The Campaign
Operation Golden Sword
A four-act epic where heroes must race against time to break the Iron Conclave's grip on Amn.
The Setting
Location: The Sword Coast
Primary Objective: The coastal region of the Kingdom of Amn
The Kingdom of Amn — one of the wealthiest powers on the Sword Coast — has fallen. Its capital city, Athkatla, has been enslaved by High Forgemaster Tharûm Blackmantle and his Iron Conclave.
Massive armies now guard every land approach into the kingdom, forming an impenetrable wall of steel, siegecraft, and merciless discipline.
The coastline, however — though heavily fortified — remains the only viable weakness. It is the fastest route inland, and the only path that can bypass the Conclave's land armies before they fully mobilize.
This vulnerability has drawn a desperate gamble: a full-scale amphibious invasion.
The True Objective
The goal of DnD Day is not to reclaim Amn in a single battle. The goal is to capture the Coastal Keep.
The Coastal Keep is:
- • A fortress
- • A command hub
- • The primary logistical and arcane relay between Athkatla and the Iron Conclave's eastern armies
If the Keep Falls:
- • Eastern armies are cut off from command
- • Reinforcements cannot be coordinated
- • Battlefield intelligence collapses
- • Athkatla becomes exposed
If the Keep Holds:
- • The invasion will be crushed between converging armies
- • The Iron Conclave will respond with forces too vast to resist
The adventurers do not need to win the war today. They only need to break it.
Act I
The Eve of War
Location
Velen, Dragon's Head Peninsula
Tone: Tense, anticipatory, grim camaraderie
The adventurers have gathered in Velen, a fortified coastal town at the tip of the Dragon's Head Peninsula. Once a bustling port town supporting Amnian trade, Velen now serves as the final staging ground for the invasion.
The town is overcrowded and strained:
- • Docks packed with rowboats, transport barges, and hastily reinforced vessels
- • Soldiers and mercenaries sleeping in streets and taverns
- • Signal towers manned day and night
- • The sea watched constantly for signs of movement
Across the water, somewhere beyond the horizon, the Iron Conclave waits.
Purpose of Act I
Act I is not about action — it is about weight. This act should let players prepare mechanically (gear, spells, consumables) and emotionally (farewells, vows, fear). It establishes the scale of the invasion and makes clear that not everyone here will survive.
Key Events
1. Final Preparations
Players are given limited time to spend gold, trade supplies, finalize plans, and say goodbyes. Once the invasion begins, there is no returning to Velen.
2. The War Council
All adventurers gather to hear the overarching plan. The briefing outlines the goal: seize the coast quickly. Forces will be split into separate theaters, and success in one area affects all others.
3. Deployment
As dawn approaches, beach assault teams board landing craft, air units prepare mounts, infiltration forces ready teleportation circles. Horns sound across Velen. Signal fires ignite. The sea is no longer empty.
Act II
The Iron Tide
The Invasion
Tone: Chaotic, heroic, overwhelming
The heroes are split into four theaters of war, each critical to the battle. No theater stands alone — success or failure in one directly impacts the others.
Theater 1: Juno Beach (General Assault)
Shock force and distraction — brutal, relentless, high casualties
Theater 2: Gold Beach (Siege Train)
Strategic enablers — precision under fire
Theater 3: Portals & Bridges
Force multiplier — surgical, tense, isolated
Theater 4: Air Battle (Sky Control)
Air superiority — fast, dangerous, cinematic
How It All Connects
| Theater | Helps | Hurts (if fails) |
|---|---|---|
| T1 - General Assault | T2, Act III | All |
| T2 - Siege | Act IV | Act IV |
| T3 - Portals | Act III (Bridge) | Act III, T1, T2 |
| T4 - Air | Act III (Bridge) | All |
Act III
The Bridge
The Critical Crossing
Tone: Tense, desperate, against the clock
Between the beaches and the Coastal Keep lies Pegasus Bridge over the Orn River — the only crossing capable of supporting siege engines and massed troops. Intelligence confirms the Iron Conclave has rigged it for demolition. All four theaters must converge on this single objective.
Four Theaters, One Objective
If the bridge falls, the invasion stalls. Every theater has a critical role to play in securing the crossing.
Theater 1: Juno Beach — Break the Line
The assault force must smash through the entrenched enemy defensive line blocking the road to the bridge.
- • Breach fortified enemy positions between the beach and the river
- • Clear the road for the siege train following behind
- • Link up with portal team at the bridge
Theater 2: Gold Beach — Move the Siege Engines
The siege train faces a brutal challenge: hauling massive catapults and trebuchets up the sandy bluffs of Hoc's Point and through difficult terrain while under fire.
- • Get creative — winches, magic, brute force, or improvised solutions
- • Protect the siege engines from saboteurs and enemy fire
- • Reach the bridge before the window closes
Theater 3: Portals — Disarm the Bridge
The portal team is already behind enemy lines — the only force close enough to reach the bridge before the demolition order is given.
- • Assault the Duergar demolition platoon holding the bridge
- • Neutralize sappers and disarm explosive charges
- • Hold the bridge against counterattack until reinforced
Theater 4: Air — Block the Reinforcements
With air superiority achieved, flying units must land on the road beyond the bridge to intercept enemy reinforcements marching from the Coastal Keep.
- • Land on the inland road past the bridge
- • Establish a blocking position against Keep reinforcements
- • Buy time for the portal team and beach forces to secure the crossing
The bridge must hold. The siege engines must cross. Everything depends on it.
Act IV
The Fall of the Coastal Keep
The Final Battle
Tone: Desperate, mythic, decisive
All surviving forces converge on the Coastal Keep. The outcome of Act II determines how difficult this final battle will be.
The Twist: The Arcane Commander
The Keep is commanded by a Conclave Warmagus, responsible for battlefield coordination, arcane relay with Athkatla, and synchronization of ground and air forces.
As the assault begins, the Warmagus reveals a final contingency...
The Splintering of the Mind
The Warmagus fractures into four arcane aspects, each tied to a theater of war. Each splinter represents a facet of command:
Control
Destruction
Deception
Dominion
Each splinter manifests near or within one theater and must be defeated independently.
Victory is collective.
The Final Moment
Once all splinters — or a decisive majority — are destroyed:
- • Arcane relays collapse
- • Signal beacons fail
- • Orders from Athkatla cease
- • Enemy formations fragment
The Iron Conclave has not been destroyed — but its grip on Amn has been broken.
Ready to Join the Fight?
Choose your theater and become part of this epic battle.