adventure in campaign book any good? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 static-avenger Jul 27, 2009 16:02:45	anyone tried the adventure from the campaign guide yet?is it good for ppl's 1st foray into ebberon?anything i should be wary with using it?is it good/fun?
#2 ziptie_dup Jul 27, 2009 20:14:38	I haven't run it yet but I am looking forward to it. It looks like solid entry adventure and, unlike the one in the FRCG that's very generic, feels very much like an Eberron adventure.
#3 Nived Jul 27, 2009 21:38:12	My only complaint is... I have no real sense of the antagonist. He really isn't fleshed out at all, a madman, and not even a particularly interesting madman.
#4 Dfranco83 Aug 31, 2009 22:52:22	I ran that adventure, but I tweaked it fit more to tie in the Emerald Claw as the main protagonists. It went pretty well until the last encounter, it was almost a TPK. However, the plucky halfling rogue slave did a daring move and turned the tide in their favor. It was pretty good, but I would recommend tweaking a few things story wise so its more cohesive if you are planning a campaign.
#5 wiley15 Sep 04, 2009 13:23:27	I and my PCs enjoyed it. The final fight can be made very memorable with some additions -- out of control sky-coach, encouraging the leaps until the sleds, etc. Note that placing the characters just at the border of Cyre on the day of mourning can mess up some of the Player's written histories.
#6 tholias Sep 07, 2009 4:08:24	I just ran part one a few days ago. Even though my players wanted various different backgrounds (though many of them, thankfully decided that Breland was good place to be) I was able to get them together in a mostly satisfying way. For one player, who really wanted to be involved with airships, I added an airship crash and had her character look around for aid/supplies (basically, a modified "Scouting the Tower" Hook). For another, who wanted to play a crooked Brelish politician spying for Cyre, I made up a storyline where he was making his East in order to perform a bunch of speeches to soldiers (both for the publicity and possible votes). I was able to fit in another character, who wanted to me a Lightning Rail Marshal, as his bodyguard/attache for the trip. The Tower was meant to be a rendevous point to meet Bren ir'Gadden, who was intending to divulge to the politician state secrets when he was ambushed. So, I guess that was a long paragraph explaining that, with a little play, you can get the back stories to fit the key points of the plot line. Right now, I'm getting feedback for what the characters are doing in the four year period between part one and the rest of the adventure. I'm pretty excited to see what I'll need to invent to get them together again for the fun :D
#7 SpacyRicochet Dec 09, 2009 7:55:23	I am currently playing this adventure and it has worked pretty well so far. I'm doing it in evenings, so I'll probably finish it up next session (3rd session). I got the characters together by having all of them have a different mission or reason to be in Cyre (including a poor airship sailor that crashed near the tower). The other hooks such as 'Investigate the Prophecy' work pretty well too. As for the 4-year gap. I let them work out their histories up to the Memorial Day and just gave them a 4-year behind reason to be in Cyre. They don't really got to know each other there, but I let them if they wanted. Also, Lord Mayor Bren ir'Gadden is now officially the coolest NPC evah. I haven't managed to miss with him yet, shouting battle cries as he slaughtered two zombie minions with only his sword. Now my characters have nicknamed him 'Lord Mayhem'. I also added him to the Solo encounter and that was the first time they saw him shoot arcane energy from his hands, while shouting obscenities at the Solo, before he got knocked off the roof and survived. My players are awed. I'm keeping him in.
#8 meshon Dec 11, 2009 10:00:27	Our group just finished that adventure and it worked very well. I think the players really enjoyed having that connection to the Mourning. I played up the contacts they have made, from Bren ir'Gadden to the nobles at the ceremony. They are also getting recognition from both the Sharn council and the University for stopping the mass destruction of Dalannan tower. I would recommend going through the adventure and adding elements to it right from the beginning. I added 3 NPCs in the military camp before the first encounter who all have the hidden agendas and intrigue that Eberron delivers so well. The set up (long): NOTE: The coloured sections in italics were tailored to each character so not all the players saw the whole prologue. I gave each character a reason for going to the tower and being in the area, even if it was vague. Show Two weeks ago the soldiers of Ironfist Company broke through the Cyran line south of Kennrun in a midnight raid and sped east. Barely resting they marched, reaching camp Cragwatch three days later. They took the outpost totally unawares and occupied it. They fought the next day against Cyran forces from the Kennrun garrison to the west that pursued them, but as rumours of the approaching 12th Sharn Guards regiment reached Kennrun, those forces retreated to defend their city. Now Ironfist Company faced Cyran reinforcements from the east who sought to come to the aid of their embattled city. For two days they held off the Cyran forces until the Brelish regiment overran Kennrun. Of the five platoons of Ironfist company, only two remained, and those were both at less than half strength. Just forty soldiers under lieutenant Korvina formed the welcome to the Guards when the Cyrans were forced to retreat. Now Cragwatch has swelled with the influx of Brelish soldiers and Thranish allies preparing for a massive assault on the Cyran border along the Saerun Road. Far below to the east Cyran forces are gathering to defend their country from the armies on their doorstep. Kalashtar Artificer: The last time you were in the company of another Kalashtar, he told you of a place near the Cyran border called the Tower of Scars. He was in battle as part of the Cyran army near there not long ago and swears something called to his Quori soul as he passed near the tower. The tide of battle turned and prevented him from ever investigating further. As a Cannith tinker you can find welcome with any military force and so you have traveled here to find the tower. You have been listening for rumours of the place and are quite certain it lies not far away, further up in the mountains. Goliath Warden: Following the promised challenge of great battles to come, you have found easy employ as a mercenary with the Brelish forces. Of all the nations, Breland is the most welcoming of outsiders like you. But lately your dreams have been troubled. Something is amiss in the very stones and air in this place. Something terrible is coming. Changeling Warlock: The money is good. At least there's that. You have easily found work even amongst the theocratic Thranes. WIth your particular skills you are adept at uncovering hidden enemies and dealing with them. Enemies like the Emerald Claw. You still don't know what the Emerald Claw really wants; to the Karrns they were heroes, until their flagrant disregard for tradition and proper command lost them favour. Now they lurk in the shadows, occasionally emerging to wreck havoc wherever they appear. To the Thranes the Claw is a bitter enemy and you have accompanied the Thranish forces as a guard against their sinister agents. House Sivis Gnome Wizard: Somewhere nearby is the Tower of Scars, and your house seems to think there might be something worth finding there – nothing less than a piece of the draconic prophecy. However, this is wartime, and, being pragmatic, you have been trying to persuade lieutenant Korvina that she should send a team to investigate. A team that includes you, of course. Half-Elf Bard: Major Bren ir'Gadden enjoys influence far greater than his rank might suggest. He knows everything worth knowing about Brelish operations in the area, and a good deal about the Cyrans as well. All this makes his disappearance two days ago particularly disturbing to the Brelish command. Since news of his disappearance might hurt morale, you have kept the knowledge secret, speaking about it only with the local camp's commanding officer. In speaking with the soldiers, who quickly warm up to your poems and stirring songs, you have gathered information on the area and what has been happening recently. It seems likely that a ruined tower not far away might be a good place to begin your investigations into ir'Gadden's vanishing act. Warforged Fighter: You are one of the few. When other soldiers died breaking through the line at Kerrun you lived. When your comrades were laid low assaulting Camp Cragwatch, you crushed the enemy. While good men and women fell defending the camp against the Cyran onslaught, you stood resolute. You were among the forty that stood at the shattered gates when the main force arrived. You have watched as soldiers marched off to war in the east. And you waited for your turn to join them. And waited. Not all the recent arrivals at Camp Cragwatch are common soldiers. A Cannith tinker has set up her forge to repair some of the war machines to be used in the coming assault. Though extremely skilled at her work, her eyes often stray to the peaks above the camp and she stands still, as though lost in a dream. She looks almost human, but has an otherworldly air about her. A huge hulking humanoid with mottled skin towers over the other soldiers that remain in the camp. Though clearly a warrior, he seems more interested in the earth and sky than in the battles below. The chill air and occasional snowfalls do not seem to bother him, though he seems to delight in challenging the other soldiers to running or climbing contests, and he tends to win. A dark robed man, dressed more like a scout than a soldier keeps his face often hidden beneath his hooded cloak. Only a few people have really seen his face and no one can agree on what he looks like. Perhaps because those few who meet his gaze quickly avert their eyes. A small arcanist, a gnome of Zliargo has recently come to the camp. She makes no secret of her affiliation with House Sivis, but whether she is a diplomat, a messenger, or something more secret none can say. She can swear in four languages, which makes her immensely popular among the soldiers. A half-elf courier appeared not long ago, and he was immediately granted an audience with lieutenant Korvina. No news was forthcoming from her about what message he brought, but his musical ability and talent for verse has emboldened many of the young recruits now marching to find their destiny on the fields of battle below. Though he has been at the camp since you arrived, Lieutenant Korvina's warforged guard is an imposing presence. None see his mistress until she gives him the word. A gregarious dwarf, looking more like a merchant than a soldier seems to have an endless supply of ale for soldiers who are willing to put up with his endless chatter. He asks a lot of questions; perhaps he is a writer for the Sharn Inquisitve or even the Korranberg Chronicle. Yesterday the last of the infantry marched out towards the immanent battle to the east. Skirmishes have already been fought, sometimes visible from your high vantage point in the camp. Though the invasion force is strong, the Cyran defenders fight on their home ground. In all, some 50,000 troops prepare for slaughter on the fields below. And you are not among them. In the early dawn a lone rider arrived at the camp. It was lieutenant Korvina, alone and badly injured, sole survivor of a patrol. Something must be afoot for the commanding officer to ride out of the camp, so you are not entirely surprised when you are summoned to her tent. Lieutenant Korvina greets you. She is a battle-hardened woman of middle years, and the soldiers under her command seem to think very highly of her. Her usually stern face grimaces in pain, and you see several bandages on her limbs. She also bears some strange welts across her face, angry red. Kalashter Artificer: "I've seen you looking up into the peaks, Kalashtar, and I think I have an idea of what you may be seeking. I have appreciated your forge-work here the past few days, but I have a task now which may find some of your less mundane skills useful. Up in those peaks you look at there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I am putting together a team to scout it, and I would appreciate it if you could accompany them." Goliath Warden: "Greetings Goliath. I once met your people, years ago in the Eldeen Reaches. I respect your prowess, and your dedication to the natural world. I know you would be a welcome addition to the Brelish forces as we assault Cyre, but first I have a challenge you may be interested in. Up in the peaks there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I would like you to lead a team up the paths behind this camp and investigate the tower." Changeling Warlock: "Hello friend. I know you aren't officially with the Brelish forces, but I have some intelligence that may be of interest to you. Not long ago our scouts spotted what might be an Emerald Claw force coming up the mountain paths from the Cyran side. I say might, because our scout was not certain that the insignia he spotted belongs to that order. However, it is almost certain that their objective is a ruined tower that lies in the peaks above this camp. I am sure you recognize the importance of keeping an enemy force away from such a valuable position." Gnome Wizard: "Greetings emissary. I have taken your words under advisement, and I have decided to send a team to investigate that tower you spoke to me of. You are welcome to join them. Our purposes align." Half-elf Bard: "Welcome, courier. I am prepared to act upon the news you brought me. I have an idea where our missing major might be found. Of course, I think you may have managed to gather the same information while giving heart to our troops. For that I thank you. I hope I can include you in the team I am sending to investigate the ruined tower that lies in the peaks above us?" Warforged Fighter: "My stalwart guard. Though your face does not show it, I know you are wondering why you have not yet been sent to join the battle to the east. You may yet get your chance, and our side would do well to have you. You have proven yourself many times over. Our King has declared that the Warforged are to be treated as full citizens of Breland once this war has ended. In respect of that decree, and of the dedication you have shown, what I am about to say is a request, not an order." "There is a tower nearby, up in the peaks above this camp. I am sending a team to investigate it. But I have a special task for you. I have reason to believe that, hidden in the ruins, there is a weapon, a legendary spear from the early days of this war. I want you to search the ruins for it and, if you find it, bring it back to me. It will aid our cause, I am certain." "The tower's strategic value is undeniable. The view over the battlefield to the east is nearly perfect from that spot. But it may be held by the enemy. We don't know what is up there, but I want you to go find out, claim the tower, and report back here to me." In the dim light of the early morning, the team assembles, and prepares to investigate the ruined tower that lies hidden in the peaks above, while the fate of nations is decided in battle far below.

Show

Two weeks ago the soldiers of Ironfist Company broke through the Cyran line south of Kennrun in a midnight raid and sped east. Barely resting they marched, reaching camp Cragwatch three days later. They took the outpost totally unawares and occupied it. They fought the next day against Cyran forces from the Kennrun garrison to the west that pursued them, but as rumours of the approaching 12th Sharn Guards regiment reached Kennrun, those forces retreated to defend their city. Now Ironfist Company faced Cyran reinforcements from the east who sought to come to the aid of their embattled city. For two days they held off the Cyran forces until the Brelish regiment overran Kennrun.

Of the five platoons of Ironfist company, only two remained, and those were both at less than half strength. Just forty soldiers under lieutenant Korvina formed the welcome to the Guards when the Cyrans were forced to retreat.

Now Cragwatch has swelled with the influx of Brelish soldiers and Thranish allies preparing for a massive assault on the Cyran border along the Saerun Road. Far below to the east Cyran forces are gathering to defend their country from the armies on their doorstep.

Kalashtar Artificer: The last time you were in the company of another Kalashtar, he told you of a place near the Cyran border called the Tower of Scars. He was in battle as part of the Cyran army near there not long ago and swears something called to his Quori soul as he passed near the tower. The tide of battle turned and prevented him from ever investigating further. As a Cannith tinker you can find welcome with any military force and so you have traveled here to find the tower. You have been listening for rumours of the place and are quite certain it lies not far away, further up in the mountains.

Goliath Warden: Following the promised challenge of great battles to come, you have found easy employ as a mercenary with the Brelish forces. Of all the nations, Breland is the most welcoming of outsiders like you. But lately your dreams have been troubled. Something is amiss in the very stones and air in this place. Something terrible is coming.

Changeling Warlock: The money is good. At least there's that. You have easily found work even amongst the theocratic Thranes. WIth your particular skills you are adept at uncovering hidden enemies and dealing with them. Enemies like the Emerald Claw. You still don't know what the Emerald Claw really wants; to the Karrns they were heroes, until their flagrant disregard for tradition and proper command lost them favour. Now they lurk in the shadows, occasionally emerging to wreck havoc wherever they appear. To the Thranes the Claw is a bitter enemy and you have accompanied the Thranish forces as a guard against their sinister agents.

House Sivis Gnome Wizard: Somewhere nearby is the Tower of Scars, and your house seems to think there might be something worth finding there – nothing less than a piece of the draconic prophecy. However, this is wartime, and, being pragmatic, you have been trying to persuade lieutenant Korvina that she should send a team to investigate. A team that includes you, of course.

Half-Elf Bard: Major Bren ir'Gadden enjoys influence far greater than his rank might suggest. He knows everything worth knowing about Brelish operations in the area, and a good deal about the Cyrans as well. All this makes his disappearance two days ago particularly disturbing to the Brelish command. Since news of his disappearance might hurt morale, you have kept the knowledge secret, speaking about it only with the local camp's commanding officer. In speaking with the soldiers, who quickly warm up to your poems and stirring songs, you have gathered information on the area and what has been happening recently. It seems likely that a ruined tower not far away might be a good place to begin your investigations into ir'Gadden's vanishing act.

Warforged Fighter: You are one of the few. When other soldiers died breaking through the line at Kerrun you lived. When your comrades were laid low assaulting Camp Cragwatch, you crushed the enemy. While good men and women fell defending the camp against the Cyran onslaught, you stood resolute. You were among the forty that stood at the shattered gates when the main force arrived. You have watched as soldiers marched off to war in the east. And you waited for your turn to join them. And waited.

Not all the recent arrivals at Camp Cragwatch are common soldiers.

A Cannith tinker has set up her forge to repair some of the war machines to be used in the coming assault. Though extremely skilled at her work, her eyes often stray to the peaks above the camp and she stands still, as though lost in a dream. She looks almost human, but has an otherworldly air about her.

A huge hulking humanoid with mottled skin towers over the other soldiers that remain in the camp. Though clearly a warrior, he seems more interested in the earth and sky than in the battles below. The chill air and occasional snowfalls do not seem to bother him, though he seems to delight in challenging the other soldiers to running or climbing contests, and he tends to win.

A dark robed man, dressed more like a scout than a soldier keeps his face often hidden beneath his hooded cloak. Only a few people have really seen his face and no one can agree on what he looks like. Perhaps because those few who meet his gaze quickly avert their eyes.

A small arcanist, a gnome of Zliargo has recently come to the camp. She makes no secret of her affiliation with House Sivis, but whether she is a diplomat, a messenger, or something more secret none can say. She can swear in four languages, which makes her immensely popular among the soldiers.

A half-elf courier appeared not long ago, and he was immediately granted an audience with lieutenant Korvina. No news was forthcoming from her about what message he brought, but his musical ability and talent for verse has emboldened many of the young recruits now marching to find their destiny on the fields of battle below.

Though he has been at the camp since you arrived, Lieutenant Korvina's warforged guard is an imposing presence. None see his mistress until she gives him the word.

A gregarious dwarf, looking more like a merchant than a soldier seems to have an endless supply of ale for soldiers who are willing to put up with his endless chatter. He asks a lot of questions; perhaps he is a writer for the Sharn Inquisitve or even the Korranberg Chronicle.

Yesterday the last of the infantry marched out towards the immanent battle to the east. Skirmishes have already been fought, sometimes visible from your high vantage point in the camp. Though the invasion force is strong, the Cyran defenders fight on their home ground. In all, some 50,000 troops prepare for slaughter on the fields below. And you are not among them.

In the early dawn a lone rider arrived at the camp. It was lieutenant Korvina, alone and badly injured, sole survivor of a patrol. Something must be afoot for the commanding officer to ride out of the camp, so you are not entirely surprised when you are summoned to her tent.

Lieutenant Korvina greets you. She is a battle-hardened woman of middle years, and the soldiers under her command seem to think very highly of her. Her usually stern face grimaces in pain, and you see several bandages on her limbs. She also bears some strange welts across her face, angry red.

Kalashter Artificer: "I've seen you looking up into the peaks, Kalashtar, and I think I have an idea of what you may be seeking. I have appreciated your forge-work here the past few days, but I have a task now which may find some of your less mundane skills useful. Up in those peaks you look at there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I am putting together a team to scout it, and I would appreciate it if you could accompany them."

Goliath Warden: "Greetings Goliath. I once met your people, years ago in the Eldeen Reaches. I respect your prowess, and your dedication to the natural world. I know you would be a welcome addition to the Brelish forces as we assault Cyre, but first I have a challenge you may be interested in. Up in the peaks there is a tower, a ruin from the early days of this war. I would like you to lead a team up the paths behind this camp and investigate the tower."

Changeling Warlock: "Hello friend. I know you aren't officially with the Brelish forces, but I have some intelligence that may be of interest to you. Not long ago our scouts spotted what might be an Emerald Claw force coming up the mountain paths from the Cyran side. I say might, because our scout was not certain that the insignia he spotted belongs to that order. However, it is almost certain that their objective is a ruined tower that lies in the peaks above this camp. I am sure you recognize the importance of keeping an enemy force away from such a valuable position."

Gnome Wizard: "Greetings emissary. I have taken your words under advisement, and I have decided to send a team to investigate that tower you spoke to me of. You are welcome to join them. Our purposes align."

Half-elf Bard: "Welcome, courier. I am prepared to act upon the news you brought me. I have an idea where our missing major might be found. Of course, I think you may have managed to gather the same information while giving heart to our troops. For that I thank you. I hope I can include you in the team I am sending to investigate the ruined tower that lies in the peaks above us?"

Warforged Fighter: "My stalwart guard. Though your face does not show it, I know you are wondering why you have not yet been sent to join the battle to the east. You may yet get your chance, and our side would do well to have you. You have proven yourself many times over. Our King has declared that the Warforged are to be treated as full citizens of Breland once this war has ended. In respect of that decree, and of the dedication you have shown, what I am about to say is a request, not an order."
"There is a tower nearby, up in the peaks above this camp. I am sending a team to investigate it. But I have a special task for you. I have reason to believe that, hidden in the ruins, there is a weapon, a legendary spear from the early days of this war. I want you to search the ruins for it and, if you find it, bring it back to me. It will aid our cause, I am certain."

"The tower's strategic value is undeniable. The view over the battlefield to the east is nearly perfect from that spot. But it may be held by the enemy. We don't know what is up there, but I want you to go find out, claim the tower, and report back here to me."

In the dim light of the early morning, the team assembles, and prepares to investigate the ruined tower that lies hidden in the peaks above, while the fate of nations is decided in battle far below.