DragonLance Saga

Join DLSaga and players with this second of four actual play sessions of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance Official Game Adventure DL2 Dragons of Flame by Douglas Niles. This is the second adventure set in Dragonlance, and the second of four adventures that makes up the first Dragonlance Chronicles novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight. You can buy DL2 Dragons of Flame here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/16883/dl2-dragons-of-flame-1e?affiliate_id=50797 

Last time on DL2 Dragons of Flame: The heroes return from Xak Tsaroth to find the Plains of Abanasinia devastated by the dragonarmy. They witnessed the destruction first-hand in Que Kiri and were attacked by a new kind of dragonman, copper colored ones (Kapak) that turn to acid rather than the brass colored ones (Baaz) that turn to stone, or the bronze ones (Bozak) that crumble to bones and explode, that they have fought before. They successfully captured and interrogated one of them and learned that Solace was now occupied by the dragonarmy. The heroes scouted the town, and confirmed the devastation. They entered in the early hours of the morning to the Inn of the Last Home to find Tika  wishing to leave with the heroes, who were seemingly no closer to finding a true leader of the people as the statue of Mishakal requested. More dragonmen began harassing an elf, who turned out to be Gilthanas, which led to the entire inn being arrested and taken to cages in a caravan that eventually led south toward Pax Tharkas. En route they were ambushed by elves and freed. They are now following their liberators into the Qualinesti forest.

The dragonmen have taken Solace. Its beautiful tree houses lie black and battered amid the stumps of great vallenwood trees. Kapak Draconians, armed with poisoned weapons, enforce a brutal martial law on the survivors.

And Solace is only one outpost: the dragon armies control the plains. Only the elven kingdom of Qualinesti stands unconquered. The rest of the plainsmen suffer the most: a long slave caravan hauls hundreds of them to the fortress prison of Pax Tharkas.

“Dragons of Flame” is the second in TSR’s series of Dragonlance adventures for use with the AD&D game system. Your players will adventure in the world of Krynn and visit strange places such as Qualinost or the Sla-Mori, encountering bizarre draconians and disgusting Aghar. They can play the modules as a set of separate adventures or as a great quest that spans the entire Dragonlance story.

An adventure for characters level 5-7

Written by Douglas Niles.

Join me as I unbox The Seventh Sentinel by Mary Kirchoff. Released on February 1, 1995 by TSR Inc. This is the final volume in the Defenders of Magic trilogy. You can buy The Seventh Sentinel here: https://amzn.to/4eq9qOw 

Shadow of the past!

A wizard sacrificed himself to preserve the secrets of magic. Centuries later, the survival of magic is again in question. The key is a young lord whose heritage is tied to the tuatha dundarael, faerie folk who practice powerful earth magic. These secrets are the weapons that Guerrand and Bram DiThon will wield in defending their Art against an old, scarred enemy.

For Lyim, Guerrand’s former friend and now renegade wizard, seeks to destroy the magic that he believes has forsaken him. The final battle will rage across the universe.

The Seventh Sentinel is the final volume of the Defenders of Magic Trilogy, an series by Dragonlance saga author Mary Kirchoff that explores the secrets of sorcery in the world of Krynn.

Let’s learn all about the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas: Spire of Lore and Doom. One of the greatest Towers of High Sorcery. Buy Towers of High Sorcery: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2940/towers-of-high-sorcery-3-5?affiliate_id=50797 

Once located in Palanthas, this great Tower of High Sorcery is now located in Nightlund.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas: Spire of Lore and Doom. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Towers of High Sorcery sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

After the construction of the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth, plans were made for four more towers. Three would be dedicated to the three Orders of magic, and the fourth would be a center of study and sharing knowledge. It would be placed in a natural port where the town of Bright Horizon would come to be. The tower was originally called Tsandol Sirran, the Lore-Spire. The construction of the tower was not welcomed by all. A mercenary leader poisoned the Highmage Zindreth in order to prevent it, but Zindreth, in bitter pain and agony completed the spell the next morning as his insides were being eaten away by poison. His death saw this tower raised. The new Highmage Usk believed in the final moments the spire was named incorrectly as Tsandol Shum – the Doom-spire, so fearing it would come under attack, he raised the Shoikan Grove to surround and protect it.

After the Rose Rebellion, Vinas Solamnus renamed Bright Horizon, Palanthas and demanded that all Black Robes evacuate the tower. They naturally refused, and the knights couldn’t pass the grove. Eventually a compromise was made. The Black Robes would stay in the tower if the other two orders could roam the city unmolested. It was agreed on and this was the beginning of a partnership between Solamnia and the Wizards of High Sorcery. This partnership saved the world in the Third Dragon War, as Takhisis began her campaign, the Wizards all retreated to the Tower of Palanthas and decided to make the five Dragon Orbs. One was sent to the High Cleris’s Tower, and the others were sent to the Towers of High Sorcery. With the aid of the Orb, and Huma Dragonbane’s sacrifice, the free people of Krynn defeated the Queen of Darkness. This would be changed in the Dragonlance Destinies Trilogy.

The relationship would not last. As Istar began its campaign against evil, the local knights turned their church over to the Kingpriest and religious zealotry meant the death and destruction of the mages and their art, sculptures and tapestries in the Eve of Hammers and Flame. This nearly ended in ruin but the city leaders wisely beheaded the murderers and presented them to the wizards of the Tower. As the Lost Battles began and the Towers of Daltigoth and Losarcum were destroyed, the wizards decided to abandon the Towers of Istar and Palanthas. As they were prepared to hand the keys over to the regent of Palanthas, a black Robed wizard named Andras Rannoch, atop the tower raised his arms high and laughed. “You think you have won!” he shouted. “You have nothing! The gates of this Tower will remain closed and its halls empty until the day comes when the Master of both the Past and the Present returns with power!” He then leapt to his doom, landing on the gates. With his dying breath he laid a curse and the gates turned black, the towers beauty vanished, and its walls darkened. The prophecy of the Doom-spire was finally realized.

The architect of the curse, Fistandantilus, would patiently wait, for he wanted to use the Portal to the Abyss within the Tower to enter the Abyss, destroy Takhiss and take her place as a god. But he had to wait till there was none to oppose him. The Cataclysm gave him that opportunity. For as the world around the Tower was ravaged by death, disease, famine and chaos, Fistandantilus would enter the Tower to see his designs finally complete… and barely leave with his life. For he was not the Master of both Past and Present, and the Portal was no longer there! The arch mage would turn south, and the tower remained dark and cold. Until the end of the War of the Lance more than three hundred years later. Raistlin Majere, possessed by Fistandantilus, entered the Tower and claimed it as his own. His designs may have been influenced by Fistandantilus, but he wasn’t content to be the lich’s patsy. Raistlin would travel back in time, defeat Fistandantilus, enter the Abyss and challenge the Queen. He was stopped by the realization of his Twin of the outcome, and Raistlin closed the portal from the inside.

This left his apprentice Dalamar as the new Master of the Tower and the head of the order of Black Robes. Dalamar lifted the curse laid by Rannoch, and allowed the Test to be conducted here once again. Palin Majere would take his test there, and the Lore-spire was restored. Then Chaos was unleashed on Krynn, and the Second Cataclysm saw Palanthas to become occupied by the Dark Knights in the realm of Khellendros, the great blue dragon overlord. Fearing for the safety of the relics within, but helpless with the dismantling of the Orders of High Sorcery and the loss of magic, Dalamar was taught the secrets of Necromancy from Takhiss disguised as the Shadow Sorcerer. Dalamar used his newfound power to transport the Tower with the undead to Nightlund, but rather than being its master, he became its prisoner.

Takhiss had designs to reenter Krynn and used Mina toward that end. But ultimately Goldmoon sacrificed herself to prevent it, and both Dalamar and Palin Majere were killed in the Tower. As the War of Souls continued elsewhere, the Tower was once again empty. Dalamar and Palin were restored to life, but Dalamar was banned from the Tower by the gods of magic. The Forest of Cypress now surrounds the Tower of Nightlund, and the tower itself only stands due to the powerful magic that raised it. While many mages wnt the tower destroyed, its fate is yet to be decided in the Age of Mortals. It may yet return to its role as the Lore-spire, or see its fate in destruction.

The Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas or Nightlund is the largest of the Towers of High Sorcery, standing over six-hundred feet high. The Tower was glorious to behold: a cylinder carved from an enormous piece of marble, white streaked with red. Two minarets, each more than four hundred feet high, flanked the central spire, each of them capped with onion–shaped domes of brilliant red crystal that shone like rubies at dawn and sunset. Its turrets were black glass, as was the circular wall that separated its courtyard from the Shoikan Grove. After the curse the gleaming marble grew cold and turned gray shot through with black. The minarets shattered, leaving behind jagged shards the color of rust. The turrets collapsed. The golden gates twisted and warped. The gold and silver turned to a lusterless, grimy color, and the jewels vanished. Raistlin would change its walls to shining black and rebuilt its domes with magical stone the color of fresh blood. He also restored its turrets. When the Tower vanished from Palanthas, it left behind a round pool of obsidian where it had stood. Within hung an image of the Tower, reflected against the night sky even at midday. The magic of its removal nearly destroyed the Tower. The minarets crumbled, and great cracks opened in its walls.

The protective groves of the Tower were insurmountable without the occupants approval to pass them, and even then, you required a charm. The Shoikan Grove is made up of enormous oak trees, which became gnarled and twisted with the curse on the Tower. Within the grove it is perpetual night. A sense of fear chills the heart of anyone who dares approach. Now in Nightlund, the tower is surrounded by the Forest of Cypress. It is dense and shadowed, with no paths or signs of animals. Before the War of Souls it was filled with the spirits of the dead, dejected and despairing. The trees would drain ambient magic within its borders. After the War only a few of the dead remain as guardians. The gods of magic made the forest sap the Strength of those who would enter its boundaries, causing them to collapse.

But that is all the time I have to talk about the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas: Spire of Lore and Doom. What do you think of its relocation? Will the newly reformed Orders of High Sorcery destroy the Tower? And finally, what would you do with the Tower in your home campaign ? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

The future changes as we stand here, else we are the game pieces of the gods, not their heirs, as we have been promised.

Let’s take a look at alternate weaponless & non-lethal combat in AD&D, and find out why it is the best version of Dungeons & Dragons in this How to Play Advanced Dungeons & Dragons series. Buy the AD&D Unearthed Arcana: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/170096/unearthed-arcana-1e?affiliate_id=50797 

The Unearthed Arcana provided alternate rules for Weaponless & Non-Lethal Combat.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about Alternate Weaponless & Non-Lethal Combat in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the AD&D Unearthed Arcana for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

Weaponless and Non-Lethal combat in the Dungeon Masters Guide can feel clunky and convoluted. It’s so removed from the typical combat mechanics that it can actually be a barrier for PC’s or DM’s to use for fear of slowing the game down or having to look up specific information, bringing the game to a halt. The following was provided in Appendix Q and R respectively of the Unearthed Arcana. Both may be better alternatives for your home games.

There are two systems presented for weaponless combat. The first is a very simplified system for use in emergency situations, and the second is an outgrowth of the first. Any weaponless attack planned is spoiled and cannot be made if the attacker takes damage before they can act in initiative order.

The first, System I, can only be used by humans, demi-humans, and humanoids against other humans, demi-humans, and humanoids. Any creature attacked using this system cannot be more than 125% of the attacker’s height. Making it pretty limited depending on the creatures involved. There are three primary steps: 1, the attacker chooses from pummeling, or hitting the opponent, grappling, or grabbing the opponent, and overbearing, or knocking down the opponent. The attacker makes a ‘to hit’ roll, and if hit, the DM shares teh outcome.

A successful pummeling attack delays the opponent for 1 segment on the first strike and causes 1-2 damage. You would only add strength bonuses if a weapon like a mailed glove is used. A successful grapple holds the opponent for 1 round. While held they have a +2 to be hit and a -2 to hit. The grapple is automatically broken at the start of the next round. A successful overbearing attack knocks the opponent to the prone position. They now have +4 to be hit until they regain their feet. Any weaponless combat attack grants a -2 to the initiative roll. 

In the second System, most any creature is able to pummel while most undead, dragons, and non-humanoid creatures can not. The target must be a non-undead, non-vegetable, organic native to the Prime Material Plane. The opponent must be the same size or smaller, or be in the prone position. Pummeling characters attack with a -4 to initiative unless they are from behind or with surprise, in which case they have no initiative modifier and gain a +2 to hit. It is resolved in four steps. 1, determine type of item used, 2, determine opponents vulnerability, 3, make a to-hit roll, and 4, if successful, refer to the pummeling table for the chance of stunning.

The four types of objects used are small soft like hands, small hard like sword pommel, large soft like an unconscious character, or large hard like a chair. It would take a round to pick up a large item. There are varying degrees of vulnerability based on exposure of the target and what they are wearing. To determine effective armor class, you ignore shield bonuses larger than a buckler. And if adjustments are used, the attack is with a fist or open hand. The percentage change of stunning is based on the attacker’s strength. If stunned they are affected from 1-10 segments. If a stunned opponent is stunned again, they need to save vs. death magic or be knocked unconscious for 1-4 rounds. Stunned opponents have a +4 to be hit. Small soft objects cause 1-2 damage, small hard objects cause 1-3 damage, and all large objects cause 1-4 damage whether they stun or not. You are able to kick opponents and throw small objects 30’ and large objects 10’ as well. Though the throwing will incur a -5 modifier to hit. But you may add your strength modifier. If thrown objects miss, refer to grenade-like missiles for determination of scatter effects.

Grappling is meant to restrain, thus you cannot grapple a larger opponent than yourself unless they are prone. You incur a -1 to your initiative roll, and it is resolved as follows: 1, determine effective armor class, and 2 make a to hit roll. You ignore magical armor or shield bonuses, unless it is plate armor. A successful grapple inflicts no damage but it does prevent action. The restrained has a -2 to hit opponents and a +2 to be hit. Dexterity is naturally negated. The hold lasts until broken. It can be broken by the attacker releasing you, the opponent inflicting damage to the attacker, the opponent grappling the attacker, the opponent making a successful bend bars roll, or a thief-acrobat tumbles out. If multiple attackers of similar characteristics make a grapple, a single die roll with a +2 per attacking creature is made to hit. The maximum number of attackers is based on the opponent’s size.

Overbearing is meant to knock a target prone. It is made with a normal attack with no modifiers to initiative. You must determine the effective armor class, and make a ‘to hit’ roll. If successful, prone characters have a -2 to attack and a +4 to be hit. Size and number of legs affects the overbearing attack role. If a number of creatures of similar abilities overbear an opponent, the attack is made once with a +1 per attacker. The maximum number of attackers is based on the opponent’s size.

There are three forms of non-lethal combat: Subdual to prevent further attacks, Vanquishing to settle disputes like a duel of honor, and disarming to remove a weapon from an opponent’s hand.

Subdual may be used against creatures of at least low intelligence and no greater than genius. Attackers must use the flatt, butt, haft, pommel, or other non-lethal part of a weapon to attack with. Any attack striking for full damage or damage inflicting spells will negate a subdual effect. Subdual damage is 75% temporary and 25% real. When subdual damage exceeds total hit points, it is subdued and will not attack except in self defense. You may capture a monster in this way, and while they will submit, they will seek the first chance to escape, and may even turn on its captors if they are weaker than it.

Vanquishing is used by cavaliers, paladins, monks, and other lawful creatures to settle disputes without excessive bloodshed. The combatant issues a challenge, and the opponent must accept  it or it will not be in effect. Damage is recorded with 75% temporary and 25% real. You may resort to real combat, but the vanquishing will be negated. If reduced to 0 hit points, the loser must honorably surrender. If both are reduced to 0 in the same round, it is a draw. The winner of a vanquishing may demand a single service or item from the loser. This is within reason, for attempts at enslavement or slaying the loser frees the opponent. It is traditionally between two combatants but it may take place between sides of opponents with all involved needing to be brought to 0 hit points. This is only for lawful opponents as good, neutral or chaotic opponents may not recognize the outcome.

Disarming can only be done by a fighter, cavalier or their subclasses. Only the following may be used in attempting to disarm an opponent as well: Knife, Dagger, footman’s or horseman’s Mace, or a Short, broad, long, falchion, or khopesh Sword. A two handed weapon cannot be affected by disarming. It inflicts no damage, and must be used on similar or smaller sized weapons. If a successful hit is made, the defender must make a save vs petrification, or lose the weapon, which falls to their feet if it’s the same size as the attackers, or 1-10 feet away if it’s smaller. The disarmed opponent must take a round to reclaim, draw a new weapon, or engage in weaponless combat.

As you can see this is a much simpler version than presented in the Dungeon Masters Guide, and provides many new and interesting possibilities to characters with minimal drag during play.

But that is all the time I have to talk about Alternate Weaponless & Non-Lethal Combat in AD&D. What do you think of the alternate rules? Do they seem less convoluted for use? And finally, when was the last time you used these rules in your AD&D game? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

This new material grew from Gygax’s own campaign, articles published in DRAGON® Magazine, and input from many Dungeon Masters and players also.

Let’s learn all about Losarcum: The Black Knife. It was built by the Black Robes, and fell in the Lost Battles. Buy Towers of High Sorcery: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2940/towers-of-high-sorcery-3-5?affiliate_id=50797 

Though it was built by the Black Robes, in truth wizards of all the Orders were welcome.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about the Tower of High Sorcery of Losarcum: The Black Knife. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Towers of High Sorcery sourcebook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

It was the death of Shaud, the Black Robe, who protected Wayreth from the Ut-Kiri, that provided Grall Bonefist with the opportunity to become head of the Orders of the Black Robes. Grall was the most feared mage of his age, and when Highmage Kharro dispatched the three factions to build their Towers of High Sorcery, Grallen chose Qim Sudri, the City of Stone. Qim Sudri was located in the heart of a maze of canyons called the Sun’s Anvil, or the Tears of Mishakal, depending on your background. The entire city was constructed from a hollowed out mesa made of sandstone. The residents of Qim Sudri were the strongest desert riders of the Sea of Shifting Sands. Unlike his fellow wizards of High Sorcery, Grall didn’t care about the residents, and arrived with an army of Black Robes. The desert riders attacked, but were routed by the awesome power of the Black Robes. During the conflict, Grall cast the spell of raising and a spike of obsidian rose from the sandstone rim, overlooking the city. The desert riders respected the wizards for their courage and power–just as Grell had calculated.

While the other Towers were at peace with their neighbors, this Tower only knew a thousand years of conflict. The sand riders would rise to attack and attempt to expel the Black Robes with each successive generation, but the wizards would always repel them directly or indirectly with their grove. Ironically when the sand riders asked for assistance to repel outsiders, the wizards always came to their aid. Ultimately the Orders felt that this constant conflict would tarnish their reputation and crafted a small army of nine-foot malachite statues that would animate and attack if provoked. A lasting peace did finally come through the machinations of Moranda, an ambitious wizardess who yearned to be the Master of the Tower. Through her schemes she ingratiated herself with the sand riders and aided their leader to overthrow the reigning tyrant. In the end, her victor won and peace was the prize. Of course Moranda did eventually become the Master of the Tower and even the Highmage for twenty years!

With the support of the Black Robes, the sand riders of Qim Sudri became the most powerful tribe in the region, and eventually crafted a new realm through war called the Khanate of Dravinaar. Dravinaar soon grew through further conquest to become a massive kingdom the likes of Istar and Ergoth themselves! Even Solamnia had plans to invade and make war with this new dark empire. The Red Robes had Ergoth, the White Istar, and the Black thrilled in their realm with the Tower’s Master being second in command only to the Khan himself! It was the Third Dragon War that would spell the beginning of the end for Dravinaar and the Tower. When the Orders withdrew from their towers to stand against the Dark Queen, the Dravinaar saw an opportunity of expansion with the world’s eyes in the west. They sought aid from the Master of the Tower, but he refused, and the Khan cut them down. Then he took his armies north against Istar, who also sought aid from the Wizards and found them missing. The Clerics aided Istar in their time of need, and the Khan was killed in battle. 

Within thirty years the once mighty nation of Dravinaar declined as Istar fought back after the war. After a series of civil wars, the last Khan died by his own hand as Istar approached his city. In its own expansion, Istar broke Dravinaar in two, becoming the poorest of Istar’s provinces. The wizards of the Tower saw how the Istarians treated their tower in the lord city, so they cast magic to make the tower appear abandoned. It lasted for seven hundred years until the Kingpriest Beldinas Pilofiro came to the province now called Losarcum. He called out to Paladine to lift the cloaking spell over the tower, and revealed the wizards inside. The Kingpriest demanded that the wizards vacate the tower and the Order’s emissary Marwort suggested trading masters of the Tower from Daltigoth, a Red Robe Mage with the current Black Robe. This pacified the Kingpriest for a while, until the Lost Battles. The Kingpriest would send his armies to Losarcum to force the wizards to leave when word was returned from Daltigoth that it had been destroyed. The wizards told the commander what would happen if they attacked the tower, but it did not dissuade them. In the end, the tower was destroyed by the Orders, and the entire city with it. Only three people survived. Lord Cathan the commander, his friend Sir Tithian and the Wizardess Leciane who teleported them to safety. Leciane would die shortly after.

The glistening black Tower of Losarcum was shaped like a stiletto, which gave it its name: Jandhar Azuya, the Black Knife. It rested on a promontory above the city of sandstone. It stood four-hundred feet, dominating the skyline and its shadow would stretch across the city like a reaching finger each day. At night it burned with reflected twilight appearing to be a crimson flame. The other Orders were represented on its parapets, with two red accented spires and a silvery white needle at its apex. The walls were obsidian black and when viewed you would see your own reflection, then other faces instilling the notion that you are insignificant in a larger world. Though there was a traditional interior series of rooms, underneath the tower was the vast majority of its rooms, some even connecting to the Abyss itself! After the Cataclysm, the buried bits of the destroyed city would resurface and come to be known as The Ruins. All that remains of the tower is a pool of black glass, surrounded by a ring of stones. Some scholars believe that Malystrix leveraged the remnant power of The Ruins to create the Desolation and the Affliction that decimated the Kender race.

In its day, the grove that surrounded Losarcum, known as the Tsorthan Grove, was the most skillfully wrought. It was created by Yalashim the Mind-reaver, the greatest enchanter of the Second Age of Krynn. The grove used the intruder’s passions against them, forcing each who entered the grove to experience something vastly different. It was filled with a thick mass of cypress trees whose branches hypnotized every living being that would enter it. Those who survived the grove revealed that their thoughts turned ever inward, stopping them from moving and becoming lost in their own minds. Ultimately a lover would find their hands at their partner’s throat, a warrior would be defeated by a weaker foe, and a wealthy man would become penniless in their minds. This forced them all to collapse, sobbing, and succumbing to despair.

The Tower of Losarcum, or Dravinaar, or Qim Sudri was a place of dark experimentation and power. It seemed to be fated to rise and fall in power with those around it, but in the end, its Ruins are still feared by those who have found themselves stumbling across them. With rumors of treasure the Ruins draw potential adventurers, only to feed most of their bodies to the shifting sands of the region. The destruction of Daltigoth and Losarcum turned the tide of the Lost Wars and arguably saved the other towers from a similar fate. 

But that is all the time I have to talk about the Tower of High Sorcery in Losarcum: The Black Knife. What do you think about the Ruins? Are there ancient artifacts beneath the surface? Would you ever explore its caverns? And finally, would you ever play a Second or Third Age campaign in Dravinaar? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

Most of us walk in light and shadow but there are the chosen few who carry their own light to brighten both day and night.

Join DLSaga and players with this first of four actual play sessions of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance Official Game Adventure DL2 Dragons of Flame by Douglas Niles. This is the second adventure set in Dragonlance, and the second of four adventures that makes up the first Dragonlance Chronicles novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight. You can buy DL2 Dragons of Flame here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/16883/dl2-dragons-of-flame-1e?affiliate_id=50797 

Last time on DL1 Dragons of Despair: After the heroes explored the ruins of Xak Tsaroth for the Disks of Mishakal, they discovered a black dragon protecting them. They defeated the dragon, and escaped the ruined city as it began falling apart from the cliffs on the coast into the Newsea. We pick up with the heroes as they are returning from the swamps surrounding Xax Tsatoth after having crossed the Eastwall mountains.

The dragonmen have taken Solace. Its beautiful tree houses lie black and battered amid the stumps of great vallenwood trees. Kapak Draconians, armed with poisoned weapons, enforce a brutal martial law on the survivors.

And Solace is only one outpost: the dragon armies control the plains. Only the elven kingdom of Qualinesti stands unconquered. The rest of the plainsmen suffer the most: a long slave caravan hauls hundreds of them to the fortress prison of Pax Tharkas.

“Dragons of Flame” is the second in TSR’s series of Dragonlance adventures for use with the AD&D game system. Your players will adventure in the world of Krynn and visit strange places such as Qualinost or the Sla-Mori, encountering bizarre draconians and disgusting Aghar. They can play the modules as a set of separate adventures or as a great quest that spans the entire Dragonlance story.

An adventure for characters level 5-7

Written by Douglas Niles.

Join me as I review The Medusa Plague by Mary Kirchoff, live! Share your thoughts on this second novel in the Defenders of Magic trilogy, released on December 1, 1994. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/4fyoSZR 

Between Earth and Sky!

The name Guerrand DiThon has been cursed by his family since the day he disappeared. When a mysterious plague strikes their beleaguered village, Guerrand’s name is invoked again — as the cause of the disaster.

Bram DiThon, Guerrand’s nephew, is more like his uncle than the family would care to admit. A skilled herbalist, Bram has unknowingly turned his skills toward magic. It is to Bram the villagers turn when the plague changes their eyes to onyx, their limbs to snakes, and their flesh to stone.

Unable to stop the unexplainable deaths, Bram sets out to find his missing uncle. He learns that Guerrand is the High Defender of Bastion, the last stronghold before the Lost Citadel. But in finding him, Bram has unwittingly given an evil mage — once Guerrand’s friend, now his archenemy — the key to destroy the three orders of sorcery.

The Medusa Plague is the second in the Defenders of Magic Trilogy, a series by Dragonlance saga author Mary Kirchoff that will explore for the first time many of the secrets of sorcery in the world of Krynn.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga review episode. It is Misham, Darkember the 7th. My name is Adam and today I am going to give you my review of The Medusa Plague by Mary Kirchoff. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. This is my perspective only, and if you have any thoughts or disagree with mine, I invite you to share them in YouTube chat.

The first third of this novel is pretty intriguing… Guerrand DiThon and Esme are among the wizards crafting the Bastion, a fortress to protect the Lost Citadel per the gods of magic’s request slash demands. The head of the orders sent them all away after the walls were built and furnished the inside and transported it to its own demiplane in the Ethereal Sea. Rand returns to a village where Esme is growing more concerned with his obsession over an event in his test. Rand saw himself as Ranniker, the black robe who cursed the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas. The dream has plagued him since the test, as if there is something he is supposed to learn from it that has eluded him. 

This causes Esme to leave him and return to her fathers estate as he dies. After five years he receives word about a message from Justarius, so he returns home to collect it from a fey creature. The scroll says he needs to return to Wayreth as the council wants to see him. He is presented with the opportunity to run the Bastion, as the current master had left, I don’t recall them saying why. I do recall immediately thinking of the Shining however. Anyway, Rand is offered the position of master and must accept or reject it that night. He is told that he will never receive anything as important from the council again, and so he accepts it. 

He travels to the Bastion and meets the two other mages there. They are sore for having been passed up for the promotion, but ultimately accept him. They take shifts protecting the area and in one shift, the hellhounds which patrol the grounds fought the gargoyles that watched over it from the walls. There are charm spells the wizards have to cast to maintain peace between them, and after dealing with it, they are invigorated by the necessity of their attention.

Cut to Lyim Rhistadt. He stayed at Wayreth but ultimately no one could cure his snake hand. This drove him to search elsewhere and heard a tale of a crone under the new sea who could help. He travels down there  as a sea troll and fights with some water zombies but ultimately confronts the Coral Oracle in the ruined ancient city of Itzan Klertal. She tells him that she can help but needs favor. There is a harpoon that is cursed holding her to the throne, if he removes it she will tell him what he wants to know. He reluctantly does so, and she leaves telling him that his old master knows how to cure the arm. 

Frustrated, Lyim researched summoning spells and speaking with the dead from his old masters study, and finds a jar of his nail clippings. He uses that to summon his old master from the Abyss and asks him how to reverse his arm. His master tells him that he must open a portal to the Lost Citadel to reverse it. Knowing that the Bastion was made to guard it, Lyim knows he cannot open a portal but others may be able to help. So he reaches out to Esme, finding out that she has a piece of stone from the Bastion, and that Rand is the master there now! He steals the stone and wanders the Ethereal Sea calling out to Rand. 

A Ki-Rin tells Rand there is a human calling him in the Ethereal Sea and that he will kill him. Rand tells him to wait and confronts Lyim. Lyim all but begs him to let him into the Bastion but Rand refuses. It is his mission not to allow anyone, and tells Lyim to petition the Orders. Lyim refuses and Rand leaves. But now Lyim will figure out a way to manipulate or go around Rand. 

We then cut to Bram, Rand’s nephew. He has been working himself to the bone to bring his father’s westate back into order, and making friends in the nearby village. It’s his birthday so he goes to visit his sister who is out, but has boots for him as a gift and he visits an oldtimer who he makes candles with, when a boy runs upon them. He tells them that his father is sick and Brand has to help. They discover the father‘s skin is shedding like a snake and he is in very ill health. All Brand can do is give him some yarrow tea and leaves, but I believe this is obviously not only a cue to the title of the book, but Lyim’s doing. We shall see if Rand forsakes his duty to help.

We cut to Bram helping others with the sickness including his old friend Nahamkin, they have their hand turn to snakes, their body turn to stone, then die as the snake says Rand’s name. Now believing his uncle had something to do with this, he returns home to find his mother refusing to help and trying to get Bram to stop helping the town, then his father starts talking shit about Rand, blaming it all on him. Knowing he heard Rand’s name from the snake hand, Bram believes he needs to find his uncle to help stop the disease. He leaves and is met by little brownie fairy creatures called Tuatha. They give Bram a coin to pass through the feywild to get to Wayreth faster and tell him to give the coin to Par-Salien only. He passes a few trials in the feywild, then emerges outside Wayreth. Meanwhile Lyim goes to Thonville to see Rand’s sister, trying to see if she knows where he is. This is odd because he already knows where Rand is, then he hears about Bram and heads to Wayreth.

Lyim sees Bram outside Wayreth and prepares to follow him if he is sent to Bastion. How? I have no idea, nor do I recall how he knows that Bram went to Wayreth. But here we are. Bram talks to Par-Salien and Justarius about the situation and disease. We have already learned that Lyim used an existing medusa plague and twisted it with a curse to cause Rand’s name and the snake hand. They are willing to help, and send Bram to Bastion. This is where Lyim follows him, but again, how is never satisfyingly explained. He talks to Rand about the situation and gives him a  scroll Justarius sent with him. He sends Bram to get some sleep and reads that Justarius has given him a scroll to teleport both he and Bram to their town to deal with the issue. 

Then the alarm goes off. Someone has breached the Bastion… guess who? They go to fight Lyim and actually end up killing him, however, I think he’s not actually dead…. Just mostly dead. I don’t know for sure yet, but I have a feeling. And my feeling was correct, but that comes at the end. With Lyim seemingly dealt with, Rand and Bram return to their home to deal with the plague. Rand is stunned at the state of the town, and when he sees his sister Kirah, she blames him, reciting what Lyim told her. However, she is now sick, refusing to acknowledge it till her skin peels off her arms. Terrified and confused, Rand tells her the truth about Lyim, and sets out to find a cure before she is dead. 

He wanders the town, and meets an old blacksmith friend of his fathers, who just buried his family and is ill himself near death. He reveals that Bram is part Tuatha which makes a ton of sense and hearkens back to old celtic myths, which I like. It explains why they were so willing to help Bram get to Wayreth and tend to his fields. He also tells Rand that it is with the rising of the moons that his family died. This presents a new idea to Rand, if he can temporarily make Nuitari two-dimensional, like Bastion is, it cannot shine on the town, and will end the curse. He then buries his friend with Bram.

Rand writes magical scrolls to teleport other scrolls to the surface of Nuitari, turning it two dimensional, but before he can finish, Nuitari himself summons Rand to condemn his actions. The god of magic seems to care less about Rand’s intentions or plight, but ultimately relents, vowing that Rand will owe him a favor. Rand accepts and returns, completing the spell. This breaks the plague and his sister is saved. As he begins to leave Bram asks to go with him, but as he’s not a mage, he cannot, then they are put to sleep with magic and awake with the tuatha and their king Weador telling them of the sorry state of the town. They live in a symbiotic state and the plague has decimated everything. Bram vows to rebuild and the King proposes Rand stay and help, but of course he cannot.

The Tuatha leaves and Rand travels back to Basion with a warning that danger awaits from the King. He confronts Dagamier, the female black robe that watches bastion with him and she says Ezius the white robe, is acting strange and even called her Ezra. This informs Rand that Lyim is possessing Ezius, and he goes to stop him. Lyim is opening a portal to the Lost Citadel and when open puts his hand inside, releasing the snake and returning it to normal. However he is pulled in by magic and standing at the gate, he hears Rand yell his name. Rand and Dagamier broke into his room and fought two naga’s, which killed Zagarus, Rand’s familiar, and paralyzed Dagamier. Rand faces off against Lyim, but the Bastion begins being torn apart. 

Rand tells Lyim to get the bodies with him to safety or they will surely die, but Lyim is stunned and being attacked by the gods for having entered the Lost Citadel dimension. Rand gets Ezius and Dagamier’s bodies to the courtyard and watches as Bastion is destroyed. We cut to a council of the Orders of High Sorcery talking about how the Bastion was built as separate wings for the orders, but their strength lies in their shared protection of the Art. So it will be rebuilt so they are all together. Then Ezius asks to stay on, and Rand asks for Dagamier to be the new master as he prefers to go home. The council agrees and is dismissed. The final moments of the novel are the head of the orders deciding to send assassins after Lyim as his body was never recovered.

I really enjoyed this novel. I truly understood Lyim’s motivations and though I was angered by them, they made sense for the character. Rand was great as a more mature wizard, and I am stoked for him to return home to his family and help rebuild the town. I hope he gets back together with Esme, I feel like they are really good together. All in all, I have no idea how this trilogy will end, but I am very pleased with it thus far. If you enjoy stories about wizards, you will enjoy this novel, I highly recommend it.

And that’s it for my review of The Medusa Plague by Mary Kirchoff. What did you think of The Medusa Plague itself? Did you believe Lyim’s motivations? And finally, will Rand and Esme get back together? Feel free to email me at [email protected] or leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content.  

This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I hope you will join me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).

Join me as I unbox The Medusa Plague by Mary Kirchoff. Released on December 1, 1994 by TSR Inc. This is the second volume in the Defenders of Magic trilogy. You can buy The Medusa Plague here: https://amzn.to/4hHjkhN 

Between Earth and Sky!

The name Guerrand DiThon has been cursed by his family since the day he disappeaered. When a mysterious plague strikes their beleaguered village, Guerrand’s name is invoked again — as the cause of the disaster.

Bram DiThon, Guerrand’s nephew, is more like his uncle than the family would care to admit. A skilled herbalist, Bram has unknowingly turned his skills toward magic. It is to Bram the villagers turn when the plague changes their eyes to onyx, their limbs to snakes, and their flesh to stone.

Unable to stop the unexplainable deaths, Bram sets out to find his missing uncle. He learns that Guerrand is the High Defender of Bastion, the last stronghold before the Lost Citadel. But in finding him, Bram has unwittingly given an evil mage — once Guerrand’s friend, now his archenemy — the key to destroy the three orders of sorcery.

The Medusa Plague is the second in the Defenders of Magic Trilogy, a series by Dragonlance saga author Mary Kirchoff that will explore for the first time many of the secrets of sorcery in the world of Krynn.

Join me as I review the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, live! Share your thoughts on this second of the three revised D&D 5th Edition core rules, released on November 12, 2024 by Wizards of the Coast. You can buy a copy here: https://amzn.to/3NNI4XG 

Introduced in The Dark Disciple trilogy by Margaret Weis, the Disciples of Bone. After the failed Beloved experiment, Chemosh created Bone Warriors and Bone Acolytes to lead his armies. Buy Amber and Blood here: https://amzn.to/3NwjE51 

Unknown since the Age of Dreams, these fearsome soldiers are now in the Age of Mortals.

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about Chemosh’s Disciples of Bone. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Amber & Blood Appendix for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

It was a direct result of the War of Souls that a vacuum in the seats of power was created. First with the death of Takhisis, the Queen of Darkness in mortal form, then with Paladine stepping down from the pantheon of Good to wander Krynn as Valthonis, the walking god. So if you thought the gods were all up in mortals’ business during the Age of Despair, that pales in comparison to their far more active role in the Age of Mortals. Each god in the dark pantheon is vying for control, and at the moment it seems Sargonnas has stepped into the mantle with his minotaurs invading Ansalon and controlling the nation of Ambeon, occupied Silvanesti.

The Lord of Death, Chemosh leveraged Mina as his prophet and messenger, creating the Beloved, but to his surprise, the Beloved were not his creations to control after all, but rather Mina’s as she is a god. Frustrated in discovering this, Chemosh decided to return to a more tried and true method of creating followers. Ones that Krynn has not seen since the Age of Dreams, Bone Warriors and Bone Acolyte’s known as the Disciples of Bone. Little is known in the world about them, so it seems to be the right time to reintroduce his most mighty warriors of evil into the world. Let’s learn a little more about the Bone Warriors and Bone Acolytes.

Bone Warriors are fearsome opponents, and extremely difficult to control. The Lord of Death sees all souls to their respective afterlives, but some cannot bear to part from life, and return as undead. Bone Warriors are one of these unquiet undead. They wish nothing more than to return to the world and inflict revenge. When granted unlife, the dead retain their former life’s body and skills; their bodies turn inside out, feeling every moment of pain as their bones are forced out and shaped into a hard carapace, protecting every part of their body. This constant, burning agony they experience fuels their anger. They see all living beings as the enemy. They are incapable of speech, though they understand what they did in life, only crying out in pain and rage. 

As their souls are bound to the Lord of Death in hatred and anger over their face, they must be commanded by those with a strong and powerful will. They are always under the control of either a powerful dark cleric, or a Bone Acolyte. If unleashed, they will attack every living being in sight until there is no one left to kill. They are unaffected by many physical and magical attacks like other undead. Their bone armor is as tough as Solamnic Plate. Swords and arrows do little damage to them. Even if struck by magical weapons, they feel no pain outside the constant agony of their unlife. They are significantly stronger than they were in life, and while they are incapable of taking actions that require focus or concentration, they do understand strategies, and utilize battlefield tactics with cunning. They will follow the orders of those to which they are bound, but constantly struggle against their will, seeing them as the master of their constant torment. If they break free, they will kill their master.

Bone Acolyte’s are living disciples of Chemosh. They are protected by unholy skeletal armor and are imbued with a number of powers by their god. In the Age of Dreams they were the most feared servants of any evil god, only rivaled by Morgion’s Plague Knights. When Clerics from the Holy Orders of the Stars and the Wizards of High Sorcery combined forces to destroy them, Chemosh moved on to other creations. Now, however, there are very few with access to any knowledge about them, and Chemosh believes it’s time for their return. 

Bone Acolytes are powerful servants of Chemosh who call on the Lord of Death for more power. They willingly trade their life and soul for the power granted to them by their god. Their bone armor is also imbued with power in addition to protecting them in life. They earn it through a profane ritual of sacrificing an elf, ogre or human, then boiling their bodies to retrieve their bones. They next employ a terrible craft in order to shape the bones into armor. 

The armor is whitish-yellow with unnaturally long spikes protruding from the shoulders, elbows, knuckles, and knee. The spikes are imbued with divine magic and may enhance the wearer’s natural movement. It imbues the wearer with unnatural strength and protects them from mundane attacks. It features a tattoo of a skull over the heart, as it is Chemosh’s symbol. It may even be summoned or discarded with a simple prayer to Chemosh! The Bone Acolyte learns the art of boneshaping, which allows them to alter the shape of their armor at will. They may grow a shield on one arm, or a blade on the other; even spikes to impale an enemy!

The Bone Acolyte even holds power over others’ bones! They may snap bones from a distance, demoralizing an entire enemy force. Only through great strength or exceptional will may this fearsome power be resisted. There is one more rare and terrifying power the Bone Acolytes are capable of: Liquifying the bones of a single opponent instantly! Without their skeletal structure, their bodies collapse into a soft, fleshy mound. Bone Acolytes are more capable of commanding Bone Warriors and may even choose them from Chemosh’s undead army. Losing control of the warrior ensures your death, as Chemosh has no use for weaklings.

By the end of the Dark Disciple trilogy the Disciples of Bone have been defeated, but Chemosh has plans to create more. His goal is to supplant Sargonnas as head of the Dark Pantheon. With the death of Ausric Krell, there are no more death knights on Krynn, so the Disciples of Bone would be the most terrifying foes to cast their shadows over Krynn. They will undoubtedly be seen again.

As you can see, the Age of Mortals is an era ripe for terrifying adventures with stakes that rival the War of the Lance, and dangers not seen since the Age of Dreams. With the pantheon of Krynn’s gods in upheaval, and the gods directly interacting with mortals in the world, who knows what epic storylines you may create for your home games. This will be the last Age of Mortals specific video that I will make for now, but rest assured there is still a lot more to talk about in this Fifth Age of Krynn.

And that is all the time I have to talk about Chemosh’s Disciples of Bone. What do you think about these fearsome warriors? Do you think Chemosh stands a chance against Sargonnas? And finally, have you ever used Disciples of Bone in your campaigns? Leave a comment below. 

I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember: 

It is not for them that you make this sacrifice… It is because you cannot bear defeat! Nothing has ever defeated you, not even death itself…