Shackled City
Encyclopedia
The Shackled City Adventure Path (or simply Shackled City) is a role-playing game
campaign designed for Dungeons & Dragons
, originally appearing as a series of modules in Dungeon Adventures
, later published in a hardcover edition collecting all previous installments plus an additional chapter written especially for the book release. Various elements of the game were revised for the collection. The setting was enlarged to better suit the needs of a typical high-level game.
. Cauldron itself is nominally located in the World of Greyhawk, although the series is designed to be easily adapted to other Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting
s.
as series of 11 modules, printed in Dungeon Adventures over a period of almost two years. Prior to the publication of Shackled City, Cauldron was an obscure part of the Greyhawk landscape without significant background or development. In the Adventure Path, however, the city was greatly expanded upon and became the center of multiple plot threads within the overall evolving Greyhawk lore that Paizo developed, eventually dovetailing with the later Adventure Path Age of Worms
, which was centered on a city not far from Cauldron.
In general, the Adventure Paths were widely lauded throughout the gaming industry, and the collected issues of Shackled City, including extensive background and location notes on Cauldron and its residents, were nominated for and received multiple ENnies
in 2006.
of a dormant volcano
, Cauldron is a medium-sized city founded by Surabar Spellmason around 500-600 years before the nominal "present day" in the campaign. The city has extensive subterranean caverns that connect at various places to the Underdark
.
In Greyhawk, the city is set in the Hellfurnaces near the Amedio Jungle, east of the Sea of Dust and southwest from the Azure Sea and Jeklea Bay.
In the Forgotten Realms
, the city is set somewhere on the Chultan Peninsula in the Jungle of Chult.
s, urban
adventures, political
intrigue, and even extra-planar
excursions.
, and it contains a few elements that carry over (such as the Ebon Triad
, who are minor characters in Shackled City) but each Adventure Path stands on its own as a campaign.
The third Adventure Path, Savage Tide
, begins just north of Cauldron, in the city of Sasserine
, and includes at least one character from the Shackled City storyline.
During the course of the adventure, the city is nearly destroyed by an eruption of the volcano under it, which is triggered by magical forces. Shattered, but still inhabited, the city of Cauldron still exists at the end of the adventure.
game fair, taking home the gold award for "Best Adventure" and "Best Campaign Setting/Supplement", as well as the silver award for "Best Cartography".
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
campaign designed for Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, originally appearing as a series of modules in Dungeon Adventures
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
, later published in a hardcover edition collecting all previous installments plus an additional chapter written especially for the book release. Various elements of the game were revised for the collection. The setting was enlarged to better suit the needs of a typical high-level game.
Location
The adventure is primarily set in the city of CauldronCauldron (Shackled City)
Cauldron is the primary setting in the Shackled City Adventure Path, a collection of adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
. Cauldron itself is nominally located in the World of Greyhawk, although the series is designed to be easily adapted to other Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s.
Shackled City's Impact on Cauldron
The Adventure Path was released by Paizo PublishingPaizo Publishing
Paizo Publishing is an American publishing company in Redmond, Washington that specializes in game aids and adventures for "the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game" and its flagship spin-off game and setting, Pathfinder...
as series of 11 modules, printed in Dungeon Adventures over a period of almost two years. Prior to the publication of Shackled City, Cauldron was an obscure part of the Greyhawk landscape without significant background or development. In the Adventure Path, however, the city was greatly expanded upon and became the center of multiple plot threads within the overall evolving Greyhawk lore that Paizo developed, eventually dovetailing with the later Adventure Path Age of Worms
Age of Worms
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Age of Worms is an age of darkness and despair heard of only in ancient prophecies...
, which was centered on a city not far from Cauldron.
In general, the Adventure Paths were widely lauded throughout the gaming industry, and the collected issues of Shackled City, including extensive background and location notes on Cauldron and its residents, were nominated for and received multiple ENnies
ENnies
The Annual Gen Con EN World RPG Awards are annual, fan-based awards for role-playing game products and publishers hosted at Gen Con in Indianapolis, Indiana...
in 2006.
Geography and population
Located in the calderaCaldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
of a dormant volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, Cauldron is a medium-sized city founded by Surabar Spellmason around 500-600 years before the nominal "present day" in the campaign. The city has extensive subterranean caverns that connect at various places to the Underdark
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
.
In Greyhawk, the city is set in the Hellfurnaces near the Amedio Jungle, east of the Sea of Dust and southwest from the Azure Sea and Jeklea Bay.
In the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published in 1987, detailing the Forgotten Realms setting, containing information on characters, locations, and history as well as setting-specific rules for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, the city is set somewhere on the Chultan Peninsula in the Jungle of Chult.
Purpose
The adventures are designed to begin with first level characters and to end with characters at or near twentieth level, taking them through twelve distinct adventures that span basic dungeon crawlDungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
s, urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
adventures, political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
intrigue, and even extra-planar
Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)
The planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game constitutes the multiverse in which the game takes place.In the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of the Inner, Ethereal, Prime Material, Astral and Outer Planes was introduced; at the time there were only four Inner Planes...
excursions.
The Adventure Paths
The Adventure Paths are an ongoing element of Dungeon magazine, of which Shackled City was the first. The next adventure path is called Age of WormsAge of Worms
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Age of Worms is an age of darkness and despair heard of only in ancient prophecies...
, and it contains a few elements that carry over (such as the Ebon Triad
Ebon Triad
The Ebon Triad is a cult in the fictional world of Oerth in the Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, who are minor characters in Shackled City) but each Adventure Path stands on its own as a campaign.
The third Adventure Path, Savage Tide
Savage Tide
The Savage Tide Adventure Path is the third and final Adventure Path for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game published in Dungeon Adventures...
, begins just north of Cauldron, in the city of Sasserine
Sasserine
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the fictional city-state of Sasserine is a locale in the Amedio Jungle that serves as the starting point for the Savage Tide Adventure Path currently being published in Dungeon Magazine.-History:Sasserine was...
, and includes at least one character from the Shackled City storyline.
Summary
The Adventure Path consists of the following scenarios:| Chapter | Title | Author | Illustrators | Levels | Issue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Life's Bazaar" | Christopher Perkins | Chuck Lukacs, Val Mayerik Val Mayerik Val Mayerik is an American comic-book and commercial artist, best known as co-creator of Marvel Comics' satiric character Howard the Duck.-Early life and career:... , Christopher West (cartography Cartography Cartography is the study and practice of making maps. Combining science, aesthetics, and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality can be modeled in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.The fundamental problems of traditional cartography are to:*Set the map's... for entire series) |
1–3 | 97 | March 2003 |
| In this adventure the player characters investigate kidnappings. The trail leads to a slaver operating from Underdark Underdark The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore... passages below the city. |
||||||
| 2 | "Drakthar's Way" | Christopher Perkins | Omar Dogan | 3 | NA | August 2007 |
| In this adventure small bands of goblins Goblin (Dungeons & Dragons) In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, goblins are a very common and fairly weak race of evil humanoid monsters. Goblins and Kobolds are commonly non-human monsters that low-level player characters will face in combat. In D&D, goblins aren't smaller cousins of orcs, but are a part of... raid and vandalize the city. The player characters track the goblins to a hideout in a series of caves below the city that lead out the side of the mountain. The goblins are led by a vampiric bugbear, the eponymous Drakthar. |
||||||
| 3 | "Flood Season" | James Jacobs | Peter Bergting, Stephen A. Daniele Stephen Daniele -Works:Stephen Daniele has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1995, as well as cover art for Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs , the Dark Sun Campaign Setting , and Den of Thieves... , Scott Fischer |
4–6 | 98 | May 2003 |
| In this adventure the city of Cauldron is threatened by flooding during the rainy season. Magical wands of "control water" normally used to control the flooding are stolen and taken to a lair below the city. The player characters presumably track down and recover the stolen wands. | ||||||
| 4 | "Zenith Trajectory" | David Noonan David Noonan (game designer) David Noonan is an author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast.-Role-playing games:... |
Thomas M. Baxa, Jeff Carlisle, Mark Jackson, Mark Nelson Mark Nelson (artist) Mark A. Nelson is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games and comic books.-Works:Mark Nelson has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1985... |
6–8 | 102 | September 2003 |
| The player characters are asked to rescue Zenith Splintershield, a dwarf who has been missing since heading into the Underdark to fight evil. Zenith has gone insane and is treated as prophet by the kuo-toa Kuo-toa In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the kuo-toa are fish-like monstrous humanoids that dwell in the Underdark, and in the sea.-Publication history:... (fish-people) who captured him. |
||||||
| 5 | "The Demonskar Legacy" | Tito Leati | Jeff Carlisle, Matt Cavotta Matt Cavotta Matt Cavotta is an American artist and writer. His artwork is currently focused on the fantasy genre, with notable contributions to popular games such as Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.-Career:... |
8–10 | 104 | November 2003 |
| In this chapter, the heroes must find a missing paladin to stop an incursion by Cauldron to nearby Redgorge. After retracing his steps through a jungle, a giant-controlled cavern, and an otherworldly maze, they must face the demonic architect of the area's strife. | ||||||
| 6 | "Test of the Smoking Eye" | David Noonan | Mark Nelson, UDON UDON UDON Entertainment Corporation is a studio of Asian-influenced comic book creators that provides creative services to the entertainment industry. The company is a publisher of comic books, graphic novels, and art books, as well as English editions of Japanese manga and Korean manhwa titles. Erik... |
10–12 | 107 | February 2004 |
| Following their warning from a dying paladin to "seek the sign of the smoking eye", a mysterious plane-wanderer asks for their help in completing a series of test to redeem an abandoned layer of the Abyss. | ||||||
| 7 | "Secrets of the Soul Pillars" | Jesse Decker | Jeff Carlisle, Andrew Hou, Arnold Tsang | 12–13 | 109 | April 2004 |
| After several assassins attempt to kill the heroes, they are traced back to the temple of Wee Jas. After assaulting the temple and fighting its undead inhabitants, they are led to an ancient frozen spell weaver complex, where a powerful oracle is guarded by a horrific undying dragon. | ||||||
| 8 | "Lords of Oblivion" | Christopher Perkins | Peter Bergting | 13–15 | 111 | June 2004 |
| An ally of the heroes is kidnapped and taken to a safe house of the Last Laugh, Cauldron's thieves guild. Once they break in and rescue him from the den of thieves, they learn of a secret meeting among some of the realm's most horrific criminals at a noble's mansion. In addition, their beholder overlord is practicing unholy rituals in the complex below. | ||||||
| 9 | "Foundation of Flame" | Chris Thomasson | Christine Choi, Benjamin Huen, Chris Stevens, UDON, Jim Zubkavich | 15–16 | 113 | August 2004 |
| The Cagewrights begin their plans in earnest now, awakening the volcano on which Cauldron is built. Spewing lava, earthquakes, and collapsing buildings require the heroes help to get everyone evacuated. Worse, demodands begin to emerge from a planar rift already building, and a certain local dragon gets riled up by it all. | ||||||
| 10 | "Thirteen Cages" | Chris Thomasson | Ramón K. Pérez | 16–18 | 114 | September 2004 |
| The heroes must march on the Cagewrights' headquarters, in the heart of a volcano, before their ritual is complete and a permanent gate to Carceri Carceri In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, Carceri is a neutral evil-aligned plane of existence... is opened above Cauldron. |
||||||
| 11 | "Strike on Shatterhorn" | Christopher Perkins | Tim Fowler, Eric Kim | 18–19 | 115 | October 2004 |
| What few Cagewrights remain must be hunted down and exterminated in their jungle retreat. | ||||||
| 12 | "Asylum" | Christopher Perkins | Attila Adorjany Attila Adorjany Attila Adorjany is an illustrator, comic book artist, painter, sculptor, and graphic designer. Many of his published works are a combination of traditional and digital media.... , Jeff Carlisle, Eric Kim |
19–20 | 116 | November 2004 |
| When the twisted mind of Adimarchus, imprisoned Demon Prince of Madness, leaks into Occipitus and begins resurrecting his followers, the heroes realize they must go to the otherworldly asylum of Skullrot where Adimarchus is imprisoned and destroy him utterly. | ||||||
During the course of the adventure, the city is nearly destroyed by an eruption of the volcano under it, which is triggered by magical forces. Shattered, but still inhabited, the city of Cauldron still exists at the end of the adventure.
Awards
The expanded hardcover edition of the Shackled City Adventure Path won three ENnie awards at the 2006 Gen ConGen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
game fair, taking home the gold award for "Best Adventure" and "Best Campaign Setting/Supplement", as well as the silver award for "Best Cartography".