DL16: World of Krynn (1988) brings the original Dragonlance line of modules to a close. And, while the main story ended a few years earlier in DL14, this volume offers some, uh, interesting codas for some survivors of the original trilogy. Like its immediate predecessor, Mists of Krynn, this is a square-bound anthology of scenarios. Unlike Mists of Krynn, it doesn’t suck; all four scenarios take place in the same period of time following the War of the Lance, and they are accompanied by new illustrations! The novelty!
Of the four scenarios, the one involving the rescue of the oracular child from hobgoblins and draconians is probably the least interesting. With the exception of the draconians, it is practically generic. Sturdy enough, though. The first scenario is a good one; it fleshes out the regional minotaurs and has the players thwarting their imminent invasion. The final scenario is a glorified dragon’s lair (appropriately, a red in a volcano) and isn’t terribly complex. I rather like it because it present dragons as truly terrible foes, intelligent and powerful, and it does so without the encumbrance of the larger War of the Lance (where they are terrible foes, but also, like, pets, sorta). Up to the point of Dragonlance, D&D dragons weren’t all that fearsome, but after they grow in stature. I think this may be the first instance of what we would recognize as a contemporary-style dragon.
The vast bulk of the book, though, is dedicated to fleshing out the state of Lord Soth’s Dargaard Keep in the wake of the War. This is a deeply stupid place (there is a tarrasque in the basement, and a ton of other monsters that don’t exist elsewhere in the Dragonlance setting), nearly in the mode of a funhouse dungeon, an over the top exercise is horror movie monsters that probably has more influence on the Ravenloft setting than anyone cares to admit, and I have loved it since I was a kid. Over the course of the scenario, the players obtain the means of freeing Soth from his curse. They also learn Kitiara’s final fate — Soth turned her into a penanggalan! I think Kit is much abused by the Dragonlance story, and this is maybe the final insult, but I also nevertheless adore this choice? Of all the possible undead! Of course, as is often the case with Soth, none of this stayed canon for long. Which is kind of a shame — it may be a dumb ending, but it was an ending. Did we gain much more for instead having Dragonlance and Soth carry on? Is having the queen of dragons drop his castle on him a better way for him to go?
