Dragonnewt March

[Erol of Backford]

So reading the old 1989 Elder Races Book, p.108 I see the Dragonewt March scenario. the PC's are more or less abducted into becoming dragonewt caravan guards or whatever. They head through Ormsgone Vale, the Kingdom of Aggar, Skanthi tribal areas and Dorastor. They then will cross the Kartolin Pass and descend into Ralios, Ormsland followed by Bad Deal Pass. Nidan Mountains and on to Fronela through Jonating territory and their goal Sog City.

I've had this book for over 30 years and don't recall this but then again without the help of this forum I'd not have known what to thing of all potential this epically long journey could entail.

Why don't the dragonewts use their roads to travel over to near Sog City or are there none heading that direction. Where is the best map of these?

It seems they will bump into Dwarves a lot along the way and so  am curious as to potential long term dwarf - dragonewt relations and what would go on when they meet and have festivities with lots of raw meat and dirt to be eaten... must be a great time. What do dragonewts drink to get a buzz or are they just normally high (they act weird all the time already) and well do dwarves drink, what would be their equivalent to alcohol?

Besides Dorestor there are so many fun encounters that can and would take place on this trip. Any random ideas along the way?

How long would it take to travel this 1,500 miles a good bit through mountains...

What do dragonewts want in Sog?

Maybe take a steamer home.

[metcalph]

There are no extant dragonewts road networks outside Dragon Pass and Kralorela. 

The Dragonewts may be trying to commune with the corpse of a Dragon in a Waertagi City Shop. 

[jajagappa]

2 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

So reading the old 1989 Elder Races Book, p.108 I see the Dragonewt March scenario.

It originally appeared in WF#14. What it noted there (might be in the Elder Races book, too, but don't recall):

THE DRAGONEWT PARTY The entire party consists of 53 dragonewts and newtlings plus one wyrm and one young triceratops. The party is under the leadership of Master Lord Prince of Four Jewels, a full priest with great magics. He is also the official emissary of the Sibilant Tongue of Ouroboros (vulgarly called the 'Inhuman King' by unbelievers) and he is attempting to fulfill several diplomatic and magical operations during this epic journey.

Further on in reference to the newtlings it notes: The newtlings are being brought along as porters and food. They may also be used as gifts for the dragonewts of Ralios if deemed useful. - which suggests there is some diplomatic trade to be made with the Ralian dragonewts.

The slaves are carrying, in total: 3 packets of ritual items; 5 packages of extra obsidian weapons; 3 packets of gifts for the Ralios dragonewts; 3 packages of human money (approx. 4758 Lunars), mostly in gold and gems.

THE TRICERATOPS This trained battle dinosaur is intended to be a gift for a Ralios dragonewt priest which the Master knows, that is, if it survives. The party known of some of the dangers facing them in the land of Dorastor and the triceratops is intended to be heavy support against some of these foes.

More on their route: Once through Dorastor they will cross the Kartolin Pass and descend into Ralios. There are many dragonewts there, all barbarians, but the Master expects to negotiate or fight his way through them. The triceratops is intended to be a gift for one strong tribe which he knows of and was friendly with the last time he contacted them (about 180 years ago). Master Lord.Prince has mentioned that they will be visiting the fabled Marshes of Ralios to retrieve something, but he will mention no more than that.

And on the final goal: The final goal is the ancient and legendary city of Sag, at the far edge of the world. The dragonewts know through legends and history that this land is filled with godless beings and iron-dad warriors. The city is also reputed to have a famous University where the atheists study skills and arts which are great and wonderous but are filled with temptations to fall into mundane ways of life. There, in that city of legend and danger and sin lies the final goal of the party. Only Master Lord-Prince knows what that is.

2 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

What do dragonewts want in Sog?

As Peter suggested, most likely this has to do with a Waertagi sea-dragon. Maybe communing with one's corpse. Or maybe welcoming one home (they haven't been seen since the Closing, but the Hero Wars approach and the Waertagi will return). Or maybe recovering the bones or eye of one from where they are held by the Brithini within the Brass Walls. 

2 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

Any random ideas along the way?

I think if you trace the route in the Guide, you'll have more than enough potential random encounters. But certainly you've got trolls in Halikiv, Chaos in Dorastor, barbarous dragonewts and werewolves in Ralios, dwarfs in Nida, Orlanthi, Jonatings, Loskalmi, ...

[metcalph]

I'll have to backtrack and say there are Dragonewt Roads in Ralios.

Quote

A network of invisible roads accessible only to
dragonewts crosses their lands. Much of the
continent was once interconnected, but many
roads were broken apart when the Empire of
the Wyrms Friends was betrayed and fell.

The roads are marked by peculiar
standing stones which appear mostly to
be crude and stylized representations of
dragons, wyrms, and an otherwise unknown
thing vulgarly called a “frogosaurus” in
Dragon Pass and Peloria, a “ken majee”
in Kralorela and Teleos, and a “hurler” in
Ralios.

[...]

In many places in Peloria, Ralios, and
Kralorela, stretches of dragonewt road are
visible, but unusable because no departure
sites are connected to them

Guide p76 - Bolding mine.

In addition, there's also the small manner of how the Ralian Dragonewts got to Dragon Pass for the Battle of the Smoking Ruins.  I don't think this travel is common because the Dragonewt March isn't using them despite being fairly high-ranking.  It may be that Ormsland has a one-way road that allows them to reach Dragon Pass but not return.

[Joerg]

THe only fully functional dragonewt roads we know about in the Third Age are the two runic systems - the dragonewt rune in Dragon Pass, and the Godunya/Dragon rune in Kralorela (formed mainly by Godunya's bridges, possibly to revive routes that might have been lost due to the Dragon's Awakening Shudder, or possibly built in imitation of the Dragon Pass system in the core EWF lands that he had visited).

Ambient EWF magic may well have empowered less static dragonewt roads into the distant outskirts of dragonewt presence in central Peloria and in Ralios. Alakoring may have been involved in taking some of these down.

Whether such a hypothetical road persisted into the Inhuman Occupation of Dragon Pass is unknown. The newts in question might well have been questing to regain an Inhuman King to undo the damage done to their colonies by Alakoring. Possibly the gifts in the caravan contain a remedy for their loss, restarting the Ormsland colony as a civilized tribe.

[jajagappa]

5 hours ago, metcalph said:

I'll have to backtrack and say there are Dragonewt Roads in Ralios.

...

In many places in Peloria, Ralios, and
Kralorela, stretches of dragonewt road are
visible, but unusable because no departure
sites are connected to them

Perhaps this is a significant clue as to the purpose of the Dragonewts March?!  They are going to reconnect the roads and the rebuild the departure sites! 

And if they do it right, they can make a dragonewt road that reaches to Sog City. (Dorastor and Nida are most likely the most difficult sections to reconnect.)

 

[g33k]

19 hours ago, Erol of Backford said:

...

Why don't the dragonewts use their roads to travel over to near Sog City or are there none heading that direction. Where is the best map of these?

...

To me, the obvious solution is to say that they have several critical tasks to undertake along the route; indeed, it may be something en route (not the ostensible goal in Sog City) that is the primary reason for the trip, but something about the "doing" of this thing requires them to go onward from there, after "completing" the thing (else it's not been done "right").

Because it's fewkin' Dragonewts.

Some of the en-route tasks likely involve figuring out what needs doing (in concrete terms), how to get it done, etc (i.e. PC investigations); because Things Have Changed in the thousand years or so since the 'newts last passed this way.

Edited May 1 by g33k

[Jens]

I read the title as "Dragonewt Merch", and was all excited about upcoming plushies and t-shirts on Redbubble...

[Erol of Backford]

18 hours ago, metcalph said:

In addition, there's also the small manner of how the Ralian Dragonewts got to Dragon Pass for the Battle of the Smoking Ruins

I didn't trace the route on the map yet but could easily enough adjust it so they go past the Smoking Ruins... it's surely a good plot hook for future. Thanks for that.

12 hours ago, Joerg said:

fully functional dragonewt roads

Maybe they are going west to add plinth to repair or expand the roads... the large dino could be carrying them or maybe they make a "Bad Deal" with the dwarves who carve new ones for them or use "stone sorcery" to make them on location for the dragonewts? This gives direct purpose to the trip beyond any item in Sog City that might exist.

 Is there anything which make dwarves and dragonewts friends that could help make this even better as they are passing through a good bit of dwarven territory or near to it I am guessing. Again need to look at the full route.

What is the rough distance between pinths? Looks to be about 14-17 hexes at 5 miles a hex 60-85 miles... maybe the PC's have a stone mason with some dwarven taught sorcery and they actually help make the plinths? They'd need like 7 of them to get to the dragonewts in 

LOL there is a picture of this in the GtG p.72

"Ralios - A dragonewt colony was founded by Dragon’s Eye in the First Age. It kept close ties to Dragon Pass until its rulers and its magical roads were destroyed by Alakoring Dragonbreaker in the late Second Age. Since then, its dragonewts have become increasingly wild and their behavior is more erratic and irrational than that of other dragonewts."

So there we have it, rebuild the plinths and re-civilize the Ralios dragonewts? The PC's need to help negotiate lease agreements (tributes) with locals to permit the plinths and then build them or rebuild them?

13 hours ago, Joerg said:

The newts in question might well have been questing to regain an Inhuman King to undo the damage done to their colonies by Alakoring. Possibly the gifts in the caravan contain a remedy for their loss, restarting the Ormsland colony as a civilized tribe.

Exactly.

13 hours ago, jajagappa said:

They are going to reconnect the roads and the rebuild the departure sites! 

At least into Ralios...

13 hours ago, jajagappa said:

Dorastor and Nida are most likely the most difficult sections to reconnect.

So they trade with dwarves and Ralzakark (would dragonewts deal with chaos) and if not then they find a location up in the mountains where no one but Telmori go?

9 hours ago, g33k said:

(in concrete terms)

Maybe in granite, what are the plinths made of? Must be very sturdy stone or that which is magically protected...

6 hours ago, Jens said:

"Dragonewt Merch"

If they were selling Beat-Pot t-shirts I'd have bought one...

I think this thread just generated a whole year of game time. Best if only the first plinth is set and then at some dragonewt time in the near future its time for the next one to be set. I suppose it's like the Glowline in a way? How do dragonewts consecrate a travel plinth?

Thanks everyone.

[jajagappa]

36 minutes ago, Erol of Backford said:

How do dragonewts consecrate a travel plinth?

By sacrificing a sentient being with the Man and Movement Runes!

[RHW]

I ran this as a campaign decades ago for several years. In my campaign, the roads are broken through Dorastor, which is why the March can't zip through there. So the PCs are charged with repairing the roads. All they have to do is walk to the extant plinths scattered through Dorastor and tap each of them with a magically charged klanth. Touching a plinth discharges the klanth, so then they have to walk back to the Dragonewt camp (at an old ruined Nysaloran castle in Skanthiland) and have it recharged so they can do it again. Repeat until road is complete or all PCs are dead. What could go wrong? I mean, one of the last plinths is in Fort Wrath. It'll be fine.

Turned out to be a great campaign. Probably one of my favorites ever.

Edited May 2 by RHW

[soltakss]

11 hours ago, RHW said:

I ran this as a campaign decades ago for several years. In my campaign, the roads are broken through Dorastor, which is why the March can't zip through there. So the PCs are charged with repairing the roads. All they have to do is walk to the extant plinths scattered through Dorastor and tap each of them with a magically charged klanth. Touching a plinth discharges the klanth, so then they have to walk back to the Dragonewt camp (at an old ruined Nysaloran castle in Skanthiland) and have it recharged so they can do it again. Repeat until road is complete or all PCs are dead. What could go wrong? I mean, one of the last plinths is in Fort Wrath. It'll be fine.

That sounds great. Do you mind if we used this idea in one of our Dorastor supplements?

On 4/30/2024 at 9:56 PM, Erol of Backford said:

So reading the old 1989 Elder Races Book, p.108 I see the Dragonewt March scenario. the PC's are more or less abducted into becoming dragonewt caravan guards or whatever. They head through Ormsgone Vale, the Kingdom of Aggar, Skanthi tribal areas and Dorastor. They then will cross the Kartolin Pass and descend into Ralios, Ormsland followed by Bad Deal Pass. Nidan Mountains and on to Fronela through Jonating territory and their goal Sog City.

I had forgotten that the scenario entered Dorastor. It would be good to expand on that, or at least touch on it, for one of our Dorastor supplements.

@Godlearner Maybe we need a Draconic supplement, linking with Draconic Enlightenment and the Chaos Dragon.

[Godlearner]

7 hours ago, soltakss said:

@Godlearner Maybe we need a Draconic supplement, linking with Draconic Enlightenment and the Chaos Dragon.

Open a document for  topics. I know we have about four or five on it as is with like 3 in the work in progress state. We can work on prioritising them.

[Erol of Backford]

12 hours ago, soltakss said:

Maybe we need a Draconic supplement, linking with Draconic Enlightenment and the Chaos Dragon.

And it all starts with touching the column of truestone after defeating the Great Lizard and Whiteye. Link that to the The Ruin on the Stream scenario, Dragonewt Hunters from Sartar Companion and several other dragonewt scenarios... easily to lead to the Dragonewt March and onto Dorastor.

I would imagine if you get the plinths working again for the dragonewts through Dorastor into Ralios they might just give you one of those nifty swords that ignore dragon armor... 

Tie all that into Company of the Dragon and you have a few years of game time.

[RHW]

On 5/2/2024 at 10:53 PM, soltakss said:

That sounds great. Do you mind if we used this idea in one of our Dorastor supplements?

 

Feel free!

[RHW]

On 5/3/2024 at 12:05 PM, Erol of Backford said:

And it all starts with touching the column of truestone after defeating the Great Lizard and Whiteye. Link that to the The Ruin on the Stream scenario, Dragonewt Hunters from Sartar Companion and several other dragonewt scenarios... easily to lead to the Dragonewt March and onto Dorastor.

I would imagine if you get the plinths working again for the dragonewts through Dorastor into Ralios they might just give you one of those nifty swords that ignore dragon armor... 

Tie all that into Company of the Dragon and you have a few years of game time.

It took so long to activate all the plinths in Dorastor, my PCs actually settled in the castle, repaired it, attracted a bunch of settlers (White Moon Lodrili mostly), formed an alliance with the local trolls, and formed a local government (The Order of the Dragon). The Dragonewts let them stay behind once they entered Ralios.