The Heldannic Order - Vaults of Pandius

ADVENTURES
The Chaos War (33-36)
The God’s War has left its mark upon
Heldann and other coastal nations, and
for a time, the region settles into a new
normal. It is now time for Thanatos’s
long-term plan to unfold: the release of
the primordial “Chaos Beast” and the
removal of Vanya via the Star device.
The campaign begins innocuously
enough as scholars pore over the ancient
documents recovered from Gyl Erid and
the Lion Castle. Unaware of the true
implications, their findings lead the party
to search the strange formation known as
the Altar of Vanya (or Hymirsheim) for
the ancient scripts, decipher them and
follow their clues. If successful, they
will have “relit the forge” and
unwittingly released the Chaos Beast.
The Jotun and Draconic Immortals seek
to prevent this, sending all manner of
giants and dragons to arrest this
development. Loki is sprung from his
prison (possibly by a third party) and
then rallies his followers world-wide to
war with the Heldannic Order and the
followers of the Aesir and Vanir.
If Vanya joined the Aesir, the Order
and the Heldanners stand shoulder to
shoulder against the threat; otherwise,
they face their dangers alone.
Secrets of the Priory of Vanya are
leaked out to the common populace
(possibly as a consequence of the PCs’
choices at the end of the Final
Confession), and military casualties
mount. A crisis of faith sweeps the
Church of Vanya, with some adherents
abandoning the Church, and others
desperately seeking pilgrimage to
Vanya’s Rest, where they are converted
to followers of the Star or attacked by
night dragons. [As referee, you should
keep careful track of the numbers of
followers of Vanya and the Star.]
The Chaos Beast is an ancient,
Immortal-caliber creature from before the
dawn of man which was entombed in the
Altar of Vanya. As such, mortal PCs
might not be able to physically destroy
the creature, but they, like their patron
before them, are now called upon for a
great final stand. The Chaos Beast
surrounds itself with all manner of
monsters (dark Glantri and the Land of
Black Sands are also good labor sources),
but once the war is underway, former
foes may turn to allies, and resourceful
characters might seek to rouse the great
wyrm, Thelucidr, or to beseech Queen
Hildur for aid.
The future of Heldann, the north,
perhaps all of Mystara and its Immortals,
are in the hands of the characters, but
failure is a very real possibility.
Whatever the outcome, your campaign’s
next generation will have a new world in
which to grow.
Grunturm and the
Southern Humanoids (4-6)
Problems with Ethengar’s Land of
Black Sands have induced a series of
population disturbances that result in
humanoid raids around Grunturm, where
the characters have been assigned.
A Rude Awakening: The PCs' Chapter
train is ambushed deep within the
Blauchen River Valley by orcs. After
surviving the assault, the character’s first
assignment is to rescue several kidnapped
women form a local village.
Check: Orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears,
and ogres are wandering the area with
increasing impunity. The party must
scout the hordes for strengths, and steel
themselves for the campaign to trap them
at waters of the Isar.
Mate: The humanoids are in disarray,
but the undead wandering from the Black
Sands have finally reached the Blauchen.
In the finest tradition of both cultures,
Knight and Heldanner must face the
lurching horror.
The Great War (7-11)
Tensions between the magical nations
of Alphatia and Glantri have reached a
fevered level and war is declared. The
Heldannic Order and the Empire of
Thyatis also declare war on Alphatia, and
the events from Wrath of the Immortals
begin.
Ethengar Invasion: Alphatians have
encouraged the Golden Khan to attack
Heldann. The Hordes hit across the
south, taking strategic junctures and
besieging Freiburg and other towns.
Numerous side assignments can be given
to the characters as the war unfolds.
The Plague: As the bodies have piled
41
up in Heldann, a deadly plague has struck
the nation. The Hordes flee to the false
safety of the steppes, while the party
must aid in the treatment of an epidemic
that could claim one seventh of the entire
population of Heldann. Meanwhile,
monsters secretly conjured by Alphatians
in Glantri trickle into Heldann by this
point, further disrupting the Order’s
activities.
Battle of Tromso: The plague has
finally run its course, and the Knights are
ready to go on the offensive. The first
order of business is the removal of the
Ethengar horsemen at Tromso in nearby
Vestland.
Liberation of Darokin: An incredible
massing of humanoids from all across the
Known World has converged on Glantri
and Darokin. The Knights have to fight
their way from Vestland to Corunglain
and relieve the Republic from this threat.
Alphatian Assault: The endgame of
the Great War approaches, and the
Alphatians are pushing in to defeat
Glantri. To get at their ultimate enemy,
the Alphatians assault Heldann seeking to
create a beachhead and base in the
Known World. [This event did not occur
in WOTI, but is included here as a logical
progression of the war – Ed.]
Piracy (12-14)
In the aftermath of the Great War, the
Heldannic Order is weakened and subject
to the predation of raiders. These
challenges arise irregularly and are easily
inserted into other mini-campaigns after
the war.
Oberack’s Dragons: Oberack is an
infamous Norwold raider who travels
through the air in a longship pulled by
four white dragons. He primarily hits
interior areas, but any settlement is a
valid target.
Garald the Blue: Garald begins hitting
the coast in earnest. The party must
either track the pirate down to his hidden
isle in the ocean or escape from capture.
Outlaws: Outlaws, those with no place
in either Heldanner or Heldannic society,
find the time opportune to engage in
shakedowns of outlying communities.