In issue #130, there are visions that show the various prophecies of the Age of Worms. Many of these prophecies tie into past Dungeon adventures. I have a complete collection of Dungeon, but I have moved twice in the last couple of years. Can someone help me identify them:
#1: Spawn of Kyuss rising from the grave: No Adventure
#2: Demon tree as physical manisfestation of a demon lord, Malgarius. This is a high level adventure that was published about a year ago.
#3: "Fane of Scales" striking the earth. Was this the Epic Level Adventure?
#4: City in Shadows, This was the Istivin 3-Parter in issues #117-119
#5: Was there a Vecna adventure recently I forget about?
#6: Cauldron reference
I would like to thank the Dungeon Editors for tying some old adventures to this Adventure Path. As a long-time reader, I appreciate the feeling of continuity.
Matt
#3: "Fane of Scales" striking the earth. Was this the Epic Level Adventure?
Matt
The Fane of Scales was in the January 2004 Issue (106). The adventure was titled The Black Egg for 12th-level characters.
#2: Demon tree as physical manisfestation of a demon lord, Malgarius. This is a high level adventure that was published about a year ago.
This one is from "Root of Evil," by Mike Meals, issue #122.
Wow.
I haven't seen #130 yet, so I haven't seen all the tie-ins and allusions yet. I have to say that this sounds incredibly cool, in a Stephen King/Dark Tower kind of way.
I just read The Spire of Long Shadows last night, having received it over the weekend and I, too, noticed and appreciated this. I actually logged on to start just such a thread myself! In addition to the prophecies, several of the artifacts mentioned I presume have been included in Dungeon adventures. They include:
Black Blade of Aknar Ratalla - #119 Tomb of Aknar Ratalla
Tome of the Black Heart - ???
Obsidian Eye - #120 The Obsidian Eye
Dread Forge - #120 Lost Temple of Demogorgon
Bindings of Erivatius - #123 The Quicksilver Hourglass
Hand of Vecna - ???
Here are the references I could find:
Spawn of Kyuss- Age of Worms AP
Demon tree - #122 Root of Evil
Fane of Scales - #106 The Black Egg
City in Shadows - #117-119 Shadows Over Istivin Arc
City in a Volcano - Shackled City AP
I can't believe I could have missed a Hand of Vecna adventure. That sounds so incredibly cool.
That is pretty cool that they did so many tie ins.
I thought the same thing about the Stephen King similarity :)
It kinda makes me sad my group really wanted to run the AOW in Eberron, but the world's so tied to prophecy anyway it's a good tie-in as well.
Wow! Could be cool to run those adventures as one off's with the party before starting the AoW campaign. Of course without letting the party know their tie-in with the AoW campaign.
I just read The Spire of Long Shadows last night, having received it over the weekend and I, too, noticed and appreciated this. I actually logged on to start just such a thread myself! In addition to the prophecies, several of the artifacts mentioned I presume have been included in Dungeon adventures. They include:
Black Blade of Aknar Ratalla - #119 Tomb of Aknar Ratalla
Tome of the Black Heart - ???
Obsidian Eye - #120 The Obsidian Eye
Dread Forge - #120 Lost Temple of Demogorgon
Bindings of Erivatius - #123 The Quicksilver Hourglass
Hand of Vecna - ???Here are the references I could find:
Spawn of Kyuss- Age of Worms AP
Demon tree - #122 Root of Evil
Fane of Scales - #106 The Black Egg
City in Shadows - #117-119 Shadows Over Istivin Arc
City in a Volcano - Shackled City API can't believe I could have missed a Hand of Vecna adventure. That sounds so incredibly cool.
Tome of the Black Heart was of course none other than #112 Maure Castle
No Hand of Vecna adventures in recent Dungeon that I can remember
I think the Vecna reference points to Vecna Lives! (or the follow-ups), which was rather recently - just 10 years ago or so, which is not much considering the 2000 year span of the Kyuss prophecies.
Stefan
I think the Vecna reference points to Vecna Lives! (or the follow-ups), which was rather recently - just 10 years ago or so, which is not much considering the 2000 year span of the Kyuss prophecies.
Stefan
Maybe...Maybe not. I'm not tellin.
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An interesting spin on Vecna or Kyuss(and other dead BBEG) is the part the Rod of Seven Parts might play in your AoW campaign.
The 2E boxed campaign of the same name specifies that the Rod of Seven Parts when assembled forms the *Rod of Law*. The Rod has many powers - but its central primary ability, when assembled, is to permit the one time casting of a True Resurrection spell with a *very significant* "range" that it can reach back through the mists of time to revive someone through true resurrection. Once activated for this purpose, the Rod of Law scatters and is broken once more.
The Rod both assists the bearer of a part in reassembling it and yet acts, in some respects to prevent its being assembled at the same time. The artifiact is a paradox of sorts.
You might consider expanding the length of that reach even further back in time, given the legendary artifact status of the Rod and the effort gods and men go towards preventing it from being re-assembled.
The point of the Rod is the threat that it presents to all cults, sects and alignments on your world. The possibility of bringing back from the dead ancient long dead villains (or mythic heroes) presents a capacity for great good or evil. Whatever the case, you don't just casually resurrect a historical figure without that having wide ranging consequences.
That, in my campaign world, is the central tale of the Rod of Seven Parts and why so many people - including the gods themselves - take a hand when someone tries to assemble it. It is an instrument that carries potentially world shaking consequence if assembled and used.
A living Vecna or Kyuss - for example - might ruin everyone's day.
Creative Director
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I think the Vecna reference points to Vecna Lives! (or the follow-ups), which was rather recently - just 10 years ago or so, which is not much considering the 2000 year span of the Kyuss prophecies.
Stefan
Good theory... but not quite right.
All of the references in the prophecies and artifacts are from Dungeon adventures, and all of the prophecies have (essentially) "come true" in the last year or two (game time and real time).
In the end, all shall become clear.
Could the Hand of Vecna reference have something to with the adventure Mad God's Key, since the primary antagonist in that adventure was a priest of Vecna? It's been so long since I read that one, I can't remember what the priest's goal was in opening the book he stole from the library.
But did'nt the text say that Manzorian was wrong about at least two of the prophecies? and they would come up in future installments?
Manzorian, I mean Tenser (I need to be prepared to see Tenser instead of Manzorian so my group isn't confused by mixing the names) is wrong about the two events that haven't been fulfilled yet. We are talking about the ones that have happened already here.
In the end, all shall become clear.
These are definately a cool built-in adventure references, and if they tie in even better at the end, it will only be that much more cool.
I've found that making references to other published adventures during a campaign is an effective way to make D&D seem more coherent. Starting off this AoW campaign in Greyhawk, I plopped out a map and pointed to things like The Temple of Elemental Evil, Tenser's Citadel, and The Ghost Tower of Inverness. The players began to connect with the history of the setting, just by knowing about the names associated with it.
During my SCAP campaign, I had the Stormblades off running the Banewarrens (but set at the Spire of Long Shadows... that obviously wouldn't work now). Each time the two groups met, I gave them more information of what the Stormblades did, and it helped them to remember that there's more going on in the world than the Cagewrights, and for the couple of players that knew the Banewarrens, it provided a better feeling of understanding what's going on around them.
Two of my players read Dungeon here and there, and I think they may enjoy the references to the other adventures. Most people will not be able to play every single adventure published in Dungeon, so when you get a chance to even just hear about them in another game, I think it gives a sense of completion, or something.
I think the Vecna reference points to Vecna Lives! (or the follow-ups), which was rather recently - just 10 years ago or so, which is not much considering the 2000 year span of the Kyuss prophecies.
Stefan
Vecna Lives! took place in 581 CY. The current year is 595. Perhaps the Vecna reference is from an upcoming adventure?
Vecna Lives! took place in 581 CY. The current year is 595. Perhaps the Vecna reference is from an upcoming adventure?I think the Vecna reference points to Vecna Lives! (or the follow-ups), which was rather recently - just 10 years ago or so, which is not much considering the 2000 year span of the Kyuss prophecies.
Stefan
That may be possible. I don´t know any adventure from the last few years with Vecna references besides the "Mad Gods Key", as was pointed out, but perhaps I´m just blind or have forgotten it.
Anyway, the special charm of the AoW AP to me is the possibility to tie it in closely with the World of Greyhawk, much closer than the Shackled City, IMHO.As to the campaign year of the various publications, I read somewhere (probably canonfire or greytalk) that publication year minus 1410 gives the campaign year for Greyhawk. Would you apply this to Dungeon modules, too ?
Stefan
Well, as I am always saying, those who can read have a clear advantage :-)
One reference to Vecna is in part 9 of the AP, detailed in the Overload. Perhaps this is what the prophesy alludes to.
Stefan
I think you are certain, Stebehil, because Nicholas Logue, who has written the ninth installment of AOW, has put a very mysterious post in another thread here in paizo. I don´t remember why but I´ve read it yesterday night.
Oh, sorry. I forgot it´s in this thread. I should reread all the thread before write the next time
Black Blade of Aknar Ratalla - #119 Tomb of Aknar Ratalla
Bindings of Erivatius - #123 The Quicksilver Hourglass
These two adventures are listed as generic, IIRC. Where would they take place in Greyhawk?
To all Greyhawk Experts:
I resurrected this thread, because I´m also eager to hear the answer to Rob Bastard´s question.
To all:
I don´t have #135 yet, but would like to know the answer to following up questions to foreshadow events in my game tomorrow
night.
Any further insights on the visions? What becomes clear in the end according to James Jacobs?
Thanks in advance & game on.
Loops!
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Creative Director
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These two adventures are listed as generic, IIRC. Where would they take place in Greyhawk?
Black Blade of Aknar Ratalla - #119 Tomb of Aknar Ratalla
Bindings of Erivatius - #123 The Quicksilver Hourglass
Tomb of Aknar Ratalla can take place anywhere in any rural region.
Quicksilver Hourglass can start anywhere in the world as well; it all takes place in a demiplane in the Astral Plane.
mad gods key had vecna cultists in it ans i believe there was an adventure with an awakened gargantuan toad in it that had vecna bad boys as well. this one maybe?
The tripartite spirit is Bucknard's reassembly.
The hero of the pit one takes place Dawn of a New Age I imagine, though I haven't yet read it.
Perhaps this should take place in a new thread, but it seems appropriate here, and I'm not too worried about derailing the conversation since the AP is now complete.
I keep hearing references to Vecna and some history that took place fairly recently in GH cannon, but I'm too young of a player to know what this is. Can anyone fill me in on Vecna's story a little more? He's one of my favorite deities.
Perhaps this should take place in a new thread, but it seems appropriate here, and I'm not too worried about derailing the conversation since the AP is now complete.
I keep hearing references to Vecna and some history that took place fairly recently in GH cannon, but I'm too young of a player to know what this is. Can anyone fill me in on Vecna's story a little more? He's one of my favorite deities.
Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vecna
Nice wikipedia article. Now I want to buy Die Vecna Die.
On Topic, Now im going to have to re read all my old dungeons looking for prophecies. GREAT!