Steel_Wind said:
Without getting too specific on a plot, there are a few devices I'll throw out:
[deletia]
One particular DM of mine nearly 20 years ago used this to great effect and I really liked that item (it was a staff - but it could have been anything). There is not a lot I remember about the campaign - but I *do* remember that. It was a clever device.
You did like it, I'm sure, and it was clever.
It's definitely one of the best things possible for a homebrew campaign.
Unfortunately, I understood our plan was to write an adventure for general consumption...which means we can't plan on a specific archetype, race, class, or even alignment.
We'll probably need to follow either a general theme of "explore the unknown" or "stop the gathering threat".
Though there's no reason they couldn't be combined like this;
"Archaeological investigations of the ancient ruins atop Sorak mountain have long been hampered by the hostility of the barbaric dark dwarves that live there and prey on all who pass nearby.
The Emperor's recent deployment of the XVII Legion to Sorak has ended this threat: not a dark dwarf remains.
Our initial investigation reveals not only a sizeable fortified city atop the mountain (unusual for dwarves) but also the traditional underground delvings, though of a size and scale more massive than any I have ever seen.
I estimate the portion above ground contained perhaps 10,000 souls. If the normal dwarven rule of "One finger above, two hands below" holds true, the settlement on Sorak mountain would be the largest metropolitan area ever to exist.
How did they do it?
And having done it, how did they degenerate into the dark dwarves of recent history?"
It's an underground gold rush, with lost magical items and technology. It's a Manhattan Project, as warring guilds, temples, and kings all vie for the lost treasures of the ancient dwarves.
Finally, it gives a shot at cosmic horror at high levels, as the characters find the aboleth that drove the dwarves to cosmic madness, insane slavery, and cultural and social destruction.
Thoughts?
We call it Terratis. (Like Atlantis, but with dirt instead of water.)
