B3: Further Adventures

Once the ruins of the Palace of the Silver Princess have been explored, and possibilities for adventure in the surrounding lands exhausted, here are suggestions for further adventures.

The Pit of the Oracle:

"The Pit of the Oracle" by Stephen Sullivan won 2nd place in The International Dungeon Design Competition.  The adventure was published in The Dragon #37 (May, 1980)

Sullivan is credited, along with Edward G. Sollers, with editing and production for the original version of module B3 by Jean Wells.  The style and aesthetic of both adventures is quite similar.

Map of the land surrounding the town of Narrion.  The "shunned hills" could be the western edge of the Moorfowl Mountains from the original version of module B3

The road west from Gullavia could ultimately lead north to the town of Narrion:

The small town of Narrion is located precariously on the very edge of the wild country, and as such is often a stopping place for adventurers going from one area to the other.  There is not terribly much trouble in wandering by day down the small roads through the large expanses of untended grasslands which extend southeastward between Narrion and the next nearest town (except for an occasional bandit or two)—but the legends of the blasphemous things that roam the deserted plains by night are numerous and particularly horrible (at least, to the pale-hearted folk of the town).

The Pit of the Oracle, The Dragon #37 (May, 1980)

Castle Amber (Chateau d'Amberville):

Module X2 "Castle Amber (Chateau d'Amberville)" by Tom Moldvay, set within the Principalities of Glantri in the B/X continental setting, is a good sequel to either version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess".

The Lost City:

Module B4 "The Lost City" by Tom Moldvay, set within the Alasiyan Desert in the B/X continental setting, represents another good follow-up adventure to either version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess".

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos:

The release of the revised version of the D&D Expert Set, edited by Frank Mentzer, situated module B3 in the northeastern part of the Grand Duchy of Karameikos.

This location was considered to be the canon placement for several years, and many BECMI campaigns starting with module B3 often continued with further adventures in the Grand Duchy.*

*a Finnish version of module B3 was even combined with module B6 "The Veiled Society" by David Cook, set within the capital city of Specularum

When GAZ1 "The Grand Duchy of Karameikos" (1987) was published, there was no mention of the valley of Haven, and subsequent material ignored the location.*

*an exception is supermodule B1-9 "In Search of Adventure" in which the valley is considered to be located somewhere deep within the Altan Tepe mountains

B3: Derivative Works

There have been far fewer derivative works for module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" than for module B1 "In Search of the Unknown" or module B2 "The Keep on the Borderlands", although a couple of examples do exist: 

Vault of Catharandamus

The dungeon on pages 276-281 in the "Tome of Magic: Pact, shadow, and truename magic supplement" (2006) by Matthew Sernett et al. for 3.5e is the "Vault of Catharandamus".

The "Vault of Catharandamus".  Cartography by Mike Schley.

The location is described as a truename magic adventure site:

A few crumbling walls, eroded statues and columns, and the remnants of a few roads are all that remain of the Palace of Princess Argent. Years ago, a foul and alien sorcerer named Arik imprisoned the lady and her beloved champion beyond time and space, and cursed the place. Serving the dark spellcaster was a despicable man named Catharandamus who worked to bring his master into the Material Plane. Though a group of bold adventurers thwarted the curse, freed the princess and her knight, and put an end to the spellcaster’s evil, the palace never recovered, nor did the lands around it.  Over the decades since, earthquakes, rains, and time took their toll, leaving little but a pile of rubble and a passage into a hill on which the palace once stood as evidence that anything ever stood here.

from the "Tome of Magic" (2006)

DIY Remix

DIY version of "Palace of the Silver Princess" (2017).  Illustration by Kiel Chenier.

The DIY remix of "Palace of the Silver Princess" (2017) represents a third, recent version of Wells' original module.  The collective effort was overseen by Zak Sabbath and Kiel Chenier.

Contributors included Tom Fitzgerald, David McGrogan, Zzarchov Kowolski, Barry Blatt, Natalie Bennett, James Raggi, Trent B, Humza K., Ramanan Sivaranjan, Reynaldo Madriñan, Kelvin Green, Daniel Dean, James Maliszewski, Jensen Toperzer, Anthony Picaro, Logan Knight, Stacy Dellorfano, Patrick Stuart, Scrap Princess, and Ken Baumann, 

As one of the contributors put it:

I worked on this, along with @allandaros and @dungeonsdonuts and many, many others whose Tumblrs I don’t know. Basically, a whole bunch of people over in the G+ indie tabletop gaming community were given one page of the old TSR adventure Palace of the Silver Princess to re-write. None of us communicated with each other about what we were writing, we just had the original dungeon and that was it. The end result is surprisingly coherent and showcases some of the best Weird Indie D&D Talent out there these days.

Jensen Toperzer (Apr 6th, 2016) 

There are several great ideas in this version, which is well worth a perusal for anyone thinking about running "Palace of the Silver Princess" for themselves.

B3: Art and Artists

It seems as though almost every artist working at TSR between 1980-81 contributed to some version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess".  Many pieces are unsigned, so I sometimes had to make my best guess as to who did what:

Darlene

Illustration by Darlene for the French version of module B3.

Darlene contributed three illustrations to the French version of module B3 "Le palais de la Princesse Argenta" (see this thread on Dragonsfoot, for more details).

Jeff Dee

A Protector confronts a warrior against the backdrop of a starry sky.  Illustration by Jeff Dee

Dee contributed the color illustration appearing on the back cover of both versions of the module.

The Protectors are described as guardians of the tower level in the original version.  They appear to each adventurer in a dream at the beginning of the adventure in Moldvay's version.

Jim Holloway

Vampire roses ensnare a luckless adventurer.  Illustration attributed to Jim Holloway (unsigned).

Holloway was brought in to provide a number of new pieces for the revised version.

He contributed illustrations of warriors battling skeletons (RB3, pg. 7); adventurers lifting a portcullis (RB3, pg. 12); a group of kobolds (RB3, pg. 14); a skeleton (RB3, pg. 19); a cave locust (RB3, pg. 22); and vampire roses (RB3, pg. 32).

David S. La Force

The ghosts of Princess Argenta and her knight.  Illustration attributed to David S. La Force (unsigned).

Update (Mar 14, 2023): Thanks to Lore Suto for identifying this illustration as the work of Diesel in a twitter post on Feb 5, 2023:

SDSIII gave me a great reply on this! The full page "Scarlet Witch" was by DSL. (He remembers him drawing it!) He's not sure whether it was his idea or DSL's to include the same party.

The original version (OB3, pg. 22) was modified to depict the pink pedestal with an amulet in the revised version (RB3, pg. 16), rendering the identities of the two depicted unclear

Erol Otus

Illustration of a mountain range, by Erol Otus.  The buildings in the foreground are similar to others he illustrated (see this thread).

In addition to the front cover illustration (color) of the Decapus, Otus also contributed a small illustration of a mountain range (OB3/RB3, pg. 4); and a full-page illustration depicting Wells' uboes as hermaphrodites (OB3, pg. 19).*

*Wells had not conceived of these three-headed creatures as hermaphrodites, and objected to the illustration, but was told that it was too late to change it

Harry Quinn

Candella and Duchess.  Illustration attributed to Harry Quinn (alternately attributed to Jim Roslof).

Like Holloway, Quinn contributed several pieces to the revised version.  Although most are unsigned, I believe these include the silhouette of the palace (RB3, pg. 2); the skeleton (RB3, pg. 11); the bear (RB3, pg. 13); the blocked exit (RB3, pg. 17; signed); the barracks (RB3, pg. 20; signed); Candella and Duchess (RB3, pg. 24);* and the throne room (RB3, pg. 29).

*the subject of multiple homages by Domenico Neziti (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here)

Jim Roslof

Lamdomon, the tinker, and his daughter, Zappora, prepare their wagon for departure.  Illustration by Jim Roslof.

Jim Roslof was the art director at the time, having taken over from David S. Sutherland III.

He contributed "The Tinker and His Wagon" (OB3, pg. 6); and illustrations of the cave bear cub (OB3, pg. 11); and contents of the game table in room 31 (OB3, pg. 25/RB3, pg. 21).

Roslof may have also done the illustration of the giant rat in the revised version (RB3, pg. 9).

Laura Roslof

Catharandamus the cleric and his followers in the original (above) and revised (below) versions of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess".  Illustrations by Laura Roslof.

Laura Roslof was Jim Roslof's wife.  She contributed "The Illusion of the Decapus" (OB3, pg. 10); and illustrations of the palace garden (OB3, pg. 20/RB3, pg. 26); and Catharandamus (OB3, pg. 24/RB3, pg. 27).*

*the latter two illustrations were significantly altered for the revised version

Stephen D. Sullivan

Sullivan contributed several illustrations depicting the same three or four adventurers (a white male fighter, a black male fighter, and a white female fighter in the original, and a white female magic-user in the revised version).

"You meet in a tavern."  Illustration by Stephen D. Sullivan (his initials are difficult to spot - can you find them?)

The group appears in a tavern (OB3, pg. 7); entering the dungeon (RB3, pg. 8); triggering the pit trap (OB3, pg. 13/RB3, pg. 18); examining the pink pedestal (RB3, pg. 15; a cropped and altered version of the illustration from OB3, pg. 21); encountering the dueling swords (OB3, pg. 17); finding Argenta's portrait (OB3, pg. 18/RB3, pg. 28; cropped on the right in the revised version); approaching the pedestal protected by the ghosts of Argenta and her knight (OB3, pg. 21); and fighting a werewolf (RB3, pg. 28; the female magic-user looks a bit like the Scarlet Witch).

Illustration of a Diger, by Stephen D. Sullivan (initials are once again difficult to spot).

Sullivan also contributed illustrations of the archer bush (OB3, pg. 26); baric (OB3, pg. 26); diger (OB3, pg. 27); and giant marmoset monkey (OB3, pg. 28). 

Finally, Sullivan collaborated with Wells on the illustration of the mysterious knight and his dragon steed (OB3, pg. 3/RB3, pg. 5); and Travis entering the torture chamber from behind the party (OB3, pg. 15).

Jean Wells

The mysterious knight and his dragon steed.  Illustration by Jean Wells and Stephen D. Sullivan.

In addition to collaborating on two illustrations with Sullivan (mentioned above), Wells also created the map of the surrounding lands (OB3, pg. 5).

Bill Willingham

Room with poltergeist.  Illustration by Bill Willingham.

Willingham contributed the frontispiece of a female centaur pointing towards the palace ruins (OB3/RB3, pg. 1); and an illustration of the room containing a poltergeist (OB3, pg. 23).

B3: Palace of the Silver Princess (Revised)

The revised version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" by Tom Moldvay and Jean Wells receives less attention than Wells' original, although for almost two decades, it was the only version that most of us knew existed.

Cover to the revised, green-cover version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" (1981) by Tom Moldvay and Jean Wells.  Illustration of the monstrous "Decapus" by Erol Otus.

Moldvay introduces a plot in which the player characters are inhabitants of the Valley of Haven and must discover the cause behind the sudden disaster, which has only just occurred.

The Eye of Arik

The ruby discovered by the dwarves and presented to Princess Argenta is actually a magical gem, known as "The Eye of Arik".*

*the Eye of Arik is given an xp value of 7,500 and gp value of 37,500 in the Encyclopedia Magica, volume II (1995)

The Eye of Arik, from the Encyclopedia Magica, vol. II (1995). Illustration by Arnie Swekel.

Arik (also known as "Arik of the Hundred Eyes") is an ancient, evil being of great power, who was banished to a prison dimension centuries ago for his crimes.

Once the ruby was brought into the palace, Arik was able to imprison the princess within the gem, also transforming most of the palace inhabitants to stone.  Others were driven insane, with disasterous consequences.

Arik then teleported Catharandamus, one of his clerics, into the palace in order to prepare the ceremony to permit him to cross the dimensional barriers and enter Haven.

He created a red, glowing force field around the palace in order to prevent help from arriving and interrupting the ceremony.  The power of the ruby also drew hordes of orcs and goblinoids into the valley to fight for its master.

Ellis the Strong and Ariksbane

Wells' knight in silver and blue armor is changed to a knight in black armor, named Ellis the Strong, a Knight of the White Drakes.  The original knight's red dragon steed is changed to a white dragon, named "Ariksbane".

The Knights of the White Drakes* are described as a special band of fighters who ride white dragons and are dedicated to defeating evil wherever it exists.  Ellis and Ariksbane came to Haven because they heard about the discovery of the ruby, and suspected its true nature.

*the Knights of the White Drake are mentioned in the History of Thyatis in "Dawn of the Emperors" (1989) by Aaron Allston, where it's stated that "All known knights of the Order of the White Drake are captured and executed" in AC 960

Destroying the Ruby

Moldvay describes three ways by which the ruby can be destroyed, thereby preventing Arik from entering the valley.*  It's up to the player characters to figure out at least one of these three ways, which makes for a nice, non-linear approach to the adventure.

*Arik is described as a "Celestial, Sphere of Entropy; AL C" in "Wrath of the Immortals" (1992) by Aaron Allston

The Eye of Arik, from the Codex of Immortals (1992) by Aaron Allston.  Illustration by Terry Dykstra.

Credits

The credits for the revised version of the module are notable for the inclusion of Allen Hammack and Harold Johnson in addition to Moldvay for development, and the replacement of Edward G. Sollers and Stephen D. Sullivan with Allen Hammack, Harold Johnson, Jon Pickens and Deborah Ritchie for editing (Johnson was also singled out for inspiration, in both versions).

*    *    *

I ran "Palace of the Silver Princess" for my friends, and again for my brother and his friends, back in 1983.  I drew a detailed, full-page map of the Valley of Haven (now lost, although I keep hoping it will turn up), with settlements for elves, dwarves, halflings, and humans.

Moldvay's version of the module really fired my imagination.  I wrote short stories set in Haven, and even composed some Tolkienesque poetry.  (I still remember the first two verses, modeled after "Far Over the Misty Mountains Cold"):

The dwarves of Haven, they did find, / Deep in the heart of the mountainside,
a wondrous ruby that dazzled the mind, / And back to the Palace, they did ride.

The gem was given as a gift, / To the princess, kind and dear.
Unknown to all, 'twas but a rift, / For the wicked Prince of Fear.

from "The Lay of the Silver Princess"

I designed some further adventures "The Cave Bear of Sparn", "The Tower of Shadows", and "The Book of Arik", and later prepared "The Cave Bear of Sparn" for submission to Dungeon magazine, but never sent it in (I still have the typewritten manuscript).

In his review of the module for White Dwarf #35 (November, 1982), Jim Bambra states that "Palace of the Silver Princess" should replace "The Keep on the Borderlands" in the D&D Basic Set, and as much as I love module B2, I think he was right.

B3: The Surrounding Lands

The original version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" is notable for the mini-gazetteer of "the surrounding lands near the Palace of the Silver Princess in the land of the Princes of Glantri."

Cartography by Jean Wells, depicting the lands to the northwest of the Principalities of Glantri in the B/X continental setting

Thorfinn Tait produced replica maps with 8- and 6-mile hexes, also lining up the map with module X1 "The Isle of Dread" in "Placing B3's Gullavia Map".

The plateau was designated as "wastelands" in GAZ 3 "The Principalities of Glantri" (1987), although much of the area was covered by the map legend.

The region was referred to as "The Great Northern Wildlands" in "Wrath of the Immortals" (1992) and labeled the "Adri Varma Plateau" in "Champions of Mystara" (1993).

Michele Carpita (LoZompatore) did his usual excellent work mapping the plateau with and without the original B3 module in 2006, reconciling the various sources.

Cover to the English version of the unofficial Adri Varma Plateau fan gazetteer (2016), compiled and expanded by Omnibus

The maps and related fan material were compiled and expanded by Omnibus into an unofficial fan gazetteer (Italian) in 2016, which was translated by Gary Davies into English (downloadable here).

B3: Palace of the Silver Princess (Original)

The original version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" by Jean Wells is known for having been recalled in a single day.  It's nevertheless an interesting adventure, with geographic notes on the northwestern part of the B/X continental setting.

Cover to the original, orange-cover version of module B3 "Palace of the Silver Princess" (1981) by Jean Wells.  Illustration of the monstrous "Decapus" by Erol Otus.

The first published indication that an original version of module B3 existed was in supermodule B1-9 "In Search of Adventure" (1987)* in the general notes to module B3, which mentioned that "An early version of this module has become a rare item".

*B1-9 edited and assembled the first nine basic modules into a series of interconnected adventures, set within the Grand Duchy of Karameikos

In February, 2000, Wizards of the Coast released a pdf of the original, orange-cover version, with an introduction by John Rateliff (while the link is long dead, Rateliff's essay is preserved here, and the pdf is downloadable here).

Review:

I posted a review of the original version of module B3 over on Dragonsfoot, in which I speculate that Princess Argenta may have been a Princess of Glantri.

As with module B1 "In Search of the Unknown", there is no underlying plot. The centrepiece of the module is a two-level dungeon beneath and within the palace, with enough extra material to run wilderness adventures in the surrounding lands.

I used the revised, green-cover version as a guide to stock the empty rooms in the original version (downloadable here), and also prepared a players' handout (here).

Illustration by Wells from Polyhedron #4, depicting Duchess and Candella, the infamous pair of thieves in both versions of module B3.

About the Author:

Wells was 23 years-old when she wrote "Palace of the Silver Princess".

She left the gaming industry soon thereafter, although gave interviews on Grognardia (here and here) and the Save or Die! podcast (here) in 2010.

Sadly, Wells passed away in 2012, at the age of 53.

New Monsters:

Archer Bushes, Baric, Bubbles, Decapus, Diger, Ghost, Giant Marble Snake, Jupiter Blood Sucker, Giant Marmoset, Poltergeist, Protectors, Purple Moss, Ubue

Illustration by Wells from Polyhedron #3, pg 10 (credited as a "Plant Creature" in Polyhedron #4) likely depicting a "Jupiter Blood Sucker", precursor to Tom Moldvay's "Vampire Roses"

Wells had a knack for coming up with new monsters, and wrote "How to Create Monsters for the D&D Basic and Expert Games" in Polyhedron #2 (Autumn, 1981).

Campaign Journal:

Over the past few years, I've run an on-again, off-again campaign for my son and his cousins, using the original version of the Palace of the Silver Princess.

You can read our campaign journal, here.

Update (August 5, 2025):

Stephen D. Sullivan reminisces producing B3 in this interview on the Grogtalk podcast (March 22, 2023)