All (pure-blooded elves are rare in this part of the world)
Tricks & Traps
Medium
Roleplay
Medium
Hack & Slash
Light
Classes
All (stealthy characters will be particularly effective)
Scope
Small
DMNeeded
No DM Required
Single or Multiplayer
Single Player or Multiplayer
Max Character Level
03
Max # Players
04
Min # Players
01
Min Character Level
01
Content Rating
Teen
Alignments
All (the primary motivation is that of a treasure seeker or explorer)
Gameplay Hours
10
Description
It is said that the dark forest of Grimwood is home to the most foul of creatures, and few who enter its gloomy depths ever return. Those who have speak of horse-sized wolves with eyes of glowing embers, of giants whose footsteps make the very earth tremble, and yes, even of dragons that breathe fiery death. But most famous among these tales is that of the Cave of Songs, a howling abyss where even the beasts of the forest dare not enter. It is said that within the cave lives a spirit so ancient as to predate the mountains themselves, a spirit mad with sorrow and hatred. No one knows what riches may be found within its lair. Until now, only the bards have explored the mysteries of the cave, but only in songs and poetry.
Translations:
A Japanese version of the module, translated by NamaYake, is available here: Link A Chinese version, translated by lisha_sun, is available here: Link
outstanding writing, beautiful visuals, atmospheric environments, non-linear, fun multi-player battles, runs fast on slower systems, less than 2 MB download.
no custom content, certain battles can be tough for a single player.
Very nice module; loved the storyline. Well balanced too, I played as a rogue and all of the fights seemed just right.
Posted by Randalish at on11/30/07
I just finished replaying the Cave of Songs, and realised I had never voted for it the first time around. Time to rectify. A lot has been said already in the many years since this module was released, so I'll just add a few short notes of my own. Firstly, despite using no custom content whatsoever, the module is incredibly atmospheric and still very good looking, particularly the Grimwood. Unlike just about any forest area I've seen in NWN, it feels like a real place, a real forest, vast and dangerous. Only a few tricks of lighting and scripts for the animals are used, but the end result is remarkable. Secondly, the story and writing still are excellent. The module does not feel aged at all, unlike some other famous older modules. The story is low-key, not a world-shaking plot, not really about your own character at all, but it is a pleasure to find out about it nonetheless. (Though be aware that the story only starts once you have found the cave itself.) Thirdly, this module is about adventure at its purest. Very rarely have I enjoyed simply exploring the world so much, travelling to find out what lies around the next corner or to learn the truth behind an old legend. The world feels larger and more alive than it is. Fourthly, you should bring Llarien with you and try to keep him alive. He adds a lot to the already remarkable atmosphere. He isn't one of NWN's most memorable henchmen, but he's believable and his comments add just that little touch of companionship in single player mode. My first character playing the module, an evil rogue, used him to distract a giant and explored the cave without him... this time, I kept him around and that was more fun. Fifthly, the difficulty was about right both times I played for a level 3 character in single player mode. (First time a rogue, second time a sorcerer) Lower levels may be doable but may be frustrating depending on your tastes. And sticking close to the road and not going near dangerous animals (stealth or no) is essential to survive. I enjoyed this aspect of the module, though it did take some getting used to. To summarise: the Cave of Songs is a non-epic adventure. It tells its story very well, is very atmospheric and has that feel of travelling into the unknown to it that simply makes it a pleasure to play. There are better modules out there (including later work by the same author) but this one is still in my top 10. Finally, a spoiler note. Do NOT read unless you have finished the module! ------------------------ The bargains you can do with the demon lord are absolutely great. (if bad for your health, mostly.) I spend a lot of time trying the options just for laughs. Everybody playing this should keep a savegame just before the end and try the various negotiation options with the demon.
Posted by WeAreAllKosh at on09/25/07
I gave up after three forest areas. I'm tired of dying, reloading, dying, reloading, dying, reloading. I suppose people find that pattern fun. Or they have some secret 'intelligent' way of playing this game that is unknown to me. I'm not really sure what 'intelligent' gameplay is anyway in a D&D game that isn't played over tabletop, so I just did as the readme suggested. First suggestion was be stealthy and avoid fights. Okay. Doesn't seem too intelligent to me, just another way to approach an encounter. I press the sneak button and hope for good rolls. Sort of the same as pressing the attack button and hoping for good rolls, no? And I can do it in any other module anyway. Difference in those modules is that if I fail, death is not guaranteed because the encounters aren't overpowered. There I have options. Which always seems more intelligent to me. But whatever, I just followed the guide. This meant remaining in sneak mode practically the whole time (the first couple of fights taught me it was the best mode to be in). This strategy worked well. Every creature I got close to succeeded on its spot check on either me or the henchman and proceeded to come over and kill us both. I suppose that's what's supposed to happen? So, yeah, it worked well. Second strategy was to lure creatures of one type toward creatures of another. Okay. If you want to call that 'smart.' I prefer to call it either 'incredibly stupid' or 'arcade-gamey' and stick with the sneak around everything strategy. But as previously mentioned, that strategy pretty much always fails. So I have an Overpowering Grizzly Bear chasing me and my companion. Why not lure it over to that Challening group of hostile NPC's and let them all kill each other? The Grizzly Bear will surely attack them instead. But, no, the Grizzly Bear just ignores them and keeps chasing me. And to boot the hostile NPC's attack me (conveniently ignoring the Grizzly Bear as well; I guess they have some sort of monetary arrangement in place). So at the same time (when either alone would be bad enough) I have a Grizzly Bear attacking me and a spellcaster lobbing fireballs at me. Did I mention I'm a 2nd level character? Fireball = Instant Death. Too bad this strategy failed spectacularly too. Afer repeated failures of these types I found myself wondering what to do. Druid wants me to go kill the bugbears and goblins. Sounds fair. Only those encounters will probably be more difficult than what I've faced already (Sneak Failure and Fireballs and Bears, Oh My!). And the Cave of Songs (if I can luck upon a path that's nice and free of Overpowering encounters and find the thing) will probably be more difficult than all of it. This leaves me at a mental impasse. So I utilize the one strategy that will get me past this ordeal of a module the quickest and easiest -- export character, close game, delete module. 1 1/2 point for good writing and storytelling, which I'm sure persists throughout the story. Too bad it's completely ruined (like so many modules) by ridiculously amped up difficulty ... even if 'teh smartz0r' strategies are recommended.
Posted by hmdai at on09/07/07
Baldecaran, thank you for creating such a good mod for us. The story is really good and it tells us how destructive if love goes to a wrong direction. I'm really sad about the relationship between Suthaire and Arcanion have to end like this.... hmm...it seems like I have miss out the "House on legs" side-quest...Anyway, I will take my character to continue adventure in Prophet Series... _________________________ Overlooked Module Report February 2009 | Master List | Forum Thread Academy of Modding Excellence Romance Module List Horror Module Collection Starlight's favorite module list
Posted by Morgennes at on08/20/07
Not bad at all. But I played "Prophet" before, and found both interesting and frustrating to visit (and at the same time, not...) the same universe than the one depicted in Prophet... I played with a lvl 1 LG elven Monk, and ended at lvl 6. The dialogs are, as always with Baldecaran, excellent. Few oddities with my henchman. He didn't level up, and didn't obey orders (for example, use only his bow). But it's a good mod! Thanks a lot, Morgennes
Posted by Nelson at on08/12/07
A very good module by one of the more prolific authors, Baldecaran. Very limited magical treasure, which was a change from most other mods. Very limited dialogue as well - little that was not plot-based. I also noticed that the starting location was the same as another of his modules. Nice whimsical touch. Played through in about 5 hours total. Fun - 9, Layout/Design - 8, Dialogue - 7, Originality/Creativity - 8, Quality Control - 9, Overall - 8.5
Posted by herrjeff at on07/05/07
Good medium-sized module which provides many hours of entertainment through its extended background lore and an excellent use of NWN tilesets. My main complaint would be the limited usefulness of the henchman, which script doesn't allow to level him up or view his inventory. I look forward to export my PC to play other Baldecaran's modules.
Posted by Miluangwaith at 2007-06-1015:17:32
hi again Baldecaran ;) well, Ledenika is a cave near my hometown Vratsa, which is in Bulgaria, in the Balkans, south-eastern Europe. it's pretty high up in the mountains, so it's great for a bike ride, being a pretty tough course. anyway, i hope the work on the Prophet is going along well ;) cheers to ya and best of luck :D
Posted by Baldecaran at 2007-06-1013:33:40
chrisboote, Catitude, qirien: Thanks! I hope you'll try my other mods as well. Miluangwaith: Yep, you got it! It was in fact from the Polish version of the legend. I couldn't help it when I saw that "house on legs" tile in the caves tileset... So where is Ledenika? That sounds very cool!
Posted by qirien at on06/04/07
Wonderful, clever scripting and a story that was deeper than I thought it would be. The forest area was pretty big, but that was kind of realistic. More stores would have been nice (since low-level characters often want to carry around lots of heavy equipment to sell). The different options for the ending were great, too. Thanks! _________________________ Time Becomes a Loop - short, story-driven time travel mod!
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