On the Isle of Baylor, set in the Misty Isles archipelago, lays the domain of the vampire queen and her minions. In the city of Ar Toe, a Dwarven King wanders his empty castle, hoping that he will be reunited with his daughter.
Coming upon all of this is you, the adventurer. The mountains you will traverse are full of creatures no mortal man could hope to face and win. Will you be able to dive into the mountains and reclaim the lost princess in the clutches of the vampire queen’s dungeon?
Dungeon Kit Number One
This adventure was originally written by Pete and Judy Kerestan with art by Brad Schenck under his pseudonym “Morno”. After the explosive response of Dungeons and Dragons (made in 1974), others had started making their own adventures.
Pete and Judy were one of the first to do so. They started out by selling their pamphlets, a 15 loose-leaf sheets and an outer folder, out of the back of their trunk. These would be released in 1976, two years after the origination of Dungeons and Dragons
The images above would famously have several different art variations. One being labeled NSFW (left) while the updated copies would be SFW (right).
TSR would soon come into negotiations with the duo. Although unlicensed, they would exclusively distributed it to promote sales of Dungeons and Dragons. Palace of the Vampire Queen would become the first of four modules under the production company named “Wee Warriors products”.
Fun Fact! – Copies would sometimes come to TSR missing a page, staff at TSR would add a photocopy of the missing page to the package.
Palace of the Vampire Queen
The storyline that is included within the folds of the pamphlet are abysmal compared to stand alone modules released current day. The total amount of paragraphs could be counted with one hand. This lays the foundation for the whole adventure the party hopes to take.
But this seems to give the story an aura of mystery and a sense of unknown. While I do love the countless numbers that is DND, I can not help but feel ecstatic for this layout.
I feel the ominous energy in the air. To be a resident of an isle in a far off land that is populated with a vampire queen and her minions, with little knowledge, this these five paragraphs feel enough. I am to think that on either side of the table, DM or Player, there could be some fun there.
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The Residents of the Isle
As talked about in the first paragraph of the background, centuries threefold have passed since her arrival. The peasants of the Dwarvish Island of Baylor have endured raids from the Vampire Queen and her minions that follow her.
From the palace, they sweep through the Isle in darkness, looking unto the lands and scouring for traces of blood. Ah, but the minions of the Vampire Queen are much greedier than that. Whenever they can get their hands on the innocence of children, they do so feverishly.
Their most recent victim of these midnight kidnappings was the Dwarven Princess of Baylor. This took place when even the cities no longer were safe, and any child unlucky enough to be out at night were soon caught.
This is now where you, the players, have made your introductions. King Arman of Baylor has offered not only riches, but lands with titles accompanying them to anyone who will save his beloved daughter.
The peasants are constantly surrounded by fear. King Arman walks tirelessly and alone in his castle. All hope of a group of adventurers coming to save them has all but vanished. The players must reignite this hope and delve into the mountains where the Vampire Queen and her minions domain lingers.
History of the Vampire Queen
The way they format the history of the Vampire Queen is unique as well. They do not write it down as fact (which adds to the mystery) but have it come from storytellers.
Legend has it that all those years ago, there was a shipwreck on the island. The passengers were loyal guards and ladies in waiting, and of course the Vampire Queen. She had been found barely alive, all blood had been drained from her. All the love and riches that she had brought with her could not save her in the end. All of her power could not save her and later that night she was dead.
Those who knew her mourned for their lost queen. They took the body of the Vampire Queen deep into the mountains in hopes of building her a beautiful and majestic tomb. Along with the body they took all of her riches and added it to the tomb, hoping to have a send-off with her and all earthly possessions.
Here, the storytellers say that no one knows if the tomb had been built. Not one of them was ever heard from again, besides at night. The only rumors that circulate is that there is a huge palace in the mountains. No hero or person that has ever gone to conquer the queen has returned to confirm it.
Dungeon Layout
There are five distinct levels of the Vampire Queens palace. There is no instruction on how players should get there (besides the ominous vibes of it being hard). As the manual has stated, a lot of this is up in the air and up to the DMs discretion.
With a lack of descriptions, there also seems to be a lacking of detail in the dungeon as well. Every level consists of hand-sketched blocks strung together in a maze-like ordinance. As the players dive deeper, the difficulty levels do tend to rise.
Speaking of detail, it lacks a Gygaxian Naturalism that most modern players (including myself) obsess over. The occupants of this dungeon seem to vary between mercenaries in one room and occupational minions down the hall. It seems that this was laid out in such a way to make the adventure more exciting while holding back on the world-building.
If you want to hear more about the right way to do Gygaxian Naturalism, check out Delicious in Dungeon: Gygaxian Naturalism Done Right
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Temple of the Frog
Some may argue, “Actually Temple of the Frog was the first Dungeons and Dragons adventure”. Where yes, technically it is. But we are talking about the first module, and the Palace of the Vampire Queen holds that title. Temple of the Frog was an adventure that was a part of the larger world of Blackmoor.
The campaign Blackmoor was created in the early 70s, authored by co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, Dave Arneson. A small group of players, including Gary Gygax, were among the first players which would later pave the way for early DND.
Temple of the Frog takes place in the Great Dismal Swamp. The players are tasked with saving a baroness who is held captive in the evil Temple of the Frog. This land of marshes has caused problems for centuries. In the southwestern frontier of Blackmoor, you can expect a tangled maze of sluggish watercourses, stagnant ponds, and festering marshes. It states that large armies and smaller parties have disappeared without a trace.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I actually enjoy the Palace of the Vampire Queen. It gives both the DM and the party a chance to flesh out their world. I could see it being a blast to have that much freedom in a module, being able to easily adapt the story as the players journey through these strange lands. The replayability also stands out, with the lack of NPCs and planning, DMs could easily create a whole new setting, with alternate but similar universes at their fingertips.
Sources:
captcorajus. (2021, January 29). RPG retro review: Palace of the Vampire Queen [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyd6ZzM-rA0
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