Fleshing out Keep on the Shadowfell/Winterhaven

[Echoes]

So, even though I think KotS works fine as written in terms of being a nice tidy intro adventure, I'd like to add some heft to the plot and work in some roleplaying encounters so that the final battle feels more rewarding. Obviously don't read this if you haven't read Keep on the Shadowfell and are planning to play it as a PC.

My current plan involves a few key plot changes:

-The Keep was only sealed off ~30 years ago (likewise, Nerath's destruction is not yet complete -- it is in the midst of distinergration, however, and so much of the base PoL setting stays the same, flavor-wise)

-The Cult of Orcus stemmed from inside Winterhaven, when the primary clergyman, Kalarel's father, was slowly driven insane by the portal, eventually leading to his attempting to undertake the opening ritual that may have been started in the distant past.

-Keegan, who was a paladin of said god as well as a high-ranking Nerath commander, eventually was forced to slay Kalarel's father, which, combined with the influence of the Shadowfell, drove him to insanity, whereupon he undertook the actions described in the adventure proper.

-Kalarel found out about his father's death, fled the town, but vowed revenge upon its people, eventually becoming a follower of Orcus.

-Valthrun left the town as a 20-something man to study in one of Nerath's larger cities, but was present for the majority of the events described above and in the background of the adventure, and will be the main plot device for relaying parts of the new story.

-As a side, note Eilian the Old tries to cast suspicion on Valthrun (who I think the party is going to be very suspicious of anyway, what with the tower and all), but only because they fought over a girl's love when they were young.

-Likewise, Salvanna Wrafton remembers the events, and, when a caravan come sto town that includes a bard fond of singing (as the adventure suggests) "Brave Sir Keegan," the inn turns deadly silent.

-Ninaran begins kidnapping people to use in the ritual (which was always part of Kalarel's plans, not a reaction to the PCs), which the PCs might discover - I plan to have this take place at the bustling market square, for example.

I additionally want to play up some of the horror elements of the Keep, perhaps giving the PCs nightmares if they sleep in or around the Keep itself, and I will strongly suggest that the 2 corruption corpses in the lower level of the Keep are Keegan's children, or something to that effect. Maybe I'm just twisted, but I feel like the adventure has a strong horror/cthulu element that is riding just on the surface of the written text.

Does anyone want to share some further ideas they've come up with for bulking up the RP/plot aspect of Kots? I'm hoping to at least add a few of these elements to break up the large amount of combat that will be occuring.

 

[Emirikol]

I dont' think the onion goes deep enough for experienced players. Everybody knows it's going to be orcus..so why not have an interloper god/demon/devil involved too just to throw a red herring or something at the PC's. That was one of the nice things about Age of Worms in DUNGEON. THere were essentially 4 gods and NUMEROUS groups and enemies.

I'm kind of burned out on three plots:
1. Insanity
2. Plots that only revolve around "gods" devils or demons
3. Getting "hired" to do something

Two of those three are in there, so I'm going to come up with some creative plot modifications just for my own pleasure (and for my players who have played EVERYTHING over the past 30 years).

Jay H

 

[Dayspire]

(snip)

Wow, some good stuff there, I just had to say. Kudos.

 

[LowSpine]

To invest the characters in the plot have one of them come from there. You could make them a relative of one of the plot characters.

They could be visiting their home they left years ago.

Plus have that character have visit the keep when they were young - the old dare on Halloween plot.

Perhaps they saw Keegan and ran away - went a bit strange through the experience - was sent away for their own good (wouldn't stop goin on about it and rocking - found sleep walking up to the dangerous keep) and supressed the memory.

Some important info could arise from that memory coming back in flash back.

Nothing too original here, but useable and adaptable.

Beats the boring hired to do a job/do a good thing for a complete stranger hook.

 

[Echoes]

I dont' think the onion goes deep enough for experienced players. Everybody knows it's going to be orcus..so why not have an interloper god/demon/devil involved too just to throw a red herring or something at the PC's. That was one of the nice things about Age of Worms in DUNGEON. THere were essentially 4 gods and NUMEROUS groups and enemies.

I'm kind of burned out on three plots:
1. Insanity
2. Plots that only revolve around "gods" devils or demons
3. Getting "hired" to do something

Two of those three are in there, so I'm going to come up with some creative plot modifications just for my own pleasure (and for my players who have played EVERYTHING over the past 30 years).

I'm trying to throw the red herring of Valthrun as cultist at the PCs, which I think I can play up simply by having him know so much about the history of the place. I hadn't considered adding "factions" in a sense to Winterhaven or the Keep, but that might prove fruitful -- so far I've only been looking at individual motivations.

Another way to "faction up" the adventure might be to throw the hobgoblin slavers into the mix - perhaps they raid the Keep independently for prisoners, or the goblins failed to follow through on one of their promises.

Also, I know that my additions to the plot are a tad cliched in terms of D&D fare, but that's kind of the point - my group wants to run H1-E3 (or whatever) as our first 4e campaign, to feel out the rules. We're going for an old school feel, and I'm sort of trying to throw the traditional trappings in with slight twists to keep them kind of fresh (in this case, I'm going to be going horror as the twist, hopefully the rest of the adventure path affords me some good opportunities as well).

The next campaign we run (or run simultaneously) is going to be using the wonderful Nifflas setting dreamed up by Mostly Ghostly on the Wizards/RPG Net forums as its starting point. Quite different in tone and I figure once we have the rules kinks worked out, we'll be able to run something more creative a lot more smoothly.

 

[PairOfMagpies]

I still think someone dropped the ball on the whole "Points of Light" theme by placing the adventure just outside of Aberdeen. Unless it's a subtle slur against Scottish civilisation.
The Cthulu angle definitely struck me right off of the bat, leading the adventurers in with a straightforward dungeon crawl with devolves into inescapable gibbering madness. Apart from playing up the scares already present, i think having an 'untrustworthy benefactor' delivering the plot hook whilst harbouring ulterior motives is probably the way of keeping the players on their toes which most interests me.

 

[JohnSnow]

I'm actually looking at using Winterhaven as the starting point for my first Fourth Edition campaign. While I agree that Keep on the Shadowfell is a bit sparse on roleplaying detail and red herrings, there's a level at which it reminds me of Keep on the Borderlands. As a matter of fact, I have this whacky idea to use both as remnants of fallen Nerath - with full knowledge that the change alters the Borderlands slightly.

Basically, I've decided to run with my own homebrew, incoporating numerous features of the default "Points of Light" setting. I figure with a little bit of effort, Keep on the Shadowfell can serve as an entry point to this very interesting and complex land. Since I want my players to make their own characters for it, we won't be playing until after the PHB, DMG, and MM come out, and I'm going to make use of the intervening time to flesh out the setting.

Then, I'll be incorporating some of those setting details more tightly into the events of Keep on the Shadowfell. I really like the idea of a bard singing of Sir Keegan's tragedy, since it affords an opportunity for some interesting foreshadowing. That way, Sir Keegan's appearance doesn't just "come out of nowhere." It actually becomes an interesting piece of the story.

I've had a fair number of ideas for ways to flesh out the campaign world that could also be used to expand the adventure, but I don't want to derail this thread too much.

 

[Novem5er]

I was planning on running a 4e campaign that had a maritime feel, making the different 'points of light' literal islands.

I was originally intending to drop KotS in the middle of a "starter" island that I've already fleshed out, but now I'm considering making Winterhaven and its environs an island of its own. I could make Winterhaven a fortified town above a small port . . . but then I suppose the PCs couldn't be ambushed by kobolds if they just had to sail up to town. Hmm..

Still, lots of great ideas here.

 

[LowSpine]

I still think someone dropped the ball on the whole "Points of Light" theme by placing the adventure just outside of Aberdeen. Unless it's a subtle slur against Scottish civilisation.

It could be worse. They could have had the ghost of Kevin Keegan knocking about with his whitefro perm.

 

[zoroaster100]

I like the idea of a travelling bard performing at the inn the (incorrect) tale of Brave Sir Keegan. I decided to write up a quick "epic" for the bard:

The Ode to Brave Sir Keegan

A shadow fell upon the land
From stirring graves
The dead did stand
And came in waves.

The living fled
And from the ground
Came the undead
And doom abound.

The land was filled with fear and grief.
Hopes were crushed and tears were shed.
Death crept in like a wicked thief
Until thousands of innocents were dead.

(Audience or Chorus: Where, oh where is our Brave Sir Keegan!)

The King then commanded with royal words
And sent through the land his doughty men
They brought with them fire, axes and swords
And won a great battle in Evil’s den.

From far and near
Came wizards great
To our land so dear
And none too late.


To stop the darkness they laid a spell
To seal the gate to the terrible Dark.
The door they closed, or so they tell,
With a mighty ensorcelled mark.


But who would guard the hidden door
To Evil’s heart in the great beyond?
‘Tis true our own lives we do adore.
So no one would respond.

The call went out
But not a one
Would answer the call
Except one man.

Sir Keegan the Brave
Alone did heed
The call for courage
And the land’s need.

He alone agreed to guard the door
With courage and deed, and so he swore.

Took an oath to keep
To his lasting fate
Forever shut
The Unholy Gate.

(Audience or chorus: Brave, Brave Sir Keegan!)

One day the foes of good did come
And slaughtered his guards every one
Sir Keegan fought
And bravely died.
The door stayed shut,
But the people cried.

Thus the Brave Sir Keegan’s oath was kept
Though through horrors he was sorely tested
Finally his body slept.
And his soul forever rested.

(Audience or chorus: Drink, drink to Brave Sir Keegan!)