I've been reworking some of the classic 1st edition modules over to 3.5, and I finally got the party up to level to begin. First up is Dungeon Module A1. Slave Pits of the Undercity. A few things of note:
I'm running these in Forgotten Realms. I have too many Realms sourcebooks not to be using them. Most of the adventures will take place in the Moonsea region, and this one is set at the base of the Dragonspine Mountains. My party has some ties to the deity Helm, and just to add some tension I've made the slavers in this adventure a Lawful Evil cult of Helm. They are enslaving people and employing bands of orcs to better protect the innocents.
The characters:
Hernando - LN, Human, 5th lvl Cleric of Helm - Originally from Tethyr, Hernando was sent by his order to investigate rumors of slaves branded with the Ever Watchful Eye of Helm coming out of the region.
Tull - LN, Human, 4th lvl Dragon Shaman - Originally from the Shaar, Tull worked in a travelling menagerie as a roustabout and grifter. The carnival was disbanded after a run-in with the Red Plumes. The carnies were scattered, and Tull lost his family. Rumor and heresay have placed them in the hands of the slavers.
T'click Click - CG, Thri-kreen, 2nd lvl Psychic Warrior - Also from the Shaar, T'click Click worked as an exotic sideshow attraction. After the disbanding of the carnival he stayed with Tull for safety. His appearance has not made his life easy.
Orpheus - LN, Human, 4th lvl Warmage - Trained at a warmage academy in the Underdark (which he'll never remember), Orpheus sort of wandered out of a cavern in the mountains. Confused and lost, he was found by some villagers that brought him to the priest of Helm. His talent for destructive magic has made him a valuable tool in the service of Helm, but too many unanswered questions may change that.
Ferzth - LN, Elf, 4th lvl Monk - Originally a githzerai abandoned on this plane at a very young age, Ferzth was raised by a solitary monk living outside of Phlan. The monk was murdered by a serial killer and Ferth joined the group when they investigated the theft of the killer's corpse. While retrieving an evil magic item in the Thar, Ferzth was slain by a troll. A friendly druid reincarnated him as an elf.
Laverti - LG, human, 4th lvl Paladin of Helm - Laverti squired for his Lord Martellus out of Cormyr. As the Purple Knight approached old age he decided to see the world and set off with his squire for distant lands. They were able to help a group a carnival workers escape persecution, but the event has left Martellus bedridden with illness. Laverti has taken up his lord's sword and does what good he can.
(Laverti was absent from this meeting.)
I'll skip most of what has previously occured and leave you with the info relevant to A1.
After recovering the Fiend's Embrace, an evil magical cloak, from deep within the Thar (See Dungeon Magazine #121), the party made their way back to Phlan. As they crested a rise in the frozen swamp several members noticed what appeared to be a pair of ogres talking to a gnome in a small, overturned boat. The party had recently allowed an evil gnome to escape from Cold Stones Keep, and they correctly assumed this was that gnome. Some of them incorrectly assumed he was in league with the ogres, when he was actually frozen to death.
They ducked down behind a couple of stunted and barren trees to formulate a plan, but T'click Click is an insect of action and called out for the giants to unhand the gnome. The ogres took notice of the party and proceeded to advance while hucking javelins. Once the ogres closed into melee range and the group began dishing out some solid damage, the ogres cried out in their crude language and almost immediately a small white dragon came over a nearby hillock.
The fight proved difficult for both sides, but the party refused to give in to demands of treasure from the dragon. They even refused quarter when it became apparent that one of the ogres was with child and the dragon offered the lives of its prisoners in exchange for its "baby's mama's" safety. In fact, Tull, the dragon shaman, called the dragon a liar as he speared the pregnant ogre in the belly. Enraged the white dragon fought to the death.
Afterwards, they investigiated where the dragon appeared from and discovered an icy cave. Trapped inside where two sick and dishevelled humans. At first they rejoiced over the party's approach, until the Ever-Watchful Eye insignias on Laverti's and Hernando's armor became apparent. Hernando figured it out and explained the slavers he had been sent here to investigate were linked to Helm, and that was the likely cause of their apprehension. The former slaves' fears were eased and they told there tale of woe. They had heard of work at a camp surrounding a newly rebuilt temple. Once there life was strict and they wound up enslaved over a curfew violation. They escaped from the temple through a secret door, but two days later were captured by the ogres. The only things of interest that they seemed to know were the location of the secret door, the temple was formerly dedicated to a nature god, and that strange ant-men similar to the thri-kreen worked in the slave pits. Actually there was a slave inside that had mentioned working in a carnival alongside a bug-man.
The party escorted the two men back to Phlan and made preparations to seek out these slavers. There was much discussion over the fate of the Fiend's Embrace. Laverti had detected it as evil, and an identify had revealed its magical properties: +1 resistance bonus on saves, +4 enhancement bonus to Intelligence, and fire resistance 10. Orpheus actually tried it on, but immediately took it off. Hernando thought all this fear over an "evil cloak" was foolish and took the Fiend's Embrace for himself... to no apparent ill effect.
The trek to the temple was cold and difficult, but the cleric kept them safe from the elements with his magic and aside from a run-in with a gang of orcs, the trip was uneventful. Except for Hernando. Most nights he dreamt of a dark and beautiful woman and often awoke with a desire to seek her out, but he kept this to himself.
When they finally came within sight of the temple and camp it was determined that they should sneak in under the cover of darkness. The camp was much bigger than expected, and many orcs could be seen among its denizens. So that night they huddled beneath the walls, waiting for the guards on them to pass. They easily located the secret door and proceeded in. Ferzth took point inside a small corridor and opened what appeared to be the back of another secret door at the other end. A spiked bar struck him hard in the chest as he opened it. It seems that the slavers were also aware of the door.
A torch lit hallway extended to the left and right. With the thri-kreen now in the lead they headed left first, the party followed the twisting hall to a rubble filled room. Through the gaps in the door T'click Click could make out a couple of humanoid shapes on a ledge above the room, so they decided to go back the other way. This ended at an empty room that had recently undergone maintenance. What was once probably a doorway had been plastered over. The thri-kreen used his claws to tear away at the plaster and found that it left to a rubble strewn courtyard. After some discussion they went back to the room with the ledge, there was some concern over the shapes the bug saw.
T'click, Hernando, and Ferzth forced their way through the stuck door and into the room. The shapes tried to stay hidden, but T'click climbed up the walls to engage them. A pair of ghouls and a ghast moved to attack at that point, but proved little threat to the strength of Hernando's faith.
Through the door on the other side of the room, another hallway led to a collapsed room. The floor was completely gone except for a bit of ledge on either side. Rickety beams formed a wobbly gridge accross the thirty foot expanse. T'click tried to skirt the ledge on the left and nearly fell thirty feet to the basement below. After watching a good chunk smash against the stone, he cautiously inched over the beams. Once it was proven stable the others followed.
They continued down another hall stopping to examine some barrels in an alcove. Tearing the lid off of one revealed soured wine. Meanwhile Hernando moved into a small room with what looked like a pile of rags in it. Closer, he realized it was in fact a pile of vines. Undaunted he tried to move by it and the vines struk him, the sticky sap they exuded burning and entangling him. Hernando tore himself free and moved away only to have the vines follow. Through most of the fight Hernando was trying to free himself. Tull's longspear proved ineffective in damaging the creature, and the only thing stopping Hernando from becoming mulch was several volleys of magic missiles.
Beyond this room the hallway split into three and they chose to go left into the stable. This building is made of wood, sort of an addition to the main temple. Orpheus rushed into the room without caution and startled three half-orcs relaxing on some hay. They grabbed their weapons and one blew a sharp note on a horn. The party made short work of these guards when five orcs came in from outside. They gathered in the doorway and assessed the situation, beyond them several campfires could be seen, some quite close. Then Hernando very carefully and with much forethought called upon Helm and cast a sound burst just outside the doors...
Meanwhile, Orpheus climbed a ladder into the hayloft where he met an escaped slave in need of assistance. Orpheus promised help and led the way back down the ladder. In his haste the slave "accidentally" knocked Orpheus off the ladder.
...The sonic blast was enough to drop the orcs, and alert every orc within 500 yards. Tull released a horse from the stable and drew off a few orc. As the other orcs swarmed on the stable T'click Click threw alchemist fire into the loft. An impromptu retreat began, with Orpheus and the slave following Ferzth back down the hallway. Tull took down almost half of the orcs with his fiery breath weapon and T'click Click wielded a pair of polearms to great effect. A couple of orcs had made it to the loft and were throwing burning bales of hay onto Hernando's head.
Once it became apparent that the rest of the party was fighting the orcs Ferzth turned back, leaving Orpheus alone with the slave. When Orpheus tried to run by the slave to rejoin the others he found a short sword in his belly. The slave tried to push him back towards the thirty foot pit. Orpheus tried to use his magic, but in a panic he left himself open trying to throw a ray. The short sword left Orpheus laying in a pool of blood. The party rounded the corner just in time to see the slave cleaning blood off his sword. Outnumbered, the slave tried to flee. He crossed the planks with agility, but the crystal shards of the thri-kreen and the monk's stone bullets moved faster than he did. Once the objects ended his life his skin immediately turned gray and his head became large and bulbous.
That's the end of the first session. We play again this Sunday.
I think the conversion to A1 is available on the 'net somewhere, maybe even on the Wizards site. Slave Pits of the Undercity is one of my favorite AD&D modules.
Nice story and good use of that adventure.
The conversions of the game stats of those adventures were available on Enworld, IIRC, but I don´t know if they still are.
Stefan