As the campaign opens, the PCs all find themselves in a strange place, without any memory of who they are, or how they came to be there. There is a deep mist in the area, and they find themselves in a ring of stones, each stone with a particular mark on it. Each of the PCs have a mark upon them somewhere on their body, corresponding to the stone they find themselves standing next to. There is a feeling of safety, of calmness, even though they have no idea what is going on. As they start to speak to each other, they find out that they are all alike in that they cannot remember what has happened. The PCs discover that they are:
- Sorin, a half-Elf summoner who is enmeshed with his eidolon
- Grokmish Bone-Parde, a half-Orc war cleric
- Gorric Uldren, a Dwarf rogue
- Gerrard Gray, a Human alchemist
- Cy Lar, a Human wizard
- Aveldrin Rilynntyr, an Elf Ranger
As they talk, a voice echoes in the mist, a voice that is familiar, and yet strange, and the stones begin to vibrate gently. The voice speaks:
“The time of the Equinox is come. My children… I am sorry. I have done what must be done. You deserve answers. I am far… too far from you. You must learn who you are. The land is yours. The people are yours.
This place is sacred to you. Sacred to the stars that you are. There are other places like this. From the time when people remembered. Heed me now. If any of you should fall, then bear him to the stones, and the soul will be able to the enter the flesh… once again. But make haste, for flesh that is spoiled can never be made whole again.
Know this. There is a force against you. Already it gathers, already it senses your return. Seek the sword of Starkweather John… it lies near, waiting to be claimed… when that is found… you may begin to understand, to remember.”
The voice fades, and the mist slowly lifts. The PCs find themselves upon a small island, and Goric somehow feels as if this place is known to him: they are on an island called Chillhame, to the west of the the continent of Arkossa. To the north is the sea, to the west a small mining town called Bronce, to the east a windmill, and to the south some rotting wooden structures. There is a crossing to the mainland from the island, but it looks as if it will be covered by the rising tide, so the PCs start to leave, to discover who they are and why they are here.
As they attempt to leave the circle, a half-dozen shadowy shapes emerge from the ground, and the party finds themselves set upon by shadow goblins. A brief battle ensues, but the party survives, although they take a little damage. The shadowy figures melt back into the ground after being dispatched, and the party heals up quickly and moves towards the town.
Bronce is a town in decline, with buildings in a state of collapse or that are rundown. There is a small church on the outskirts of town, a well in the center of town, an inn called The Golden Nugget and an open store on the way into town. The old woman that sits outside the store panics when she sees Sorin and Grokmish near, and she runs in and bolts her door closed, watching them enter the town from behind her window. Goric, Gerrard and Cy enter The Golden Nugget, and are met with apathy and distrust, and they ask for the name of whoever is in charge. They are told there is no mayor or headsman, but the person in charge is a constable called Davan Gaskell.
After this, Grokmish asks Aveldrin to go to the store and purchase some items for him. Aveldrin convinces the shopkeeper to open up for him and he buys the items in question. He also finds out that there have been sightings of orcs and goblins on the island, although as always, they steer clear of Bronce. There have been no sightings of shadow goblins though.
Cy, Gerrard and Grokmish then head to the church, which they find it in disarray: the roof is gone, and it is overgrown. There is little left apart from a stone altar and a large wooden statue of the goddess Blediwesse. Grokmish feels a tugging at him, a longing, a touch of something divine and powerful. The voice from the stones speaks out saying “Yes. Yes. It is near.” Grokmish lifts the lid of the altar but finds that it is empty, but the pull is still strong. There is something here for him, and him specifically.
At the center of the town, Sorin and Goric wait for the others to return when four thuggish men approach and threaten them. The leader, a man called Jim, tells them that they have until sundown to leave town. Goric enquires after constable Gaskell, but none of them are him. At this point, Aveldrin leaves the shop to see the confrontation, but stays back out of sight, ready to help our from a distance if needed. As Jim threatens the group once more, an older man and younger man, both dressed in armor and wearing badges of office approach and tells Jim and the others to move along. Jim and his thugs do so reluctantly, and the older man introduces himself as the constable.
Perhaps now the PCs can get some answers as to where they are, why they are here, and who they are.
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
One of my favorite all-time modules from the early days of gaming is S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. In the past year I had the opportunity to enjoy a more modern version of this classic adventure as a player, using the D&D 3.5 rules and played online via Infrno.net. However, while I enjoyed this, there’s something to be said for playing original content with the original system it was created for, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. That’s why I’m stoked that I’m going to be running this module during the summer as an old school game for my kids and some friends.
I like to start projects off by making the cover page because it makes the product more real to me, clearly identifies in my head, and makes me focus on working on it.
