The Infusion

by Raistlin's Khellspawn

Recommended for games set during the 'Beyond the War of Souls' time period.

The Infusion: Part One

It is the year 420 AC. The Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth has been reclaimed. All factions are building up their strength. However, one group of renegades have different plans...

Seven epic renegade wizards have gathered from all over the continent of Ansalon. They plan to attempt the impossible - to siphon the powers of the gods into themselves. Using an ancient artifact known as Rasmerelle's Glory, they begin an intense magical ritual to steal the powers of the gods.

But something goes wrong... drastically wrong.

A massive explosion has shattered the wizards' hideout in the Khalkist Mountains. Nothing remains of the once mighty hidden mountain citadel of the renegades. Rasmerelle's Glory has been lost. But the renegades partially succeeded - they stole some deific power.

But that power was released over the world, infusing into random humanoids. These humanoids have found themselves literally transformed into powerful demigods. A Klar dwarf, a gully dwarf, a kender, a gnome, a draconian, a minotaur, and a young human warrior have all been transformed.

Dalamar and Jenna have sensed this surge of deific energy. They enlist your party to find all these individuals and bring them to the conclave immediately. Only they know that another is looking for these demigods. Only they know that if all of them are captured and sacrificed, full divine power will be transferred to the initiator. Only they know of the dark race that has been unleashed to defend the receivers of the Infusion...

The Infusion: Part Two

Note to DMs: This adventure hook is to be used after you have rescued two of the demigods and have brought them to the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth.

Dalamar and Jenna congratulate you in the Tower of High Sorcery for your first two captures in the Hall of Audience in the Tower of High Sorcery. As soon as you had entered the tower, they had taken your two prisoners to "secret rooms" in the Tower. They now request that you move even faster to capture the remaining demigods, who are rapidly moving to isolated areas of Ansalon.

However, they warn you that there are other hunters searching for the demigods. The deranged cultists are still searching for them. Rumor has it that they have captured one and taken that one to a hidden fortress in the Khalkists. Worse still, the dragon overlord Gellidus has also discovered the existance of the demigods and has sent his minions to scour Southern Ergoth, searching for any of the "Infused." Apparently, Gellidus has been mysteriously losing his powers (not to mention his sanity) and has been overwhelmed with an insane desire to capture any of the Infused.

Worst of all, Jenna concluded, is that the deities have now discovered that some of their power has been stolen. This has infuriated the evil gods beyond measure, as they have discovered that the cultists had been working to steal their power. The disasters that this deific fury may spell, not even Jenna can predict.

Not only that, but Rasmerelle's Glory, the artifact used to steal the powers of the deities, has also unleashed the Protectors, a sect of ghostly bodyguards to protect the Infused. You and your party have felt the presence of these Protectors, but since you did not attempt to harm the demigods, they have not attacked you. However, Rasmerelle's Glory did more than spawn the Protectors. It created a small vortex in the planar fabric of the world. No one knows what is on the other side of the vortex, and no one knows what will emerge from it.

Dalamar defines your mission. First, you must move to capture anymore of the demigods and bring them to the Tower of High Sorcery. Secondly, you must free the captured demigod from the dungeon of the cultists. Thirdly, you must prevent Gellidus from finding any of the Infused. And finally, and most importantly, you must find Rasmerelle's Glory before anyone else does and take it to the Tower with all possible haste, so that Dalamar can destroy the Protectors and restore the deific power to the gods in an arcane magic ritual. Or so he says...

But something feels a little bit strange about this situation. Dalamar's scarred and hideous face was tinged with an air of desperation, as if these captured Infused could bring him some sort of salvation...

The Infusion: Part Three

Note to DMs: This is only to be used after the characters have captured four of the Infused and have not destroyed the cultist citadel in the Khalkists. If they already have destroyed the Citadel, assume that the Citadel has been rebuilt and the Infused captured by the cultists have been recaptured. Rasmerelle's Glory has not been found yet.

Dalamar and Jenna congratulate you again in the Tower for your spectacular performance in capturing two more of the demigods. But, as Dalamar utters angrily, it still hasn't been enough. The cultists have not captured another one of the Infused, but that they have a lead on one of the others. Jenna reminds you that you are still ahead of the game, but that you had better move fast.

The cultists are still are searching. Rumors are that one of the stronger renegades, the leader of the cult, used to be a close companion of Dalamar, and is attempting to find a spell that will allow him to find the location of one of the Infused instantaneously. Dalamar is furious at this development and tells you to find this wizard and assassinate him immediately. The sheer fury in Dalamar's response has stunned you. It is now obvious that Dalamar knows more than what he is telling.

Worse still, Gellidus, the white terror of Southern Ergoth has discovered that large amounts of his skull totem are missing. Apparently, they were stolen while the dragon was hunting for the Infused. Insane with anger, Gellidus traced the thief to Northern Ergoth. Delusional and furious, Gellidus has now begun to build armies of dark creatures to sail across the channel, invade Northern Ergoth, and raze it to the ground to recover his totem. However, the cunning white is still searching for the Infused, and would do anything to get his claws on them.

To assist in this venture, Gellidus has let out a global call: any person, beast, or dragon who can find one of the Infused and bring him to Gellidus alive will receive half of the white dragon's hoard. Now, Jenna informs you, your task will be much difficult in finding these few remaining demigods before the rest of the world does.

Not only that, Dalamar has personally investigated the vortex torn in the fabric of our world, from which the Protectors came. He reports that the vortex is getting bigger and bigger and is beginning to summon more protectors from whatever is beyond. Worse still are the Defenders, a group of souls who now defend the Infused from any intrusion upon their territory. The magic of the Tower of High Sorcery keeps the Defenders at bay, and Jenna is sure the cultists have the Defenders stopped as well, but one must be on guard for a Defender on an uncaptured demigod.

Finally, and worst of all, now all of the gods have noticed that their powers have been stolen. They know that any person who captures all of the Infused could ascend to godhood and tip the Scales of Balance. Some of the Gods of Good and Evil are interested in the possibility of adding one more deity to their side of the divine panthenon, and are giving their followers divine assistance if they but capture the Infused. Now all divine institutions, from the clerics of Chemosh to the dwarven worshippers of Reorx to the Solamnic Knights are all aware of the existance of the Infused - and will do anything to capture them. However, Sargonnas and Mishakal are not interested in having another god added to their side of the panthenon. They know that if the Scales are tipped in such a drastic way, the very universe would crumble, and a Cataclysm would be evident. So, in an unpresidented move, the two deities have allied with Gilean, who only wishes to keep the Balance. They have begun to send signs to the world, of darkness and destruction coming if all of the Infused are captured by one person. This, Dalamar states, is a threat.

Jenna now gives you your task. You must find the rest of the Infused and bring them to the Tower immediately. Secondly, you must break the captured demigod out of the cultists' citadel and destroy the citadel to prevent the cult from gaining further ground. Not only that, Dalamar states, you must kill the leader of the cult to force the sect to disband. Thirdly, you must prevent Gellidus - or any religious group - from capturing any of the Infused. Finally, Dalamar says, you must find Rasmerelle's Glory at all costs. It is the key to ending the Infusion debacle, once and for all. The cultists are hot on its trail, but Gellidus has not found it yet. That is a good sign, Jenna tells you, but you must find it and soon.

But things are not all what they seem...

Dalamar and Jenna invite you to spend an hour at the Tower of High Sorcery. During the night, one of the party members (preferably the thief) cannot sleep and searches the room, finding, underneath a small floorpanel, a book. As you read it, in amazed horror, you discover that it is a segment of Dalamar's plan for the Infused. He must have hid the book in this room, thinking that nobody would look for it. As your party reads through the book, you discover several things that nobody would suspect. You discover that Dalamar had had a small portion of his life essence separated from his body and grown into a clone of himself years ago, when Dalamar still ruled the Tower of Palanthas, before Chaos came, nearly forty years ago. This clone was hidden in a secret place and was accidentally energized by the power of Chaos. The clone activated, grew, and became a renegade wizard, complete with all of Dalamar's knowledge of spells and secrets of that time.

The clone of Dalamar is the wizard who now leads the cult, the one that Dalamar wants you to kill. Or so Dalamar says... But there is more in the book. It also states that this vortex leads to other universes and other worlds! Dalamar has predicted that these inhabitants are undoubtedly hostile. The emergence of the Protectors and Defenders, he predicts, are only just the beginning. Through one true seeing attempt, he has detected a dark, alien prescence on the other side of the vortex, one which desires Krynn's fall... Not only that, he has also detected that certain people could travel through the vortex and enter other worlds! He has written that one of your party is one of those people (he has not mentioned a name). Worst of all is Dalamar's true plan for the Infused. He and Jenna do not plan to return the deific powers to the gods at all. They instead plan to use this divine power and resurrect the Towers of High Sorcery! Dalamar predicts that if the power is used in this way, the Tower of Nightlund would be returned to Palanthas, the Towers of Daltigoth and the Ruins would rebuild, and the Tower of Istar would raise itself out of the sea. Even the two towers that were scheduled to be built and never were would arise from their unfinished foundations. This way, Dalamar writes, would bring the powers of arcane wizardry to the world again, and finally the scourge of sorcery and wild magic would be annihilated forever!

You depart from the Tower the next morning, Dalamar's diary in your possession and despair in your heart. How can you follow Dalamar's commands when you know that he has his own dark motives that could bring destruction to the world? How can you save the world from the upcoming war? How can you prevent the Scales from tipping and destroying the world?

How can you save the world from the Time of the Infusion?

The Infusion: Part Four

Note to DMs: This section is to be used after the PCs have found one of the few free demigods and after the PCs have attacked the cultists' citadel and freed the Infused found there. However, DMs must be sure to leak the crucial information in the battle with Dalamar's clone about the truth, written below. Rasmerelle's Glory has not been found yet, and one Infused remains free.

As you head toward Wayreth's Tower of High Sorcery, you go with anger in your eyes and fury in your hearts. You had been betrayed by the Dalamar found in the Tower of High Sorcery. During the attack on the cultists' citadel, you fought the renegade Dalamar and nearly bested him. However, just as you were about to drive a weapon through his chest, he stated that you had been fooled. The Dalamar in the Tower of High Sorcery was not the real wizard. He was a second clone, one that had been created much later than the renegade one. This clone had been created during the Early Age of Mortals, when the real Dalamar had consulted with the Shadow Sorcerer to learn necromancy. The traitor clone had been released by Takhisis days after the real Dalamar was killed at the hands of Mina. Then, after the Tower of High Sorcery in Wayreth had been recaptured, the clone had visited the real Dalamar and replaced him. Where the real Dalamar is, no one knows.

This information shocked you, but you still planned to execute the renegade. Three Dalamars in the world was two too many. But seconds after the renegade spoke, he teleported away, taking his newly completed demigod-tracker spell with him.

As evening approaches, you stop at an inn on the edge of the Tower's territory. The inn, known as the Wayward Inn, was renowned for being the place where "Raistlin's Daughter" was born. It was known to be a peculiar place, where mages frequented, but you are tired and decide to spend the night there anyway.

As you eat and drink your ale, you are approached by a white-robed lady. She identifies herself as Coryn, Head of the White Robes at the Conclave. As you inquire why she is not at the Tower, she looks darkly at you and says that the Tower is no longer safe. The traitor clone of Dalamar at the Tower had revealed himself, Coryn tells you. The black-robed wizards had supported Dalamar anyway, so there were no problems there. Most of the Red Robes had also gone along with Dalamar's clone, more out of fear than anything else. Jenna, the leader of the Conclave, had been hit in the back with a dominate person spell and was now obeying the clone's every whim. However, the White Robes had fought against the traitor, and had been duly slaughtered. It had been one of the first times the Orders of High Sorcery had fought against each other in pitched battle. Coryn herself was one of the few survivors who were driven from the Tower. Now, the Tower of High Sorcery was inaccessible to all the traitor Dalamar did not want to admit. The Infused were still locked in their dungeons in the Tower, and the clone's agents were now scouring the continent for the last of them.

As you report what happened to you, Coryn is at first shocked, then filled with grim resolve. But, she tells you, the world's condition has degenerated far more while you were off on your quest. Gellidus's armies of ogres and white spawn have left Southern Ergoth and have landed at Castle DiThon. It proved to be a stout bulwark against the army's progress, as Rechal DiThon the sorcerer, defended the castle. Rechal was a descendant of Bram DiThon, a wizard who had defended the Lost Citadel years ago. Now, his son carried on the family legacy. However, despite Rechal's best efforts, the castle fell and Rechal was forced to flee to Gwynned. Now the white dragon's armies march across the fields of Ergoth, intent on razing the capital to the ground.

Worse still, Gellidus, now completely insane, had crafted a monstrous epic spell to destroy Northern Ergoth and forever turn the island into a block of ice. As the spell began to take shape, Pyrothraxus, the lord of Mt. Nevermind, felt the cold power of the magic and was infuriated that Gellidus dared to break the Dragon Pact. The red dragon now flies towards Southern Ergoth, to melt the glaciers and forever eliminate the white Dragon Overlord.

Things are much worse, though, Coryn informs you. The very fabric of reality on Krynn is shredding into massive vortexes of planar power. Thousands of foul Chaos creatures have begun to spill into the world. Even now, by the ruined Irda island, the armies of Chaos gather, to eliminate mankind from Ansalon. Chaos Himself cannot enter Krynn yet, but, Coryn tells you, with a quaver of fear in her voice, it is only a matter of time.

Not only that, the wizardess says, but the third group of Infused Guardians (as they are now called) have emerged from beyond the world. The Incantors, the third group, are ghostly spellcasters that can release spells of incredible proportion and terrifying power. Somehow, the clone of Dalamar inside the Tower of High Sorcery has found a way to blunt their powers, but Coryn, through intense scrying rituals, has discovered that the fourth group, the Decimators, could spell doom to Ansalon if they manifest.

Worst of all, the very power of magic is breaking down, wild and deific, divine and arcane. Clerics of Mishakal can no longer heal the sick. Priests of Chemosh can no longer create undead. The prayers of the world do not seem to reach the deities, or they are not responding. Worse still, Coryn whispers, is the fact that the natural world has begun to change drastically and chaotically, into a hostile entity of its own. Areas of land gain traits that are completely contrary to their natural forms. Searing hot fires rage over the Icewall Glacier. Vines and rampant growth have begun to overgrow the desert city of Tarsis. The muck of the New Swamp has superheated, turning into a twisted combination of corrosive acid and burning lava. Floodwaters have begun to flush into Balifor, Khuri-Khan, and the Desolation. Ice has begun to form on the top of the Lords of Doom. The ancient curse of Nightlund, departed for a year or so now, has returned, to settle on the Solamnic plains. Fires rage in Silvanesti. The Lake of Death in the ruins of Qualinesti has begun to overflow, flooding the forests. The world is out of control, Coryn whispers, and if this keeps up, it won't last much longer.

As you ask about what your mission is now, Coryn informs you, lowering her voice so you have to strain to hear her whispers. She tells you to forget about the last of the Infused. Either one of Dalamar's clones or Gellidus will find him. However, the powers of the Infused cannot be harnessed without Rasmerelle's Glory. It is the key to harnessing the deific powers stored in the demigods. And, after weeks of scrying and researching, Coryn states confidently, she has finally found the artifact.

When the cataclysmic explosion first released the powers of the Infused, the artifact, seeming to have a mind of its own, teleported away, to what it would consider a safe place. That place is an ancient lighthouse, far to the northeast of Ansalon, on the isle of Karthay. The tower is known as Winston's Tower, named after a mad gnome named Winstonnailsfaldreanmasquerading.... The gnome was also a renegade wizard, one specialized in building golems and harnessing spirits. When Winston was finally killed by Alasmar the Perverted, a Black-Robed wizard-assassin, over a thousand years ago, the renegade cast a curse upon his tower. Now when any sort of technology entered the tower, it would become animated with an elemental spirit and would turn on its carrier. It was an obvious choice for Rasmerelle's Glory, Coryn whispers. However, she isn't the only one who knows about it. The Solamnic Knights, Neraka Knights, and minotaurs have all set sail for Karthay, to claim the artifact from the top of the lighthouse.

A group of Khalkist hill dwarves, allied with draconians from Teyr, have created their own fleet and have begun to sail across the Blood Sea of Istar. Even the kender have set off in their fleet to claim Rasmerelle's Glory. However, Coryn whispers anxiously, they will all be doomed if they are not careful, for another force stalks the seas. Lord Austric Krell, a death knight who inhabits the ruins of Storm's Keep, has finally found a way to free himself from his castle prison. He now sets sails on his own towards Karthay, with an army of undead to back him up. Coryn looks disgusted when she says this, and then mutters under her breath that they are all drawn to Winston's Tower like flies to rotten meat.

She then states your goal. You somehow must cross the continent yet again and find a way to Karthay. Not only that, you are to ascend the lighthouse and seize Rasmerelle's Glory once and for all. Coryn, after depositing rich payments on the table, she looks at you sadly and says: "I pity you with all my heart and soul. You have had to carry the burden of the world's fate on your shoulders, and now Krynn, and its entire people, depend on your success." Then, with a swirl of her cloak, Coryn vanishes into the night.

As you head up to bed in the Wayward Inn, you can begin to hear a weird sort of pulse, coming up from the ground. Could it be that the very ground underneath your feet is being infused with chaos. Seconds later, the pulsing stops and you fall into an exhausted sleep. But before sleep claims you, two, terrifying questions cross your mind.

Will the world survive the Time of the Infusion? Or is this the end of Krynn as you know it?

The Infusion: Part Five (Finale)

Note to DMs: This is the final selection in this series. The characters should have crossed the Blood Sea of Istar, climbed to the top of Winston's Tower, and retrieved Rasmerelle's Glory from the top of the tower. This scene happens immediately after the party acquires the artifact and looks out the massive glass windows at the top of the tower. Also, the party should be at a significantly high level, at least level fifteen or higher. They receive these visions of the world once they place their hands on Rasmerelle's Glory, as the artifact projects the images onto the windows of the Tower.

The plains of Solamnia lie abandoned and its fields fallow. Nobody lives in the once mighty country anymore. Undead have risen from the soil, and now stalk the once holy Solamnia.

Floodwaters pour into Balifor, over the open deserts. Afflicted kender and red dragonspawn alike flee from the Desolation, which steams from the water pouring into the magma. Water flows freely through the streets of Flotsam, and the Rock on which Lord Toede's manor stands has become an island.

Fires rage in Silvanesti, the first in ages. The forests burn, and no water can put out the blazes. The minotaurs are preparing emergency evacuation orders, in case they must abandon their captured territory. Fires also rage in Southern Ergoth, as Pyrothraxus and a massive army of gnomes attack the frozen island. Explosions blast holes in the ice, both from the breath of red dragons and the failure of gnomish war machines.

Unchecked growth flows over Tarsis, covering the city and the plains of dust around it in thick vines and plants. The population of Tarsis flees, as most of the rapidly growing plants are carnivorous and extremely dangerous.

The New Swamp boils as magma leaks into the water, turning the bog into a miasma of disease and death. Lavawights rise from the depths, killing all in their path. At the same time, the Lake of Death in Qualinesti has overflowed, turning the surrounding forest into a fetid, decaying swamp. Undead elves rise from the depths, and even the great dead dragon Beryl stirs.

Two massive blizzards rage over the world. One was created by insane, epic magic, created by a mad dragon overlord, freezing the island of Northern Ergoth. The other roars over the Lords of Doom. Ice forms on the once volcanic mountaintops, and snow fills the valleys of Godshome, Neraka, and Sanction. Temperatures plummet to unheard of depths, and people freeze to death simply by leaving their homes.

As you watch these images with horror, you hear a resounding voice behind you. "You see what problems have come about because of this disaster?"

You pivot on your feet and see three people. One is a black skinned minotaur, standing about eight feet tall. A sword with green gemstones on the hilt is at his waist. The second is a tall, silver-haired woman. Her eyes are sad, and she holds a blue-crystal staff. She is dressed in bright blue robes. The third is a nondescript academic with a simply enormous book in his hands, in which he constantly writes. All of these figures seem somehow familiar to you.

Suddenly, you recognize them and drop to your knees. Before you stand the three greater gods of Krynn. Sargonnas, Mishakal, and Gilean look down at you with sorrow in their eyes.

"Do not feel ashamed at what you have done," Sargonnas snorts. "You have served us well and have done the best you could have done." The god waves his hand and suddenly you can see out of the tower.

You are horrified by what you glimpse. Wrecked ships, torn masts, and thousands of bodies of all races float in the water. The Blood Sea of Istar now quite literally flows red with blood. Real blood. Worst of all, a new island has formed in the middle of the ocean. A statuesque tower stands on that island. You recognize its style instantly.

The Tower of High Sorcery of Istar has been restored.

"It has happened with all the Towers," Gilean explains, never looking up from his book. "Krynn was never meant to have seven towers, but now it does. One for each of the Infused. They are all dead now, sacrificed by Dalamar's clone to restore them. Now seven crystals have been placed in the towers, one crystal per tower. You must find each crystal and break it. Unfortunately, the crystals are indestructable, unless pierced by a soul."

Mishakal steps up and places seven small devices in your hands. "These are soul bombs, despicable weapons gathered from beyond our world. They appeared in Godshome when the towers appeared. You must climb to the top of each tower and plant the bombs. Only then can we activate them and destroy the false towers once and for all." Mishakal hands you the weapons, as tears run freely down her face.

Gilean then steps up to you and hands you a large, eight-sided crystal. "In this," he says, "is eight souls, taken temporarily from their eternal journey and given to you. They are the Heroes of the Lance. Tap the crystal and say any of their names, and he or she will appear before you. Use caution, though, they may only last two hours before their souls pass on yet again.

Lastly, Sargonnas steps up to you and hands all of you weapons. The blades and staves gleam in the torchlight. "These," he says, "are legendary weapons. Deific, infused with divine forces. Only with them can you fight the Protectors, Defenders, Incantors, and Decimators, the spirits that once guarded the infused but now guard the towers." The god then hands you armor. It sparkles and flashes with a powerful, unnatural sheen. "This armor, that can be worn by all, even mages, will protect you from the Chaos demons that roam the earth again." He finally gives you all helms, that glitter with gemstones and magic. "These helmets will protect you from spells and hostile magic, so that you can defeat the wizards of High Sorcery."

Gilean looks up from his book at you. "Be warned: magic is erratic now, as there is war between the gods of magic and the rest. There is war in heaven and on earth, and you are our champions. If you fail, not only with Krynn be destroyed, but the rest of our universe will perish with it. And another warning - if you call Raistlin from that stone, he will be at the height of his powers and will not be bound to your service. He may or may not pass on, depending on his mood. Also, the real Dalamar has been freed and released back into the world."

"But if you succeed," Mishakal speaks up, "you may join our ranks, as deities. The balance will not be harmed by your ascension."

"Good luck," the three gods state as they fade from sight.

As you look down at the objects in your hands, you are shocked and saddened. You are tired of fighting, of war, of having to save the world. All you want now is a nice cold glass of ale and a helping of Otik's spiced potatoes.

Doubt fills your heart, but along with it is hope. The War of the Infusion nears an end. One that is in your hands.

This item has been published here with permission from the author(s) and may not be reproduced without permission. This is a fan submission and its contents are completely unofficial. Some characters, places, likenesses and other names may be copyright Wizards of the Coast.