Exposition for
A Home by the Sea
Iron DM Finals
After reading the ingredients list for the Final Round, cursing quietly under my breath for a few moments, and then re-reading the list several more times, I decided that the
mind flayer was going to be my adventure's primary villain...even though he represented a secondary contest element. I wanted this adventure to possess two things evident in my Round #1 entry, which were somewhat missing in the Round #2 submission. Namely, a story which integrated the required elements well AND which also offered a realistic setting where extensive roleplaying and exploration might occur. If I was going to lose (likely -- considering the opposition), then I wanted to go down having created a solid story in the process.
To that end, I began working on the Bukkar Peninsula. A place which could reasonably provide homes to storm giants and dwarven loggers; humans and beached whales; bulettes and perhaps even room for a small contingent of hidden ju-ju zombies. First I developed MacLeod's castle along the southern shoreline of the peninsula, beside the sea so that he felt close to his kin beneath its waters. Next came Nomak-Tar, the Bukkar trees and the logging camp several miles upstream. Finally Kendall and Trapper Ralph with his cabin out in the woods.
Then I began fleshing out Ylarrg and his desire to have an undead army, instead of just lots of eaten brains and a few feebleminded slaves. In my mind, flayers (like drow) have little tolerance for those who do not conform to expectations in their subterranean cities. It made sense that a necromantic flayer like Ylarrg would be banished to the surface world (if he wasn't just killed), and that also provided his motivation to stay put and succeed in his nefarious plans.
Here's where eveything turned beautiful for me. I called a buddy that owned the MM2, and got my hands on the ju-ju zombie information that began connecting all the puzzle pieces. You see, ju-ju zombies are effective underwater AND are immune to electrical attacks. That makes them
perfect soldiers for laying siege to a storm giant castle surrounded by water on three sides!! If I could tie those ingredients together seamlessly, then surely there were ways to interconnect them all. So, Ylarrg attempts to possess MacLeod, who he's lured out of the castle with nuisance zombie attacks, but gets a whale instead. The aformentioned assaults are blamed on the humans and dwarves (cuz that's what the zombie bodies are) creating tension and distrust amongst the peninsula residents. Meanwhile, a hungry bulette is unknowingly terrorizing the dwarven logging camp (and stealing potential zombies from Ylarrg), but this is blamed on a mythical creature of legend. It all just sorta fit...except the magical tea cup. I only saw this item as a vessel for the
magic jar spell, and that didn't seem good enough. So I stretched things a bit and expanded its uses in my final edit. In retrospect, I agree that this went too far. C'est la vie and all that jazz.
In reviewing the Finals, I really liked the elegant simplicity of Wicht's story. His use of the ingredients seemed almost effortless IMO, and his entry was a perfect side adventure for any campaign. My own entry was much more involved, and took a lot more backstory to set up. I wasn't sure of how this would play with Nemmerle, but I felt pretty iffy about my chances even though I really liked my story.
Obviously, I'm glad that the victory was to me. But just about anyone who's ever stopped into one of the Iron DM threads will acknowledge that Wicht's body of work in these competitions is unmatched when viewed as a whole. I was honored to battle him (and Zappo & Arwink as well), and to have been a part of this contest. Thanks Nemmerle
!!