EzekielRaiden
Follower of the Way
I'm running an Arabian Nights game (homebrew setting) by way of Dungeon World. We've had a couple dungeon adventures, a short caravan run, and some "find the secret zombie warehouse" sessions. I'd like a more thoroughly urban adventure to throw to the party, in addition to some other options I'm preparing (jewel heist on a genie-ruled island, delving the once-sealed tombs of the ancient sultans, heading to the eastern mountains where the mythril mines are). Any and all suggestions are deeply appreciated--if I don't use it immediately, I'll almost certainly keep it in reserve for later on.
To help focus things a bit:
[Sblock=]-- There are three main nefarious factions. One is a sect of decay-revering druids who want to destroy the cities and turn the varyingly arid region into a fetid swamp. Another is a fanatical assassin-cult that wants to take over so they can conduct their ritualistic murders without any interference. The third is a black dragon masquerading as a merchant, and his thugs/cronies/merchant empire, who wants to marry into the royal family and turn the city into his "hoard."
-- Genies mostly live in a parallel world, Jinnistan, but there are a few estates (even sometimes whole islands) owned by one of them. The exact reason for the mass departure of their peoples (genies, jann, efreet, marids, etc.) thousands of years ago is not known to mortals. Travel to Jinnistan is limited but hardly uncommon, as the city is a major hub for selling genie-wrought equipment.
-- Besides Druids (who are the "living spirit" Kahina, taming living nature), there are Shamans (Kahina of dead spirits, who mediate with and placate the spirits of the afterlife), Waziri mages (officious and sometimes politically active wizards), Safiqi priests (clerics, paladins, and inquisitors, representing various orders of the monotheistic religion practiced primarily in the cities), wandering nomad tribes and individual hunters who kill dangerous beasts in the wastes, and Rawuna storytellers (tribal, but not necessarily non-urban, bards). Barbarians come from other lands.
-- Party comp is Druid, Bard, Wizard, Barbarian (with a Ranger on hiatus). Druid has been getting heavy spotlight for the last couple adventures due to focus on the evil druid faction. Barbarian is tactical/thoughtful, but can struggle to contribute in heavy social/exploration sessions. Bard is definitely jack of all trades, has nicked Thief trap/lock moves. Wizard is very cerebral (IC and OOC) and by a slim margin kinda-sorta party leader.
-- Political intrigue is cool. The only thing I'm not really into is the tired "the vizier is always evil!!" trope. The court vizier is a slimy businessman you shouldn't trust further than you can spit him, if you're buying, but he is a genuine patriot who believes in his Sultana and the prosperity of the city at large. So I only want him to turn out evil if that results from the players earning such a discovery.
-- Trade with foreign nations (not just Jinnistani cities) is common. The party has an ally from a Japan/China analogue (cultural details are only very roughly sketched), and lands beyond the arid region are known to have their own empires. Islands, perhaps actually thousands of them, litter the Sapphire Sea.
-- Demons and devils exist, but aren't very prominent (mostly dealt with by Waziri or Safiqi). Dragons are from other lands, and considered pretty fantastical. Environment includes basically every biome/feature you can find from Morocco to Saudi Arabia and from the Mediterranean coast to the southern Kalahari. The desert and arid waste have many secrets and much hidden/ancient magic.[/sblock]
To help focus things a bit:
[Sblock=]-- There are three main nefarious factions. One is a sect of decay-revering druids who want to destroy the cities and turn the varyingly arid region into a fetid swamp. Another is a fanatical assassin-cult that wants to take over so they can conduct their ritualistic murders without any interference. The third is a black dragon masquerading as a merchant, and his thugs/cronies/merchant empire, who wants to marry into the royal family and turn the city into his "hoard."
-- Genies mostly live in a parallel world, Jinnistan, but there are a few estates (even sometimes whole islands) owned by one of them. The exact reason for the mass departure of their peoples (genies, jann, efreet, marids, etc.) thousands of years ago is not known to mortals. Travel to Jinnistan is limited but hardly uncommon, as the city is a major hub for selling genie-wrought equipment.
-- Besides Druids (who are the "living spirit" Kahina, taming living nature), there are Shamans (Kahina of dead spirits, who mediate with and placate the spirits of the afterlife), Waziri mages (officious and sometimes politically active wizards), Safiqi priests (clerics, paladins, and inquisitors, representing various orders of the monotheistic religion practiced primarily in the cities), wandering nomad tribes and individual hunters who kill dangerous beasts in the wastes, and Rawuna storytellers (tribal, but not necessarily non-urban, bards). Barbarians come from other lands.
-- Party comp is Druid, Bard, Wizard, Barbarian (with a Ranger on hiatus). Druid has been getting heavy spotlight for the last couple adventures due to focus on the evil druid faction. Barbarian is tactical/thoughtful, but can struggle to contribute in heavy social/exploration sessions. Bard is definitely jack of all trades, has nicked Thief trap/lock moves. Wizard is very cerebral (IC and OOC) and by a slim margin kinda-sorta party leader.
-- Political intrigue is cool. The only thing I'm not really into is the tired "the vizier is always evil!!" trope. The court vizier is a slimy businessman you shouldn't trust further than you can spit him, if you're buying, but he is a genuine patriot who believes in his Sultana and the prosperity of the city at large. So I only want him to turn out evil if that results from the players earning such a discovery.
-- Trade with foreign nations (not just Jinnistani cities) is common. The party has an ally from a Japan/China analogue (cultural details are only very roughly sketched), and lands beyond the arid region are known to have their own empires. Islands, perhaps actually thousands of them, litter the Sapphire Sea.
-- Demons and devils exist, but aren't very prominent (mostly dealt with by Waziri or Safiqi). Dragons are from other lands, and considered pretty fantastical. Environment includes basically every biome/feature you can find from Morocco to Saudi Arabia and from the Mediterranean coast to the southern Kalahari. The desert and arid waste have many secrets and much hidden/ancient magic.[/sblock]
