Internet Gaming
AD&D on the World Wide Web
For almost a year now, I have been playing AD&D over the Net at a great Site called Macray's Keep. The Keep is a specialized Site designed to give both players and Game Masters a complete role-playing environment. Through the Keep, interested players can browse through the 'Open Games List' and apply to join any of the games listed therein. Game Masters also apply at the Site in order to set up their games. Currently, the Keep has over two dozen games up and running, and the number keeps increasing. But the very best thing about Macray's Keep is that it is ABSOLUTELY FREE for both Game Masters and Players. No, this is not a paid advertisement. If you don't believe me, or especially if you do, go and check out the Keep here:
Enigma of the Ejderhallarin Kralli
Who would have thought? A motley band of adventurers, as diverse as could be imagined, meet by chance and go traipsing off to save the world. Well, okay, so the premise isn't that original, but that's how it all began. A chance meeting in a small inn in the tiny fishing village of Oyster brings the Player Characters together in their quest - an event that seems all the more improbable when one considers that the party's very first fight was against each other. (Fortunately, no one was seriously injured - though one character was unconscious for the rest of the afternoon). But no sooner does the fight seem to be settled when the ranger Hawkwind leads the party out of the comfort of the inn and off into the wilderness of adventure. And thus does the group's search for the mysterious Conclave of Dragons begin.
But the mystery is not to be easily solved. First, the group arrives at the outskirts of the ruins of the ancient city of Roam - once the centre of civilization, now an abandoned wreck. That is not to say that the city did not have its share of denizens. Upon entering the city, the party faced their second fight of the adventure - a battle with three vicious Orcs (a battle in which one of the characters almost died - shows you how good we are!) After the Orcs were vanquished, the party began the exploration of the city, and discovered that to solve the mystery, they would have to delve not only into the ancient ruins, but into their own often darkened pasts.
Shortly after the orcs' defeat, however, three gigantic Red Dragons appeared from above! Snatching Hawkwind, the ranger and leader of the group, from the party's midst, they disapeared once more into the sky. The party watched helplessly as the dragons disapeared from sight. But even this could not shake them from their goal.
While exploring the ancient city, the party came upon a strange, domed building that seemed to be of some importance. After finally bypassing the magical locks on the structure, they entered, to find a huge variety of golden treasures, apparently all to be used for some special ceremony. The wonder of the party was short-lived however, as the guardians of the building suddenly sprang to life - 27 giant snakes, formerly painted frescoes on the outer pillars, now deadly creatures seeking to destroy the intruding party! In the end, though, the snakes turned out to be nothing but illusions - mere figments of the party's imagination (though once again, one character almost died in the fight).
Following the battle, a magical crisis arose for one of the characters. Using magic, she and one of the others were whisked away to a far-away town, leaving the others to continue the exploration. In the city, the two characters (one of whom was my own character) not only solved their dilemna, but encountered some important persons from both the characters' backgrounds. Though they were on the brink of discovering some interesting information, a divine vision forced the two to return to their companions, who had just suffered the effects of an underground explosion.
Following the reuniting of the party, the group continued to delve deeper into the underground catacomb, which had been discovered by the other party members. After solving a few puzzles, and triggering their fair share of traps, the party eventually discovered a room filled with ancient scrolls, and a trap door leading to an even lower level of the complex. Finished with puzzling over the mysterious scrolls, the intrepid adventurers then descended into the depths, where they faced their greatest challenge yet!
The dracolich wanted nothing more than to reap revenge on those that imprisoned it there. But in our case, it had to settle for an ancestor and his friends.
The battle raged fiercely, as the undying hatred of Falfinir clashed with the passionate courage of the adventurers. A mighty blast of fiery breath dropped
two characters out of the battle (one of which was yours truly - hmph). But with a massive blow from the glowing, dragon-slaying sword Balmung, Falfinir was defeated
and the party left to tend to their wounded.
After some small recovery, physically if not psychologically, a few of the characters did a small bit of exploring. Too tired to press on, however, the party agreed
to rest for a few days in order to recover from the devastating battle. Then, following in the foot-steps of their forward 'scouts', the group made their way out of
the catacombs and into what appeared to be a marble mausoleum. Though the elaborate frescoes carved into the walls warranted much inspection, the brave adventurers knew
that something was amiss - a fact reinforced by the discovery of an invisible cloak left against one of the walls.
Just at that point, the suddenly hungry part detected the scent of food wafting in through the entrance to the crypt. Following their noses, they discovered not only
the food, but the chef as well - a mysterious mage calling himself Kerendal. After grilling the mage extensively, the party decided that a formal council needed to
be held in order to put all the facts into their place. Just as they were planning this, however, a mysterious, black-shafted arrow hit a tree within inches of the
paladin Ghealdin's head.
Deciding that a more defensible position was in order for their great 'Council', the party set off for the the Theatre of Marcellus. As the lights dim, and the ninja
Xizor takes the floor, the party waits in tense anticipation. This is how things stand now - as the intrepid adventurers seek to piece together the puzzle that may
lead them to the mysterious Conclave of Dragons!
Reaper (Player: Jeff Long - me)
Corren Ravenwood Fairyleg (Player: Brannon Hollingsworth) Ghealdin Noldisfanir (Player: Jason Stephens) Illyria El Adria (Player: Glynn McGlowan) Kerendal (Player: Randy Wirth) Kharon Sylvansmoke (Player: Adam Walsh) Lithera (Player: Megan Lehto) Tiele Mist (Player: Angie Haynes) Xanthia (Player: Lori Holmes) Xizor (Player: Jagdeep Addagarla) Yooper (Player: Jack Lehto)
A young bard-lass whose ever-so-slightly pointed ears give a hint as to her half-elven heritage. Corren (Correy, to her friends)
had been in residence at the inn where the characters met for some time. Always ready with a song to cheer up the stalwart adventurers,
her cheerful nature conceals her steely determination. Following Hawkwind's kidnapping, she swore a blood oath that she would not
rest until he was found. Not even the fact that she was blinded by the explosion in the catacombs has managed to shake off her determination
to fulfill her oath.
A paladin and a devoted priest of Oghma, the red-bearded Ghealdin hails from the north. Always ready with a grin and a friendly comment,
the giant Ghealdin knows no fear when it comes to battle. As the descendant of the hero Cormac, Ghealdin now wields the mighty sword
Balmung, and used it to slay the Dracolich, Falfinir. As the party's self-appointed scribe, he is known for delivering his famous 'summaries',
which help the group immensely in solving the mystery of the Edjerhalarin Kralli.
Though not half as grim or unsociable as the Reaper, the roguish elf called Illyria also garbs himself in a deep black cloak. Skilled in sword-play and
many of the official 'thieving skills', Illyria is, in his own words, "a cheat, a liar and many other things that would probably offend you".
The somewhat irritable Illyria and the group's former leader Hawkwind were seldom able to see eye-to-eye on any given issue. However, despite these
traits, the young elf has never failed to put his life on the line when the party is in danger.
Kerendal is the brave party's newest member. Encountered under very suspicious circumstances in the ruins of Roam, the young mage claims to be the
apprentice of some mage named Solar. If Kerendal can be believed, Solar was supposed to join the party himself, but sent the young Kerendal in his stead.
Despite his many attempts at flattery, however, the black-cloaked and cobwebby-haired mage has not yet succeeded in winning the trust of all the members of the
party.
Beneath his black cloak, a common item of dress, it would seem, the elven mage Kharon wears the red robes of the Mages of Neutrality. He is well-known
for the small, knowing smile that sometimes graces his sylvan features. He is equally well-known, however, for his abilities of perception and reasoning.
The ebony-haired elf's favorite spells seem to be illusions of any sort. Though physically he is among the weakest in the party, his magical powers and, perhaps
even more importantly, his keen perception and intelligence more than make up for this short-coming.
A wandering woman raised by gypsies, Lithera is skilled in the arts of fighting and thievery. Her most unusual power, however, seems to be her ability to
predict the future using the mystic Tarot cards. Somewhat touchy about the fact that many people think that the words 'gypsy' and 'thief' are synonymous,
Lithera's best friend seems to be her horse, Hevonen. For some reason, she seems to bear this strange, superstitious and TOTALLY UNFOUNDED grudge against
yours truly. I simply have no idea why.
The beautiful elven mage Tiele has an even stranger 'past' than most of the characters - for she is, in fact, from a time one thousand years in the future!
When searching for the Conclave of Dragons in her own time, Tiele was sucked through some kind of time-rift, and ended up in the middle of the party's quest
for the Conclave in their own time. Believing it to be her only chance of ever returning home, Tiele has joined in on the mysterious quest. Unlike any mage
from our time, Tiele wears robes of blue, for in the time that she comes from, the color of one's robes do not matter. Despite being prone to melancholy concerning
her chances of returning home, her sylvan beauty seems to have captured the heart of the roguish Illyria.
The priestess Xanthia is blessed with both a devout faith in the goddess of nature, Gaea, and a strong personality. However, one of her greatest skills is her knowledge of herbs and healing,
a knowledge that has often saved many members of the party. Originally from the distant Faroff Island, the 'lady in green' had long been on a quest for blood-vengeance against
the man who had murdered her family and sacked her homeland. In the beginning of the adventure, she mistook our good friend the Reaper for that very man, an event which resulted in
the party's first 'battle'. However, as the story-line of the adventure has progressed, Xanthia has finally forsaken the dark quest for vengeance that has consumed her for years untold.
If only certain black-cloaked maniacs could do the same.
Originally posing as a merchant from the far-away eastern lands, Xizor is in fact a ninja of the Clan of the Dragon. A professional and a perfectionist in the true sense of the words,
Xizor has taken the leadership role in the party after the kidnapping of Hawkwind. Sent by his clan chieftains on a mission so secret that not even he knew what it was, Xizor now believes
that he is to be the great arbitrator for the upcoming Conclave of Dragons. Usually polite and courteous to both friend and foe alike, Xizor's deadly fighting skills spell certain doom
for anyone foolish enough to threaten himself or the party.
The giant half-ogre, Yooper, is a healer, and a devout follower of his God, Thor. Yooper is actually from a time long in the past, where he was placed into some sort of time stasis, along
with several other clerics, to search for a cure for a mysterious "plague that is yet to come". The gentle giant has joined the party's search for the Conclave of Dragons, believing that it
may be what the Gods have been training him for all this time. Though his magic is capable of great healing and restoration, the half-ogre's giant warhammer can wreak great damage when the giant
Yooper is aroused.
Special Thanks
Finally, I would like to thank the people who have really made the Enigma of the Ejderhallarin Kralli the very best game on the World Wide
Web. Without the hard work and dedication of the following people, this game would simply not exist. Therefore, I would like to thank our Dungeon Master (DMEnigma) Louis Edward Willhauck, our
Battle Master (BM) Louis Genghis Willhauck, our Lesser Goddess (LG) Mihrage Anne Wilhauck and L'il G, Christina Jane Willhauck (even though the 'blub blub' jokes still aren't funny). Last but
not least, I would like to thank the DM's wife, for putting up with the countless hours that her family has spent on the computer, working on the game. In my humble opinion, at least, it has
been time well spent.