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The material on the page is the property of Jared Rascher and is used here at Candlekeep with permission. This article is to enable DMs to use the "The Coming Storm" adventure from Dungeon Magazine #136 in the Forgotten Realms.
"The Coming Storm "
(Conversions from Dungeon #136)
By Jared Rascher
Introductory Information
Within the adventure itself, the suggested placement for the adventure in the Forgotten Realms is the Galena Mountains near Damara. However, to retain the flavor that is implied for the cultures within the adventure, it is suggested that you actually make the location a bit more remote.
It is suggested that the placement of the adventure actually be in the Sunrise Mountains, to the southeast of Citadel Rashemen, on the opposite side of the mountain range (the side that opens to the Endless Wastes).
The Order of Shensites is actually an order of monks that originated in the Kara-Tur nation known as Tabot. This order of monks held as their primary patron a mischeivious and wise serpent spirit known as Shensi. When the original monestary was created in Tabot, the people in the lands near the monestary began to receive the "gifts" of Shensi, as noted in the Obah-blessed template. Unfortunately, the locals did not appreciate their gifts, and their attitudes toward the monks shifted. Eventually the monks decided to travel far away, where they could meditate upon the wonders shown to them by Shensi the Wise Serpent without upsetting those near them.
The monks set up thier new monestary, the Temple of the Celestial Winds, and lived in peace for years, until a raiding band of Tuigan horseman attacked the temple and slaughtered the monks. Shensi the Wise Serpent cursed the Tuigan, and placed the curse upon the temple.
During the Tuigan invasion, a band of Tuigan warriors led by a Shaman of Teylas sought out the Temple of Winds, seeking to find the cursed Tuigan warriors to recruit them for Yamun Khahan horde. A band of witches and berserkers from Rashemen found out about this, and the witches cast a spell upon the Temple to banish it, so that it never manifested, even during the storms when the temple normally came back to Toril.
For years, the binding remained in place, until recently, when an ambitious Red Wizard of Thay and his apprentices conducted planar experiments in the region, sensing some kind of planar nexus in the region. They ended up unravelling the bindings laid by the witches, and the next storm to come to the Sunrise Mountains called the temple forth again.
Adventure Hooks
A party of Rashemi adventurers obviously would have reason to be concerned about the return of the temple, and the experiments of the Red Wizards. Its possible that natives might be ordered by a local Hathran to investigate what is going on.
Adventurers not native to Rashemen, but travelling there could easily hear about strange storms and bad omens that are being observed in the region to the southeast of Citadel Rashemen.
It may even be that adventures with ties to Thay might be sent on a mission to find the Red Wizard and his apprentices that first set out to do the experiments in the region.
Starting the Adventure
If you decide to use the starting information used in this adventure conversion, you have a decision to make. The band of Red Wizards that unravelled the bindings of the Witches on the temple should be addressed.
If you wish to do so, you can create a band of Red Wizards and Thayan Knights, still alive, and shocked at the temple that has appeared during the storm. The PCs may deal with them and learn what they can from them about the situation that has occured.
If you do not wish to come up with a Red Wizard encounter, then the bodies of the Red Wizards and their guards should be found outside of the temple, victims of the raiders as they first stormed out of the temple. You might also describe some of the raiders as having been slain as well, so that the PCs can see their strange appearance.
One of the Red Wizards should have a journal on him that summarizes that the Red Wizards have come here to study a planar phenomenon, and that they cast spells to unravel binding they found in place, and when a storm stirred in the mountains, they began to see a structure taking place, and could sense a planar rift opening.
Encounter Notes
3. Temple Foyer (EL 10)
The only change that needs to be made to this encounter is that you may want to consider changing the girallon to being white furred, to reflect that the girallons are actually decended from the yetis that were native to Tabot, where the monks originally hailed from.
This same note should be applied to the encounters numbered 7, 10, 11, and 14.
17D. Foul Spirit
You may want to consider describing this statue as actually being a roughly humanoid creature with four scaly, reptilian arms, and a dragon's head. Instead of being a statue of Baalzebul/Balim, this is actually a statue of the Kara-Tur spirit known as Dragon Claw, a corrupt official of the Celestial Bueraucracy.
A Note on Languages
The Muranni language mentioned in the adventure should be changed to Tabotan, and the scorned warriors in the temple should speak Tuigan and Shou.
Concluding the Adventure
The rest of the adventure should run fairly well in the given setting as a Forgotten Realms adventure with these conversion notes. As an alternative to the starting area with the Red Wizards, DMs may wish for the Red Wizards to "lie low" during the discovery of the temple and appear to cause problems for the PCs after the exploration of the temple and the resolution of the adventure.