Session Seventy-Six: Riddles of the Monastery

The group covered Vashti's body with an old robe and promised to give her a proper burial later. They looked around the room and there were four doors, excluding the door they entered through.
They chose one at random and opened it. Inside, they saw an old desk, with a piece of crumbling vellum on it. They also saw an old bed, that was big enough for a half giant, and a stone fireplace.
Shade inspected the vellum and saw strange characters written on it. Alaxander went to inspect the bed and found that it was dilapidated and the linens were heavily moth eaten. Julius inspected the chimney and disturbed a small colony of bats.
The bats swarmed the group, causing a great deal of confusion. Julius was bit, but it was a minor wound. The bats eventually flew threw the open doorway and into the monastery. After causing some havoc there, they flew out of some small windows and into the night. Unbeknownst to Julius, or anyone else, the bat infected him with rabies.
Shade said that the vellum had some characters on it, but he was unable to read them. Everyone gathered around and looked. No one knew how to read the strange looking language. Feeling frustrated, the group left the room.

Secrets of the Dead Lands Review, Chapter 3

Athas.org recently released Secrets of the Dead Lands. The book is a D&D 3.5 version of an unfinished manuscript, originally for AD&D 2nd edition. The original draft was written by Timothy Brown, co-creator of the Dark Sun setting. 

I will not be comparing the Athas.org version with the original manuscript. I will give my opinions on the completed Secrets of the Dead Lands. I have decided I will break down the review into separate parts, by reviewing it chapter by chapter. I will not criticize the artwork or maps, as this is a free book, that was put together by fans. The review of Chapter 1. The Review of Chapter 2.

Chapter 3 - The Naked Obsidian

Chapter three begins by showing a map of the area being discussed. This is wonderful, as it is easy to reference the map while reading. Whomever had the idea to place the map at the start of the chapter should feel proud of their decision.

The chapter continues by discussing a group of undead, who are religious fanatics and actually worship the obsidian as a god. The leaders of this group as paraelemental clerics of magma, but they don't even realize it. This sections is written with a great deal of detail and would be a wonderful adversarial group for a group of player characters.

Session Seventy-Five: Death Has No Mercy

Note: For those unfamiliar with Dark Sun, psionics are called the Will for wild talents and the Way for trained psionicists.

The group explored the monastery and met several of the monks. There were many races, mostly human and dwarf, and were all practitioners of the way. The group gathered in their small room and decided to explore the monastery, to look for the Lord of the Senses. They ate a communal dinner with the monks. The food was simple, but enjoyable.
Shade began a systematic search of every room, beginning with the empty dorters, looking for a secret door. Alaxander attempted to teleport out of the monastery, but discovered an invisible barrier blocking him. He tried to exit the monastery using other mind powers, but was unable to do so. Vashti attempted to walk out of the front door, but was politely turned away by two of the monks.
Vashti spoke to Nabil and disclosed to him that they were seeking a gem, that was able to use the way. Nabil took her to a locked room, were the monastery kept their gemstones. She looked through them and could easily determine that none of them were the Lord of the Senses.
The group then went back to their small room and discussed what they found and what to do next. They talked about being trapped by the monks, but did not believe they were in any real danger. They talked about fighting their way out, but discarded that idea. The gem was nearby and they did not want to make enemies of a large group of monks trained in the way. They decide to wait until everyone was sleeping and continue to search the monastery.

Secrets of the Dead Lands Review, Chapter 2

Athas.org recently released Secrets of the Dead Lands. The book is a D&D 3.5 version of an unfinished manuscript, originally for AD&D 2nd edition. The original draft was written by Timothy Brown, co-creator of the Dark Sun setting. 

I will not be comparing the Athas.org version with the original manuscript. I will give my opinions on the completed Secrets of the Dead Lands. I have decided I will break down the review into separate parts, by reviewing it chapter by chapter. I will not criticize the artwork or maps, as this is a free book, that was put together by fans. The review of Chapter 1 

Chapter 2 - Northwest Cliffs

A few pages before the second chapter, there is a large two-page map of the Dead Lands. The placement seems a little odd, as I believe this map would be a great break between chapter one and chapter two. It is an extremely useful map and is easy to read, it keeps the same iconography that Dark Sun fans have seen in other products.

The second chapter dives into specific locations in the Dead Lands. As a surprise to no one who read the chapter heading, this chapter is about the northwest cliffs and the surrounding area. It begins with explaining that the Dead Lands are in a basin and the path down is known as the Winding Way.
There is a surprising amount of information about the path into the basin below. It discusses the path way's history, as well as its current state of disrepair. Lastly, it outlines the various dangers of the pathway, including an undead earth drake.

Secrets of the Dead Lands Review, Chapter 1

Athas.org recently released Secrets of the Dead Lands. The book is a D&D 3.5 version of an unfinished manuscript, originally for AD&D 2nd edition. The original draft was written by Timothy Brown, co-creator of the Dark Sun setting.
I will not be comparing the Athas.org version with the original manuscript. I will give my opinions on the completed Secrets of the Dead Lands. I have decided I will break down the review into separate parts, by reviewing it chapter by chapter. I will not criticize the artwork or maps, as this is a free book, that was put together by fans.

First impressions.
The book is 169 pages and, although it's a small thing, I appreciate that it uses the original Dark Sun logo. Skimming through the book, it appears to be laid out well and, thankfully, contains a table of contents.
There are a plethora of maps, which are extremely useful, and enough artwork to breakup the sea of text. The pages have the borders I've come to expect from Dark Sun books and, all in all, looks very professional.

Kavoras - New Athasian Monster

Kavoras

Climate/Terrain: Anywhere, except forest and silt sea.
Frequency: Common
Organization: Solitary or Cast
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Non- (0)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 3-300
Armor Class: 7
Movement: 4
Hit Dice: 1/2
Thac0: 20
No. of Attacks: 1
Damage/Attacks: 1
Special Attack: None
Special Defense: None
Magic Resistance: Nil
Size: T (8" Long)
Morale: Unreliable (2-4)
XP Value: 7

Kavoras, Giant

Climate/Terrain: Rocky Badlands & Stony Barrens
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary or Pair
Activity Cycle: Day
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Non- (0)
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1-2
Armor Class: 0
Movement: 14 Cl 8
Hit Dice: 8+4
Thac0: 13
No. of Attacks: 2
Damage/Attacks: 3-14/3-14
Special Attack: Grapple
Special Defense: None
Magic Resistance: 25%
Size: L (12' Long, 12' Tall)
Morale: Champion (15-16)
XP Value: 3,000