I talked a bit about DA4 back in 2016 when it was first released on PDF at the DMsGuild. Back then I mentioned how Dave Arneson's name does not appear on the cover of this adventure and that Dave had expressed some dissatisfaction about the adventure as he had not been given a chance to give it his approval which he presumably had done with the previous modules in the series.
Duchy of Ten is the final instalment of TSR's DA module series. Although the name Duchy of Tehn also appeared in Gary Gygax' Greyhawk, its origins are likely from Dave Arneson's campaign. In the original campaign, these lands may have been home to the villain The Ran of Ah'Foo and it may at one point have been controlled by a player named Chuck Munson.
The adventure as published covers the sea voyage to the Duchy which is located to the west of Blackmoor. On the voyage there, the PCs may have to deal with a number of threats including Skandaharian raiders, Merfolk and traitorous sailors. Upon arrival, it is revealed that the Duchy of Ten is now under the occupation of the the conquering people known as the Afridhi and their queen, Toska Rusa. In this adventure you can also learn about the evil deity known as Zugzul and what nefarious plans his priestess Toska Rusa has with the artifact called the Well of Souls.
It is unfortunate that Dave Arneson did not get the chance to give his final approval of this adventure, but comparing the information given here with what we learn about the Duchy of Ten in DA1, it does seem like much of the information does come from sources Arneson had approved of, even if he may have wanted the storyline to be different. We don't really know if there were any specifics Dave was unhappy with and if so, we don't know what those might have been. We do know that when Zeitgeist Games revisited the Duchy for the d20 Dave Arneson's Blackmoor line, they decided to keep the Duchy pretty much as presented in this adventure. At the time, ZGG said it was what fans had come to expect from the region. It is unfortunate that they did not revisit this adventure for the d20 line as they did with the previous modules in the series.
Overall, this is a fun adventure and like the rest of the DA series, it allows for much exploration outside the main storyline and can in many ways be used as a setting sourcebook as much as an adventure. Mystara fans can use the introduction part where the heroes are PCs travelling through time, but this part can easily be skipped and the adventure can be ran with PCs who are heroes from Blackmoor.
DA4 The Duchy of Ten
Item Code: #9205 (DA4)
Title: The Duchy of Ten
Type: Adventure
Author: David J. Ritchie
Published: 1987
Format: 48-page book w/tri-fold cover, fold-out map
"The Well of Souls...
That's what Zugzul bade the Afridhi call the evil artifact that he had taught them to make. They call it the Well of Souls, and they must carry it before them into every battle - and they would be mighty. Thus said the god of Afridhi, Zugzul the One.So the Afridhi did as they were bade. Seeking the volcano called the Hill of the Hammer in the far Barrens of Karsh, they built in its heart a great forge. There, as Zugzul had promised, efreet came to help them make the mighty artifact.
There, amid vile, unholy rites, they bound the souls of men into its very substance, and, as it took shape, they sharpened their swords for the red-handed work that must surely follow hard upon its completion.Many were the men who guarded the Hill of the Hammer during the days of making - for their foes in hated Blackmoor would try to unmake that which they had wrought. Yet, it was not men that would keep the Well of Souls from destruction, but a prophecy - that the artifact would be unmade only by the hand of one as yet unborn!"
Buy this adventurein Print or PDF format from DrivetrhuRPG
More discussion of this adventure at The Comeback Inn.
Do you own a copy f the Duchy of Ten? What do you think about this adventure?
-Havard
