Shadowlords 1 - The Message

The Shadowlords campaign spans five separate modules and takes a group of first level characters on a lengthy quest across Faerûn and beyond. Along the way, they will meet up with interesting characters who will join their quest. Expect romance, intrigue, and a good dose of mystery.

BACKGROUND

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You are summoned to the Temple of Lathander in Scornubel by Josura Hlammel, the high priestess.

She gathers you together and makes a short speech:

"Welcome friends! For many years, I have watched you grow and come into adulthood. I remember

tending your scrapes and bruises, offering advice, and keeping you out of trouble as best I could.

Now I hear your desire to see to world has grown strong, and you soon hope to be off to seek

your fortune. If you could put you plans on hold for a few days, I would beg a favor from you.

In recent weeks, the Zhentarim activity in the area has increased to the point where a patrol

of Red Shields has been dispatched for the Trielta Hills. Captain Preth leads the group.

He is a fine commander, and I normally would have full faith in his abilities.

As a member of this temple, I sometimes receive information from divine sources. It has been

made known to me that this recent Zhent excursion may have more sinister implications.

Because of this, I ask that you carry a message to Captain Preth. His men are in grave danger,

and this information is vital to the safety of the Sword Coast.

As a cleric of Lathander, I often commune with those of the higher planes. Last night, I dreamt

I hovered above the ground, seeing Captain Preth far below. His men fought the Zhent troops, as

if dark hands maneuvered tiny chess pieces. The same player moved both sides, and won no matter

the outcome. It was a troubling dream, and I composed this letter as soon as I awoke.

The captain is on the northern edge of the Trielta Hills. If you head towards Trielta and turn

east, you'll find the Eureka Inn. From there, a trail heads north through the hills and you will

find Preth stationed at the edge of the Forest of Wyrms.

My friends, you might want to head to Scornubal's city center to pick up supplies before you go.

The Walk holds a number of shops that could prepare you for your journey. Also, seek out Thistle,

a halfling trader who is heading along the Trade Way towards Trielta. You may travel with him.

Here is the letter. May Lathander keep you safe."

It is not the trip to the Trielta Hills that concerns you, but rather what you will find when you

get there. Eureka is no more than an inn and a few buildings, as not many stayed after the mines

played out. You might be able to resupply there, but the difficulty is reaching Captain Preth on

the other side of the hills.

If the Zhent have taken the pass, you could be in for a tough fight. Alternatively, there may

be a way to slip by the troops unnoticed.

No matter your method, you must find a way to Captain Preth. As every day passes, lives are lost

in a senseless battle. You must find a way to reach him and discover the hand that pulls the

strings of the Red Shields and the Zhentarim.

GENERAL HINTS

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* When creating a new character, don't ignore the Deity field. The campaign recognizes three main deities:

Lathander (the god of healing), Lliira (the god of joy), or Cyric (the god of murder). The differences

are fairly small, but can make a difference.

* Don't neglect the Persuasion skill. Many quests can be resolved by talking your way through something.

* Pay attention to your henchmen. While not every module has a "gift" from them, some do, but only if you

treat them well.

CREDITS

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The music in the movie included in this series is by Justin R. Durban, Edgen Animations, http://www.edgen.com

HINTS - SPOILERS

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Question: What's with this puzzle ring?

Hint: It's a math-related puzzle.

Answer: The clue refers to the radius and the circumference of a circle. The ratio of the two is defined as pi,

which is about 3.14. If you push the numbers 3, then 1, then 4, you'll get a small trinket.

VERSION HISTORY (spoilers)

1.01 (8/3/02)

Fixed endless xp bug.

Fixed night noise in outside areas (since day/night cycle is fixed)

Added spawn points for every encounter

1.02 (8/4/02)

Changed scripts to grant party xp instead of individual xp

Made Teira joining scripts clearer

Created single hak pak for all Shadowlord modules

1.03 (8/5/02)

Added "Cure Light Wounds Potion" option to healing quest

Fixed faction problem with bandit lair

Removed "EndGame" command at end of game (caused problems with multiplayer)

1.04 (8/6/02)

Fixed "Cure Light Wounds Potion" quest option

Added dialog for Anera & Teira to leave group

Fixed infinite xp bug with Reela's quest

1.05 (8/7/02)

Added spoken text when henchmen return from death

Changed text for wagon wheel quest (e.g. made it obvious you can retry)

1.06 (8/12/02)

Added descriptive text that pops up in certain locations

Adjusted henchmen's hitpoints to be appropriate for their level

Added additional henchmen comments

1.07 (8/13/02)

Minor spelling fixes

1.08 (8/28/02)

Minor spelling fixes

Fixed issue with Topak following

Moved an inaccessible item to the floor

1.09 (8/29/02)

Fixed missing description in letter to Charles

1.10 (9/16/02)

Note: Many of these changes are a result of the voting/review process at Neverwinter Vault.

Fixed travel between second level of caves & tree.

Death has a penalty at all locations

[Editor's note: this wasn't my original intention, but several people mentioned this, so I made the change.]

Added journal entry for missing boy (Fynch).

Added journal entry for Topak.

Made Red Shields hostile to Zhent and Thief faction.

Fixed token issue with people looting the dead.

Added more NPC movement (Red Shields, Zhent, Falcon, Morkel).

Changed dialog for Anera, who now says something different after the first time you meet her (when rejoining, for example).

What wasn't changed:

* This game is best played with a single party. There's a point where once Tinna has her ring,

no more players can spawn in from the beginning and make it to the end. The goal for this first module

is to have a single party, keep them together, and move them through the story. I haven't changed it

to allow people to come in late and bypass the Tinna's ring quest, as it doesn't work well for story reasons.

* I didn't tone down the level of the Zhent soldiers. They are intended to be extremely high level and

certain death for the players. The first layer (the guards) are possible to kill, but the main group

is extremely difficult to go head-to-head against for a first level group. Basically, if you get in over

your head, you're supposed to die. There is lots of warning to let you know you're heading into big danger.

1.11 (9/22/02)

Fixed minor typo

Toned down bandit encounter

1.12 (10/29/02)

Fixed spelling of "Monastery"

Increased the "likeability" of the Defender faction towards PCs to minimize henchman hating issues.

Made Tinna's ring a plot item

1.13 (11/04/02)

Added "Aasimar" subrace information to Anera

Added voice set to Anera

1.14 (11/04/02)

Added intro movie

Export characters at end

Load shadowlords 2 automatically

1.15 (11/11/02)

Updated henchman death script. Small xp loss & rejoin after revival.

1.16 (11/25/02)

Fixed some faction issues with the bandits and falcon