[Dragon #364] Vor Kragal: Lost City of Bael Turath

[Darth Invisus]

The ancient tiefling empire of Bael Turath was crushed beneath the might of the dragonborn empire of Arkhosia long ago, but remnants of the corrupted tiefling rulers live on in the world. One such vestige of the empire’s glory is the ruined city of Vor Kragal, City of Ash. One one of Bael Turath’s crown jewels, the city is now home to foul monsters, deadly traps, ancient curses—and untold wealth and power. Adventurers have long sought to plumb the depths of the city, but few have returned to civilized lands to tell the tales. Enter Vor Kragal at your own risk!

http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080625

[Njorhg]

I'm amazed at both the quality of the articles and the artwork we see from Dragon.
Their lead times must be huge.

Now I'll just have to read it

[andreww]

I am totally stealing a load of this stuff for my game.

If the quality remains this high it may actually make me consider subscribing to the DDI.

[Owesome2]

One thing that confuses me.

I like magazines becuase I get a whole big chunk of info in one blast that I can read at my leisure.

I like online sources that post articles week by week because I get little chunks of info

I don't like being told something is a magazine, expecting a whole heap of info and getting little bite-sized pieces instead. It makes me think it isn't finished yet, and the other articles are being thrown together instead.

[La Maupin]

One thing that confuses me.

I like magazines becuase I get a whole big chunk of info in one blast that I can read at my leisure.

I like online sources that post articles week by week because I get little chunks of info

I don't like being told something is a magazine, expecting a whole heap of info and getting little bite-sized pieces instead. It makes me think it isn't finished yet, and the other articles are being thrown together instead.
Well if it makes you feel better, you can wait for the compilation of the June issue next week ;)

[Softmetalgazebo]

I now want to run a campaign set in the hay day of Bael Turath. Because it would rock.

[Topher]

I can see doing a whole Paragon-tier storyline in this location. Multiple dungeons with interesting endbosses (come on, do you really think any of those Big Bads are dead and gone?) culminating in a neat save-the-world plot (either from the restored hellforge or from an invasion from the lands on the other side of the broken mirrors).

Neat stuff!

Topher

[Owesome2]

I now want to run a campaign set in the hay day of Bael Turath. Because it would rock.

[QUOTE=Topher;9052383]I can see doing a whole Paragon-tier storyline in this location. Multiple dungeons with interesting endbosses (come on, do you really think any of those Big Bads are dead and gone?) culminating in a neat save-the-world plot (either from the restored hellforge or from an invasion from the lands on the other side of the broken mirrors).
QUOTE]

I think the word you're both looking for is... time travel storyline!

Okay, thats three words. It was one word, but then my future-self came back to insert the other two to prevent Judgement Day. These things happen all the time.

[Softmetalgazebo]

It also has people who are devoting their lives to getting revenge on an evil tongue.

[wingedcoyote]

I'm not a huge fan of the hellboy vs trogdor Tieflings vs Dragonborn backstory, but this article was awesome enough to make me warm up to it a bit. Dragon has been extremely impressive so far.

[Martial Controller]

I now want to run a campaign set in the hay day of Bael Turath. Because it would rock.
I'm working on something like that...more like Bael Turath in its decline, when the empire is a tenth of its former size, with outlying lands taken over by independent warlords and a small, decadent core that maintains its standard of living based on unholy slave trade. Sort of the Constantinople to Bael Turath's Rome...that allows for a bit more variety in the setting.

Oh yeah...and there are aberrant-tainted Puritans returning from their exile across the sea to destroy the last vestiges of the Empire.

[La Maupin]

Dragon has been extremely impressive so far.
This.

Wizards has really had their A-listers going on articles for Dragon #364.

I also have the idea from this article that Warforged appearing are one of the signs that the fin de imperium (I'm probably viciously butchering that Latin) is nigh. The Empire becomes so decadent that it can't fully man its armies, so it turns to the creation of magical constructs to do it... then the Empire is lost and shortly afterward so are the means to create Warforged. Later new empires arise in its wake, vowing to avoid the mistakes that brought down the previous, and the cycle renews unseen.

This also means that Warforged exist who are thousands of years old... and quite, quite mad.

[Caldorian]

I also have the idea from this article that Warforged appearing are one of the signs that the fin de imperium (I'm probably viciously butchering that Latin) is nigh. The Empire becomes so decadent that it can't fully man its armies, so it turns to the creation of magical constructs to do it... then the Empire is lost and shortly afterward so are the means to create Warforged. Later new empires arise in its wake, vowing to avoid the mistakes that brought down the previous, and the cycle renews unseen.

This also means that Warforged exist who are thousands of years old... and quite, quite mad.

The Warforged were created by man.

They evolved.

They rebelled.

There are many copies.

And they have a plan.



Battlestar Galactica D&D-style. It would rock. :D

[Kesh]

Oooh, you just gave me a great idea based on the article:

Warforged already exist, and other creation forges exist. They don't get used often because of the expense, which neatly gives us new warforged but not "too many" of them.

In Vor Kragal, there is a demon working to rebuild the forges of the tieflings greatest war machines. Some nations are worried that the demon is getting close to bringing them online.

Can you say, "Army of demonic warforged" boys and girls? :D

[Softmetalgazebo]

Though, considering the other stuff he's built, like universe destroying hats and city sized spheres of annihlation, Devil Spawned Warforged only seems like the first half of a product description.

[drek]

I can't remember an issue of print Dragon with this high of a quality. It'll be interesting to see if this is a trend or a one-off event.

[CowboyEnergy]

This is easily the coolest article I've yet read from the D&DI version of Dragon (and they've been surprisingly good so far.)

Bael Turath totally gives me this Exalted First Age vibe, but evil!

We've got a sentient lake of molten bronze that once rampaged through the city under it's own power, a tower that keeps on moving and seems to be WATCHING anyone who comes near...and the Mirror Tower. Ahhh the Mirror Tower. I can just imagine a campaign that involves hordes of locust-cthulhu entities swarming out of the mirrors that make up the tower...and there are others, all connected.

So awesome :D