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. 

Retooling the Free Module HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes For A Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "On the Equinox, a sacrifice of grain is offered to the Nature Goddess. However last year, during the ceremony, a horrid demon arose, demanding tribute. It did not want grain, but gold and gems! The friar made a stand, but it was not enough and now the hamlet is terrified! Will a band of heroes have the guts to face the Equinox Demon? An adventure for 4-6 characters, level 1-3"
Today we're gonna pick it up with module HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes. Why this module!? 



So the idea here is to pick up right from where the last blog entry left off. Namely that the Downs, some of the other adventures in this campaign thread are indeed an actual Sword & Sorcery campaign. We've been using Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. With a bit of imagination that can & will continue in this vein. The HM - Village of Rashtan Modules are by Todd Hughes & are specifically centered around the village of Rashtan. This really isn't a problem at all because of the fact that Hyperborea is an artificial campaign world setting. That is to say that its a created world out a patch work of cultures, peoples, etc. from Old Earth. 
So why are we using this particular module?! The author's introduction sinks it; 
"This module is designed for novice and intermediate level players. The number of player characters should be between four and six. The recommended level of character experience is from first to third level. Magical items available to the party at the start of the adventure should likewise be restricted. Players may either bring in existing characters of the appropriate level with the DM's approval, or roll up new characters as suggested in Appendix P of the Dungeon Masters Guide" 
So right off the bat we've got the level perfectly established for the fishing & breadbasket region of Hyperborea which already resembles a volcanically fed rich late Roman England/Icelandic hybrid region. There are other perfectly good reasons to use HM6. Four reasons why HM6 The Equinox Demon is a nice fit for AS&SH. The module deals with Pagan sacrifice, this is a nicely put together low level module, & it has a Weird Tales factor written into it. This is put forth right in the introduction; 

"The Hamlet of Stallington is not preparing for the customary spring celebration even though it is nearing the spring equinox. Typically, a sacrifice of grain is made to the nature goddess, on the equinox, at the mouth of a cave in a forest glade. However, last year when the elders gathered to make the sacrifice, a great fog arose, and a horrid demon emerged from the cave entrance. The demon had many smaller servants with it, and they surrounded the elders. The demon spoke in a frightening voice that seemed to rise from the bowels of the earth itself. It demanded tribute or it would destroy the hamlet and slay the residents. The demon did not want grain however, it wanted gold, silver, and gems." 

For Hyperborea the village of Rashtan feels like its a million miles from the middle of everywhere. But given that HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes uses many of the familiar Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition monsters, NPC classes, and AD&D angles. This is an easy module to cast into the mold of AS&SH. The adventure elements in HM6 feel like they came out of a Clark Ashton Smith story specifically his  Averoigne stories. 

For my money move the module  in a completely different direction & make HM6 feel more like late Roman Britian when the empire has left. The whole of England felt vulnerable to raiders. There's an uneasiness to this module & it shows. You've got Hyperborea's bread basket established in 'the Downs' & with the Kroten area itself pirates & privateers. So then the village of Rashtan is one of the commodity distributing points. But all bets are off when the coffers run empty; "The local priest Friar Dane went, along with his acolyte Tames, to confront the demon. The Friar’s body was discovered outside of town the next day and Tames was never seen again. The elders gathered the villagers together and it was agreed that the tribute must be paid. In so doing the village drained most of its coffers and the people were left with very little to pay for this season’s supplies. As a result, the people are hungry and have very little food and much of the livestock died over the winter from lack of feed." 

So we've got all of the classic Sword & Sorcery elements. Starving villagers, a desperate situation, Weird Tales monsters, & no money in the coffers for the Winter. Winters on Hyperborea are beyond cold & again the Iceland analogy fits here quite well. This means that the people here in the village of Rashtan are fodder for any of the horrors of AS&SH. These people don't need a miracle they need adventurers fast! HM6 also sinks rather nicely with N3 Destiny of Kings which we've covered on this blog as a counter adventure to book end adventure & campaign events. 
HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes is a perfect beginning adventure for AS&SH. The module has all of the classic AD&D elements but all of these can easily be turned into a get up for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. 

HM6 The Equinox Demon by Todd Hughes Is Available Right Here For Free 

Retooling the Free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "This manual describes the Town of Kroten and the nearby area, which is located on Lendore Isle in the World of Greyhawk. Details include nomenclature used by the author, world background, and local features. Also included is a detailed description of the Town of Kroten, excepting three key areas: The Fane of Syrul, the Fane of Pyremius, and the Castle Kroten itself. These areas are described in L5B: The Kroten Adventures."

This blog post picks right  up where our last blog post left off &  picks up with the free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by  Lenard Lakofka from Dragon's foot here.  We established that the The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith.  And this means that Koaten region is actually a place that has been transported from Greyhawk over to Hyperborea. 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 Kroten Campaign Guide provides the DM with information on the L5 module;"
This is the Kroten Campaign Guide for the L5 module, providing information on the town of Kroten and the surrounding area." And it also gives detailed information on the following; 
This manual is the first in a three book set:
L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide (this file)
L5B: The Kroten Adventures
L5C: The Kroten Campaign Companion
This details the region around Kroten but its actually U1 Sinster Secret of Saltmarsh  written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull. This module provides the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea with the town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

And this makes  the Kroten Campaign Guide an excellent free download to add to a  Astonishing SWordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg campaign. 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.  The  last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. Could the Kroten Campaign  have something similar?! The idea here is that Greyhawk in the past may have played host to a Hyperborean colony in the past. 
Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

The real secret might be the dangers  that the volcanoic areas around   the Kroten area itself. 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, effreet, 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.  But the seas  around Kroten is a haven for privateers who use the place as a landing area for their smuggling activities. 

What really makes seas the Kroten area so dangerous is the abundance of undersea volcanoes. Not only do these claim more then one ship in the area. But also the fact that there are cities of Deep Ones & their cults in the area. Next time we dive below the surface to talk about some of the major factions of Kroten. 

The Free L5A: The Kroten Campaign Guide by Lenard Lakofka is available right here. 

Retooling L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka (Author) For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 
"Danger lurks in the Lendore Isles. Bands of evil creatures prowl the hills overlooking the town of Restenford, seeking unwary victims. Now you have come to this sleepy little village looking for adventure and excitement. You seek to fathom the unexplored reaches of Bone Hill and unlock the mysteries of Restenford."



Dreams are funny things & last night there was this dream about L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka. Personally about 90% of the time Len doesn't get half of the credit he deserves in old school gaming. Let's get the history of L1 out of the way here;" L1: "The Secret of Bone Hill" (1981) is the first adventure in Lenard Lakofka's "Lendore Isle" trilogy. It was published in 1981" Fantastic but how does any of this relate to the Downs from our previous blog entry on  N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne?! Well its got everything to do with it! The Downs might be Sword & Sorcery Arthurian England with splash of H.P. Lovecraft & Clark Ashton Smith. Then 'L1 The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka is the mythic Icelandic & pirate venture throw in together. The town of Restenford with a bit of redressing could easily become the perfect pirate venture location for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. If we're talking about Icelandic fishing villages here why are you showing a Neolithic Italian village below?! The reasons are two fold, one is the melting pot of cultures that is this country. Remember Hyperborea is a place of the 'lost' as well refugee  settlers from 'Old Earth'. 

The photo is by Giuale - Own work of the  Reconstruction of the Neolithic village of Travo

This is a photo of a monument which is part of cultural heritage of Italy. This monument participates in the contest Wiki Loves Monuments Italia 2016. 

The second reason is the fact that the town of Restenford is inherited by the settlers of the town. They literally moved in after the 'Green Death' plague took out the Hyperboreans. The town of Restenford is also a great town for making Saltmarsh the unsavory sub village where all of the sea scum hang out. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh written by Dave J. Browne with Don Turnbull is the perfect add on for  L1 'The Secret of Bone Hill' by Lenard Lakofka.

The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador control rich volcanic fields of ' The Downs' and the rich fishing grounds of the town of Restenford. But there's a bit of a secret to these kingdoms. Ship building, raiding, and much more but its the merchant trading that the town of Restenford's coffers full. The royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador look the other way on a bit of privateering. But its the literal hundreds of trade ships that get get sent out & come into the port that keeps the coffers of the kingdom full. Sure you've got to have Sword & Sorcery action in Hyperborea. But there has to be places of stability amid the Lovecraftian chaos. 

Now last time we talked about the Hyperborean vaults below 'The Downs' & some of their impact on the kingdom's future fortunes. But let's kick it up a notch for a moment if these first or even fourth level PC's are assigned to a trading vessel & go out into the world then the events around the 'U series' of modules can unfold right when they get back! The Alchemist is actually a lich that's been operating for years in the town of Restenford & he's been stoking the fires between the Deep Ones & the tribes of Lizardmen. 

Why?! Because of AS&SH's planar connections with Greyhawk of course! Greyhawk plays a key part in this whole affair. Half of my campaign version of Hyperborea's population came from Greyhawk from one of the many horrid disasters of that plagued that campaign setting. 

And yes there's a ton of Len's world on Dragon's foot for free. Sometimes a DM doesn't want to overwhelm his players with all of that yet. We'll get those next week. 

Retooling N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "The kingdom of Dunador is in trouble. Since the king, Halfred of Dunthrane, was killed in a hunting accident, the land has hovered on the brink of civil war. Crown Prince Edmund, at 18 only half-trained and quite unprepared to assume the throne, has yet to be crowned. Currently he is on a pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Nevron in the province of Andevar. While the uncrowned king is far from home, anarchy reigns in Dunador"

When it comes to Sword & Sorcery one of the least picked modules would be N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne. And is one of those modules that takes a certain class of players to deal with the political backbone & intrigue that makes up its inner adventure structure. The module's history goes something like this  N3: "Destiny of Kings" (1986), by Stephen Bourne, is the third adventure in the novice series for AD&D. 

Last blog entry on N2 'The Forest Oracle' by Carl Smith has the Downs & its pretty easy to back up the kingdom Dunador as the owners of the volcanic farm land kingdom that we talked about last time. The basic plot goes something like this; 
"Hollend, the King's Sage, calls out to the PCs in the hopes that they can untangle the deceitful webs before it is too late"
The Amazon review of Kent David Kelly goes into some of the stumbling blocks of N3; "If you have extremely skilled players, here's the best way to throw their young heroes (levels 1-4) onto the world stage! The king of Dunthrane has died, and with the sole heir far away, the entire kingdom erupts into chaos as age-old, suppressed plots come to the surface. Hollend, the King's Sage, calls out to the PCs in the hopes that they can untangle the deceitful webs before it is too late; but, as soon as they arrive, they're slammed with a political whirlwind of intrigue that they're never forget! An extremely difficult adventure, but all the more rewarding for it" 
What works for using N3 for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg is the almost Arthurian aspects of the module.  N3 'Destiny of Kings' can add the Celtic  weirdness of mythology & legends. 

N3 'Destiny of King' has a series of political intrigue encounters has enough punch to keep things rolling. The whole affair reminds me of a mix of ancient Norse & early medieval English history but seen through the lens of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition. 
But is there something boiling below the surface of N3?! Such as supernatural or Lovecraftian elements controlling the royal linage of the kingdoms of Dunador. 

This means that for the run of the module the PC's could be manipulated by forces that they are only vaguely aware of. The insanity of the line of kings isn't evident of the module until the middle of the module. There could well be several Hyperborean post Green Death vaults under the kingdom. This one point could be used to expand the fortunes of the kingdom later on after the political events are stabilized. 

N3 'Destiny of Kings' By Stephen Bourne has some real potential to be used as a Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg base of operations once events of the module ends. 

Retooling N2 ' The Forest Oracle' By Carl Smith For An OSR Sword & Sorcery Campaign

 "The land lies under a curse. Fruit drops to the ground, its pulp black and rotten. Leaves curl and wither on the branches. Animals flee the parched vale, or starve. Long ago, the Downs prospered under the care of Druids. But the priests of nature have retreated deep into the woods and rarely show themselves. One old man claims that the Druids have the power to save the valley, if only someone could find their Oracle to seek help. Will you reach the Forest Oracle of the Druids in time? And if you do, can they really lift the curse? Or does the answer lie elsewhere? Only the most daring and cunning adventurers will save the Downs. For character levels 2-4."

If you've been paying attention then over the last couple of days I've gotten to play in a friend's AS&SH game. And last night I reposted my module commentary on N1 Against The Reptile Cult by Douglas Niles. So last night we thought we'd take a look at N2 The Forest Oracle By Carl Smith. Umm, many folks consider N2 one of the worst AD&D modules ever. Could it be retooled for AS&SH?! 

So time & again I've seen review after review on N2 ' The Forest Oracle' By Carl Smith as one of the worst AD&D modules to come out according to the Drivethrurpg review by Sean B; "

"Poorly written adventure from the grand old days. Ran my group through it for a lark, but there were definitely things that needed to be re-tooled in order to make some actual sense. Seems like it was written by a 13 year old, with no attention to consistency or logic."

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Module N2 ' The Forest Oracle' By Carl Sargent came out in '84  has vastly different connotations for an Swords & Sorcery OSR retroclone such as Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg?! Why?! Because AS&SH's Hyperborea  setting is unlike anything in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.  But this module is actually very workable for AS&SH! Let's hit the historical high notes according to the N2 Wiki entry; 
"N2 Forest Oracle was written by Carl Smith, with a cover by Keith Parkinson and interior illustrations by Jeff Easley, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder."
The basic N2 plot is perfectly suited for AS&SH; "In this scenario, the player characters try to lift the curse which has brought death and drought to the land known as the Downs.^[1] As they travel to a Great Druid to ask for his help, they travel across the mountains and through the forest where they encounter brigands, goblins, bugbears, gypsies, and a yeti" 
The Downs situated in Hyperborea might be analogous to a volcanic temperate zone of Iceland.This marks the area as extremely valuable farmland  to the royalty of Hyperborea. Originally the Downs may have been a bread basket area belonging to the native Hyperboreans. The Green Death easily took the Hyperboreans out leaving behind the Downs. There could well be several hidden Hyperborean vaults. That's another avenue to explore later on. The Downs here are the key possibly to this module according to the wiki entry;"The Downs, a lush valley on the edge of the Greate Olde Woode, are dying. Livestock and crops simply rot and drop to the parched ground. The druids who have protected the area have retreated into the thick forest, and the party must find them to undo the evil that's happening in the Downs." The secondary key to N2 The Forrest Oracle is the druids which are a key class in AS&SH's inhostilable Hyperborea.. 

Druids are the farmer's best friend on this far future Lovecraftian world of the dying sun. They can predict crops seasons, village fertility, signs of nature, native wildlife,etc. So the druids of the Downs are key to survival in this region. And what about that   Greate Olde Woode?! Given that it sounds like the American California Red Wood forrests to our group. The Downs as a region on the edge of an ancient or possibly still active volcanic area makes sense. The Downs are pulsing with elemental energies. And this in turn attracts the Yeti to the mountain passes & they could possibly be related to Voomis of the area as rival tribal enemies. 

But what about the bugbears & the goblins?! These are by far the easiest adventure elements to adapt. The Downs are a rich bread basket farmland area & the bugbears are displaced dimensional travelers. New world same old need to survive & conquest. The goblins are easily simply lesser chaotic shock troops attached to the bug bears. 
And as for the 'problematic' Gypies?! Simply make them one of the numerous Hyperborean human races. Or keep them as is & make them also time displaced travelers with some actual real world historical background. A noble Rom people who have adapted to the world of the bloated red sun. 

One of the campaign elements that AS&SH's Hyperborea actually needs is a setting area with a generic European / Old World European feel to it. A place that seems like an AD&D campaign setting but look a bit closer & its very alien. The Downs might provide that very Sword & Sorcery adventure campaign element to it. There could even be more too it then this. We'll get into that coming up! 

Expanding on the Downs

DMed correctly & N2 could be used as the basis for an entire Sword & Sorcery campaign especially one featuring a faux Norse overlay to it. The downs are a valuable land commodity. And they feature as a part of  the jewel of an AS&SH campaign. 

N2 could be an actual follow up to the events of N1 Against The Reptile Cult. The reptile cult's actions have shaken the Downs & its surroundings. The local royals have become a bit too complacent. So N2 follows it up with the bug bear forces seeing an opportunity & the PC's encounter is merely a scouting party for a bug bear army. 

The druids are definitely an opportunity for the DM to exploit in several very unconventional ways. They could be far more integrated into the Downs society with them taking apprentices on at a very young age. The PC's esorting some charges to them and then things going very wrong.