Okay, what's this Maure castle thing all about? I haven't the slightest idea and I wonder why it's so cool to have a key in Dragotha's horde (hoard?)? What mags is it in? How many are there? Is it an actual adventure path? My girlfriend said she read one of the recent ones and wants to run it but our dungeon collection is only back to the one previous to the AOWs path beginning.
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Okay, what's this Maure castle thing all about? I haven't the slightest idea and I wonder why it's so cool to have a key in Dragotha's horde (hoard?)? What mags is it in? How many are there? Is it an actual adventure path? My girlfriend said she read one of the recent ones and wants to run it but our dungeon collection is only back to the one previous to the AOWs path beginning.
Basically, Maure Castle is a very challenging dungeon found in the World of Greyhawk.
It was first introduced in 1984 in this (1e) module:
http://home.flash.net/~brenfrow/gh/gh-wg5.htm
Recently, through the dedication of Erik Mona and the work of legendary D&D author Robert J. Kuntz, Dungeon offered a (3.5) revised version of it in its #112 issue. Note that this was more than just an update to the module as the adventure in Dungeon occurs years later.
Since then, RJK has agreed to provide newer (I should say "deeper") levels to the castle on an irregular basis. The next one was in issue #124 (Chamber of Antiquities) and we're all eagerly waiting for another in the near future.
If you take a look at the cover of issue #112, you'll discover one of GH's iconic villains: the fiend-handed wizard Eli Tomorast. He figured in WG5 and returned to plague the heroes in issue #112.
What more can I say about it except that a generation of (A)D&D players still remember going up against him (and - for most - dying, painfully). It comes down to bragging rights and fun memories, I guess. Same as if you can truly say you reached the deepest level of the Temple of Elemental Evil.
Aaah the good old days...
Ah, and the key is special because the (underground) entrance to the castle is barred by a door one cannot open (normally). In the old module, the characters had an artifact from the god Dalt to bypass it. What surprises me a bit is that this door had no lock, so if you found a key to it that's weird. I haven't received yet the latest issue from Dungeon so a description of the key would be appreciated.
Almost forgot to add that the original module also introduced something called the "Lost City of the Elders", a location many adventurers have wished to visit for years now.
How...informative. So coming from a guy who knows next to nothing about greyhawk, should I shuffle out and by the Gazeteer? I think that's what it was called..
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How...informative. So coming from a guy who knows next to nothing about greyhawk, should I shuffle out and by the Gazeteer? I think that's what it was called..
Not necessarily. I would but then I'm a GH fan ;p
That said, Maure Castle is also the easiest dungeon to "steal" for another setting. All you need is an area on the border of a civilized nation and the ruined castle of a once-mighty noble family whose members had a knack for magic (especially of the Conjuration/Necromancy schools). BR, EB and FR have plenty such locations. DL only slightly less so.
On the matter of the "key" in Dungeon #134, now that I've received the issue I see it's not what I first thought. It's even better!
That item refers to this description of the underground entrance to the castle (in the original adventure):
"Characters who examine the floor here will note that there is an eight-pointed star chiseled into the stone. The points of the star are entirely cleaned out, as if something is supposed to be set into them. The “something” which is meant to be inset is a set of eight metal triangles, each about the size of a halfling’s hand and each of a different hue. In the Greyhawk Campaign, each plate was enchanted to a different plane typically a special demi-plane or similar place. Thus, a double adventure was set up for each of the eight triangles. First came the search for the metal plaque, and then came the adventure of traveling to the destination encoded on the plaque, exploring, and finding a way back."
Thus, the "key" you spoke of is actually one of those plaques. This must be the first time I've ever seen one turn up in an official adventure!
A big congrats to the author for his knowledge of the GH setting! :o)
"Characters who examine the floor here will note that there is an eight-pointed star chiseled into the stone. The points of the star are entirely cleaned out, as if something is supposed to be set into them. The “something” which is meant to be inset is a set of eight metal triangles, each about the size of a halfling’s hand and each of a different hue. In the Greyhawk Campaign, each plate was enchanted to a different plane typically a special demi-plane or similar place. Thus, a double adventure was set up for each of the eight triangles. First came the search for the metal plaque, and then came the adventure of traveling to the destination encoded on the plaque, exploring, and finding a way back."
I was kicking back in my computer chair, eating some oatmeal raisin cookies and appreciating all the wonderfully penned articles contained in the Wizards of the Coast archives, when I happened upon this one:
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fey/20040110a
Enjoy!