DnD Adventures Glantri

Dungeons and Dragons – Mystara

Adventures in Glantri

Adventures in Glantri with help from Wilbur Raknarod, with his Memories of a Life of Adventure, more or less…

“Cowe on, we haven’t got all night. Eh, Luigi, get that pack on the gondola before the constables see us.” As he gives the order, the shady-looking character grabs an old wan by the back of his robes and yanks him aboard the frail gondola. “You come over here and be quiet.”

Meanwhile, Luigi unties the ropes and starts pushing the gondola through the thick nocturnal fog. “You sure we should take this wizard with us? I hope you know what you doin’, Max. He looks old for the job!”

Max and the wizard sit in the gondola cabin. Playing with his knife, Max explains the situation. “This is the deal, old man. All we need you to do is help us get past the wards at the vault. The Fellowship wants the elven lady’s jewels. We get them. Then we split. You just follow us there and be quiet. Clear?”

With a quavering voice, the wizard answers, “I’m not old, and my name is, uh… oh yes! My name is Wilbur, Wilbur Raknarod. I’m glad you asked for help. It’s been a long time since my last adventure. It reminds me of wy first expedition, out there in the Broken Lands. It was sixty-five years ago if I remember, or perhaps sixty-three, I’m not too sure anymore…”

“Oh, be quiet. You’re ain’t here to tell us the story of your life. Just get your pack ready, the tower isn ‘t far now.”

“Humpf” snorts Wilbur, “the younger generation, they think they know it all. A little advice here might help. Yes, I’ll see to it. Now, where did I put that pack?”

Luigi’s gondola silently moves up to the tower’s wall, in a dark corner. While Luigi ties the gondola to a mooring pole, Max swings a grapnel to the top of the tower.

Shouts and laughters echo in the tower. Light glows at all the widows.

“Looks like the Belcadiz are having a party in there!” says Luigi. “You sure we shouldn’t come back some other time?”

”Nah, no problem.” answers Max. “They ‘ll never know we were here. The noise they’re waking will wake our job easier.”

Max’s grapnel falls into the water for the twelfth time. “This tower is higher than I thought. I’m afraid we’ll have to climb.”

“What about the old man?” asks Luigi.

“Hmmm? Talking about me again?” Wilbur comes out of the small cabin. “You think I can’t hold up my end? You think I’m afraid of a little wall-crawling? Well, that reminds me of this expedition we had fifty years ago in the Colossus Mounts. That was climbing; mountain peaks and cliffs like you’ve never seen before!”

A – To the Peak of Wisdom

“Yes, we were looking for the crystal trees, up there in the glaciers. One night, great fire balls fell from the sky and hit the mountain above our camp. It caused a huge avalanche and the next I remember, we were in bed, a dozen Ethengarian yellow faces looking at us! In fact, we had been rescued by mystics, these strange fellows who live high in our mountains: The Hospice of the Mystic Healers.

“They told us we were sick and we couldn’t leave before they gave us a cure. We had been exposed to strange spores coming from the fire ball. They were afraid of spreading the disease down at Lhamsa.

“But someone among the mystics was stalking us. We managed to find our foe, an Ethengarian priest and a dozen followers! They were victims of the same avalanche that got us. It was about then that we learned the mystics had a cure, but not enough for both the Ethengarians and us. We were getting weaker and it was the wrong season to find the right medicinal plants.

“So, claiming neutrality, the mystics organized a duel between the Ethengarians and us, in their special training room. Only the survivors would have the cure. The room was a bottomless pit with swaying vertical wooden beams coming up to our ledge. We had to jump from one beam to another and fight our opponents, while being weak and dizzy from the disease. We won. They let us go, but in exchange for our silence on the incident, they agreed to deliver saplings of the crystal trees in Lhamsa, whenever we would need them.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Peak of Wisdom)

“Will ya be quiet and climb that wall, ya old windbag?” snarls Max.

“Eh? Watch your language, young man! Me, climb a wall? Who do you take me for? Let’s see, what was chat fly spell… Ah, yes!” The old wizard mumbles and gestures bizarrely. “Here! And away we go!”

The two befuddled thieves watch a fiery projectile shoot forth from Wilbur’s ringer tips, flying high into the sky and producing a large ball of fire.

“Ah! That’s how it is done! I’ve been looking for this one for a long time,” says Wilbur with a large smile.

The two thieves duck into a dark corner of the tower as an elf sticks his head out of a window. “Old Bravo!” shouts he, vigorously clapping his hands. “Princess Carnelia knows how to entertain!” Then, tossing a coin to the wizard, he adds, “Here, my good man! Here’s for your trouble, and come back with more fireworks!”

“This reminds me of this trip we made some thirty years ago,” Wilbur says. “Let’s see, how did it start?”

B – Good Sprite Day

“We had been hired by the Supreme Judge’s Secretary to check out some illicit arms dealing in Nyra, south of the capital. There was an arms dealer there who was suspected of selling weapons to unknown individuals. The Secretary thought Followers of the Claymore to be involved.

“We managed to get hired to guard the depot. The merchant had been robbed several times during the night. He was secretly dealing arms to F.A.E.R.Y. in exchange for gold but also because they held his brother hostage. The thieves were no other than agents of E.L.F. also trying to get their hands on the weapons.

“After investigating, we were able to retrieve the missing brother. Discovering the loss, F.A.E.R.Y. decided to attack the depot the following night and capture the weapons. It was a wild fight. As soon as they assaulted the depot, agents of E.L.F. also showed up, hoping to thwart F.A.E.R.Y. Meanwhile, we fought back, using magic missile ballistas. When things got worse, the fort garrison finally showed up and finished turning the depot into a pile of smoldering rubble.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Good Sprite Day)

Finally, after finding his fly spell, Wilbur and his two thiefly friends are on top of the tower. Sneaking down the stain, they enter an unoccupied room.

“Well!” says Wilbur. “Rad strike me if this isn’t a library!”

“Hold your horses, old man!” snarls Max. “That’s not what we came for. Luigi, peek through the lock and see if anyone’s coming.”

Quickly, Luigi answers, “No one. Let’s go.” The two thieves tiptoe from the room. Fifty feet down the corridor, Max suddenly curses, “Wait! That blasted wizard didn’t follow us.”

When they reach the library again, Wilbur is there, waving a book, “Look! How wonderful! Tome XVIII of the Seekers of the Mayflies! Have I a story for you!”

“Oh no… not again!” In despair, Luigi drops on his knees, holding his head.

C – Mayflies of the Fair

“This book is a classic in the series. It’s about this famous spy mission during Arcanium. A large number of visiting wizards complained that their scrolls and books were stolen during the night, often after demonstrations in the Halls of Arcanium. They blamed the Mayflies of the Fair, lowly thieves of magic. The constabulary, incapable of finding the culprits, hired a group of adventurers to do their spying.

“The spies discovered that the Mayflies were not to blame – this time – but instead, the Peoples’ Spell-Casters Company was involved. The spies managed to enter the secret headquarters of the Company and find what their new plan was. They’d gathered all this new magic and were thinking of raiding the Great School of Magic while most wizards were out to Arcanium. After sneaking out, the spies set up a trap in which dozens of illegal spell casters and criminals were captured, earning a huge reward from the constabulary.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Spies of Arcanium)

“Here, tie him up and gag him.” The two thieves hold the wizard to the floor, jamming a cloth into his mouth.

“That’ll keep him quiet!” says Max. “Now, let’s move it.” The two fellows pick up the wizard and trot down the hall.

“Blast, someone’s coming!” Max ducks into the next room. It is filled with alchemical equipment and cobwebs.

With avid eyes, Wilbur observes the area in detail. “I’d recognize the smell anywhere!” the old wizard thinks. “Mandragora root; there must be some in here. I’ll have to come back. The last time I saw any was at the school. How I miss those happy days. A sad thing I left so early.”

D – Murder on the Orient Tower

“I was a novice back then. No one knew who I really was; I guess I always loved being among these humans. As I recall, it was midnight, the Night of the Red Moon. I was on guard duty at the Orient Tower.

“During my tour, I discovered five dead students, all horribly mangled. I followed a trail of blood upstairs, to my master’s quarters. There, four monsters were holding him while one of the students, my best friend then, was madly stabbing him with his dagger. He was totally crazed; I’d never seen him like this. I immediately dispelled the conjured monsters and tried to talk sense to my friend, but he savagely attacked me. During the fight, he accidentally fell on his own dagger and died.

“At this moment, the older students entered and they saw me holding the dagger, with blood all over my robes. Immediately, they accused me. I didn’t think I’d stand a chance on trial. I fled, flying out the window, and never returned.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Night of the Red Moon)

The two thieves carry the wizard a further down the hall, then find a narrow shaft in a wall, with a service lift.

“Luigi, go down first. See if the path is safe, and let me know.” orders Max.

When the small platform is back, Max loads Wilbur and pushes the elevator down. A moment later, he finally crouches on the platform and pulls himself down the shaft.

“Max?” says a baffled Luigi as his friend emerges. “Where’s the old man?”

“That double-crossing rat! I betcha he got free on his way down and stepped off at an other floor. Now we’re in trouble. Let’s go find him before it’s too late!”

On another floor, Wilbur chuckles softly, “It takes more than ropes to trap good old Wilbur. Reminds me of that quest the old buzzard gave those adventurers.”

E – Quest for the Lizard Tail

“The Viscount of Nathrat was after a black dragon’s tail, a component he needed for some new spell. Oddly enough, he thought I was a black dragon in human form! What nonsense! Well, he hired these adventurers to abduct me with the help of a powerful charm, supposedly to prevent me from turning into a dragon. The charm proved useless but I found that all this aroused my curiosity.

“I let them capture me after a little magical battle; they never suspected anything. Once inside, it was no difficulty for me to break free. I cornered that old buzzard of Naramis and turned him into a black dragon. The funniest part is, when the alarm was sounded, the adventurers and the tower guards ran into the black dragon! Thinking it was me, they battled the Viscount and managed to cut his tail off. So he fled and eventually dispelled my enchantment! It took him a couple of days to succeed, but when he came back, well… the tail was still there for him to use. Not a bad deal after all!”

(see adventure School Assignment – Black Dragon)

5oon, Wilbur wanders into the main hall of the tower. A crowd of jovial elven nobles is there, having a great time, chatting, dancing, drinking the finest vintage of New Alvar’s tequilas, even fencing near the fireplace.

“Hola, Senor!” says the butler seeing Wilbur. “Please take one of these masks; Princess Carnelia ordered a masked ball!”

Wilbur takes an ugly troll mask and joins the crowd. “Well, shan ‘t you welcome your favorite wandering monster?” asks he. The crowd laughs and it isn ‘t long before the old wizard, socializing with his peers, is off on another story…

F – Some Old Vampire’s Story

“When I was young and seeking adventure, I worked for Thou-Haul, at the Movers’ Guild. One day we got an assignment for the Tower of Vladimirov. This young Baron just earned a title of Viscount and needed to move to another fief. We never dealt with him in person, only with his seneschal, a loathsome limping hunchback.

“His master was a poor noble and we had to carry his personal effects on foot. First bandits attacked us, then a couple of werewolves, and finally, undead beings stalked us every night. Each morning, we discovered one of the bearers sucked dry of blood, two holes in his throat. The worst was the night the undead stormed a hamlet and got past our barricade. We thought we’d lost it when the Baron himself showed up and blasted the undead to smithereens. As surely as the sun rose the next morning, he was gone again.

“The trip went on, and we finally made it to our destination. Most of the bearers were dead by then. Later, the Baron explained he’d angered a powerful necromancer who tried to prevent him from moving away from Boldavia. He mysteriously disappeared a year later.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Vampires)

A pretty senorita is dancing on the table, clapping her castanets in the traditional Belcadizan way, and hammering the table with her heels. Excited by the music, Wilbur jumps on the table. He claps his hands over his head and shouts wild “Oles!” while the senorita dances around him.

After a minute of this, the old man feels dizzy and falls off the table into the arms of another noble. “Thank you, young man!” says Wilbur. “I’m not used to this any more! But when I was young and healthy…”

G – Datsa’ My Boat!

“When I quit working for the Movers’ Guild, I found a temporary job at the shipyards. My employer built gondolas, but his business was on the decline. The annual Gondola Games were getting close and he wanted me and a few other fellows to win the Grand Prize. He could then advertise his fine workmanship and bring more business.

“It is then we discovered that some of the gondolas were sabotaged and that illicit gambling was going on. A certain Luigi was behind this; we secretly followed him to a tavern. There, he met with a corrupt magistrate, the true organizer. He would bet high on an underdog, while Luigi sabotaged the expected winner’s gondola for a fee.

“Despite their numerous sabotage attempts, our team finally made it to the finals – against Luigi himself! We were the underdogs. We knew they gambled a fortune on us and Luigi would probably lose the finals on purpose. We bet all our money on Luigi, then lost the game on purpose before Luigi had a chance to do the same. Of course, we sabotaged his gondola; it sank quickly afterward, covering him with ridicule.

“Though my employer was chagrined at losing the contest, he still got new business with his new slogan, ‘Win or Lose, a Vinrood Gondola Never Sinks!’ We made a fortune, at the magistrate’s expense, and he thought that Luigi double-crossed him!”

(see adventure School Assignment – Gondola Games)

“Why, that crooked troll-face! I knew I saw that face somewhere!” snarls Luigi. “I’ll give you some stories, you old -” As the old Wilbur proudly recalls his youthful exploits, the two thieves stand on an inner balcony overlooking the main hall, just above the old wizard.

“Cool down, Luigi! Take it easy!” says Max. “You’ll settle with him later. We gotta get him outa there, or else no jewels and lotsa trouble with the Fellowship.”

Below, Wilbur proposes a toast: “Long live Adventurers and Conquistadores!”

The crowd answers with a happy “Salud!” and Wilbur goes on telling his stories, between erratic tequila-spawned hiccups and giggles.

H – The Lords of Beggars’ Court

“Anyway, our new fortunes were quickly spent and again we looked for new and exciting tasks. A local baron’s seneschal hired us for a mission. The baron’s son ran away after a dispute and stole a powerful crystal device. We were to retrieve him, and above all, the precious crystal.

“A lengthy investigation brought us back to the city. We’d heard he’d been seen suffering from a loathsome rotting disease. Fearing an epidemic, the building’s tenants threw him out with his personal effects and drove him to the Beggars’ Court.

“We went there wearing rags and illusions to look deformed and sickly. Avoiding the beggars’ king was tough, but eventually we made it to the dungeons. The place was infested with slimes and other horrors. We found the young noble, but he was a mere shadow of himself, nearly dead. A secret passage out of Beggars’ Court led us out of the city. We brought the son back, barely alive, and his crystal. The device radiated an aura of fear and uneasiness; we were glad to get rid of it and get our reward.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Beggars Court)

Two servants walk down a corridor when they run into the butler. “Ay! By the Alhambra! You two, come here!”

The two servants turn pale. “I told you stealing servants’ uniforms wouldn’t work! I told you, Max!” whispers the first.

“Ah, shut up, Luigi, an’ let’s see what he wants!” answers the other.

“Straighten your jackets! Where do you think you are? And go to the main hall, they need more- tequila!” orders the butler.

The two fellows pick up trays and cut through the crowd, looking for Wilbur, and see him standing on his left foot while trying to touch his nose with his right knee.

“Here! I told you! Shee, I’m not drunk!” claims the wizard as Max draws closer.

“What are ya trying to do? Spoil the mission? Follow me!” whispers Max, frowning at Luigi’s dark, threatening look.

“All right, but not before thish lasht one!” giggles Wilbur.

I – The Silver Quarrel

“After this mission in Beggars’ Court, we ran short of components and weapons. There was an opening in Vyonnes for a were-hunt so we went shopping at the Silver Quarrel, a specialty shop for anti-werewolf devices.

“Our first clues led us to the Chateau de Morlay. The Baron graciously invited us to stay for the night and offered us the help of his tower guards to search the forest. The night after, at die camp, his guards turned into werewolves and chased us for several nights. None of our weapons harmed them.

“We arrived in Vyonnes the night of Carnival but the creatures easily tracked us
through the crowd. At the Silver Quarrel we found the owner trading silver – which we had paid him – for weapons. His partner was a dwarf. How he came to Vyonnes still is a mystery. As it turns out, the shop owner was a werewolf who delivered the weapons to the Canine Protection Society. Meanwhile, he was selling phony silver blades to his foes; but we brought that trade to a quick end. After a bloody fight, the other werewolves died from the true silver weapons we found in the shop. Several days later, we received a scroll of apology from the Baron and word that he had his Tower Guards replaced.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Werewolf Hunt)

The two thieves help the drunken wizard out of the main hall. “Let’s go down this way.” says Max, reaching a narrow spiral staircase.

They reach a cellar and find another door. As Max inspects the lock, Luigi snarls at Wilbur, “So, you’re the one who sank my boat! You just wait till we get the gold, and then…”

“Luigi!” says Max. “Be quiet and come here. I think there is someone back there. Try to listen at the door.”

Suddenly, a gushing sound comes from behind the two. Lying under a huge barrel with his mouth wide open, Wilbur gulps the pouring wine. “Averoigne ’45! One of the besht! Thish really beatsh the shtuff they sherve in Glenmoorloch! What a night that was…”

J – The Taverns of Glenmoorloch

“After leaving Averoigne, we spent some time in Klantyre, working as Tower Guards at Crownguard. The first day on leave, we visited all the taverns in Glenmoorloch. The next I remember, we woke up in the sheriffs jail. He told us we were caught roaming the streets and singing religious songs in the middle of the night. We were to be executed the next day, unless we accepted this mission.

“The Captain of the Tower Guards at Crownguard was suspected of being a Follower of the Claymore. We were to return to our post, and eliminate him as soon as possible. At the tower we made our investigation. It appeared the captain was loyal to his prince, but most of his guard were traitors and were plotting to assassinate the prince after dealing with the captain.

“The captain granted us protection from the sheriffs accusations in exchange for our help to clean the tower of the followers. As for the sheriff, he disappeared as soon as he heard about the failed coup against the prince.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Guard Duty)

“That sheriff,” says Luigi, “shoulda hanged you when he had the chance!!”

The two thieves slowly open the door, ripping through cobwebs. Suddenly, a large hairy paw from within grabs the door and flings it open. A horrible grinning head comes out of the dark, snarling and growling.

“You ‘re the boss, you handle it!” says Luigi as he ducks behind a barrel.

The creature grabs Max as the panicky thief desperately tries to stab it with his knife. The monster prepares to rip Max’s head off when Wilbur shows up at his side.

“Oh, a genuine Ursus Bugensis/ Let’sh shee, I need shome of thish!” says he, pulling out a fistful of the creature’s fur.

The thief and the bugbear suddenly fall quiet, staring at the old wizard.

“Hie! The lasht time I shaw one of theesh was at an Annual Monstersh Fair, back in Glantri City. T’wash twenty yearsh ago…”

K – Tally-Ho!

“We led an assortment of monsters from Glenmoorloch to Glantri City, for the Annual Fair. T’was a tough job. The critters had to be loaded on barges to reach the market.

“Sure enough, other monster dealers were sailing nearby. The close presence of natural enemies provoked the creatures, causing some of our gondolas to capsize. The fun part was the recovery of the cages and their occupants from the water.

“We had a load of bugbears to amuse passers-by. A merchant purchased one, an old beast. Later at night, someone opened the cages; we later found out the old bugbear broke free from its buyer and came at night to free its friends. It was tough tracking them down, but we finally found them in a nearby gondola, which we sunk. They tried to swim away but we pursued and hunted them down to the last – more or less. Once in awhile one will show up in the catacombs.”

(see adventure School Assignment – Monster Fair)

“Haaarrrh! Zoh, yoo da ones hoo kaptoored my frriendz!” roars the bugbear. “Kill!”

“Gack! Wait, want freedom? Gold? Gems? Food? Mates?” squirms Max; he pulls out a small flask. “Look, good brandy!”

The bugbear sniffs at the flask. Without dropping Max, it bites off the cork and gulps down the brandy. “Zoh, about dat gold?”

“Well, uh, we’re on our way to get the princess’ gold. Ya kill us, ya get nuthin’; ya help us, ya get a 3% share and we drop ya at the next catacomb entrance. Deal?”

Showing its five hairy fingers, it answers, “Duh, thoity purzent… an’ him!” pointing at the drunken wizard.

“That’s a deal!” says Luigi with a smile.

“Fery vunny!” adds Wilbur. “Anyway, I shall go on with the resht of my shtory. The monshter fair led ush to The Great Shchool of Magic…”

L – Love Story

“We delivered dragon eggs to the School. They were about to hatch but we had no idea what kind of dragons these would be Since the school had ordered younglings, they told us to stay in one of the crypts until the hatching. I always had a knack for dragons, and taking care of them was no difficulty.

“Some unscrupulous dealer mixed various types of eggs without notifying us. A dragon of each color hatched, including a cute little golden dragonette. The blue and white dragons turned against us, while the red and green attacked the golden one. It was tough subduing them all.

“I didn’t have the heart to leave the dragonette to these wizards. Who knows, perhaps they would have dissected her. I hid her under my robes and left. A day later, a wizard met me at the tavern and said he knew about the missing dragon. He was willing to sponsor my membership to the Circle of Dracologists if I returned the creature. Temptation was great, but I refused. Fearing some intervention from the wizards, I set her free during the night and never saw her again… so sad…”

(see adventure School Assignment – Dragon Eggs)

The bugbear wipes a tear off its hideous face while Max straightens his servant jacket and sniffs loudly.

“Awright, awright! Let’s go.” says Max. “We got work to do here!” All four leave the cellar and enter the bugbear’s cell.

“Here, I told you! The safe is in the cell. You just keep watch while I break the combination!” says Luigi, already rubbing his greedy hands.

“Oh! That’sh intereshting!” intervenes the old wizard. “Thish ish exactly the shame vault brand ash the one we cracked in zhe Remple of Tad! Uh, Temple of Rad! We were after money to repay the Shchool for the mishing dragonette…”

“Here he goes again…” moans Max while the bugbear stuffs its large ears with handfuls of rags and other grubby things.

M – Dark is the Night

“We’d had a tip from a friend in the Fellowship of the Pouch. There was supposed to be decent treasure in the local Temple of Rad’s vault. It was this or offend the wizards still further.

“So away we went, creeping and crawling through the garden and the worship hall. We didn’t have much problem getting down to the vault and opening it. But there was a magical ward inside the vault and, as we discovered after, the door activated a mechanism releasing monsters in the garden.

“The vault was permanently obscured with a high-level spell of darkness. The guard inside was a blackball that took several lives before we retreated with the loot. Some strange magic prevented the ball from leaving the vault.

“Then the Shepherds were on us with their monsters. Some of them even saw our faces. The High Shepherd’s diary was in the loot, telling about his suspicion about his order. He contacted us later and agreed to keep our identity secret and forget about the loot if we destroyed the diary in his presence. So the deal worked out for us.”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Temple of Rad)

Luigi slowly pulls the vault’s door open. “Well, I did my job, now you check the vault!” says Luigi to Wilbur.

“It’sh about time I get to do shomeshing! What was that shpell again?” Wilbur makes strange gestures as the two thieves retreat to the stairwell. The bugbear asks “Woh? Wha’ yoodooin’?”

Luigi’s head appears at the stairs’ entrance. “Duck first, ask questions later!”

A column of fire suddenly strikes the bugbear. The old wizard turns around and discovers the hapless creature sitting on the floor, smoking and coughing. “Oh, that was nice! I wonder how I did that one! But there ish nothing in the vault! Knowing the princesh, she probably wears her jewels or left ’em in her bedroom. Thish reminds me ofthish case we had to sholve…”

N – Things That Go Bump in the Night

“I woke up one night after this horrible nightmare. I dreamt of this fellow of Krondahar running away from hooded men with torches. They were burning his house.

“I went out for a stroll and learnt it was Fire Night. There was a fire around the block and hooded men walking away. I don’t believe in coincidences! I was able to help a Krondaharian merchant, who claimed the Followers of Fire attempted to take his life. He would pay a great amount of gold if my friends and I put an end to this barbarity.

“It took us a few days to find the secret place where the Followers of Fire met. We had some trouble dealing with various fire creatures guarding the area and the disciples who discovered us. After the battle, we captured their leader, but found out he knew nothing. We delivered the fellow to the merchant for safe keeping.

“Using connections with the Fellowship of the Pouch and lots of gold, we found the culprits’ hideout. Capturing them was easy, except they turned out not to be true followers. In fact, they were morons working for the Thugs’ Guild. They had been paid by some Krondaharian visitor to torch a house!

“The so-called Krondaharian merchant was a nobleman from the House of Singhabad, an illusionist who desired revenge on the Followers of the Fire. We’d been had!”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Fire Night)

The four fellows quietly return upstairs, doing their best to avoid the crowd of drunken hidalgos and busy servants.

“Here, that’s the room!” whispers Luigi as he listens at the door. “Quiet, now!”

Immediately, the bugbear goes crashing through the door, scaring Luigi half to death in the process.

Seeing the room is empty, all four rush inside and close what remains of the door. On the verge of hysteria, Luigi grabs the bugbear by the beard. “You fool! You realize the noise you ‘re making? You ‘re gonna get us all captured!”

“Wuh? Wah yoo sayin’?” asks the bugbear. Shaking the bugbear, Luigi screams at the top of his lungs, “I said, be quiet!”

“Wha?” asks the bugbear.

Wilbur walks up to Luigi. “Might be a good idea to pull the rags out of his ears; he might like my next shtory.”

O – Dirty Half-Dozen

“Things were getting hairy at the capital. We had offended the Thugs Guild, the House of Singhabad was suspecting us of plotting something, and the Followers of Fire were more than upset with us for abducting one of their lieutenants.

“Then we all received an official scroll from the army. We were drafted to Camp Huledain, under Volospin’s banner. They were at war there with a large tribe of mountain humanoids. The day after our arrival, we were ‘volunteered’ for a dangerous mission to eliminate the tribal chief and break the enemy’s chain of command.

“It took us weeks to accomplish the mission. There, we found a prisoner, an old elf whom we brought back. He was none other than the camp commander’s father. His son rewarded us with our freedom, and promised that if we swore allegiance to his clan, he would support our petition at the Parliament for a Barony.”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Camp Huledain)

Luigi looks under the mattress, Max pokes at the walls, and the bugbear rips the wood planks off the floor. Meanwhile, Wilbur falls asleep on a couch, snoring loudly.

Suddenly, the double doors slam open and the three fellows turn in alarm. A crowd of hidalgos and senoritas walks in, wearing ludicrous costumes and masks.

“Ay! Look at these costumes! The bugbear is truly terrific!” says an admirer. “And there! These burglar outfits are a true success! Bravo!” adds a senorita.

“Behold senores! It seems our old friend Wilburro lost to the tequila! Let’s bring him back to the main hall. Ole! Viva!”

The happy crowd pulls the three terrified fellows along with them, while the butler picks up the dreaming Wilbur.

P – Dreams of Power and Glory

In slow motion, Wilbur rides his destrier along with his old adventuring friends. They come to a glittering tower, with flags of silk fluttering in the wind, and garlands of flower over the windows.

Wilbur steps into the main hall where a throne awaits his arrival. Two lines of knights in shining armor raise their swords and hail the new lord. A distant relative has died, and Wilbur is the last of his line.

A man in black robes suddenly appears at the throne, takes the crown and orders Wilbur out. He is a long forgotten brother of the late baron. The knights in shining armor throw the hapless Wilbur out.

Soon, dark clouds gather above the land, and the crops wither. The people cry and grab Wilbur’s golden tabard, imploring his return. He accepts this duty and marches back to the tower, followed by the gleeful people.

With a thunderous roll, die tower door bursts open, and the dark lord steps back from Wilbur’s might. The duel must be fought. Fire and lightning, wind and ice, traps and death: the duel goes on in the nightmare’s fog. With a fell blow of his wand, Wilbur wounds die dark lord. The lord stumbles; he falls to his knees; he crawls on the floor; at last, he begs forgiveness.

A magistrate in his red robes appears next to the dark lord and binds his hands with heavy manacles. He reveals the dark lord’s false identity. Then, he pulls out a scroll, the Chancellor’s Bill: a fortune for Wilbur to pay. A sinister laugh echoes in Wilbur’s dream… Wilbur suddenly wakes up, panting and sweating.

(see adventure War in Glantri – Inheritance)

“Dear Rad, I was dreaming I had a horrendous income tax return!” says Wilbur. The crowd laughs loudly as the wizard recovers from his nightmare.

As Wilbur keeps on joking, the three fellows take advantage of the situation to tip-toe away, unseen from the crowd.

“Let’s go back to the room,” says Max. “The jewels must be somewhere in there. We don’t need the old man anymore. It’ll be one less share to pay.”

Meanwhile, Wilbur continues with yet another story. “Talking about taxes, it was fifteen years ago, in my friend’s barony…”

Q – Reds

“Loyal to my friend as always, I decided to be his seneschal for some time. My first task was to help gather the tax from the wilder ranges of the dominion. That was not easy; the farmers there resisted the new baron’s authority.

“Before we knew what was happening, half the dominion revolted. The land so generously awarded to my friend was a nest of Free Fundamentalist Farmers. They despised noble authority and were fighting to remain independent. Quickly, they raised a force of a hundred fifty men armed with pitchforks and flails, and besieged the tower. The Guards were barely able to defend the walls, so my friends and I went out on a special mission: to find the leader of the F.F.F. and dismantle their organization.

“They used a few horrible monsters they rented from the Monsters Handlers’ Union, but we eventually dealt with these and captured the insurgents’ leader. He was none other than a lowly wizard. Once he was captured, a chunk of the F.F.F. went home. The others were dealt with in more traditional ways – induction into the army!”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Rebellion)

The trio finally reaches the bedroom. It is now dark but a silvery moon glow beams into the room from a large window. The three fellows begin their search anew when the door slowly opens behind them.

“Caramba! I knew you were up to something,” says a voice. “This time you have not escaped my vigilance.”

Max twirls around and pulls out his knife, Luigi breaks a bottle on the dresser and the bugbear rips a wooden pole off the bed. “Well, if it’s not our good friend the butler!” snarls Max. “Come, if you dare!”

Fearlessly, the butler walks up, into a patch of moonlight and shudders convulsively. Patches of hair cover his body as he grows wicked fangs and claws. “Now, you understand who I really am!” The butler, now a werewolf, roars and leaps upon the bugbear.

“Lock him up in the closet!” yells Max.

“Eezy to zay!” roars the bugbear. “Me want foifty purzent! No werewoof in deal!”

“You got it!” squeaks Luigi. He opens the closet, ready to push both the bugbear and the werebutler inside, then screams, “The jewels! The jewels! I found the jewels!”

The bugbear heaves the werewolf into the closet as Luigi dives out with the jewels, and Max slams the door. “Rats! Where’s the key?”

The hapless trio does its best to hold the door shut while the lycanthrope wildly claws and bites at the wood. Meanwhile, in the main hall, Wilbur starts a new story.

R – War and Peace

“After we cleaned his barony of most F.F.F. activists, my old friend ran his dominion like a pro. All his old adventuring buddies joined him and became captains of the guard, provosts, sheriffs, treasurers or representatives. The key positions were held by his most loyal friends. The other nobles referred to us as the Old Clan.

“It took just a few years to reach great prosperity. The people were happier that they ever had been. There was a rumor that the town mayor was gathering votes for an Act of Enfiefment in the barony and the surrounding lands.

“This brought jealousy from the rival nobles – jealousy and fear. Creation of a new prince would change the political map. Suddenly, we saw a new period of chaos. F.F.F. insurgency flared up again, with the support of the Followers of the Claymore, the Guild of Thugs, all more or less supported by rival nobles. A bloody civil war ravaged the barony. In the end, the good baron prevailed, but the price was high. Some of his closest friends became Followers or the Claymore, others were assassinated, a few betrayed the baron for gold, magic, or the promise of a distant barony. Those who remained turned fearful. The Old Clan was no more.

“When peace was restored, the people petitioned for an Act of Enfiefment and the baron got involved in shady intrigues to gain votes at the Council. He became a prince, but he had changed tremendously. It is then I decided to return to a life of adventure, away from politics and power, sharing dangers, poverty and hope with my new companions of fortune.”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Act of Enfiefment)

At last, the bugbear pushes the bed against the closet, trapping the werewolf inside. The two thieves and the bugbear quickly leave the ravaged bedroom.

“We must cross the main hall to leave the tower,” says Max. “I can’t believe they still listen to his dumb stories.”

Down below, in the main hall, Wilbur continues, “Aha! It was then we staged this wild raid against a nest of red dragons…”

S – Apocalypse Then

“The Chamberlain of the Land summoned us for a new mission. A highly inflammable ore had been discovered in a mine, but this attracted swarms of red dragons. The local army proved insufficient to deal with the threat and a solution was urgently needed.

“At about the same time, the Great School of Magic made a great discovery, a new secret weapon. They wanted us to try it out for the occasion. The thing looked like a huge dragonfly, clearly a magical construct made of metal. The hollow interior was spacious enough for ten people. A large enchanted rotating tube stuck out of the thing’s mouth, and was capable of shooting meteor swarms. One man sat in each of the crystal bug eyes, one to guide the dragonfly’s flight with magical knobs and levers, the other to shoot the meteor swarms. On both sides of the dragonfly was a large opening with a staff mounted on a swivel that could launch magic missiles in a rapid fire.

“Away we flew in our proud machine, against the dragons. The younger red dragons fell like flies. More than once we barely avoided a fire blast or a tail lash by maneuvering wildly. Finally, we met the leader of the dragons – an ancient, huge, utterly evil dragon. Our dragonfly was already damaged; we shot a hole through the dragon’s wing just as its breath weapon was finishing off our craft. The crash wrecked the invention, but we and the dragon survived; we had to kill it on the ground, using all of our wit and bravery.

“We brought the wreck back to school and declared it worked perfectly well, but they refused to pay us. The wizards were furious at the great machine’s destruction. Fortunately, we received a pension from the Chamberlain, who was delighted at the dragons’ demise and the Great School’s consternation!”

“Unfortunately, one of the meteors hit the mine entrance, blowing up the ore. The mine owner was ruined and ended up in the gutter. I guess he hated us for the rest of his life, dragons or not!”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Red Dragons)

“What! So he’s the one who ruined me! I’ll have his guts for this!”

Furious, Max is about to jump off the balcony when Luigi and the bugbear grab him. “Max, cool down! Stay put!”

“Mego nutz ifliss’n to ‘nother story! Arrh, an’ ‘ungry too!” whines the bugbear.

“Ha! But you haven’t heard the best!” continues Wilbur, now standing on the table. He picks a guitar and plays a familiar tune as he recalls another adventure…

T – Leave and Let Die

“A couple of years later, I accepted a position as assistant to the Supreme Judge of the Council. I was in charge of the intelligence branch of the General Constabulary. It often happened I couldn’t resist doing the field work myself, a reason why I was fired some time later.

“As months went by, we realized our branch had been infiltrated and some of our best operatives were being killed. Worse, we had no suspect. When I got involved, though, I had no difficulty finding two tiny holes in the victims’ neck. My first suspect was the Baron of Igorov. How he breached our security was a mystery. Of course, I joined the Igorov mission.

“Sneaking into the tower was tough enough. The place was filled with magical wards and undead horrors. We reached the laboratory and discovered a teleporting device capable of pinpointing a single area in any tower of the nation. That much we understood, but its exact mechanism was still obscure to us. We tried to take parts away to have them studied in our laboratory, but then a crowd of undead creatures broke in. Some we destroyed, others we managed to push into the teleporting device. We never found out where they went… Some runes appeared on the device but they were hard to decipher, something like Balhamdra, Aldambar, Almandra. We never figured it out.

“Anyway, we left the place and blew up the laboratory. The baron never knew what struck him. The fire spread out in the tower and caused great damage. We never heard of the spies thereafter, but I was fired for lack of respect to a noble.”

(see adventure War in Glantri – Necromancers)

“So, you are the one who released all these horrible monsters in my tower!” shouts an older senora. “I am the Princess of Belcadiz and my tower is Alhambra! Guards, seize him!”

At the same time, a servant appears at a window overlooking the main hall, “Treachery! The Princess’ jewels have been stolen!”

The guards move on Wilbur, and he points his finger at a corridor, “There, there, the thieves! They’re running away!”

As the guards turn around, Wilbur sprints in the opposite direction. The thieves and the bugbear on the balcony stand up, thinking themselves betrayed.

“To arms!” screams the Captain of the Guards. “The E.L.F. is here with monsters!”

Max, Luigi and the bugbear jump off the balcony, swing down a chandelier and crash on a table. Meanwhile, Wilbur jumps out a window into the canal.

Pointing at Wilbur, Luigi screams, “Scum, you sank my boat!” and jumps out the window after Wilbur.

“Yoo kaptoored my friendz! Kill, kill!” The bugbear follows.

“You ruined my career!” Max follows.

“You wrecked my tower and stole my jewels!” The Princess follows.

“The Princess is drowning!” The hidalgos follow.

“Haaaarw!” The werebutler follows.

In the utter confusion, Wilbur, the two thieves and the bugbear make it to their gondola and paddle away from the mess.

“And now, it’s payday, old man!” snarls Max. A nasty look appears on his face, while Luigi and the bugbear look on, grinning.

“Now, now, let’s not be naughty, boys! We got out of the tower, didn’t we? You know, I really wasn ‘t doing this for the money; it was for fun. But there must be an end, even to the best of times…”

Suddenly, Wilbur starts growing, taller and heavier. Then wings sprout from his back, and a tail, and fangs. In moments, Wilbur is a huge, ancient gold dragon. Under his weight, his edge of the gondola suddenly goes underwater; the see-saw effect propels the three fellows through the air, back into the mass of swimming, screaming elves.

“Thank you so much for this charming evening! I will be back again some time! Raknaar the Dragon wishes you the best of luck!” The huge creature launches itself into the night.

And to this day, some people still say they hear its horrible giggle near the tower.

Content Updates

• 20201-10-17- Added in links to content.

D&D Adventures

By Country (3/3) – Glantri, Karameikos, Ylaruam

Introduction: (13/13) – Alfheim, Atruaghin Clans, Broken Lands, Darokin, Ethengar, Five Shires, Glantri, Ierendi, Karameikos, Minrothad, Northern Reaches, Rockhome, Ylaruam

Annual: (6/11) – Atruaghin Clans Ascension, Ethengar Totems, Land of Black Sands, Mystery (of the Duke’s Road Massacres, of the Forgotten Dungeon, of the Hidden Kingdoms of Dragons)

Phase 1
(Tier 1 – Introduction 11/46)

AC 1000 (Year 1) – (2/8) – Lord of Lance Rock, Relic Hunter (Dragon Hatchery)

AC 1001 (Year 2) – (1/8) – Relic Hunter (Tomb of Moving Stones)

AC 1002 (Year 3) – (3/9) – Business (Bargewright Inn), Cult (of the Feathergale Knights), Mystery (of the Missing Delegation)

AC 1003 (Year 4) – (3/10) Cult (of the Riverguard Keep), Mystery (in Atruaghin’s Palace, of the Iceshield Orcs)

AC 1004 (Year 5) – (2/11) – Cult (of the Sacred Stone), Mystery (in the Silver Sierras), School Assignment (Lupins or Werewolves)

Phase 2
(Tier 2 – Investigation 16/50)

AC 1005 (Year 6) – (12/19) – Rheddrian’s Investigation Bureau, Cult (of the Scarlet Moon, of the Valley of Death), Mystery (in Aegos, in Sundsvall, in Thyatis City, of the Alphatian Duellers, of the Dead Elf, of the Great Gnome Caravan, of the Magic Mirror, of the Missing Pilgrims), Relic Hunter (Dinosaurs)

1006 AC (Year 7) – (6/12) – Mystery (Dinner Assassins, in Radlebb Woods, in Ringrise, in Wendar, of the Dual Memories), Time Travel Castle Amber

1007 AC (Year 8) – (6/17) – Mystery of the Dying Trees, Thanatos and the Azcans, Thanatos and the Milenians, Thanatos and the Nithians, Thanatos and the Shahjapurs, The Day Magic Died

1008 AC (Year 9) – (0/6)

1009 AC (Year 10) – (0/5)

Phase 3 (Tier 3 – War 28), Year 11 – 10, Year 12 – 5, Year 13 – 4, Year 14 – 4, Year 15 – 4

Phase 4 (Tier 4 – Conclusion 7) Year 16 – 3, Year 17 – 2, Year 18 – 1, Year 19 – 1, Year 20 –

Phase 5 (Tier 5 – tba)

Phase 6 (Tier 6 – tba)

D&D 5E in Mystara

D&D Menu – Adventures, Artefacts, Backgrounds, Classes, Dominions, Downtime, Feats, Gazetteers, Gods, Magical Items, Monsters, Organisations, Pantheons, Races, Ranks & Titles, Rune Magic, Secret Crafts, Settlements, Spells, Timeline, Weapons Mastery

WRATH: Campaign, Design

Game Management – Annotated Stat Block, Character Creation, Choosing a New Campaign, Gaming over Skype, GM’s Luck Roll, Tracking Experience

Class Builds –
Artificer – Bombardier (Tinkerkin),
Barbarian – Totem Warrior (Plamin, Camdu),
Bard – College of Valour (Sunfey),
Druid – Circle of Dreams (Woodfey), Circle of the Tree of Life (Seasonfey),
Fighter – Battlemaster (Seashire), Eldritch Knight (Kerendan), Weapons Master (Lani), Weapons Master (Stonebound),
Monk – Way of the Elements (Tidal),
Paladin – Oath of Radiance (Sunfey), Oath of Vengeance (Firechild),
Sorcerer – Wild Magic (Shadowfey),
Warlock – Celestial (Llewell),
Wizard – Bladesinger (Nerye),
Dragon – White (Calcryx).
Multiclass – Cleric/Wizard (Xhall), Rogue/Cleric (Dracnomir), Rogue/Sorcerer (Yodrey), Wizard/Rogue (Traladaran)

Floorplans – Thyatian

Session Recordings – Campaign Journals

Library of Books

B5, d20 System, Pathfinder, SW

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