TheDarkSaint
2013-06-08, 08:18 AM
I decided a while ago to be a lazy DM and prep my adventure using modules. I selected the Sunless Citadel series because it is a classic and easily adaptable to fit all the modules together for a 1-20 level experience. I'm starting this log to keep track of going through it with my 6 friends from around the world.
I'll be referencing events that happen in the module as if you have already read it or are reading it.
Cast:
Alistair: Lesser Assimar Cleric of Pelor. (Cloistered Cleric)
Alder: Human Crusader for Pelor
Mal: Human Rogue (stone cutter and explorer)
Nathan: Gnomish Bard
Tiberious: Human Sorcerer
Dirk: Human Fighter
They had the following restrictions. 22 point buy for Tier 1&2. 25 Point Buy for Tier 3, 28 point buy for Tier 4.
The cleric is looking to be a Radiant Servent of Pelor and picking up Divine Metamagic. (I'll be watching this closely). The Crusdader is part of a new order for Pelor. Paladin aspirants who couldn't be wise enough were made into Crusaders. Adler often protects the physically weaker Alistair.
Mal the Rouge is looking to become a Dungeon Delver PrC while Tiberious is looking at playing around with meta-magic to become a Mailman. Dirk and Nathan don't have well developed back stories yet.
I gave the players the following information about Oakhurst, the town where the adventure starts and they grow up.
Things that you know about Oakhurst
1. Located at the edge of a deep forest. Rumors of Wood Elves surface every once in a while, but no one in town has ever seen one. People say they are reclusive but fierce. Also, 8 feet tall. (most of you don't have Knowledge: Geo so you know the town, but not the surroundings very well)
2. The mayor of the town, Vurnor Leng, was appointed by the Baron Black 15 years ago when the old mayor died of natural causes. Leng is a cautious man and while concerned about the town, won't act unless he has plenty of information. His right hand, Felosial is the Sheriff of town. A half-elf, she has little tolerance for shenanigans and has probably cuffed each one of your more than once when you were younger.
3. Corkie is the oldest member of Oakhurst at 92 years old. The gnome has seen two generations come and go. A gifted and kind hearted cleric of Pelor, she often acts as a mediator between townsfolks disputes. Much of the population considers her the soul of the community as she leads religious services, tends to the sick and helps feed those in hard years. She often advises Mayor Leng.
4. If Corkie is the soul, Kerowyn is the heart. As the only merchant in town, this woman could have a total monopoly on goods and services. Instead, her small shop/inn acts like a magnet for the community where they come to gather, drink and socialize in the winter. Kerowyn is boisterous, fun and kind, often providing helpful motherly advice to those in need.
5. The town is around 500 members. It is far removed from the Baron's castle, some 2 weeks travel on foot to the north. Aside from Mayor Leng, no one has gone there. A tax collector shows up once a year with a cart for collecting goods owed to the Baron.
6. There is a blacksmith, a dwarf named Rurik Lutgehr. He's grumpy and old, prefering to work rather than chat. He has a constant back log of horse shoes, gate hinges and other such metal work that taking time to create actual weapons or armor is a rare event. Most of the weapons and armor you all current wear was handed down to you by parents or you were able to secure it in another town.
7. Oakhurst is slowly dying and people speak of it everyday. 50 years ago, the population was over 1,000 souls. There are few reasons for people to stay, especially if they are young and there haven't been many new people coming to settle down. The land is poor for farming, with the town located so close to the Ashen Plane. (A history, local knowledge or geo check when the game starts will tell you a bit more about the plane)
Poor soil from the Ashen Plane has affected the forest as well, producing scraggly trees who wood comes out warped and almost useless.
The town used to be a way station for the Old Road, which connected Binford (where the baron resides) to other far off countries with odd names like Yak'quth and Durnenahll. The traffic began to dry up after a warren of Goblins settled into the Sunless Citadel, a buried structure from a war long ago.
8. The Sunless Citadel is a 1.5 day walk from Oakhurst and with the arrival of the goblins, people were nervous. In the past, small raids have been driven off easily by Sir Bradford, a Paladin who patrolled large swaths of territory. Sir Bradford was never able to organize enough people for a direct assault on the Citadel and had to content himself to stopping raids.
That all stopped about 13 years ago. A stranger, Belak the Outcast, as he called himself, came through town. Strangers were always welcome in Oakhurst, but Belak stood out in that he had a pet bear who would do tricks for the children. When he started talking about the tree of life in the Citadel though, he was though crazy and was politely shown the way out. He seemed to take no offense to this and thanked the town for the hospitality.
Since he left, there have been no goblin raids. However, something stranger has happened. Sheepherders don’t graze their stock too far afield these days. They’re frightened by stories of new monsters that maraud by night. No one has seen these creatures, nor do they leave a discernible trail; however, sheep who have been caught out alone have been found dead the next day, pierced by dozens of needlelike claws.
Felosial and Sir Bradford have been unable to track or catch these monsters. Because of the lack of Goblin raids, Sir Bradford has been ranging out to help other communities. Currently, he is in town.
I'll be referencing events that happen in the module as if you have already read it or are reading it.
Cast:
Alistair: Lesser Assimar Cleric of Pelor. (Cloistered Cleric)
Alder: Human Crusader for Pelor
Mal: Human Rogue (stone cutter and explorer)
Nathan: Gnomish Bard
Tiberious: Human Sorcerer
Dirk: Human Fighter
They had the following restrictions. 22 point buy for Tier 1&2. 25 Point Buy for Tier 3, 28 point buy for Tier 4.
The cleric is looking to be a Radiant Servent of Pelor and picking up Divine Metamagic. (I'll be watching this closely). The Crusdader is part of a new order for Pelor. Paladin aspirants who couldn't be wise enough were made into Crusaders. Adler often protects the physically weaker Alistair.
Mal the Rouge is looking to become a Dungeon Delver PrC while Tiberious is looking at playing around with meta-magic to become a Mailman. Dirk and Nathan don't have well developed back stories yet.
I gave the players the following information about Oakhurst, the town where the adventure starts and they grow up.
Things that you know about Oakhurst
1. Located at the edge of a deep forest. Rumors of Wood Elves surface every once in a while, but no one in town has ever seen one. People say they are reclusive but fierce. Also, 8 feet tall. (most of you don't have Knowledge: Geo so you know the town, but not the surroundings very well)
2. The mayor of the town, Vurnor Leng, was appointed by the Baron Black 15 years ago when the old mayor died of natural causes. Leng is a cautious man and while concerned about the town, won't act unless he has plenty of information. His right hand, Felosial is the Sheriff of town. A half-elf, she has little tolerance for shenanigans and has probably cuffed each one of your more than once when you were younger.
3. Corkie is the oldest member of Oakhurst at 92 years old. The gnome has seen two generations come and go. A gifted and kind hearted cleric of Pelor, she often acts as a mediator between townsfolks disputes. Much of the population considers her the soul of the community as she leads religious services, tends to the sick and helps feed those in hard years. She often advises Mayor Leng.
4. If Corkie is the soul, Kerowyn is the heart. As the only merchant in town, this woman could have a total monopoly on goods and services. Instead, her small shop/inn acts like a magnet for the community where they come to gather, drink and socialize in the winter. Kerowyn is boisterous, fun and kind, often providing helpful motherly advice to those in need.
5. The town is around 500 members. It is far removed from the Baron's castle, some 2 weeks travel on foot to the north. Aside from Mayor Leng, no one has gone there. A tax collector shows up once a year with a cart for collecting goods owed to the Baron.
6. There is a blacksmith, a dwarf named Rurik Lutgehr. He's grumpy and old, prefering to work rather than chat. He has a constant back log of horse shoes, gate hinges and other such metal work that taking time to create actual weapons or armor is a rare event. Most of the weapons and armor you all current wear was handed down to you by parents or you were able to secure it in another town.
7. Oakhurst is slowly dying and people speak of it everyday. 50 years ago, the population was over 1,000 souls. There are few reasons for people to stay, especially if they are young and there haven't been many new people coming to settle down. The land is poor for farming, with the town located so close to the Ashen Plane. (A history, local knowledge or geo check when the game starts will tell you a bit more about the plane)
Poor soil from the Ashen Plane has affected the forest as well, producing scraggly trees who wood comes out warped and almost useless.
The town used to be a way station for the Old Road, which connected Binford (where the baron resides) to other far off countries with odd names like Yak'quth and Durnenahll. The traffic began to dry up after a warren of Goblins settled into the Sunless Citadel, a buried structure from a war long ago.
8. The Sunless Citadel is a 1.5 day walk from Oakhurst and with the arrival of the goblins, people were nervous. In the past, small raids have been driven off easily by Sir Bradford, a Paladin who patrolled large swaths of territory. Sir Bradford was never able to organize enough people for a direct assault on the Citadel and had to content himself to stopping raids.
That all stopped about 13 years ago. A stranger, Belak the Outcast, as he called himself, came through town. Strangers were always welcome in Oakhurst, but Belak stood out in that he had a pet bear who would do tricks for the children. When he started talking about the tree of life in the Citadel though, he was though crazy and was politely shown the way out. He seemed to take no offense to this and thanked the town for the hospitality.
Since he left, there have been no goblin raids. However, something stranger has happened. Sheepherders don’t graze their stock too far afield these days. They’re frightened by stories of new monsters that maraud by night. No one has seen these creatures, nor do they leave a discernible trail; however, sheep who have been caught out alone have been found dead the next day, pierced by dozens of needlelike claws.
Felosial and Sir Bradford have been unable to track or catch these monsters. Because of the lack of Goblin raids, Sir Bradford has been ranging out to help other communities. Currently, he is in town.