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Welp. So my ambitions are far exceeding my grasp (as they tend to do) and would love some feedback from my favorite cabal of ingenious GMs on how to flavor my favorite DnD 3.0 module for a special Rise of the Runelords game.
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This is what I got so far:
Sandpoint's Midsummer Festival is a cornucopia of games, foods, activities, and trade.
One of these events is the annual apple auction ran by the unscrupulous Jubrayl Vhiski. Every year for the past 5 years, a single ruby red apple with the shiniest hue and tremendous healing opportunities
(Literally- the apple can be sliced up to 4 times and offer the benefits of a heal spell.) goes for auction to the highest bidder. The proceeds go to alms and Jubrayl's closing the debauchery-laden Pixie's Kitten campaign. (or so he proclaims!)
Now no one knows for sure where this apple comes from. Jubrayl claims he it's from a hidden grove in Devil's Platter known only by a few Varisians. The rumor mill confirms this with a farmer or traveler or two saying they've seen someone matching Jubrayl's description returning from somewhere in Devil's Platter. (Some have said they even have seen him with a few goblins from time to time.)
Now another part of this apple auction tradition is that, while the sun is setting, the apple's seeds are bedded in town in hopes Sandpoint will have it's own life-giving tree, but this has been quite a fruitless endeavor!
Time and time again, the sapling grows unhealthy. Until one night after one or two years, the thorny and crooked tree is stolen away. Some say Jubrayl's Scznarni do it to protect his business, others say its the goblins! (And just last year, old Boderick Quint mentioned he looked up one night from his desk late at night and would swear he saw an old thorny looking tree running away on it's own! But no one listens to that cooky old man..)
So anyways, it's 5 days out from the festival and this year's festival is going to be even bigger than ever (now that Sandpoint's cathedral is to be blessed and opened and all). Mayor Kendra has asked the PCs to get to the core of this apple mystery so that Sandpoint can finally have a tree of their own. Now Jubrayl's offers no help to non-varisians. Varisians or those with more persuasive means can find out that a day's ride into the platter, you can find an old trail left unused by Varisians long ago that will take you to where you need to go. "You'll know you're in the right place."
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Now does anyone have any good ideas about skinning the actual Sunless Citadel as an ancient Thassilonian fortress? How does Ashardalon fit into the ancient Thassilonian/Karzoug/Alaznist narrative? Why is there an ancient temple to him?
I was contemplating making Ashardalon an aspect of Dahak, but I was more hoping to keep this citadel as more of an ancient Thassilonian ruin. Maybe Ashardalon was an ancient red wyrm general of Alaznist/Karzoug with a little too much ego so he thought he was a god? Maybe this was an ancient red-dragon roost/rookery run by this Red Wyrm?
Should the kobolds stay or should I replace them with a splinter group of goblins?
Make the white wyrmling a red one? A blue and foreshadow Karzoug a little more?
Thanks for your time and input!
I can't help you-- I've never played, run, or even read The Sunless Citadel.
Good luck, though!
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Im currently running sunless citadel in a PBP game here. though I placed it in the northern andoran river valley. I cut and snipped the latter adventurers (after the standing stone) out and added Dragon Mountain after. Changing Ashardolon for Infyrana, and The Dwarven City that Infyrana occupies is names Ashardolon ;) and is located in the 5 kings mountains.
I like the idea of making Ashardalon an agent of Alaznist (he seems the wrathful sort), perhaps his heart injury came from a direct confrontation with Karzoug and lead to his obsession with eternal life. Certainly a dragon as powerful as Ashardalon could create strongholds similar to what Kazavon achieved (see Curse of the Crimson Throne) or Choral the Conqueror achieved in Brevoy. Human shaped statues can be in the shape of Alaznist showing his relation to her. I'd keep the kobolds personally- goblin fatigue could set in. Perhaps the kobold clan are the original grove tenders and the goblins and renegade druid are trying to force them out. Why can't the white wyrmling remain? A child of Arkrhyst from Rimeskull (Chapter 5 of Rise of the Runelords).
Thanks guys!
Haladir, your ideas of using the seven-swords of sin actually influenced me a lot for this game. Book 1 of Rise of the Runelords in my game will be focused around wrath. (In ways I've yet to determine, I'm going to have Nualia's sword be the deactivated sword of wrath!) I'm going to avoid planning too much out since the game is sandboxy and the PCs have control where things go, but I'd very much like to see the game start with the Sandpoint hinterlands area have the theme of wrath and chapter 2 and magnimar be about lust.
Jareth- A child of Arkrhyst? Geesh I was so blind coming up with wrathful themes and red dragon-ness from Ashardalon I forgot about Arkrhyst! Done done done. And I'll keep the kobolds.
How's this for a narrative?
Power-hungry and insatiably greedy Ashardalon, general of Karzoug, is wounded in a fight, and replaces his heart with a living demon. Let's say this demon corrupts Ashardalon and fills him with rage and wrath. Doing stuff like sowing thoughts that Karzoug set him up to be too greedy and overextend himself and his armies. So, eventually, the general's anger tips and he turncoats and rebels! He allies with Alaznist for the time being since they both want to see Karzoug dead.
Honestly though, Ashy probably wants to see all Runelords bite the dust, because what the hell, he's the most powerful living dragon and have a demon as his heart. He doesn't think they can stop him. However the conflict gets put on hold before it escalates too badly because of Earthfall.
Various rooms of the citadel will tell the tale of Ashardalon in a simple manner. (In order to not give away too too much, something like there once was a great dragon in an epic battle, he got wounded and gets a demon heart, he turns angry away from some wizard looking guy and wars on him, lots of seven-sided symbols, lots of wizards escaping, before Earthfall.)
I have lots more plotting and scheming, like what ol' Ashy actually did to survive the Earthfall, but it could very well be that Ashardalon and not Karzoug will be the BBEG this game. Maybe Ashardalon is out to find the seven swords of sin and slay the runelords before they awake. Or something. Kind of depends on what the players find interesting.
OOOH.... ok this might work.... what if Ashardalon was the one sent to kill Xin! And it was this battle that shattered the Sihedron (from Shattered star adventure path) and injured Ashardalon mortally (perhaps his chest scar is a burned image of the Sihedron) and caused his search for eternal life. He could be angry with the Runelords for sending him on this suicide mission, but they all escaped his grasp slipping into their Earthfall contingencies. Having no way to avenge himself, he also secrets himself safely away on the Positive Energy Plane to heal and bide his time. Then thee demons attacking the Bastion of Souls could have been dispatched by agents of Karzoug to eliminate the greatest threat to the Runelord before he becomes vulnerable by emerging from the Eye of Avarice.
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Over a decade later, Sunless Citadel is still one of my favorite 1st level adventures. Having Ashardalon be a servant of Wrath works perfectly, and having his temple close by complements the ruins under Sandpoint. It seems like you already have some great ideas for how to weave him into the story, so all I can add is my encouragement that your players will love it.