Chapter 7: Siege of Kalaman
That is the ultimate “journey” chapter of the ebook. This is usually a little complicated, as a result of this isn’t the Siege of Kalaman as described within the Dragonlance Chronicles, however an earlier level within the Conflict of the Lance. “A” Siege. 
What’s Up
Primarily, the PCs want to have the ability to infiltrate a location, however whereas they’re ready to have the means to do this, they find yourself encountering numerous components of Purple Dragonarmy forces that have to be repelled. Typically, I like all of those encounters.
It follows that very same format that I’m not a fan of from earlier chapters, the place you’ve an inventory of encounters, and are informed to run nonetheless many you need. However I can reside with that, as a result of I just like the encounters.
Up within the Air
There’s one encounter that doesn’t a lot repay in one other plot important second, a lot because it foreshadows that second. I want there have been slightly little bit of payoff the place “should you assist X right here, you get a further profit afterward when it reveals up once more.” Primarily, you assist a creature that comes again that will help you later, however one other model of it reveals up should you didn’t assist this explicit creature.
There’s a sure NPC that obtained performed up as an iconic villain that I want had another build-up within the journey, since they solely actually get one scene. In the event you noticed any of the movies about Purple Damage, the ace Dragonnel rider of the Purple Dragonarmy, that’s the one. I want there had both been a number of encounters the place she did a hit-and-run, or at the least there was slightly little bit of rumor of her constructing as much as this second.
The Fork within the street
There are two board recreation interactions on this chapter, and the primary one is to play by means of a state of affairs to simulate preventing to get to an space to proceed the PCs mission, versus working an encounter that allows you to lower to that rendezvous.
If the PCs determine they don’t need to take the shortcut, nonetheless, there isn’t a approach to mannequin that with out taking part in by means of the state of affairs, and truthfully, from a roleplaying perspective, I can see characters not being thrilled with the shortcut, from a really Dragonlance perspective. It has to do with gnomes, is what I’m saying. And a gnomeflinger.
Aerial Stealth
The rendezvous website is one other “skirmish” map with a border that simulates intrusions from a wider fight, and truthfully, I like these. All of them work equally, however with completely different occasions that may spawn from the “fray” part of the map. From right here, the PCs will probably be flying by way of wild dragonnels as much as the Bastion of Takhisis.
Throughout the infiltration, there may be one particular encounter, and one other encounter that may be triggered if the PCs aren’t stealthy, and the place the combat occurs (i.e. there may be fall injury concerned) there are some excessive stakes. This additionally pays off one other NPC interplay, as one of many PCs foils finally ends up on the opposite aspect of the conflict.
This part feels very closely like a whole lot of encounters with no actual probability for relaxation, which I’m not against, particularly within the context of the narrative, however I may see PCs actually getting themselves into bother burning by means of assets.
Soiled Deeds
The large well-known NPC that the PCs must confront, Lord Soth, isn’t one they’re probably in a position to oppose immediately, so I like that there are redundant NPCs that the PCs can encounter that can current them with the concept that there could also be one other approach to cope with him. I like that introducing the backstory for Lord Soth helps to arrange why he’s weak to the merchandise that PCs are pointed in the direction of.
There’s a aspect tangent the place the PCs can collect some info by getting themselves morally soiled, that feels just like the type of Dragonlance factor to temp somebody with, however I fear that it isn’t framed in fairly the “fall to the darkish aspect” method that it ought to be. Alternatively, it additionally exemplifies the “evil turns upon itself” aspect of issues, as Chemosh’s servants helped arrange the Bastion of Takhisis, however they don’t essentially keep loyal after the actual fact.
As an apart, there’s a lot happening on this chapter, so I don’t need to be too detrimental about the place they spend the additional phrases to emphasise an encounter. For essentially the most half, I believe they made the suitable selections, and ensuring you add additional nuance to every part is a fast approach to balloon your phrase depend.
In the event you use the particular merchandise to incapacitate the Immovable Power (Soth), the subsequent puzzle is to determine shut down the evil artifact, and quench it. As soon as that’s carried out, we’ve obtained one other load-bearing plot level, the place the PCs want to determine get out safely. That is successfully the “use the Blue Crystal Workers to kill Onyx” second, besides it’s utilizing the Dragonlance to proper a unsuitable linked to the artifact.
The Starting of the Finish
Primarily, within the climax of this journey, the PCs face one massive dangerous that they want a particular merchandise to incapacitate, one other massive dangerous whose historical past is tied to the Metropolis of Misplaced Names, and the ultimate massive dangerous, which would be the massive dangerous that enables them to route the Dragonarmy.
The ultimate combat, which entails Dragon Highmaster Kansaldi and her dragon mount, can also be framed as a type of skirmish maps with a “fray” border, so they’re successfully going through off towards the top of what’s left of the Dragonarmy.
The ultimate Warriors of Krynn board recreation state of affairs is one other state of affairs that solely occurs if in case you have the board recreation, and doesn’t have a distinct encounter decision to play in a skirmish. On this case, if the gamers win, they get some “marketing campaign rewards.” This consists of some good gear, however except you might be persevering with the marketing campaign with your individual materials, this gear is actually simply bragging rights.
The very last item to occur within the journey formally is a contextual message letting you already know that sure occasions of the Conflict of the Lance are nonetheless going to occur, however you probably did a very good job scuttling a batch of undead dragons and a Purple Dragonarmy superweapon. Implied cameo by a mysteriously threatening notice.
General, I’m fairly pleased with this journey. I’ve seen different WotC adventures that I appreciated, however the place I felt just like the ending missed the mark. I believe this one fairly nicely nailed it, hitting the correct notice for a heroic ending
Remaining Ideas
I believe this journey did an amazing job threading the story of a member of the Order of Excessive Sorcery all through. I believe the reclamation and use of the Dragonlance is a superb notice to hit, and preventing a Dragon Highmaster whereas she’s mounted on her purple dragon is a fairly rattling epic and iconic second for a Dragonlance marketing campaign.
Making the undead dragons that Soth resurrects not chromatic dragons, however metallic dragons with a tragic backstory, matches in completely with different components from the Conflict of the Lance, just like the destiny of the metallic dragon eggs. Whereas there are occasions when “do that one factor to take out a menace that’s out of your league” can really feel unsatisfying in some adventures, I believe that they spend sufficient time promoting Soth’s backstory that you must have the ability to use this plot level with out it feeling contrived.
We additionally get a very good steadiness of assembly people who the PCs can care about, worrying in regards to the destiny of the folks displaced by conflict, and arguing with folks over petty politics within the face of a higher menace, once more, all Dragonlance hallmarks. We even get a pleasant development of a squire that acts like a knight even with out the correct assist for his actions.
This brings me to one among my few downsides on this. For all of the hype surrounding the Knights of Solamnia, there isn’t as a lot assist for A Knight’s Story (you already know what I imply) on this journey. There isn’t a one that may promote a PC knight, or convene a conclave to induct them, which implies if they only degree up taking Solamnic Order feats, the DM might want to add in their very own helps, and doing so type of undermines the NPC who has been ready till all the difficulty is over earlier than he can formally be part of the knighthood.
The dearth of knights really is smart for the areas round Kalaman, but it surely might need been good to have had at the least some type of extra particular time when a Knight’s Conclave might have invited the PC to argue their admission into an order, at the same time as we get the Orders of Excessive Sorcery popping in right here and there. I do know, similar to Sturm, the PCs may very well be Solamnic Squires that by no means get promoted till after the journey, and simply be taught the knightly abilities of the order, however I nonetheless would have appreciated only a wee bit extra on this regard.
Alternatively, you get to combat a tragic, purple-flaming undead gold dragon on a falling platform with the Dragonlance that killed it when it’s alive, so I actually don’t need to complain an excessive amount of.
