.  Over 100 women of assorted ages later, and the party has a plan.  Free the women and children, and then free the miners to fight.  Now they have a better idea of how this can be accomplished, but a few questions and a little recon later and they realize that a half-mad red dragon guards the children, somewhat complicating matters!  (4 hrs)
• The party dons the garb of the women prisoners and attempt to file the children out of the den of the dragon, only to wake her up just as the last children are about to escape!  The party seals Flamestrike behind the gate of Pax Tharkas, and take the women and children up into the mine area.  After healing the half-dead Elistan and witnessing the birth of a new cleric, the miners turn on the draconian guards and make short work of them.  Flamestrike, however, had not been idle, and succeeded in breaking down the wall to get outside just as the party ushered the 800 slaves down the mining trail.  At once, Lord Verminaard himself appeared astride a vicious and huge red dragon, but once he threatened the children Flamestrike went mad and attacked his mount with a gout of flaming breath!  While the two dragons locked in combat, the party made good it's escape down a narrow mountain path into the valley below.  (3 hrs)
3. Dragons of Hope (7.14.13 through 7.28.13) Total Time: 6 hrs - Once free of the confines of Pax Tharkas, the adventurers must make some quick and heavy decisions.  The fate of the 800 refugees lies in their hands as they flee the dragonarmies to the south.
• Grabbing as many supplies as they can, the refugees brave a horrible mountain snowstorm while draconian patrols swarm around them.  The players manage to find a strange tower, where a curious lens device shows them an ancient message giving clues to the whereabouts of the entrance to Thorbardin, Kingdom of the Dwarves.  It just so happens to be the tomb of an ancient Black Robe, Fistandatilus himself!  The refugees elude the dragonarmies for a moment, camping at the old tower.  There is a council held that night, and five leaders are chosen for the newly freed refugees.  The new Council of Freedom asks the adventurers to help secure a safe place for the 800 refugees.  The party strikes out the next morning, and after a full days march south they find Skullcap, entrance to the tomb!  Perhaps if the refugees can't get out of the valley, they can find a way into it.  (2.5 hrs)
• Off Week - Brightflow Gap!
•  The party begins by attempting to climb the smooth, icy black rock of Skullcap without much equipment, at night.  After a failed attempt by Flint, the party decides to rest at the base of Skullcap.  Once morning arrives, the party scales the sides of the edifice with little problem, but encounter similar difficulties inside the throat of the giant rocky skull.  After descending a steep incline down the rocks' gullet, the players wander upon a construction deep underneath.  Moving past some giant, broken stairs, the party finds a small pool with a waterfall and heaps of coins and gems upon it!  Sir Conlin thinks he hears something, but the party dives right into the coins and gems and do not notice the shadow dragon, who promptly (upon waking) blasted half the party with it's essence leeching shadowy breath.  Blinded and weak, Sir Conlin, Flashpony and Silverhorse do their best to help Ral-Stron fight the dragon, who had managed to anger it and hold it's attention while the party did their best to fight through their debilitating injuries.  However, they were hard pressed to damage the monster and the long melee eventually wore them down.  The dragon butchered and devoured Flashpony, Ral-Stron, Silverhorse, Flint and Sir Conlin, leaving Maclarion and Torgen's whereabouts unknown.  (3.5 hrs)

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This concludes our foray into Krynn for AD&D 1st Edition.  Though the death toll in this particular game wasn't as rough as the other AD&D games, what was effectively a Total Party Kill (TPK) has shut down the storyline.  That's ok, but we need a break from the meat grinder for a while.  We've put in a great deal of time since last October when we began the AD&D experiment, and our AD&D adventures have really only just begun.

We have several projects in the works, so keep an eye peeled for future developments!  Thanks to all the guys for braving the horror of AD&D to try to complete those old, classic campaigns - and so far we've been defeated twice!  Better luck to the adventurers next time.

Just try to be wary of treasure piles sitting unguarded out in the open at the entrance of the dungeon.

The Journal of Matius Gellantara, Part I (Dragons of Despair)

This journal was kept during actual play by Matius Gellantara's player, the honorable Emerald Wulfe.  He kept a fantastic log for the module that we wanted to share with everyone.  Not only is it a more detailed journal than our campaign log allows, but it shows a more personal view of the events happening on Krynn to boot.  As the campaign's official Lorekeeper, he'll be keeping a journal for the rest of the campaign!

Dragons of Despair by Clyde Caldwell

The year was 351 AC when I began this journal.  After the cataclysm it was thought the Gods had left Krynn.  I knew little of the events surrounding their departure and often wondered whether they ever even existed.  Regardless, my friends and I have spent the past five years searching for a true cleric.  Sure, there are many who claim to be a cleric.  However, they are men with no true powers of healing, worshiping false gods. 

351-9-16

As our band of adventurers began the last leg of our journey back to Solace we were attacked by 10 hobgoblins.  My dog, Scar, who had been on many a hunting trip and adventure, was killed when one of the hobgoblins tried to brain me from behind.  He took the blow and sounded the alarm that may have saved our lives, or at least mine.  The leader of the hobgoblins had demanded we turn over a crystal blue staff.  We had no idea what he referred to, but nonetheless, were given no time to dispute his claim as his minions attacked.  Observation: the hobgoblins wore black armor with a bat wing emblem across the chest.  They aren't known to be seen so close to civilized areas.  We shall have to report our findings to the Theocracy of Seekers.

At the entrance to Solace we came upon a beautiful young woman with light blue eyes and bright white hair.  She was singing and playing a lyre as her companion played the lute.  They were both tribesmen, Que-Shu.  Her song is lovely, but sad.  She sings of forbidden love and the coming fall.  As we approach, a staff falls from her robe and rolls towards us.  Those of us, including myself, who were injured during the ambush were healed of our wounds.  This was both a relief and a curiosity.  None of us have ever seen such a staff, nor heard of powers of this nature coming from any objects in recent times.  The woman, Goldmoon is her name, tells us of her escape from their tribe to elope with her lover and protector, Riverwind.  She speaks of horrible dreams plaguing her. 

We decide to gather at the Inn of the Last Home to dine, drink, and unwind from the journey we've been on.  As we settle at an empty table a familiar face greets us.  My heart is filled with warmth as I recognize her.  It is Tika.  She has grown so much since we left on our journey.  I remember seeing her in my younger years and being captivated, yet at a loss of words in her presence.  Even now as I sit it's as if every kind word escapes me and I sit in silence watching her serve the guests. 

As we dine we hear tales coming from a fellow patron.  He speaks of a staff being sought by the Holy Guard.  He said anyone with knowledge of the staff should report to the Prelate of the Temple in Haven.  A storyteller nearby appproaches our table and speaks to Goldmoon about the blue staff and how it needs to be returned to Xak Tsaroth.  He then leaves the inn. 

After finishing with our dinner and drink we part ways to visit with family and rest.

351-9-17

We say our goodbyes and collect our gear for the journey to Xak Tsaroth.

Along the road we encounter several farmhouses to the north that have been abandoned.  As we continue north we discover the land has been charred.  We find curious, three toed footprints in the soil.  From the size of them, the creatures must have been about the height of a man.  I do not recognize these prints from the time I've spent hunting animals in the surrounding lands. 

351-9-18

Upon waking, I take note of the red wizard being in a foul mood.  I had heard about the effects of the moons on the wizards and apparently he does not favor the current lunar alignments.  As we continue on our journey I notice the grass here is turning brown.  Fall is coming, and winter shall follow.  I hope we do not have to spend another winter on the road.  The cool breezes sweeping the plain are welcome though. 

351-9-19

Three days have passed with no events on our journey so far.  Praise the Gods!  I am still curious as to what kind of creature left the prints we found north of Solace.  My mind begins to wander as I recall Tika's smile, and I wonder how long it will be before we return to our home.  Maybe that time...maybe

I'll be able to approach her and...

The wizards are all in foul moods this day.  Although we have only been out for three days, it already seems like ages since we've seen home.  My feet are sore again.  I should be used to this by now.  My heart still aches at the passing of Scar.  The memory of the hobgoblins returns.  How many more of these creatures shall we meet along the way?  What other monsters await us in our travels?

351-9-20

Smoke ahead of us this morning as we continue our journey to Xak Tsaroth.  There are armies of hobgoblins camping around the area.  Zirgnoz unleashes his bird to scout the area.  He tells us the positions of the hobgoblins so that we may circumvent their camps and avoid detection.  We finally reach the eastern mountains and pass into the swamps on the other side with ease. 

Zirgnoz' bird is set loose again to scout the area.  An interesting report comes to us.  There is a dragon, and draconians in the area!  No one at home will believe us.  There hasn't been a dragon seen in over 1,000 years.  Those tales may be just that, tales.  Apparently, they do exist. 

A brief encounter occurs when Ralstron attempts to cross a rope bridge.  He fell into the water and damn near got himself eaten by what appears to be a black-skinned juvenile dragon!  We continue towards the ruins of Xak Tsaroth and soon discover how nasty the draconians are in person.  The spell casters are heavily armored and not easily taken out.  In a rather difficult manner, we also find they explode upon death! 

As we journey closer to Xak Tsaroth we come across what appears to be hatched dragon eggs.  I have the terrible sense that we may encounter the adult version of these dragons soon.  I find later that my senses are correct.

We approached one of the few intact structures in the area and decide to explore.  Before we could enter we are attacked by a huge, black dragon!  As Torgen and I launch volley after volley of arrows at it, our companion, Nodd, became delirious with fear and dove off into the well from whence the dragon came in an attempt to escape certain death.  We had little time to stop him as the dragon continued to assault us.  Eventually, we inflict enough damage to drive it off, but not before it drenched Sir Conlin in acid, nearly killing him.  The dragon flew back into the well before we could finish it off. 

 Upon entering the first chamber we find a statue of the Goddess Mishakal.  As Goldmoon enters, the statue comes to life and speaks to her about the return of the Gods and mentions we are to locate 3 platinum disks within the lair of the dragon in order to call upon the powers of Mishakal.  It also recharges the staff in Goldmoon's possetion, once placed in the statue's arms, and warns us to use its powers of healing sparingly.  The statue also informs us that even upon retrieving the platinum disks our journey will be difficult as we search for a true leader of the people. 

We decide to rest for the evening before delving into the ruins of Xak Tsaroth.  Before we could settle, Sir Conlin stumbles upon more dragon kin.  Fortunately, these were lightly armored and only turned to stone upon death.  We also found a captive, no doubt being held as a future meal for the dragon kin.  He is a roguish character by the name of Gavin Armos.  As we prepare to rest for the evening he tells us about his journeys as a collector of antiquities.  Why he came to this place alone is a mystery, but fortunately we found him before the dragon kin could finish him off.

The rest of our evening passes without event.

351-9-21

We found some gully dwarves searching the ruins at the order of their boss.  In an effort to keep our presence concealed, I offer them rations from my pack.  The stinky bastards hugged my legs in thanks, covering my clothing in filth!  After a few quick kicks in their direction they scatter off into the darkness. 

As we continue deeper into the ruins we encounter more dragon kin and come across a lift descending into the lower levels.  Upon reaching the bottom of the shaft, a rather long trip down, we are attacked by more dragon kin, but dispatch them with ease.  As our kender friend explores the area, he attracts the attention of more dragon kin, but we kill them easily.  We found another kender who had been captured and bound in one of the rooms within the lower levels.  His name is Hugon Barker.

Fortunately, the curiosity of our kender friend has paid off.  He found a cache of weapons.  I have laid claim to one of the longswords due to the ineffectiveness of my axe against the armor of the dragon kin we've encountered.  The sword is finely crafted, lightweight, and well balanced.  I soon get the opportunity to test the effectiveness of my new weapon as we come across even more of the wretched reptilians infesting the depths of the ruins.  Thankfully, Gavin trades the elven bow he acquired with some of my arrows, and provides a share of the elven arrows accompanying the bow as well.  These prove invaluable in the coming battles.  Like the sword, the bow is well crafted, lightweight, and well balanced.  The draw is not too difficult, yet sends arrows off just as well as any bow, propelling arrows swiftly into the armor of our draconian enemies. 

On the next encounter, we kill all but three of the dragon kin.  Sir Conlin offers them a chance to surrender, but they choose to flee the area instead.  One of the remaining dragon kin was like the heavily armored ones we fought in the swamps.  This one, however, had wings folded across its back. 

We continue on into a cavernous area where we find more draconians and gully dwarves being given instruction by the black dragon we fought earlier.  They were searching the area for a female captive who had escaped.  As the minions of the dragon left in separate directions, the dragon skulked back into it's lair. 

We continue exploring the cavernous area, where waterfalls converge to form a stream down the center of the walkway.  We encounter a macabre scene.  The body of our fallen comrade, Nodd, is found floating in the water.  We salvage what gear we could and hide his body nearby.  We shall retrieve it later and bring it back to Solace for a proper burial.  After a moment of silence we decide to find a secluded area for resting.  Our wizards are weary and need sleep to regain their spent powers. 

It seemed as if I had only been asleep for mere minutes when I was awakened, along with the others, by Galvin.  He had started a conversation with nearby gully dwarves and convinced them to take us to their boss.  I was not keen on the idea of being near these grotesque creatures.  They smelled and were generally annoying to be around.  Along the way, we find the escaped prisoner the dragon kin had been seeking.  Her name is Sunstar, and she is one of the Que-Shu.  She tells us of how their tribe had been destroyed recently by the advancing armies of dragon kin across the central plains. 

The boss, a shriveled old gully dwarf, was adorned with the old clothing of a human king.  It was an interesting looking fellow, as everything it wore was well larger than what would be standard trappings for a gully dwarf, including the crown sitting on it's head at an angle so it could stay in place atop its head.  After conversing with the gully dwarves we are allowed to continue our rest.  We learn of a secret entrance to the dragon's lair, which we shall exploit in the morning.  The gully dwarves seemed all too happy to help us with anything we needed after learning of our quest to destroy the dragon and its underlings. 

As we searched the surrounding areas for rooms to rest in we hear a commotion.  Entering the room, we find more gully dwarves preparing a putrid substance loosely referred by them as “food.”  They were arguing about something and tossing the nasty stew about the room.  Some of it flew in our direction and I almost lost my stomach at the smell.  It was as if they had taken the rotting corpses of animals from the depths of the ruins and placed them all in one stinking vat!

For now, we rest.

351-9-22 

We start the next day looking for the entrance to the dragon's lair.  It didn't take long before we found a tunnel system allowing us to sneak directly into its lair.  Not long after we entered the lair, the creature noticed our presence and combat ensued.  Galvin and I stayed at a distance, launching arrows at the beast while our melee counterparts closed for battle.  Goldmoon had charged the dragon and struck it with the blue staff.  A blinding white light filled the room and upon fading we noticed the dragon had disappeared along with Goldmoon! 

Not soon afterward the entire area began to collapse around us.  We swiftly ran back through the ruins dodging falling rocks and columns.  We ascended into the upper levels and found that we were one member short.  The kender we had rescued earlier did not make it back up with us. 

We have found Goldmoon and the staff!  She was somehow transported to the statue of Mishakal by the light. 

We depart the ruins with haste.  We must get back to Solace and warn of the coming army.  After several hours of walking to the west we stop to rest for a moment.  Back to the east, I notice a storm on the horizon.  To the west, I notice smoke arising into the area where Solace is located.  Panic fills me as I speculate we may be too late to warn the people of Solace.  I am afraid for my family, and for the woman I am captivated by.  

Dragonlance Adventures!

Takhisis, Queen of Darkness.

We've been preparing for the next leg of our tour of the Crystal Spheres with a definite classic:  Dragonlance Adventures!  Say what you like about the saga, about the quality of it's adventures or the mary-sue connotations of the novels - but I'll say this for certain:  Dragonlance definitely has it's own feel when put beside the other AD&D 1e settings.  Most of my players have never read a Dragonlance novel, and after putting a session together I realize that those that have won't have any special advantage over those that haven't other than knowing a little more of the background.

We put it on the table which game would be run after our Greyhawk debacle, and it was decided we would stick with AD&D 1e, true to form, and go on to Krynn.  Like the other 1e campaign, this is all designed to bring us up to date in the world with regards to how systems and modules have evolved.  However, Dragonlance differs from Greyhawk greatly not only in terms of setting, but atmosphere and style as well.

For the next several weeks we'll be playing the original modules with the original ruleset.  Next Sunday will be our second session, and I'm looking forward to it greatly.  Of course, I've collected and read many Dragonlance novels over the years, but last year I passed them on to a friend so he could experience the saga as well.  Yet, I never actually had a chance to play the original modules.  All that shall be rectified this year!

Good luck to our adventurers...there won't be as many "respawn" options in this campaign.  The saga deserves more than that, so there's a healthy metagame aspect to this series as well.  If too many important player characters get killed off - well there's not really anything to be done about it.  Consider this hardcore mode.  Meanwhile, you can check out the new adventure log in the Dragonlance State of Play!

See you on Game Day!