Although few living beings remember, this body of water is named the Lake of Light. The River of Healing feeds it from the north. The building on the far shore of the lake is a small temple that was once devoted to Mishakal, a goddess of fertility and healing, who was widely worshiped in Solamnia. Within the temple, on the walls of the chambers containing its Holy Circles, explorers can see a mural portraying Mishakal bathing in the lake outside the temple. The priests believed the healing properties of the both the lake and the river came from Mishakal's blessing. The temple is home to  all manner of small animals and vermin, but nothing there can threaten the heroes lives.


To the north of the lake, the valley climbs steeply to meet the mountains. The River of Healing enters the valley here, flowing from a narrow, fertile canyon. The canyon snakes through the mountains for roughly sixty miles, although just twenty miles up the valley lives a community of hill giants. These humanoids moved here after being driven eastward during Khellendros's seizure of Solamnia. The giants aren't hostile toward those traveling through the canyon, but they will try to claim one horse from mounted parties as a toll.

The canyon terminates as the sheer cliff walls that line it converge. The river's headwaters are located in a cave high up on the mountainous wall. The crystal clear water pours forth with a dazzling of rainbow colors during the midday hours when the sun is at an angle that allows it to shine into the canyon. Explorers should find it a steep and difficult climb to reach the cave containing the river's headwater. Only skilled mountaineers in possession of the appropriate equipment can do so. Naturally, heroes who can fly should reach the cave much more easily.

Once inside the cave, the heroes can follow a narrow ledge that runs between the river and the wall of the cave. The water flows swiftly from deep within the cave, threatening to wash anyone who gets into it over the cliff. After climbing steeply for almost two hundred feet, the passage levels out and widens into a large cave. At the back of the cave, crystal clear water pours forth from a spring, forming a pool. The River of Healing flows down the mountain from it.

Scattered about the cave are a dozen highly detailed, life-sized stone carvings of humans, dwarves, and kender, mountain climbers or adventurers all. An examination reveals that a few of the faces are calm, but the majority of them appear startled while others appear horrified.

These statues were once living males and females who have been turned to stone by the gaze of the gorgon who lived here at one point. A careful search of the cave reveals a small tunnel in the most distant corner. In order to explore it, heroes have to get down on their hands and knees. The tunnel terminates in a small cave. The dried and withered corpse of a creature that was part snake and part human lies in the rotted remains of furs and blankets. Shriveled remains of snakes cover the top of its skull. These are the earthly remains of a gorgon, perhaps proof that the epic poem "The Serpent and Knight" is based in fact.

The river's healing properties are strongest at its origin. The waters here can cause lost limbs to regrow, make the old young, and even bring the dead back to life. As the river flows southward, its magical effects are diluted. The waters of the lake have refreshing qualities and have been known to instantly cure colds, but little else. Beings submerged in the river find themselves cured of more serious ailments and diseases, including life-threatening wounds and fatal poisonings. Drinking the water has no effect.

 

Secrets of the River of Healing

Although Mishakal may never have literally bathed in the River of Healing, its waters are sacred to her and they continue to grant her healing gifts even in the Age of Mortals.

Another part of the valley where her presence may still be felt is the temple on the shore of the Lake of Light. Before the Cataclysm, it was home to some of her most devout priests, and a vestige of Mishakal's power still remains here. Spellcasting heroes who meditate or pray within the walls of the temple find that spells cast with the intent of healing injuries or curing diseases have maximum effectiveness for a period of twenty-one hours afterward (one hour for each of the gods of Krynn).

The spirit of the deceased gorgon still lingers in the cave where she lived, waiting for the Crown Knight whom she rescued to return. (He left to resign his rank with the Orders, but when he reached the High Clerist's Tower, other Knights convinced him he had been under the influence of mind-effecting magic—love for a gorgon was not natural!) The gorgon, however, waited for him, pining away until she finally died of a broken heart. Heroes who are attuned to the spirit world will feel great sorrow when they enter the cave. The spirit is invisible and insubstantial and the living can communicate with her only through the use of proper magical spells or abilities.

The only danger this undead gorgon poses is that it will attempt to force anyone who enters the cave wearing the armor of a Knight of Solamnia to stay—her undead state has caused her perception to become confused. She will release the Knight if someone explains the reality of the situation— that she has been dead for hundreds of years, and so has the Knight she loved.

The water of the River of Healing has the following game effects:

 

Location

 

AD&D rules

 

saga rules

 

In the lake

 

Restores subdual damage

 

Restores 1 card

 

Lower river

 

Restores 1d6 hp or cures poison

 

Restores 3 cards or cures poison

 

Midriver

 

Restores 3d10 hp or cures blindness

 

Restores 6 cards or cures blindness

 

Upper river

 

Restores 3d20 hp or regenerates limbs

 

Restores 9 cards or regenerates limbs

 

Headwater

 

 

Heals all injuries and ailments, raises the dead*

 

Heals all injuries and ailments, raises the dead

 

 

* Characters and heroes who are raised from the dead, or who regrow limbs are subject to the system shock rules under the AD&D rules.

The spirit of the gorgon has all the abilities and properties of a haunt. (See the AD&D monstrous manual™ tome or dragonlance dramatic supplement The Bestiary for details.)

 

Adventure Seed

A party of heroes are in Korval when a child falls deathly ill. The healers can do nothing for the child, but a sage who retired from the Great Library of the Ages in Palanthas to live among the simple peasants of Korval is familiar with the River of Healing. He and the child's family approach the heroes and ask them to accompany them to the pass between Korval and the river. Unfortunately for the heroes, a bandit lord who heard Pehter's tale of the river (see the short story) has decided to use it as a source of income. His men have sealed off the pass and have turned the old temple into a fortification to guard the lake.

 

The Footprint of Chaos

 

The terrain north of Thelgaard is as close to uninhabitable as one will find in Solamnia. The soil is fertile, and the land rises and falls in a series of foothills leading up to the Vingaard Mountains. Great pine trees grow in copses here and there, but that is about the only life one will find in the region.

Travelers who do make the arduous trek into the mountains, though, may crest one of the hills to find themselves staring down at what appears to be a canyon in the shape of a gigantic three-toed foot. This is the Footprint of Chaos.

 

A History of the Footprint

The Footprint serves as a reminder of the Summer of Chaos, when all of reality was nearly destroyed. When one first sees the Footprint, the canyon floor seems to be covered by a thick haze. As one draws close, it becomes clear that the bottom of the Footprint is filled with smoke, as though something in the canyon was burning. It is only about as thick as a light fog, and it does not impede travel. Those who have explored the site say that they found no fires or any other logical source for the smoke inside the Footprint. They note, though, that the smoke smells like brimstone, and it stings both eyes and lungs. Also, they discovered while standing in the bottom of the footprint that the smoke rises about fifteen feet above them.

Although no settlements exist in the area, woodcutters and hunters frequent this region. Game is plentiful and, by all accounts, of very high quality. Deer, rabbits, boars, and squirrels can be found here in amazing numbers, quite probably because the only predators in the area are eagles who nest in the Vingaard Mountains.

Since this beautiful and verdant region is fairly unpopulated, the Footprint has remained a remote curiosity that most people have heard of, but very few ever visit.

 

Secrets of the Footprint of Chaos

Although the canyon is in the approximate shape and size of his foot, the Chaos god never trod on this section of Ansalon. Rather, this phenomenon is the result of a wing of fire dragons (children of Chaos), who flew low over the land and scoured it with their flaming breath. When they were done, the fire dragons disappeared, leaving only the Footprint of Chaos. No one will ever know if the shape of the canyon was intentional or just another happenstance associated with that turbulent summer.

Nothing lives at the bottom of the canyon. This is not terribly surprising considering the fact that the Footprint was created by dragon breath, but since the rest of the region quickly rebounds after a fire or other natural disaster, it is curious that the canyon remains lifeless even thirty years later.

 

Adventure Seeds

Rumors circulate that the smoke in the Footprint of Chaos has amazing recuperative powers. People from all over Solamnia begin flocking to the canyon as a way to heal everything from aching joints to blindness. Someone claims know someone who has a friend who had a severed arm regrown by the smoke. However, as heroes ask around, it becomes clear that while everyone has heard these rumors, no one they can find has actually been to the canyon. In fact, anyone in town who did go has never returned. Are the rumors of the smoke's restorative properties true? In either case, who started the rumors? And why? What happened to the people

who went to the Footprint and never returned? Are they still living up in the wilderness, or did they simply vanish into the smoke?

Another adventure can begin when a group of heroes encounter a trapper who begs for their help. He and his partner were hunting in the region of the Footprint of Chaos when they heard a terrible wailing coming from the canyon. They could see nothing through the smoke, so his partner walked down into the canyon to see if someone there needed help. As soon as the smoke swallowed him up, the man began screaming that he was being attacked. The man's cries were silenced almost immediately, and the trapper heard the sounds of a wild animal (perhaps two or three) growling and chewing. What animal (or animals) could be living in the Footprint? Why does it lie in wait for people to walk into the smoke? If there is no creature in the canyon, is this man delusional or is he purposely lying to the heroes? Why?

 

The Grove of Anaya's Tree

 

Since the founding of Qualinesti, a grove of oak trees has been held as a place of memorial to which elves travel to meditate on the difficulties of relating not only to other elves but also to other races. Qualinesti woodshapers—elves who share a particularly strong bond with nature—view the site as sacred.

 

A History of the Grove of Anaya's Tree

Among the recordings of Kagonesti oral histories set down by the great elven bard Quevalin Soth is that of the Keeper of the Forest. Mithranhana, the forest that later came to be called Qualinesti, once had a long line of protectors charged with ensuring that no one despoiled it in any way. Although one can only speculate that the first Keeper came about when the elves were created, the oral histories of the Kagonesti contain hints that the Keeper was always there—until the last one died in Kith-Kanan's arms.

The first Keeper was named Ziatia. Kagonesti claim that a unicorn came among an elf family long ago and stood silently before young Ziatia. In the moments that passed between them, the girl seemed to hear something that no one else could. Then, with a farewell wave, Ziatia climbed onto the unicorn's back and was never seen by her family again. Rumors that she had become the Keeper eventually reached their ears as the tale spread throughout the wild elf tribes.

The second Keeper, Delarin, was taken from a wild elf family generations later. Ziatia apparently trained her well before becoming one of the great oaks that dot Mithranhana. Apparently, Delarin died after driving a dragon out of the forest. Her successor, young Ulyante, took her place, followed by Camirene. Sadly, Quevalin Soth could not find any stories about these two Keepers, so they remain but names in his records. Finally, Camirene took the last Keeper, Anaya, as her successor.

As scholars of elven history know, Anaya was the first love of Kith-Kanan, the founder of Qualinesti. The two pledged themselves to each other while Kith-Kanan was living in the forest. She showed him the sacred cave of the Keepers before giving her life and that of her unborn child's to save him.

Legends among the Qualinesti and the Kagonesti state that as Anaya died, she (like Keepers before her) became one with the forest, transforming into an oak tree. Years later, that tree split open, and Silveran Greenhands, Anaya's unborn child emerged fully grown. He went on to become the second Speaker of the Sun and is also reported to have been a powerful woodshaper.

This enchanted grove has held an important place in the rites of passage that bind together the Shapers of Destiny, as the Qualinesti woodshapers are formally known. Once a young elf with the natural inclination to become a woodshaper decides to follow the Path of the Shaper, he or she must spend three days and three nights in meditation within the grove. During this time, the young woodshaper has a vision that reaffirms the elf's bond to the forest and sometimes gives the woodshaper a glimpse into his or her future.

In ages past, the Shapers of Destiny believed that Chislev herself reached out to them during their time of meditation. In the wake of the gods' departure from Krynn, many still believe that they feel the touch of the goddess—that she grants them insight into what she knows their life's purpose to be—but many others believe that it is merely Chislev's child, Nature, that is calling out to them.

Should a young woodshaper fail to experience anything but hunger and fatigue during the three days, elder woodshapers deem the candidate unready for the responsibilities of a Shaper and tell the elf to try again the following year.

Although now well over 2,000 years in age, Anaya's Tree still stands at the center of the grove where Anaya merged with the forest. Despite its vast age and despite being split down the middle, showing the hollow where Silveran Greenhands matured, it remains vibrant and healthy. The same is true of the eighteen similarly ancient and immense oak trees that surround Anaya's Tree. Legends state that they originated from splinters that were driven into the ground when Anaya's Tree gave birth to Silveran. Qualinesti woodshapers and priests believe that each of these oaks represents one of the Krynnish gods—except the three gods of magic whom the Qualinesti believe have no desire to be represented in the natural world—and that for as long as these trees remain healthy and hearty, Qualinesti too will survive, no matter the hardships. The simple fact that the grove survived the burning of the forest during the War of the Lance by Dragon Highlord Verminaard's troops entirely unscathed seems to prove this theory's verity.

 

The Grove of Anaya's Tree in the Present Day

The Grove of Anaya's Tree continues to be an important part of the rites of passage of young woodshapers. However, far fewer formally follow the path of the Shapers of Destiny, as Beryl, the dragon tyrant who has seized control of the Qualinesti Forest, and her Dark Knight minions have declared the grove off-limits. Qualinesti turncoats informed Beryl that the Shapers were among the most fiercely patriotic of the elves and that steps had to be taken to weaken them if the intermittent rebellions were to ever be quelled. Further, just as the grove remained untouched by the raging inferno unleashed upon the forest by the Red Dragonarmy, so has Beryl been unable to affect it with her mighty woodshaping abilities— she can neither coax the vegetation to grow faster within the grove, nor can she destroy it. The grove has also resisted her attempts to unlock the secrets of its magic; in retaliation, she has ordered the Dark Knights to put to death any elf who is found within its boundaries.

Still, every year, a brave woodshaper or two uses his or her close relationship with nature to sneak past the Dark Knight cordon that surrounds the Grove at all times and to remain there for at least three nights and three days. Stories abound that these woodshapers have found their abilities greatly enhanced from the visit. Whether there is any truth to these stories, no one can say for sure.

 

Adventure Seed

Allorran of Qualinesti is a woodshaper who has resided on the Isle of Schallsea for the past decade, serving as an instructor in the powers of the heart at the Citadel of Light. One morning he awoke from a particularly lucid dream that he firmly believes was sent to him by the spirit of Anaya.

In the dream, a beautiful, green-skinned maiden whose face was painted in the style of a Kagonesti shaman told him to journey to Qualinesti and to cut a live branch from the split oak. Then, she said, he was to plant it in the Dryad Grove near the Citadel. There it would take root and come to be a new site to which all woodshapers—Qualinesti, Kagonesti, and Silvanesti—could journey to commune with nature, irrespective of their cultural backgrounds. "A new day is dawning for all elves," she said just as he awoke.

Allorran approaches a group of heroes either at the Citadel of Light, in the Port of Schallsea, or at a port along the Abanasinian Coast. The Narrator should present him of an old and trusted friend as one or more of the heroes (perhaps even having him appear in an adventure previous to this one in order to establish him as part of the campaign). He asks them to help him undertake his mission into the depths of Beryl's domain and to be part of something that will unify all woodshapers.

If the heroes join in the mission, they must avoid numerous Dark Knight patrols and outsmart a group of brutes, draconians, or one of Beryl's lesser green dragon minions. Helping Allorran secure the branch will be most challenging, as some of the most dutiful and vigilant Dark Knights stationed in the Qualinesti Forest have been charged with guarding the grove.

Should they and Allorran be successful, it remains up to the Narrator to decide if the woodshaper truly was inspired by a higher power or if he was merely possessed by hopeful fantasies. His woodshaping talent and the magic inherent in the branch will cause it to take root in the Dryad's Grove and the dryads will certainly welcome the addition to their forest, but is it truly the momentous event he believes it to be? If it is, maybe the branch matures into a massive oak overnight.

 

Whitestone Glade

 

Whitestone Glade was one of the most revered sites of the Knights of Solamnia for over two millennia. In present-day Ansalon, Whitestone Glade continues to hold significance, even if its importance has waned as a result of developments during the War of the Lance and following the Chaos War.

 

The History of Whitestone Glade

In the decades after Solamnia broke from the Ergothian Empire, Vinas Solamnus grew concerned that the nations he had led to freedom from the corrupt Ergothian Empire would eventually slide into corruption themselves. Therefore, as the twilight years of his life approached, Solamnus undertook his fabled Quest of Honor, a search for insight, wisdom, and guidance.

After many weeks spent in the mountainous wilderness around Palanthas, Solamnus sailed to Sancrist Isle. Upon his landfall, he forged into the forested wilderness west of Mount Nevermind. In time, he found a glade where a black stone of granite, twice as tall as a person, stood as though thrust into the ground by great force. He instantly sensed there was something special about it, so he fasted and prayed to the gods of Good.

After three days and three nights, Paladine, Kiri-Jolith, and Habbakuk revealed themselves to him. As their constellations shone brightly in the sky overhead, ethereal music filled Solamnus's head—Paladine's grand justice represented by well-ordered chords, Kiri-Jolith's courage by enduring themes, and Habbakuk's temperance in balanced counterpoint. With the music came visions and wisdom—the frame-work within which Solamnus could create a knighthood that would carry forward not only his own legacy of truth and honor but would uphold the high ideals of the three gods for generations to come.

In a flash, Solamnus knew that three orders would be established, and that their members would embody honor and live it day by day. The highest order would be devoted to Paladine, championing justice. The second would uphold the high standards of courage and self-sacrifice embodied by Kiri-Jolith. The third would be devoted to Habbakuk, forever personifying loyalty and obedience.

As Solamnus's vision ended, the heavens blazed with a divine light so strong it blinded him. When his vision cleared, the black rock had transformed into a gracefully twisting pillar of white crystal so brilliant it appeared as if a piece of a star had fallen from the heavens and lodged itself in the ground on Sancrist.

Solamnus returned to the mainland and founded the Solamnic Knighthood, penning the original Measure—the standards to which all Solamnic Knights hold themselves— and the Oath. "My Honor is My Life" are the words they continue to live by.

As the Orders grew in size, settlements appeared in the wilds of Sancrist. Whitestone Glade served for centuries as the place where the heads of the Orders would meet to discuss changes to Measure and pass judgment on Knights who had committed gross infractions against the Oath and the Measure. The Uth Wistan family was charged with protecting the island and the sacred glade. Over the centuries, the Whitestone came to hold meaning for the rest of the peoples of Ansalon, becoming a symbol around which the forces of Good could rally. One of the first Kingpriests of Istar even offered a blessing at the stone, declaring it sacred to the gods and forbidding mortals to touch it.

The Knights of Solamnia have stood proudly against Evil for over 2,600 years. Although the spiritual center of the Orders fell victim to corruption in the years following the first Cataclysm, they have been revitalized by the efforts of two exceptional Grand Masters within the past century, Gunthar uth Wistan and Liam Ehrling. The Knights remain a strong force for Good in present-day Ansalon ... a union of men and women willing to sacrifice their lives in battle for truth and justice if called upon to do so.

However, there are those who call these the final days of the Knighthood, despite the resurgence it has enjoyed in recent decades, and such doomsayers seem to have more evidence for such predictions than they had even during the darkest times following the first Cataclysm. This evidence is found in Whitestone Glade.

One of the more powerful legends that surrounds the Whitestone is that it is a symbol of the divine support and blessing for the Knighthood. The nature of the stone and the glade seemed to bear this out. Regardless of the time of year, the climate in the glade was one of late spring... always mild and pleasant, even while the rest of the surrounding forest was baking in summer heat or shivering in the depths of winter frost. However, during the War of the Lance, the stone was split in two when the blacksmith Theros Ironfeld threw a dragonlance into it. Although the Knights of Solamnia were instrumental in defeating the Dark Queen's forces during the War of the Lance, some philosophers took the destruction of the Whitestone to mean that, despite the fact the gods once again bestowed their gift of priestly magic to their followers, they had withdrawn their blessing from the Knighthoods.

For a time following the War of the Lance, the Knights of Solamnia appeared to prosper, but then the Knights of Takhisis swept across the continent in an unstoppable wave during the Summer of Chaos. The Knights of Solamnia were virtually wiped out and even the mighty High Clerist's Tower fell to the forces of Evil. Further, when all magic ceased to function in the wake of the Summer of Chaos, the glade's pleasant weather ceased. Although fragments of the Whitestone remained in the Glade, still as white as the stars in the heavens, its magic—and the blessings of the gods—appeared to have departed entirely.

 

Whitestone Glade in the Present Day

With the magic of Whitestone Glade apparently absent, even some members of the Knighthood itself consider this loss of magic a symbol that their days are being numbered. The Whitestone is shattered, the eternal spring of the Glade is no more, and the Knightly Orders have been in retreat for the last decades, surviving only by abandoning several of their traditions in favor of stealth, and, some would claim, dishonorable conduct.

Sword Knights and Rose Knights who have traveled to the Whitestone Glade to follow in Vinas Solamnus's footsteps, however, tell a different story. The most widely retold tale is that of Linsha Majere, the first non-Solamnian woman—and one of the youngest at that—to ever earn rank in the Order of the Rose. Only days after Linsha's acceptance into the ranks of the Rose Knights, the Order asked her to become part of a clandestine circle of Knights somewhere in east. She became deeply troubled. Wanting not only to live up to the examples set by her grandfather and father—the famous Caramon Majere and Palin Majere—but also to the grand traditions of the Order of the Rose, she feared such a mission was wrong and dishonorable. In 23sc Linsha embarked on her own Quest of Honor, hoping to find a resolution to the moral dilemma she faced.

Travelling to Whitestone Glade, she spent two days in prayer to the gods. On the third day, she used the mystic magic she had mastered as a girl at the Citadel of Light to reach out to any spirits that might be present in the Glade. By the end of the third day, she felt drained, both physically and spiritually, but as she looked to the heavens, no stars blazed at her—all she saw were clouds drifting in the pale light of the moon.

Suddenly, she was attacked. Another Knight, a member of the Order of the Sword named Wandyll, had followed her to Sancrist. He felt jealous of her accomplishments and that he had been ignored for advancement to Rose Knight in favor of her. Linsha fumbled for a weapon as the corrupt Knight attempted to strangle her. Her life was slipping away when her hand fell upon a rock. She felt energy surge through her as she used the fragment to strike the man's skull. She struck him two more times and he tumbled aside, now shouting in pain instead of fury. Then, almost instinctively, she called upon the powers of the heart and commanded nearby vines to lash out and grab hold of him—where she had been spiritually drained, she now felt completely rejuvenated. She looked at the blood-smeared rock she had used to fight off her attacker. It was a fragment of the Whitestone, somehow missed by scavengers and relic hunters. But it shone with a soft white light that faded even as she noticed it.

The gods still watched over Krynn, Linsha decided, and then and there resolved to serve the Knights of Solamnia in whatever way the Grand Master saw fit. If she had been meant to die there, the magic of the Whitestone Glade would not have come to her assistance. Upon delivering her attacker to Castle Uth Wistan and the justice that the Measure demanded, she returned to her parents' home in Solace and from there vanished into the obscurity of a clandestine circle.

Recently, other Knights of the Rose and even mystics who are not part of the Orders have reported strange flashes of rejuvenation while in or near the Glade. Skeptics say that the so-called magic of the Glade is merely an illusion brought about by desperation or wishful thinking on the part of those who experience it.

Nonetheless, Whitestone Glade is gradually returning to importance as a site that more and more Knights of Solamnia once again wish to visit. The Grand Master of the Orders has made his position clear on the matter by reinstating the honor guard in the Glade: If the power of the gods still resides there, the Knighthood keep any minions of Evil from despoiling it.

 

Secrets of the Whitestone Glade

There is indeed magic present in Whitestone Glade, but whether it is part of the primordial magic that was infused into the world of Krynn at its creation or the product of a god's watchful eye is unclear. Heroes must discover the properties of the Glade through play.

saga rules: Heroes whose natures are derived from cards with White or Red auras from the Shield, Sword, or Crown suits receive additional spell points while in Whitestone Glade. The points can be used to create only spells of the alteration, animism, and channeling spheres. The number of points received varies and is determined by drawing a card from the Fate Deck and doubling the number on the card. Once used, the points do not regenerate, but each time the hero returns to the Glade, he or she can gain its benefit. (The extra points remain with the hero until they are cast, even after he or she leaves the Glade.)

AD&D rules: Heroes of Lawful Good or Lawful Neutral alignments and the ability to cast priest spells receive the curious ability to retain spells in memory even after they have been cast. Whenever the priest casts spells from the Animal, Plant, or Protection spheres while within one mile of the Glade, he or she can roll a successful Wisdom check to retain the spell in memory. For each additional casting beyond the first, a cumulative +2 penalty is added to the roll.

 

Adventure Seed

A party of heroes is hired to escort an old Rose Knight, who is sick and dying, to Whitestone Glade. He has heard that a young Knight says the gods touched her while she prayed there, and now he wants to visit Sancrist one last time to see if Paladine will reveal himself to him as well. However, a long-time enemy of the Knight, a former Knight of Takhisis, opposes the heroes and their charge during their travels. This foul-tempered individual fell away from the Orders after the gods left Krynn and doesn't believe the Dark Queen has returned as some claim. The heroes must escort the Rose Knight safely to Sancrist, or at least keep the Dark Knights' minions from interfering as the two old enemies have their final duel.

 

Raekel's Pit

 

Raekel's Pit is a terrible mark left upon Krynn by one of her most Evil priests. Even in the Age of Mortals, it continues to fester like an open sore. Located in the southern part of the Sentinel Mountains, its true origins are shrouded in legend, but little doubt exists that it is rank with Evil.

 

A History of Raekel's Pit

As Ackal Ergot was conquering the lands that would some day become the Ergothian Empire, legend has it that a priest known as Raekel plotted against him. Although Raekel claimed to be a priest of Manthus (an Ergothian god of industry and dreams, known as Majere elsewhere in Ansalon), he in fact served a triumvirate of Evil gods—the Dragon Queen (Takhisis); Aeleth, a god of death and disease (Chemosh); and Argon, the god of Dark Vengeance (Sargonnas). The deities had promised him Ergot's fledgling empire if he would perform certain rituals that would grant them ultimate power over Ansalon. Somehow, three gods of Good—Manthus the Mighty, Corij the Blade (Kiri-Jolith), and the Blue Phoenix (Habbakuk) uncovered the plot and sent their own champion against Raekel. The identity of the champion varies from story to story—some cast Ackal Ergot in the role of champion (these are the most popular versions in the Empire of Ergoth), while others cast the elven leader Silvanos or a lowly kender or gnome as the chosen one. (A highly ahistorical variant popular in Solamnia states that Vinus Solamnus was the one who defeated Raekel.) In all versions, the hero arrives too late to stop Raekel from performing the sacrifices that begin the ritual, but instead throws him into the gap he has opened to the Abyss while the three gods of Good combat the three gods of Evil.

A chilling Ergothian song tells of a day when a cabal of thirty-three dark mystics will raise their voices in a dirge that will bring Raekel back from beyond the Veil. He will finally complete the ritual he started almost three thousand years ago and assume dominion over the empire, turning it into a charnel house. Few Ergothian bards ever use the song as part of their active repertoire, but virtually none of them ever forget the names of the thirty-three mystics.

 

Raekel's Pit in the Present Day

The gods have withdrawn from Krynn in the Fifth Age, but Raekel's Pit still yawns up, a two-hundred-foot diameter shaft which is filled with boiling mists and howling shadows. The hunters from the nearby barbarian village of Ker-Manth rarely come within twenty miles of the place—and those brave hunters who have dared to search for game closer say that they have not seen any animals once they are within ten miles of the Pit.

Since the Chaos War, stories have circulated that on the darkest, longest night of each year, a ten-year old child has crawled from Raekel's Pit. Many doubt the truth of these tales, as their origins have been traced back to a kender who in 19sc claimed to have been taken captive by a group of young humans who called themselves the Children of the Pit. He also supposedly witnessed one of their number being born. He died shortly after stumbling into Thisway in southern Kenderhome, wounded and suffering from a disease that none of the kender healers could cure. To further discredit the tale, when Belladonna Juniper, the afflicted kender who rules of Hylo, dispatched parties to search for these mystics, they came back empty-handed.

Nonetheless, tales abound of a hidden group of mystics living somewhere in the southern Sentinel Mountains. It reportedly consists entirely of exceedingly handsome humans ranging in age from ten to about thirty. Some tales claim a bent, ancient man leads them. The more detailed versions of the rumor claim that he wears a holy symbol of Argon, although he also has the symbol of Manthus branded on his face.

 

Secrets of Raekel's Pit

There is indeed a tiny group of mystics living in the Sentinel Mountains not far from the pit—and only one of them is of Krynnish origin, the old and decrepit Dolan Rak-Mahl.

As the War of the Lance raged across Ansalon, Dolan Rak-Mahl was getting by as an alley-basher. He kept a low enough profile so that neither the Thief Guild chapter in Gwynned nor the authorities noticed his activities. However, his luck ran out when he attempted to rob a priest of Manthus. Unfortunately for Dolan, this priest had been part of the Ergothian delegation to the recent gathering of the Whitestone Council on Sancrist. There the priest had met Elistan, one of the first generation of priests to wield the magic of the gods since the Cataclysm, and had gained knowledge of the proper ways to honor Manthus, who granted him priestly magic. This magic took Dolan completely by surprise, causing him to stiffen so that he couldn't move a muscle, which allowed the priest to drag him through the town to the City Watch.

When Dolan went on trial, he begged for his life. The judge said that normally he ordered violent criminals like Dolan hanged, but that the thief was so pathetic that it was hardly worth it. Instead, the judge turned to an ancient law that seemed appropriate now that the gods were returning to Ansalon: He ordered Dolan's face branded with the symbol of Manthus so that all could see that he had transgressed against the divine powers. Even though the priest, the victim of Dolan's attack, objected, the judge upheld his ruling.

A brand that had not been used for over four hundred years marked Dolan's face. Still sobbing from the pain, he was dragged through Gwynned and thrown out of the city's front gates. Here, he cooled his sizzling face in the mud by the road. As he lay there, he screamed at the gray city walls, swearing that all of Gwynned would suffer at his hands some day. The guards on the walls laughed.

Suddenly, a silky voice asked if Dolan was truly interested in revenge. The thief looked in the direction of the voice and saw a red condor sitting in a nearby tree. The condor continued to speak to him, and Dolan discovered that it was a messenger from one of the true gods and that only he could see it. The condor offered him the opportunity to serve the god of vengeance, Argon, and told him to journey to the ruins of Fav in the south, where he would discover the ways to honor Argon, if he survived the trials he would have to undergo.

Dolan succeeded, and thus became the first priest of Argon in Ergoth since the Cataclysm. He worked to further the dark will of his god and to expand his worship for the next three decades. During the Summer of Chaos, as the gods prepared to depart from Ansalon once again, Argon's messenger came to Dolan to tell him what was happening. He commanded the priest to journey to Raekel's Pit to perform a ritual to start a process that would eventually bring about the final destruction of the Empire of Ergoth.

Dolan obeyed the commands of his god. As he performed the ritual on the edge of the smoking pit, he felt the presence of Argon, which had been a constant part of his being for thirty years, fade. A sharp red flash sparked from the pit's smoky depths and in the heavens the very constellations changed. Dolan held his breath as he awaited a tide of destructive forces to vomit forth from the pit—but nothing happened. Unsure of what do to next, Dolan took up residence in a nearby cave and waited for an additional sign from his god.

A few months later, on the winter solstice, the sign Dolan had been waiting for came in the form of a young boy of unearthly beauty. "I am a child of the pit," he said. "I will teach you the ways of magic, and you will teach me the ways of revenge. With your help, my brothers and sisters will eventually consume this land."

The child showed Dolan how to master spiritual magic, the final gift of the gods before they left Krynn. Dolan taught the child the proper ways to honor Argon. A year later to the day, the child took Dolan to the pit. Here, they witnessed another beautiful child crawled out of its depths.

Each winter solstice since then, another child has emerged from the pit. Dolan has learned that a ritual that started three thousand years ago is finally reaching its fruition. This will continue until they number thirty-three. Then, the final days of Ergoth will be at hand, and its demise unavoidable.

Dolan hopes that he will live long enough to see this demise. He has already started using the foul magics taught to him by the children to extend his life. He hopes that Ergoth will die with him—in fact, he has grown to hope that all of Ansalon dies with him!

When a small force of Dark Knights came to Raekel's Pit in 27sc, three of the oldest pit-born were slain when the Knights came upon them unexpectedly. The remaining pit-born have assured Dolan that they will return, emerging from the pit as they had once before. "No living being can stop us," one of them said. "Only he who slew Raekel, the one known as Julius Har-Retal, can harm us—and he is long dead."

The knowledge that an unavoidable doom awaits Ergoth in the not-too-distant future keeps Dolan clinging to life.

 

Adventure Seed

A pair of teenaged kender vanish from their homes east of the mountains that hide Raekel's Pit. Heroes in the area listen to the kender parents plead with them to find their lost children. Some afflicted kender locals tell the heroes they are convinced the two missing kids were abducted by Evil cultists dwelling near Raekel's Pit. One of the afflicted kender can lead the heroes there, but she refuses to expose herself to any danger.

After a battle with some of the cultists—all of whom are very powerful in the mystic arts—the heroes are almost overwhelmed, until a pair of young kender show up and turn the tide of battle in their favor. These are the missing teenagers. They had not been abducted but had merely run away from home because their parents had said they were too young to get married. Before the in-all-likelihood quite irritated heroes can bring the pair home for a happy ending, Dolan Rak-Mahl casts a deadly curse upon the heroes that causes a rotting disease. He reveals—possibly as his dying words—that the heroes have seven weeks to find a place known as the River of Healing. Only there can the curse be lifted and the disease cured. They will die if it takes longer than that.

 

Dragon Wars™ Card Game

 

A card game for 2 to 4 players

Revised rules by Steve Miller

 

dragon wars™ is a card game that has gained widespread popularity throughout Ansalon over the past few decades. Those who play it claim that it was conceived by regulars of the Broken Horn, a tavern in Sanction, shortly after the War of the Lance. In those days, each player "played" a Dragon Highlord battling for a piece of the crumbling Dragon Empire; to win, each Highlord had to destroy the Dragons serving the other Highlord. With the advent of the Age of Mortals, players thought of themselves as dragon overlords fighting to destroy the dragon minions of other overlords. The people of Krynn play the game both purely for the fun of it as well as for money.

Although the people of Krynn play it using a talis™ deck (a Krynnish deck of cards used for everything from fortune telling to games of chance), this game can be played with a standard deck of playing cards, like the ones used for Poker or Bridge. In addition to the deck of cards, each player at the table needs thirteen counters (coins, scraps of paper, pieces of candy, or other small objects). A piece of paper and something to write with may be useful as well.

 

The Object of the Game

Each player must protect his or her loyal Dragons from harm and try to slay Dragons in the service of other players.

 

The Rules

Each suit in the deck represents a specific element of the game. The suits of Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds represent attack values or defense values, the mighty weapons and defensive fortifications of the opposing forces as well as the battle prowess of the mighty Dragons. Clubs are attack cards, Hearts are defense cards, while Diamonds can be used either for attack or defense. Defense values are played to protect a player's Dragon, while attack values are applied in attempts to eliminate the Dragons controlled by other players. The value of each card equals the number printed on its face. Each face card in the deck also has a point value. Jacks have a value of 11, Queens of 12, and Kings of 13. Aces are worth 1 point.

The suit of Spades represents the Dragons that are recruited into service by the players. The numbers on the Dragons represent health points. Each Dragon has a number of health points equal to its value. If a Dragon suffers damage from an attack that exceeds its health points, it is slain and placed in the Trophy Hall of the player who slew it.

 

Getting Started

In preparation for play, remove all cards from the suit of Spades and the Jokers from the deck. The Jokers are not used in this game and should be set aside.

Shuffle the thirteen Spades and place them face down in the center of the playing surface. This area is called the Dragon Nest. Each Spade represents a Dragon of different strength and ability, with the Ace being the weakest Dragon

Each player should count out thirteen counters and keep them ready. These keep track of the current health levels of the Dragon under the player's control and will be referred to as health counters.

Each player draws one Dragon from the Nest, with the youngest player drawing first, and places it face up on the play surface in front of him or her. Each player should place a number of health counters on his or her Dragon equal to its health (at this point, the same as the card's face value). Shuffle the rest of the deck and deal each player a hand of five cards.

The game can now commence. The player controlling the most powerful Dragon goes first.

 

Playing the Game

1. At the beginning of each turn, the player refills his or her hand to a maximum of five cards (players already holding five cards skip this step). When a player draws the last card of the deck, simply shuffle the discard pile and start again.

2. Flip the top card of the deck. The suit of this card is the trump suit for the turn.

3. The player can choose either to attack one opposing Dragon, or discard his or her complete hand and draw a new one. If the player discards, his or her turn ends when the new hand is drawn. If the player launches an attack (see "Attacking and Defending Dragons"), the turn ends after one attack.

4. When the turn ends, play passes to the left.

 

Attacking and Defending Dragons: When a card is played, the attacking player does not reveal the card he or she has played until after the controlling the Dragon being attacked has chosen to defend and has selected the specific card he or she wishes to play. The initial attack and defense cards are revealed simultaneously.

Attack: To launch an attack, the player chooses an attack card from his or her hand and initiates a battle against an opponent's Dragon. The face value of the attack card indicates how many damage points the attack can cause. If the card used in the attack is trump, flip the top card of the deck. If it is an attack card (Club or Diamond), the face value is added to the attack. If the new card is also trump, repeat this process until the flipped card is not trump, adding each subsequent attack card's face value to the damage point total. Defense cards do not count toward anything.

Defend: The player under attack can attempt to fend off the assault. Once the total attack score has been calculated, he or she applies the value of the defense card from his or her hand to block all or part of the damage inflicted upon the Dragon. If a card he or she used for defense is trump, he or she flips the top card of the deck and adds its face value to the total defense score if it is a defense card (Heart or Diamond). If the new card is also trump, repeat this process until the flipped card is not trump, adding each subsequent defense card face value to the total. Attack cards do not count toward anything.

Press the Attack: If the attacking player has another attack card from the same suit as the first one played, it can be used to press the attack. The card's value is added to the attack total. For example, if a Club was used to initiate the assault, in order to press the attack the player must use another Club; if the player cannot play another Club, he or she cannot press the attack.

The defender may then choose to add to his or her defense. However, he or she is free to use any defense cards in his or her hand (Heart or Diamond). The attacking player may, in turn, choose to further press the attack. This sequence continues until the attack cannot be pressed any further.

Assess Damage: To determine the outcome of the attack, subtract the total defense from the total attack. If the remainder is positive, the targeted Dragon suffers that many damage points.

For every damage point a Dragon suffers, the controller must remove one health counter from it. If any health counters remain, the Dragon survived and play passes to the left. If all the health counters are removed from a Dragon, that Dragon has been slain! It is removed from the game (see "New Dragons and Despoilers") and placed face down behind the attacker's Dragon. It is now in that player's Trophy Hall.

All cards used in attack or defense are discarded and placed, face up, next to the deck.

New Dragons and Despoilers: When a Dragon is removed from play, its controller must immediately draw a new one from the Nest, put the appropriate number of health counters on it, and refill his or her hand to five cards before play passes to the next player. If no Dragons remain in the Nest, the player is still in the game, but he or she is a despoiler rather than the warlord he or she has been up to this point.

A despoiler has no Dragon to protect; he or she fights only to kill other players' Dragons. A despoiler is at something of a disadvantage. While the player continues to refill his or her hand at the beginning of each turn, all defense cards drawn are useless since the player no longer has a Dragon to defend. They can be disposed of only by discarding the whole hand, preventing any attacks that turn.

 

Winning the Game

The game ends when every player has had one final turn after the Nest is empty or the last Dragon dies.

When the game is over, each player adds up the health point value of the Dragons in their Trophy Hall. The resulting number is the player's victory points.

If any Dragons remain face up on the table at the end of the game, they have survived the Dragon war! Their players receive five additional victory points for successfully protecting the Dragon until the end of the war. The player with the highest victory point total wins the game.