CM1: Test of the Warlords
CM1: Test of the Warlords is the Mentzer-era BXCMI's foray into high-level play. It was the way players first experienced the new Companion rules: first the dominion-ruling mechanic, then the War Machine - because Cretia knows the TSR crew hadn't tested that shit in-house. Douglas "Xanathon" Niles got this booby prize.
The party is done with the Known World so makes off to help colonise fantasy New England and Canada - Norwold, here. This is north of the Known World as the modules had it up to 1984. There weren't nations down there strong enough to do that, so Niles used the powerful maritime kingdom Alphatia, off the map(s) to the east.
Norwold is cold and barely-civilised. Here a Companion Set slate of nasty beasties runs amock. The region hosts a whole mountain range of MASSIVE DRAGONS, for instance. The empire has installed a king, Ericall, callow 20something, who will need all the help he can get. Thincol emperor of Thyatis, meanwhile, questions that "not strong enough down there" thing. So he's inserted some agents in Norwold to pry it off Alphatian hands.
The module gives the party the opportunity to send third-level versions of themselves to their certain fiery deaths in one of those caves, before the party goes in there for themselves. We suppose that's one way of getting rid of excess henchmen. One hopes those poor sods didn't have mothers.
Much of the map isn't, technically, under Norwold's sway. There's (probably) Heldann Freehold territory in the south... but screw 'em, they'd probably not unite against Alphatia anyway. If those losers had been worth a toss they'd have got a Known World Gazetteer. Even the Shadow Elves and Atruaghins got a Gazetteer, you pathetic worms. Where's yours? Huh?
Also a good bit of the Isle of Dawn is on the map. And lands west of the Wyrmsteeth; X11: Saga of the Shadow Lord will attempt (ineptly) the south parts of these. Later supplements would narrow down exactly how far Eric's writ is supposed to run.
Thincol takes the William of Normandy approach to conquest - pulling its agents from a lineup of utter bastards. The three the module notes are the evil spellcaster Alak Dool, some mafioso called Longtooth, and a total douchecanoe who calls his boyz "The Army Of Max the First". Alak Dool has some effect on the module but the others won't until "the War of the Crown" at the end. Just from their names the party knows who wears the white hat and who wears the black hat. This is funny in the light of Dawn where we learn that Alphatia is running a caste society at home and a slave ring in other colonies.
Norwold will end up the default setting for other CM adventures, and M as well.