Abstraction
First Post
For the latest installment of my game, the group is heading down to where they heard a group of lodges have mysteriously moved 200 miles. The lodges and area surrounding them are called the Wanderwood, appropriately enough. There are five characters, each third level going on fourth after next game. There is a second level NPC of a custom class, loosely based on warlock. The characters are a Wizard3, Fighter3, Druid3, Warlock3 and Ranger2/Cleric1.
Any brainstorming would be helpful, just for some ideas. This one requires a bit more background into what is going on in my world. Hopefully, this will start to draw the PCs into world-affecting events.
This is in the kingdom of the Sealy Elves (sunshine elves, fun-loving). The ruler of the Sealy is their King. The King is chosen by the Faerie Queen, Tatiana, every 200 years by marrying an elf from one of twelve families (each family is chosen in turn, so they know which family will rule next). The current king has ruled for 50 years.
For the last several years, creatures from a shadowy parallel dimension have been influencing the king. The "shadow court" occupies an identical building in the same physical location of the royal court. The shadow court uses magic to whisper things to the king. Their ability to sway him has been growing steadily. The king has come to the point that he almost never leaves the "castle" (actually a crystal spire, but you understand). Recently, the occasion of his daughter marrying an important prince of the fey elves came about. He had to leave the castle for that. While he was out, the darkness around him lifted. On impulse, he gathered a small retinue and went to the hunting lodges in Wanderwood. Wanderwood is a place where the border between our reality and that of the Faerie is much thinner. While the king was there, the Faerie Queen brought the entire area into the Fey and confronted the king on his lack of duty to her. She is very suspicious and knows there is a plot about the king, but was unable to determine it or to win him back over to her. She ensorcelled his royal signet, sword and shield to protect him and then the Wanderwood came back to our reality. The king's paranoia returned. He abandoned his sword, shield and signet ring and ordered an immediate return to Spira.
The Fey have spent a couple months gathering information and have made the decision to go to Spira and force a meeting with the king in his own chambers. So, doing things the Fey way, they are moving the Wanderwood to Spira. Once a week, the Wanderwood "jumps" anywhere from twenty to one hundred miles closer to Spira. After a few weeks, they have been stopped. Gypsies have prevented their forward motion by seeding the ground with cold iron spikes. However, these gypsies are not what they seem. They are being controlled/possessed by demons working on behalf of the Dark Elves. There is a minor war going on between fey and gypsies in the area, which also happens to be a minor crossroads. The gypsies are all low-level humans, half-elves and maybe a smattering of half-orcs, gnomes and hobbits. No elves.
So, I want to use a template for a demon-possessed gypsy. I was thinking that the changes would be minor, but one would be that they no longer sleep. If they are put to sleep or knocked unconscious, the demon is pushed out and the person has to be repossessed all over. What other minor effects would a demon-possessed have?
The entire gypsy camp is taken over, those that have managed to resist have been killed or run off. What is the method of control? What is preventing the demonic from possessing the PCs (which I don't want)?
I have some ideas for planned encounters. What about some random encounters? I can come up with stats for monsters if you can give me an idea. One idea I have is the party is chasing a fleeing pixie. It flies through a glade where every surface is covered with tiny frogs. If the party isn't careful and sends the frogs into "fight or flight" mode, they start coalescing into several large frogs. I want to have the fey send a couple small earth elementals at the gypsies. However, these elementals are touched by fey magic. Maybe growing with vines? Give them an entangling attack? In general, I was thinking of fey encounters being along the lines of normal/natural things that are in touch with some strange fey power.
Finally, what about the sword/shield/signet? The group was approached by a couple gnomes in the last city willing to pay big bucks to have them brought to them, so the group is aware that they are there but not their significance. If they find them, they will surely realize that the coat of arms is the royal coat. The description from the gnomes was so vague that they don't have any idea right now. Hopefully, the fey should be able to talk with the group and tell them what is going on and request that the group give the sword/shield/signet back to the king. So, what do these do? They should be pretty powerful, but the group will have to give them up when they are brought to the king. The king, under the shadow influence, will want to resist so maybe these items can overcome that or make it more likely? Two possible outcomes: one, the king is reunited with the items and saved from the shadow realm, the players are heroes of the realm; two, the king resists or causes it so the players never physically reach him, the players are outcasts sought by the royal guard but have the powerful magic items with them.
Thanks in advance for ideas!
Any brainstorming would be helpful, just for some ideas. This one requires a bit more background into what is going on in my world. Hopefully, this will start to draw the PCs into world-affecting events.
This is in the kingdom of the Sealy Elves (sunshine elves, fun-loving). The ruler of the Sealy is their King. The King is chosen by the Faerie Queen, Tatiana, every 200 years by marrying an elf from one of twelve families (each family is chosen in turn, so they know which family will rule next). The current king has ruled for 50 years.
For the last several years, creatures from a shadowy parallel dimension have been influencing the king. The "shadow court" occupies an identical building in the same physical location of the royal court. The shadow court uses magic to whisper things to the king. Their ability to sway him has been growing steadily. The king has come to the point that he almost never leaves the "castle" (actually a crystal spire, but you understand). Recently, the occasion of his daughter marrying an important prince of the fey elves came about. He had to leave the castle for that. While he was out, the darkness around him lifted. On impulse, he gathered a small retinue and went to the hunting lodges in Wanderwood. Wanderwood is a place where the border between our reality and that of the Faerie is much thinner. While the king was there, the Faerie Queen brought the entire area into the Fey and confronted the king on his lack of duty to her. She is very suspicious and knows there is a plot about the king, but was unable to determine it or to win him back over to her. She ensorcelled his royal signet, sword and shield to protect him and then the Wanderwood came back to our reality. The king's paranoia returned. He abandoned his sword, shield and signet ring and ordered an immediate return to Spira.
The Fey have spent a couple months gathering information and have made the decision to go to Spira and force a meeting with the king in his own chambers. So, doing things the Fey way, they are moving the Wanderwood to Spira. Once a week, the Wanderwood "jumps" anywhere from twenty to one hundred miles closer to Spira. After a few weeks, they have been stopped. Gypsies have prevented their forward motion by seeding the ground with cold iron spikes. However, these gypsies are not what they seem. They are being controlled/possessed by demons working on behalf of the Dark Elves. There is a minor war going on between fey and gypsies in the area, which also happens to be a minor crossroads. The gypsies are all low-level humans, half-elves and maybe a smattering of half-orcs, gnomes and hobbits. No elves.
So, I want to use a template for a demon-possessed gypsy. I was thinking that the changes would be minor, but one would be that they no longer sleep. If they are put to sleep or knocked unconscious, the demon is pushed out and the person has to be repossessed all over. What other minor effects would a demon-possessed have?
The entire gypsy camp is taken over, those that have managed to resist have been killed or run off. What is the method of control? What is preventing the demonic from possessing the PCs (which I don't want)?
I have some ideas for planned encounters. What about some random encounters? I can come up with stats for monsters if you can give me an idea. One idea I have is the party is chasing a fleeing pixie. It flies through a glade where every surface is covered with tiny frogs. If the party isn't careful and sends the frogs into "fight or flight" mode, they start coalescing into several large frogs. I want to have the fey send a couple small earth elementals at the gypsies. However, these elementals are touched by fey magic. Maybe growing with vines? Give them an entangling attack? In general, I was thinking of fey encounters being along the lines of normal/natural things that are in touch with some strange fey power.
Finally, what about the sword/shield/signet? The group was approached by a couple gnomes in the last city willing to pay big bucks to have them brought to them, so the group is aware that they are there but not their significance. If they find them, they will surely realize that the coat of arms is the royal coat. The description from the gnomes was so vague that they don't have any idea right now. Hopefully, the fey should be able to talk with the group and tell them what is going on and request that the group give the sword/shield/signet back to the king. So, what do these do? They should be pretty powerful, but the group will have to give them up when they are brought to the king. The king, under the shadow influence, will want to resist so maybe these items can overcome that or make it more likely? Two possible outcomes: one, the king is reunited with the items and saved from the shadow realm, the players are heroes of the realm; two, the king resists or causes it so the players never physically reach him, the players are outcasts sought by the royal guard but have the powerful magic items with them.
Thanks in advance for ideas!
