Anauroch: The Empire of Shade

[DM_Jeff]

Well, I got the last hardcover in the last Forgotten Realms adventure trilogy. And while I thought I read it would be titled something like “Anauroch: The ruination of your childhood” or “Anauroch: The wrecking of the planet” it is happily titled “Anauroch: The Empire of Shade”. Overall, I am pleased that WotC is sending “my Realms” out with dignity.

I have not read it yet, just the full intro and glanced longingly through and intend a full reading tonight but I do have it here at work today. The first two in this series were very rich reads for me, loaded with detail and interesting encounter builds in exotic locales. My twice-a-month Saturday group has been jonesing over this all year and we can finally begin it when the current campaign finishes up in 2008.

It’s written by Greg Vaughn, Thomas Reid, and Sean Reynolds, folks I know respect and know the realms well. And the few entries I read so far prove that to be true. It has direct ties to the two previous books, but plenty of options if you are just playing this one. I’ll entertain any questions as I glimpse through it today and read more tonight.

-DM Jeff

 

[Mean Eyed Cat]

Our group is currently going through the Shadowdale: Scouring of the Land adventure. So far, we're having a great time with it. However, I like to include a lot of my own written material and, therefore, I'm not sure that we will continue with the Anauroch adventure. We'll see how this Shadowdale engagement pans out-

Without spoiling it too much, let me know what you think of Anauroch: The Empire of Shade.

 

[DM_Jeff]

OK, so it's a big book and I didn't finish it all in one setting, but here are musings on it.

It's a big story, and the developers know the party will have access to fly, teleport and other moving-about abilities at 13th-14th level, and the story takes place in a number of famous far-flung locales the party gets to visit. Sort of a Realms showcase. Once at each place, however, they don't rush you through, there's plenty of space devoted to bringing an area to life.

Without spoiling too much, the party doesn't have 100% of the clues needed to know where to strike next, but they know time is of the essence. Slowly visiting these famous places they build clues, put their loremaster/bardic knowledge and knowledge skills to the test digging through Realms history and learning their next move (this chapter is handled quite well).

The crux is a trek through old Anauroch istelf, and for various reasons magic won't always help them, meaning actual survival skills and prep will be the key to surviving the dangerous climates and needs the desert demands. That's a good touch, and not cheesy as it ties directly to the plot.

They make good use of the various Monster Manuals, utilizing creatures both advanced and templated from MM2, MM3, MM4 and Fiend Folio as well as a couple other FR books. I enjoy being pointed to monsters I read long ago but never got to use, a little nudge to remind you how well they can fit a story!

In the rear are about 25 pages of coruse material: a nice guide to the specific areas of the desert, some repeated spells from Spell Compendium we could probabally do without (but having them for references for those that don't have that book is nice, I suppose) and new magic items (mostly minor artifacts!) and a few monsters.

The adventure is fully invested in Realms history and locales, and so would not port elsewhere with ease. The good news of course is for FR DM's this shows what the campaign is made of and shows it off well. Characters are supposed to raise as high as 16th or 17th level by the completion, and while they do finish the plot, there are plenty of notes for campaign consequences allowing a DM to continue the adventures based on various fallout.

-DM Jeff

 

[Mortic]

After i read the "Cormyr" adventure in the spring, I wasn't every impressed by the storyline. So before going out and spending some $ on the next 2. Can one of you please give me a short description of the further storyline, just in a few lines, of “Shadowdale: Scouring of the Land adventure and Anauroch: The Empire of Shade”.

Regards

 

[Greg V]

SPOILERS
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In Shadowdale the perfect storm of nefarious alliances develops and coincides with the distraction/removal of many of the heroes of Shadowdale due to the ongoing war in the Cormanthor Forest. The result is that Shadowdale is suddenly invaded and quickly falls to the Zhentarim and other allied parties. The machinations of Shar continue to keep Elminster, et al from rushing to the rescue, so the PCs fresh from their foray in Cormyr are called upon by an old ealms personage to come the rescue. The PCs enter occupied Shadowdale as a mercenary band and begin the scouring of the dale in a nice combination of dungeon-crawl/site-based encounters and event-based situations that allow them to undermine and fracture the occupation force and rally the peoples of the dale to throw off the oppressors' yoke.

In Anauroch clues found among the occupiers of Shadowdale lead the PCs to break into a supposedly abandoned ruin in elf-occupied Myth Drannor. There they learn exactly what those rascally Sharrans were up to in Cormyr and a potentially deadly alliance they have made with the City of Shade in order to destroy the Weave of Faerun. The PCs must race against time and to disparate locations and personages of classic Realmslore to keep a dead magic zone that envelops Anauroch from spreading outward and ultimately destroying Mystra and ushering a in new age of Shadow.