Inchoroi
Adventurer
So, as all my recent games have fallen apart, I've set my sights to the next one--and I actually want to write this whole campaign this time. My first idea was an ancient evil being resurrected through some process, so I did some reading, and came up with something fun: What if, several centuries before, Karsus (of Forgotten Realms) did not die with the fall of Netheril? Instead, he is trapped within a copy of Mystryl's palace or a pocket dimension, unable to break free with the knowledge he now possesses; through the centuries, he has built a large cult that is working to bring about his release. He will rebuild the fallen nation of Netheril, even if it means that all others must die to do so.
He plans on doing this by using the knowledge he stole from Mystryl to create a new type of magic, which he calls Genesis. He breeds new monsters and creatures, magical creatures that no one has ever seen before. He empowers these with the power to work magic as he does (within reason). The majority of the cult members have been modified in one way or another by these processes.
Recently, the cult has been headed by a man who truly does not care whether Karsus lives or rots in his prison--instead, he wishes to possess Karsus' Avatar, the spell that would allow him to possess the divinity of a God. He is wielding the cult to trick Karsus into revealing the secrets of the spell to him, while Karsus is attempting to steer him into releasing him anyway.
The party would enter into the employ of the leader of the cult, in the guise of a businessman who collects, obsessively, artifacts of ancient Netheril, using them as an external threat against the cult, to force Karsus' hand into revealing too much, relying too much on the cult leader. At the same time, he wants to use the party to interrupt the cult and gather the ingredients for Karsus' Avatar.
Unfortunately, I can't find much information on Karsus, the spell, and ancient Netheril, so I come here!
1. How different would a spell be, if learned from a being who had not had the continued tinkering of multiple generations? How different would the theme be? Would it be fiercer, but less refined, or, conversely, more powerful and focused? How to make it seem very different from what "modern" characters would recognize?
2. I can't remember if Karsus ever had a Nether Scroll; what kind of game effect would the possession of one grant?
3. What ingredients would the spell Karsus' Avatar require? What sort of shenanigans or McGuffin would it require to cast it, since Mystra, during the fall of Netheril, changed the weave so spells of that level no longer functioned?
He plans on doing this by using the knowledge he stole from Mystryl to create a new type of magic, which he calls Genesis. He breeds new monsters and creatures, magical creatures that no one has ever seen before. He empowers these with the power to work magic as he does (within reason). The majority of the cult members have been modified in one way or another by these processes.
Recently, the cult has been headed by a man who truly does not care whether Karsus lives or rots in his prison--instead, he wishes to possess Karsus' Avatar, the spell that would allow him to possess the divinity of a God. He is wielding the cult to trick Karsus into revealing the secrets of the spell to him, while Karsus is attempting to steer him into releasing him anyway.
The party would enter into the employ of the leader of the cult, in the guise of a businessman who collects, obsessively, artifacts of ancient Netheril, using them as an external threat against the cult, to force Karsus' hand into revealing too much, relying too much on the cult leader. At the same time, he wants to use the party to interrupt the cult and gather the ingredients for Karsus' Avatar.
Unfortunately, I can't find much information on Karsus, the spell, and ancient Netheril, so I come here!
1. How different would a spell be, if learned from a being who had not had the continued tinkering of multiple generations? How different would the theme be? Would it be fiercer, but less refined, or, conversely, more powerful and focused? How to make it seem very different from what "modern" characters would recognize?
2. I can't remember if Karsus ever had a Nether Scroll; what kind of game effect would the possession of one grant?
3. What ingredients would the spell Karsus' Avatar require? What sort of shenanigans or McGuffin would it require to cast it, since Mystra, during the fall of Netheril, changed the weave so spells of that level no longer functioned?
