What Makes an Adventure?

This is an interesting question, and one that is important to answer. Of course there has to be a goal, something that all of the PCs can work towards. There should be obstacles in the way of that goal, something that prevents the PCs from achieving it with ease. The obstacles need to be hard to overcome, but not impossible. And last, but not least, there should be some kind of reward for the hero at the end of it all (this is a game after all).

It should be clear by now (it is to me at least) that the Last War is yet one more of those obstacles blocking the path of the heroes. It's not the goal of the adventure, and it certainly isn't the reward that they expect at the end. It's a stumbling block plain and simple. When designing the rest of this adventure, it's important for me to remember that. The Last War almost becomes another character in the play, one that will misdirect and waylay the PCs when they least expect it.