Retooling the Free L5B: The Kroten Adventures by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 This blog post is going to pick right up from where the last blog post left off. And we pick up with the fact that in Hyperborea, the Koaten region is actually a place that has been transported from Greyhawk over to Hyperborea. But how & why are lost to legend & its simple as that. From here the campaign can easily kick into high gear. 

L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide is essential for what we're gonna talk about today.  This is the Kroten Campaign Guide for the L5 module, providing information on the town of Kroten and the surrounding area. L5B fits right into the classic AD&D first edition vibe; The L5B  Adventures  is the second in a three book set:
L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide
L5B: The Kroten Adventures (this file)
L5C: The Kroten Campaign Companion

 

Classic AD&D author Len Lakofka provides everything we need to what is essentially the bread basket to the Hyperborea setting & this setting needs to be placed in an area of relatively stable volcano ridden land. The rich farm land provides for 'The Downs' of previous blog entries with all of the farm produce it needs.  L5B: The Kroten Adventures  is the Kroten Adventures manual for the L5 module, providing five adventures in an around the town of Kroten on the Lendore Isles. The Lenore Isles are not some back water providence on Hyperborea but a mini country within the Hyperborean campaign setting all with its own peoples, adventures, and government. Think of this as a sort of 'little Greyhawk'. 

The royals on Kroten on the Lendore Isles while paying lip service & taxes to the Hyperborean capital yearly are mostly independent. And the Hyperborean capital doesn't care. The Lendore Isles are convenient  scapegoats for both privateers & pirates. Those are all,' Lendore Isles matters'. Very provincial & no real concern to the Hyperborea crown. 
Traditional AD&D first edition monsters in  the Lendore Isles? No problem because these are isolated isles. So the demi human  races & monster species are on their own The town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers on Hyperborea.  They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans! The feel of the Kroten Campaign Guide is one of almost Walesh Arthurian England but with a twist up of Sword & Sorcery in the mix. 

Trade is the life blood to the Lendore Isles because of the incredibly dangerous & alien Winters of Hyperborea. The  Lendore Isles are a slice & call back to Greyhawk within the Hyperborean seas. 

The residents of the Kroten area  are aware of some of the rich deposits of gems around these volcanoes. But they are also aware of the legends of salmanders, effreeti, and other plane of fire horrors. This leads to legends of a gate way to the plane of fire. Something that Dwarves of the Kroten area know about! 
These 'Dwarves' are all too aware of the ancient Dwarves of Hyperborea who once used them as slaves & worse according to legend. They stay far off the radar of these creatures because the Dwarves will be used for slaves or even their souls becoming  material as a part of some magical artifact. 

The seas  around Kroten is a haven for privateers who use the place as a landing area for their smuggling activities. And they often take a gnome or Dwarven warrior aboard who goes out into the world to act as a spy for their people. Most of the human population is well aware that Hyperborea is a dangerous world of sword, sorcery, & super science. They are pretty thankful that the greater Hpyerborean  world leaves them alone. Or does it? Next time we dive deeper still into L5B: The Kroten Adventures. 

The Free L5B: The Kroten Adventures by Lenard Lakofka is available right here.