The series will be six modules in length, the fifth of which is work in progress. All will appear under the
campaign title of Tales from the Lake of Sorrows, late in 2012.
Please enjoy the modules and don't forget to vote :)
These Dark Days of Waiting.
Thunder Bay has a new Lord and you have a new employer. Despite the promise of rest and recuperation he has one more job for you to do before you can settle down in front of that log fire for a few weeks.
Hal Tysans life is in turmoil, just hours ago he was the only child of a dying father and a loving mother. In the intervening time his father has died, his mother has left his side and he has discovered he is not an only child. His elder half brother is dead, killed at the hands of yourself and your party and his younger half sister is living in a small village somewhere on the outskirts of the lands belonging to Crossroads keep.
And there, adventurer, is where you come in ... Hal Tysan wants his sister back, preferably alive this time, and you are to go and get her. As ever you have help but with Honour returned to her stepfather, Solace persuing her own goals and Harald facing the justice of Lord Nasher in Neverwinter your friends are looking thin on the ground.
Still; all you have to do is travel a few days to Crossroads Keep, pick up a five year old girl and bring her back. That can't be hard ..... Can it?
Location Forgotten realms � in the area of Neverwinter.
Setting The module is set at the same time as SoZ against a backdrop of hard times in Neverwinter brought on by the war with the King of Shadows. It starts two hours after the last module �The last Days of the Raven� concludes.
Play time 3 - 4 hours
Level 9 - 10
Class Any
Companions 2
This is module four in the series Tales from the lake of sorrows. The story starts just a few hours after the ending in The Last Days of the Raven and carries on with the story threads from that module.
This is a linear story led mod, there are some side quests and conversations which boost your exp but this is not a sandbox mod by any means. There is some exploring to be done and rewards for doing so.
Note on combat � Unless you are an experienced tactical player keep all the companions with you, the combat is balanced to be challenging at times but with preparation and tactics none of the encounters will be too difficult to manage. Rogues and, to some degree, bards especially should keep plentiful potions to hand and ensure that Alan Baxter is well equipped.
Note on npc's � If you pass time in the keep or Thunder Bay and the npc's do not appear then walk into a building and out and all should be well.
Loading instructions are included in the zipped file. It is important to follow these carefully.
The module will run from your campaigns start up screen.
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Things you should know:
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There are no race restrictions but humans are the order of the day. Ember may now be romanced by any character and any sex. The opening convo will allow you to define your relationship with Ember as you will see in the conversation nodes.
You can start at any level, there is a little intro section that will take your character to around level 9 unless you are higher than this. All characters get some money to spend in town to ensure they are adequately equipped.
Combat difficulty varies and is tough in places but if you have the NPC's provided with you then you should always prevail, particularly if you use the terrain to your advantage.
The story is carried by some of the main npc's but there is no main facilitator as per previous mods.
Check your journal if you get lost as to what to do.
You are going to recognise some of the key players if you have played the OC. Talk to the main npc's for a side quest or two.
Transitions are made without a world map.
In each outdoor area you will find either a stone, a sign or an area transition that will get you out. For indoor areas use the door like everybody else.
Your npc's are Honour(Mage) and Alan(fighter).
Honour may be dropped initially but once she joins she is there to stay.
You will know how well you are treating the npc's by the way they talk to you. The less well you treat then the less you will get out of them.
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Romance
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The romance with Ember is developed in the last module. You may pick it up in this module by picking the lilac lines in the opening sequence.
Note: the conversation with the innkeeper is you set up convo for this mod. When you are asked how many rooms you want your answer will set your relationship with Ember for this module. It will be clear what I mean in the module.
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Time
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This mod is very time based. Shops shut at night and certain npc's are not available at certain times. Resting is restricted in places but generally you can rest where you need to. All of the innkeepers and the sundial in the market square, will allow you to pass up to 4 hours without resting so you should never be stuck waiting. Note however, at night most, if not all, npc's go to one of the inns. If they are not there then they are not plot movers.
While in Thunder Bay you will hear a bell from time to time. This rings on the sixes, giving you a general idea of the time of day.
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What the mod has:
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This is a linear story driven module. There are side quests but limited possibilities for sandbox style play. That said there are places to explore with rewards for doing so. Talking to everyone will reveal opportunities to gain experience.
The module has a good degree of npc interaction; talk to them and they will talk right back :) Alan Baxter in particular can fill in some blanks on the other npc�s if you raise your standing with him.
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What this mod does not have:
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SoZ style conversations.
Flexible npc hiring and firing.
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Big thanks bit:
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Thanks go to the following for their parts in the making and testing of the mod.
M.Reider - for all his support in the development, testing and scripting for this module.
Arkalzelth - for his play testing and advice on character builds.
Uncle FB - for the Uncle FB's NPC control.
Lilac soul - for the script generator � all scripts, not written by M.R, were written using this.
RWS - for the creature models.
Finally thanks to the forum users who helped with my questions, _Knightmare_ and Chaos Wielder in particular.
Sorry if I have missed anyone I do not intend to offend.
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Music
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There is a lot of custom music in this module. Credit is due to the following persons.
For the playing of La Manfredina which may be heard in Thunder Bay thanks to Susan Sandman and Derwent crocker. This music in played on authentic instruments and, to me, sounds great. If it sounds good to you then you can find this track on The Medieval Lady, available on Leonarda productions. I payed royalties for these tracks please do not rip them.
For the playing of the many guitar tracks used in the taverns and inns of my modules thanks to Jon Sayles. Check out his website for an enormous free resource and also develop a love for his art.
All of the area music may be found on freesound, the composer, in whole or in part, of all the tracks I use is Tillman Sillescu, big thanks to him for his art and for making the music freely available.
I hope you enjoy These Dark Days of Waiting and hope also than you can find time to vote and comment.
I had a lot of fun with this one as well. Definitely the quickest run through of the modules, but oh so darn good, and very much a culmination of sorts, as far as the skills of the builder, particularly with the environments around Crossroad Keep! Definitely a must play! _________________________ We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free and leave room upon the earth for honest men to live in. Thomas Paine 1776
Posted by PJ156 at 2012-01-0109:39:40
It just worked okay for me. try another download, perhaps the first was incomplete or corrupted. PJ
Posted by PJ156 at 2012-01-0106:43:47
Hello Zeevico I'm downloading now to give it a try. It was zipped up with 7z so it should be fine. If it is a problem for you contact me on the bioware forums (I don't think the email is working here) and I will try to get you another format. PJ
Posted by Zeevico at 2011-12-3118:54:45
Hi, I tried to extract this with 7zip but it couldn't open the archive. Your other modules extracted fine.
Posted by PJ156 at 2011-12-2915:15:59
Thankyou eL_PuSHeR for coming back and voting. Good work or not I am keeping it up :D PJ
Posted by eL_PuSHeR at on12/29/11
I have just finished this nice and polished campaign. Keep up the good job PJ156. I had just one minor glitch on **** SPOILERS BELOW **** a door leading to the collapsed escape way in the last cellar where Crassius and all prisoners were (in the spot with 2 skeletons placed there by Garius). The NPCs just got stucked at the threshold.
Posted by Enialus at on01/01/12
I'm an idiot. I posted this on the wrong module. I just saw that you've got a fix on the RIGHT module. Fixing it now. Thanks, and sorry for the idiocy. HAH! _________________________ We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free and leave room upon the earth for honest men to live in. Thomas Paine 1776
Posted by Enialus at on01/01/12
PJ. Can you tell me if E is supposed to party up with me on the way to Thunder Bay? If so, she's not. I reloaded and started the module fresh to see if it changed anything, but no joy and she doesn't appear anywhere in the hotel at TB either. Thanks for any insight you can provide. _________________________ We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free and leave room upon the earth for honest men to live in. Thomas Paine 1776
Posted by PJ156 at 2011-12-1513:30:46
Hello Jarandel, great to have you playing again I look forward to your final comments :) The mod is short I'm sorry but there are some side places to discover. As for the belts, well you can never have too many belts that's what I say :) Skeleton gate got missed in testing. I always blew it up ... Hope you have fun with the mod on the next pass, PJ
Posted by Jarandel at 2011-12-1508:26:00
Finally recovered my save from the previous part and played this one. Superb mapping and nice fights but first run-through was very short as I expected (encouraged by some NPC dialogue) the girl-fetching task to be merely a time-critical prologue after which I'd get a bit of free roaming time. Giving it another spin now trying to find every nook and cranny. Minuscule niggles noted so far : ? Companion pathfinding trouble at already mentionned skeleton gate. ? Stack of 57 (yes, fifty-seven) swordsman's belt in an upper floor of Four Winds Keep. I doubt there were meant to be so many ? ^^
10 - A Masterpiece, Genuinely Groundbreaking 9 - Outstanding, a Must Have 8 - Excellent, Recommended to Anyone 7 - Very Good, Deserves a Look 6 - Good, Qualified Recommendation 5 - Fair, Solid yet Unremarkable 4 - Some Merit, Requires Improvements 3 - Poor Execution, Potential Unrealized 2 - Very Little Appeal 1 - Not Recommended to Anyone
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