DM Tools - Campaigns - The Jaidor Talisman - The Journey Across Aggradar
About the Wandering
For full details, refer to Fyrren's Wandering.
Preparing for the Journey
Letters of Introduction
It's possible that the players might make friends among various magrakians while
they are enjoying their stay in Okslad. It's possible that one of the magrakians
might offer to write a "letter of introduction" for them. The players will be
heading into the Aukarian Republic next and, in that nation, formal etiquette is
the rule and letters of introduction are considered proper. A well written
letter of introduction can help the players make contact in the Aukarian
Republic.
Wagons and Horses
Okslad is a major city and the players can purchase just about anything they
want here in preparation for their journey. If they want, they can purchase fast
horses and travel light. Alternately, they could purchase a whole caravan of
heavy wagons and transport tons of gear with them. However they choose to travel
is up to them.
Journey Across Magrakor
The first leg of their long journey will be across the nation of Magrakor. They will be leaving the city of Okslad on the coast, traveling about 400 miles across rolling farmland and finally arriving at the border where they will leave Magrakor behind and plunge into the desolate canyon maze known as Fyrren's Wandering.
Most of their journey will be on a major road paralleling the Murky River. They will pass through numerous towns and villages. Finally, at the highest navigable point on the river, they will come across the last major town known as Ufsdol. At any of these towns and villages, the locals can tell the players about Fyrren's Wandering. After leaving Ufsdol, they will be heading up into foothills. The farms and villages will become much more sparse. Finally, the land becomes rocky and jagged as cliff walls rise up sharply.
Into the Wandering
The road goes between two of these cliffs and plunges into these badlands. Almost immediately, it will feel like the players have entered another world. The clatter of their horses hooves will echo eerily off the canyon's walls. The canyon rock is parched and only the hardiest weeds grow here. The place has a foreboding loneliness to it.
Encounters in the Wandering:
1. The players come across a pair of etherbanes. (These creatures are attracted to the ambient magical energy of this place). However, they will be attracted to the party of the party has several magical items and weapons. The etherbanes will attack so that they can feed on the magic items.
2. The players come across a small, independent group of bandits. This group should be between 5 and 10 in number (depending on the strength of the party). The bandits will demand a "tax" for safe passage. If the players hand over enough money, they can go in peace. If they don't, the bandits attack. The bandits will likely lose this fight as they aren't used to encountering "hero" types and if will flee if they battle goes against them. If any of them are captured, they can tell the players about the Wandering and that the Bloodtusks, a large bandit group, has been gathering in the middle of the Wandering, preparing for something, but they don't know what.
The Way Keeps
There are five small, heavily fortified castles on the main road, spaced about a day apart from each other. (This is because the journey through the wandering is about five days for the typical caravan of wagons and horses). These castle are known as the Waykeeps. Although there are some differences between them, they are all generally the same size and architectural style. Each is about four stories tall with a huge central courtyard. Each is maintained by a small garrison of troops. The two waykeeps closest to the Magrakian border are manned by 40 magrakians each. The two waykeeps closest to the Republic border are manned by 40 Aukarians each. The central waykeep, located in the heart of the Wandering, is larger than the other four. It is manned by 30 magrakians and 30 Aukarians.
After the first day of travel through the Wandering, the players will spend the night at the first waykeep. Then they will travel another day and spend the night at the second waykeep and so on. The players may encounter other travelers who are also spending the night at the waykeep. You can make the other groups of travelers anything you want. Most of the other travelers will be either magrakian or aukarian. They may be merchants, soldiers, pilgrims or anything else.
The Crystals
The Wandering has a unique geology. The rock in Fyrren's Wandering is permeated with millions of "fyrren crystals". These are magically active crystals that radiate a kind of "magical static". This causes "friction" in the magical energies in the area. Spells will meet a certain resistance when cast in the area of fyrren crystals. This has the effect of reducing the overal strength of spells over time and severely limiting their duration. Spells that occur suddenly are not effected. However, spells that have a duration will be used up quickly. A spell that normally would stay in effect for hours would only last minutes. One that last days will only last hours. Individual fyrren crystals have little effect, but the range is great and the effect is cumulative. In Fyrren's wandering, there are millions of these crystals embedded in the rock and scattered lose in the soil. Therefore, magical effects are "used up" much more quickly than normal and have a much short duration in Fyrren's Wandering. For instance, anyone who tries to use magic to fly over the Wandering will find their magical flying ability sapped out of them and they will be forced to land in the Wandering.
The players will come across these crystals frequently. They will be jutting out of the rock and cliff walls in clusters. The crystals themselves are a smoky grey translucent color.
The Third Waykeep and the Bandit Attack
The third waykeep is larger than the others and its in the middle of the Wandering. When the players get here, they will find at least four other groups of travelers here. It's a good chance for some social interaction and roleplaying. This is probably the players' third night in the Wandering.
As night begins to fall, a huge attack will be launched against the waykeep. It's the Bloodtusks... the largest bandit group in the Wandering. This bandit group numbers well over 300, but only a portion of the Bloodtusks will attack. Why are they attacking? The Duthelm group has paid them a chest of gold to attack the waykeep and slay the players. In addition, the Duthelm group will aid the Bloodtusks with some of their own soldiers, a few magical items and a great iron automaton (iron golem, construct, whatever). Feel free to throw in some summoned monsters, a minor demon, whatever. The Duthelm group has money, magic and resources. They are going to arrange for a formidable force to swoop down on the Waykeep with orders to kill everyone inside. The Bloodtusks have been promised that they can have any incidental treasure and weapons claimed from the bodies of those inside the fort. The Duthelm officers only want to make sure that the players are killed. The Duthelm group, however, is not going to risk its entire force and is sending the Bloodtusks in to do the dirty work with a few Duthelm soldiers.
There are several possible outcomes... assuming that the players live through it (because otherwise the campaign is over). They might be victorious and the waykeep defenses might hold. In this case, they manage to kill enough of the Bloodtusk bandits that the bandit group withdraws.
Another outcome is that the waykeep defenses fail, the wall is breached and the bandits flood the fort. In this case, the players will likely have to flee. Depending on how well the Bloodtusks are doing, they may choose to pursue the players. They have been promised by the Duthelm group a reward for each player killed.
Sarroch the Wise
Assuming that the players survive the attack, they still must finish getting through the Wandering. And depending on how the fight went, there may be bandits searching for them. The players still have two more days to travel before they leave the canyons behind and reach Aukaria. After the fourth waykeep, they will come across the road which leads off the main road and heads up into the hills toward the home of Sarroch the Wise.
If the players have been told about Sarroch back in the city of Okslad and if they have decided to seek our his counsel, here is where they would turn off the main road toward his home.
For full details, see House Ademar and Sarroch the Wise.
Sarroch's bodyguard, Thaine, will be cautious with the players. Once they prove to Sarroch and his servants that they are not a threat, Sarroch will welcome them. They will be treated as guests, given a good meal and even a place to stay the night, if they choose. While in his house, Sarroch assures them that Thaine will protect them.
It's likely that the players will have many questions for Sarroch. Sarroch will be able to tell the players a great deal about the Aukarian Republic, the Kalanos Marshes, the Sorcerer King and the Chaddamar Republic. He can tell them much about culture, etiquette, history and such. He simply knows a great deal on every subject. He is a master of many languages, a poet, a philosopher, a minstrel, a historian, a scholar and a mage. He will be able to answer most of their questions.
Regarding the Desolation of Shidar, he will be able to tell them the basics - that it is a wasteland that lies behind a great wall which separates it from the Chaddamar Theocracy. He will also be able to tell them that a great horde of monsters sweeps through the Desolation once each summer. Although he as never been there himself, he has heard tales. Sarroch can tell them that the Chaddamarians are a fearful people. Their religion states that the Desolation is cursed and forbids them from entering the Desolation. All maps of the region have long been destroyed. However, even though the Chaddamarians are fearful of it, there are some foreigners who have dared enter the Desolation and a precious few have returned. Sarroch knows of two individuals who have been into the Desolation on more than one occasion and could serve as a guide. Sarroch strongly advises the group to seek one of them out and not to go into the Desolation without a guide. He says that to enter without an expert guide is certain death.
One of those individuals is a famous hunter named Bresarc. However, Sarroch knows that that Bresarc is in Padashan on Qeshir and will not be back for several months. The other is an Aukarian lord who lives in the capital city of Brulan. His name is Verran and he heads up an Aukarian House. He is also a hunter and collector of rare curios. Sarroch states that it would be wise for them to ask him to guide them into the Desolation. If there is the promise of adventure, treasure and the possibility of finding relics, they may be able to persuade him. "Make haste", advises Sarroch, "if you wish to beat the coming of the Horde".
The players will leave Sarroch's house now armed with a wealth of information about the continent of Aggradar, the countries that they will soon be travelling through and the mysterious peninsula that their map is leading them to. The next step in their journey is to get to the Aukarian Republic, find Lord Verran and convince him to help them in there quest.
Leaving the Wandering
After five full days of travel the players, dusty and tired, will eventually come to the east side of the canyons. The canyons quite suddenly end and the main road spills out onto an expanse of grassy plains. The players will soon come to a crossroads and the main road splits into three directions - west, north and east. There is a signpost at the crossroads with four signs - one pointing in each direction. Each sign is written in Magrakian and in Aukarian.
The sign pointing to the north reads
: "To Brulan".
The sign pointing to the west reads: "To Centrey"
The sign pointing to the east reads: "To Aschandi"
The sign pointing to the south points back into the Wandering, where the players have just come from. It reads: "Fyrren's Wandering".
Assuming the players are going to find Lord Verran, they will be traveling north to Brulan.
This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.