I'm also seriously considering using Vampires of Waterdeep in my Age of Worms campaign. They're fantastic modules, and there are many, many ways a DM might link that three-part path with AoW.
I'm worried that if I include too many side-quests, my PCs will gain levels faster than I want, so I've decided to remove a couple modules from the AoW path (primarily A Gathering of Winds and The Prince of Redhand).
Also, keep in mind that there's no real need to stay on track with AoW from a timeline standpoint. If the PCs are hunting for Artor Morlin, that doesn't have to mean that Kyuss and his worms are able to thrive while the PCs screw around with other quests. Just put things on hold, have Egilos do some more research, and drag things out a bit in order to fit in those side quest stories.
My group has already met Lord Orlpar, and through him, made connections with the Shadow Thieves (as Orlpar is a mole for the Eye, spying on the Shadow Thieves and possibly using the PCs to bring them down). One evening while the PCs are eating at the Grinning Lion, perhaps that will be when a group of werewolves decides to attack Orlpar, chasing him into the sewers, giving the PCs that opportunity to try another adventure path.
You might try to make Vampires of Waterdeep a part of the AoW adventure path. Find a way to have one of Morlin's lackeys have access to Kyuss worms. Maybe one of the inhabitants of The Dungeon of the Crpyt is a cleric who worships Kyuss and is creating spawn of Kyuss under Morlin's nose. Perhaps Fhang has heard about what the PCs did during "Hall of Harsh Reflections," and he wishes to avenge his fellow dopplegangers. Perhaps Artor Morlin himself is allied with Lashonna. The possibilities are many.
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Wow! great suggestions Crust!
I would advise to keep Prince of Redhand (i.e. Prince of Mintarn, for the Realms) as this is a really well-made social event for the PCs, which are all around level 16 or 17 by the time you get to that adventure. It really teaches the PCs that "might does not always make right", and that you can't always solve problems via a detect evil (i.e. there's a cathedral of BANE in Mintarn!!!! and the place is policed by groups of Erinyes! :) so the PCs must be on their best behavior...)
If you follow the plotline, this town will be turned over to the PCs after/if they defeat Kyuss... so it's not a prize a PC would want to miss, if they care about a modicum of RPing in your game!
Wow! great suggestions Crust!
I would advise to keep Prince of Redhand (i.e. Prince of Mintarn, for the Realms) as this is a really well-made social event for the PCs, which are all around level 16 or 17 by the time you get to that adventure. It really teaches the PCs that "might does not always make right", and that you can't always solve problems via a detect evil (i.e. there's a cathedral of BANE in Mintarn!!!! and the place is policed by groups of Erinyes! :) so the PCs must be on their best behavior...)
If you follow the plotline, this town will be turned over to the PCs after/if they defeat Kyuss... so it's not a prize a PC would want to miss, if they care about a modicum of RPing in your game!
Thanks! I'll take your suggestion. The overall flavor of the dinner just doesn't sit well with me, so maybe a bit of tweaking will be in order. You are right about those erinyes. Dark-eyed hawk women are too cool to ignore.
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Moreover, that will be something for the PCs to do when they go Epic... (i.e. if they want to retire the PCs, that's sort of a good ending; if they want to keep going, there's the Red Rage of Mintarn to slay right up north; a few hours of fun per week with pirate ships; a potential underwater adventure right at their doorstep, which is 'less' of a scary affair when you're high level or epic; etc.)
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This is a veteran group, with almost 20 years of gaming experience. I think the players enjoy being back in Waterdeep and would love to play the Vampire Arc. These guys have not been back there since the good ole' 2nd edition. They have fond nostaglic memories of Waterdeep.
Back in the heady days of first edition, there was a collection of adventures set in the Realms called _Lords of Darkness_. Greenwood was credited as either the writer or editor. Each mini-adventure (meant to be done in one or two sessions) featured one of the iconic undead from the original Monster Manual. Very cool stuff all around, but the vampire adventure sticks out as being a real gem. Set in a major city with a sewer system (I want to say it's supposed to be Waterdeep, but it's been years since I ran it), it involves two twin brothers (I think they were twins, but definitely brothers. Unfortunately, my copy is in storage or else I'd go look it up.) who were long ago turned into vampires. One of them gets their hands on a Helm of Alternate Alignment, becomes LG, and is out to put an end to his brother. That's where the PCs come in.
If you can find a copy (I looked. Someone has it on auction on eBay*), want to involve vampires in Waterdeep, but don't feel like slowing down your AoW game, this might be the way to go. The roleplaying possibilities for the paladin of Kelemvor having to aid a Lawful Good vampire would be, for me, too delicious to pass up running the adventure.
*http://cgi.ebay.com/Lords-of-Darkness-AD-D-Forgotten-Realms-REF5-of-1988_W 0QQitemZ300124810369QQihZ020QQcategoryZ44112QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZVi ewItem
This was my overall outline for how I was planning on running the Age of Worms in Faerun. Specifically pertaining to what you said, I was looking to use "A Gathering of Winds" and the damage to Daggerford as the means of restoring it to semi-normal, pre-AOW state, but it would include a side quest of exposing the hidden Maulaugrym that I inserted into the plot. You can find the thread here:
I'm having Allustan tackle Icosiol's tomb all by himself, off camera. In fact, he uncovered Icosiol's tomb roughly a week after the PCs won the Champion's Belt. He cast a sending and asked the party druid if he noticed anything different about that circlet he found in the Whispering Cairn. ;)
On Allustan's way out of the Cairn (bearing a segment of the Rod), a close ally of Telakin's (Hlaavin's) will make a surprise attack on Allustan. This attacker is a greater doppleganger/half-illithid rogue 2, who will incapacitate Allustan, devour his brain, and take on his attributes (a wizard 10), mimicking him perfectly.
This doppleganger desires to use Allustan's form to draw the PCs to their deaths. Before he can carry out his plans, Allustan's knowledge of the powerful Rod intrigues the doppleganger, and he is drawn west, into the Lizardmarsh in search of the next fragment, which is found heaped amongst Ilthane's treasure hoard.
Using Allustan's knowledge of the Rod and his helpful wizard levels, the doppleganger will infiltrate deep into Ilthane's lair, but will ultimately be overwhelmed by Ilthane and her brood. The fake Allustan will deliver a frantic sending to one of the PCs, begging for their aid (which they will most-certainly give).
Hopefully the doppleganger/Allustan will be able to use the PCs to save his own neck AND possibly off the PCs in the same stroke.
I'm wondering when I should introduce piece #6, which allows true seeing if I'm not mistaken. That will end all arguments as to who the doppleganger is. ;)
Age of Worms In Daggerford Setup
I ran the first half of "Hall of Harsh Reflections" in Daggerford. On their way to Waterdeep, the group stopped over in Daggerford, and they soon noticed that something was wrong.
The PCs arrived and were eventually petitioned by Pwyll to get to the crux of the corruption afoot. Pwyll hadn't been switched yet, but Sherlyn Spearslayer had been replaced with Elaxin, and Telakin had taken the persona of Delfin Yellowknife, the local wizard. The group averted Pwyll's assassination and managed to save a number of party members from getting switched. It was hair-raising.
A note in the Sodden Hold's lower level linked the dopplegangers to some sewer junction in Waterdeep...
I'm so glad you asked.
I wanted to beef up Ilthane’s presence in the campaign, so I thought I’d give her a different lair. The appearance of Ilthane made me think of Onyx/Khisanth from the 2E Dragonlance module Dragons of Despair (based on part of the novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight). The module is below. Download it for $4:
Onyx’s lair is the shattered city of Xak Tsaroth. I’ve always loved the module, and it’s been ten years since I ran it last, so I thought Ilthane was a great excuse to dust it off (which I love doing). I wanted to put Xak Tsaroth on the western edge of the Lizardmarsh, right along the Sword Coast, and make it Ilthane’s lair. The image below says it all. Imagine Raistlin (the red-robed wizard under Onyx’s claw) replaced with Allustan, and you have my inspiration:
Onyx and Raistlin/Ilthane and Allustan
I plan on running this when the party level is around 12th, after the “Champion’s Belt” and before “Spire of Long Shadows.” PCs will receive the sending from Allustan and plunge into the Lizardmarsh. Being that the lizardfolk PC in the group is the wayward lizard king of the Twisted Branch, the group might want to stop by for intelligence and perhaps some aid. Ilthane and her Black Queen managed to infect the tribe with Kyuss slow worms, and those who were able to flee were rounded up and led to Ilthane’s lair as slaves. It will soon be about more than saving Allustan.
Here’s what I’m working with so far:
-The ruined city is an ancient temple of Akadi, built and inhabited by Wind Dukes centuries ago (thus the discovery of Ilthane’s Rod piece). The architecture is very similar to that of the Whispering Cairn.
-Ilthane’s draconic brood call themselves the Blackclaw Tribe, and each member has some black dragon blood (draconic template from Draconomicon) in his/her veins thanks to breeding and magic. It was one of their finest, Shukak, who cowed the Twisted Branch into submission… and was later slain by the PCs, earning the tribe’s everlasting hatred.
-Ilthane is a mature adult black dragon who has recently been blessed by Kyuss. She is able to use her corrupt water ability to turn 10 cubic feet of water into 10 cubic feet of Kyuss worms 1/day. This allows her to turn newly-laid eggs into “Kyuss bombs,” hurling perhaps one or two of the precious eggs as grenade-like weapons, splattering Kyuss worms in a 20’ radius.
-Several meters from the crumbling entrance is a bog 50’ wide and 5’ deep that is completely filled with Kyuss worms. Slaves (often regular lizardfolk, currently survivors of the Twisted Branch) are scooped up by one of three tendriculos and dunked into the bog to ultimately drown in Kyuss worms, rising as spawn soon after. Dozens of lizardfolk (and a few human, orc, and regular kobold) spawn flounder in the muck and wade across the shoreline. The tendriculos tend the spawn, hemming them in and often destroying any who stray too far.
-Regular lizardfolk slaves are penned above ground and shuffled below to work the ruined sections of the ancient city. They wind up either as spawn of Kyuss (to be used to take over the Lizardmarsh and then move on Blackwall Keep, Diamond Lake, Daggerford, etc.), or as food for Ilthane and her brood (after a good pickling, of course).
-Scores of Blackclaw lizardfolk (black draconic lizardfolk) lair with Ilthane, serving and protecting her with their lives. There are also dozens of Blackclaw warriors (black draconic lizardfolk warrior 6) who act as the shock troops of the tribe. In all, enough to throw one, maybe two mobs at the PCs (mobs are detailed in the DMGII, like swarms but with humanoids).
-The Blackclaw lizardfolk are served in turn by their lesser cousins, the Blackclaw kobolds (black draconic kobold). Blackclaw sneaks (black draconic kobold rogue 6) act as skirmishers for the Blackclaw warriors, often flanking whatever intruders the warriors engage and spotting intruders early.
-Women and children are housed below, including a harem of prize females that only the lizard kings can touch, and it will be interesting to see whether the PCs slay them or let them live (as some of them will be neutral, though not most).
-Six lizard kings (male half-black dragon/half-lizardfolk barbarian 10) vie for power amongst Ilthane’s brood. They are Ilthane’s finest, one of which was Shukak (mentioned above). Three often remain aboveground overseeing slave arrivals, while the other three remain below with Ilthane, serving her needs personally.
-Over a dozen shamans (male and female draconic lizardfolk adept 6) act as seers, advisors, and healers to the tribe. They also tend to the egg chambers.
-The shamans are led by the Black Shaman (hermaphrodite half-black dragon/half-lizardfolk warlock 9), who is thought to be a prophet of Semuanya and the sole reason the merging of dragon and lizardfolk is possible. The hermaphrodite is in fact the one who knows the dark process of planting a Blackclaw lizard king's seed in Ilthane (yielding Blackclaw lizard kings) and a male dragon's seed in a Blackclaw female (creating Blackclaw warriors and lizardfolk). The same process is used on the Blackclaw kobolds as well.
-The Black Queen (female half-black dragon/half-lizardfolk sorceress 9) works with Ilthane, using brew potion to help create Kyuss slow worms, spawn of Kyuss, and Kyuss eggs. She is sister to the Black Shaman, though both scheme against one another.
-Three male suitors (adult black dragons, each with their wings bitten or torn off) scrape and grovel before Ilthane. They defend their mistress to the death.
-Thirteen black wyrmlings lair with Ilthane in her treasure room. Should any one of them die, Ilthane forgoes spells and devotes her full physical attention to the slayer (if prudence allows).
-Ilthane’s hoard is in a strange state of order for a chaotic black dragon. Coins are neatly stacked, magical items arranged on pedestals, chests and trunks lined up, etc. etc. This is due to the Rod piece that Ilthane vainly clutches. I have yet to decide which piece to use. Ilthane's treasure represents the combined hoards of one mature adult and three adult black dragons, as she basically beat each male into submission and claimed each hoard as her own.
I expect the module to be a blood-bath, with the PCs working up a good sweat but ultimately prevailing. I do expect to run at least two mob scenarios, which can get pretty dicey. They might fight their way through the entire tribe, or they might just drop down the well and attack Ilthane and her inner brood immediately. I need to be careful once the group makes it to Allustan, though. With the doppelganger/wizard at the mercy of the dragon, he might be the first to die ("Put down your weapons or I gut the wizard," or something like that). It will be interesting to see what happens.