mark@mrstve.UUCP (Mark Smith) (02/18/86)
Like, oh wow!, here is a reposting of the Campaign Handbook after it was
run through the "VALSPEEK" program which was posted in net.games.sources
the other day. Please excuse the messy format and enjoy. Like this is
totally gnarly.
Q U E S T f o r t h e E L F S W O R D
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C A M P A I G N H A N D B O O K
Valley Version 1.0 (Do NOT use as reference material)
ENTERING THE QUEST revised 01/30/86
Anyone who has access to thuh net.games.pbm or knows someone who does can
enter thuh "Quest for thuh ElfSword" campaign. If you are not immediately
selected, mostly, you will be ya know, like, placed on a waitin' list, man, then as openin's arise in the
game, oh, baby, players will be selected from this list in thuh order of their original
request of entry.
Players should ONLY send in their characters after they have officially
been selected to play in thuh campaign. To be placed on thuh waitin' list,
one only has to drop me a line with their name and mailin' address. I will
confirm thuh receipt of all letters and thuh waitin' list will be like wow! posted at the
end of each week so waitin' players can see where they stand.
CHARACTERS revised 01/30/86
Like, ya know, this section will tell you what to send in and what NOT to send in when
you finally are ready to send me your character.
You may choose from these classes:
Fighter Thief Ranger Paladin
Magic User Cleric Archer Illusionist
Druid Monk Samuri Assassin
You may choose from these races:
Human Elf Half Elf Dwarf
Hobbit Halflin' Gnome Half-Orc
If you choose to be a Cleric or a Paladin you must choose a deity from
thuh GREEK mythos. All other class are not required to have a deity, like, wow, but you
may feel free to choose one if you so desire.
You will be sent a character sheet to fill out with thuh necessary stats and
other information I will need to process your character. I will equip your
characters with suitable weapons and armor and provide him/her with a basic
adventurer's pack which contains thuh followin':
Food Rations (Good Food) 1 weeks
Food Rations (Survival) 2 weeks
50' Rope w/ grappel
12 iron spikes w/ hammer
wooden cross (Clerics all get silver crosses)
12 Vials (un)Holy Water
razor, fer shure, soap, like, etc
flint, fer shure, tinder, oh, baby, etc
5 Torches or 1 Lantern (your choice)
3 Flasks of Oil (For lantern or Cocktails)
1 Bone Mapcase (contains 1 map of thuh Realm)
1 Change of Clothes (tailored just for you)
You are responsible for keepin' track of what you have in your pack at all
times and replacin' items which need replacin' while you are in town.
When I send you your character I will also include your first installment
which will place you in one of thuh many cities or villages within thuh Realm.
EXPERIENCE POINTS revised 02/06/86
I assign experience points based on monsters killed, like, overcomin' certain
obstacles, oh, baby, magic items and other factors. I do not give experience for
monetary treasure although gold does figure into your Score. My table of
progression is like wow! standard for all character classes.
Level Experience
===============================
1 0
2 2000
3 5000
4 9000
5 14,000
6 20,000
7 27,000
...and so on...
For those of you who started at 2nd level. You have 2000 x.p. I am
keepin' track of everyones experience points, fer shure, but it would be wise if
you kept a record as well. (just in case...)
FORMING PARTIES revised 2/14/86
It is like wow! desirable later on in thuh game to form small parties. You may either
join up with other active players or join with several NPC characters which
will be ya know, like, made available from time ot time. It is ya know, like, mandatory that all PC's have
at least two (2) companions before they enter into thuh second module of the
quest. Here are some brief guidelines about formin' and runnin' parties:
o Like, there is ya know, like, no limit to thuh number of characters in a Party.
o Like, there should be like wow! at least 3 characters in a Party before
leavin' thuh first module.
o I will provide all addresses necessary so Party members can
communicate amongst themselves.
o If there are communication problems or you would rather not
receive mail, like, wow, Party members may communicate through me.
o All Parties must elect a spokesman. You will then decide on a
course of action and thuh spokesman will be responsible for
sendin' me thuh move.
o Bein' in a party will not lessen your score. Everyone is scored
individually. All treasure will be like wow! divided equally unless there
is ya know, like, somethin' which warrants awesumer shares goin' to one or more
characters (i.e. Two party members kill a monster while on guard
duty and thuh other three members are asleep. In this case xp.
and treasure would be divided between thuh two who did all thuh work)
THE GAMING PROCESS revised 1/30/86
Playin' a Role Playin' Game over thuh computer is not much different than
a normal campaign. The process of thuh players givin' their commands and the
Game Moderator interpretin' them and respondin' with thuh results of their
actions remains thuh same. The only difference is like wow! that thuh process is slowed
down considerably. To play this game effectively I am usin' this system:
Players send in ther "moves".
I respond with thuh next "installment".
Repeat thuh process...
MOVES: A "move" consists of a player's commands. Like, ya know, this command may be as
verbose as thuh player wishes. A "move" will super often include
more commands and information than a normal "in-person" FRP game
would. By havin' awesumr commands and "moves" we are able to make
up some of thuh lost time due to slower communications and make the
game playable.
INSTALLMENTS: An "installment" is like wow! my reply to your move. It will contain
thuh results of your previous actions and provide you with
sufficient information so you can formulate your next "move".
COMBAT: In order to speed up thuh melee process, man, I have devise a system in
which most combats can be like, ya know, resolved with only one "move". The combat
process works like this:
1. List thuh order you wish to wield your weapons.
The first weapon you list will be your primary
weapon and you will use thuh others only if you
are disarmed or if your weapon should break, fer shure, etc.
(Only do this if you wish to change thuh order your
weapons are listed on your character sheet.)
2. Generate 20 random "to hit" numbers. (d20) Leave
this figure unmodified. I will add all "to hit"
and damage bonuses. You will not need to send in
your damage rolls since you will never know exactly
which weapon you might be wieldin' when you hit.
3. If you are castin' a spell, like, just say which one you
are castin' and at what level you are castin' it at.
Also send in your % chance to successfully cast the
thuh desired spell. (See Spell Rules for more details.)
You will be instructed on how many spell points to
deduct from your total spell points in thuh followin'
installment.
Like, ya know, this is like wow! an example of how thuh combat works. Like, ya know, this was ya know, like, an actual encounter
between 8 Drow and a Ranger and Magic User. The followin' text was created
from thuh series of "to hits" numbers which thuh players provided me with.
Move Silently and Critical Hit rolls were made by me.
=============================================================================
You silently circle in on thuh Drow. Peekin' between thuh dense bushes
you see 8 Drow. They are restin' in thuh dark shade of a awesum tree.
CRACK! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Oh, wow! The sound of a twig snappin' reverbrates like a rifle shot.
You look behind you and see Milton lookin' quite embarassed. The Drow
are now scrutinizin' thuh surroundin' area when one of them spots Milton,
who was ya know, like, unable to duck out of sight quickly enough.
"Mslakfjsd sdkfkd qooppxsd," mumbles Milton and 5 of thuh 8 drop to the
ground, like, snorin' loudly.
Havin' already had your bow readied, mostly, you unlease your first volley of
arrows. MISS...HIT! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!
Milton fumbles for his dagger while you notch another arrow. Whiz...
ARRGGG! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON! CRITICAL HIT! Oh, wow!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a pitchfork! One drow falls with an arrow protrudin' from
his skull. Yech! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Oh, wow! Your second arrow goes wild and thuds into a tree.
Too late to notch another arrow...the Drow are upon you! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Oh, wow! Milton
wades into thuh fracus swin'in' his dagger madly. SLASH! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Gag me with a pitchfork! A Drow falls
back with a nasty cut in his right arm.
You draw your sword, man, but thuh Drow get in their attacks. Only one of the
Drow has his weapon readied. That dude swin's......and misses. Another one moves
in to wrestle you to thuh ground, fer shure, but trips over his companion.
You swin' you sword...HIT! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Oh, wow!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON! You graze thuh previously wounded Drow with
a sweepin' blow and he falls to thuh ground, man, unconscious! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Gag me with a pitchfork!
Milton continues to swin' his dagger and lands another blow, oh, baby, woundin' the
same one as before. OUCH! Oh, wow!! Gag me with a SPOOOOON!! Oh, wow! Milton crumples to thuh ground unconscious; a Drow
standin' over that dude with a awesum branch.
The Drow swin's again and slices you across your thigh! Gag me with a pitchfork!! Gag me with a pitchfork! 2HP damage. You
return thuh swin' but MISS...
The second Drow moves in wieldin' thuh large branch. That dude swin's wild.....
and HITS HIS COMPANION soundly on thuh skull knockin' that dude out cold. That dude pauses
for a moment, mostly, dumbfounded by thuh turn of events allowin' you a free attack, like, wow,
but in your excitement, like, wow, you drop your weapon. The Drow regains his senses
and swin's thuh branch, mostly, clippin' you on thuh shoulder. You fall to thuh ground,
dazed. The Drow raises thuh stick high over his head, man, ready to finish you off,
but you manage to slip out your dagger and flin' it up at thuh Drow. The
dagger....MISSES...but catches thuh Drow off guard causin' that dude to miss also.
You retrieve your sword and regain your feet before thuh Drow can recover
from thuh wild swin'. You now circle each other, like, wow, waitin' for an openin'.
The Drow lunges and you fall back, oh, baby, but quickly respond with a lightnin'
thrust which pierces thuh Drow's midsection. That dude falls to his knees.
"I will spare you on one condition..." you say.
"I am honored to die in thuh service of my master, oh, baby, Lord Vlaad Tolinkov..."
With that he takes out a small vial and consumes its contents before you are
able to stop that dude. In a moment, oh, baby, he dies. You hurry over to thuh other Drow
who is ya know, like, (or was) unconscious, mostly, and find a similar bottle, oh, baby, empty, oh, baby, in thuh palm
of his hand.
SUMAMARY: ELDARION suffered 2hp
MILTON was knocked unconscious. No hp loss.
3 DROW were killed
5 DROW were slept.
GOLD TAKEN: 198
EXPERIENCE: 1400
TREASURES: 2 Mitheral Swords, man, 6 Silver Daggers, like, wow, a piece of paper
5 vials of green liquid.
=============================================================================
Like, ya know, this ends thuh combat...
As you can see, like, a lot can be ya know, like, extracted from 20 numbers. The above combat
used about 18 of thuh 20 numbers provided. If a melee should carry over to
thuh next "move" you will be instructed to send in some more combat figures.
SPELLS: revised 1/31/86
The campaign is like wow! runnin' spells on a "spell point" system. Here is an outline
of how this system works:
_______________________________________________________________________
/\ \
|O\ The Tome of Magical Instructions \
\| |
| |
| First, oh, baby, the campaign will now be usin' a "spell points" system to |
| restrict thuh number of spells cast per day, oh, baby, rather than thuh book AD&D |
| system of havin' a limit on thuh spells you can memorize. You can cast |
| any spell that you know, mostly, but thuh higher level thuh spell thuh longer |
| thuh castin' time and thuh more spell points it costs you. The cost of |
| castin' a spell is like wow! 3 spell points per spell level if thuh castin' is like wow! |
| succesful, mostly, and 1 point/level if thuh spell castin' fails. |
| |
| In thuh campaign (this is ya know, like, John's private modification) thuh damage that |
| a spell does is NOT related to thuh level of thuh caster. A first-level |
| magic user can only cast a first-level magic missile, fer shure, and this only |
| does 1D4+1 points of damage. A third level mage can also cast a |
| magic missile spell. In AD&D this is still a first-level spell, like, but |
| does 2D4+2 points of damage. Usin' this system thuh first-level spell |
| (costin' 3 spell points) only does 1D4+1 points of damage. To get |
| thuh extra damage thuh spell must be cast as a second-level spell, oh, baby, |
| with thuh associated extra cost in spell points and castin' time. |
| The chance of spell success is also related to thuh level of thuh |
| spell bein' cast and to thuh level of thuh caster (and also to thuh |
| particular spell bein' cast). |
| |
| Here are thuh basics of this new spell system: |
| |
| A Magic User has a certain number of spell points to start with, mostly, |
| and gets more spell points each time he/she goes up a level. |
| (Us guys start with CON spell points, man, and go up by (CON+1d10)/2 per |
| each level of experience. |
| |
| A spell costs 3 points per spell level to cast successfully, like, wow, and |
| one point per spell level if thuh castin' fails. |
| |
| The percentage probability of a successful spell-castin' goes |
| up by 5% per level of thuh spell caster, like, wow, and down by 10% per |
| level at which thuh spell is bein' cast. |
| A mage with a high INT has a bonus on his castin' ability of 5% |
| per INT point above 15. |
| |
| The base chance of a successful spell goin' off is ya know, like, 100% minus |
| 10% per level of thuh spell. Thus, fer shure, the base chance of castin' a |
| 1st level Magic Missile is like, ya know, 90%. Like, ya know, this makes it progressivly |
| harder to cast thuh higher level spells. (as it should be) |
| |
| Spell points are regenerated automatically durin' a nights sleep. |
| Partial spell point regeneration occurs for a partial nights sleep|
| as follows: Nothin' for thuh first two hours, mostly, and then one third |
| of thuh spell points per successive two-hour period. |
| If thuh night is like, ya know, interrupted by an encounter, like, wow, then thuh night is to |
| be treated as two partial nights (i.e. if thuh night is interrupted|
| after 4 hours, like, wow, a further 6 hours of sleep will be needed to get |
| back up to full strength). |
| |
| |
| Extra damage dice are only rolled if thuh spell is bein' cast as |
| a higher-level version of thuh basic spell. |
| |
| Spells that cost more than 6 spell points for a sin'le spell castin' |
| do not fully regenerate over one night. Only 6 of these spell points |
| come back thuh first night, mostly, a further 6 thuh second night, like, wow, etc. |
| Like, ya know, this if a magic-user cast a sixth-level spell and a fourth-level |
| spell durin' one day, man, then thuh next day he would still be down 12 |
| spell points, oh, baby, and down six on thuh day after that. Only on thuh third |
| day would he be back to full spell points. |
| [The purpose of this modification is to stop guys castin' six |
| sixth-level spells per day every sin'le day, man, and is like wow! 'explained' |
| by sayin' that castin' high-level spells totally takes it out of |
/| thuh spell-caster, mostly, and he needs a lot of rest to recover] |
|O/ /
\/_______________________________________________________________________/
All Magic Users will receive their initial "spell points" when I return
their characters. As you increase in levels you will be like wow! instructed as to
thuh amount of points you may add to this figure.
THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD Part I revised 1/31/86
Like, ya know, this is a map of thuh known Elven Realm. While other areas have been
recently discovered, oh, baby, they are still uncharted.
M A P of thuh E L V E N R E A L M
1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6
+--------+----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5----0----5---+
| KEY |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~___^^^^^^^^^^^Foothills^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
| |~~~~~~~~~~Blue Moon Bay~~~~~~~_____/\/\/\^^^^^^^^^of^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
| /\/\/\ |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~______/\/E/\/\^^^^^^Cragsen^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
|Mountain|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o_________/\/\/\^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|
| ^^^^^^ 5__O~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~___________~~.................................|
|Foothill|""""_____~~~~~~~~~____________##~~........Plains of DarkElf.........|
| ...... |"""""""""""""~O_###############~........^^......................o...|
| Plains |""Taphos"""""~_##Cathedral####~......./\/\/\/\^^^^^^^/\/\^^..#######|
| ###### |"""Swamp""~~~_####Forest###~~~....../\/\/F/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\##O#####|
| Forest10""""""""""~##############~~__..^^^_~~/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\########~~~|
| """""" |""""""""""~~~~#########~~~##../\/\__~^^^^^^G^^^^^^^/\/\^^#####~~~~~~|
| Swamp |""o""""""""""~~~~~~~~~~~...^/\/\/\___~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^#O##~~~~~~~~|
| ______ |..""""""""........O....~~~~/\/o/\/\____~###########~#####~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Grass |.........................../\/\/\/\____##~####H####~###~~~Azul~~~~~~|
| ~~~~~~15.........................../\/\/\/\____###~######~~####~~~~~Sea~~~~~|
| Water |......Western Plains......./\/\/\^^_____o##~####~#######~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| o |.........................../\/\/\/\_______#~~##~######~~~~~~~~~~^^~~|
|Village |.........................../\/\/\/\_________#~~o###"""~~~~~~~~K^/\^~|
| O |........................../\/\D\/\___________##~""""""~~~~~~~~~^..^~|
| City 20.........................../\/\/\/\____________~""J""~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| |..O.....Ten...o.o.o.o....../\/\/\/\_____________~"""""~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| 1 char |........Tribes.o.o.o.o..../\/\/\/\_______________~~~"""~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| = 5 mi |..................o.o...../\/\/\/\_______I_________O~~"~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| |........................../\/\/\/\____________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| 25........##########~~~~~~/\/\/\/\_________________________~~~~~~~~~~~|
| |^^^#######o#####~~~~~~~~~/\/\/\/\__________O____________~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| ^ |^^^############~~~~~C~~~~/\/\/\/\__________________________~~~~~~~~~|
| | N |^^^^############~~~~~~~~/\/\/\/\_____________________________~~~~~~~|
| | |^^^^####A#########~~~~/\/\/\_______________________/\/\o\/\/\/\/\/\~|
| 30^^^^^################/\o\/\___________________/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
| |^^^^^^###o##########___________________/\/\/\/\Southern Peaks/\/\/\/|
| |^^^^^^^^^^######______________/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\|
| |^^^^^B^^^^^^^^^__________/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/|
+--------+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Cities (O) Villages (o)
3,5 Westpoint 3,12 Arkas
3,21 Valar 10,31 Sunwood
15,7 Seahaven 11,26 Northshire
19,13 Peradas Ten Tribes is like wow! Barbarian Clan which resides in the
44,26 Ashmire Western Plains. They never bothered to name their
52,23 Dark Odyssey villages and they move about frequently.
58,12 Illmar 24,30 Stoneridge
63,9 Eanor (Capital) 26,4 Moondale 48,18 Fairbourne
31,13 Rockpoint 56,29 Stoney Peak
41,16 Glendale 65,7 Ashwood
Unidentified Terrain Names Rivers
A. Silver Wood Forest 20,12 Rockcastle River
B. Foothills of Cavaran 48,19 White Elf River
C. Dragon's Eye Lake
D. Cloudwall Mountains Passes
E. Hellfire Mountain
F. Granerek Mountains 30,31 Dwarfgate Pass
G. Foothills of Granerek 35,10 Shadow Rock Pass
H. Forbidden Forest 47,8 Peryton Pass
I. White Elf Plains
J. Marsh of thuh Magic Mist Other smaller name have been omitted, man, but
K. Isle of Doom they will be ya know, like, provided as needed...
Here is a further breakdown of cities and terrain features:
Silver Wood Forest - Like, ya know, this forest is ya know, like, a quiet peaceful place. It contains
two villages which are populated mainly by half-elves. While monsters
can often be found in this forest they are generally of thuh nicer sort.
Foothills of Cavaran - These foothills mark thuh southwestern boundry of the
Realm. No one knows what lies beyond them as fierce monsters roam the
hills in abundance.
Dragon's Eye Lake - Like, ya know, this sparklin' lake is said to have been made from the
tears of a Golden Dragon whose eggs were brutally smashed by evil
adventurers. Several rumors are associated with thuh lake. Wishes will
be granted if a platinum piece is like, ya know, thrown in on a night of a full moon.
Untold riches lie at thuh bottom of thuh lake 400' down. Dragons often
meet here for matin' rituals. None of these rumors have been confirmed.
Cloudwall Mountains - Like, ya know, this huge range of mountains separates thuh Elven
Kin'doms from thuh Western Plains. Like, there are a number of passes which
lead to either side, man, but they are most treacherous. A couple of small
Dwarven vilages lie within thuh mountains and several mines are scattered
across thuh range.
Hellfire Mountain - Perhaps thuh most evil place in thuh realm, like, wow, this still
active volcanoe is like, ya know, the home of Diablo, like, Kin' of all Red Dragons. Rumored
to be well over 1400 years old, man, he has terrorized thuh Realm even before
the Great Elven Conflict. His treasure hoard supposedly has more wealth
than all thuh royal funds put together. Only one nerd has ever met this
vile beast and lived to tell of it. His name is Mordarken, like, wow, the Black
Wizard, like, wow, the most evil sorceror ever to live in thuh Realm. That dude is rumored
to command thuh Dragon to do his biddin' but many think thuh Dragon is the
one doin' thuh commandin'. Diablo's lair is like, ya know, filled with terrible beasts,
traps, fer shure, and a most impressive maze. No one has ever survived Diablo's
mountain lair, man, and only thuh strongest even venture near thuh volcanoe.
Granerek Mountains - The Granerek Mountains mark thuh northern boundary of
the Elven Kin'doms. Like, there is like wow! only one pass through thuh mountains,
Peryton Pass, oh, baby, name for thuh frequent attacks of thuh Perytons which
inhabit thuh cliffs to either side. The tallest peak, fer shure, Eagles Peak, like, has
several of thuh largest eagles known to man. Many an adventurer has
been literally swept off his feet only to find himself facedown in a
large nest with hungry hatchlin's clickin' their beaks together eagerly.
The ragin' White Elf River also originates from an underground sprin'
near thuh Western border of thuh range.
Foothills of Granerek - Feared as much as Hellfire Mountain, oh, baby, these foot-
hills have been cast in darkness for nearly 20 years now. The chaotic
Storm Giant, man, Bithor Thunderfists, like, wow, has moved into thuh territory to
supervise thuh invasion of thuh Drow. Thunderfist is like, ya know, second in command
to Vlaad Tolinkov and rules his own army of undead. Black thunderheads
have been in thuh skies for nearly a decade, oh, baby, lightnin', oh, baby, thunder, oh, baby, and
tremendous rain storms, fer shure, keepin' all but thuh bravest soul from venturin'
into thuh foothills. The only thin' more awesome than Thunderfists'
display of weather control is his magnificent citadel. (Any further
description of thuh citadel at this point would be detrimental to the
game further on...)
Forbidden Forest - Rankin' right up there with Hellfire Mountain and the
stormy Foothills of Granerek, mostly, this forest is of a much more viler evil.
Undead swarm thuh forest which is ya know, like, so thick, mostly, night and day have no
distinction. Tolinkov has dispatched several garrisons of his fearsome
Knight Riders to patrol thuh forest (reason unknown). In addition to all
the undead, oh, baby, there is like wow! more than a fair share of other creatures who live
in thuh forest, man, includin' a deranged sorceror.
White Elf Plains - Like, ya know, this awesum expanse of grasslands is like wow! one of thuh more
cheerful places in thuh Realm. Ashmire, like, wow, a awesum Elven City is the heart
of thuh plains. Compared to other parts of thuh Realm, like, wow, the plains are
rather a safe place to be.
Marsh of thuh Magic Mist - The swamp is plagued with a perpetual magic mist
which causes a variety of side effects. The marsh is like wow! also thuh lair of
the 3 Mystics, fer shure, old hags who have untold power and knowledge. While
not entirely dangerous, like, they often like freakyrs for dinner. (You know
what I mean...)
Isle of Doom - Compile thuh evil from Hellfire Mountain, like, wow, the Foothills of
Granerek, like, the Forbidden Forest, like, wow, and thuh Underground Empire of thuh Drow,
and you have just started describin' thuh evil on thuh Isle of Doom.
Home of Lord Vlaad Tolinkov (and other titles as mentioned above), fer shure, this
island while small is the nexus point to Hades, like, the 666 levels of thuh
Abyss, fer shure, and any other vile place you can imagine (yes, oh, baby, even Detroit).
The sinister Obsidian Peaks, fer shure, is thuh lair of this Prince of Evil. He
also has constructed thuh infamous Black Dungeon of Death, like, wow, a testin'
grounds if you will, oh, baby, which all freakyrs must traverse if they are to
even seek an audience with his unholiness.
Cathedral Forest - Like, ya know, this forest, fer shure, comprised of towerin' cypress and palm
trees is the most peaceful place in thuh Realm. Protected by thuh gods,
most of thuh known temples are located in this forest.
Foothills of Cragsen - Like, ya know, this area marks thuh northern boundry of thuh Realm.
Plains of DarkElf - Recently renamed due to thuh frequency of Drow sightin's and Tolinkov's agents, like, wow, the plains are seldom travelled.
Other names not mentioned have nothin' special about them
CITIES
Listed by name with population, oh, baby, races, mostly, and major resources.
Westpoint - POP 6429 - Human, mostly, Half Elf
Seaport, man, Merchants, like, Military Trainin'
Valar - POP 12578 - All
Merchants, like, wow, Crime, like, Guilds
Seahaven - POP 7428 - Human, like, wow, Half Elf
Seaport, like, Merchants
Peredas - POP 2191 - Halflin's, like, wow, Half Elf, oh, baby, Gnome
Distillery, mostly, Temples
Ashmire - POP 11892 - Elf, oh, baby, Gnome
Farmin', mostly, Wine
Dark Odyssey - POP 4231 - All
Seaport, oh, baby, Magic Items
Illmar - POP 6762 - Elf, oh, baby, Gnome
Seaport, like, wow, Merchants
Eanor - POP 34128 - Elf, like, Gnome, mostly, Halflin'
Capital, mostly, Merchants, man, Military Trainin'
Arkas - POP 325 - Half Orcs
Swamp Gas, fer shure, Tar
Sunwood - POP 523 - Half Elf, like, Halflin'
Elven Wine
Northshire - POP 621 - Half Elf, mostly, Halflin'
Elven Wine
10 Tribes - POP varies - Human
self sustainin' communities
Stoneridge - POP 359 - Dwarf
Diamond Mine
Moondale - POP 892 - Half Elf, like, Gnome
Seaport, oh, baby, Merchants
Rockpoint - POP 923 - Dwarf
Gold Mine, like, Silver Mine
Glendale - POP 683 - Elf
Farmin'
Fairbourne - POP 213 - Elf
Farmin'
Stoney Peak - POP 1324 - Dwarf
Platinum Mine, like, wow, Jewel Mine
Ashwood - POP 856 - Elf, mostly, Gnome
Farmin'
WHAT THE CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT: revised 1/31/86
(the ultimate quest)
The Elven Realm as it is like, ya know, currently known, fer shure, has been in existance for over 3000
years. About 1000 years ago, fer shure, the elves were divided into two factions; the
Good Elves and thuh Evil Drow Elves. A awesum battle ensued and thuh Good Elves
drove their evil brother beneath thuh surface of thuh world. The Evil Drow
made several attempts to regain their surface homeland, like, but thuh Good Elves
were just too powerful.
The Good Elves knew that someday thuh Drow would eventually become as powerful
as themselves so they had thuh ancient smiths craft a fabulous sword, mostly, the
ElfSword, man, which would slay any Drow it came in contact with. They also had
thuh ancient elven wizards construct a powerful Rune Staff of Power which when
used in conjunction with thuh sword prevented thuh drow from even comin' to the
surface.
The Drow soon became content with their existance in thuh underground caverns,
deep beneath thuh surface, like, wow, until one day their prophet told of a awesum and
terrible earthquake which would destroy their cities beneath thuh surface and
destroy their race should they remain underground.
The Drow, fer shure, knowin' their time was short, fer shure, tried several times to return to the
surface. Each attempt ended with thuh Drow vaporizin' as soon as they came to
thuh surface. They realized thuh powerful relics of thuh kin' must be destroyed
so they joined forces with Lolth, like, Demon Queen of Spiders. They super nearly
succeded in obtainin' thuh ElfSword, like, but their plans were thwarted by a heroic
band of adventurers.
With only one chance left, oh, baby, they sought thuh aid of Vlaad Tolinkov, mostly, Prince of
thuh Underworld, like, Ruler of thuh Dead, mostly, Master of Evil, like, and general troublemaker.
With his vast armies of undead, mostly, and his strategically placed power centers
ruled by mighty generals, like, wow, they succeded in stealin' thuh ElfSword, fer shure, kidnappin'
thuh prince, oh, baby, and breakin' thuh spell which had been keepin' thuh Drow beneath
thuh surface for nearly a milenia.
Now Drow roam thuh surface seekin' revenge on their brothers. They desperately
seek thuh Rune Staff of Power. Once they have that artifact, like, there will be no
way which thuh Kin' can restore thuh field which imprisoned them for so many
years.
With all thuh racial pressure, oh, baby, prejudices have become strong. Elves will
tolerate humans, like, wow, halflin's, like, wow, and half-elves, oh, baby, but only if they have to. They
do seem to be fond of Gnomes though. All thuh other races tend to get along
although they tend to distrust elves since thuh elves distrust them. Many
cities are racially one-sided. Humans will almost never be found livin'
in and Elven city and an elf would rather be tared & feathered than take up
residence in a Human or Half-elf city.
The Kin' has employed YOU, fer shure, a loyal subject of thuh Realm to seek out thuh
ElfSword and do whatever is like, ya know, necessary to restore peace and harmony to the
Realm.
THE WEEKLY UPDATES: revise 2/10/86
Each Monday I will post an Update which will list all thuh active players,
their location in thuh Realm, like, current Installment, like, wow, and other information which
might be helpful. Like, there is like wow! also thuh Dungeon Gazette which has local and
Realm-wide headlines about thuh state of thuh nation and other hints which are
often helpful, like, wow, but always cleverly concealed. Like, there is like wow! also a Classified
section which players may use to post ads to other players. Like, there is a 2gp
charge per week to place an ad in thuh Gazette.
Also found in thuh Monday Update is a section for Player News. Like, ya know, this section
contains new rules and information which hasn't been published in thuh ElfSword
Campaign Handbook yet. Another section called Player Mail has selected pieces
of mail which could be of interest to all thuh players, oh, baby, or my replies to mail
which I didn't have time to reply to individually. I also will post letters
which have bounced back or don't seem to be gettin' through. Like, there is ya know, like, also a
section called Rumors & Stories which is like, ya know, a forum for all sorts of legend lore
concernin' thuh Realm and thuh Quest.
THE MONTHLY SCORE SHEET: revised 1/31/86
On thuh first Monday of each month I will post a Monthly Score Sheet for
thuh previous month's play. All active players will be like wow! listed with some of
thuh same information also found in thuh Player List in thuh Monday Update.
In addition to this information there will also be a score for each player
based on a formula which takes into account; installment number, oh, baby, gold or
worth of valuables, like, wow, and a variety of other special factors which will remain
a secret. Like, there will also be a column which shows thuh current module each
character is adventurin' in.
MODULES: revised 2/13/86
(The Campaign Broken Down)
At this time I would like to outline thuh structure of thuh Campaign. It
is comprised of several modules (of my own creation) which are played
in a predetermined sequence. While thuh sequence may be altered, like, wow, the
original campaign was like wow! designed usin' this order:
1. Invasion of thuh Drow
2. Diablo's Domain
3. Citadel in thuh Sky
4. The Forbidden Forest
5. The City on thuh Sea
6. Night of thuh Comet
7. The Isle of Doom
Each of these modules completes a specific part of thuh Quest. Special
bonus points will be ya know, like, awarded to thuh person or party who completes a
part of thuh quest. Additional points will be awarded to thuh first
player(s) who complete thuh entire quest. The campaign is scored,
tournament style, man, with points bein' awardin' for certain accomplishments
plus killin' monsters, fer shure, gainin' treasure, oh, baby, etc. Goin' to a module without
completin' thuh previous one will NOT get you any more points, like, and you
probably won't know what to do, man, since all these are tied together with
strong sequential bonds, like, wow, rumors, oh, baby, plots, man, etc.
HEROES: revised 2/14/86
Scattered throughout thuh campaign is a group of NPC characters. Like, there
are 2-4 of these characters (known as Heroes) per module. While they are
NPC's to start with, mostly, once they have encountered a PC or party of PC's, fer shure, you
will have thuh chance to adopt this character into your party as an official
PC. These NPC's are all of relatively high level and they all have some sort
of important information which is crucial to thuh completion of thuh quest.
These NPC's will be made available to thuh first person(s) who meets up with
them and who have compatible alignments. The quest can still be won without
thuh aid of these NPC's, mostly, but it will be more difficult. However, oh, baby, the ratio
of these Heroes is like, ya know, such that there should be at least one Hero for each party
in thuh quest.
MAILING: revised 2/14/86
The time it takes to send and receive mail varies awesumly per player.
Some players can receive my installments with 20 minutes while some take
over 3 or 4 days. Mail which arrives on Saturday, mostly, Sunday, fer shure, and Monday will
not be replied to until Tuesday. Here is a schedule of how I work my mail:
Monday: Put final touches on Monday Update.
Post Monday Update.
Process Weekend Moves.
Tuesday: Process Moves from Monday and Tuesday.
Send Saturday - Tuesday Installments
Wednesday: Process Wednesday Moves.
Send Wednesday Installments.
Post Current Mailin' List
Thursday: Type up thuh text portion of thuh Monday Update.
Process Thursday Moves and send Installments.
Friday: Post Current Waitin' List
Process Friday Moves and send Installments.
Saturday & Devise new methods to torture my players.
Sunday: Let my fin'ers recover.
EXPIRED PLAYERS: revised 2/14/86
I allow a mail turn-around time of 3 weeks. Like, ya know, this takes into account
most mailin' problems and thuh fact that there is ya know, like, more to your life than
playin' this game. (At least I hope so (:-)). If I have not heard from a
player after 3 weeks, man, that player will be placed on an Expiration List which
will be posted somewhere in thuh Monday Update. That player will then have one
(1) week to send me either a move or at least a note. If after that week I
have still not heard from that player, like, wow, they will be like wow! removed from thuh campaign
and a new player will be selected from thuh Waitin' List.
Like, ya know, this ends thuh first release of thuh Quest for thuh ElfSword Campaign Handbook.
I am sure that there will be several appendages throughout thuh course of the
game. Please excuse any syntax errors. Like, ya know, this was ya know, like, a "rush job" and it still
came out two days late.
--
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May the Quest for the ElfSword be
your ultimate goal in life...
Mark Smith
-|=======- GM "Game Master of a Higher Order"
ihnp4!pur-ee!pur-phy!mrstve!mark
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