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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 5401954" data-attributes="member: 18363">Here is another idea, focusing on the vampires and the veil:Since the days of the veiling there has been a rumor (DC 18 know-religion check, DC 20 bardic check) that something unusual happened during its creation, something that the state religion has always known but always hidden. The nature of the unusual occurrence is poorly known - and that only to a few in the highest levels of the state religion (DC 20 k(r), DC 22 bardic check), but it is generally believed that if word of the nature of the situation became widely known it could cause a panic or otherwise undermine the authority of or trust in the state religion (DC 22 k(r), DC 24 bardic check). The truth of the matter is that the veiling was interrupted just as the ritual was ending, leading to strains that ripped the veil at the site of the ritual (DC 28 k(r), DC 30 bardic check). Memory charms and magically binding oaths were used to prevent the spread of this knowledge at the time of the veiling (DC 24 k(r), DC 26 bardic check), and to this day a secret and hidden frontier fortress exists just beyond the site of the ritual that created the veil (DC 24 k(r), DC 26 bardic). Only the best holy warriors are sent there, and upon being sent word is sent out that the warrior had instead recently died in glorious battle against some terrible evil foe - a cult, a vampire, a lich, or so forth - so as to hide the fact that they still live and serve the state church (DC 26 k(r), DC 28 bardic). The location of this fortress - and also of the site of the ritual that created the veil - (DC 28 k(r), DC 30 bardic) is a closely guarded secret of the state church. Occasionally vampires or other forms of terrible undead - or their loathsome servants - come through the veil. They are destroyed soon after leaving, trapped between the veil on one side, the fortress wall on another, and high cliffs on the remaining two sides, leaving them easy targets for both mass range attacks from the fortress walls and melee attacks from sortees sent out to deal with them. But recently it was realized that the situation is worsening: the original strain has spread, leading to both a wider rifting and additional potential rifts- albeit small, difficult to find (for either side), and dangerous to attempt to traverse. The wider rift means that tunnelling under the ground is for the first time a real danger for bypassing the fortress, although means of determining the presence of sappers also works to notice such tunnels - so far. If the rift continues to widen, soon such tunnels might be mined so deep as to avoid notice by the currently (and only recently needed or utilized) means. The additional strains are another matter. Like stretch marks in fine cloth that has recently torn a hole, these points of strain are at times greatly stressed - and nearly true rifts, allowing travel out with only moderate strain and difficulty (like walking through through hip-deep water against the current). But at other times it is as if the strain on the cloth has been relaxed, and where before their were minute holes at points of stress near the tear, now the weave has tightened - or at least returned to a less stressed, more normal, state: the holes are gone, and any that may have been attempting to cross through during such a transition find themselves in effect suddenly neck deep in water and swimming against a swift and strong rip current - while not blocked from crossing, it is so much more difficult as to be nearly impossible, and the holes are no longer discernible by any means. Those at the fortress are aware of the problem, and patrols near the fortress now keep an eye out for any undead they may have stumbled upon such a secondary rift at just the right time and succeeded in getting through. A few have managed to avoid such patrols, however, and are a source of some concern to the highest authorities of the state church - both for the danger they could pose and the secret they may reveal (of the rift(s), the fortress, etc). At present such secondary rifts are minor - only smaller and weaker undead can get through, as the veil at these strained points is still strongest against stronger undead, and the points are too small for even medium undead to get through. But some of these secondary rifts seem to be slowly growing, and more are discovered every year. Eventually a secondary rift large enough for a medium undead or a stronger than typical smaller undead will form - may have already formed but as yet gone unnoticed (by either side?). What if a halfling gypsy-like tribe has discovered one of these secondary rifts, perhaps has learned when the timing is best for it to be open fullest, and is involved in some illicit trade with those on the other side of the veil. Perhaps initially the vampire lord(s) was only interested in knowledge of the world beyond since the veiling, but in time perhaps he changed one of the halflings into a vampire, the better learn of the world beyond and spread his influence. Does the whole veil strain and relax at the same time, or is each rift slightly different? Does the new moon or the winter solstice have an impact on the strain? Perhaps the halfling tribe was noticed and slain by the holy warriors of the state church, but the halflings fell all in battle - the warriors never learned of the hole they had been using (having hunted them only for having and aiding a vampire among them). Perhaps the vampires have found ways to increase the strain, or to increase the ease of passage during times off strain? Or maybe the largest rift has finally become deep enough to allow for tunnelling beneath the fortress? Or has the fortress itself been compromised? Maybe a paladin has fallen, but through magic items he still emulates those powers expected of a paladin, and a ring of misdirection causes spells to discern his alignment as remaining LG, despite becoming LE. Has he fallen to the vampires' influence, or has his wrath towards vampires led to his fall (like inquisitors of old)? Perhaps, as legend holds occurred with the templars, the holy warriors of the hidden fortress have over time drifted from their original purpose: now the order is LN with some members (often the newest) remaining LG and other members (often having been there the longest and holding most of the positions of authority) having slipped towards LE. The authorities of the state church may or may not yet be aware of this change that has occurred over the last century or three. This change may or may not have been due to undead influence (wrathful zeal is more than enough explanation, I tend to think). Perhaps some nature of the lands beyond is also leaking through the rift in the veil, slowly corrupting those who have been nearest it longest. In any case, discovering all (or even just most) of this could be a major part of the party's adventures, but the main focus should be 1) preventing a new incursion from the rift (either the known rift or a growing secondary rift), 2) preventing the fall of the veil, 3) dealing with an ever more dangerous / corrupt order of holy(?) warriors, or 4) dealing with a growing cult whose highest leaderships' goal is openning a rift or bringing down the veil. Or, for a simpler adventure, perhaps they are meant to expose a corrupt high authority in the state church that is aware of all of these problems but has been covering it up so as to aid his own advancement or his own plans. As an aside, is the dwarven worship of Vatan and Botan called the Fellowship of the Hammer and the Forge? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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