Canonfire!

EltonJ · Apprentice Greytalker Joined: Oct 29, 2018 Posts: 12

I have Return to the Keep on the Borderlands and I plan to run it with my online group on the Paizo forums. The adventure sets the Keep and the Caves of Chaos in the Yeomanry. I was wondering if you have other ideas on where the Keep is located.

jamesdglick · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:52 am Post subject:

I haven't bought the Return, yet. I hear a lot of it is problematic.

I put the keep just east of the meeting of the Jewel and the Handmaiden (just turn the map 90 degrees). The geography also fits in nicely with the Dungeon Magazine adventure "Wedding Bells"; just add the keep. ;)

I think Sir X has it in the Vesve.

Raymond · Adept Greytalker Joined: Oct 07, 2008 Posts: 326

Kendall Keep is listed in Yeomanry on the maps found at:

https://ghmaps.net/

I think that's interesting because Gygax seems to have said he didn't consider it a Greyhawk-specific module yet he recommended placement by Pomarj. Sorry, I didn't record my source.

JasonZavoda · Encyclopedia Greyhawkaniac Joined: May 29, 2018 Posts: 37

In my campaign the Keep is a standard template for borderland forts. In Geoff at least 3 were destroyed during the Giant invasions and one is such a haunted locale that it keeps reliving the week of its destruction over and over again. I pull out the Keep anywhere in hill or mountainous territory across the Flanaess

vestcoat · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 11:58 am Post subject:

Russ Taylor's old "repair" article is required reading for Return to the Keep on the Borderlands:
https://web.archive.org/web/20051230043312/http://www.cmc.net:80/~rtaylor/greyhawk/repair.txt

Author John D. Rateliff went on record that he never intended it to be a GH adventure or knew WotC was going to brand it as such, which explains many of its problems fitting into GH.

RttKotB also ropes Quesqueton into the vicinity. Mike Carr intended Quesqueton for Rockegg Pass north of Tenh, not the Yeomanry. IMC, both B1 & B2 are there.

Of course, Ulek or the Pomarj are obvious choices for B2 and fans have long played the module before, during, or after Gygax's other intro scenario, T1. If you want a solid plotline to tie B2 to the ToEE, check out Kuntz' comments in WG8:
https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=47909&p=1121318#p1128482
The Temple stirs up humanoids in the Pomarj (including the Caves of Chaos), to raid Ulek and Celene and draw attention away from the North.

Note that the KotB GH novel is completely generic and only mentions two GH gods, no locations.

Lanthorn · Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 4:44 pm Post subject:

I am planning to use this module in a future campaign and intend to place it off in the Cairn Hills in the border area between Greyhawk City and Duchy of Urnst, likely above the Mistmarsh, or just east of it, along the Urnst Trail.

-Lanthorn

jamesdglick · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2018 1:22 pm Post subject:

SirXaris · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 4:34 pm Post subject:

SirXaris · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 4:45 pm Post subject:

Sorry, double post. Neutral

SirXaris
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EltonJ · Apprentice Greytalker Joined: Oct 29, 2018 Posts: 12

It's alright. The facebook group was also lively with suggestions as to where to put Return as well as B2. I guess Wizards had the adventure put into Greyhawk to stir up interest in Greyhawk.

ragnar · Master Greytalker Joined: Aug 09, 2001 Posts: 629

While I'm finishing up B1 with my new group in the rift Canyon, B2 seems like the perfect transition. However, I'm also going to take the keep and place it in the rift Canyon itself. The caves will be in a completely different place, and eventually the party will make it to the keep which has been completely overthrown and taken over by gnolls. In this version, their job will be to get rid of the gnolls and allow the keep to be resettled.

The return to the keep fussing to be a little odd, and I'm not really sure I like the caves. I'll probably use the original. I haven't decided yet, and I'll probably repopulate it with totally different things anyways. I just can't in good conscience put another helpless woman captive that turns out to be a Medusa in there!

Raymond · Adept Greytalker Joined: Oct 07, 2008 Posts: 326

The topography doesn't seem right to have B1 where it's designated in the Return map. It makes more sense to me that somewhere on that map is a portal to B1. I like the idea of placing B1 where Ratik, Tenh, and Pale sort of meet.

Rakhir · Novice Joined: Aug 21, 2009 Posts: 1

Back in the day I used to place the keep near the Pomarj & Suss, I now have it bordering Veluna & Verbobonc, where the south edge of the forest meets the Kron Hills.

After fussing with the Return and Repair of, the best choice was to go with the original! Those who had played it before had many years for their memories to fade, besides no-one ever explored beyond the first few caves before moving on to something else. . .

My only two takeaways from the Return module were the name Kendall Keep, and the addition of a stream flowing down the center of the Caves area, a nice feature to indicate 0 elevation. An important reminder (to me at least) that the 1st/central line of elevation on the map is 25 feet up; the bottom was often perceived as a flat plane.

My one takeaway from the Repair document was to increase the scale of the area map, although I use 6 squares = 1 mile and redrew the map to maintain relative size of some features.

heychadwick · Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 5:24 am Post subject:

I put it in Furyondy on the border with the Horned Society. Taking the players through Iuz's return and the Greyhawk Wars. Started off with King Belvor IV trying to start a Norrthern Crusade, but the southern lords refused to pay for it. The players ended up at the keep and no war.

Iuz sent a few agents to restart a temple to him that was built at an evil spot when Iuz had invaded the first time. It is how I introduced Iuz to the new players. Iuz wants to cause issues for Furyondy, but no one believes he's really back.