Single player only. Many scripts will not function properly for more than one player, and it also would break the plot.
Language
English
Level Range
Start between lvls 1 and 5; you will be leveled to 6 at the start of the module as part of the plot (after the opening cutscenes). By the end of the Module, you will be level 19-20.
Races
For sorcerers and wizards, human, elf, half-elf probably work best; all races are supported though.
On your home continent of Ciarria, you were an outcast because of your unnatural abilities. Your existence had been an isolated one; you had cut yourself off from the rest of the civilized world upon learning of the hostility that people showed to those like you, and lived in the wilderness in order to protect yourself from the aggression that people in cities and villages displayed upon learning of your 'talents.' From the time you were young, you had resided alone excepting your friend and mentor, Askyba Moriano. He, too, possessed these abnormal abilities that people called "magic"...but he was, at the time, stronger than you. He could spew forth balls of fire with a thought, turn himself invisible with a flick of his fingers, gather the wind and call forth powerful beasts, and summon bolts of lightning from the heavens above. Askyba had told you that with time and perseverance, you, too, would be able to do these things; he had told you that there had been a time where many of the people of Ciarria had been "mages" and had used this "magic" to shape and create the land that Ciarria was today.
However, just as you had reached the age that normal folk defined as early-adulthood, Askyba had passed away. In the final hours of his life, he had told you one last story, about a land far across the Cultikor Sea, where "magic" was considered not a curse, but an Art; On Embrazon, as Askyba called this land, people like you and him were respected, and were called Nya'ri, or, "The Wielders." With his dying breath, Askyba urged you to seek out this land, and lead a more purposeful life among the people of Embrazon. With nothing but your shunned powers, the clothes on your back and the last words of a dying friend, you traveled from the wilderness that you had called home all those years, and upon reaching the coastal city of Port Drasord, began inquiring after a journey to Embrazon.
Such were the threads of your destiny woven, for an adventure beyond your wildest dreams awaited you at the other end of the Cultikor Sea, an adventure that would entwine you in events much larger than your mortal mind could possibly begin to fathom...for on Embrazon, at the exact moment that you passed through the city gates of Port Drasord seeking passage by boat, the destiny of another was decided--Tyman Uvudry, a Necromancer (or Nya'tar), set events in motion and made up his mind to conquer Embrazon with his legions of Undead minions. The stage was set: Embrazon would need a rescuer, and it would be up to you to save the people of this Promised Land, and thus secure for yourself a future in a position of respect and appreciation instead of your previous life of isolation and seclusion. Welcome to 'Tale of a Mage, Chapter 1 - The Uvudry Threat!'
NEW as of 8/21/06: Final boss made easier. (FINAL VERSION)
Enjoy!
~Hugie
If you like 'Tale of a Mage', you may also want to check out The Island, a twisted/dark exploration adventure for PC's of level 26-28.
This is the download for the updated 'Tale of a Mage, Chapter 1 - The Uvudry Threat' module. It includes the Chapter 1 main module, the prelude mod, a small hak, and the readme document. (version 2.3 FINAL) (last update 8/21/06 at 11:20am)
Posted by Mirgalen at 2011-05-02 03:34:19 Voted 6.75 on 05/02/11
My last take on TOM I.
Tale of two necromancers.
* Minor spoilers and a bit of strategy *
1. The protagonists:
- Tyman Uvudry, the most powerful necromancer of Embrazon, a land beyond the sea.
- Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné, an albino as fragile as an elf.
2. The journey:
Elric and his guardian travelled from an icy coastland to a distant dreadful fortress. On the way they met armies of creatures easily dispatched. Even without his guardian, Elric could still handle himself in a melee thanks to his defensive spells, his evasive panther, the occasional serving skeleton or fiend and of course his legendary sword Stormbringer.
3. Stormbringer:
Despite a number of rumors regarding the symbiotic relationship between the demonic sword and his bearer, those who have met the young necromancer could explain that Elric was as weak and vulnerable as ever when Stormbringer was "dormant". As Elric was reluctant to use powerful magic for no reason, he would simply protect himself with magic and charge the enemies with his sword. He only had to hit somebody once and drain some life essence to awake Stormbringer. The sword would then imbue Elric with extraordinary strength, agility and stamina comparable to the transformation of Tenser.
4. Magic the gathering?
Sometimes direct assault with weapons or magic will not yield fruits. The alternative is to make the opposing mage literally waste his magic. Elric used a few tricks to achieve that like using "cheap" magic to distract high mages. Hiding and summoning simple badgers was one of Elric's favorite. Most the time the opposing mage would lose his temper and waste his spells. Sometimes, he would simply create a poison cloud or some darkness to confuse and neutralize groups of necromancers before crushing them like flies.
5: Dealing with powerful foes or how to deal with mage twice as powerful as you can be:
The first of such opponent was immune to physical and elemental damages, mind spells, poison, negative energy� He used evocation spells against us and summons like tigers. He could also see through both darkness and invisibility. Elric had to protect himself the best he could even using the controversial magic mantle. He then summoned a number of allies like badgers and shadows. After that it only took a few "gold bolt" and "hammer of the Gods" from the ring the defeat him.
Later on Elric faced an army of high mages immune to to most elemental damages. They could summon elementals and blast electric, cold and death spells. Protective magic, mantles and Darkness did the trick again. Elric was amazed by strength of their dispelling magic.
As they were getting closer to Tyman's tower, they met a few deadlier foes. One little flying thing proved to be the toughest enemy yet. Again Elric had to use the badgers trick. But at the end he blasted the creature with missile storms and a hammer of the Gods. That greatly displeased the creature's master who was waiting nearby. He got the same treatment or perhaps he escaped? Eventually, the confrontation between the two necromancers took place. A duel between two mages alone one being twice as powerful as the other? There was no way to win without a full bag of tricks. And even then the chances were rather slim. They spoke a while and Tyman could have killed Elric right on the spot. But Elric had found a place to hide and summon an army of lesser minions to distract Tyman. The foul wasted his best spells one after another. Eventually he had little if any magic left. Elric took the time to protect himself once more just to be safe before casting Mordenkainen's greatest spells, the sword and the disjunction. Tyman died by the sword was it Stormbringer or the other one is unclear. Elric exhausted fell to the ground, Arioch would be pleased.
Finished Sorcerer 18/Blackguard 2 (Hardcore Settings)
Elric Str/Dex 8 Con 6 HP 52 AC 9 BAB 10 AB 9
Stormbringer +5 bastard sword, level drain DC 20 (one lvl).
Use Tenser Transformation (11) 5/day.
It can be fun if you like to play a cheesy sorcerer.
I'm with Berliad for the score.
I believe this module needs to be updated to work with the new CEP. I have got it to work somewhat by downloading CEP 1.52 and moving in the hak files the log said it was missing. However, it hangs while loading The Frozen Coast: South of Teral. If there is anything I can do please let me know
Posted by eggerfry at 2010-07-18 04:11:16 Voted 9.25 on 07/18/10
Misc comments:
- In general, an easy mod, lots of treasure, combats not difficult -- especially w/the henchman
- Extremely fast leveling (which isn't necessarily a big "plus"...)
- A couple of levels of a warrior type really help; 1 add'l attack/rd, ability to use real weapons, and all those spell mantles everyone keeps throwing up are no argument at all against a nice sharp AXE! ;-)
Pros:
- The mod is simply FUN. It�s one of the most fun modules i've played.
- Excellent story
- Engaging characters
- Good dialogue
- Very few bugs (but there are a couple of wing-dingers...)
- Most items are appropriate to level (although a few are unusable if you play with single-player ILR.)
- Plenty of opportunities -- combat and otherwise -- to sling those spells, including the solution of puzzles using spells, which I really liked.
Cons:
- Impossible to refuse Kennedell Jendt.
- Although blank scrolls and bone wands abound, it is disappointing that there are no empty potion bottles anywhere.
Bugs:
- Cozy ice wyrm inn seems to have no door... strangely, this seems to appear later, in an area which is the duplicate of this one.
- Trans are invisible??
- Trans disappear or are destroyed?!?
- I was given a quest (�restore the shrine�) then couldn�t return to area to finish it � there was no trans. I had to go back through the frost goblin lair and out again the *other* way in order to return to the town; in a feat of Kafka-esque surrealism, retracing my steps this way, going back through the caverns and exiting at the end, resulted in my finding the village magically restored. Hmmm...
- Final climactic cutscene strips all bufs! Badbadbad. >:(
- Character is not saved on close! �reload!� >:(
Overall, a very enjoyable high-quality mod which, given just a bit of fine-tuning, would probably be one of the best.
Posted by ericdoman at 2010-05-06 01:57:14 Voted 9.50
Yep ame as me with missing hak. I have the newest cep installed so that should include everything? How do you check your log file for missing haks?
Well, Hugie very quickly replied to my mail, and it seems like a CEP problem. He recommended installing CEP 1.5 base, 1.53 and 1.68, but I still can't seem to get this to work. Pity. But thanks to Hugie for helping!
Well, I'm stuck in the very first area. The Gate Captain won't let me in. The journal says I should explore some more and maybe something will pop up - but I've been exploring for more than an hour now, and it's getting old.
Any spoilers on how to get into Port Drasord?
Posted by mutantspicy at 2009-11-03 15:36:18 Voted 9.50 on 11/03/09
Just got around to playing this. Sorcerer is my hands down favorite class to play, whether neverwinter or PnP. Anyway excellent mod, really gives the high level sorcerer a challenge. Which isn't the case in most mods I find, once you get to a certain lvl you are pretty damned invincible. Not the case here, you really have to manage your spells, and potions in the head to head duals.
P.S. - I experienced the Avitar bug as some have mentioned here. Well I think I know part of the issue. I reloaded and killed avitar like six times in six different ways, always by my hand I had no companion as he died a ways back, but when I teleported back my kill wasn't recognized. However, I was always going in stealth, and punching him with a mordekains disjunction. Then I said, I will initiate conversation with avitar before killing him, and wallah. It made the battle harder, to not catch him off guard, but this time my kill was confirmed.
Hope that helps others.
Posted by Dawnseeker at 2009-10-25 22:46:51 Voted 8.75 on 10/25/09
My concise review:
A very good module overall. While I felt the story could have been developed more and the henchman a bit more fleshed out, the background given and the goals as they became apparent were more than enough to keep this module rockin'. I'd never played a spellcaster before this, so this was a great intro. Everything fit together very well - from area design to music selection to storyline progression - and emerged as a very pleasing gestalt. Additiionally, the custom spells were fun to play with (even if a couple of the lower level spells didn't seem to show up properly). I had a blast playing this and it will stay on my hard drive for some time to come. Thanks for putting this up for the community, Hugie! I'm looking forward to ToM2! _________________________ Regards,
DS
_____________________
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
-- Winston Churchill
Posted by LeslieMS at 2009-10-18 09:26:23 Voted 9.50 on 10/18/09
I enjoyed this. The story, in my opinion, was really good.
The fights were my favorite part. I am not usually for combat at all... never really liked it. Then again I am not usually prone to enjoying arcane caster classes either... But this was so worth it. It was nice to have a good reason to pull out some larger area of effect spells, and not just throw a few fireballs around and be done with it. To have to tactically choose your spells as you faced different types of foes was pretty awesome for me.
Thanks a ton, it was fun!
[cannot remember for sure if it was this one or the sequel, but some of the lower level custom spells were not working... IE at spell selection it was 'blank' just the icon, no name or description]
The only thing I would have changed is to put in some different weapons... my sorcerer would have prefered a dagger and shield rather than a staff, but that is just player preference. Maybe add some more types of 'mage weapons'? But that was it, my only grievance. _________________________ Stupidity kills people.
Nothing Good comes from ignorance.
Knowledge is power that is useless with out the wisdom to use it properly.
It's fne up till you kill Avatir, from then on, no saved game will load...
Posted by edosan at 2009-09-14 14:06:46 Voted 9.00 on 09/14/09
I normally don't play magic users, but this one was worth it.
Posted by Mirgalen at 2009-01-20 06:09:04 Voted 6.75 on 05/02/11
Original Module worth a try but beware of the final Boss fight.
Most of the game was a cake walk for my Necromancer (Cleric/Mage/PM) but the last battle ended in a stalemate. In fact, if we exclude the last battle, this module can be played with pretty much any character combo (fighter/rogue, cleric/rogue, ranger/sorcerer, shifter...).
I would have made a mage module in many ways different from this one for example:
- allowing the PC to create his own unique Mage staff
- collect spell books and scrolls perhaps with a few custom spells
- use specific spells in some places to advance the plot (used once on the boat)
- use specific abilities (e.g. Cha) to avoid fights or obtain favors or intelligence to find clues, informations, solve puzzles or special ways to defeat foes.
- find clues (e.g. weaknesses) or items to facilitate the last battle (option)
It was fun for the most part but felt more like my character was going from A to B blasting or smashing everything on the way and the play style felt a bit like a fighter using spells instead of a sword.
I found the end fight a bit lame. A couple of other players mentioned how difficult it was and I have to agree with the minority even if 10,000 power gamers found that it was not the case. As a DM, I would never use such a NPC in a PnP game. Far from being a legit character that NPC is immune to way too many things, got enough HP to match a fighter of similar level and cannot be defeated in a straight forward manner with the equipment or spells we found along the way (compared to the equipment he got). It is probably the first time I met a pure spell caster I could simply not damage in melee.
I never check these pages any more, so if you have a question/issue, please email me at [email protected] and I'll get back to you promptly. :) Regarding factions, simply let your character die and then respawn -- there is no penalty for doing so, and the factions will all revert to their original (correct) states. Also, there is no Lockshire faction issue: you likely attacked him instead of letting things proceed as they were supposed to, which causes him to turn hostile and attack you after a conversation. ;)
Ah hell, now all the commoners are hostile. There are 37 pages of comments. You can't tell me folks have actually finished this?! I could fix it myself but then I'd have to start over. And I shouldn't have to. What a bummer! _________________________ Defeat the Black Knights! Play Phantasie
What! Now the ferryman is hostile too! Dude you gotta fix the faction bugs. There game breakers. _________________________ Defeat the Black Knights! Play Phantasie
There is still a faction bug at lockshire keep. Kill Lord Avyxain and the kids go hostile. Pretty cool other than that. That was a tough battle BTW. I like the camera work in the beginning. Wish I could have figured out how to do that in my mod. _________________________ Defeat the Black Knights! Play Phantasie
I'm liking this mod so far but found a problem with the henchman. He has killed and the body dissapeared so I can't use a raise dead scroll on him. Is there any way to bring him back?
thanks
Hello there.
I downloaded all the files, and puted them into right folders, but when I wnat to play module i says i don't have a .tlk file. I have patch 1.68, CEP 2.0, and as I said have the module's .tlk puted into right folder.If that could help too I'm playing on Linux.Do I need a .tlk form earlier version of CEP?
ok it says im missing a hak but i got everything on there all the sky haks and the CEP any ideas?
Posted by kipski5 at 2008-04-02 20:17:38 Voted 10.00 on 04/02/08
I have really been enjoying this mod, it is my first as a pure caster, and it has been a blast mage dueling. I am having a small problem, though:
****SPOILER****
After killing Avitar and teleporting back to Brynil, when I talk to Halfur he just repeats that I need to go take a boat to the realm of the dead and kill Avitar. Sure enough when I check my journal, the quest hasn't been updated. Is there something I am missing?
I was just fighting that guy who had imprisoned the ghosts, and turns them into wraiths, when he killed my henchmen. Then he just dissapears! Is there a way to get him back? Or am I going to have to load my old save?
Posted by coreyh2 at 2007-11-25 17:19:39 Voted 9.00 on 11/25/07
The module has really fun combat.
Posted by JackOfClubs at 2007-11-23 13:56:40 Voted 9.50 on 11/23/07
Very impressive. Enjoyable spell battles and a decent variety of opponents.
I was originally looking for a module in which I could develop a Sorceror/Cleric and I thought that this might be a good opportunity, given the promise of lots of undead. Alas, it was not so. The author is quite correct that you need to focus all levels on your arcane spell casting, or you will be completely dominated in the last battle. I managed to get by with a 5 Cleric/20 Sorceror, but only by the use of metagaming subterfuge. This isn't a criticism, just a warning to other players not to disregard the author's description.
There are only 2 criticisms that I have relevent to the score:
(SPOILERS BELOW)
The linearity combined with the high XP values made this module feel more like watching a movie rather than developing a character. I never felt that I got a good feel for my character's capabilities at any given level before she was whisked off to the next promotion. I would have preferred more subquests with a normal amount of experience for each.
The scripted removal of the two companions just prior to the last battle made little sense either from a gaming or a metagaming perspective. Within the game, there is no logical reason why Uvudry couldn't kill you along with your companions (one of whom was a wizard at least equal to the PC in power). From a player's perspective, it is a bit unfair to allow the player to assume he will have two powerful allies then have them lost at the last minute through no fault of his own. I had developed a strategy which was completely ivalidated by this unexpected twist. I have no problem with the idea of facing the final battle alone, but a more logical reason should have been given, with more time to adequately prepare.
(END SPOILERS)
On the whole, these were not major drawbacks, especially for a first-time developer. I did very much enjoy playing this module and look forward to the next episode.
_________________________ +++
Resistance to Tyrants is Service to God.
Posted by dwong1207 at 2007-08-31 11:39:32 Voted 9.00 on 08/31/07
Just finished part 1. This is only the second time I've used a wizard; the first time was in Perchance to Dream. It's starting to grow on me a little. The battles may be a little lopsided with all that magic slinging around, but it's pretty close to hack and slash, except with magic.
I really enjoyed the module. Loved the little twists and turns and the story as a whole. I look forward to starting part 2!
*****SPOILER*****
I'm not sure if there's a better way to kill Uvudry because I'm not used to using a spell caster, but I just let him kill me over and over again until he ran out of spells. Then I let him have it. Which was fun, but it was really unrealistic. That's the reason for the lower score, but otherwise, a very fun module.
Hmm, there's no trick with the crystal...you must simply not be using the right spells? Chances are he's immune to electrical damage, but try other high-level damage spells, and make sure you strip him of any magical defenses he might employ first so that your attacks aren't wasted! _________________________ Alex "Hugie" Hugon
Writer - Ossian Studios NWN2: Mysteries of Westgate - NWN2's first Adventure Pack Moonshadows - An Action-Packed, Story-Driven Adventure in the Forgotten Realms [Development Blog] The Third Sign - A Novel-to-NWN2-Module conversion of Gregory A. Wilson's book [Purchase from Amazon]
I'm doing the 3rd quest for the necromancer in Byrnil (The one who made me his apprecntice.) He sent me to some wizards keep to get a crystal. I keep trying to beat the wizard but I can't damage him. I think I'm supposed to do something with the crystal, but nothing I've tried works.
Sorry about the faction issue--try letting yourself die, then respawning. There's no penalty, and all factions should reset themselves. :)
@Dargo:
Sorry to hear it's freezing...it could be a CEP issue having to do with conflicting CEP versions? Also, check your override folder to make sure it's completely empty; anything in there could potentially screw around with the game... _________________________ Alex "Hugie" Hugon
Writer - Ossian Studios NWN2: Mysteries of Westgate - NWN2's first Adventure Pack Moonshadows - An Action-Packed, Story-Driven Adventure in the Forgotten Realms [Development Blog] The Third Sign - A Novel-to-NWN2-Module conversion of Gregory A. Wilson's book [Purchase from Amazon]
I just started playing this, and so far I have only one complaint - unfortunately it's a major one. *includes spoilers*
I did the little sidequest where you're supposed to free the spirits... killed the mage, went back outside - and the spirits I just freed are hostile. I assume this is because I attacked the mage in the tower instead of letting him attack me; unfortunately I don't have a save before that point. No big deal; I just left the area and continued going north.
Except that now, NPC's all over the place are hostile. The ferryman, the commoners in the city, everyone expect the guards. Obviously a faction issue; I guess it's a restart from the beginning (don't feel like manually reseting every mob I come across...) :\
Aside from that, it's a cool mod. Nice story so far, cool music, very well done cutscenes.
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at 2011-05-02 03:34:19
