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I'm designing an adventure (for publication) to be adaptable to most D&D settings we know and love. How would you go about this?
My scenario involves The Brotherhood of True Flame from Al-Qadim for high-level PCs, and while I'm drawing on many of the Al-Qadim themes (e.g. there's a "bond of salt" the PCs can invoke to get invited into the dungeon by the BBEG), I'm also writing it to be mostly setting agnostic. "You venture into the Great Anvil at the heart of an inhospitable desert...which could be anywhere in space and time..." That sort of fairy tale vibe. Additionally, I'm looking for specific areas in my adventure to insert little call-backs or provide clear places where a DM could slot in his or her setting of choice.
I'll give some examples below, if you'd like to critique them (# Birthright, Eberron, Mystara, Planescape, and Ravenloft are works-in-progress), along with my sidebar about tying the adventure into official D&D storylines.
[SBLOCK=Examples]The Brotherhood of True Flame originally was a villainous arcane secret society in Zakhara, the land of the Al-Qadim campaign setting. Zakhara belongs to the same world as the Forgotten Realms, but is very very far from the known territories of the Sword Coast. While the Brotherhood’s citadel is at home in its native Al-Qadim, Krak al-Mazhar was left as a great mystery hidden in the depths of an inhospitable desert, and thus is presented so it can readily be adapted for other settings.
Homebrew Settings
Look for an inhospitable desert with a history of volcanic activity in your setting – that makes the ideal location for Krak al-Mazhar.
______________________________________________
If running a homebrew setting, consider making the following changes to Krak al-Mazhar:
## Birthright ##
Magocracy is common in Khinasi, but the Brotherhood of True Flame take it a step further, seeking to rule all with a fiery grasp. Reaching out their shadowy arms from their citadel in the Tarvan Wastes, the Brotherhood manipulates Khinasi politics, subjugates gnoll tribes, and courts the Red Kings and the Sphinx.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Birthright setting, you may wish to make these changes:
Dark Sun
Worship of fire is common on Athas – it is fire that cleanses blighted fields, bakes the builder’s bricks, and keeps the desert chill at bay. Many of those who revere fire see it as a tool to aid their communities, and maybe even restore Athas one day. However, for the defilers of the Brotherhood of True flame, fire is a jealous master. It was the foul sorceries of the Brotherhood that drained the life from the surrounding Valley of Dust and Fire, leaving a blighted hellscape where Krak al-Mazhar stands.
The Brotherhood believes its secret master – the Bonfire – is the hidden 16th Champion of Rajaat, a sorcerer-king who burns halflings on sight. Whether this is true or not, the Bonfire seeks to convert all mages on Athas to his defiling pyromancy…on pain of death. Having lost all semblance of humanity, the idea of any mage retaining their humanity is intolerable to the Bonfire. As agents of the Free City of Tyr or a rival sorcerer-king, the PCs are sent to crush the Bonfire’s power base.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Dark Sun setting, you may wish to make these changes:
Dragonlance
Within the Burning Lands of Khur, there is said to lie a piece of the fiery mountain cast down upon Ansalon during the Cataclysm. This may very well be the caldera in which Krak al-Mazhar rests today, a citadel built to honor the three moons of Krynn – Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari. Some believe it to be the Lost Tower of High Sorcery returned to the Material Plane after centuries hidden by the renegade mage Spyranus within the Inner Planes.
A schism is forming in the Order of High Sorcery over what to do about Krak al-Mazhar. Even the moderates in Nuitari’s faith consider the Brotherhood of True Flame extremists, but are unwilling to cast their vote against their brethren, deadlocking the Order. Seeking outside help, the high mages of Krynn turn to the PCs to end the Bonfire’s reign and restore balance to the citadel.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Dragonlance setting, you may wish to make these changes:
## Eberron ##
Deep in the Blade Desert, the elven tribes of Valenar whisper of an ancestral spirit, the asuras, which was reborn among the Brotherhood. The elven Keepers of the Past fear the human Bonfire bonded to the asuras’ spark will be driven mad. ##
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Eberron setting, you may wish to make these changes:
Forgotten Realms
If you wish to place the citadel closer to more familiar lands within Faerûn, you might look south of the Sword Coast to Calimshan. Indeed, the citadel’s caldera may be the site where the noble efreeti Memnon rages against his imprisonment and seeks to lure the Brotherhood into freeing him to restore the fallen efreeti kingdom of Memnonar.
Alternately, you could place Krak al-Mazhar in the heart of Thay, and explicitly tie the Brotherhood of True Flame to the Red Wizards. This works particularly well if your party ran Dead in Thay (found in Tales fom the Yawning Portal) or even the D&D Next adventure Dreams of the Red Wizards. The beleaguered Thayan rebels might recruit the PCs to help overthrow the lich-regent Szass Tam; in this case, the Bonfire may be a mysterious former zulkir operating in the shadows for his master Szass Tam, and the PCs must either ruin or recruit the Bonfire and his followers.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Forgotten Realms, you may wish to consider these changes:
Greyhawk
While the Scarlet Brotherhood seeks to gain power through legitimate, albeit shady, channels, there are many cabals among the Suel supremacists operating in the shadows. The Brotherhood of True Flame is preeminent among these cabals, permitting all actions, no matter how vile, in their quest to establish a new Suel Imperium.
However, the Brotherhood of True Flame meets resistance from two groups, either of which might serve as quest-givers to the PCs. First, the Baklunish people view the Brotherhood as an affront to their demi-god prophet Al’Akbar and Istus, Lady of Fate. Wherever you place Krak al-Mazhar – whether in the ancient Baklunish homeland west of the Crystalmists in the Sea of Dust, or in the arid Sultanate of Zeif – the Baklunish tribes suspect the Brotherhood of True Flame is preparing to launch its unholy war. Second, a group of rebel mystics from the Scarlet Brotherhood known as the Splintered Mind grow increasingly concerned with the Bonfire’s independence and doctrine of mage supremacy, and might take drastic steps to bring the Brotherhood of True Flame to heel.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Greyhawk setting, you may wish to make these changes:
## Mystara ##
Deep in the Emirate of Ylaruam, Krak al-Mazhar stands as a secretive heresy against the Eternal Truth espoused by the prophet Al-Kalim. From this desert citadel, the Bonfire pursues a dark path to immortality written in blood and fire. Makistani tribes whisper of ill omens surrounding the desert citadel with it ghoulish blue fires at night. Elven acolytes known as the Siswa who guard the oases at the desert’s edge fear they cannot withstand another raid by the Brotherhood of True Flame. Either of these groups might serve as quest-givers to the PCs. ##
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Mystara setting, you may wish to make these changes:
Planescape
Lying at the periphery of the Plane of Fire, where the Cinder Wastes meet the Fountains of Creation (Plane of Magma), Krak al-Mazhar is a formidable bastion. Planewalkers may first learn about the Illuminated – a splinter faction of the Brotherhood – during The Eternal Boundary adventure early in their careers.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Planescape setting, you may wish to make these changes:
## Ravenloft ##
Krak al-Mazhar rests amidst the wastes of Har’Akir, dread domain of the mummy lord Ankhtepot. The Brotherhood may attempt to subvert the darklord, it may be that the Brotherhood secretly reveres Ankhtepot, or it may be the Bonfire is Ankhtepot. ##
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Ravenloft setting, you may wish to make these changes:
Spelljammer
Volcanic desert planets litter many crystal spheres, including Sirrion in Krynnspace, Comporellon in Wildspace, or even the ancient Astromundi Cluster with its close proximity to the Inner Planes. Deep in the Astomundi Cluster lies the Antilan Empire of Sun Mages, scattered across far-flung asteroids and dwarf planets. The Antilan mage elite conspire and compete to gain an apprenticeship at the feet of the greatest of all sun mages – the elusive Bonfire.
Hidden on his asteroid-citadel, the Bonfire constructs his own fleet of Crystal Ships from glassteel mined in the asteroid by Scro (orcish) slaves. Seeking to subjugate all mages in the Astromundi Cluster and beyond, the Brotherhood of True Flame are increasingly seen as extremists among the Antilans. Yet the Bonfire sees his brethren as the only line of defense against the forces of the illithids (mind flayers) corrupting and warping mages across space. The Antilan Empire may recruit the PCs to handle this problem, which is seen as too delicate for any sun mage to risk their own reputation getting involved with.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Spelljammer setting, you may wish to make these changes:
Thunder Rift
Zanzer Tem is back! After failing disastrously at taking slaves for his salt mines near Stonefast, Zanzer either narrowly escaped or was killed and resurrected by the Brotherhood of the True Flame. A potion of longevity later, and he was back at his old nefarious schemes for his new masters. Elevated as a shig’harakhi* serving the Brotherhood, Zanzer Tem oversees their sulfur mining operations with a singular cruelty and twisted sense of justice.
The Brotherhood – perhaps fueled by Zanzer Tem’s revenge – have taken rakasta slaves from Artarashai and wiped out the town of Kleine. Moreover, the rivers of the land are flowing strangely and running dry. To defend their homes, the PCs must venture forth and topple the Brotherhood of True Flame… and defeat Zanzer Tem once and for all!
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar using the Thunder Rift setting as a basis, you may wish to make these changes:
[SECTION]D&D Storylines
Tyranny of Dragons. PCs finishing Rise of Tiamat should be around 15th level. The renegade Red Wizard Rath Modar joined the Cult of the Dragon hoping to dethrone Szass Tam. Many of the tragedies trace their root back to Rath Modar’s scheming. In fact, any interaction the PCs have had with him were likely simulacrums, clones, or projected images. With Tiamat banished to the Nine Hells, the high-level PCs may wish to hunt her down or prevent her from ever returning to the Material Plane. The only one with that knowledge is Rath Modar, who has again shifted allegiances (or revealed his true allegiance) as the Bonfire ruling the Brotherhood of True Flame.
Elemental Evil. PCs finishing Princes of the Apocalypse should be around 15th level. With the fall of one of the Princes of Elemental Evil, the plans of the Elder Elemental Eye have been thwarted...but not extinguished. In a distant desert, the Bonfire wages his own inner struggles, torn between the fiery influence of Imix and his faith in emotionless Kossuth. One slip could give the remnants of Vanifer’s Cult of the Eternal Flame control over a citadel like none other.
Rage of Demons. PCs finishing Out of the Abyss should be around 15th level. Hordes of demons slain by the PCs have not returned to the Abyss, but have been captured by the Brotherhood of True Flame and used in the creation of immoliths. As these fiends spread their corruption, drawing forth demons born from unfulfilled desires and worse entities, a new bastion of demonic power rises at Krak al-Mazhar.
Storm King’s Thunder. PCs finishing Storm King’s Thunder may be too low level for Krak al-Mazhar; consider raising them to at least 14th level first. Restoring King Hekaton to his throne may have ended the Ordning war among giants, but the fire giant Duke Zalto’s legacy lingers on. The Brotherhood of True Flame has stolen the pieces of the Vonindod, a primordial colossus which could threaten all creation, dragons and giants included.
Tomb of Annihilation. PCs finishing Tomb of Annihilation may be too low level; consider raising them to at least 14th level first. ##[/SECTION][/SBLOCK]
My scenario involves The Brotherhood of True Flame from Al-Qadim for high-level PCs, and while I'm drawing on many of the Al-Qadim themes (e.g. there's a "bond of salt" the PCs can invoke to get invited into the dungeon by the BBEG), I'm also writing it to be mostly setting agnostic. "You venture into the Great Anvil at the heart of an inhospitable desert...which could be anywhere in space and time..." That sort of fairy tale vibe. Additionally, I'm looking for specific areas in my adventure to insert little call-backs or provide clear places where a DM could slot in his or her setting of choice.
I'll give some examples below, if you'd like to critique them (# Birthright, Eberron, Mystara, Planescape, and Ravenloft are works-in-progress), along with my sidebar about tying the adventure into official D&D storylines.
[SBLOCK=Examples]The Brotherhood of True Flame originally was a villainous arcane secret society in Zakhara, the land of the Al-Qadim campaign setting. Zakhara belongs to the same world as the Forgotten Realms, but is very very far from the known territories of the Sword Coast. While the Brotherhood’s citadel is at home in its native Al-Qadim, Krak al-Mazhar was left as a great mystery hidden in the depths of an inhospitable desert, and thus is presented so it can readily be adapted for other settings.
Homebrew Settings
Look for an inhospitable desert with a history of volcanic activity in your setting – that makes the ideal location for Krak al-Mazhar.
______________________________________________
If running a homebrew setting, consider making the following changes to Krak al-Mazhar:
- Replace the deity Kossuth with a LN, N, NE, or LE deity associated with fire or magic from your pantheon. For example, an alternative from fantasy-historical pantheons is Apep (NE Egyptian god of evil, fire, and serpents).
## Birthright ##
Magocracy is common in Khinasi, but the Brotherhood of True Flame take it a step further, seeking to rule all with a fiery grasp. Reaching out their shadowy arms from their citadel in the Tarvan Wastes, the Brotherhood manipulates Khinasi politics, subjugates gnoll tribes, and courts the Red Kings and the Sphinx.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Birthright setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Replace the deity Kossuth with an extremist sect of Avani (LN Khinasi goddess of knowledge, magic, reason, and the sun) in her fierce aspect, but with the upper echelons secretly revering Azrai (NE god of charm, death, and magic).
- ?
Dark Sun
Worship of fire is common on Athas – it is fire that cleanses blighted fields, bakes the builder’s bricks, and keeps the desert chill at bay. Many of those who revere fire see it as a tool to aid their communities, and maybe even restore Athas one day. However, for the defilers of the Brotherhood of True flame, fire is a jealous master. It was the foul sorceries of the Brotherhood that drained the life from the surrounding Valley of Dust and Fire, leaving a blighted hellscape where Krak al-Mazhar stands.
The Brotherhood believes its secret master – the Bonfire – is the hidden 16th Champion of Rajaat, a sorcerer-king who burns halflings on sight. Whether this is true or not, the Bonfire seeks to convert all mages on Athas to his defiling pyromancy…on pain of death. Having lost all semblance of humanity, the idea of any mage retaining their humanity is intolerable to the Bonfire. As agents of the Free City of Tyr or a rival sorcerer-king, the PCs are sent to crush the Bonfire’s power base.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Dark Sun setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Treat Kossuth as simply another name for “elemental fire” used by the Bonfire’s cult.
- Consider giving the Bonfire additional psionic powers (using the Mystic playtest for inspiration), and reinterpret the mamluks and aghas of the Imperishable* as his templars.
Dragonlance
Within the Burning Lands of Khur, there is said to lie a piece of the fiery mountain cast down upon Ansalon during the Cataclysm. This may very well be the caldera in which Krak al-Mazhar rests today, a citadel built to honor the three moons of Krynn – Solinari, Lunitari, and Nuitari. Some believe it to be the Lost Tower of High Sorcery returned to the Material Plane after centuries hidden by the renegade mage Spyranus within the Inner Planes.
A schism is forming in the Order of High Sorcery over what to do about Krak al-Mazhar. Even the moderates in Nuitari’s faith consider the Brotherhood of True Flame extremists, but are unwilling to cast their vote against their brethren, deadlocking the Order. Seeking outside help, the high mages of Krynn turn to the PCs to end the Bonfire’s reign and restore balance to the citadel.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Dragonlance setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Replace the deity Kossuth with Nuitari (LE god of dark magic and arcane secrets).
- If your game is set during the War of the Lance with the Green Dragonarmy invited into Khur, you could replace all shadow wyverns* with young green dragons, and make mamluks and aghas of the Imperishable* draconians.
- If your game is set during the Chaos War, you could include an encounter with an adult red dragon on the Great Anvil Encounters table, which has come down from the Mountains of Doom to destroy everything in its wake.
## Eberron ##
Deep in the Blade Desert, the elven tribes of Valenar whisper of an ancestral spirit, the asuras, which was reborn among the Brotherhood. The elven Keepers of the Past fear the human Bonfire bonded to the asuras’ spark will be driven mad. ##
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Eberron setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Replace the deity Kossuth with either the Blood of Vol (LE church of death and necromancy) or a corrupted version of the Path of Light being practiced by humans (LN church of meditation and mentalism). The Blood of Vol seeks to awaken their own divinity through fiery ritual and sacrifice – classic villains. The Path of Light was passed down through the asuras Isheae allied with the kalashtar, but it consumed the minds of the Brotherhood’s flame mages who are willing to commit any atrocity to prepare for the coming Dreaming Dark.
- ?
Forgotten Realms
If you wish to place the citadel closer to more familiar lands within Faerûn, you might look south of the Sword Coast to Calimshan. Indeed, the citadel’s caldera may be the site where the noble efreeti Memnon rages against his imprisonment and seeks to lure the Brotherhood into freeing him to restore the fallen efreeti kingdom of Memnonar.
Alternately, you could place Krak al-Mazhar in the heart of Thay, and explicitly tie the Brotherhood of True Flame to the Red Wizards. This works particularly well if your party ran Dead in Thay (found in Tales fom the Yawning Portal) or even the D&D Next adventure Dreams of the Red Wizards. The beleaguered Thayan rebels might recruit the PCs to help overthrow the lich-regent Szass Tam; in this case, the Bonfire may be a mysterious former zulkir operating in the shadows for his master Szass Tam, and the PCs must either ruin or recruit the Bonfire and his followers.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Forgotten Realms, you may wish to consider these changes:
- In Calimshan, you might make the efreeti Maqim in the Great Anvil encounters table an ally or aspect of Memnon. Additionally, the imprisoned entity at the bottom of The Bonfire’s Tower could very well be Memnon himself.
- In Thay, you might have the Bonfire’s true identity be Kumed Hahpret, former zulkir of evocation, or even Rath Modar. He might even be the sole lich ally of Szass Tam surviving the Thayan Resurrection’s assault on the Doomvault.
Greyhawk
While the Scarlet Brotherhood seeks to gain power through legitimate, albeit shady, channels, there are many cabals among the Suel supremacists operating in the shadows. The Brotherhood of True Flame is preeminent among these cabals, permitting all actions, no matter how vile, in their quest to establish a new Suel Imperium.
However, the Brotherhood of True Flame meets resistance from two groups, either of which might serve as quest-givers to the PCs. First, the Baklunish people view the Brotherhood as an affront to their demi-god prophet Al’Akbar and Istus, Lady of Fate. Wherever you place Krak al-Mazhar – whether in the ancient Baklunish homeland west of the Crystalmists in the Sea of Dust, or in the arid Sultanate of Zeif – the Baklunish tribes suspect the Brotherhood of True Flame is preparing to launch its unholy war. Second, a group of rebel mystics from the Scarlet Brotherhood known as the Splintered Mind grow increasingly concerned with the Bonfire’s independence and doctrine of mage supremacy, and might take drastic steps to bring the Brotherhood of True Flame to heel.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Greyhawk setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Replace the Brotherhood’s secret language Jhatab’enar with Ancient Suloise.
- Replace the deity Kossuth with Pyremius (NE Suel god of fire, poison, and murder) or Wee Jas (LN Suel goddess of magic, death, and law).
- Play up the tension between the disciples of the Salamander* and the rest of the Brotherhood; the monks may becomes tentative allies of the PCs.
## Mystara ##
Deep in the Emirate of Ylaruam, Krak al-Mazhar stands as a secretive heresy against the Eternal Truth espoused by the prophet Al-Kalim. From this desert citadel, the Bonfire pursues a dark path to immortality written in blood and fire. Makistani tribes whisper of ill omens surrounding the desert citadel with it ghoulish blue fires at night. Elven acolytes known as the Siswa who guard the oases at the desert’s edge fear they cannot withstand another raid by the Brotherhood of True Flame. Either of these groups might serve as quest-givers to the PCs. ##
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Mystara setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Replace the Brotherhood’s secret language Jhatab’enar with Ylari.
- Replace the deity Kossuth with Fire Elemaster (N immortal of fire and fire elementals) or Rathanos (CN immortal of fire, power, and male supremacy).
- You can tie the adventure to the old module B7 Rahasia by replacing Javar Din with The Rahib or replacing some of the ghuls at the Fountain of the Ghuls (the great gardens - area 5f) with the three witches Karalena, Solorena, and Trilena.
Planescape
Lying at the periphery of the Plane of Fire, where the Cinder Wastes meet the Fountains of Creation (Plane of Magma), Krak al-Mazhar is a formidable bastion. Planewalkers may first learn about the Illuminated – a splinter faction of the Brotherhood – during The Eternal Boundary adventure early in their careers.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Planescape setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- The Brotherhood of True Flame may have ties to the Incanterium, a dead faction of tyrannical mages that was Mazed by the Lady of Pain.
- ?
## Ravenloft ##
Krak al-Mazhar rests amidst the wastes of Har’Akir, dread domain of the mummy lord Ankhtepot. The Brotherhood may attempt to subvert the darklord, it may be that the Brotherhood secretly reveres Ankhtepot, or it may be the Bonfire is Ankhtepot. ##
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Ravenloft setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- ?
- ?
Spelljammer
Volcanic desert planets litter many crystal spheres, including Sirrion in Krynnspace, Comporellon in Wildspace, or even the ancient Astromundi Cluster with its close proximity to the Inner Planes. Deep in the Astomundi Cluster lies the Antilan Empire of Sun Mages, scattered across far-flung asteroids and dwarf planets. The Antilan mage elite conspire and compete to gain an apprenticeship at the feet of the greatest of all sun mages – the elusive Bonfire.
Hidden on his asteroid-citadel, the Bonfire constructs his own fleet of Crystal Ships from glassteel mined in the asteroid by Scro (orcish) slaves. Seeking to subjugate all mages in the Astromundi Cluster and beyond, the Brotherhood of True Flame are increasingly seen as extremists among the Antilans. Yet the Bonfire sees his brethren as the only line of defense against the forces of the illithids (mind flayers) corrupting and warping mages across space. The Antilan Empire may recruit the PCs to handle this problem, which is seen as too delicate for any sun mage to risk their own reputation getting involved with.
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar in the Spelljammer setting, you may wish to make these changes:
- Add a spelljamming port for the Antilan Crystal Ships on the upper level of Krak al-Mazhar. You can even replace the Shadow Wyvern Aerie (upper - area #) with a port if you wish.
- More explicitly tie the cursed flame mages* to the corrupting influence of illithid (mind flayer) experimentation or parasites.
Thunder Rift
Zanzer Tem is back! After failing disastrously at taking slaves for his salt mines near Stonefast, Zanzer either narrowly escaped or was killed and resurrected by the Brotherhood of the True Flame. A potion of longevity later, and he was back at his old nefarious schemes for his new masters. Elevated as a shig’harakhi* serving the Brotherhood, Zanzer Tem oversees their sulfur mining operations with a singular cruelty and twisted sense of justice.
The Brotherhood – perhaps fueled by Zanzer Tem’s revenge – have taken rakasta slaves from Artarashai and wiped out the town of Kleine. Moreover, the rivers of the land are flowing strangely and running dry. To defend their homes, the PCs must venture forth and topple the Brotherhood of True Flame… and defeat Zanzer Tem once and for all!
______________________________________________
If running Krak al-Mazhar using the Thunder Rift setting as a basis, you may wish to make these changes:
- One consideration is that Thunder Rift itself is only 30 miles long, north to south, and there is no desert! Krak al-Mazhar requires traveling at least 240 miles into a hostile desert, so you’ll need to add territory beyond Thunder Mountains. For example, you could borrow from the Mystara or Greyhawk settings to expand the scope, or you could have Krak al-Mazhar exist in a demiplane.
- Some of the slaves kept by the Brotherhood are rakasta. The tabaxi are a good stand-in for rakasta, and are given further description as a player race in Volo’s Guide to Monsters and as monsters in Tomb of Annihilation.
[SECTION]D&D Storylines
Tyranny of Dragons. PCs finishing Rise of Tiamat should be around 15th level. The renegade Red Wizard Rath Modar joined the Cult of the Dragon hoping to dethrone Szass Tam. Many of the tragedies trace their root back to Rath Modar’s scheming. In fact, any interaction the PCs have had with him were likely simulacrums, clones, or projected images. With Tiamat banished to the Nine Hells, the high-level PCs may wish to hunt her down or prevent her from ever returning to the Material Plane. The only one with that knowledge is Rath Modar, who has again shifted allegiances (or revealed his true allegiance) as the Bonfire ruling the Brotherhood of True Flame.
Elemental Evil. PCs finishing Princes of the Apocalypse should be around 15th level. With the fall of one of the Princes of Elemental Evil, the plans of the Elder Elemental Eye have been thwarted...but not extinguished. In a distant desert, the Bonfire wages his own inner struggles, torn between the fiery influence of Imix and his faith in emotionless Kossuth. One slip could give the remnants of Vanifer’s Cult of the Eternal Flame control over a citadel like none other.
Rage of Demons. PCs finishing Out of the Abyss should be around 15th level. Hordes of demons slain by the PCs have not returned to the Abyss, but have been captured by the Brotherhood of True Flame and used in the creation of immoliths. As these fiends spread their corruption, drawing forth demons born from unfulfilled desires and worse entities, a new bastion of demonic power rises at Krak al-Mazhar.
Storm King’s Thunder. PCs finishing Storm King’s Thunder may be too low level for Krak al-Mazhar; consider raising them to at least 14th level first. Restoring King Hekaton to his throne may have ended the Ordning war among giants, but the fire giant Duke Zalto’s legacy lingers on. The Brotherhood of True Flame has stolen the pieces of the Vonindod, a primordial colossus which could threaten all creation, dragons and giants included.
Tomb of Annihilation. PCs finishing Tomb of Annihilation may be too low level; consider raising them to at least 14th level first. ##[/SECTION][/SBLOCK]
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