The Red Keep Adventure
The
Red Keep Adventure
Red Keep Adventure
<< Credits | Part 1 >>
Welcome to Dromaria
Welcome to a world filled with magic and conflict, where mortals and dragons alike live under the Covenant. This ancient pact maintains balance, striving for peace. Present day Dromaria reels from a war that ended less than a decade ago, where demons emerged from the depths to stake their claim. Now, with a shift in global politics, fear threatens to grip the people once more.
Dromaria is a fantasy RPG setting intended for any d20 system, although this module was specifically designed for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons.
The Red Keep Awaits
Across the Tritos Dominion festivals are being held to honor the formal crowning of King Ender Ramus. People are excited to celebrate a holiday that hasn't taken place in over 400 years: the Festival of the Crown!
Shelter Lake is a farming, fishing, and lumber town in the southern Dominion. The citizens are celebrating after years of political unrest. Red and blue banners can be seen flying throughout the streets, bearing the blazing golden sun of Ania. Glee and merrymaking can be heard everywhere.
What the revelers do not know is the impending disaster that is approaching. In the distance, a medieval structure awaits with a history as red as the walls surrounding it. An incendiary new host is ready to welcome adventurers to the Red Keep.
- Adventure Hook. Players can create their own reasons for visiting Shelter Lake, or you can use the accompanying adventure in the From the Village Vault series: Aiding the Hammer.
After completing the job for Elder Kierie Bastinade, she will welcome the characters to stay and enjoy the festival, directing them to the Hanging Trout.
Running the Adventure
This content is written for the Game Master (GM), designed to introduce the world of Dromaria as a setting for you to enjoy. It contains a complete 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons adventure, as well as descriptions for every creature and magic item that appears.
The Red Keep Adventure is designed for 4-6 people, intending to take players from levels 3 to 6. Any class combination is viable, although it is designed for heroic, goodly characters. Encounters may be deadly, designed to test the player's ability to make smart, informed decisions under pressure.
This module uses the Dromaria Website, 5th Edition Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master Guide. Some creatures and items included are unique to the Red Keep Adventure.
A Player Guide is available to help in the character creation process.
Regional Background
Approximately ten years ago there was a worldwide conflict known as the Demon War. It was at this time that the ruler of the Tritos Dominion, King Caraconne Tritos, was killed. Now, almost a decade after the war, King Ender Ramus has been crowned. Fear and intense hatred towards magic was widespread in the country's past and although it significantly diminished in the modern age, Ramus’ attitude is worrying his citizens. In turn, neighboring countries are growing concerned that the Tritos Dominion will revive traditions from a bygone era. The Eastlands of Pathriam were the property of the Tritos Dominion for as long as it has existed. While those in the capital were arguing over issues of succession, two major regions of the country left the Dominion, forming the nations of Frijring and Serawa. There are now food and trade disruptions causing conflicts between the nations to escalate. The Dominion currently sits in a precarious position. A man of faith, the new King has been promoting the nation’s need for absolution. Lothoren is a religion of forgiveness, justice, and service and is the most prominent religion in the area by a significant margin. The Prophet of Light and the Herald of Verity, the god Lothor pulled the land from the icy grips of the Age of Horror beginning a time of prosperity. Though the majority of those who worship him are human, people from all walks of life find their way into his light. Warriors and paladins in the Dominion follow the path of Lothoren, as well as those who seek salvation from the darkness. Major issues afflict much of Dromaria, as outlined in the World News and Current Events pages of the Dromaria website. Thankfully in Shelter Lake, those larger problems have gone unseen. Here folks wish to live their lives in peace and celebrate in style as the new king takes the throne.The Civil Legion VS the People
With the recent issues of succession, additional Civil Legion troops have been stationed in various cities across the Tritos Dominion. Citizens are feeling oppressed, forced to follow the military's policy. The characters begin working alongside the Crown and the Civil Legion. As they progress, encounters will reveal worsening conditions in the kingdom. There is a balance to be struck as the adventure plays out. The more in line with the Crown's actions the characters are, the easier their final encounter with the dragon will be. They need the help of the Civil Legion, but at what cost? This conflict is a core component of the region and will likely have an impact on its future.
Character Advancement
Rather than tracking experience points, this adventure uses milestone leveling, advancing the characters after certain tasks. At the end of each location is a “Character Advancement” section, which tells you the circumstances under which the characters level. Players are expected to level after leaving Dondarian, again after Lolien, and for a final time after Tintown. You may choose to ignore this and track XP as normal.Adventure Layout
Events begin in Shelter Lake and pass through the cities of Dondarian, Lolien, and Tintown, on the way to the Red Keep where the characters will face their final challenge, the red dragon Smolderthorn the Reclaimer. Each location will have additional quests and NPCs.
The festival in Shelter Lake will be interrupted by Smolderthorn. The dragon will claim the festival's prize money and as many people as it can carry. The characters are not intended to battle the dragon now. Instead, they must fight to survive, and help Shelter Lake as much as they can in the process. The event will be highlighted in detail later in Part One.
Lawmaster Andias Teft will task the characters with assembling troops to storm the dragon's lair and end the menace. Along their journey, the group will have to gather enough materials and forces to do battle. Depending on the aid they acquire, the characters will impact the final encounter with Smolderthorn in several ways.
If they are successful, a dragon's hoard awaits, with the possibility of becoming the new lords of the Red Keep.
Dragons on Dromaria
When the first people settled on Dromaria they found it a land ruled by dragons. A bitter and violent war ensued with death tolls rising on both sides. Eventually, a truce was brokered called the Covenant, in the hope of ending their constant conflict. According to the Covenant, mortals were allowed to stay on Dromaria, and in exchange would never again kill a law-abiding dragon. Though there have been breaches of the Covenant in the past, it has held for ages and is a fundamental basis for life on Dromaria. The dragon's capital of Emperor's Peak was recently attacked and they are reeling. Dissenting groups are using the current weakness as a reason to rebel. Religions and nations in charge of maintaining the Covenant are struggling, trying to keep the peace.Smolderthorn the Reclaimer
Smolderthorn is an adult red dragon who claims lineage to Scaborous the Pure, dating back 2,000 years. Scaborous terrorized the region in its time and Smolderthorn has returned to do the same, damn the Covenant. The dragon's motives are simple: instill fear in the people and loot their valuables. Eventually, he wants to move on to greater subjugation. Smolderthorn, like others of his kind, has been rattled by the recent anti-dragon movements and is looking to reclaim control before it can be taken from him. What he doesn't understand is how fervently the mortals will strike back when a dragon attacks. As the adventure continues the players will see signs of Smolderthorn in the region and may see the dragon itself. The list of encounters the players may experience can be found in the RKA: Encounters section.- Roleplaying Smolderthorn the Reclaimer
Personality Trait. "I would rather see the world burn than live beneath the Covenant."
Ideal. "Retribution. Dragons have known only suffering since the mortals arrived. I intend to respond in kind."
Bond. "I carry the legacy of Scabourus the Pure and am thriving in the immense shadow he cast."
Flaw. "There are those who have called me a pyromaniac, but they are ashes now."
