Indicisve about campaign progression

[hailstop]

Here's the scoop. I'm running an Eberron campaign for the past year which has seen the party get to 14th level now. I'm not really sure what the best path to take is now.

Here are some features of the campaign:

1. The campaign features aquiring the Rod of 7 Parts for some greater purpose that hasn't really been spelled out yet.

2. The PC's patron is a member of the Chamber. The Dragonborn Ranger knows this, but the PCs just found out recently that Donarr is a dragon...they don't know about his affiliation.

3. The PC's now are in Stormreach (the players like Xen'drik), but only got there when they were 11th level.

4. The PC's have a really big hate-on for Skather, a black dragonspawn ninja (from the Red Hand of Doom adventure). He annoyed that party then and escaped, so I brought him into this campaign.

5. Originally the main enemy was going to be Tiamat, and her attempt to get released (which she would) from her prison on Argonnessen.

That said, here's the adventure progression so far:

1. Keep on the Shadowfell, where they defeated Kalarel who was a member of the Blood of Vol as opposed to a follower of Orcus.

2. A brief adventure into the Well of Demons from Thunderspire Labyrinth to rescue the brother of the Dragonborn Ranger.

3. A brief adventure into an undead lair/pocket dimension where a Brain in the Jar (follower of the Blood of Vol) was doing research on another piece of the Rod. It escaped but the PCs aquired the Rod.

4. The PCs fight Skather who attempted to steal the two Rod pieces. The PCs then had the two parts of the Rod stolen from them when Skather using illusionary magic imitated the PC Dragonborn's brother (who was acting as Donarr's right hand man). He was taking them for 'safe keeping'.

5. On their way to Xen'drik on a wild goose chase, the PC's are accidentally dropped onto the Isle of Dread as it worldfalled right under neath the Airship that they were riding. They then get a warning from Donarr as he is being attacked that the Dragonborn Ranger's 'brother' (who had accompanied them) was not who they thought he was. Skater revealed himself, was defeated but fell off the crashing Airship (which had had the elemental escape in the meantime).

6. The PCs make their way to the village at the south end of the Isle of Dread, discover that the Dragonborn Ranger's brother had made it to the Isle, but because of time jumping had arrived 70 years early. He told them about the fate of the world should they not return (very bad...Dragon invasions, etc).

7. The PC's then go to a Yuan-ti temple to try to find a way off the island. At this point I decided that I didn't want to spend the entire paragon levels on this island and since the PC's really liked Xen'drik, bailed on this idea. The PC's went through an unstable portal to get back to Eberron, and at that moment Skather who had been following them did so as well.

8. The PC's end up in Stormreach 3 months before they left. They are warned not to try to change history. In the meantime they go on a mission to 'rescue' a Succubus as a side mission. On their way back from that, the PCs are attacked by a Silver Dragon on a mission from Zenobal (from Dragons of Eberron) who sees the new Warforged Fighter with a Mark of Sentinel as an abomination.

9. The PC's then are approached peacefully by Skather that he has been instructed not to kill them (the idea being that by not getting the Rod assembled, according to the Dragonic Prophecy, Tiamat would eventually be victorious). This is when he reveals that Donarr is a dragon and doesn't have the party's best interests in mind (which is largely true, but doesn't phase the party..."Of course he doesn't!).

10. The PC's then witness, along with the White Raven, a member of the Order of the Emerald Claw, a lightning strike reveal a map to a Mud Sorceror's Tomb. The PC's get there just as the EC does and kills the two scouts there and heads in. They're just about to finish that adventure.

My question is where to go from here?

It occurs to me that the Tiamat aspects have _all_ been in the background, and the only real exposure the PCs have had to this has been Skather who easily could be working for say, Vol.

The PCs have had a lot more adventuring against the Blood of Vol and the Emerald Claw overtly (3 adventures so far).

It's occuring to me that perhaps the big baddie should actually be Vol.

I'm wanting to keep the base of the campaign in Stormreach since the PCs like it, although they haven't got to experience a lot of the business of Stormreach for the reason of not spending their Heroic tier there.

Zenobal is also starting to move in on the campaign due to the Warforged Fighter having a mark that shouldn't have occured (I'm using the backstory that this Warforged was 'born' at the immediate beginning of the Mourning).

It also occurs to me that Skather could instead be working for another Rajah (like say, the one imprissoned under Stormreach).

The one definite arc in the campaign has been the Draconic Prophecy, and I want to really hit that home at the climax of the Mud Sorceror's Tomb adventure (ie the mud and blood in the final room sprays Dragonmarks all over the walls of the tomb).

I guess ultimately, I've got all these ideas and am trying to figure out a way to start consolidating them now.

[Pour]

Your campaign sounds great so far. I think you made the right moves having reoccurring organizations after a desired artifact, family motivations, as well as an enemy-turned-uncertain-ally. I also love the alterations to the KotS and TL, and I'm a sucker for time travel. The players sound happy and you appear to have had a good time thus far, which is really what's most important.

At this point I wouldn't feel stuck over the possibilities you've given yourself. The reoccurring organizations and Skather help unify them all, as well as the promise of a BBEG (even if you don't exactly know who that is yet). I'm in a similar boat with my campaign, as the major villains have changed and changed again over the course of 8 levels.

I think you should continue doing what you've been doing, running adventures featuring the BoV, EC and Zenobal until they find natural conclusions, or until they provide a juicy means to reveal more of Tiamat and/or the Rajah.

You should avoid being too hasty in ending any branch. I think if you keep following all your factions, the players will unwittingly help in developing the conclusions for each. Besides I feel like Paragon and Epic levels have a lot of room to fill, and if you start narrowing things too quickly you could run the risk of being repetitive or predictable.

As it stands, you have a lot of mystery and potential in the game, so much that even you haven't figured it all out yet. I think that's the best place to be. It's obvious you can string a story, so trust that and continue to take it forward. Take advantage of what you know the players like, Stormreach for instance, and go from there. Xen'drik has plenty to work with. Perhaps you could integrate some Revenge of the Giants for later Paragon, or borrow from the other adventures you see promise in. It seems to have worked for you thus far.

I don't think I quite answered your question, but good luck!

[hailstop]

Well sometimes some affirmation is good too.

Actually I have seriously been giving Revenge of the Giants some though. Firstly because practically (if not all) my players are grognards and many of us have gone through G1-3.

Also, it occurs to me that the little plot twist in RotG involving Acerak could be twisted slightly so instead of him...it's Vol. Which would really amp up the hate on both sides there. Plus, instead of the Primordial at the end, it could be Xarkon the Blue Dragon instead...but it depends on how the plot lines go.

They are a bit higher level than RotG is supposed to be, but with Monster Builder, that's not a problem anymore.

[aco175]

It may be good to throw another plot twist at them and have Vol be the BBEG for the paragon tier and Tiamat for epic. Have the big fight and destruction of Vol make the pcs champions, but after they find they been duped into helping Tiamat in her plans. Vol may have been marked as the one who could have destroyed her and now she thinks she will be indestructable. Weather the pcs find being duped enough motivation to seek and destroy her is one thing, but when they find that they have to go back in time to stop themselves from killing Vol makes things all the cooler to pull off as DM.

[Pour]

I think aco175 has a great campaign map there, and what you've brainstormed just in writing that post sounds like a solid game to me.

In regards to RotG, it may be a hidden boon you'll be tinkering with it. From what I've seen flipping through, and a review I read, it's almost exclusively giants, which is cool if you love giants, but could use further variation in monster type. Having the blue dragon instead of the primordial as well as the inclusion of Vol will really open up the possibilities.