Plot Summaries - Avernum Games? May have minor spoilers!

[underableedingsun]

Hello! I own the 2nd Avernum series and Avernum Escape the Pit. Between Real Life and some games I've been waiting for the GOTY edition to come out (I don't buy new games after I realized I had spent $150 on Fallout 3, and GOTY comes out for 30 bucks) these games got shelved for a while. While my real life is still relatively hectic, I have made it through the other games I was playing, so I found myself wanting to come back and pick up where I left off in the Avernum series. The problem is I can't quite remember where I was and what was going on.

 

I had beaten Avernum 4, and was part way into Avernum 5 and pretty decently into Avernum Escape the Pit. In Avernum 5, I had just left the area where the dragon was a captive to some town. Can't remember what I did with him, but pretty sure I neither killed nor freed him, and just left him there. In Avernum Escape the Pit, I had just made it to The Abyss. So now I'm just trying to figure out where I am and how exactly I got here:) Not that I need to necessarily to continue the games, but it would be nice. I'd also like to remember what happened in game 4. The only thing that I can really remember about that game is that Shades were attacking the cities.

 

So, I was hoping maybe there were plot summaries of these games somewhere. I know they're not 100% linear, but they should be linear enough for me to stop before I spoil the future plot for myself. I tried wikipedia and a google search but wasn't able to find anything, so figured I'd finally sign up for the boards and ask here.

 

Additionally, I'm pretty big into PNP and usually am GMing a game at all times. Has anyone tried running an Avernum game in D&D 3.0/3.5/PF? I'm in the middle of a D100 Fallout game right now, but am trying to find something to run after that, and an Avernum game may be interesting.

 

Anyway, thanks for your help.

[adc.]

My parents have bought me Avernum 3,6 and Escape from the Pits. From what I have observed in the story, Avernum was found by some emperor, and poured all the criminals and misfits in there, like water (That's what Erika said in A:EftP) And the series are... well... I can't explain it clearly, but I have noticed that the main plot is actually hidden behind, and it's bigger than you'll expect. And it the main plot changes in every series. Like in AV3, you are told to explore the surface, there were slimes, you kill them, you find out what and who created it etc. but at the end, it was actually the Vahnatai who created all the monstrosities in the surface, as a revenge. And in AV6, there was a spread of famine across Avernum, which is called the Blight. See the difference?

 

Also, plot summaries are located here: http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/products.html Choose from Windows/Mac then there will be a description. They are quite short, and simplified, if you don't like reading too much summaries.

 

 

Additionally, I'm pretty big into PNP and usually am GMing a game at all times. Has anyone tried running an Avernum game in D&D 3.0/3.5/PF? I'm in the middle of a D100 Fallout game right now, but am trying to find something to run after that, and an Avernum game may be interesting.

 

I am not older than 15, so I don't understand this part. I know what Pen and Paper is, but haven't tried them. If you're talking about Avernum, then I have no idea how PnP and Avernum is related.

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-Nightwatcher

[Randomizer]

Avernum is a rewrite of the Exile series and shares some similarities with tabletop Dungeons and Dragons since Jeff Vogel played it back before he found out he could make money selling computer games.

 

Geneforge has been converted into d20 by a few people. Some one in the last two years mentioned using Avernum for a world for his campaign. But I'm too tired to hunt for the topics.

[underableedingsun]

So there aren't any plot synopsis of the games, just those brief game intros? Any players ever make a log of their exploits?

[keira]

Any players ever make a log of their exploits?

A few members here do silly things like hardcore singleton archer runs, and other such masochism, and post about it, iirc.

[Lauren CW]

I have ran a DnD 3.5 Avernum game. I could track down my notes if you're interested.

[Juan Carlo]

I wouldn't worry too much, honestly. The Avernums don't tell their stories via cut scene or anything like that, so you could probably get the gist of things just by looking back in your journal of completed quests. Likewise, in EFTP most main quests will orient you somewhat in terms of the grand scheme of things repeatedly through out the game, so just talk to everyone you meet and you'll get caught up in no time. And people tend not to disappear, too, so you could always go back and talk to people again.

 

Avernum 5 should be especially easy, though, as it's more episodic than it is one grand narrative. The only main story line is "Kill the bad guy!" and the game consists of a fairly linear progression from area to area, each having its own story and not much to do with the rest. SO you could just continue on in Avernum5 and not miss much as the later parts of the game will only very rarely reference the earlier parts (And, honestly, Avernum 5's story kind of sucks anyway, so if you concentrate on the main storyline you are going to be super disappointed).

[Chessrook44]

In very short, Avernum is Australia.

 

In short, the Empire dumped all their criminals and undesirables into exile in a distant land that was filled with the deadliest creatures in the known world. So yeah, Australia.

 

In longer, the Empire found a series of caves deep beneath the surface. Known as Avernum, they sent all their murderers, rapists, undesirables, monsters, gays, political rivals, and wrong-place-wrong-time people down there to keep themselves safe. Escape from the Pit takes place at the start of all this. Avernum 4, 5, and 6 take place MUCH later. EftP is a remake of Avernum 1, and you're missing all the details from Avernum 2 and Avernum 3.

 

In much longer and spoiler-ridden to sum up what happened in 2 and 3,

 

At the end of Avernum 1, the Avernites had done much. They had slain the demon Grah-hoth, formed their own nation, and slain Emperor Hawthorne of the Empire. The Empire, realizing that all those criminals had found a way out and might hold a slight grudge, invaded in response. Though the Empire was stronger, the Avernites had the home field advantage. The war was even until strange barriers showed up, dividing Avernum into pieces, weakening them. Eventually it was discovered that this was caused by the Vahnati, an alien race living in even DEEPER caves, who were angry that Crystal Souls, the souls of their eldest and most revered members given immortal, physical form, had been stolen. It is soon discovered that the Empire did this, and with the help of the Vahnati, the Avernites routed the Empire's forces and secured their home.

Some time later they decided it was time to return to the surface. They made a series of caves just under the surface and went out to explore, finding themselves in the least-settled lands of the Empire. It was not easy, though, as the Empire was being ravaged by plagues of monsters. Eventually, however, the plagues were solved, the one who did it was punished, and Avernum made a peace treaty with the new Emperess, settling on the surface of Valorum, at the south edge of the Empire. While still leaving many in the caves beneath.

 

After this point, Avernum 4 begins. And if you watch the intro of that, you will know all that is needed for that story.

[Cairo Jim]

In very short, Avernum is Australia.

 

In short, the Empire dumped all their criminals and undesirables into exile in a distant land that was filled with the deadliest creatures in the known world. So yeah, Australia.

 

 

Funny that you mentioned this. I actually had the same line of thought several years ago

[Xaiya]

Escape from the Pit takes place at the start of all this.

Uh, not really. A fair amount had been established by the time Hawthrone's Assassins came about. They were very undeveloped and had a ways to go, true, considering their use of stone weapons, but all the towns were there, amount other details.

 

 

Also, the war between Avernum and the Empire was never even before the vahnatai came about. No matter how well they had fought, the Empire was only slowed due to lack of geographical knowledge and that a tiny trickle, barely a stream, of a river of soldiers was going in, with a large portal planned. The Avernites were practically doomed from the start had it not been for their extreme stroke of luck that the Empire happened to be stupid enough to piss off a powerful race they knew nothing about.