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## D&D Classics: The Sword of the Dales (2E)

The Sword of the Dales, an icon of the Dalelands symbolizing the unity and
strength of the people, has reappeared! Created by Shraevyn the weapons-mage
hundreds of years ago, the lost Sword had become nothing more than a fantastic
children’s tale – until now.

A group of warriors led by Randal Morn, rightful ruler of Daggerdale, rushed
to the Sword’s resting place to recover it, but dark forces awaited them, and
Randal and his men fell to an ambush. Only one man escaped, yet he brought
with him the hope that Randal Morn yet lives. Resolved to rescue his leader,
that lone survivor turned to the great Elminster of Shadowdale for aid.

But Elminster is gone, off plane-hopping while the fate of Daggerdale hangs in
the balance. Hence, it is up to Lhaeo, scribe to the old mage, to find a group
of heroes who have mettle enough to face down the menace which claimed Randal
Morn and his hearty followers…

This is the first of three adventures that grant player characters the
opportunity to determine the fate of Daggerdale. The saga continues with “The
Secret of Spiderhaunt” and concludes with “The Return of Randal Morn.”

Product History

“The Sword of the Dales” by Jim Butler is the first adventure in the “Sword of
the Dales” trilogy of adventures. It was published in June 1995.

The Fourth Forgotten Realms Trilogy. With the advent of AD&D 2nd edition
(1989), TSR began experimenting with the publication of trilogies of
adventures rather than the standalone adventures, which had been AD&D’s bread
and butter in the 70s and 80s. For the Forgotten Realms, this immediately
resulted in the “FRE” Avatar trilogy (1989) and the “FRA” Empires trilogy
(1990). After that, Realms adventure trilogies were put on hold for a few
years, while TSR instead published six standalone adventures through three (!)
adventure codes: two “FA” adventures (1990-91), three “FRQ” adventures
(1992-93), and one “FRM” adventure (1993).

In 1994, the winds shifted once more. The standalone adventures ended entirely
until late 1996, and instead three more trilogies appeared: “Marco Volo”
(1994), “The Sword of the Dales” (1995), and “Undermountain” (1996). The
“Sword of the Dales” is thus the fourth of five adventure trilogies that were
published for the 2e Realms – and the last one that was a proper trilogy, as
“Undermountain” featured more scattered adventures.

Though it’s called the “Sword of the Dales” trilogy in the introduction to the
second adventure in the series, “The Secret of Spiderhaunt” (1995), there’s
little consensus on the proper name of this trilogy, which has also been
called the “Randal Morn” trilogy and the “Daggerdale Adventures” trilogy by
different sources.

Another Introduction. As an adventure for characters levels 1-4, “Sword of the
Dales” could serve as an introductory AD&D adventure. In fact, it includes a
few elements that would be appropriate for an introduction: It starts out in
the iconic town of Shadowdale, it gives players a chance to equip themselves,
and it also provides a strong reason to go adventuring – in the form of a
request for Elminster’s scribe, Lhaeo. Yet beyond those elements, it’s not a
particularly strong introductory adventure such as you might find in the
B-series or N-series adventures.

It’s All about the NPCs. The Forgotten Realms tends to be about characters,
and that’s the case here, where the PCs immediately make connections with two
of the “great names” of the Realms: They’re set on a quest by Lhaeo to save
Randal Morn, the leader-in-exile of Daggerdale. The machination of other NPCs
underlie the adventure, particularly the wizardess Gothyl, who gets more
emphasis in future adventures in the series.

Adventuring Tropes. Though there’s backstory underlying the adventure, for the
most part “Sword of the Dales” consists of a series of episodic wilderness
adventures followed by a short dungeon delve. Adventure plot and backstory was
common in the 90s, but most of the adventure could have easily appeared in the
80s.

Expanding the Realms. “Sword of the Dales” is set in Shadowdale and on the
Northern Road and the Tethyamar Trail between Shadowdale and Daggerdale. Some
of these lands had been previously detailed in FRA1: “Shadowdale” (1989) and
more notably in FRS1: The Dalelands(1993). Meanwhile, Daggerdale had been the
center of the introductory adventure FRQ3: “The Doom of Daggerdale” a few
years earlier; fans suggest this new adventure is set about a year later in
the Realms’ chronology.

Some of the specific encounters of this adventure add new detail to
Shadowdale, Daggerdale, and the lands in between, prime among them the short
look at Serpentsbridge on page 12 and the extensive look at the Giant’s Craw
valley (and of course the tomb within) that begins on page 13.

The Adventure Continues. This trilogy of adventures continues in “The Secret
of Spiderhaunt,” which was published two months later.

About the Creators. The “Sword of Dales” trilogy was Butler’s first published
work for TSR. He would produce all three adventures for release in 1995 and
then would continue with more Forgotten Realms books in 1996.

Converted by: Michael Davey

Released on June 16, 2019. Designed for Fantasy Grounds version 3.3.7 and
higher.

Requires: An active subscription or a one time purchase of a Fantasy Grounds
Full or Ultimate license and the included 2E ruleset.

Fantasy Grounds – D&D Classics: The Sword of the Dales (2E)