CM3: Sabre River

CM3 "Sabre River" (1984) by Douglas Niles and Bruce Nesmith is a D&D adventure for character levels 18-22, set in the region of Norwold.

CM3 "Sabre River" (1984) by Douglas Niles and Bruce Nesmith.  Cover illustration depicting Incendiarous, a huge red dragon, by Keith Parkinson.

The PCs must solve the mystery behind the curse of Sabre River, or coloniztion of Norwold is doomed.

Many of the powerful new monsters described in the D&D Companion Set are used.

Design Team:

Douglas Niles worked on the War Machine rules with Garry Spiegle for the D&D Companion Set, also writing CM1 "Test of the Warlords" (1984).

Bruce Nesmith wrote X7 "The War Rafts of Kron" (1984) and the mini-adventure "The Spindle of Heaven" included with AC7 "Master Player Screen" (1985).

The cover illustration is by Keith Parkinson, with interior art contributed by Doug Watson and Steve Bisset.  Cartography is by Dave "Diesel" LaForce.

The Curse:

A curse has gripped the land, affecting crops, animals, and people in relation to different phases of the moon.

Ages ago a general of Alphatia bravely fought many battles in this land. But supplies were slow in coming from his homeland and often he fought just to survive.  His final battle was on the banks of this very river, where he was overwhelmed by the savages and their tribal shaman.

At the end, feeling betrayed and angry, he stood alone on the river bank. Raising his magic sabre he called down a curse, saying, "Let this land remain a savage and uncivilized wilderness for seven times seven centuries!"

The Seer, CM3 "Sabre River"

CM1 "Test of the Warlords" made reference to the prior colonization of Norwold.

King Ericall's palace is built on the ruins of an ancient fortress, and the PCs discover the forgotten remains of the city of Alinor, Prince of Alphia.

Encounter Settings:

Fergus the Justifier, Claransa the Seer, and Geoffrey of Heldann take on a huge black dragon within the Black Cavern, beneath the Isle of the Seer.  Illustration by Doug Watson.

There are three major encounter settings, each featuring a high-level dungeon:

The Isle of the Seer - a cryptic seer holds the key to breaking the curse

The Tower of Terror - a dungeon built within the shaft of an active volcano

The Heart of the River - the ancient ruins of an Alphatian summer palace

Unarmed Combat:

There is a scenario involving dozens of charmed villagers who wrestle and attempt to pin the PCs.

New Monster:

Sabreclaw - created in "wings” of 1-20 individuals

Trivia:

A carrion crawler will not rush directly at a source of fire.

Niles' Crones of Crystykk (from CM1) make a return appearance.

Nesmith's undersea boat (from X7) appears again.

Prerolled Characters:

The prerolled characters from CM1 and CM2 are included (another 2 levels higher):

Fergus the Justifier (F20) a wandering fighter from the Kingdom of Vestland

Geoffrey of Heldann (C20) a wandering cleric from the Heldann Freeholds

Weston the Tall (T20) a wandering thief (a "rogue")

Quillan Elm Grower (E10; attack rank G) an elf from the Forest of Alfheim

Brogahn of the Steppes (F20) a wandering fighter from the Ethengar Khanate

Claransa the Seer (M20) a wandering magic-user (a "magus") from Specularum

Two additional characters are included:

Grotto the Tall (D12; attack rank F) a wandering dwarf

Glinda Nimblefingers (H8; attack rank E) a halfling from Leeha

CM2: Death's Ride

CM2 "Death's Ride" (1984) by Garry Spiegle is a D&D adventure for character levels 15-20, set in the region of Norwold.

CM2 "Death's Ride" (1984) by Garry Spiegle.  Illustration by Jeff Easley.

The PCs are tasked by the King of Norwold to investigate the reason behind a loss of communications with a distant mountain barony.

They learn that a gate to the Sphere of Death has been opened, releasing hordes of undead creatures, and must determine how to close it.

About the Author:

Garry Spiegle contributed a letter to "Out on a Limb" in The Dragon #3 (October, 1976).  He also designed AC3 "The Kidnapping of Princess Arelina" (1984).

Spiegle is credited with development of the Companion Set dominion system and worked on the War Machine rules* with Douglas Niles.  He passed away in 2018.

*see also "War Machine revisited" in Dragon #109 (May, 1986) in which Spiegle covered naval, scouting, and artillery rules, along with a few additional refinements

The Barony of Twolakes Vale:

The Barony of Twolakes Vale, located somewhere in the mountains of Norwold.

A 3-page dominion outline is provided, along with some refinements to the dominion system.

Spiegle suggests using the barony as a template for developing other baronies, which makes me wonder if Twolakes Vale was originally designed as a sample barony.

A specific location for the barony within Norwold is not given, leaving the DM free to situate Twolakes Vale in any appropriate location with respect to the PCs own dominions.

The grid within a single 24-mile hex invites comparison with Dave Arneson's method for designing wilderness maps

Encounter Areas:

There are seven major encounter areas for the PCs to work through:

Skullheim Castle - the baronial stronghold

Westlake Road - connects the villages of Alicor, Bol, Conna, Dubla

Korbundar's Lair - the lair of a large blue dragon

Miasma Swamp - the location of "The Destroyer that Preserves"

Highpass Tower - the northern outpost of Twolakes Vale

The Battle for Gollim

Gollim Village - the setting for a war machine scenario

Temple of the Stars - constructed by a group of hermit-clerics

Unarmed Combat:

A scenario is included which "will probably have characters attacking each other, this is a good place for unaffected characters to use the wrestling system. Encourage it."

Wrestling Rating scores are provided in the NPC stat blocks.

The Sphere of Death:

The mage Wazor the Cunning, Emissary of Atlantis,* acting in concert with an evil cleric, Ulslime the Chaosar have created a gate to the Sphere of Death

*Alphatia is referred to as "Atlantis" throughout CM2, as revealed in CM1

The Sphere of Death is described as "an area either among or beyond the outer planes.  The sphere is rumored to be the source of Death and Entropy, and at least part of it is malignantly evil."

The Spheres of Power, including the Sphere of Entropy, were further described in the Master Set (1985) rules:

The Sphere of Entropy or Death is not related to an element.  Its purpose is the ultimate destruction of the multiverse.  The four other spheres of power oppose Entropy but recognize its importance in the functioning of each of the other spheres.  Entropy is the weakening of the fabric of the multiverse, rot, weathering, and dissipation.  It seeks to bring all things to a stop, causing oblivion.  At the same time, Entropy itself cannot exist without the presence of the other powers, so it seeks first to subjugate before bringing about oblivion.  Energy seeks to destroy Matter, dissipate Energy, cause Time to stagnate, and stop new Thought.

Master DM's Book, pg 11

Controlled Undead:

Spiegle includes a section on controlled undead, which seem a precursor to the rules for Undead Lieges and Pawns as presented in the Master Set rules (Master DM's Book, pgs 22-23).

New Monsters:

Illustration by Jeff Easley

Death Leech (described as native to the Sphere of Death)

Liches and Nightshades are mentioned (pg. 3) but don't appear in the adventure.  Both are described in the Master Set rules.

New Magical Items:

Hammer of Life, Mirror of Life Saving, Potion of Super-healing (was included in the Potion table in the Companion Set rules, but description was missing)

New Weapon:

Ballista (further described in the Master Set rules)

Prerolled Characters:

The prerolled characters from CM1 are included (most are 3 levels higher).

Fergus the Justifier (F18) a wandering fighter from the Kingdom of Vestland

Geoffrey of Heldann (C18) a wandering cleric from the Heldann Freeholds

Weston the Tall (T10?) a wandering thief (a "rogue")

Quillan Elm Grower (E10; attack rank G) an elf from the Forest of Alfheim

Brogahn of the Steppes (F18) a wandering fighter from the Ethengar Khanate

Claransa the Seer (M18) a wandering magic-user (a "magus") from Specularum

Norwold

The region of Norwold introduced in CM1 "Test of the Warlords" (1984) has developed into a rich, fully realized campaign setting over the years, initially with official products, then through extensive fan publications.

Modules CM2 "Death's Ride" (1984); CM3 "Sabre River" (1984); CM4 "Earthshaker!" (1985); M1 "Into the Maelstrom" (1985); M2 "Vengeance of Alphaks" (1986); M4 "Five Coins for a Kingdom" (1987); and M5 "Talons of Night" (1987) are set in Norwold.

In addition, an excellent YA novel "Rogues to Riches" (1995) by J. Robert King is entirely set in Norwold:

"Rogues to Riches" (1995) by J. Robert King.  Cover illustration by Walter Velez.

"Rogues to Riches" follows the adventures of a pair of thieves through the cities of Landfall, Oceansend, and Alpha into the lands north of the Great Bay.  It's wonderfully written and highly entertaining.  Copies are hard to find, but occasionally turn up in second-hand bookstores.

Fan Gazetteers:

GAZ F6 The Kingdom of Littonia (January 31, 2007) by Geoff Gander, edited by JTR.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

Littonia is one of the oldest fan-created nations on Mystara, a remote coastal kingdom north of Norwold’s Great Bay.  It is a place where the twin populations, Litoniesu and Lietuvan, are united by a common history against the frost giants and other foes – and sometimes little else.

GAZ F7 The Heldannic Order (May 8, 2007) by JTR, Colin D. Wilson, and Honorary Lead Designer Bruce Heard.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

This work covers the Heldannic Territories, a region at the northern edge of the Known World that was once known as the Heldann Freeholds.  Today it is the province of the Knights of the Heldannic Order, a religious military order once created by the Church of Vanya.

GAZ F8 The Streets of Landfall (July 10, 2007), edited by JTR.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

This work covers the town of Landfall, a place of opportunity – both good and bad.  The Empires and Thieves’ Guilds carry out their private wars in the streets, while the population hopes to escape the more violent criminals who lurk in the shadows.

GAZ F9 The Free City of Oceansend (November 15, 2007), edited by JTR.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

The walled-city of Oceansend stands alone upon the Norwold shores, far to the north of the Known World.  It was once an outpost of the Thyatian Empire, but for nearly four decades it has maintained its independence amidst the growing presence and claims of Thyatis’s rival, Alphatia.

GAZ F10 The Kingdom of Kaarjala (July 5, 2008) by Geoff Gander.  Cover illustration by Jeffrey Kosh.

This work covers the Kingdom of Kaarjala, an isolated land situated around the waters of the Landsplit River, far north of Norwold’s Great Bay, whose existence is made possible by a magic windmill that generates gold, grain, and warmth, loosely inspired by the Finnish Kalevala.

Atlante Geographico:

Norwold (April 23, 2020), edited by Omnibus.

This Italian fan publication (198 pages) compiles much of the previously published fan material:

This Geographical Atlas describes the Norwold region.  As usual I collected the canonical material and supplemented it with community-developed fan material and my own additions, trying to make it all come together consistent with historical events and geography.  A thanks to all those who directly or indirectly contributed with the production of material integrated here and in particular to Marco Del Monte for his Codex Immortalis (both in English and in Italian), to Simone Neri for his Demography Mystarana and Norwold (in both English and Italian), also for the various Gazetteers (in English) a thanks to JTR and everyone who collaborated in their drafting.  Thanks to Agathokles for his “Tales of the Norwold”, to Giulio N. Caroletti for his “The Dragon Kingdom of Wyrmsteeth", and to the website www.norwold.net for lots of information about the region, in addition to the myriad of authors present on Pandius.

Introduction to "Norwold" (English translation)

CM1: Test of the Warlords

CM1 "Test of the Warlords" (1984) by Douglas Niles was released the same year as the D&D Companion Set, to showcase the new rules and also expand the D&D game world.

CM1 "Test of the Warlords" by Douglas Niles.  Cover illustration depicting a black avenger by Clyde Caldwell.

About the Author:

Niles' first published work for TSR was AD&D module N1 "Against the Cult of the Reptile God" (1982), set in the World of Greyhawk.  This was followed by module X3 "Curse of Xanathon" and module B5 "Horror on the Hill" (1983).

He worked on the War Machine rules with Garry Spiegle for the D&D Companion Set, followed by the Battlesystem (1985) fantasy combat supplement, and its second edition (1989), later becoming a prolific novelist (The Moonshae Trilogy; et al.)

Prologue:

The prologue to CM1 picks up where the epilogue to the Companion Set leaves off:

With the fall of the Black Eagle Barony and its allied forces, the settled lands of the continent are now peaceful.  Most of the land's dungeons have been plundered, and monsters have been driven from all but a few of the civilized dominions.  Prosperity reigns throughout the land now, which is just how the rulers want it.  The government is stable, and day-to-day life is routine.  Prospects for adventure, however, are minimal.

Then comes word from the north: the empire of Alphatia has claimed the vast lands of Norwold, and has appointed a king to rule over those lands.  This monarch is in need of steadfast characters to administer the many dominions that may be carved from the wilderness of Norwold!

From CM1 "Test of the Warlords" (1984)

The Setting:

Norwold lies to the north of the lands and environs of the D&D wilderness:

Areas claimed by the Empire of Alphatia and the Empire of Thyatis

Clash of empires

Alphatia is described as the oldest empire in the world, situated on a massive island to the east of Norwold, a civilization built on a foundation of magic.  No fewer than 1,000 36th level magic-users make up its ruling council.

The secret name of Alphatia is given as Atlantis, in keeping with the framework that the D&D game world is a version of our own world in the ancient past, and evoking other fantasy versions of Atlantis (ie. Númenor, Valusia, Melniboné)

Thyatis is described as little more than a century old (compared to a thousand years in the Gazetteers).  The empire spread rapidly outward from Thyatis, its capital city, to encompass several large islands off the southern coast of the continent.

Unlike Alphatia, Thyatis developed a triad of co-governing theocratic, magical, and military powers.  Many historians attribute Thyatis' rapid growth to its leaders' fabled capacity for greed and trickery (evoking Western perspectives of the Byzantine Empire). 

Cities and demi-human clans

Descriptions of three major cities in the region are provided: Alpha "the King's City",* erected on the ruins of an ancient fortress; the pirate's haven of Landfall, under the control of a powerful Thieves' Guild; and the free city of Oceansend, ruled by King Yarrvik the Just.

*see A city of Alpha mini-Gaz (2013) by LoZompatore

Several halfling clanholds* and elven foresthomes are also mentioned

*see The History of Leeha (Threshold #7, April 2015), Land of Leeha (Threshold #8, July 2015), and Races of Leeha (Threshold #8, July 2015) by JTR

Special geographical features

Two volcanos, 75 miles apart, are connected by a towering "arch of fire" reaching 6 miles in height (the northern volcano is an inflowing vortex from the plane of fire, and the southern volcano is an outflowing vortex to the same plane).*

A large whirlpool in one of the northern bays is an elemental vortex flowing to the elemental plane of water.*

*elemental vortices are described in the multiverse section of the Companion Set rules

Frosthaven, the island home to a huge clan of frost giants (mentioned as the possible terminus of the Great Northway, in "Tortles of the Purple Sage"(1987) by Merle Rasmussen).

The Wyrmsteeth Range is home to nearly 1,000 dragons.*

*see "Who's Who in the Wyrmsteeth" part 1 (Threshold #8; July 2015) and part 2 (Threshold #9; September, 2015) by Francesco Defferrari

Nonplayer Characters:

Statistics and brief personality profiles are given for King Ericall of Norwold (F28); Lernal the Swill (F6) the king's half-brother; King Yarrvik the Just (F9); Tarn Oakleaf (D24) the druidic representative to King Ericall's court; Madiera the Counselor (M25) Alphatian advisor to King Ericall.

Competing NPCs include Alak Dool (M19) from Thyatis; Sir Ernest Day (F16) a former paladin; Rutger Dag (F15) from Vestland; Sandralane of Glantri (C16); Max the First (F15); Allisa Patrician (F15) from Ethengar; Longtooth (T20) from Thyatis.

Land Grab:

This section outlines how you can bring the characters into the campaign.*

*see "The Great Land Rush of Norwold" part 1 (Threshold #7; April 2015) and part 2 (Threshold #8; July 2015) by Simone Neri 

A two-year seasonal timeline for a Norwold campaign is provided.

Major Events:

This section describes two major events that take place in Norwold during the campaign, a frost giant raid (winter) and a royal wedding (summer).

Illustration by Jeff Easley

Norwold Encounters:

This section outlines five major scenarios that may take place during the adventure:

The ruins of Alinor - the ruins of an ancient city, once ruled by Alinor, prince of Alpha, a powerful magic-user

The dungeon of Kwyll - constructed by an evil cleric, now a powerful undead creature

Revenge of the mountain clan - a dwarven forge of power is being held by creations of the mad wizard Gargantua

Barbarians' battle - showcasing rules for unarmed combat

The crones of Crystykk - presumably inspired by Orddu, Orwen, and Orgoch from "The Black Cauldron" (1965) by Lloyd Alexander; also reminiscent of the Graeae

War of the Crown:

This section lists the war machine statistics for all forces involved in the war for control of Norwold.  Major events of the war and key strategies are given.

Epilogue:

This section lists possible scenarios for continuing a campaign in Norwold:

Dominion conflicts

Dragons of the Wyrmsteeth

The giants of Frosthaven

Test of the crones

Beyond Norwold

A table of random encounters is also included.

Prerolled Characters:

Fergus the Justifier (F15) a wandering fighter from the Kingdom of Vestland
Geoffrey of Heldann (C15) a wandering cleric from the Heldann Freeholds
Weston the Tall (T15) a wandering thief (a "rogue")
Quillan Elm Grower (E10) an elf from the Forest of Alfheim
Brogahn of the Steppes (F15) a wandering fighter from the Ethengar Khanate
Claransa the Seer (M15) a wandering magic-user (a "magus") from Specularum

Recommended Viewing:

If you're intrigued by this module, I recommend checking out CM1 Test of the Warlords - A BECMI adventure module review (March 31, 2024) by BECMI Berserker