City of Brass

[War Golem]

I need to run a one-shot side trek for one of my players this weekend, during which he will be accompanying a cantankerous dwarven archmage (abjurer specialist) on a little trip to the City of Brass. The player is an 11th level skaven wizard, not overly experienced with planar travel, but looking to move into the Planeshifter prestige class. So I decided this NPC archmage would drag the PC along with him on this little trip.

The archmage has only said that he is going to gather some "materials"; hasn't specified exactly what. I have in mind some sort of power spell component not readily available outside the lower planes.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the power spell component could be?

Also, what is known about the City of Brass other than the brief write-up in the MotP? Has it ever been detailed more extensively in any other supplement? (I don't have any 2e Planescape stuff.) I'd certainly be willing to entertain any suggestions for a quick adventure there, as I haven't really formulated anything just yet.

Thanks, and cheers,

-War Golem

 

[Gospog]

What alignment is this archmage? He could be going to barter for a human (or demi-human) soul.

Lots of those hanging around in the lower planes.

Good luck!

 

[War Golem]

What alignment is this archmage? He could be going to barter for a human (or demi-human) soul.

Lots of those hanging around in the lower planes.

Good luck!

Hi Gospog,

The archmage was Lawful Evil, but has just recently been freed from a 600 year long Imprisonment. He is exhibiting a slightly different outlook on life these days, and is probably closer to Neutral now.

-War Golem

 

[Gospog]

Well then, one soul is as good as another, espescially if he needs it (them?) to power a spell.

 

[Psychotic Jim]

Hi Gospog,

The archmage was Lawful Evil, but has just recently been freed from a 600 year long Imprisonment. He is exhibiting a slightly different outlook on life these days, and is probably closer to Neutral now.

-War Golem

Lawful Neutral or Neutral Evil?
As for the City of Brass, the 2nd Edition Planescape accessory The Inner Planes says that the City is ruled by efreet. The Grand Sultan lies in the Palace of Charcoal. Perhaps the mage has to go deal with the Grand Sultan or some of his retainers to get the rare spell component. Might be a good chance for some courtly intrigue as efreet are known to be overly competitive and even back-stabbing at times, just like their friends the baatezu/devils. Perhaps the mage seeks some of the rare fire fruit, seen as delicacies by natives but deadly to normal people.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

In 2e The City of Brass was detailed in both the Planescape product Inner Planes and the Al Quadim boxed set Secrets of the Lamp, which was all about genies with a lot of it covering the City of Brass.

 

[Maldur]

haha, And I thought Morcocks City of brass. A place where a skaven would have but a few seconds before flame and ice lances would turn him into small charred or frostbitten pieces.

He would look like a Granbretanian masktrooper now would he

 

[the Jester]

Well, first off the City of Brass is on the elemental plane of Fire, which isn't a lower plane but rather an inner plane. It is connected to the Hells, however (according to the MotP, 3e).

When I recently went there, we found a lot of efreeti politics going on. Unfortunately we've become embroiled in an efreet's plans and made a bargain with him, but so far he's treated us reasonably fairly. We haven't really seen much more of the city than his master's estate (his master is one of the dreaded Pashas of the Efreet), but there were an avenue of burning coals; fountains of fire; azers; fire elemental creatures; and flames all over. We didn't really see any safe zones (an artifact protected us from the fire-dominant local environment).

It's certainly no easy journey, nor a friendly environment. Even if you can survive the flames of the plane itself, what are you going to eat while you're there? We were fed charred bits and ashes- with some sort of extremely hot sauce on it.

 

[tleilaxu]

excellent... i say the efreets are cooler than the soul selling...

 

[War Golem]

Thanks for all the responses so far!

Well, first off the City of Brass is on the elemental plane of Fire, which isn't a lower plane but rather an inner plane. It is connected to the Hells, however (according to the MotP, 3e).

Yes, I knew that, thanks. I picked the City of Brass specifically because it was not actually in the lower planes, while being a place where lower planar types are easy to find and negotiate with.

We didn't really see any safe zones (an artifact protected us from the fire-dominant local environment).

I know the Plane of Fire itself is quite hot and unfriendly, but I thought the entire City of Brass was "protected" for planar travelers? IDHMBIFOM; I could be remembering that part wrong.

We were fed charred bits and ashes- with some sort of extremely hot sauce on it.