The Ghostship Gambit

"The Ghostship Gambit" by Randy Maxwell is a D&D mini-adventure for character levels 3-6, published in Dungeon #9 (January/February, 1988).

Illustration by Wanda Lybarger

I ran this for my son and a friend of his, years ago.  I posted a summary of our game in the Campaign Journals section on Dragonsfoot, here.

About the Author:

Randy Maxwell lives in Odessa, Texas (which he describes as "Mayberry with angst".  He says the idea for this adventure came from an old war movie whose plot revolved around a WWII German warship that used various disguises to approach Allied merchant ships.  Once the ship was in close, the disguise was discarded, the victim attacked and sunk.  "This just goes to show that good adventure ideas can be found anywhere," Randy says.  His module "White Death" appeared in Dungeon issue #8.

Dungeon (January/February, 1988)

The war movie Maxwell was likely referring to is the Italian-American production "Under Ten Flags" (1960) directed by Duilio Coletti.

Maxwell contributed four additional classic D&D adventures to Dungeon magazine: "Of Nests and Nations" (#13, September/October, 1988); "Pride of the Sky" (#20, November/December, 1989); "The Vineyard Vales" (#23, May/June, 1990); and "Isle of the Abbey" (#34, March/April, 1992).

The undersea boat is borrowed from module X7 "The Wat Rafts of Kron" (1984).

Location:

Maxwell states "DMs using the Known World of the D&D game may wish to place this adventure in either the city of Mule Beach or the port of Sea Camel (see module X6 "Quagmire!") or any town under 5,000 population."

Portion of map of the Known World from the D&D Master Set (1985), indicating possible location of Koll (2, Arm of God; 13, The Coast; 26, The Serpent Peninsula; 27, Southold)

While Mule Beach and Sea Camel on the Serpent Peninsula are good alternatives, Mystara fan LoZompatore identified a suitable location for Koll at the southernmost extremity of the "Arm of God"/"Arm of the Immortals":

Koll from Dungeon Magazine #9 and the Arm of the Immortals

One might envision the Ghostship prowling the coast from Koll up the Arm of God, along the Savage Coast, where it can be encountered by adventurers in X9 "The Savage Coast" all the way to the Serpent Peninsula, where it can be encountered by adventurers in X6 "Quagmire!"

Reader Feedback:

The poor pirates have no place to hide their loot!

Hal Looby, Philadelphia PA

Dungeon #15 (January/February, 1989)

Tortles of the Purple Sage

"Tortles of the Purple Sage" by Merle and Jackie Rasmussen is a D&D wilderness adventure for character levels 4-10, published in Dungeon #6 (July/August, 1987) and Dungeon #7 (September/October, 1987).

Dungeon #6 (July/August, 1987).  Cover illustration by Jim Holloway.

The Adventure:

I posted a review of this adventure on Dragonsfoot, back in 2010.

The theme of exploration serves as a continuation of module X9 "The Savage Coast" with further details regarding the three alignment-based alliances, the Lawful Brotherhood from the previous adventure, and a newly described Chaotic Sisterhood.

About the Authors:

Merle and Jackie Rasmussen live a quiet life in the small Iowa town of Huxley.  Merle is the general manager of a game store in Des Moines, and Jackie is a legal secretary.  Both have written for DRAGON magazine and TSR's game division.  Besides writing modules for the D&D game, the pair have worked on many TOP SECRET game projects.

Dungeon #6 (July/August, 1987)

The Great Northway Lands:

Map of the Great Northway Lands.  Cartography by Diesel.

The Great Northway is a broad and mighty river which flows for thousands of miles from its mythical source, the Spring of Good Health.  Some say the river might actually be a channel to the arctic waters of Frosthaven.*

*a barren island of rocks and ice, home to a huge clan of frost giants, described in CM1 "Test of the Warlords"

Details are provided regarding the remnants of three cities of the ancient Dravs, connected by mysterious gate stones.  The cities were destroyed by an earthquake, which also shifted the course of the Great Northway.

The coastal climate of the Great Northway Lands is similar to the southeast United States, while the inland climate is like Southern California or the Mediterranean.  During the winter, the Yazak Steppes resemble the midwest United States prairie during spring or fall.

New Monsters:

Rasmussen uses several monsters with origins in previous adventures, citing their entries in AC9 "Creature Catalog" (1986):

Amoeba, Giant;* Aranea;** Archer Bush;*** Cay-man;**** Decapus, Marine;*** Dog; Dragonfly**** (white, black, green, blue, red, gold); Dragonne;***** Hawk (normal, giant); Hypnosnake;****** Lupin;* Native; Pagan;* Phanaton (subchief, warchief, bodyguards);** Pocket Dragon;******* Rakasta;** Sea Dragon; Slime Worm;* Snapper; Tortle; Vampire Rose***

*appeared in X2 "Castle Amber"

**appeared in X1 "The Isle of Dread"

***appeared in B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess"

****appeared in AC2 "The Treasure of the Hideous One"

*****appeared in XL-1 "Quest for the Heartstone"

******appeared in X3 "Curse of Xanathon"

*******appeared in M2 "Maze of the Riddling Minotaur"

Conclusion:

"Tortles of the Purple Sage" completes Merle Rasmussen's expansion of the Known World.  As with his prior works, its primary utility may be to serve as a backdrop for expansion, rather than as a standalone adventure.

Red Steel

The AD&D 2e "Red Steel" boxed set (1994) by Tim Beach detailed a unique campaign setting, based in part on the "Princess Ark" articles by Bruce Heard.

"Red Steel" (1994) by Tim Beach.

The boxed set included a 128 pg campaign book, a 32 pg gazetteer, three poster-sized, full color maps, and a 15-track audio CD.

Savage Coast - Red Steel prolog

The "Red Steel: Savage Baronies" accessory (1995) by Tim Beach covered the Savage Baronies region, along the western Gulf of Hule.

"Red Steel: Savage Baronies" (1995) by Tim Beach.  Cover illustration by Alan Pollack.

The boxed set included a 64 pg campaign book, a 32 pg adventure "Divided We Fall", a poster-sized, full color map, a 14-track audio CD, and 8 parchment paper handouts.

"The Black Vessel" (1996) by Morris Simon

The Mystara novel "The Black Vessel" (1996) by Morris Simon is set in the Savage Baronies.*

*see this thread over at the Piazza for an extensive review and commentary

Savage Coast Campaign Book (1996) by Tim Beach and Bruce Heard.  Cover illustration by Jennell Jaquays.

"Red Steel" and "Red Steel: Savage Baronies" were revised and re-released in 1996 under the AD&D: Odyssey line as a free download (available on the Vaults of Pandius, here).

Part 1: An Atlas of the Savage Coast
Part 2: Characters of the Savage Coast 
Part 3: Adventures on the Savage Coast

Additional free downloads included The Orc's Head Peninsula Campaign Book and the Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium.

Fan-made PDFs were created using the files, laid out by Axel Boucher:

Savage Coast Campaign Book:

Part 1: An Atlas of the Savage Coast
Part 2: Characters of the Savage Coast 
Part 3: Adventures on the Savage Coast

The Orc's Head Peninsula Campaign Book:

Book 1: Orc's Head Peninsula Sourcebook

Book 2: Savage Steel

Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium

In 2021, WotC unwittingly released the fan-made PDFs for sale on DriveThruRPG (which have reached Copper status).  This caused a minor uproar in Mystara circles, given that WoTC is thereby obtaining revenue from a fan-made edit of a free download.

Additional Resources:

Savage Coast and Orc's Head Peninsula on the Vaults of Pandius
The "Savage Coast / Red Steel" forum on The Piazza
"Q&A with Tim Beach" (February 7, 2009)

X9: The Savage Coast

X9 "The Savage Coast" (1985) by Merle and Jackie Rasmussen, and Anne C. Gray is a D&D wilderness adventure for character levels 4-10, detailing the Savage Coast, the untamed frontier to the west of the Wild Lands.

Module X9 "The Savage Coast" (1985) by Merle and Jackie Rasmussen, and Anne C. Gray.  Cover illustration by Keith Parkinson.

The Adventure:

I posted a review of this module on Dragonsfoot, back in 2010.

The players are given four adventure hooks, one of which involves rival clerical brotherhoods.  A good way to extrapolate the authors' original intentions would be to make the Lost City of Risilvar the home base of the Brotherhood of Light.

I would flesh out a Chaotic Alliance including the aranea and the Brotherhood of Light and base them out of Risilvar.  Then I would stock those missing buildings in the Lost City and make tracking the Chaotic Alliance to the Lost City of Risilvar the climax of the module.

Since the adventurers are initially hired by the Brotherhood of Light to investigate the activities of the Lawful Brotherhood, this provides an opportunity for the party to be "played" by their original employers - something they would have to figure out for themselves.

See [BECMI] Extreme Makeover: X9 The Savage Coast on Dragonsfoot (June 23, 2010)

Design Origins:

Rasmussen reflected on the design origins in a post on Facebook:

The Savage Coast (X9) was an Expert Game Adventure for D&D. It takes place, you guessed it, on the Savage Coast.  It was more settings than plot line.  I studied the floor plan of a medieval monastery which became the Lawful Brotherhood Cleric Outpost.  I studied Central American pyramids that became the Lost City of Risilvar.  I remember hand drawing eight NPC/animal locations including Tribal Village, Pagan Teepees, Bark Lodges, Cay-men Compound, Phanaton Platforms, Arenea Webs, Tents, and Egg-Laying Grounds.  What was edited out became Tortles of the Purple Sage in two issues DUNGEON Magazine #6 & #7.  I may have outlined The Great Northway AKA Great Northway Lands in the 2 part Tortles adventure.

Merle Rasmussen on Facebook (October 6, 2015)

Plan of Saint Gall. Simplified view showing different structures.  (source: wikimedia)

In response to my question regarding the medieval monastery, he answered "I used the Plan of St. Gall which may never have actually been built until a recent reproduction."

Update (September 11, 2024) - a more comprehensive plan of the monastery of St. Gaul appears in the AD&D 2e "Charlemagne's Paladins" Campaign Sourcebook (1992)

The Lawful Brotherhood:

The Lawful Brotherhood represents the early/frontier church of the later Savage Baronies, and can be based on the religion of Narvaez (which seems to be inspired by Spain during the Inquisition).

Their temples have seven altar areas (one for each of the seven immortals in the pantheon of Narvaez: Ixion, the Inquisitor (Vanya), the Ambassador (Masauwu), the General (Thor), the Judge (Tarastia), Milan (Mealiden Starwatcher), and Valerias)

See Who were the Lawful Brotherhood? on the Piazza (June 28, 2010)

The Brotherhood of Light:

I like to regard the Brotherhood of Light as human worshipers of Menlil (aka Atzanteotl) and allies to the scorpion men of Nimmur, as described in Bruce Heard's article from Dragon #192 The Sting and the Sun.

Ixion and Atzanteotl are bitter rivals, hence the antipathy between the Lawful Brotherhood and the Brotherhood of Light, so-named because of their part to play in conquering the surface world for the followers of Menlil.

See Who were the Brotherhood of Light? on the Piazza (November 2, 2016)

New Monsters:

Amber Lotus Flower;* Amoeba, Giant;* Cay-men;** Decapus,*** Marine; Dog, Normal; Dragonne Monster;**** Giant River Serpentweed;** Lupin;* Pagan;* Sacrol;***** Tortle; Snapper; Strangle Vine******

*appeared in X2 "Castle Amber"
**appeared in AC2 "The Treasure of the Hideous One"
***appeared in B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess"

****appeared in XL-1 "Quest for the Heartstone"

*****appeared in M2 "Maze of the Riddling Minotaur"

******originally appeared as the Choke Creeper in the AD&D Monster Manual II

Coat of Arms of the Savage Coast, from Dragon #181 (May, 1992)

The Voyage of the Princess Ark:

Bruce Heard presented a richly detailed, Gazetteer-era version of the Savage Coast in a series of "Princess Ark" articles in Dragon magazine:

Part 21: The Savage Baronies (Dragon #174, October, 1991)
Part 22: The Savage Coast (Dragon #175, November, 1991)

Part 23: The Claw Peninsula (Dragon #176, December, 1991)

Part 24: The Kingdom of Robrenn (Dragon #177, January, 1992)

Part 25: The Kingdom of Eusdria (Dragon #178, February, 1992)

Part 26: The Kingdom of Renardy (Dragon #179, March, 1992)

Part 28: The Kingdom of Bellayne (Dragon #181, May, 1992)

Part 30: The Magocracy of Herath (Dragon #183, July, 1992)

Part 32: The Squamous Kingdoms (Dragon #185, September, 1992)

Part 33: The Land of Wallara (Dragon #186, October, 1992)

Part 35: The Land of Jibaru (Dragon #188, December, 1992)

He completed his update of the Savage Coast and beyond in a few additional "Known World Grimoire" articles:

The Kingdom of Nimmur (Dragon #192, April, 1993)

The Dark Jungle (Dragon #196, August, 1993)

The Kingdom of Eshu (Dragon #200, December, 1993)

 

Asked about his rationale, Heard explained:

I deliberately took liberties with the original settings.  In researching (Serpent Peninsula) and what obviously lay to the west (Hule and the Savage Coast), it quickly became clear that there was very little of interest there.  I didn’t think anyone would be particularly fascinated by thousands of miles of swamp, desert, and featureless plains with nobody around!  I made these changes in order to liven the place up, and so mercilessly grafted on geographical features and local cultures.  At this point, it would be safe to assume all these older modules took place at an earlier period in time.

Bruce Heard, Dragon #174 (October, 1991)

Conclusion:

Module X9 "The Savage Coast" provides an expansive canvas for the development of an epic campaign, rich in adventure and role-playing opportunities.

Slagovich: Gateway to Adventure

I've long considered Slagovich to be an ideal campaign home base.

PCs can begin their adventuring careers in the frontier city of Akesoli in the Lands and Environs of the D&D Wilderness (I've always liked the area north of there for B7 "Rahasia") and join a caravan across the Sind all the way to Slagovich (the caravan encounters, including the buried temple, from X4 "Master of the Desert Nomads" could be used).

Illustration from X6 "Quagmire!" depicting the port of Slagovich (note mountain range in the background)

Arriving in Slagovich, there are 12 adventure hooks to be had:

1. If the characters take their time wandering through the streets of Slagovich, they come across the following advertisement:

Wanted: Wild horses, mules, and camels.  Best prices paid.  100 gp for camels, 75 gp for horses, 50 gp for mules.  Bring roped animals to the agent of Bondee Slagomann at the corrals on the outskirts of town"

Module X6 "Quagmire!"

Bondee is a wealthy Slagovich merchant.  His daughter, Kazandra Slagomann, is later captured by the mermen of the Sunken City, and must be rescued.

Alternatively, Bondee could hire the characters to find out what happened to his daughter.  This might lead into a more natural hook for module X6 "Quagmire!".

The PCs learn that lizard men have been harassing the trading ships in the area around East Fang Cape, and that no one can recall the last time a ship arrived from Quagmire.

2. Module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" on the Serpent Peninsula:

For several months, possibly even years, there have been reports of banditry in the jungles to the south.  Merchants carrying precious loads of rare goods from the jungle lands have been waylaid, their goods taken and their men captured or killed.  Even then, those who survived these raids had to face headhunters, brain fever, giant leeches, cannibals, and leopards.  Few men ever returned.  The stories they told were fantastic and addled, surely brought about by disease and the horrors with which they had to deal.  Singing snakes, twisted and deformed ape-men, men who were not men, and writhing, horrid flowers filled their tales-surely such things were not to be believed.  Nonetheless, something had destroyed the caravans.

Furthermore, none of the goods taken from the caravans has ever appeared in the markets of the north, at least as far as the merchants can tell.  Some were certainly identifiable - rare pieces of art, scrolls, books, and other items destined to fetch good prices in the kingdoms of the north.  It could only mean that someone or something was hoarding a great treasure in the jungle.  Prompted by this information, adventurers set out to find the bandits and gain their treasure.  Your party is one of these.

Module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City"

Map of Serpent Peninsula from X6 Quagmire! (left) and Champions of Mystara (right) indicating the location of Onyo Maata, a suitable location for I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City

Four additional reasons for seeking the Forbidden City are given:

3. Revenge

A group of merchants has hired your party to stop the raiding (as explained in the module Background) permanently.  Characters must find and enter the city, determine who is responsible for the raids and destroy that person or group.  The characters must also ensure that no further raids occur.  This could be done by destroying all of the inhabitants, bribery, creating feuds, sealing all the ways in and out of the city, or any other plan the players might invent.  The merchants would no doubt like to have the goods they lost to the raids returned, so the DM might wish to create a very well-guarded storehouse of these items.

Module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City"

4. Rescue

Many important people have been disappearing from the courts of nearby lands.  The people are being kidnaped by the Black Brotherhood (a secret group the DM must create) and given to the yuan ti for safekeeping.  The Brotherhood wants to help the yuan ti by weakening the power of the surrounding kingdoms.  First the characters must discover who is doing the kidnapping, and then trace the kidnappers to the yuan ti.  A group of the Black Brotherhood would be based in the city.  The prisoners would be hard to find, for they are scattered throughout the city.  Some might be easy to rescue, while others might be very difficult to rescue.

Module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City"

5. Conquest

A local potentate (or other ruler) has declared that his ancestors were once the masters of the Forbidden City (although there is no proof to his claim).  He wants the adventurers to enter the city, scout it, and, if possible, clear it of all foul monsters.

Module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City"

6. Defense

A courier carrying important information was recently attacked and robbed while crossing the jungle.  Found before he died, the courier told his rescuers of the theft.  Since his papers reveal the weaknesses and strengths of a nearby kingdom, the monarch of that land has offered a reward for the return of the documents.  At the same time, the rulers of several other lands have likewise offered rewards if the documents should just happen to reach their hands first.  However, once the characters reach the city, they will learn that an evil army is being assembled to attack all the surrounding lands.  To save themselves and others from slavery, the adventurers must try to prevent this attack from occurring.  The players must defeat or join other parties also after the stolen documents.  How they do it is left to the players and the DM.

Module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City"

Map of Hule from module X5 "The Temple of Death" with recommended location for the city of Highport from A1 "Slave Pits of the Undercity" (left) and the Gulf of Hule (right) from "Adapting classic AD&D modules to a Mystara campaign" in Threshold: the Mystara Magazine #22

7. Modules A1-4 "Against the Slavers" in the nearby Gulf of Hule:

It is time to put a stop to the marauders!  For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil.  You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids.  But beware, hundreds of good men and women have been taken by the slavers and have never been seen or heard from again!

Module A1 "Slave Pits of the Undercity"

The four adventure hooks from module X9 "The Savage Coast":

8. Gold Rush

There's gold...lot's of it...west of here.  It's supposed to be all along the coast of someplace called Orcs Head Peninsula.  An old seer told me it was there.  It's ours for the taking if we can get past the natives who live there.  He said the peninsula is a dangerous place, but if we're smart, we'd never want for anything again.

Module X9 "The Savage Coast"

9. Cartographers Guild

The Cartographers Guild of Slagovich has offered us a handsome reward for a more detailed map of the coastline areas of Orcs Head Peninsula.  If we agree to sail along the coast of the peninsula to map the lands of the area, they will give us 50,000 gp each, and they've already given us a map that shows the areas where hidden treasures might be found, and a map of a legendary lost city.  No adventurer has been able to find the treasures or the city yet.

Module X9 "The Savage Coast"

10. Rival Brotherhoods

The local clerics of the Brotherhood of Light are looking for a few good adventurers to discover the whereabouts and the activities of their rivals, the Lawful Brotherhood.  They believe the Lawful Brotherhood is engaged in some exploitive pursuits, and are becoming too powerful.  They have noticed ships in the harbor that fly the Lawful Brotherhood flag, but they have not been able to determine the Brotherhood's business here.  The ships come and go only at night—a good indication that something is not right.

Module X9 "The Savage Coast"

11. Merchant Company

The Pure Gold Merchant Company is searching for a party of adventurers with a ship.  Rumors of gold along Orcs Head Peninsula have caused a panic among the owners of the company.  Their ships are all on other expeditions—they have no time to wait for their return.  If there is gold to the west, they want it first, and are willing to pay for it.

Module X9 "The Savage Coast"

Site of the lost city of Risilvar in the Forbidden Highlands of Orc's Head Peninsula, from module X9 "The Savage Coast", a fitting location for the Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (left).  Illustration by Jeff Dee (right).

12. Finally, there could be rumours regarding module C1 "The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan"

Notes:

Originally posted on Dragonsfoot (September 8, 2018)

See also  "The Voyage of the Princess Ark (Part 17): The Slagovich affair" by Bruce Heard, in Dragon #171 (July, 1991)

X6: Quagmire!

X6 "Quagmire!" (1984) by Merle M. Rasmussen is a D&D wilderness adventure for character levels 4-10, detailing the Wild Lands to the west of the Sea of Dread.

Module X6 "Quagmire!" (1984) by Merle M. Rasmussen.  Cover illustration by Steve Peregrine.

The Adventure:

I posted a review of this module on Dragonsfoot, back in 2010.

While a fascinating map to explore, the main flaw in the adventure is one of size and scope.  X1 "The Isle of Dread" works better as a hexcrawl, since the island is manageable in size (with 6 mile hexes) as opposed to "The Wild Lands" in "Quagmire!" (with 24 mile hexes).

The encounter density becomes too sparse to maintain dramatic tension.  Weeks and weeks go by, as opposed to the day by day exploration involved in module X1, the party moving 1-2 instead of 4-8 hexes per day, which negatively impacts pacing.

For this reason, the rescue of the citizens of Quagmire really works best as a side quest for a larger campaign set in the Wild Lands.  The PCs should find Molariah's message* in a bottle while already exploring Serpent Peninsula.

*complete with labels on the roughly sketched map, as in Rasmussen's original version, omitted in the published version

The Calendar:

A table indicating the percentage chance of gales and hurricanes uses the months of our own calendar.  This did not seem out of place, back in the day, since Tolkien did the same.

Design Origins:

The origins of module X6 "Quagmire!" are described in detail in "Quagmire!  The Making of a 1980's D&D Module" (December 29, 2014) by Jon Peterson.

Side view of spiral city.  Illustration by Merle M. Rasmussen.

Rasmussen originally submitted two one-page briefs as ideas for D&D Expert modules.  The first was titled "Frozen Burial Mounds of the Southmarch" and the second "Quagmire of the Swamp King":

Characters must cross a bog having a surface that yields with each step* past slimy creatures half burrowed in the muck to reach the highground of the Swamp King.  He is searching for only the best adventurers to chart his kingdom so safe navigation by ship can occur.

Merle M. Rasmussen, (July 23, 1982)

*the Lagoon Lowlands on Serpent Peninsula are later described as "(a) marshy bog (that) gives with each footstep."

The initial brief for "Quagmire" was approved and expanded upon:

D&D characters must cross a fog-covered bog past slimy creatures half burrowed in the muck to reach the last highground of the benevolent but dying Swamp King.  His plague-ravaged sinking kingdom will soon be gone forever and his surviving followers will perish.  Characters must rescue the kingdom's people from their overcrowded rock by finding a safe land or sea route to civilization.  Monsters and natural hazards abound threatening to destroy the characters and the kind survivors of the swamp.  The swamp king offers only precious herbs and stones in payment for his people's safe passage to new higher ground.  When the moon rises again the rock of the Swamp King will sink into oblivion.

Merle M. Rasmussen, (April 22, 1983)

Compare to the final plot outline, with its intriguing mention of ancient roads connecting the various cities (a detail omitted in the published module):

A party of 4th to 10th level adventurers receive an urgent plea for help from Quagmire, an ancient trading port, now sinking into the sea.  The party starts out from Slagovich, Specularum, or the Isle of Dread to reach the exotic locale.  Along the way, the party will have many encounters, some relating to the mission, and others that simply add excitement to the adventure.

When the party reaches Quagmire they find the city under siege by creatures from the surrounding swamp.  Once inside the spiraling city, the party is told that the city's survivors want to be escorted to the legendary city of Thanopolis.  Thanopolis supposedly lies on the southwest side of the island of Thanegia.  An ancient overgrown road is rumored to run from Quagmire to Thanegia but no one has dared to travel the road in decades.

Thanopolis exists but is infected with swamp and jungle denizens.  Within the legendary city, a duplicate of Quagmire, is a map to a third sister city.  Another ancient road leads into the sea.  Adventurers can try to find the third city if they choose but it sank centuries ago and is now a city for mermen.

Merle M. Rasmussen, (January 4, 1984)

Serpent Peninsula:

The general weather patterns of this part of the world move from east to west.  Tbe world’s equator lies just south of Thanegia Island.  The climate of this area is similar to that of Florida or Cuba.

Quagmire (1984)

I've written previously that Serpent Peninsula is an excellent location for module I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" (1981) by David Cook.

Map of Serpent Peninsula from X6 "Quagmire!" indicating a suitable location for I1 "Dwellers of the Forbidden City" (adapted from this map, by Thorfinn Tait)

I've shared my ideas for a X6/I1 Quagmire/Dwellers of the Forbidden City mash-up, including BECMI stats for bullywugs, mongrelmen, tasloi, and yuan ti.

*see also "Jungle Fever" in The Dragon #31 (November, 1979) and "The Voyage of the Princess Ark (Part 17): The Serpent Peninsula revisited" by Bruce Heard, in Dragon #170 (June, 1991)

Shallow Sea:

Legends speak of the Yavdlom, an early race of man that lived here in harmony with the island's natural beauty.  At that time, several different forms of life were said to have filled the island.  The legends also say, however, that some unknown force eventually decimated the island's life forms, and the Yavdlom apparently moved on to other lands.  The unknown force was actually the slow sinking of the land that now makes up the floor of the Shallow Sea.

Quagmire (1984)

According to the "Champions of Mystara" (1993) boxed set, earthquakes changed the geography of the Serpent Peninsula in 1750 BC, forming the Shallow Sea.

The water level rose progressively higher each year, forming the Lagoon Lowlands, resulting from a gradual sinking of the land, triggered by the earthquakes.

"After nearly a century", the Serpent Peninsula stabilized into its current shape and size, although another earthquake in 500 BC triggered a subsequent gradual phase of sinking.

In speaking with Rasmussen at Gary Con last month, he shared with me that his idea for the slow sinking of the land was in fact inspired by news reports of sinkholes.*

*see The Science Behind Florida’s Sinkhole Epidemic

New Monsters:

Fish, Giant (Piranha, Catfish);* Grab Grass;** Killer Trees;** Piranha Bird;*** Pocket Dragon;**** Spider, Giant Hunting****

*appeared in Cook/Marsh Expert, but omitted from Mentzer Expert
**appeared in X2 "Castle Amber"
***appeared in B5 "Horror on the Hill"
****appeared in M2 "Maze of the Riddling Minotaur"

Champions of Mystara:

Champions of Mystara, Explorer's Manual (1993) by Ann Dupuis and Bruce  Heard.  Cover illustration by Fred Fields, from Dragon #142 (February, 1989)

The "Champions of Mystara" boxed set (1993) by Ann Dupuis, based on the "Princess Ark" articles by Bruce Heard, provides updated, Gazetteer-era versions of Serpent Peninsula and Thanegia Island, retconning the original module into the distant past:

If you wish to play the Quagmire! module in its entirety, you should set the adventure in the year 425 BC, while the People of Yav were exiled to the Immortals' Arm.  This works well with a one-shot mini-campaign (with characters you won't be using in your normal campaign) or as a time-traveling side trek for the normal group of player characters.

Champions of Mystara, Explorer's Manual (1993)

The Explorer's Manual includes updated lists of possible encounters for each of the different regions, as discussed in this post on Dragonsfoot.

Conclusion:

Module X6 "Quagmire!" works better as a mini-gazetteer than an adventure module, providing a rich environment with endless potential for expansion.

XSOLO: Lathan's Gold

XSOLO "Lathan's Gold" (1984) by Merle M. Rasmussen is an Expert D&D solo adventure featuring six individual scenarios, set in and around the Sea of Dread.

Module XSOLO "Lathan's Gold" (1984) by Merle M. Rasmussen.  Cover illustration by Jim Roslof.

Prerolled Characters:

Each of the six prerolled characters have a different quest to complete:

Lathan Lance-hand (E4)

Your betrothed, the lovely Alandah, has been kidnapped by the evil Baron Ludwig von Hendriks.  The baron requires a ransom in unrefined gold equal in weight to the kidnapped Alandah: 1,000 coins’ weight (1,000 gp).  You must take the ransom to the baron in Fort Doom in a certain number of days, or you will never see Alandah alive again.

The baron has left word of a burning mountain in the Sea of Dread that produces streams of unrefined gold.  He wants you to find the mountain for him.  The only problem is that you don’t know exactly where the mountain is.

Elrem Nessumsar (D6)

Your people are not a sea-faring race, but they do have foresight.  Because of other races’ rapid population growth, Rockhome’s borders are shrinking.  Your elders realize that your people may one day need more land.

It is rumored that the Isle of Dread is large, mountainous, and unpopulated.  You are a scout being sent to locate the infamous island.

Brother Octave (C5)

Your diminishing order has learned of an ancient holy shrine called the Temple of Araknee.  Members of your order believe that if the temple is found before the next new moon rises, your order will survive and flourish.

Ancient doctrine indicates that those who search for the temple should sail to the Three Sisters Keys and sacrifice their ship to the Dragon’s Teeth.  If the searchers survive this sacrifice, they are to intone the Three Sisters, who will send them to Spider Isle.

Kuat the Dragon-hearted (F6)

Since you were a child, you have heard stories of the war against the merpeople.  Now that you are an experienced fighter, you want to find out if the legends of the Aquapopulus War are true.

One legend tells of a battle in which merpeople surrounded and fought your people on a small island in the Sea of Dread.  You have decided to seek out this battlefield.

Suparjo (M4)

Legend tells of rare seven-headed hydras in the Malpheggi Swamp and the Sea of Dread.  You wish to see for yourself if these mythical beasts really exist.

Krag Skraddle (T6)

For centuries, pirates have hidden their stolen treasure on unmarked islands.  Much of the treasure was lost when pirates were killed in battles or storms.

All you need to do to find these hidden stores of wealth is find Pirate Rock and dig up the beach.

Specularum:

Each solo adventure begins in Specularum.

Rasmussen provides an extremely useful series of entries that may alternately be used in a regular D&D game as a mechanism for PCs to navigate the city.

The streets of Specularum (location S7).  Illustration by Jeff Easley.

Locations include:

• the Tavern-on-the-Shore (where sea captains trade stories)
• Ceesalt the Sage (a source of information)
• the Grog Shoppe (where marines are hired)
• the Marketplace (where rations are purchased)
• a city well (see illustration, above)
• the Hippogriff Inn (1 gp for a meal and a place to sleep)
• the Capital Armorer (where armor and weapons are purchased)
• the Golden Coin Gambling House (with rules for gambling)
• the city jail

The Sea of Dread:

Additional entries allow for exploration of other urban locations (including Fort Doom), various islands, coastal areas, trade routes, and the open sea.

Parchment map of the Sea of Dread, from XSOLO "Lathan's Gold" (1984) with coastal trade routes.

The trade routes depicted differ slightly from those appearing on the "The Lands and Environs of the D&D Wilderness"

Islands in the Sea of Dread

Names and brief descriptions for many of the islands depicted on the map of the continent from module X1 "The Isle of Dread" are included:

• the Three Sisters Keys
• Skeleton Key
• Insect Island
• Spider Isle
• Termite Atoll
• "no name" island (little more than a sand bar)
• Pirate Rock
• Burning Mountain*
• East Key

*the location for Burning Mountain is covered by the legend, above, but appears as an underwater volcano on the map of the Sea of Dread in X7 "The War Rafts of Kron".

(The Dragon’s Teeth Reef described in the module is also indicated on the map in X7 "The War Rafts of Kron".)

Conclusion:

XSOLO "Lathan's Gold" by Merle Rasmussen provides an enjoyable experience, but its real value may be as a playing aid to running X1 "The Isle of Dread".

There are mechanics for urban adventuring in Specularum (which include chartering a ship), as well as brief descriptions for many of the small islands in the Sea of Dread.

X7: The War Rafts of Kron

X7 "The War Rafts of Kron" (1984) by Bruce Nesmith is a D&D adventure for character levels 9-12, set beneath the fearsome Sea of Dread.

Module X7 "The War Rafts of Kron" (1984) by Bruce Nesmith.  Cover illustration by Larry Elmore.

While frequently criticized for its paper-thin plot, the module can serve as an underwater sandbox and useful companion to X1 "The Isle of Dread".

Underwater Adventures:

There are rules for underwater adventuring, including new magic items (potion of swimming, potion of water breathing, ring of water adaption, undersea boat, returning spear)*

*underwater adventures were also covered in the Blackmoor supplement

The Sea of Dread "Underwater Map", from module X7 "The War Rafts of Kron" (1984) by Bruce Nesmith (the volcano indicates the location of "Burning Mountain" from XSOLO "Lathan's Gold")

Minrothad:

The isle of Minrothad is divided into many small baronies.  The baronies form trading guilds, each having its own plot of land.  The family-owned guilds have much vicious political dissension among them.  The city of Minrothad is a neutral territory where the guilds can meet and trade.

The War Rafts of Kron (pg. 4)

Suthus:

Suthus is the city of the tritons, a city made entirely from dead coral cut from distant reefs.  Prompted by their love of beauty and music, the tritons made the entire city a natural musical instrument.  As the water currents flow through the coral of the city, they create a complex rhythm that can be heard twelve miles away.

The War Rafts of Kron (pg. 7)

Tritons were introduced in the Greyhawk supplement and further described in the AD&D 1e Monster Manual, where they were "rumoured to be creatures from the elemental plane of water".

The underwater city of Suthus may be used as a starting point for any number of underwater adventures, unrelated to the module.

Kron:

The city of Kron is built on rafts.  It consists of 14 large rafts which range from 200 feet to 400 feet across.  These large rafts are surrounded by almost a hundred small rafts.  The large rafts are connected by flexible wooden bridges.  The small rafts have only mooring lines that attach them to Kron.

The War Rafts of Kron (pg. 11)

Possibly inspired by the Raft People in "The Farthest Shore" by Ursula K. Le Guin, the throne of Kron is an artifact shaped after the hand of a sea god, which prevents the city from sinking.

Given its mobile nature, the raft city of Kron may serve as a self-contained encounter, anywhere upon the Sea of Dread, or beyond.

Colhador:

The city of Colhador was once populated by airbreathing people.  A catastrophe many centuries ago caused it to sink to the ocean floor.  Among the tritons there are rumors of other cities of the same people, now lying on the ocean floor.

The War Rafts of Kron (pg. 19)

Shark attack, featuring the sunken city of Colhador in the background.  Illustration by Jeff Butler.

Colhador is rumoured to harbor a centuries-old evil.  Given its proximity to Ierendi, it can serve as the objective of a self-contained adventure.

The Well of Hador, within the sunken city, appears to be some kind of portal to the elemental plane of water

New Monsters:

Dolphin,** Dragon Turtle,* Eel (Electric, Giant**), Gargantua,**** Sea Horse,** Giant Jellyfish (Marauder, Man-O-War**), Manta Ray (Normal, Giant**), Giant Octopus,* Sea Serpent (Lesser,* Greater), Shark (Bull, Mako, Great White),* Giant Squid,* Triton,*** Velya, Whale (Killer, Narwhal, Sperm)*

*appeared in Cook/Marsh Expert, but omitted from Mentzer Expert

**appeared in the Blackmoor supplement

***appeared in the Greyhawk supplement

****perhaps modelled after the Giant Gar in 1e Monster Manual

Horn of the Sea God:

Triton sounding a conch shell.

The "mythical Horn of the Sea God" (mentioned on pg. 4) is a likely allusion to the conch shell of Triton, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite:

Triton in later times became associated with possessing a conch shell, which he blew like a trumpet to calm or raise the waves.  He was "trumpeter and bugler" to Oceanus and Poseidon.  Its sound was so cacophonous that when loudly blown, it put the giants to flight, who imagined it to be the roar of a dark wild beast.

Source: wikipedia