A return to Dungeons and Dragons.

Another activity I participated in was Dungeons and Dragons (3.5), it's been quite some time since I've run a campaign (Barring a failed D20 modern campaign because everyone ended up quitting due to the fact of the D&D with guns association). My return to the fantasy realm coincides with the fact that I have been working on my old campaign setting again. So with all the information I have come up with over the years I have converted this campaign from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 3.5. With 4th edition on the horizon I suspect I will have to again convert myself up a level.

So without further delay, I present you with Mr. Gone's Arcane Theatre. The setting is Aaragoth, the Shattered World. The long and short of the history is that the world itself was rich in magic until a great disjunction, caused by the mages themselves, split the fabric of magic and caused it to fade but not disappear. Centuries later magic has re-immerged on a world that is heavily rhabdophobic. The characters themselves have been called upon to investigate some local disappearances that happened after the town's harvest festival. The only clue they have is that a rather exotic merchant came through town and sold items to almost every person that has disappeared.

Our cast of characters consists of Sierra, Rubin, Samuel, Rusty, and Colin. Sierra is the daughter of well-to-do merchants with a strong martial tradition in the family history. As such she is the captain of the guard in the city of Morigan in the province of Umach on the main continent of Argon. Rubin, a favored soul of Moradin, is just a local cleric that helps oversee the church of moradin in the city. Samuel, a local brawler (monk), is the former champion of the town's monthly boxing matches. Rusty, a kobold laborer, keeps his sorcerous talents hidden from the townsfolk due to the strong rhabodophobia demonstrated on Aaragoth. Finally Colin is a local 'treasure relocation expert' that operates in the city doing various odd-jobs and such.

Another local has volunteered to help in the town's time of need. Norrin, a tall and rugged farming fellow with a liver as hard as the earth he tills, is not the smartest man in the world but he, by far, is quite an interesting addition.

Four people total have disappeared including a young girl, erin, and her mother, carry, who ran a local store. Zeb, a goat farmer, and a wandering merchant. The only evidence that shows any link to the characters is a journal left by the young girl erin that says the merchant visiting gave her a trinket, later entries say that she began getting sick and the last, most cryptic entry, was one stating that she had found a door in the basement of the store.

Investigation of the store brought up nothing but a minor magical trinket tucked away in a crate of miscellaneous items. The merchant's belongings had all been left when he disappeared, among his things was a recipt and a small statue with a green eye perched upon it. The investigation of Zeb's farm turned up a small green ring and nothing more. Upon returning to the inn where the merchant disappeared the Innkeep, John by name, allowed them to stay in his room because it had been paid for up to a week.

Magical identification of the items brought a backlash of pain and a sinister whispering of the word 'Dreams' to the kobold sorcerer, rusty. Having deduced that the problem occurs when the item's possessors sleep near their trinkets two of the investigators decided to slip the ring under the innkeep's pillow. After staging a drinking match that left Rubin and Samuel both passed out on the floor and norrin not far behind the more stealthy of the two slipped into the Innkeep's room and put the item under his pillow.

After the innkeep laid down to sleep for the night the observers noticed that he began dreaming. Rusty left the halfling Colin to the innkeep and returned to their room to find Rubin similarly enthralled in a deep dream state. After waking the rest of them they returned to find the innkeep gone.

The final phase of their brilliant plan left the group sleeping with the small statue in order to find out what would happen. Not far into the experiment two of the group samuel and rusty spied Erin standing by the window. Not having enough time to wake the others they pursued her into the general store and down to the basement where a stone door stood in plain sight where there was none before. Entering the door and the subsequent stone tunnel lead to yet another set of double doors and a passage leading off in another direction.

Inspection of the doors revealed an odd sight, a stunning mountain vista at mid-day. Disturbed, the characters decided to inspect the side tunnel instead. Meanwhile, the remaining party members began to rise and spotted Erin as well. Norrin, however, had disappeared just as quietly as the innkeep had. Once the pursuit was finished, the party rejoined, the characters inspected the hallway only to find loads of cobwebs choking the corridor. In a stroke of ether brilliance or stupidity Samuel burned the webs and pissed off a rather large wraith-spider (another of my creations). Through a long battle Rubin discovered he could affect the environment around him by concentrating very hard. Once the spider was defeated the group of adventurers left the area and came upon yet another door, this one a dwarven-carved masterpiece.

Over three hours summed up in just so many words but that's where the party left off. Interestingly enough everyone was entertained for the duration and I suppose that's all that matters right?