Therra 2nd Edition Scenario - The Quest of the Gem

The Quest of the Gem
An Epic Therran 2nd Edition AD&D Scenario
For 4-8 characters of Levels 9-12

Note:

This is a massive scenario, almost a campaign in and of itself, and as such, the scenario is presented over the course of 18 separate web pages. The table of contents below provides links to each page. Within each page, there will be a link to the following page and the previous page and a link to return to this page. Hopefully, these links will be sufficient to allow navigation throughout the scenario.

As author of this scenario, I apologize in advance for the gradual shift in monster staistic formats that can be observed by a close reading of the scenario. The scenario took over 2 years to write and during that time the format of monster statistics and certain other formats varied and evolved. Although I could have gone back and reviewed everything and changed it for consistency, I felt it was not time well spent to do so since all of the formats vary only slightly and all are equally usable.

I also realize that a great portion of this scenario is made up of a great many random charts of various sorts. While some decry the use of random charts in RPG scenarios and treat them as a sign of laziness or lack of imagination, the very scope and breadth of this scenario required extensive use of such charts, lest the beast grow to beyond 2000 pages and never be finished! Such random charts (for example, the random dungeon generator for the Temple of Lolth Underdungeon) allow the DM to run a logical and descriptive session involving the party making its way through the horrid dungeons of Lolth without having to include 50 level maps and possibly 200-300 pages of text!

I chose to re-copy monster descriptions with each individual wandering monster chart for two reasons, despite the fact that I could have set up a master wandering monster roster and saved a lot of pages. First, because if you read closely there are many subtle differences in the numbers and attitude of wandering monsters from place to place. A dense pudding encountered in the tunnels of the Drow Empire will behave slightly differently than one encountered in the closed ecological environment of the Drow Vault or the Myconid Grotto. Second, because having the description near at hand to the wandering monster chart that generated it allows the DM to quickly run the battle during play without having to flip to a master roster or, worse, being referred to the various Monstrous Compendiums.

There is a lot of material in the scenario, and not all of it need be used. The DM should not feel it is necessary for the party to explore every single encounter presented herein. Historically this was not so. The party never actually invaded the Deep Dragon's Demesne. They also never attacked the Orc Lair. They parleyed with the beholder and so never experienced the sublime horror or great rewards that lurked in the Beholder Lair. They avoided scrupulously the Drow Outpost and never exposed the nearby secret Drow Temple. The party never evinced any interest to deal with the Troglodyte Den and steered clear of the Duergar Outpost. The party bypassed almost the entirety of the Temple of Lolth and its Dungeons. In this alone you have some really neat locations that went unused, but having some locations go unused is important in that it allows the players to make choices with clear advantages and disadvantages.

The party knew of the deep dragon and could have gone after it. They made the choice not to and avoided possible death at its hands. They also bypassed a great deal of treasure and magic in doing so. Same with the beholder. It is all up to the party, as it should be. That said, the DM should endeavour to present as many of these as choices to the party as possible. There are items and suggestions in the text for doing so.

Contents:

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