CM7: The Tree of Life

CM7: The Tree of Life is Bruce A. Heard's exploration of another Companion Set feature, here the high-level demihuman in this case the Elf. Sort of.

This module is meant for Elves almost-only, level 8 on up - except for a Druid, who (in these Tom Moldvay rules) is human. This rather limits the party for any other adventure in this system. Luckily the Alfheim Gazetteer is coming, so elfaboos can go use that. With that, you can have a Shaman - or just use AD&D and diversify accordingly.

Note under these rules, level 10 is where elves tap out. This module could be tagged "X" for Expert... except for the monsters, pretty much because an elvish adventure has to include a banshee somewhere. Other CM critters roam about here but usually on the lower-level side of the 'Set. Although, this module does bring in Wish from AD&D / Master.

Although most of this adventure is not in Mystara's Known World, Heard insists it is in the same continent. The canon of Alfheim and of most of this world's elvenkind is thereby expanded, or constrained, however you like it.

This article contains spoilers! You have been warned.

The Feadiel elves in Alfheim (like the Shadow Elves downbelow) descend from exiles. The Feadiel homeland was some generations ago ravaged by a sorcerer, Moorkroft. (Take THAT, elf haters!) The Feadiel ran for it; the other clans instead magic-jarred into the local flora.

So now, in a cue taken from Dragons of Dreams: the Feadiel homeland "Elven Land" is cursed. The elves' gods imposed a congenital rotting disease upon Moorkroft although (somehow) he and his progeny have been able to reproduce. (We're later told: clone. Naturally the backups were done too late.) The module has it that the elves got cursed too but that's not really important to the plot. More salient to the plot - and arguably the worst curse of all - a tree with an Elf jarred into it is a prime source for Potions of Longevity, at least for their expies in this module.

The great-grandclone, imaginatively named Moorkroft IV, has figured this out. So he has been draining these trees for sap. He hasn't found the Tree of Life itself yet. And he's only got two clones left.

The party gets from Alfheim to the "Elven Land" via the Magic Rainbow, easily the most original entry here; Heard suggests it as a fine adjunct to Mystara-spanning campaigns elsewhere. Through various puzzles the party can explore Scarletland, Amberland, and the other four colours skipping Indigo as one should. Don't sunbathe too long in Violetland.

(Nerds who aren't Heard might consider shifting that red-blue-yellow puzzle to red-blue-green. But then you'd have to delete Amberland and add some "Cyanland" instead. Best not to overthink. Nerd.)

So, you go look for the Tower of Light which Moorkroft is squatting in. Because of Moorkroft's evil and the nature of the sap he's drained, he now looks like a wizened elf, in a twist on The Dark Crystal.

After it's all done, those elves whom Moorkroft hasn't sucked dead yet all come back to life... and arraign the party into court. These elves are racist as usual even if your non-elf is a druid so, if he'd survived to set foot in Elf Saudi Arabia... that'll suck for you.

There's an Appendix. Moorkroft, optionally, has an (orc, of course) army - although he hasn't dared use it in the curséd forest. Once the elves are back, that curse is lifted and the orcs can march upon the woodland again. The ensuing battle can be War Machine or an "abstract system" herein detailed. BATTLESYSTEM isn't considered but, you're the DM, go for it. This setpiece is entirely tangential to the module, but at least Heard knew it and sequestered this to the penultimate page.