A New Chapter

So, I have some really good friends. They’re awesome guys, we’ve known each other since we were 3, and we always have a great time together when we hang out. Problem is, they’ve never touched an rpg in their life (they’re twins). And here I am, trying to figure out how to get them involved in D&D, especially since they saw Stranger Things and want to play D&D now. Plus, they love marvel and star wars and lord of the rings and harry potter and tabletop games and video games of all varieties and dress up as star wars characters for halloween.

Problem is, I already screwed it up twice.

I tried introducing them via a game called “Dread”, a light-rules rpg that allows them to understand the nuances of their character. Problem is, I sent them a handout (which they didn’t read) so we ended up with some weird characters, and they lost interest quickly.

Second time around, I sit down to play a game of the Dragon Age RPG. I prepped for it, had dice out, had the rulebooks, had some music playing in the background off my PS4, had some other players, and ran a one-shot for them. Problem is, they didn’t understand the rules and got irritated quickly (it was also creeping on to 11 at night and they’d already been up to like 2 the previous night). It didn’t help that we were really close to finishing the adventure and I was trying to convey that to them, but they were tired and lost disinterest. Again.

Crap.

So now I’ve bought D&D 4e, which I’ve heard is a great way to transition video gamers to roleplayers. After reading through Keep on the Shadowfell, I can tell they’re going to get bored quickly. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to revise at least parts of it to make it more exciting and a better story to invest them in rp-ing and tabletop gaming on a whole. As such, I’ll be posting at least some of my revisions to the original adventure on the whole up here to keep track of what I’m doing and to (hopefully) help anyone who will be running (or is running [highly unlikely]) KotS for their own group.

**SPOILERS**

First off, I’m going to start with the bland-ole NPCs of Winterhaven. they’re just not very good. Who’s Ninaren? What’s her ulterior motive? Why is she bitter, and why is she helping Kalarel? For that matter, who’s Kalarel? Why’s he doing what he’s doing? Hopefully, though asking myself these questions, I’ll have a better pulse on who these NPCs are and bring them to life at the table.

*Note*: I will not be covering every NPC listed, only those with any real importance to the main plot. Take my changes worth a grain of salt. 🙂

1st in the Batting Order: the one-and-only Kalarel!

Character Blurb: Kalarel is slightly insane. He once was a normal wizard by the name of Candor Quinn, but fate had other plans for him. While researching the ruins of Shadowfell Keep and ensuring that no threats were contained within,  the same dark forces of evil that had tainted the Keep over 200 years ago wormed their way into his mind and showed him a twisted vision of the future of an unstoppable force from across the sea killing everything in its path (foreshadowing 0w0), and more importantly, destroying every trace of the people that had lived here in the Vale before. To Kalarel, history was a mirror of the future, and to avoid the coming disaster came to believe in a future of expendable & reusable soldiers that would protect the Vale from the encroaching conquerors.  He believes this is the only way to save the Vale from the dream he had. He’s incredibly narrow-minded in his goal, so it would be very difficult for the PCs to change his mind. He leaves his dream and plans in notes, letters, and journals he leaves scattered throughout the region, helping the PCs understand his position before they face him.

2nd up: Ninaran.

Character Blurb: Ninaran is a double-agent. She was a good friend of Kalarel’s, and poses as his pawn in Winterhaven whilst secretly trying to bring his nefarious plan down. She adventured and do-gooded with him before he went insane with his dream and now tries to convince the people of Winterhaven of the danger he poses. However, being an out-towner, they don’t pay much attention to her, thinking she’s just trying to haggle for some easy coin with a fabricated story. She’s incredibly grateful for old Velthun (who believes her) but he’s not much help beyond a few magic tricks, a relation, and some lore. If she manages to persuade the PCs of her true intentions, then she’ll tell them everything she knows about what he’s doing, and is willing to even face off against Kalarel if it comes to that, although she’ll do no such thing until she pleads him to turn away from his sins. She also fears that she will fall under the influence of the Keep if she stays there much longer, so she’s desperate when the PCs first arrive in Winterhaven.

And last but not least: Velthun!

Character Blurb: Velthun is the only person from town who believes Ninaran. He may be a sage, but no-one takes him seriously. He’s often greeted with a sneer and “look it’s old man Velthun” when he enters the local pub/inn. Last year, his brother went missing near Shadowfell Keep, and he fears that it’s none other than Candor Quinn, now “Kalarel,” who is causing all the disturbances to the region around Winterhaven. His brother was always the wild one, going on adventures and dreaming up fantastic stories, and Velthun was always the timid boy being dragged along whenever their mother made Quinn watch him. He fears that his brother got a little too deep in his research, and after hearing Ninaran’s account of everything that transpired in his adventuring career, he believes that his brother is the man behind the scenes causing all the trouble, and is hellbent on helping restore his brother to proper sanity.

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That’s all for now, folks! Hoped y’all enjoyed the read, and as always. God Bless and keep rollin those d20’s!

Will C.