This is the third installment of the story driven, action oriented module series 'Lords of Darkness'. This module takes off where Chapter 2 ended. It is _highly_ recommended to play Chapters 1 and 2 first in case you haven't. In this chapter you and your elven companion Alanya will have to find out the true reason why the Lord's Council which is currently suppressing the people of Arboril is so interested in making Alanya vanish...
I really enjoyed this series! Well told story that unfolded at just the right pace. The romance was very well done, too; one of the best romances in a mod ever.
Posted by Caller_in_Darkness at on11/06/08
Great work. One of the few series I played through a second time.
Posted by Rand at 2008-10-1621:16:33
Ok I don't know why I'm having this problem or if anyone else is but when it comes time to talk to Alanya in her room at the healers place my character goes n talks to my other henchman... Whats the deal? Is this a bug or something else _________________________ "Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time. The Prophecies will be fulfilled. The Dragon is Reborn."
Posted by Twirlip at 2008-10-0513:25:05
The third in the series is the best module I've had the pleasure of playing. A really involving story line and great atmospherics. A master class for other would be module writers to study and learn from. Thanks.
Posted by jalan at on09/25/08
2nd best series available for NWN. Sorry it took so long for me to rate it.
Posted by MrKez at on07/09/08
The good: Story is nicely paced and well done. There was some good progression in this module. Some of the combat was very challenging for my level 13 sorcerer/ 3 Eldritch Knight especially if he just waded into the middle of combat. Standing back and using Finger of Death worked very well in many combats. Most of the settings were very pretty. The bad: Terrence the monk. I was forced to take him along. He never apologized for getting Alanya captured. I felt he should have been LN due to V saying that Terrence was his informant. V could have been lying, but still Terrence never defended his actions. I also thought the sewers were a bit overdone. The party kept getting stuck in corners and I had to fight some of the battles solo. The worst part about this module is waiting for part 4. I really like this series overall. I want to get a crack at the rest of the lords. The story is entertaining and the combat is challenging. I will keep this one and replay it again. Thank you so much Fantus for this series. Is there any word about the next installment?
Posted by Razide0506 at on03/25/08
The combat in this module is fun and challenging, with a wide variety of opponents that require tactical skill to overcome. Rushing in will definitely get you killed in some places. The final battle, in particular, is extremely difficult, so much so that it probably crosses the line from challenging to annoying. The main villain seems to have near-complete immunity to most forms of elemental damage, which meant that none of my various arrows (I was playing an bow-centric Ftr/Rogue/Cleric) could do more than scratch her, and almost none of the traps I laid did any damage, nor did any of the wands I used against her. She also shrugged off all my attempts to weaken her with spells (Bestow Curse, Doom, Contagion, & Blindness/Deafness). On top of all that, her knockdown ability meant that Terrence spent a lot of time on the ground (as did I, when she got close enough to hit me). A Tenser's Transformation scroll turned out to be my biggest asset, but eventually I was forced to resort to things like negative energy ray and sonic blast to hurt her, and I had to let Terrence do a lot of the work. The module looks fantastic, particularly the custom mountain tileset, and the custom portraits are a nice touch. The author also uses cutscenes well to build tension and tell the story. Two, in particular, stand out: one is a key moment of character development that includes some nice visuals, the other a tension-building moment that makes great use of sound. The monster placement is more logical in this entry than in the last two, although there's one area toward the end where it feels like the author threw in half the monsters from the previous two installments. Also, at one point I found magic items on the bodies of dead prisoners - a minor thing, but still something that breaks realism. However, the biggest logical lapses are in the story, which I really found disappointing (and I realize I'm in the minority). There's one point in the module, in particular, which requires a massive coincidence and which has the PC and Alanya acting like idiots, and which has an NPC that acts almost like a deus ex machina (and who isn't even internally consistent; Terrence starts at your level (which was 12 or 13 for me), but who later says that he's never actually used his combat skills in real-life) and which requires several logical leaps and forced plot developments that it killed the realism and really dropped me out of the module. Alanya's big secret wasn't too hard to figure out, but the explanation as to why she was held prisoner makes very little sense; even the villain himself doesn't quite seem to know why he was holding her. Overall, I did have fun playing this module, and I thought it was generally well done. However, the clumsy plotting really hurt my immersion in the story, and thus reduced my enjoyment of the module as well.
Posted by jml at 11:24:08 Voted9.75
Beautiful. But my PC and Alyana never reversed back to " normal ", their former human states after the amulet city story. They keep looking like those ugly nobles, until back to the wizard even. Oups? :-) Clue? _________________________ @ + jml, level 52 "Overgod? Is that like Supergod or something?", from "Citadel" "M?not shr this ishych u g?dea.", from "Prophet" series
Posted by Andarian at on09/08/07
I was surprised to realize that I'd missed voting on this installment of my favorite module series, Lords of Darkness. I played these modules again last year, and they are the only ones that I have ever played more than once. It's hard to choose, but I would have to say that this particular module is my favorite in the series. The storyline was interesting, original, and extremely engaging. Alanya is probably the most memorable companion of any module that I've ever played, and certainly the best romance prospect. The romance (if you choose to play it) develops slowly from when you meet her in the first module. In this chapter, she finally declares her love for you, in a breathtakingly touching scene in the country by a series of waterfalls. It was easily the most moving scene I've ever played in an RPG. For those who like RPG romances, it definitely gives the experience of playing a compelling love story. The plot is complex and well constructed, and the events in the later part of the module in particular are laced with heart-pounding action and suspense. The author skillfully builds increasing dramatic tension through the use of periodic cutscenes, as you and one of your companions race against time to save Alanya from being tortured to death. This was extraordinarily effective, and was one of the best dramatic uses of cinematic cutscenes that I've ever seen. There are a few minor issues with the series (such as the need to unequip/re-equip familiars when leveling to avoid the destruction of equipment, the heavy H&S, and some grammar issues owing to the fact that the author is not a native English speaker). However, I enjoyed the module so much that I don't think these are serious enough to factor in to my final score. "Alanya's Secret" is a wonderful module, and I recommend it -- as well as the Lords of Darkness series as a whole -- very highly. _________________________ Sanctum of the Archmage Writing Projects Website and Blog Academy for Modding Excellence
Posted by micataur at on08/09/07
great story great balance great relationship kudos fantus
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