Campaigns

There have been 16 campaigns of importance and/or length that were played in Aquerra since it was first developed in the summer of 1989. There have also been other short-lived campaigns and aborted attempts to start some, but they do not bear mentioning.

Below is an overview of the 16 campaigns, including the names of the adventures run in the campaign.
The "First" Campaign | The Company of Spring's Dawning | The Nyasanu/Javier Campaign | The Sign of Four Campaign | The Oath Campaign | The Black Islands Campaign | "Leche de Sangre" UKSF Campaign | The Far Shore Campaign | The Company of the Rod | The Covenant | Out of the Frying Pan | The Promised Land | For King & Country | Second Son of a Second Son | Or Forever Hold Your Peace | In Pursuit of Adventure

Adventure titles followed by a number are from Dungeon Magazine.
Adventures followed by (OO) were written by Osvaldo Oyola Ortega.
Adventures followed by (ST) were written by Sean Teasdale.
Adventures followed by (CC) were written by Christopher Cutts.

The "First" Campaign (06/89 to 08/89)

As might be guessed from its name, The First Campaign was the first campaign played in the Aquerra setting, and the first played with the brand-new 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. The campaign had little of an overarching plot, and was characterized by a high death rate brought upon by the fact that there was no death's door rule.

See also: The First Campaign Adventures

The Company of Spring's Dawning (06/91 to 08/91)

This campaign was briefly played in the summer of 1991 in Richmond, IN. A lot of the things made up on the fly for this campaign (because the Aquerra DM's Guide was hundreds of miles away back in New York City) became permanent fixtures of the setting.

The Company of Spring's Dawning's Adventures

The Nyasanu/Javier Campaign (05/92 to 08/92)

This campaign is retroactively named for the two characters first made for it: Nyasanu Free, a friar of Nephthys, and Javier d'Letan, a ranger. The early, seemingly unconnected adventures were leading toward an eventual over-arching plot for the campaign, but the game never got far enough for the plot to manifest in play.

The Nyasanu/Javier Campaign's Adventures

The Sign of Four Campaign (04/93 to 10/94 + '96)

The Sign of Four was the campaign in which the development of Aquerra really came to fruition. The strong personalities of the characters created for and during the game, along with the introduction of more recurring NPCs (esp. the villain Jack of Hearts) brought the game to a new level, and helped to fill out a lot of detail in areas of Aquerra that had been glossed over before.

In game time, this campaign lasted from 559 H.E. to 562 H.E.

The Sign of Four's Adventures

  • Sword of Justice (Dragon #92)
  • Euphoria Horrors (#34)
  • OO7 - The Glass Oracle (OO)
  • OO7a - The Orc Burrow (OO)
  • Troll Bridge (#36)
  • Asflag's Unintentional Emporium (#36)
  • HHQ1 - Fighter's Challenge
  • OO8 - The Lair of the Lizard King (OO)
  • N3 - Destiny of Kings
  • Is there an elf in the house? (#32)
  • Chadranther's Bane (#18)
  • U3 - The Final Enemy
  • The Quest for Gilvorak (OO)
  • OO9 - Freedom from the Slaves (OO)

See also: The Sign of Four Campaign, The Sign of Four Adventures

The Oath Campaign (10/96 to 02/00)

The Oath campaign probably had more sessions than any other Aquerra campaign before or since. Played weekly for nearly three years and then intermittently for the next year, there were a lot of hours dedicated to this game. The campaign began with five characters awakening with no gear or provisions on the bottom level of a dungeon, with no memory of how they got there or who the other people were. It followed the group around Aquerra as they tried to avoid being manipulated by the evil wizard that stuck them there, while simultaneously trying to uncover his schemes and put an end to them.

This campaign also had a very high death rate, with nearly 25 player characters falling by the wayside as the campaign developed. In game, it covered a time from late spring 562 H.E. to mid-summer 564 H.E.

The Oath Adventures

See also: The Oath Campaign, The Oath Adventures, The Oath Campaign - NPC List

The Black Islands Campaign (On & Off 05/97 to 04/98)

This was the first campaign run by someone other than Aquerra's creator, and is notable as such. Sean Teasdale ran this group through a short series of adventures set in the Black Islands Barony.

The Black Islands Campaign's Adventures

  • Escape from the Arena (ST)
  • Unhallowed Ground (#54)
  • Secrets of the Towers (#10)
  • At the Spottle Parlor (#12)

"Leche de Sangre" UKSF Campaign (Winter 1997)

This short-lived campaign took place in the small town of Leche de Sangre in the Province of Kelanen in the UKSF, and all the characters were locals. This game was meant to fill in gaps when The Oath Campaign could not be run because of the absence of players due to school breaks.

"Leche de Sangre" UKSF Campaign Adventures

  • The Fountain of Health (#39)

The Far Shore Campaign (06/98 to 08/98)

While a brief campaign, this game is notable for being the second Aquerra game DMed by someone other than Aquerra's creator, and it also instigated the development of the Far Shore League on the western shore of Derome-Delem. It was run by Christopher Cutts for a group of his then-teenaged friends.

The Far Shore Campaign's Adventures

  • The Long Crawl Home (CC)
  • Tetheral's Last Stand (CC)
  • The Black Death (CC)

The Company of the Rod (01/99 to 06/01)

Run by Sean Teasdale, The Company of the Rod was the longest and most successful Aquerra campaign not run by Osvaldo Oyola Ortega. Taking place in the Archduchy of Wallbrook, the campaign followed the group's search for a rod said to be able to cure the dreaded Red Wasting Disease. It was also the first Aquerra campaign to be converted to the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons rules.

The Company of the Rod's Adventures

  • The Maiden's Crest (ST)
  • The Whale (#35)
  • Pandora's Apprentice (#38)
  • The Accursed Tower
  • Into the Nest of Vipers (#75)
  • The Crypts of Istaris (#9)
  • North of Narborel (#49)
  • Tax Free (ST/OO)
  • Juggernaut (#27)
  • Depths of Rage (#83)

The Covenant (10/99 to 03/00)

The Covenant was run cooperatively by Sean Teasdale and Osvaldo Oyola Ortega. It concerned a group of explorers from the Northern Reaches traveling throughout the southern portions of Aquerra.

The Covenant's Adventures

  • A Local Legend (#31)
  • Below Vulture Point (#39)
  • Through the Night (#29)
  • The Stolen Power (#5)
  • Stage Fright (#77)

Out of the Frying Pan… (02/01 to 01/06)

Out of the Frying Pan, a campaign run by Osvaldo Oyola Ortega, was the first to begin using the 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons rules. In game time, this campaign lasted from the late summer of 564 H.E. to the autumn of 565 H.E.

The campaign began with a handful of escapees from forced conscription into the Herman Land army who found themselves traveling to Derome-Delem and agreeing to slay a dragon. The party, The Fearless Manticore Killers (later renamed The Keepers of the Gate), stumbled into deeper and deeper danger in their efforts to protect Aquerra from an extraordinary peril.

Out of the Frying Pan Adventures

  • Rites of Passage (OO)
  • Janx's Jinx (#56)
  • Auld Lang Syne (OO)
  • The Door to Darkness (#81)
  • B7 - Rahasia
  • Into the Honeycombe (OO)
  • The Circle of Thorns (OO)
  • Masqueraider (#14) (aka The Beast From Without)
  • The Necropolis of Doom! (OO)
  • Flesh to Stone (#85)
  • The Pit of Bones (OO)
  • Hermes' Bridge (#32)
  • The Journey to Nikar (OO)
  • Things that Go Bump in the Night (#38)
  • Beyond the Glittering Veil (#31)
  • Hurgun's Maze (OO)

The Promised Land (02/03 to 12/04)

Run by Sean Teasdale, The Promised Land was the companion campaign to Out of the Frying Pan – taking place concurrently and in the nearby Principality of Rhondria. Unfortunately, time considerations and scheduling difficulties led to this campaign ending without resolution after 28 sessions. In game time, this campaign took place in the autumn/winter of 564 H.E..

The Promised Land Adventures

  • Night of Fear (#28)

For King & Country (01/07/07 to 10/21/07)

The second "Black Islands" campaign was run by Christopher Cutts, dealing with soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in the Herman Land/Black Islands Barony civil war. Unfortunately, time considerations and scheduling difficulties led to this campaign ending without resolution after 37 sessions. In game time, this campaign began in early spring of 566 H.E. and ended in mid-summer of the same year.

For King & Country Adventures

  • To Save a Wizard (CC)
  • The Crown of Asps (CC)
  • The Siege of Kuhlberg (CC)
  • Visiting Tylwyth (#77)
  • Nbods Room (#51)
  • Salvage Operation (#123)
  • High Noon (CC)
  • Only the Strong (CC)

Second Son of a Second Son

aka The Noble Adventurers Campaign (01/21/07 to 08/02/09)
This campaign took place primarily in Thricia, and focuses on young lesser nobles trying to make their name and place in the world. It was run by Osvaldo Oyola Ortega until shortly before he departed to pursue his doctorate; at which time the game came to an unfinished end. In game time, this campaign began in mid-spring of 566 H.E. (637 M.Y.) and ended almost a year later.

This campaign experimented with the use of XP Keys to encourage setting up and working towards IC goals, which earned the character experience. After using it for most of the campaign, it was determined to be unbalanced: certain players would be able to make use of several of their keys while others were unable to make use of any - based solely on the location and/or nature of the current adventure of the group.

Second Son of a Second Son Adventures

  • Delirium Tremens (OO)
  • The Bullywug Gambit (#140)
  • Rudwilla's Stew (#45)
  • B2 - The Keep on the Borderlands (aka The King Stones)
  • The Moor-Tomb Map (#13)
  • Sleepless (OO)
  • Hot Day in L'Trel (#44)
  • The Vineyard Vales (#23)
  • Old Man Katan & The Mushroom Band (#41)
  • Hopeful Dawn (#41)
  • The Game is Afoot (OO)
  • Incident at Stratharn Point (#21)

Or Forever Hold Your Peace (10/04/09 to 03/28/10)

Set in the Kingdom of Neergaard, this campaign (run by Eric Gershik) takes place during a period of unrest and upheaval following the official announcement of engagement between Neergaard's king, Edmund the Young, and the middle daughter of Baron Hustas von Egraine III, Arabella von Egraine. In game time, this campaign begins in early spring of 567 H.E..

This campaign will experiment with 3 new house rules: Beliefs, Circles, and Instincts; as well as play-test several changes to the existing house rules (see also: OFHYP - House Rules)

In Pursuit of Adventure (06/05/10 to 05/28/16)

This campaign being run by Sean Teasdale is set to take place primarily in the western lands and seas of Aquerra, where a ship full of Herman Land natives are being sent in hopes of recovering wealth and properties that could be instrumental in aiding their homeland against the rebellious Black Islands Barony. In game time, this campaign begins in late 566 H.E..

In Pursuit of Adventure Adventures

See also: Campaign Cast Photos, Dungeon Magazine Adventures, Modules, NPCs, Player Characters, Story Hour

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