So, I was cajoled into running a D&D 3.5 campaign a few weeks ago, and I decided--having recently acquired the entire Margaret Weis Productions run of 3.5 Dragonlance supplements--to set the campaign in Krynn, specifically in the city of Kalaman during the post-War of Souls Age of Mortals.
I've ended up with five PCs, so far:
Galdar d'Olrig, minotaur Paladin of Kiri-Jolith, the bison-headed god of courage, valor, and honorable combat. Galdar is a hulking, white-furred minotaur exiled by his people for being Lawful Good. He carries around an obscene number of weapons, and has just enough intelligence to know which weapon to use against which type of enemy ("made of flesh, slash; made of bone, smash!").
Allie Wanderfeet, kender Bard. Like most kender, Allie is the eternal optimist. Sure, evil is bad, but why worry about it? Everything will sort itself out. Allie has latched onto Galdar as her new BFF, and the two are inseperable, much to Galdar's initial chagrin. Allie even sleeps atop the minotaur like a cat.
Melvina Towerspike, Kharolian human Wizard. Melvina is an eager apprentice wizard assigned to Kalaman to serve as liaison between the Conclave and the Black Robed lord councilor Teiadus Kransin. She was somewhat disappointed when she learned this wasn't a paying position.
These two characters joined the others in the third session:
Robert Devaux, Solamnic human cleric of Majere, the LG god of knowledge, discipline, and enlightenment. Robert ("Ro-bare") is a native of Kalaman who lives at the Majerite monastery in the city. Roped into the party's adventure by his superiors, he's now seeing much more of the world than he'd ever expected.
Deiria uth Elnor, Solamnic human Fighter. A well-bred young woman, Deiria attended the finest boarding schools for young ladies, where they stressed grooming, needlecraft, and swordplay. After her father's fortunes collapsed during the War of Souls, Deiria found herself wandering, looking to reclaim the lifestyle she was accustomed to. This was how she found herself stepping off a ship in Kalaman with a saddle in her backpack.
Our story began with Galdar, Allie, and Melvina meeting as Galdar came off the boat. Soon they had encountered a young sorceress named Lina Kirian, who was trying to start a library for sorcerers in the city. Someone tried to set her house on fire. The party saved her house, but Galdar was unable to capture the arsonist.
Still hoping to do some good that night, the three went to a graveyard where two grave robbers had fell prey to a pair of ghouls. The party dispatched the ghouls pretty easily and turned the thieves over to the Watch.
The next day, Allie, Galdar, and Melvina met Lord Kransin, city councilor, chief opponent to the sorcerers' library, and secretly Lina's father. He gave them information on the gang responsible for torching his daughter's house (the Land Sharks) and asked them to clean up the mess. The party went to the slum of Southgate, located one of the Land Sharks' safehouses, and let themselves in. Some fighting ensued which left the young heroes much the worse for wear. The leaders of this cell of the gang escaped after seriously injuring Galdar. But the party did uncover the name of the gang's employer: Arnes.
At this point, Robert and Deiria joined the group. The party went to Lina first to see if she knew who "Arnes" was. According to her, Gabriel Arnes was a pirate who raped and killed Lina's mother and was then killed by Kransin in revenge. Kransin confirmed this story, and Robert informed him that Arnes's old ship, Zeboim's Wake, had docked in Kalaman just that morning. Kransin ordered the group to raid the ship and kill or capture Arnes.
After a bloody fight with the pirates, the Wake's captain was dead, but it wasn't Arnes. They found no signs of their quarry, but they did find a set of charts leading to a mysterious island, and the crew said that Arkush, their captain, was going to meet an old friend there--Arnes himself.
The next morning, the group set out on Zeboim's Wake, using a magic compass to guide their way to the island, which can only be found by magic. The island is surrounded by mists that induce horrible nightmares, leaving much of the crew shaken upon waking. Arriving at night, the ship is attacked by a strange skeletal vulture, identified posthumously as a carrion wretch, a spawn of the god Chaos. The heroes then go ashore and encounter strange, four-armed goblin-like mutants
After resting and recovering their strength aboard ship, the party returns to the island and pressed towards its center, where a strange black spire rises above the jungle canopy. There, they find more mutants, including an eyeless, tentacled hobgoblin, which they capture for questioning.
And that's where we've left off. More to come.
