X3: Curse of Xanathon

X3: Curse of Xanathon was by Douglas Niles, 1982, for levels 5-7. The duke Stephen of frontier duchy Rhoona is nuts. The party has to figure out why and fix it.

Stephen's madness offers some of the finest comic-relief in RPG history. I don't know if Niles was aware of Caliph Hakim al-Fatimi's ludicrous edicts down in pre-Crusade Egypt, but they read about the same. An especially nice touch is how Stephen explains his reasoning behind, say, that horses eat meat henceforth. I mean, of course they need the protein.

Stephen's edicts get less funny when one orders that dwarves be stretched on the rack that they might enjoy true equality with the human population. Turns out there's a cult, of the Chaotic god Cretia, eager to foment Chaos (remember that in this line of D&D, Chaos=evil). Its leader is Xanathon, and he's working to install his puppet Draco upon the ducal chair.

Then follows one of the most iconic moments in the X-series: the party goes to confront Xanathon and... can't.

So they gotta go quest to a remote shrine to retrieve Xanathon's life-gem / phylactery. It's guarded by a Spectre, a formidable foe for level-six'ers standing a good chance to knock them down to level-four'ers. When they come back they find Xanathon much more amenable and they can get the antidote for the addled duke. Draco, having been thrown right under the horse-and-carriage, knows he's facing the rope or the Blood Eagle or something equally horrible so he's not amenable at all; he's the 14th-level final boss fight.

Pretty sure after all this is done, Xanathon flees the duchy and, indeed, the whole Vestland / Rockhome region. What would YOU do?

This plot is for a human barony on the border with a powerful dwarven realm. Given that the X series is still working within the Known World confines, Niles figured inland Vestland for Rhoona's location. Vestland is, thereby, assumed less Viking and more late-mediaeval Norway. It does seem that Niles wrote the story first, and placed it later, given that "Rhoona" and "Stephen" aren't particularly Germanic. Neither's "Xanathon" - he could be foreign, but his name leans Hellenistic too. But anyway, what we got's in Vestland.

This module is one way players of X10 can get Vestland in on Darokin's side. Assuming Vestland can move their troops through their neighbours' space.