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FUNERAL PROCESSION by Mark A. Hart For months, the brutal serial killer Crimson stalked the streets of Saltmarsh,preying on dozens of men and women. Now the murderer lies dead, butalthough justice has been done, the danger has not yet passed. A soul as wickedand deprived as Crimson’s does not rest quietly, and the local cult of Graz’zt has
plans for the coming monstrosity. A D&D adventure for 1st-level characters.
CHAINS OF BLACKMAW by Nicolas LogueFramed by the Covenant of the Knife and thrown into the notorious BlackmawPrison, Karl Manderholm awaits his execution at the hands of the deadly assassin’sguild. In order to save him, the PCs must enter Blackmaw in the guise of lowlyprisoners and expose the one man who can clear Karl’s name, the Shadowmasterhimself. A D&D adventure for 10th-level characters.
DAWN OF A NEW AGE by Tito LeatiAlhaster is in flames, choking on the poison mists of the Wormgod’s first tentative
breaths on the Material Plane. The Age ofWorms has begun, and unless the PCs cankill a god, this new age will be dark indeedAn Age of Worms Adventure Path finalescenario for 20th-level characters.
Conversion notes for Agath Harpell (Agathof Thrunch), Bane (Hextor), djinni (vaati),Kelemvor (Wee Jas), Longsaddle (Magepoint),Malchor Harpell (Manzorian), Mintarn(Alhaster), Myrkul (Vecna), Shattered Scepterof Calim (Rod of Seven Parts), and Tempus
(Kord) have already been mentioned in con- version sidebars for earlier adventures in theadventure path.
Tomb of HorrorsThe Tomb of Horrors lies in the depths of theMarsh of Chelimber (Vast Swamp).
Jergal’s PlotAs noted earlier, the Realms conversion of the Age of Worms has a meta-plot, touchedon most strongly in the Realms conversion of “The Spire of Long Shadows.” As this adven-
ture begins and the PCs return to Longsad-dle, have Malchor Harpell inform them of two disturbing reports. In the waters off thecoast of Waterdeep, a colossal undead crea-ture, infested with green worms, has formedfrom the dust of Myrkul’s avatar, which for-merly littered the sea floor west of MountWaterdeep. Downstream of Boareskyr Bridge,a colossal water elemental dripping withgreen worms, has formed from the eternallypoisoned waters downstream of BoareskyrBridge. Both avatars are leaving wide swathsof death and destruction in their wake. Mal-chor Harpell does not know how these mani-
festations tie in to the return of the Worm-god, but the PC who received the secondary
visions in “The Spire of Long Shadows” likelyhas a very good idea.
What If They Fail?If the PCs fail to slay Kyuss, the Age of Wormsunfolds as outlined in the adventure. How-ever, reports soon surface that followers of Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul have begun openlyserving the Wormgod. If you continue thecampaign, the church of Bane grows in powerin strength, while the churches of Bhaal andMyrkul undergo a rapid resurgence. The
churches of other gods begin to fade, as theirfollowers abandon them in droves. A�er sev-eral months, the four churches begin to speakof Jergal as the Overgod of Death. The churchof Jergal begins to grow rapidly, and Bane,Bhaal, Kyuss, and Myrkul are openly referredto as his Four Horsemen. The Age of Wormsconsumes the F R.
RUNNING “DAWN OF A NEW AGE” IN THE FORGOTTEN REALMS by Eric L. Boyd
“Dawn of a New Age” is the final chapter inthe Age of Worms. The Lords of Dust standon the verge of victory, as the Wormgod—the union of the necromancer Kyuss and theoverlord Katashka—is finally released ontothe world.
As it is the culmination of all that has gone before, little direct conversion needs to bedone; DMs should refer to the previous con-
version notes, especially the sidebar for “ThePrince of Redhand.” However, there are a fewimportant things to consider.
Epic PowerIn the Ebrro Campaign Setting, charactersof epic power are rare. Beings with this levelof power exist, but they are mostly dragons,outsiders, and other creatures who stay hid-den in the shadows. As the PCs rise to 20th-
level and above, they are taking their placeamong the legends of Khorvaire. This has nomechanical impact on the adventure; it’s sim-ply a matter of presentation. Common folkwill be rightfully awed by the powers wielded
by the PCs. Ninth-level spells, artifacts—theseare things people know only from legends,and the sight of a meteor swarm shouldinspire awe and amazement. The DM shouldemphasize the truly heroic stature of the PCs,and the fact that they are carving out a placein history with their actions.
Manzorian and his ChamberAs mentioned in the conversion notes for “TheChampion’s Belt,” Manzorian is a dragon andagent of the Chamber, a representative of themighty nations of Argonnessen. It is possiblethat he will reveal his allegiance, or that PCswill determine his true nature through magicor cunning. If this comes to pass, PCs mayrightfully ask why the dragons don’t bringthe full force of Argonnessen to bear againstthe rise of the Wormgod. Manzorian repliesthat the affairs of dragons are never easy tounderstand. The Chamber has debated thematter, studying the tangled threads of the
Draconic Prophecy, and by majority vote hasdecided to let the Age of Worms come to pass.It will cause terror and devastation amongthe nations of Khorvaire, but centuries fromnow, it will produce an outcome many of the dragons see as desirable, and worth theloss. Manzorian is one of the few dissent-ers. He believes that there is another path tothe future the dragons seek… but it can onlycome to pass if the PCs personally face the
Wormgod and defeat him. So Manzorian cansupport the PCs: but the adventurers are theheroes destined to face this challenge, and inthe end, they must stand alone.
A Clerical Dispute
The conversion notes for “The Prince of Red-hand” equated Dol Dorn to Kord, and theDeep Brethren—a pirate faith combiningthe worship of the Devourer and the Mock-ery—to the Church of Hextor. The priest-hood of Wee Jas should be replaced with theWatchful Rest, a sect that reveres Aureon andthe Keeper. Followers of the Watchful Rest
believe that the Keeper claims the souls of heroes and preserves them for a great con-flict that lies ahead. High Priestess AlmerahKosen takes this a step farther and claims thatshe can obtain the favor of the Keeper (andsanctuary from the oblivion of Dolurrh) for
those that make suitable offerings. As such,her mercenary behavior in this dispute isfairly typical.
The Death of KyussAs an overlord, Katashka cannot be killed, butKyuss—his anchor to the mortal plane—can
be. When Kyuss is killed and the monolithdestroyed, Katashka’s essence returns to itsdragonshard prison deep beneath the earth,where he was bound in the Age of Demons.He may yet rise again; perhaps Lashonnawill become his new avatar in the next mil-
lennium. In any case, while the overlordKatashka cannot be destroyed, Kyuss can beslain, and that is sufficient to end the Age of Worms.
AftermathPrevious conversion notes have placedRedhand in the Lhazaar Principalities. Thecontest of champions has precedent in thepolitics of the Principalities, and with theirepic power, the PCs should have little troublesecuring their claim… especially given thegratitude of the common folk toward theirsaviors. The adventurers will have to learn the
political currents of the Principalities. Theywill find a new game afoot, where they may beon an equal footing with Kaius and Boraneland approached by the emissaries of dragon-marked houses and Inspired ambassadors.It’s not a life for every adventurer, but it isa chance to explore a new side of E.And should the Last War begin once more,every king will want the heroes of Redhandat his side!
RUNNING “DAWN OF A NEW AGE” IN EBERRON by Keith Baker