Game Notes (Expand for full game prep notes) Characters Group Patron: Hellriders. Reya Mantlemorn. Xenon (Dan). Half-Orc Fighter. Doesn't reveal much about his past. Been a soldier and military. Always keeping an eye on Reia. Moradin (Paul). Hill Dwarf Cleric. Haven't seen Reia. In the hellriders because of her. Small clan of hill dwarves under attack. Saved the forge. Sent as tribute after the war. Cara Bast (Sharon). Taxabi Monk. Doesn't bathe. Female royal family. Visiting the city. Go out and explore the world. Admires Reya. Tenacity (Michelle). Tiefling Warlock. Hellriders got her out of a scrape. Told by her patron to serve the Hellriders. patron Companion. Lev (Chris). Elf Wizard. Practicing to become a bladesinger. Learned magic along the way. History and arcana. Learning the history of the Hellriders. Names lost in time. Strong Start "Where the F... is Thavius Kreeg?" High Duke Uldar Ravengard; Ontharr Frume of Order of the Gauntlet; Gideon Lightward, head of the Hellriders. Uldar is losing control of Baldur's Gate. Cultists have grown in the city and corruption is coming with them. It is as though a poisoned seed has been planted deep in the city. The city is descending into hell. Ravengard has come for the Dragons gold. Reya sends the characters out to hunt cultists. Scenes - The failed negotiation - The wedding - Treed by devil-wolves - Cultist hunting - The fall of Elturel - The Rainbow Scarf - Level 2 - Two weeks later at Baldur's Gate - Elfsong Inn, meet Reya Mantlemorn - Bathhouse, sewer lair of the Dead Three Secrets and Clues - Reya believes that the cultists are responsible for the fall of Elturel. - Thavius's disappearance could be connected to the cult of the dead three. - Flaming Fist Mercenaries have been executing Hellriders. - Baldur's Gate has never been a nice city but it has fallen hard in corruption and bloodshed over the past six months. - The politics of Baldur's Gate are in turmoil with Ravengard's disappearance. - Duke Thalamra Vanthampur has been speaking against the Flaming Fist. - Thavius Kreeg was seen in Baldur's Gate the day of Elturel's fall. - Kreeg was seen with Vanthampur. - The Shield of the Hidden Lord was dug out of an ancient tomb six months ago. Since then Baldur's Gate has fallen into blood and deception. - Vanthampur's sons were responsible for the excavation. Fantastic Locations In the adventure. NPCs Reya Mantlemorn. Hellrider Lieutenant. Teenager. Grace Lyn. Young girl. Rainbow scarf. Tarina. CE who knows about the cultists and other secrets. The Vathampers have something that she wants. Thavius Kreeg. Current leader of Elturel. He went to Baldur's Gate. Duke Thalamra Vanthampur. Duke of Baldur's Gate. Hiding Thavius and the Shield. Uldar Ravengard. High duke of Baldur's Gate Ontharr Frume of Order of the Gauntlet Gideon Lightward, head of the Hellriders Monsters Tons of cultists. Treasure Bane. Gauntlet that casts Searing Smite (necrotic damage) Bhaal. Abyssal dagger that casts Vampiric Touch. Myrkul. Skull necklace that casts Inflict Wounds. Avrae commands !alias rollinit multiline !i begin !i add 3 Cara !i add 3 Lev !i add 2 Tenacity !i add 0 Moradin !i add 2 Xenon !i add 1 Monsters !i list
Love your Content! Since I've discovered you I have fallen in love with the Lazy DM style of running a game. You are blessing to the D&D community and I'm looking forward to your future content :)
Any advice on mixing Tyranny of Dragons with Descent into Avernus? My group started with Tyranny and when they got to Elturel I ran the Fall of Elturel.
What notepad app is that? :o Love your Lazy DM books, and I'm also gearing up to run Descent Into Avernus -- so this is perfect. It's also a solo/1-player campaign, so I found your article on that helpful too. Thank you for doing what you do!
I think I agree that this adventure does suffer the same way some of the other adventures suffer. The early adventures are just wack compared to the mid to late game.
Elturel isn't shown in the beginning of Descent because per the adventure in the book your characters are supposed to be Baldurians who are a part of an active group in Baldur's Gate who have just done some kind of evil thing which cements their bond; which, in turn, is EASY justification for why their conscription is a do it or die deal. I SUPER agree that this is about as clear as mud if you just open the book and skim, but that's why there's all the Baludr's Gate variants for backgrounds in the book, and the purpose of the section of the Dark Secret. You just have an *entirely* different premise here, which is fine, I'm not saying your ideas aren't great. But ya, it's just a total different idea for what the group playing the adventure is supposed to even be.
Why not just skip Elfsong all together? Tarinas entire involvement is to get the players to the dungeon of the dead three, which Fall of Elturel covers
Game Notes (Expand for full game prep notes)
Characters
Group Patron: Hellriders. Reya Mantlemorn.
Xenon (Dan). Half-Orc Fighter. Doesn't reveal much about his past. Been a soldier and military. Always keeping an eye on Reia.
Moradin (Paul). Hill Dwarf Cleric. Haven't seen Reia. In the hellriders because of her. Small clan of hill dwarves under attack. Saved the forge. Sent as tribute after the war.
Cara Bast (Sharon). Taxabi Monk. Doesn't bathe. Female royal family. Visiting the city. Go out and explore the world. Admires Reya.
Tenacity (Michelle). Tiefling Warlock. Hellriders got her out of a scrape. Told by her patron to serve the Hellriders. patron Companion.
Lev (Chris). Elf Wizard. Practicing to become a bladesinger. Learned magic along the way. History and arcana. Learning the history of the Hellriders. Names lost in time.
Strong Start
"Where the F... is Thavius Kreeg?" High Duke Uldar Ravengard; Ontharr Frume of Order of the Gauntlet; Gideon Lightward, head of the Hellriders. Uldar is losing control of Baldur's Gate. Cultists have grown in the city and corruption is coming with them. It is as though a poisoned seed has been planted deep in the city. The city is descending into hell. Ravengard has come for the Dragons gold.
Reya sends the characters out to hunt cultists.
Scenes
- The failed negotiation
- The wedding
- Treed by devil-wolves
- Cultist hunting
- The fall of Elturel
- The Rainbow Scarf
- Level 2
- Two weeks later at Baldur's Gate
- Elfsong Inn, meet Reya Mantlemorn
- Bathhouse, sewer lair of the Dead Three
Secrets and Clues
- Reya believes that the cultists are responsible for the fall of Elturel.
- Thavius's disappearance could be connected to the cult of the dead three.
- Flaming Fist Mercenaries have been executing Hellriders.
- Baldur's Gate has never been a nice city but it has fallen hard in corruption and bloodshed over the past six months.
- The politics of Baldur's Gate are in turmoil with Ravengard's disappearance.
- Duke Thalamra Vanthampur has been speaking against the Flaming Fist.
- Thavius Kreeg was seen in Baldur's Gate the day of Elturel's fall.
- Kreeg was seen with Vanthampur.
- The Shield of the Hidden Lord was dug out of an ancient tomb six months ago. Since then Baldur's Gate has fallen into blood and deception.
- Vanthampur's sons were responsible for the excavation.
Fantastic Locations
In the adventure.
NPCs
Reya Mantlemorn. Hellrider Lieutenant. Teenager.
Grace Lyn. Young girl. Rainbow scarf.
Tarina. CE who knows about the cultists and other secrets. The Vathampers have something that she wants.
Thavius Kreeg. Current leader of Elturel. He went to Baldur's Gate.
Duke Thalamra Vanthampur. Duke of Baldur's Gate. Hiding Thavius and the Shield.
Uldar Ravengard. High duke of Baldur's Gate
Ontharr Frume of Order of the Gauntlet
Gideon Lightward, head of the Hellriders
Monsters
Tons of cultists.
Treasure
Bane. Gauntlet that casts Searing Smite (necrotic damage)
Bhaal. Abyssal dagger that casts Vampiric Touch.
Myrkul. Skull necklace that casts Inflict Wounds.
Avrae commands
!alias rollinit multiline
!i begin
!i add 3 Cara
!i add 3 Lev
!i add 2 Tenacity
!i add 0 Moradin
!i add 2 Xenon
!i add 1 Monsters
!i list
Hey! I might be running this module pretty soon! Thank you for covering it!
Love your Content! Since I've discovered you I have fallen in love with the Lazy DM style of running a game. You are blessing to the D&D community and I'm looking forward to your future content :)
Totally agree, your content is so great Mike!
40:00 end of session 1
I love the cat tower in front of the green screen lol
I’m doing session 0 for an online Descent campaign today. We will begin with Fall of Elturel. Thanks for the recommendation
So excited to see your take on this adventure! I’ve been running it for several months and our group is about half way through. Thanks !!
16:33
Mike 3 years ago: "I worry that the marketing team is getting too involved"
Me, now: Hoo, boy...
Very good and funny videos bring a great sense of entertainment!
Any advice on mixing Tyranny of Dragons with Descent into Avernus?
My group started with Tyranny and when they got to Elturel I ran the Fall of Elturel.
Hey I got Return of The Lazy Dungeon Master on Audible and liked it. Looking forward to hearing about this campaign...
What notepad app is that? :o Love your Lazy DM books, and I'm also gearing up to run Descent Into Avernus -- so this is perfect. It's also a solo/1-player campaign, so I found your article on that helpful too. Thank you for doing what you do!
Sublime but I've recently switched to notion.so and love it
Personally I think the "Decent into Waterdeep" storyline is the easiest way to run this campaign
I think I agree that this adventure does suffer the same way some of the other adventures suffer. The early adventures are just wack compared to the mid to late game.
And you hit what I struggled with tomb of annihilation. Tomb of annihilation just works best if you skip a few levels.
So I came here looking for some prep for the module. I already bought it but you spent 20 minutes bashing it.
Elturel isn't shown in the beginning of Descent because per the adventure in the book your characters are supposed to be Baldurians who are a part of an active group in Baldur's Gate who have just done some kind of evil thing which cements their bond; which, in turn, is EASY justification for why their conscription is a do it or die deal.
I SUPER agree that this is about as clear as mud if you just open the book and skim, but that's why there's all the Baludr's Gate variants for backgrounds in the book, and the purpose of the section of the Dark Secret.
You just have an *entirely* different premise here, which is fine, I'm not saying your ideas aren't great. But ya, it's just a total different idea for what the group playing the adventure is supposed to even be.
Who's here in 2022? BG3 maybe last quarter of 2023.
What was the dmsguild adventure again?
Fall of Elturel
Fall of Elturel: www.dmsguild.com/product/294663/Baldurs-Gate-The-Fall-of-Elturel?affiliate_id=70406 Its awesome.
can you link your discord?
Why not just skip Elfsong all together? Tarinas entire involvement is to get the players to the dungeon of the dead three, which Fall of Elturel covers