Wolfgang Baur's Clockwork Fortress (Dungeon #126)

[Havard]

I had completely missed this adventure! Clockwork Fortess is the Sequel to Land of the Black Ice. Both are set in the Blackmoor region of Greyhawk.

Here's some information provided by Cromsriddle at Dragonsfoot:

The Clockwork Fortress:
“Ages ago, in the city of Kolbenborg, a strange mechanical castle hummed and whirred. It protected a powerful device that allowed its clockwork inhabitants to converse via telepathy. Yet something strange came to Kolbenborg one day, and now, the city is all but forgotten and its fortress is only a memory, except to one lone nimblewright − a construct who has recently discovered that he was once the prince of the Clockwork Fortress.”
- Wolfgang Baur, Kieran Yanner & Robert Lazzaretti, The Clockwork Fortress, 126 Dungeon 42.

The adventure features killer frogs and connections to the City of the Gods!

Has anyone else read the adventure or played it?

-Havard

[DungeonDevil]

Kolbenborg?
I believe that Kolben is "rifle-butt" in German, but borg is more Scandinavian than German. Very odd name, that!

EDIT: after having looked it up, Kolben also means piston, which seems to go nicely with the idea of a clockwork fortress.

Lovely map, BTW. ...except, why on earth (or Greyhawk) did they colour the water green, too? :?

[Rafael]

Kolben is really just piston, not, ahem, butt-related.

Kolben is also a term for a huge, ahem, male piston, though.

[Havard]

Kolbenborg?
I believe that Kolben is "rifle-butt" in German, but borg is more Scandinavian than German. Very odd name, that!

EDIT: after having looked it up, Kolben also means piston, which seems to go nicely with the idea of a clockwork fortress.

Correct. "Kolbe" would be the same thing in Scandinavian languages, but the construction sounds more German. Its a fantasy world, so I guess they can get away with it?

Plus Borg, maybe its not Scandinavian but Star Trek-ian? 8)

Lovely map, BTW. ...except, why on earth (or Greyhawk) did they colour the water green, too? :?

I agree that the choice of colors is a bit odd, but otherwise very nice.

-Havard

[aldarron]

prolly ought be Kolbenberg, eh?

Anyway, this sounds really interesting, like it can just as well be in DA's Blackmoor. Going to have to have a closer look. Nice find Havard.

[DungeonDevil]

Kolbenberg does sound better.
As I suspected, there is a real Kolbenberg, but no mention of a Federwerksschloß. :wink:
Nearby is the ruins of an old Roman fortified garrison (Heidenstock). You can't swing a dead kobold without hitting some history over there. :lol:

[Havard]

Anyway, this sounds really interesting, like it can just as well be in DA's Blackmoor. Going to have to have a closer look. Nice find Havard.

Thanks! I agree that it can be adjusted to fit within DA's Blackmoor as well. Perhaps it was a city founded by constructs who escaped the Valley of the Ancients around the time when St. Stephen broke with the City of the Gods?


-Havard

[sheridan]

I missed this, too! Now I need to find a copy!