OSR Commentary With X13 Crown Of Ancient Glory by Stephen Bourne For Old School Campaigns

 X13: Crown of Ancient Glory (1987), written by Stephen Bourne for TSR’s Classic Dungeons & Dragons (BECMI) line, stands out as one of the most structurally expansive modules of the Expert series. Billed as a transitional Expert/Companion adventure for level 7–10 characters, it moves away from simple dungeon crawling into a sweeping, multi-act political drama. 

When examining Crown of Ancient Glory through the lens of operatic campaign design, the module serves as a masterclass in high-stakes regional melodrama, royal intrigue, and grand scale.

1. Operatic Campaign Design Structure

In narrative design, an "operatic" style relies on grand themes, dramatic reveals, royal succession crises, sweeping geographical scope, and high emotional/political tension. Bourne structures X13 into Five Distinct Acts, following classical dramatic structure:

Act	Title	Narrative & Design Purpose
Act I	A Kingdom for a Crown	Inciting Incident: High King Maramet has died, leaving a power vacuum in Vestland. PCs are tasked with finding the lost Sorona Crown to locate the hidden heir.
Act II	Journey to the Outlands	Wilderness Arc: A journey across regional borders into the chaotic, lawless Heldann Freeholds and the city of Freiburg.
Act III	All the King's Men	Infiltration & Sieges: Dealing with traitors, spies, and fortress assaults to verify the rightful ruler.
Act IV	The Briny Ocean Toss	Seaborne Adventure: Maritime warfare and nautical navigation aboard the longship Redraven.
Act V	The King's Return	Climax: War on the border with the Ethengar Khanate, internal coup attempts, and crowning the legitimate High King.

2. Key Design Mechanics & Double MacGuffin Narrative

Bourne utilizes a double-MacGuffin structure that keeps the narrative moving across different modes of play:

1. The Artifact Hunt: Finding the Sorona Crown—an ancient oval circlet of gold set with rubies and a glowing red star gem—which acts as both a royal symbol and a magical compass tuned to the lost bloodline.

2. The Heir Hunt: Locating the lost Prince, who was hidden at birth following High King Maramet’s disappearance.

The Expert-to-Companion Bridge

At 64 pages—double the size of standard 32-page X-series modules—X13 was designed as a bridge to the Companion Set rules. Instead of rewarding players merely with gold and magic items, the narrative ends with realm-level rewards: the High King bestows noble titles and fiefdoms (such as the Duchy of Estine or Barony of Gallma) upon the PCs, transitioning them directly into domain management and realm politics.

3. Continuity & Worldbuilding Highlights

• Sequel to Module X3 (Curse of Xanathon): X13 brings back Duke Stephen of Rhoona and resolves long-standing regional tensions within the Northern Reaches of the Known World (Mystara).

• Character Continuity from X11 (Saga of the Shadow Lord): Bourne re-uses the pre-generated party from his previous module X11, advancing them by two levels to demonstrate character growth across a broader campaign arc.

• Naval & Fortress Combat: The module details naval deck plans for Viking-style longships (The Redraven) alongside multiple fortress sieges.

4. Commentary & Campaign Directing Advice

If running X13: Crown of Ancient Glory today, consider these framing techniques to maximize its operatic potential:

• Leaning into Melodrama: Treat the NPCs—such as rival dukes, court traitors, and Ethengar warlords—as larger-than-life figures with stark motives.

• Pacing the Scale: Transition deliberately from street-level investigations in Norrvik to shipboard skirmishes, culminating in full-scale battle on the Ethengar border.

• Foregrounding the Stakes: Emphasize that failure doesn't just mean player death—it means the fall of an entire kingdom to invasion and civil war.

Connecting X3: Curse of Xanathon, X11: Saga of the Shadow Lord, and X13: Crown of Ancient Glory forms one of the most cohesive, epic campaign arcs available in classic Dungeons & Dragons (the BECMI/Mystara setting).

By linking these modules written by Douglas Niles and Stephen Bourne, you can take a party from Level 3 up to Level 10, evolving them from local mercenaries into realm-spanning lords who decide the fate of the Northern Reaches.

Campaign Arc Overview

 [Level 3-5]              [Level 5-7]               [Level 7-10]
   ACT I:                  ACT II:                   ACT III:
   X3: Curse of Xanathon   X11: Saga of Shadow Lord  X13: Crown of Ancient Glory
 (Rhoona & Vestland)      (Wogar & Shadow Lord)     (The Northern Reaches)
   │                        │                         │
   ▼                        ▼                         ▼
 Local Intrigue        ► Dark Fantasy Siege       ► Operatic Kingdom-Level 
 & Traitorous Duke       & Fiendish Corruption      War & Royal Succession

Act I: Shadows Over Rhoona (Curse of Xanathon)

Character Levels: 3–5

Setting: The Duchy of Rhoona (Vestrauvik/Vestland)

Primary Theme: Political Intrigue & Religious Corruption

Campaign Hooks & Narrative

The PCs arrive in the coastal town of Rhoona, a buffer zone between Vestland and the Heldann Freeholds. Duke Stephen of Rhoona has suddenly instituted bizarre, oppressive decrees (banning beard-trimming, seizing property, taxing oxygen). The public believes he has gone mad, but he is under a divine curse.

• The Plot: Cretia, the high priest of the dark deity Xanathon, has cursed Duke Stephen and secretly aligned with foreign powers to destabil2e Vestland.

• The Culmination: The PCs infiltrate the Temple of Xanathon, defeat Cretia, break the curse, and save Duke Stephen.

The Campaign Narrative Thread (Connecting to X11)

When the party loots Cretia’s private sanctum, they discover letters written in a shadowy script detailing a pact:

Cretia was paid in dark alloy coins from the north to destabilize Rhoona's defenses. The benefactor sign-off is simply a mark: A dark crown shrouded in red mist (the sigil of the Shadow Lord).

Duke Stephen, deeply grateful to the PCs, warns them that something far worse is stirring in the borderlands of Wogar and urges them to investigate the northern garrisons.

Act II: The Northern Citadel (Saga of the Shadow Lord)

Character Levels: 5–7

Setting: The Borderlands of Wogar & the Shadow Lord's Fortress

Primary Theme: Dark Fantasy, Infiltration & Border Defense

Campaign Narrative Progression

Armed with proof of a wider conspiracy, the PCs travel north to the frontier region of Wogar. They find the land under siege: humanoids (orcs, goblins) and undead units are massing under the command of The Shadow Lord, a powerful fiendish entity seeking to overrun the Northern Reaches.

• The Plot: The Shadow Lord's forces have captured vital border outposts. The PCs must conduct guerrilla strikes, liberate key strongholds, and eventually infiltrate the Shadow Lord’s dark citadel.

• The Culmination: A high-stakes assault on the citadel where the PCs defeat the Shadow Lord, ending his immediate military threat.

The Campaign Narrative Thread (Connecting to X13)

In the depths of the citadel, the PCs find High King Maramet’s long-lost royal signet ring and a piece of prophetical parchment written in the High King’s own hand.

They discover that the Shadow Lord wasn't acting alone—he was funded by internal traitors within the Royal Court of Norrvik who wanted High King Maramet dead and the kingdom divided. The parchment reveals that before his death, King Maramet hid the Sorona Crown to prevent traitors from installing a puppet king.

Act III: The Crown and the Throne (Crown of Ancient Glory)

Character Levels: 7–10

Setting: Vestland, Heldann Freeholds (Freiburg), the Ocean, and Ethengar Borders

Primary Theme: Operatic Melodrama, Succession Crisis & Grand War

Campaign Narrative Progression

High King Maramet has passed away, leaving Vestland on the brink of civil war. Rival dukes, court spies, and invading forces from the Ethengar Khanate are preparing to tear the nation apart.

• Act III-A (The Crown Hunt): Using the clues gathered from X11, the PCs are tasked by the Loyalist Council to recover the Sorona Crown—an ancient artifact that acts as a compass to locate the High King's hidden, legitimate heir.

• Act III-B (The Journey to Freiburg): The trail takes the PCs across the border into the wild Heldann Freeholds and the pirate city of Freiburg, fleeing royal assassins and court traitors who want the crown destroyed.

• Act III-C (Naval & Siege Warfare): Sailing aboard the longship Redraven, the party battles traitor fleets and conducts fortress sieges to secure the young Prince.

• Act III-D (The Grand Climax): The PCs return to Norrvik just as Ethengar forces and traitorous lords lay siege to the capital. The PCs must lead the defense, expose the court traitors (tying back to Cretia’s old co-conspirators in Act I), and crown the rightful High King in the middle of battle.

Recurring NPCs & Campaign Threads

To make the trilogy feel like one seamless story, bring these elements through all three acts:

Entity	Role in Act I (X3)	Role in Act II (X11)	Role in Act III (X13)
Duke Stephen of Rhoona	Cursed patron/antagonist saved by PCs	Provides troop support & intel on Wogar	Acts as the PCs' primary political ally in the Royal Court
The Iron Ring / Traitor Faction	Cretia's secret backing network	Supply lines found inside the Shadow Citadel	The primary court conspirators trying to usurp the throne
High King Maramet's Legacy	A distant ruler who ignores Rhoona's plight	Discovered to have been captured/slain	His lost crown and heir become the main focus of the campaign

Campaign Rewards & Transition to Domain Play

At the conclusion of Crown of Ancient Glory, the new High King bestows noble titles, land grants, and fiefdoms upon the party:

• The Fighter/Paladin: Named Duke or Baron of a border stronghold (e.g., Barony of Gallma).

• The Cleric: Granted land to construct a major cathedral or monastery to sanctify the northern border.

• The Wizard: Granted a high tower in Norrvik and named Court Royal Advisor.

• The Rogue: Placed in charge of the realm's newly overhauled intelligence network.

This cleanly transitions your party from Expert Set (X-series) adventuring directly into the Companion Set (C-series) domain management and realm-level politics.

OSR Commentary On The Thieves World Companion & OSR Moorcockian Frankenstein Campaign Musings

 "The Thieves' World series began in 1979 to instant acclaim. Not long after, Chaosium published a boxed Thieves' World roleplaying supplement, which gathered awards and more acclaim. Since the first book hit the newstands, more than 2200 paperback pages and eight additional Thieves' World volumes have been printed - a phenomenon others imitate but cannot duplicate.

Sanctuary, the town too mean to die, has changed a little from the time it first saw print, but many new characters now stride the city's streets, pillage the foolish in its alleys, and connive in its back rooms. Lalo, Ishcade, Roxanne, Niko, Mradhon Vis, The Beysa, Chenaya, Zip, and many more have come to life, and are now included in the Companion's full character stats for the RQ3 and MERP systems.

New essays consider Rankan, Ilsigi, Beysib, and Outsider deities in the light of further tales of Sanctuary, that place which is the funnel of the gods and the eye of the Rankan hurricane. The excellent encounter tables from the Thieves' World box have been revised to reflect later events and personalities, and are presented her in full. There are also floor-by-floor isometrics of the Great Dungeon. Though adjacent to Kitty-Cat's palace, nobody seems to go there. Now you can study its defenses and understand why.

Alone or with the Thieves' World box, the Companion rekindles the fabulous world of Sanctuary - Thieves' World."

Many believe the Thieves World Companion is a disappointment compared to the original box Thieves World box set. And the Thieves World Companion that we're going to be looking at is the first edition which is actually for the Rune Quest third edition rpg system. Rpg net calls it ; " A sort-of supplement to Chaosium's 1981 Thieves' World. This one covers the next four books, #3 to #6, but rather than being fairly generic as the original, it now only supports two rule systems: MERP and RuneQuest. Gods, locations, and characters from the later books are all included." 

The Thieves World Companion updates & sorta of expands on the mythos of Sanctuary in spades according to Wayne's books; ""The Thieves' World stories began in 1979, to instant acclaim. Not long after, Chaosium published a boxed Thieves' World roleplaying supplement which garnered awards and more acclaim. Since the first book hit the newstands, more than 2200 paperback pages and eight additional Thieves' World volumes have been printed - a phenomenon others imitate but cannot duplicate.

Sanctuary, the town too mean to die, has changed little from the time it first saw print, but many new characters now stride the city's streets, pillage the foolish in its alleys, and connive in its back rooms. Lalo, Ischade, Roxanne, Niko, Mradhon Vis, The Beysa, Chenaya, Zip, and many more have come to life, and are now included in the Companion's full character stats for the RQ3 and MERPs systems.

New essays consider Rankan, Ilsigi, Beysib, and Outsider deities in the light of further tales of Sanctuary, that place which is the funnel of the gods and the eye of the Rankan hurricane.

The excellent encounter tables from the Thieves' World box have been revised to reflect later events and personalities, and are presented here in full. There are also floor-by-floor isometrics of the Great Dungeon. Though adjacent to Kitty-Cat's palace, nobody seems to go there. Now you can study its defenses and understand why.

Alone or along with the Thieves' World box, the Companion rekindles the fabulous world of Sanctuary - Thieves' World."

1986 ... Anders Swenson & Steve Perrin & Iron Crown Enterprises & Midkemia Press & Lynn Willis ... 48 pages + fold-out map ... CHAO 2015 ... ISBN 0933635346"

The real on target material in this book is the fact is the fact is that it brings the locations, personalities, etc. of Sanctuary on the timeline of the books.  

The companion puts everything into perspective for Lamentations of the Flame Princess by moving affairs of the city & events forward. The city presented in the campaign setting is no stranger to travelers from across many worlds. This makes the city excellent for adventurers of all stripes. Sanctuary as a whole is a campaign setting that fits the whole theme of Swords & Sorcery quite nicely. 

According to Skiorht from Rpg net; "The new material is quite useful if you want to follow the books, and the map of the keep is very nice. The RQ stats are very good, but the RM/MERP stats are a bit weak"  Which means when it comes to the Stormbringer Rpg 1st edition through third the DM is going to have to do a bit of tweaking. Stormbringer brings home the 'metal' aspect of the PC's in spades. 

Using this opinion as a bench mark then we can assume that the Castles & Crusades stats are also going to be at the fourth level & upper end of sixth for the Thieves World Companion NPC's. The guidelines found in the Castle Keeper's Guide  are also key for this. 

I've used this companion several times with Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Dark Albion but its always been as a city where the PC's have visited as dimensional travelers who have had to watch their step. The fact is guns haven't been that much of an equalizer and in fact there are several NPC in the set that can cause some vicious horror aspects into a campaign of LoFP or Castles & Crusades. 
 I used this companion  with many of the Judge's Guild and Arduin materials switching in and out what I needed and wanted.  If we're going to be using the Thieves World Companion with Black Blade of the Demon King by Ahimsa Kerp,  & Wind Lothamer from Knight Owl Publishing then it becomes a matter of making sure the PC levels match. 

Now  BRUTORZ BILL asked me particulars about our game so let's start with the top. There are eight players currently & this is a game that has continued on from 2018 so the player's PC's are 4th level & up. They've made me drift back to Fantastic Heroes & Witchery with a ton of Castles & Crusades added in with elements of Adventurer, Conqueror, King rpg. 

And I worked up several very fast NPC's from the material that is Black Blade of the Demon King by Ahimsa Kerp,  & Wind Lothamer from Knight Owl Publishing. Names, classes,etc. all coming up really soon. 

Down The Back Alleyways of Sanctuary - The Stormbringer rpg & The Thieves World Box Set

 "
"Skulk through the night on the heels of Shadowspawn . . . delve into the twisted tunnels of the Purple Mage . . . attend the court (or perhaps the harem) of Prince Kadakithis . . . dodge the keen-eyed Hell Hounds with Jubal's Hawkmasks . . . drink your ale and guard your purse at the Vulgar Unicorn . . . boldly walk the streets of the wildest, most varied, and most downright fascinating city in fantasy literature — SANCTUARY, the Thieves' World!
* The Players' Guide to Sanctuary — the creation of Sanctuary; Thud and Blunder, Sanctuary chronology; 'Hakiem' and 'The Hell Hounds'; a stroll through the city; a captured llsigi document; magic, working ladies, and oaths; glossary /pronunciation guide; a map of the known world; a city map. * The Game Master's Guide to Sanctuary — palm-greasing and arrest procedures; a secret Carronnian report; city gods and religions; main city encounters; encounters for the Jewelers' Quarter, Processional, and Westside; 18 tables of specific encounters, descriptions/encounters for The Maze, Bazaar, Street of Red Lanterns, Downwind; business generators and tables by area; 6 area maps, 15 floorplans of typical buildings (including the Vulgar Unicorn); scenario suggestions.
* The Personalities of Sanctuary — story/character index; system notes as applicable and character stats for 9 RPG systems (minimum of twenty characters each, each system divided to Prince and Retinue. Transients, and Residents); general descriptions of other characters.
* Wall Map of Sanctuary. Referee Maps of The Maze, The Maze underground."

So one of the best supplements for the first edition Stormbringer rpg wasn't published for the Stormbringer rpg instead it hit the shelves from Chaosium in Eighty one. The Thieves World box set is one of the gems of that era. 
What makes this an exceptional resource for  the Stormbringer rpg is the fact that Thieves World offers a shared Sword & Sorcery universe for the PC's to explore without any lower expections. Thieves World works on the Runequest three engine and so it's rather a bit easy to adapt it to Stormbringer. 

Turn the influence of Law & Chaos down to two on the volume of the Multiverse meter for Stormbringer. And it's within Interested Observer2's review from 2016 that we get into the heart of what makes Robert L. Aspin's Thieves World box set  so damn useful:"None of the reviews attached to this page actually review the boxed game set. So let's do that instead of talking about the books. The boxed set includes three books and some very nice maps of Sanctuary. The first book is the player's guide to Sanctuary and describes the town and details some of the locales in the books. Frankly, of the three books in the box, this one was the least useful. For one thing, the maps are excellent, but actually make running the city harder since it seems to narrow the GM's choices with regard to where things are or should be. Frankly, having a more vague city map would have been a positive asset. Still, the descriptions of the Bazaar (and the map) are intriguing and could easily be re-developed by a clever GM for his/her own purposes with little difficulty, and the general information is useful. Frankly though, if you want to get into the "spirit" of the city, it's better to read the first two books of the fiction series. Book two, the GM's guide to Sanctuary, provides a wealth of information on the gods of the novels, bribery and criminal justice in Sanctuary, encounters of various types throughout the several districts of the city, and a "business generator" that may very well have been the first of its kind (though perhaps Judges Guild did something similar earlier). This book is where the GM begins to get the data s/he needs to really get into the "nuts and bolts" of GMing the city. Finally, the third volume is a guide to the personalities of Sanctuary. It lists all of the major characters of the first two anthologies, and most of the minor characters as well. It even describes some of the unusual monsters that present themselves during the first two anthologies.
One of the best parts of the boxed set was that it actually delivered on being a "generic" RPG supplement -- not by glossing over the various game systems published at the time and making the GM try to figure it all out on his or her own, but by providing ACTUAL game statistics for the creatures, events, and personalities in the city. Want to play Sanctuary using The Fantasy Trip? It's all there. (Who even remembers The Fantasy Trip nowadays, other than some of us old geezers -- for whom it is STILL one of the best classic RPGs ever designed? But for those of you who have no idea what it is, think "father of GURPS" and a simpler and faster playing version at that. It's easy enough to translate TFT stats into GURPS, though, if you prefer GURPS as your platform.) Prefer AD&D? There it is? Original D&D? Uh huh. Runequest/Basic Roleplaying? Yep. Chivalry and Sorcery? Right there. This product was an absolute gem for its time, and has aged well in the 35 years since it was published...and there are few products that can make that claim! Overall? Five stars easily, and if you can afford to pick up a copy, you should by all means do so. While it lacks specifics for post 2nd Edition AD&D versions, it does include stats for a lot of the classic Fantasy RPGs of yore, and if you're an "Old School Rules" (OSR) kind of person, you're going to LOVE this product." 
So not only do we get a solid overview and review. We also get ideas thrown in from this review. What the Hell would Stormbringer rpg characters be doing in Sanctuary?! If we go back to the origins of the original Thieves World stories entry from Wiki;"Thieves' World is set in the city of Sanctuary at the edge of the Rankan Empire. The city is depicted as a place where many are downtrodden and where the invading Rankan gods and the Ilsigi gods they had ousted begin a struggle for dominance. As the series continues, additional invasions occur, and the city is taken over by the snake-worshipping Beysib as the Rankan empire collapses. Over time, a number of the characters in the series are revealed either to be the offspring of or otherwise blessed by various figures in the pantheons of the competing deities, and they discover or develop various powers as the series progresses."  Right smack dab there we've already got our answers. There is no way in Hell Law & Chaos are not going to have agents on the sidelines of Sanctuary. Even if thier demonic items and tools of Law are not as affective. Well so much the better in the eyes of the powers of Chaos & Law. After all it's all about the entertainment factor alone in the eyes of these two powers. 

Does Thieves World fit into the mode of the Million Spheres?! In a word? Oh yes it does. Thieves World and especially the box set as well as the Thieves World  Companion 
make an excellent urban campaign. 
There's enough within the Thieves World box set to keep a campaign going for months. Does Sanctuary fit the over the top demonic and law fueled world of the Stormbringer rpg?! Not really and that's alright. Sanctuary as a place to visit and kick up one's heels is fine as well. 
The PC's in Thieves World are right in the middle of the affairs of the gods. And sometimes this means getting down and dirty in the back allies of Sanctuary as well as the Maze. 
Incidently we've also used the Thieves World box set with old school Traveller many times.  One of the things that made the Thieves World Box set so damn useful was it's contents; "The Thieves' World Complete Sanctuary Adventure Pack is a boxed set published by Chaosium in 1981, containing: 1) The Player's Guide to Sanctuary; 2) The Gamemaster's Guide to Sanctuary; 3) Personalities of Sanctuary; 4) Map of Sanctuary; 5) Map of the Maze; 6) Map of the Maze Underground.

And Oliver Dickensen review from White Dwarf #30 hits the nail on the head for the box set; "Oliver Dickinson reviewed Thieves' World for White Dwarf #30, giving it an overall rating of 10 out of 10, and stated that "This has to be one of the most challenging adventure packs to come on the market. It is a whole city, realised with a richness and thoroughness of detail that matches City State of the Invincible Overlord, and though not as comprehensive as this, it presented in a much more readable form."
I'm not really providing a really good review of the Thieves World Box Set for that I suggest you take a look at The Blackgate Adventures In Fantasy Blog's overview and review here. 

Session Report # 3 Hyperborea rpg - Spidergods & Velderag At Brigiand's Bay

 My players in our Hyperborean rpg campaign have recently expressed an interest in a random encounter that has become something far more infamous. I've started them off in a Hyperborean version of B2 The Keep on the Borderlands by Gary Gygax. You can read about my experiences back in 2015-16 with B2 here. 

Spring is just starting to appear on the lip of Hyperborea and Winter's grip is loosing. And its about this time when the PC's heard rumors of the mysterious black galleons that appear in the ports. All of this came about because of my own reading through GREGORIUS 21778's blog on his version of the black galleons from H.P. Lovecraft's The Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath. The PC's don't know about the connections between the strange & highly unpleasant merchants along with their Hyperborea rpg countrerparts. There's a deeply unpleasant & rather unsavory business between these two versions of the servants of those who control the black galleons. The party is in love with the red rubies the merchants possess and their wares. But all is not well. The party ran into a rather strangely clad warrior. 
In Brigiand's Bay they ran into a warrior dressed in odd almost bio mechanical armor who warned them to stay away from the galleon's merchants in the local tavern. He revealed himself to be a Velderag whose own adventuring party was killed when two of their members were kidnapped & sold into slavery. The merchants had turned on the adventurers when the amount of gold wasn't satisfactory and up to the merchant's standards. 
The Velderag is giving up on his comrades who are as good as dead or worse. But he dragged the party along with him deep into the woods just outside of Brigiand's Bay into the grove of the Sisters of the Great Spider  & the refuge of the spider people.  The player's PC's offered up some of the items they had purchased from the merchants of the black galleon as payment for prophesies. The party is spending the night with the spider people. 

Yes, I'm using a huge number of monsters & such from the Ancient Vaults & Eldritch Secrets blog for our Hyperborea rpg campaign. Frankly I haven't had the time to devote to fleshing it out more. But since we've got a cleric of the spider god in our ranks it was an easy! But what is the  Velderag warrior's connection to the spider people?! And what of the black galleons where will they be going next?! The party is still crazy for the rubies! 

Nightshift Veterans of the Supernatural Wars by Jason Vey & Tim Brannan Rpg & B3 'Palace of the Silver Princess' By Jean Wells & Tom Moldvay OSR Campaign Commentary

 B3 'Palace of the Silver Princess' By Jean Wells & Tom Moldvay has an adventure location lost and frozen in time. Now what would happen if this module echoes its circumstances on our modern Earth?! Can you imagine what might happen as B3 Palace of the Silver Princess's  spell weaves its way towards Earth?! 

 Now let's pick it up with someone possibly one of the player characters being the 'chosen one' ala Nightshift's PC classes. They've been plagued by terrible dreams & nightmares. They are drawn back to Haven  a small pocket dimension plane or demi plane. The waking world & the dream realms were never meant to meet. Chaos storms begin to rage across the Earth and they bring with them all kinds of problems including the rise of the supernaturals. 
The rise of the chaos storms across the Earth brings the monsters from Haven  onto the local time space continuum. And this brings home the fact that this allows the Fey of Haven to walk on our Earth. 

This isn't the first time I've covered this module on this blog. You can find out more here.  The Unreality of the Misty Swamp brings home that all is not right on the demi plane of  Haven. And it well might come down to the wizard of Haven. 
The wizard is someone taking full advantage of the plot using it to establish his own other dimensional domain hellscape. The wizard might be from Hyperborea, the leader of a powerful faction of a  Lovecraftian chaos cult. I'm still tossing this around in my mind but the events of the Palace could recycle themselves over and over again. This makes Haven & its environs a weird pulpy sword & sorcery location with lots of old school potential.

The local supernaturals are going to be dealing with some real hard core fall out from Haven even if they take care of ending the out of time cycle. The story book like feel of  B3 'Palace of the Silver Princess' By Jean Wells & Tom Moldvay hides the deadliness of the module. There far more going on beneath the surface within the module. Because the module situation feels like there's been far more seeded by the wizard & perhaps a cult of chaos. 

OSR Commentary On The Thieves World Companion & OSR Moorcockian Frankenstein Campaign Musings

 

"The Thieves' World series began in 1979 to instant acclaim. Not long after, Chaosium published a boxed Thieves' World roleplaying supplement, which gathered awards and more acclaim. Since the first book hit the newstands, more than 2200 paperback pages and eight additional Thieves' World volumes have been printed - a phenomenon others imitate but cannot duplicate.

Sanctuary, the town too mean to die, has changed a little from the time it first saw print, but many new characters now stride the city's streets, pillage the foolish in its alleys, and connive in its back rooms. Lalo, Ishcade, Roxanne, Niko, Mradhon Vis, The Beysa, Chenaya, Zip, and many more have come to life, and are now included in the Companion's full character stats for the RQ3 and MERP systems.

New essays consider Rankan, Ilsigi, Beysib, and Outsider deities in the light of further tales of Sanctuary, that place which is the funnel of the gods and the eye of the Rankan hurricane. The excellent encounter tables from the Thieves' World box have been revised to reflect later events and personalities, and are presented her in full. There are also floor-by-floor isometrics of the Great Dungeon. Though adjacent to Kitty-Cat's palace, nobody seems to go there. Now you can study its defenses and understand why.

Alone or with the Thieves' World box, the Companion rekindles the fabulous world of Sanctuary - Thieves' World."

Many believe the Thieves World Companion is a disappointment compared to the original box Thieves World box set. And the Thieves World Companion that we're going to be looking at is the first edition which is actually for the Rune Quest third edition rpg system. Rpg net calls it ; " A sort-of supplement to Chaosium's 1981 Thieves' World. This one covers the next four books, #3 to #6, but rather than being fairly generic as the original, it now only supports two rule systems: MERP and RuneQuest. Gods, locations, and characters from the later books are all included." 

The Thieves World Companion updates & sorta of expands on the mythos of Sanctuary in spades according to Wayne's books; ""The Thieves' World stories began in 1979, to instant acclaim. Not long after, Chaosium published a boxed Thieves' World roleplaying supplement which garnered awards and more acclaim. Since the first book hit the newstands, more than 2200 paperback pages and eight additional Thieves' World volumes have been printed - a phenomenon others imitate but cannot duplicate.

Sanctuary, the town too mean to die, has changed little from the time it first saw print, but many new characters now stride the city's streets, pillage the foolish in its alleys, and connive in its back rooms. Lalo, Ischade, Roxanne, Niko, Mradhon Vis, The Beysa, Chenaya, Zip, and many more have come to life, and are now included in the Companion's full character stats for the RQ3 and MERPs systems.

New essays consider Rankan, Ilsigi, Beysib, and Outsider deities in the light of further tales of Sanctuary, that place which is the funnel of the gods and the eye of the Rankan hurricane.

The excellent encounter tables from the Thieves' World box have been revised to reflect later events and personalities, and are presented here in full. There are also floor-by-floor isometrics of the Great Dungeon. Though adjacent to Kitty-Cat's palace, nobody seems to go there. Now you can study its defenses and understand why.

Alone or along with the Thieves' World box, the Companion rekindles the fabulous world of Sanctuary - Thieves' World."

1986 ... Anders Swenson & Steve Perrin & Iron Crown Enterprises & Midkemia Press & Lynn Willis ... 48 pages + fold-out map ... CHAO 2015 ... ISBN 0933635346"

The real on target material in this book is the fact is the fact is that it brings the locations, personalities, etc. of Sanctuary on the timeline of the books.  

The companion puts everything into perspective for Lamentations of the Flame Princess by moving affairs of the city & events forward. The city presented in the campaign setting is no stranger to travelers from across many worlds. This makes the city excellent for adventurers of all stripes. Sanctuary as a whole is a campaign setting that fits the whole theme of Swords & Sorcery quite nicely. 

According to Skiorht from Rpg net; "The new material is quite useful if you want to follow the books, and the map of the keep is very nice. The RQ stats are very good, but the RM/MERP stats are a bit weak"  Which means when it comes to the Stormbringer Rpg 1st edition through third the DM is going to have to do a bit of tweaking. Stormbringer brings home the 'metal' aspect of the PC's in spades. 

Using this opinion as a bench mark then we can assume that the Castles & Crusades stats are also going to be at the fourth level & upper end of sixth for the Thieves World Companion NPC's. The guidelines found in the Castle Keeper's Guide  are also key for this. 

I've used this companion several times with Lamentations of the Flame Princess and Dark Albion but its always been as a city where the PC's have visited as dimensional travelers who have had to watch their step. The fact is guns haven't been that much of an equalizer and in fact there are several NPC in the set that can cause some vicious horror aspects into a campaign of LoFP or Castles & Crusades. 
 I used this companion  with many of the Judge's Guild and Arduin materials switching in and out what I needed and wanted.  If we're going to be using the Thieves World Companion with Black Blade of the Demon King by Ahimsa Kerp,  & Wind Lothamer from Knight Owl Publishing then it becomes a matter of making sure the PC levels match. 

Now  BRUTORZ BILL asked me particulars about our game so let's start with the top. There are eight players currently & this is a game that has continued on from 2018 so the player's PC's are 4th level & up. They've made me drift back to Fantastic Heroes & Witchery with a ton of Castles & Crusades added in with elements of Adventurer, Conqueror, King rpg. 

And I worked up several very fast NPC's from the material that is Black Blade of the Demon King by Ahimsa Kerp,  & Wind Lothamer from Knight Owl Publishing. Names, classes,etc. all coming up really soon.