I am currently detailing a world for use by a party of adventurers currently at 9th level. I continue to present the world and an adventure path to go with it in this column. The setting started in August of 2013 with the playtest docs for D&D Next. This world uses maps (but not the world details) from Al-Qadim: Ruined Kingdoms and the last version of the D&D Next playtest rules available in PDF with D&D Next adventures.

Adventure Path

Based on the unfolding events in the campaign, the world of Riv labors under a curse. This curse makes casting divine magic mentally damaging and has driven the knowledge of the gods from the world. Therefore, the adventure path revolves around bringing back the gods and ending the curse that inflicts madness on divine casters. Each of these adventures will take the PCs up one level if they complete it.

• 9th level: Colossus Arise! (DCC RPG).
• 10th level: White Plume Mountain. Find three magic weapons.
• 11th level: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks part 1.
• 12th level: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks part 2.
• 13th level: Mines of Madness.
• 14th level: The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb.
• 15th level: Dead in Thay 25 rooms.
• 16th level: Dead in Thay 25 more rooms. Golem making secrets revealed.
• 17th level: Dead in Thay 25 more rooms.
• 18th level: Dead in Thay remaining rooms. Learn source of Riv's curse.
• 19th level: Capture Dragonflight Lighthouse to go to explore Vos Rorkoth.
• 20th level: Go to end curse using H4 the Throne of Bloodstone.

White Plume Mountain, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, Mines of Madness, Mud Sorcerer's Tomb and Dead in Thay are all ready to go for D&D Next. I simply need to place them in the world. For the remaining adventures, I need to update them to D&D Next and put them on the map.

Colossus Arise!

The first task in the adventure path involves planting and keeping alive a new forest. This means that land must be cleared and kept protected. This adventure takes place in Ezekiel Territory in the League of Pantheon. The PCs started adventuring here and will have to defeat this cult to secure their lands. The cult operates out of the ruins of Jerusalem's lot. I am dropping the final encounter in the module as it relies heavily on DCC rules. Otherwise, I plan to mostly run it as written. Once the PCs defeat the foes operating out of Jerusalem's Lot, they can go about planting a new forest. Erdgeist is a powerful land spirit. If the PCs succeed in planting a forest, he takes physical form as a kapreóa treant-like being smoking a cigar. He passes out cigars to all the PCs and offers to help guard the newly planted forest.

Kapre Cigar
Very Rare wondrous item

These thick cigars are made using a recipe so secret (and so potent) that neither tobacconist nor alchemist can identify the ingredients. Even in the chaos of combat the enormous cigars never fall from their smokers' mouths; the thick-skinned stogies interfere with speech, lending a lazy drawl to their voices.

Property: these 2-foot-long cigars never go out. They burn with a glow that sheds light like a candle, but does not burn other organic material. Smoking the cigar is a swift action that is dangerous for any but a kapreóand not just because of its size. Creatures doing so must succeed at a DC 12 Constitution save or become intoxicated for 1 hour. Each time a creature attempts to inhale, he or she must make another save, but receives a cumulative +1 bonus for each successful inhalation in the past 24 hours. Once inhaled, the smoke can be exhaled to the detriment of nearby foes. The smoking creature must exhale within 1 round of inhaling or be intoxicated for 1 round, coughing up the potent smoke into its own square. A Medium creature can blow the smoke as a move action at one adjacent enemy. A Large or larger creature can blow the smoke in a 15-foot cone, also as a move action. Creatures caught in the smoky cloud must succeed at a DC 12 Constitution save or be intoxicated for 1 round.

White Plume Mountain

I replaced the three magic swords with magic items important to PCs in the campaign. Otherwise, the adventure will run as written.

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks

The first real threat to their new kingdom, the aliens from this dungeon are ready for explorers. Hidden on the crashed starship is a clue to stopping the curse afflicting Riv with drought and madness to those who follow the divine. Clue points to heading to the Utter East.

Mines of Madness

The PCs can simply use magic to get to the Utter East. But hidden in the dwarven mines is an artifact the PCs might find useful.

The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb

Another dungeon that could be bypassed, but it holds magic items important to the PCs.

Dead in Thay

This sprawling one hundred room plus dungeon holds many secrets the PCs want to uncover. Golem making, how to end a curse on a party member, and lore on how the great curse afflicting Riv occurred, how to stop it, and where to go next to do so. As written, the adventure is for 6th level PCs. To challenge 15th level PCs, the encounters need to be bumped from around 1500 XP to 27,500 XP. I will either multiply the number of beasts by ten and/or throw in one or more higher level monsters to go with the lower level beasts. Extra monster list for 15th level:

1. Marilith demon (20,010 XP)
2. Green dracolich (11,440 XP)
3. Red dragon (10,140 XP)
4. Demon: Glabrezu (9640 XP)
5. Stone golem (9360 XP)
6. Dread wraith (8570 XP)
7. Storm giant (7750 XP)
8. Demon: Nalfeshnee (7670 XP)
9. Beholder (6330 XP)
10. Blue dragon (6340 XP)

Dragonflight Lighthouse and Vos Rorkoth

The PCs need to get to Vos Rorkoth to find the portal to the Throne of Bloodstone, source of the curse of Riv. Dragonflight Lighthouse is one option to get there.

The Throne of Bloodstone

The curse can be stopped in a deadly battle in another dimension. I really like the poster map in this module. I ran it way back in the 1980s to end my AD&D 1E campaign and look forward to using it again.

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Despair from prepping divine magic in the world of Riv. Drive on,
Charlie