Idea for Nentir Vale/ Nerath campaign based aroung Hambly's Darwath series

HI guys!

I'm going to be starting a 4e campaign as soon as my 3.5 campaign finishes. I am planning to do the H1 to H3 series to learn the ropes then switch to my own plot lines.

Now, I have decided to adopt the default POL campaign setting using the Nentir Vale. To add my own twist to the back story, I have decided to use Barbara Hambly's Darwath books as a backdrop. Specifically, Nerath did not fall because of the gnolls but because of the Dark.

For those who have not read the books, the essential storyline is this: the Dark, amoeba like creature that can kill with a touch, have been relegated to legend since their last invasion 3000 years before. In the novels, they have come back, simultaneously invading the entire kingdom of Darwath. No human magic can touch them and no one can communicate with them. Eventually, a solution is found and they go away.

In my campaign, the date is 100 years after the second invasion. The novels only have humans, so in my campaign the Dark can 'eat' any humanoid. The invasion by Dark inflicted massive casualties to all humanoids, in the range of 50-60% within the initial first year and another 10% within the next 3-4 years to ALL humanoids.

Needless to say, with those kinds of casualties and the collapse of civilization that followed, Nerath ceased to be. However, as in the Novel, the last King knew it was coming and took precautions. As such, the survivors of the capital area of Nerath (Gae in the books) are better off than most and, 100 years later, are trying to re-establish the kingdom. The kings have good ones since the invasion and the planned expansion of the new kingdom is through cooperation.

Now, the PCs will be acting as scouts/escorts for the local city states as they negotiate with the new Kingdom.

I am wondering: does anyone have any suggestions as to plot twists, opponents, complications et al? Who would be interested in the failure of the treaty or who would benefits? How would the local politics within the Nentir Vale.

I'm still at the brainstorming stage, so any suggestion is welcome.

No real suggestions (other than coming up with who will oppose the PCs, for whatever reason), but I like hearing what other people have done with the default setting.

Nice work!

Well, for the moment, I have the main plot line revolving around the negociations for the Nentir Vale re-joining the kingdom.

A scroll arrives in Winterhaven, the local lord asks the group to journey to Fallcrest to confirm the authenticity of the scroll. The lord will then journey to Fallcrest to join in the negiciations with the royal representative.

At some point, somebody will attempt to ambush/kill some of the Lords, they will try to disrupt the negociations etc etc.

Eventually, the group will be called upon to travel to the capitol to prepare the way for the signing of the treaty. Once there, various quests will come up amoung the ruins of the cities destroyed during the coming of the Dark.

Eventually, the treaty will be signed and, as a campaign closer, the King will personnally travel to Fallcrest to accept the oaths of fealty from the Lords of the Nentir Vale. Assuming the characters have helped with the reunification, the King will makes them barons in the Vale or something.

Obviously, I still have to come up with side-quests, opponents, the 5 Ws etc, but at least I have my main story line.

I'm not positive what this 'dark' is, but perhaps it changed. It would obviously be the main opponent, right? So maybe it changed slightly and realized that an all-out assault simply is ineffective. Taking a page or two from Lords of Madness (if you have this book, use it for fluff not crunch), perhaps the Dark has now or is now enlisting aid from the aberrations of the world. They are using agents to try and counter all of the treaties or otherwise set them up for failure. There will of course always be "species traitors" so there will be humanoid cults that 'worship' an aberration or two. That outta provide sufficient intrigue and, of course, you can always uses illusions and the like to get aberrations directly involved.

I didn't explain well enough, but in the books, the Dark are gone. They used a dimensional portal and left for a world that didn't have an impeding ice age.

While I will skip the ice age, the Dark are gone in my world too. (The Dark are amoeba like creature that can kill with a touch. In DND terms, if they grapple you, you die, no saves). I am using the Dark as reason for the downfall of the Nerath empire (and everyone else, for that matter). While the players might wish to investigate an abandoned nest, the Dark will play no part except for a vague backdrop of fear.

Oh, and since they killed MILLIONS in the first 24 hours of their invasion, the restless undead have high numbers too.

As for the actual intrigue, well, there are enough power-hungry people within the new kingdom and without, to fuel that. Throw in Vecna adepts who want to secretly run the kingdom, Gruumsh who wants to destroy everything again, various quests in the ruins of the former Kingdom, rogue spellcasters, monsters now roaming free since the roads aren't patrolled anymore and so on. I lack nothing for options. I'm looking for inspiration.

Your idea of illusions sounds interesting. Maybe an illusionist is pretending to be a Dark....hmmm....Nobody except the main characters from the books really know what happened to the Dark.

*chews on idea*

Infiniti2000 said:

I'm not positive what this 'dark' is, but perhaps it changed. It would obviously be the main opponent, right? So maybe it changed slightly and realized that an all-out assault simply is ineffective. Taking a page or two from Lords of Madness (if you have this book, use it for fluff not crunch), perhaps the Dark has now or is now enlisting aid from the aberrations of the world. They are using agents to try and counter all of the treaties or otherwise set them up for failure. There will of course always be "species traitors" so there will be humanoid cults that 'worship' an aberration or two. That outta provide sufficient intrigue and, of course, you can always uses illusions and the like to get aberrations directly involved.

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It might be easier if you had the PCs be representatives of Nerath. That way the group has a goal to push for.

I can see a range of bad guys:

Evil humanoids: Orcs, goblins, etc., as well as humans who reverted back to nomadic barbarism. Nentir Vale link: The tigerclaw barbarians are having a population explosion and young men are coming down into the vale to gather loot.

Dark cultists: The old world was full of sin and the Dark came to cleanse it. If civilization grows decadent and debauched once more, the Dark will return. They have to keep that from happening by punishing the sinners. Nentir Vale link: one of the temples in Fallcrest is all about this.

Robber barons: In the power vaccuum created by the fall of Nerath and the coming of the Dark, hard, violent men grabbed whatever they could. Now they rule like independant kings, terrorizing nearby lands. Nentir Vale link: Harkenwold is dominated by a fortress-like tower; the Baron raids the roads and torments the land from here.

Nerath itself: Who says Nerath has to be full of good guys? You have a great opportunity to mix it up with some political wrangling. Maybe the real king is a good and decent guy, but there are some powerful political forces that are like the Borgias. Nentir Vale link: Don't know. Maybe Markelhay is a supporter of these bad guys.

Figured it might be worth mentioning that though the dark may kill NPCs instantly this doesn't need to be true of the players. Perhaps at epic levels they could combat a returning threat from the dark?

Cervante said:

Figured it might be worth mentioning that though the dark may kill NPCs instantly this doesn't need to be true of the players. Perhaps at epic levels they could combat a returning threat from the dark?

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See above. The Dark are gone. The players will never meet them. I used them essentially to provide the justification for the current omnipresent darkness.

I find it gives a batter backstory to the POL 'setting' than "there was a war and the last empire lost".

This way, there is a reason why EVERYONE (all humanoids) are picking up the pieces.