War of the Burning Sky
From ENWiki
The War of the Burning Sky is an adventure path and campaign setting published by EN Publishing meant to be used in conjunction with the d20 rule set, most commonly Dungeons & Dragons 3.5. The setting is based on a landmass that consists of five nations; Ragesia, Shahalesti, Ostalin, Sindaire, and Dassen.
Focus of the adventure path is set on the recent assassination of the Emperor of Ragesia; Drakus Coaltongue, and the loss of his powerful artifact; the Torch of the Burning Sky. Starting in the independent city of Gate Pass, the players become embroiled in the politics of war, and must set out to discover what happened to Emperor Coaltongue and the lost Torch.
Basic information for the setting was published in the form of a free Player’s Guide and Campaign Guide (meant for DMs). These two documents formed the basis for the twelve part adventure path that makes up the War of Burning Sky.
Currently, eleven of the planned twelve adventures have been released. There are plans to update the entire saga to the D&D 4th Edition ruleset, begining in Winter 2008.
Unique Elements
There are several unique changes or additions to the War of the Burning Sky, that make it different from a generic D&D setting. Many of these changes are layered on top of existing rules, so the setting still maintains a feel of being a more traditional campaign world.
Inquisitors & Countermagic
One of the more infamous groups in the Ragesian Empire are the dreaded Inquisitors. Foregoing a typical cleric advancement, these elite soldiers specialize in countering enemy spellcasters. Equipped with spells that allow countering and even turning of spells, the Inquisitors can even use turning attempts to halt the magical attacks of enemy spellcasters.
Teleportation and the Burning Sky
During the course of the adventure path, teleportation magic has been corrupted by the missing Torch of the Burning Sky. Across the continent, individuals utilizing teleportation begin arriving at their destinations burned to a crisp. Distance seems to be a factor in this phenomenon, so a spellcaster utilizing a Dimension Door might only be slightly singed, while someone using a Greater Teleport to cross nations may not even be identifiable upon arrival. Although defenses exist, this effect prevents widespread teleportation from being used during the course of the war, while offering unique advantages to fire-immune creatures such as devils.
Artifacts
The Living Blade
This weapon is connected to the forest of Innenotdar, the dryad Tibre, and the elven hero Anyariel. Although referred to as a blade, the weapon is capable of reshaping itself to its wielder's needs. In Anyariel's hands, the Living Blade was a great, two-handed sword. The Living Blade cannot be made into a weapon with complex, moving parts and always appears to be made of wood. The powers of the Blade are associated with fire, and grow with the strength of the wielder, eventually allowing its holder some limited ability to bend reality to their will.
The Torch of the Burning Sky
The Torch is an item associated with the Ragesia itself, and more specifically with its first emperor, Drakus Coaltongue. Although a powerful melee weapon, the most famous ability of the Torch does not directly relate to combat. Coaltongue was able to use the Torch to teleport his armies great distances in a massive pillar of fire.
Trillith
The trilliths are born from the dreams of a sleeping dragon called Trilla.
They are based around specific concepts, such as Madness, Indomitability, Deception, Balance, and Agony. The name and abilities of the creature are tied to their nature. Deception for instance, is a shapeshifter encountered several times throughout the adventure path.
Each trillith has an associated boon, a power connected to its essence that can be given to others. A trillith can willingly grant this boon, or it can be taken by force from a dying trillith by means of a binding ritual called the Song of Forms.
Adventures
Adventure 1: The Scouring of Gate Pass
As Gate Pass falls under attack, the heroes are tasked with delivering critical intelligence out of the city and to a distant safe haven. First, though, they must deal with agents of the invading empire, spies from other nations, avaricious bounty hunters, and deadly inquisitors. The information they carry may decide the fate of this conflict, the War of the Burning Sky.
Adventure 2: Indomitable Fire Forest of Innenotdar
The journey between Gate Pass and distant Lyceum is long; along the way lies a forest that has burned for decades, where a dream monster holds sway. Before escaping the raging flames, the heroes become caught in a three-way conflict with a fiend, the fierce spirit of the forest itself, and a clan of pernicious fey who possess a powerful weapon for the coming war.
Adventure 3: Shelter from the Storm
Freed from the flames of Innenotdar, the heroes reach the small seaside village of Seaquen and the magical academy, Lyceum. But Seaquen is no safe haven: there are spies, refugees, and a fleet of hostile ships to contend with, to say nothing of an oncoming hurricane which may not be entirely natural.
Adventure 4: The Mad King's Banquet
While Seaquen recovers from an unnatural natural disaster, the heroes undertake a quest to find allies in the nearby nation of Dassen before the Ragesian army arrives. But the heroes discover strange tidings surrounding Dassen's King Steppengard. What afflicts the King, and is Duke Gallo truly conspiring against him? Seaquen's survival depends on unravelling the mystery.
Adventure 5: Mission to the Monastery of Two Winds
As the war spreads to new nations, the heroes set out for The Monastery of Two Winds, whose leaders - two enigmatic brothers - can guide the way to retrieving the lost Torch of the Burning Sky, which will tip the balance of power. But two enemies threaten the order. From without, remnants of the army of Emperor Coaltongue besiege the mountain monastery. From within, one of the order's own is kidnapping innocents for cruel biomantic experiments.
Adventure 6: Tears of the Burning Sky
In search of the Torch of the Burning Sky, the heroes set out for Sindaire and Castle Korstull, the canyon fortress where Emperor Drakus Coaltongue was slain. Their destination lies within an endless firestorm, the result of a peculiar rupture in the fabric of the planes. While the castle surely holds clues to the fate of the emperor and his Torch, the heroes will have to contend with the undead, fiends, rival treasure hunters, and the survivors of Coaltongue's army to learn them.
Adventure 7: Trial of Echoed Souls
The heroes stand poised to seize control of their fate and the ongoing war, but only if they are the first to claim the Torch of the Burning Sky. Seeking the legendary artifact of Emperor Coaltongue, the heroes explore a haunted forest and must face its dangers while contending with patrols sent by two two armies who are racing to capture the Torch. From there, the heroes must travel to a sentient psionic temple, where they face shadows of their past in a physical and mental trial that could alter their very beings.
Adventure 8: O, Wintry Song of Agony
As war rages on multiple fronts, the heroes call upon their allies for a strike against a secret, frozen fortress that defends the Scourge. Deep in the heart of northern Ragesia, the Scourge is Supreme Inquisitor Leska's greatest weapon: a device powered by the suffering of thousands of prisoners which, if completed, could annihilate a city from across the world.
Adventure 9: The Festival of Dreams
War began with the New Year as the Ragesian Army assaulted the city of Gate Pass. Now, as the heroes return to where their quest began, the local rebellion rallies to their cause, battling in the streets as they defiantly celebrate a long-delayed holiday. But Ragesia has far stranger minions than mere soldiers and beasts. Sleeping horrors strain to pass through to the world of flesh, and though victory in Gate Pass is near, the heroes will find their desires turned to nightmares in the Festival of Dreams.
Adventure 10: Sleep, Ye Cursed Child
Armies march, the clouds roar with fire, and deep in the shadows of the earth, nightmares craft the world's annihilation. The trillith, born from the dreams of the imprisoned dragon Trilla, have manipulated events in the war since its beginning, crafting the opportunity to fulfill their great desire: to unmake the bonds of the world, freeing themselves from the shackles of corporeal flesh.
Adventure 11: Under the Eye of the Tempest
As Leska's plans near fruition in the depths of Ragesia, an old acquantaince shows his true colors, and the coastal town of Seaquen, home of the Lyceum Academy and a rallying point for thousands of refugees, finds itself the target of a new, more dangerous attack! Certain of his own invincibility, the wind-powered archmage Pilus seeks to destroy his old rivals, the mages of Lyceum Academy. Another storm rolls across Seaquen, but this tempest bears an army amid its thunder. As the town quakes under the dire gaze of the Tempest, the heroes and their allies must band together in a desperate defence.
