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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nebulous" data-source="post: 4723531" data-attributes="member: 31465">4e Tallow’s Deep Intro After completing Keep on the Shadowfell, instead of jumping straight into Thunderspire Labyrinth, I wanted to run an old 1e/2e adventure called Tallow’s Deep from Dungeon magazine #18, written by Steve Gilbert and Bill Slavicsek. I originally played this with my brother and a friend (and a DM-NPC named Ash) around 1989, and it has always cemented itself in our minds as a classic scenario. It introduced me to 3-D dungeon design, crafty goblinoid tactics and devious traps, all of which combined to create a truly fearsome – and mildly frustrating - scenario.  All those years ago, this adventure was run without miniatures, maps and markers, and looking back, I can hardly remember how we did it. I suppose we did have graph paper, pencils and our imaginations, which were obviously more than enough! But I wanted to update it to 4e mechanics and pacing, and now that we’re done, I can say that it adapted very well. I changed a few elements around, adding some and detracting others, but the core adventure of Tallow’s Deep remains the same, a deadly romp through a trapped goblin warren where, as the tagline says:  “In the goblin’s mine, adventurers get the shaft.”   I hope you enjoy reading these recaps. I had a lot of fun writing them. And as always, thanks to the players for making it all happen in unpredictable ways. Nebulous    ADVENTURE NOTES   This mini-campaign actually kicks off with a character from Keep on the Shadowfell, Douvan Stahl the Ranger. He was an NPC in KotS that we elevated to PC status and ran in a 3-part Side Trek that paralleled the events in KotS. In part two of that Side Trek, Douvan has returned to Silverymoon to procure payment from his employer, one wily halfling businessman known as Merple the Moneylender. But not everything goes as planned when Douvan arrives. If you read the KotS storyhour then this first installment will be familiar, but it introduces some necessary characters and the rest of the campaign branches off from here. Tallow’s Deep is bookended with a completely new story that has the module sandwiched in the middle. The 4e conversion of Tallow’s Deep took far, far longer than the original ever did, mostly due to expanded encounter format and combat. But it was no less fun, and probably even more so.  I should also note that one player, whose 4e character is Jolen, the Cleric of Tempus, was an original player in the 1989 Tallow’s Deep. He did not know he would be returning there because I never mentioned it until the session they actually arrive, which was adventure #3. His first character EVER in D&D also died in the final encounter of Tallow’s Deep, so we were very curious to see what happened to his newest incarnation…     Here is a breakdown of the games: PrologueAdventure #1 – Merple’s MishapAdventure #2 – Merple’s MissionAdventure #3 – Tallow’s DeepAdventure #4 – River TrapAdventure #5 – Tunnel TrapsAdventure #6 – Shar-shazaluk’s LairAdventure #7 – No EscapeAdventure #8 – Owlie’s LairAdventure #9 – Skull CrusherAdventure #10 – Grishog’s GambitEpilogue  Prologue  Douvan Stahl scratched at his prickly beard. It irked him this morning, but he wasn’t going to shave. No, in fact he had been thinking about growing it out like his father’s beard, a great bushy thing that even a dwarf would admire. But he had to get past the damn itching first.  <img src="http://www.zikadik.com/silverymoon/douvan.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" /> He and Merric had just arrived in town where they had a strange encounter with the Griffon Guard. See, he and the halfling had found a strange mirror buried in the muddy graveyard of a dead dragon outside of Winterhaven, and for reasons he did not quite understand, the Griffon Guard wasn’t keen on this item entering city limits. So they took it. Regardless, Douvan wasn’t terribly worried. Merple would still pay him for the information they learned in Winterhaven, with or without the mirror.  Merric parted ways with him and Douvan continued alone, admiring the city around him. Douvan loved Silverymoon. He loved the elvish architecture of soft, curving lines and the organic transition from homes to gardens to businesses and back to gardens. It was Mirtul now and flowers were starting to bloom; rich yellowfiddles from Sembia and fragrant violet roses supposedly imported from Evermeet long ago. He stood on one of many small bridges criscrossing Silverymoon, drawing a few deep breaths of fragrant morning air. The sun had just crested the city skyline, bathing the world in brilliant shades of red and orange.  He stopped by an eatery, threw down a few coppers and grabbed a slice of bread and cheese, and munching on breakfast, he kept walking, trying to remember exactly how to reach to Merple’s place of business without getting lost… [GM Note: This particular session was a solo adventure. The other characters will make their appearances in Adventure #2: Merple’s Mission (except for Raven the Druid, who does not show up until much later].</blockquote>

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