Reworking the Keep on the Borderlands!

[kiznit]

Well, it's Summer Campaign time.

My brother and I are putting together a new gaming group now that the old campaign has petered out, and I've been on a nostalgia kick - I never got the opportunity to play in any of the original D&D modules, but bit by bit over the past couple of years I've been purchasing the cheap downloads just out of overall Dungeon Master curiosity and idea-thievery - and I'm looking to build a 3.5 super-campaign all based off the original B-series, the S-series, G series, and concluding with the D series. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to run their way through all the classics again?

I've been DMing a long time, and I'm big on putting my own personal touch on the adventures I run (Well, who isn't?). B2, for all its classic greatness, is a bit of a silly set-up. Middle-of-nowhere keep next to what is basically a monster hotel. What are the players doing out there? What's the status of the keep? How are all these monsters functioning in the same living space? These are the nagging things I've got to figure out and spice up a notch or two, and I figured I'd shoot my plans at you guys for comment and critique.

So first, the introduction:

It's been twelve years since the battle of Raven's Crossing. The dreaded Legion of Iron had swept through the lands to the west and decimated the countryside in bloodlusted worship of their six-armed God, leaving nothing behind but crows, ashes and dust. What refugees that escaped told horror stories of burning lands and enslaved kingdoms behind them, of no mercy shown to the innocents that stood in the way of the Legion's conquest.

But the heroes of Raven's Crossing held them off. That was over a decade ago. Inspired by stories of their valor, you find yourself driven with the desire to cross the decimated remains of the westlands to the fabled coastal kingdoms where fortunes can be made and great adventures can be had.

Two years ago a single caravan made it through the Westlands. They told a story of a lone keep on the northern border, looking out over the valley of Bones, that continues to provide a safe haven for travelers and merchants. Rumors of possible plunder and adventure for those brave souls that are willing to take up the challenge.

Last year brought more caravans from the west and more rumors. The once-proud city of Nyos Vasra now caters to the mad whims of an egomaniacal warlord far to the south. Tribes of mauraders, monsters and worse plague the passes above. Slavers ply their trade across the smaller coastal towns. Desperate kingdoms to the north send out the call for hardy adventurers for help.

Explore the Westlands and your name will echo among the ranks of heroes before you! Now is your chance to prove your worth.

So that's the set-up. Now some ideas I've been brewing:

First, Kendall Keep. I'm actually using Return to the Keep on the Borderlands for most of my information, with a little supplemental stuff from the original module and from Kenzer's version of the Little Keep. I figured I'd put it up against the mountains in a pass overlooking the "Valley of Bones", a desolate wasteland home to monstrous humanoids and worse. I'm throwing some vineyards on the mountainside, and with the missing castellan (who went off to fight the Legion and never returned) to be replaced by a brotherhood of friendly irish-type monks, and the small keep community that they watch over. The hidden temple is deep underground beneath the caves, with various groups in conflict above them.
Goblins and hobgoblins who work directly for the temple acquiring slaves for sacrifices and to be sold to slavers are in conflict with bandits (who just want to raid caravans), kobolds (who just want to do their thing) and orcs (who are trying to expand out of the Valley of the Bones). Gnolls are mercenaries who work for the highest bidder. Putting all these guys in the same cave system still seems a little far-fetched, so I figure the orcs will be an invading war-party, the bandits will be spying, and the gnolls will be in negotiations with temple representatives. Or something like that.

Any suggestions on my introduction, or ideas on how to tie these guys together? I need help!

 

[painandgreed]

I the 3.5 game I ran using Keep on the Borderlands, I said the evil temple there had called all the monsters to it and being evil monsters, they had responded to the summons. Most of the monsters had just set up residence recently and they had cut off the flow of trade past the keep. From there, the keep and the kingdom it was a part of, Amn, offered a reward for each monsterous humanoid head that was brought back. It was a small reward, 1 GP for a medium sized humanoid head, and 5 for a large, but enough to say it caught the attention of the PCs. Near the end, the PCs invaded the evil temple and were trying to destroy the tapestries and gong. Although the text says that the gong was supposed to sound to bring the clerics (who were already dead by this point), I said it brought all the rest of the monsters in the caves surrounding. Despite ingnoring the gonging (which they figured was goign to bring all the monsters) the players never did manage to destroy the temple and barely made it out of there. So basically, I said that the red and black stone that the evil temple was carved out of is an inherently evil location that creates a magic effect that summons evil creatures and charms them to work together for the benefit of the temple. I figured that it was the site of soem great evil and its actual destuction or cleansing would be something that the PCs would have to complete much later at a higher level (after which time, it would have summoned more monsters to the caves).

 

[smootrk]

Personally, for a little more believability with the living arrangements of the Caves, I would eliminate a few of the types of creatures, and make the caves a North/South warzone between 2 factions.... Goblins, Hobgoblins, Bugbears on one side, Orcs primarily (possibly one allied race) on the other side... with the Minotaur & Temple inhabitants as a buffer on that side of the ravine. And, I would increase the size of the ravine to spread out the caves a bit more, making a good battlefield in the area between the cliff faces.

Have the PC's come into the caves area to be caught in the middle of a battle between the factions.

 

[Garnfellow]

Man, there was a thread on this topic within in the last week or so, and some really great ideas. Worth seeking out.

 

[helium3]

Hey. Just a minor quibble on your flavor. You mention a six armed god, and I imagine you're talking about Hextor. Keep in mind that Hextor is a lawful evil god, so worshippers of Hextor aren't going to just go through an area and kill everyone in it for fun. They'd need a reason. Perhaps you should switch to Ertyhnyul (or however that's spelled). But then, it doesn't sound like the flavor text matters all that much, so it's probably not a big deal.

 

[kiznit]

Keep in mind that Hextor is a lawful evil god, so worshippers of Hextor aren't going to just go through an area and kill everyone in it for fun. They'd need a reason. Perhaps you should switch to Ertyhnyul (or however that's spelled). But then, it doesn't sound like the flavor text matters all that much, so it's probably not a big deal.

Dang, good call. Making that change now.
Got some more ideas to be added to the thread.

By any chance can anyone hit me with a link to the thread from last week? I musta missed it.

 

[krichaiushii]

Link

 

[diaglo]

there is also:

Link

 

[kiznit]

Gaming it on tonight!

Thanks for the great links, guys!

So we're going to be gaming the first session tonight. After a couple of nights of work, I realize that I'm not running an updated Keep on the Borderlands per se, but more an original work that is a tribute to the original B1 Module.

Here's a few more bits and pieces, if any of you want to C&C my "flavor text".

The caravan road starts to twist out of the gnarled and windblown forest, and cresting the hill you get your first view of the Keep. A large break in the mountain range shows desolate lands beyond, the fabled Scarred Plains (of Ash-Torroth), stretching off into the horizon. Perched on the northwestern mountain step over the descent into the valley beyond is a castle, a small collection of walls and towers that ascends up the mountainbase, sheltering several steep orchards and fields. The walls stretch up from sheer faces below, the only entrance a long and winding road that meanders back and forth around a few outlying buildings to a gate-tower, set across from the drawbridge by a yawning precipice.

And of course, everyone loves the tasty rumors!

"The Legion of Iron? They didn't get this far north, but the castellan and his men rode out to fight them at Kor Dannith to the south. Kor Dannith is off the map, now, and not one man returned. No, no-one here's very eager to see what happened."

"The monks of Rao take care of us now. They're always eager to talk to visitors. If you just head on through the upper bailey to the monastery, you'll find them training, or tending the vineyards, or whichever. But whatever you do, DON'T drink the wine. It's awful!"

"The Scarred Plains? Br-r-r-rr. Yeah, besides the occasional raiding party of orcs, there's not much alive out there. Even if you did have a good reason to cross those dead lands, you'd have to get through the bandits in the valley of bones. No, no-one here's very eager to visit the Scarred Plains."

"The Valley of Bones? Doorstep to the borderlands, that is. Fair number of Monsters and Critters down there, and worse, I hear. Every year some group of adventurers like yerself get it into their heads that there's treasure and plunder down there, and every year it's the same. Still, I guess it keeps the monster population busy. *evil chuckle*"

"Yeah, there's a tribe of hobgoblins in the Valley of Bones. They've been getting more and more uppity lately - watch out for them, they're vicious in battle! I have heard that they take prisoners, though; so if you surrender, they might try to ransom you off. I hear old McGillicuddy the money-changer offers an insurance policy for that."

"Goblins, huh? Hey, if you're in a tight spot, and you want to surrender, just yell out 'Bree-yark!' That's goblin for surrender. I hear they're honor-bound to capture you and keep you alive then."

"I don't know too much about the Valley of bones, but I hear there's an old hermit up there in the woods who's been all over these lands, and knows what's where. He can be a little tricky to find, prob'ly cause he's an elf. Elves is always hard ta find."

"Yeah there are orcs out there on the plains. If they get wind that the keep here is undermanned, then we're all doomed. They'll come sweeping up the valley and they'll tear us apart! They eat people, you know."

"You want to know about the bandits? I heard that they were mostly deserters from the old army that escaped the Legion. Good men gone bad, I'm afraid. Now they're raiding caravans and worse, but there's a chance one or two of 'em might still be reasonable enough ta deal with."

"Sure, goblins is bad enough. Orcs is worse. But the worstest, there's this tribe of gnolls that's come out of the plains recently. Most hideous, viscious, horrifyin' creatures you've ever seen; seven an' a half feet tall they stand, but they is all hunched over, growly with tha viscious fangs gaping! They carry these massive long-handled axes, and if one sees ya, he howls up and next thing you know there's dozens of them everywhere! They worship demon-lords and they sucks the eyeballs out of babies! It's orful! ...er No. I ain't actually seen one -personally-. But, you know, that's what they're like. Really."