Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Bocklin 01-06-05, 03:26 AM	Dear Forumists, Even though I read the novels and what is available in the source books about the return of the Archwizards, I still did not implement any of these events into my main FR campaign (set in the Silver Marches). I was wondering if any of you had run a specifically "Shade-oriented" campaign and how you did this. I mean a campaign whose actual core is centered around the return of Shade, not just having some Shades make a cameo appearance during an adventure. I'd be very thankful to those of you who would share their experience and stories about their Shade campaigns. Thanks in advance to the posters! :) Bocklin, DM on the look-out for a new orientation to his campaign
Rumil_Silverdawn 01-06-05, 11:36 PM	I am! Currently I'm running a Return of the Archwizards campaign that focuses on the Shades as the main antagonists (though you can't count out those pesky phaerimm). It begins with the non-Elven players being hired to break into a tomb and getting caught by the Evereskan Tomb Gaurd. Their "employer" is actually a Zhentarim trained assasin who stages, and fails, an assasination attempt on a Harper while in Evereska. This is done to keep prying eyes away from Melegaunt's stunt because this assasin has been in contact with and works for a High Arcanist of Shade who has ambitions rivaling that of Hadhrune. The PCs are released and sent away from Evereska once the phaerimm break out and are re-hired by Harpers to track down the Zhent assasin who has, of course, escaped and due to wonderful disguises is actually traveling with the players. I have a very fun scene in which the PCs, while riding Giant Eagles to leave Evereska, barely escape being smashed into the phaerimm deadwall as it rises and then are ambushed, mid-air/fall, by illithids, bugbears, and a very surprised phaerimm. Halfway through the campaign the PCs will find out the true nature of the fall of Netheril and Shade's escape and also discover a shard of a Mythallar. Encounters with the Shadovar will begin there with the Shades searching for the exact thing the PCs have found. I'm hoping to have some Shadow Weave/Shadow Crisis (kinda) interaction with the players as well. That's all I have yet on a general level except for some story tie-in to the campaign that will take place after this one.
Bocklin 01-08-05, 08:15 AM	Thanks for taking the time to write that down! Sounds like an exciting campaign you're running. I haven't quite made up my mind about where to take my players next, but it is definitely useful to hear about how you did it. Thanks again. Bocklin PS: anyone else running a Shade campaign? Does this storyline inspires you for running your games?
Ramar Aulinvox 01-08-05, 03:49 PM	i ran a campaign involving the return of shade. it started in cormyr with a small group of nobles who were befriended by a shadovar wizard that had been abandoned after his patrol was killed. they started out running around until shade returned and then they joined in the battle of evereska until shade backed out and then they were considered traitors by cormyr and defected to shade. from there the adventure went on to epic levels, but it was a lot of fun so i hope it turns out well for you.
Xavier_of_Cormyr 01-10-05, 03:53 AM	I did run a campaign involving the Shadovar. (It's still running, but we're beyond the events of the RotA novels) I basically had the PCs involved in the major events of the novels, w/o having them directly interact with the main players in the novels. The big change I made was having my players present for the final battle of Evereska, and letting them have a hand in mustering Waterdeep's armies to aid the elves. Oh, and Escanor's fate was decided in a stealthy adventure into Myth Drannor :devil: So nothing is dramatically differint in my campaign from that of official FR lore, save for some minor & easily played around details.