© 1M4 TSR, Inc. All RIgMs Reserved.

Sample file

32

MPI

\ 3

h =20 ft.

36

35

—•— 1

28

29

Sam

ple

file

Advanced Dungeons^pragons

Official Game AdventureDragons of Flame

by Douglas Niles

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROLOGUE 2Astinus the Lorekeeper returns, reflecting upon the past and uncertainfuture of Krynn.

THE STORY:The heroes endeavor to resist the growing might of the Dragonlords, playingtheir roles in the midst of war and destruction.

Chapter 5: Que Kiri and the Plains 4In which the fires of the Dragonlords spread over Abanasinia.

Chapter 6: Solace 6Where the dragonmen hold sway over the first home and the Last Home.

Chapter 7: The Slave Caravan 8The ox-drawn wagons move toward Pax Tharkas and its slave mines.

Chapter 8: Elvenhome 11Where the party rests for a spell, hears song and legend, and learns of the Sla-Mori.

Chapter 9: To the Walls of Pax Tharkas 19The perilous tunnels of the Sla-Mori—the secret entrance to the dragonmen sfortress.

Chapter 10: The Tharkadan Towers 22The quest presents its greatest challenge, here in the heart of the fortress.

EPILOGUE 29Thus is concluded another portion of the epic. The heroes again are journeying,through their road remains unclear.

APPENDICESHere are the tools of the story. That which is new is explained, as are encountersby fate alone.

Appendix 1: Random Encounter Charts 30Appendix 2: Monsters, Creatures, & Men 31Appendix 3: Treasures and Tomes 31Appendix 4: Canticle of the Dragon 32

PLAYER CHARACTER CARDS 17These are the Innfellows, the heroes of DRAGONLANCE

Original Concept: Tracy HickmanEditors: Michael Williams and Michael DobsonThe DRAGONLANCE Design Team:

Tracy Hickman, Michael Dobson, Larry Elmore, JeffGrubb,Harold Johnson, Douglas Niles, Carl Smith,Margaret Weis, Michael Williams

Product Design: Bruce Lewis, Elizabeth RiedelArt: JeffEasleyCartographer: Stephen D. SullivanCanticle by Michael WilliamsSong by Tracy Hickman and Michael Williams

Arranged by Frank Mentzer

Printed in U.S.A.ISBN 0-88038-087-X9132

Distributed to the book trade in the United States by RandomHouse, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd.Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.

Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR (UK) Ltd.

This module is protected under the copyright laws of the UnitedStates of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of thematerial or artwork contained herein is prohibited without theexpress written permission of TSR, Inc.

DRAGONLANCE, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS,AD&D, and PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION arc trade-marks of TSR, Inc.

85 1984 TSR. Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TSR (UK) Ltd.The Mill, Rathmore RoadCambridge CB14ADUnited Kingdom

TSR, Inc.PRODUCTS OF VOUR IMAGINATION'-

Sam

ple

file

DROLOQUe

Let your mind float free, Dungeonmaster; castyour thoughts toward the troubled world ofKrynn—to the Age of Despair after the greatCataclysm that brought ancient civilization toan end. Now Krynn is threatened once again:this time by the domination of the Dragon-lords and their inhuman minions. Now, Dun-geonmaster, enter the mind of Astinus ofPalanthus, Lorekeeper of Krynn, who sighs ashe rises from the crystal globe of wisdom,weary from traveling the world in his spiritform, weary from following the trails of his-tory to their ends. Slowly he stands, and shuf-fles across the floor to a table piled high withparchment scrolls. He dips a quill pen into aninkpot, and begins once more to scribe. . .

. . .from die Iconochronos of Astinus of Palan-thus, Lorekeeper of Krynn, in the 351st yearafter the Cataclysm.

. . .Darkness has fallen over this world, poor,suffering Krynn. Thus it has been since thegreat Cataclysm, when the old world fell.Curse the High Priest of Istar, whose pridecaused him to give orders to the True Gods,rather than to ask humbly for their aid. Forthe Gods punished Krynn for this blasphemy,and much was forever lost. Lost were the greatcities, the accumulated wisdom and knowl-edge of many generations. Lost as well was allknowledge of the True Gods, and mankindsank into idolatry. Clerics lost their power, andmankind lost hope for its salvation.

But hope always springs from the mostmodest of causes, and so it was that the Innfel-lows began the salvation of Krynn. Originallythere were seven: Tanis, Kitiara, Flint, Tassle-hoff, Raistlin, Caramon, and Sturm. Fiveyears ago they set out from the Inn of the LastHome, seeking knowledge of the True Gods.In five years they found nothing, and so allreturned to the sleepy town of Solace, thetree-city built in a Vallenwood grove. Allreturned save one: Kitiara the beautiful,whose whereabouts are yet unknown.

Tanis was the leader, a half-elf born of anelf mother who was taken by a human turnedsavage in the terrible times that followed theCataclysm. The elves took him in, and he wasraised in Qualinesti, elfhome. But he is evertorn between his human and elf halves, andhas found the wanderlust strong within him.He has roamed the world and seen much, yethis heart is split between the fiery Kitiara, ahuman woman, and the elf maid Laurana.

Caramon and Raistlin are twins—yetunlike as night and day. Caramon is bright,Raistlin is dark. Carmamon is a fighter of

great strength and courage; Raistlin is a sor-cerer gone cynical, a doubter. They have sur-vived great and terrible trials. The tests thatRaistlin underwent to become a sorcerer lefthim with skin the color of worthless gold andpupils the shape of hourglasses—he sees theconstant, terrible effects of time.

Sturm Brightblade was the son of aKnight of Solamnia raised in secrecy. Now tak-ing up the mantle of his father, his most puis-sant knightly aim is to die nobly in a battleagainst his enemies. His motto is Perunde occadaver—Obedience Unto Death. He is aman of military bearing, of great dignity, andof power—a true knight.

Flint Fireforge is a fighter of the HillDwarf race, distrustful of all—including otherdwarven races (especially the cursed Aghar,the Gully Dwarves). Now of grandfatherlyage, he is but two dwarven generationsremoved from the great Cataclysm itself! Hisfamily was killed through the neglect of theMountain Dwarves, and now he seeks toavenge his people.

Tasslenhoff Burrfoot is a Handler (Iwould say thief) of the Kender people, a half-ling in size but a giant in curiosity. He is a trea-sure of odd information, of useful insights,and of clever solutions to knotty problems.

These were the original Innfellows, butthe puzzle was not yet complete. For, on theday of their return to Solace, they met Gold-moon, a princess of the Que-Shu tribe, andher lover Riverwind, a Ranger of greatstrength and few words. Riverwind, a poorman s son, had quested far to prove the worthof his love to Goldmoon's father. After manytrials, he obtained the Blue Crystal Staff thatbelonged to the Goddess Mishakal. His tribenearly stoned him to death, not recognizingthe power of the staff, but when Goldmooncame to die with him, the staff transportedthem away.

Fate was at work. The True Gods, work-ing through subtlety, as is their wont, hadbegun the redemption of Krynn.

Yet good cannot triumph over evil beforeevil has had its day. From the north, the dra-gonarmies marched, laying waste to the landand enslaving the people. Solace, Gateway,and even the ancient elfhome of Qualinestilay in their path.

Was the meeting of the Innfellows andGoldmoon and Riverwind chance or fate? Noone knows but the Gods. But however it hap-pened, it proved to be the first key to the sal-vation of Krynn.

The Heroes, led by Tanis, first found theForestmaster of the Darken Wood, a unicorn

of great wisdom. And so they learned ofXakTsaroth, an ancient city fallen to evil. Nowoccupied by draconians, the mysterious, evilservants of the Dragonlords, Xak Tsarothproved to be the home of the darkest of evil:Onyx, a Black Dragon.

Ah, you say. A Dragon. A creature ofmyth. The great serpents are only tales withwhich to frighten young children, you think.Yet though dragons have not entered Krynn inover one thousand years, they have returned.How have the Dragonlords brought the ser-pents into Krynn? How have they gained suchpower? How can mere man stand against anarmy of dragons? These questions plague me,and I cannot sleep.

But the power of the True Gods shoneforth. The Crystal Staff was blessed by theGoddess Mishakal, whose great power is thatof Healing. The crystal staff destroyed thedragon Onyx, and so were discovered theDisks of the Gods, which brought knowledgeof the True Gods back to Krynn.

And miracle of miracles, Goldmoonbecame the first true Cleric of Krynn aftermany dark centuries! Truly fate has shinedupon us.

But even now, as the weary adventurersjourney back toward the imagined safety ofSolace, the Dragonlords' armies are on themarch. Solace has been laid waste. Evenmighty Pax Tharkas has fallen to the invaders.Imprisoned there are the families of manybrave northmen, hostages for fathers and hus-bands toiling in the iron mines surroundingthat fortress.

Where will the heroes, armed with scantknowledge, go from here? They must hurry,else Krynn is doomed.

Although weary, I must keep watching. Ishall return to my golden chair, once againgaze into the crystal globe, and let my spiritjoin the Innfellows on their quest. . .

Here ends this chapter of the Iconochronos.

"Dragons of Flame" is the second in the epicDRAGONLANCE™ series, and is designed asa sequel to DL1: "Dragons of Despair."

DRAGONLANCE is a story. The mod-ules in the series should ideally be played as awhole, a continuing saga. Players may take onthe roles of characters in this epic quest; thecharacter information on pages 17-18 may begiven to the players. (Permission is herebygranted to copy pages 17-18 only for personaluse in playing this module) %u may alsochoose to allow players to bring their ownexisting characters into the game. If so, you

Sam

ple

file

will need to adjust certain characteristics tobring your characters in line with the world ofKrynn, which is different from many AD&D™adventure settings.

If you allow players to bring in their owncharacters, but still want to play out theDRAGONLANCE epic, the followingDRAGONLANCE characters must be either

player characters (PCs) or non-player charac-ters (NPCs) active in the story: Tanis, Gold-moon, Caramon, and Raistlin. (The playerplaying Goldmoon should always playRiverwind as a Henchman NPC; Caramonand Raistlin may be played by the same per-son if necessary.) Tika Waylan and Gilthanasthe Elf are initially encountered as NPCs, but

may be taken by players thereafter and used asPCs for the rest of the epic.

You may also choose to adapt the settingsand encounters in this module to fit your owncampaign, and not play this as part of theDRAGONLANCE series. In doing so, youwill lose much of the richness of this world,but may use the material as you see fit.

There are important differences between theworld of Krynn and standard AD&D cam-paigns. Characters who adventured in "Drag-ons of Despair" (DL1) will know most of thefollowing information. Those players andcharacters new to the world should be giventhe following background.

True clerics have been unknown in Krynnfor centuries. There are clerics, but they donot have spell powers since they worship falsegods. In DL1, the adventurers gained knowl-edge of the gods, and Goldmoon has becomethe first true cleric (with spell use) since theCataclysm. Goldmoon wears a Medallion ofFaith bearing the symbol of the GoddessMishakal. (Any PC cleric brought in from out-side the DRAGONLANCE milieu shouldserve the Goddess Mishakal, and wear aMedallion of Faith.) When a new true cleric

the WORLO of kRynncomes into being (as Elistan does in the nextmodule), the Medallion magically duplicatesitself, and the new Medallion bears the sign ofthe god that cleric worships (in Elistan's case,the God Paladine).

All PC elves in this adventure areQualinesti elves. Other elves—theSylvanesti—will appear in later DRAGON-LANCE modules.

The equivalent of a halfling in this worldis called a Kender. Kender look like wizened14-year-olds and, unlike halflings, they wearshoes. These folk have two special abilities (inaddition to the usual halfling abilities):

1. Taunt. Kender are master at enragingother by verbal abuse. Any creature theKender taunts must save vs. Spells orattack wildly at once for 1-10 rounds at a -2penalty to hit and a +2 penalty to theirarmor class.

2. Fearlessness. Kender are immune to fear,either magical or non-magical. They are,however, curious about everything: a ten-dency that often gets them into trouble.

Of course, PC elves and halflings will be awareof the above information.

Gold is nearly valueless in the world ofKrynn. Steel (abbreviated "stl") is the basictrade metal. One steel (stl) is the same weightas 1 gp. See DL1 for details. PCs that enterKrynn from other campaign environmentsmay find their personal wealth drasticallyaltered.

Finally, dragons have been absent fromKrynn for nearly 1,000 years. They are consid-ered merely legends by all who have not per-sonally beheld them. Characters may bethought foolish, or liars, if they talk aboutdragons to the wrong people.

DRAGONLANCE is a complex epic, filledwith detail, legend and history not found inmost modules. To run this module properly,you must think of it as a story, and try to moti-vate your players subtly to follow the rightpath. It is particularly important that you readthe module several times, visualize the story,and think about the different things yourplayers might do. No matter what, it will benecessary for you to improvise and ad lib fromtime to time. Successful improvisation is thesign of a good Dungeonmaster.

This module introduces several enemyNPCs, members of the Dragonarmies. Sincethese NPCs appear in later DRAGONLANCEmodules, try to make them have "obscuredeaths" if they are killed: if at all possible,their bodies should not be found. Then, whenthe NPCs appear in later modules, you have achance to explain their presence. Be creative;think up an explanation for their "miracu-lous" survival. The same rule applies to thePCs on pages 17-18. Most of them have rolesin future modules, and must be able to return

ounqeonmasteR notesto life somehow. This does not apply to PCsother than those who are part of the story.

The text of the module refers to playercharacters in various shorthand forms: PCs,adventurers and/or heroes. Read boxed textsections aloud to your players.

If you are playing DL2 without havingplayed DLl, you must get your groupembarked on a journey to the tree-city of Sol-ace. They should hear tales of this elegantcommunity, and perhaps find that it liesdirectly in their path. In particular, a trustedNPC should tell them about the magnificenthospitality and good cheer offered by the Innof the Last Home. This NPC should also men-tion Tika Waylan as an old and trustworthyfriend.

Once this background is established, theadventure begins with encounter 1 below(Que Kiri).

The first 24 numbered encounters andevents in the module occur at various timesand in various sequences, depending on thedecisions the players make. Things are hap-

pening rapidly in Krynn: the draconian armyis invading from almost all directions, and cer-tain things should happen to the characterswhatever path they take across the wilderness.

However, when the adventure "movesindoors" into Sla-Mori and Pax Tharkas, it isstructured more like a traditional dungeonadventure. This is to reflect the more stablenature of the ancient Sla-Mori and the well-organized draconian fortress.

At certain times in the adventure, charac-ters may have to make a Characteristic Check.If such a Check is necessary, the player rolls ad20. If the result is equal to or less than thePC's ability score in the area called for in thecheck (Strength, Wisdom, Dexterity, etc.),the check succeeds.

The third panel of the module cover con-tains a color map of the area where theseadventures take place. Refer to this mapthroughout the adventure, and show it to theplayers when the heroes are talking to theelven speaker in Qualinesti.

Sam

ple

file

Chapter 5: Q

Start the characters at the spot marked "X" onthe area map. They are moving westward on acloudy, chill afternoon.

Great pillars of smoke rise from beyondthe Sentinel Peaks—a grim sign that thereis trouble in Solace. How much of theonce-mighty forest of vallenwood trees hasfallen to fire? The grasslands that stretchtoward Que Kiri—a town at the gap in themountains—are hot and dry. The smokeadds an eerie touch of darkness to theautumn afternoon.

"Your journey is not complete; youmust leave here, must search for a trueLeader of the People." This strange mes-sage, spoken through the statue of thegoddess Mishakal, suggests that your mis-sion is far from over. Where in the vastworld of Krynn will this search lead?

Here on the barren Plains of Abana-sinia, the late autumn wind bites sharply.The yellow-brown grass withers in therushing cold, but the feeling is much moredisturbing than that of a normal change ofseasons.

At many places, the plains are markedby the tracks of crude, two-wheeled cartsand many clawed footprints. Thousandsmust have passed this way. Nothing is alivehere—neither the wild animals that nor-mally inhabit these areas nor the occasionalsettler scratching a living from the harshland.

Most ominous of all these signs arethe great black scars stretching for hun-dreds of yards along the ground, oftenthrough the charred remains of farm-houses. Fire has gutted and collapsed thesedwellings. The thick smell of death anddecay fills the air, and even the wind issilent.

The PCs should have no random encoun-ters during this trek, since the Dragonlords'army has laid waste to the area. As the PCsapproach Solace, this army is sacking thesouthern cities of Gateway and Que-Teh andadvancing to the White-rage River. To theSouth, they have seized the fortress of PaxTharkas, aided by treachery from within thecitadel. Even now, their slaves are working theTharkadan mines.

Sam

ple

file