Greyhawk (Keoland) campaign brainstorming (my players keep out!)
- Thread starter shilsen
- Start date
Sorry Shilsen, corrected name mistake and changed my avatar.
Shilsen wrote-
Furthermore, it seems that one of the adventurers, Korven, is the son of a former leader in the Flen Thieves Guild, which Langton helped to destroy (in 578) in order to obtain information contained within. Korven confronted Marius, and although the latter told him the truth about Langton attacking the guild and his own uninvolvement, he did not mention the current connection. Marius decided that it may be expedient to kill off Korven at some point. Viewing his search as a holy crusade for the upliftment of the worship of Pholtus, Marius now believes that any measures are appropriate to achieve his goal.-End Quote.
What exactly is the current connection mentioned in your quote above? The fact that Langton was also questing for the crown?
I hope you can keep that plotline now that the Korven player has left.
Also where does your churches of Pholtus in the Sheldomar Valley report/send tithes to? i.e. a Patriarch, High Priest or High Lord Papal or Pope?
And if you have a Pope figure is he located in the Theocracy of The Pale?
Finally where is Wilderland as described the the book the players found in the Jotens? I like how you changed names for locations found in ancient texts!
~Hunter
Shilsen wrote-
Furthermore, it seems that one of the adventurers, Korven, is the son of a former leader in the Flen Thieves Guild, which Langton helped to destroy (in 578) in order to obtain information contained within. Korven confronted Marius, and although the latter told him the truth about Langton attacking the guild and his own uninvolvement, he did not mention the current connection. Marius decided that it may be expedient to kill off Korven at some point. Viewing his search as a holy crusade for the upliftment of the worship of Pholtus, Marius now believes that any measures are appropriate to achieve his goal.-End Quote.
What exactly is the current connection mentioned in your quote above? The fact that Langton was also questing for the crown?
I hope you can keep that plotline now that the Korven player has left.
Also where does your churches of Pholtus in the Sheldomar Valley report/send tithes to? i.e. a Patriarch, High Priest or High Lord Papal or Pope?
And if you have a Pope figure is he located in the Theocracy of The Pale?
Finally where is Wilderland as described the the book the players found in the Jotens? I like how you changed names for locations found in ancient texts!
~Hunter
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shilsen
Adventurer
Hunter said:
Yes, the primary connection is that Marius met him and got the idea to search for the crown too. The fact that he got the idea because of the guy whose actions led to Korven’s family’s deaths is just a coincidence. I like to have a couple of coincidences in my games. IMO, A plotline where every event has a neat logical connection to every other event is somewhat unrealistic.
I definitely intend to do so. It doesn’t look like Korven’s player will be back, so I’m going to run him as an NPC for a bit and see what develops. I could always have him jump Marius while yelling, “You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Of course then Marius would flame strike the guy and kill him instantly, but who says all deaths need to be heroic and all dead fathers must be avenged? Inigo was just lucky that I wasn’t the DM
The churches of Pholtus in the Sheldomar Valley are nominally beholden to the Patriarch located in Niole Dra, capital of Keoland. But most of the nations either have a Patriarch of their own or only give him lip service, esp. since he’s a very old and ailing man (I wasn’t basing him off Pope John Paul, but it worked out that way). And if he cops it, Marius actually has a good chance of ending up as Patriarch.
The Theocracy of the Pale actually isn’t all that popular with a number of churches of Pholtus in foreign states (including in the Sheldomar), since it tends to give them a bad name. At the same time, some of the priests are secretly (and grudgingly) appreciative of the unfailing strength of the faith in that country. Creates a sense of ambivalence which both Marius and the players may be able to exploit in the future, in different ways.
Wilderland is part of SE Keoland, including a substantial chunk of the Dreadwood Forest. Gwydion’s tomb is within the forest somewhere. I didn’t think it made sense that places would have the same name after centuries, esp. with the book they were in having been written by a non-Keoish source. It also gives me options for inserting different information and red herrings if need be, which would be somewhat more difficult if I just handed my players a current map of Keoland and said, “Here it is.”
Very cool! It sounds like your Crown of the Gods plotline is coming to its climax. At least the Gulthias part is coming closer as well as
the Marius storyline.
From an earlier post you mentioned Keoland parleying with the Lizardmen of the Hool Marshes. Sounds like your developing a Meta-Plot in that direction.
If you haven't already, I suggest you read the Thread:
New campaign (evil) please read if you have time
by Markero
Scroll down to the next to last post and you will find a very organized and logical lizardman city brief background.
Its more for a high level adventuring party to infiltrate but it may give you more ideas along the lines of a Meta Plot.
I always found it easier to come up with ideas, once I defined the inhabitants/ecology/civilization/economics/trade and routes/traffic of economy/other races living within area/climate/terrain the whole shebang really if only in brief outline.
Kind of what Tilla was talking about with his meta plots and timeline but for me before I come up with the idea I try to figure out more of the stats/locations of a kingdom/area.
Finding out the commerce, the natural resources, the cottage industry, the imports/exports of the region one begins to find out the haves and the have nots as well as what happens when certain goods (whether natural or crafted) stop going to their given destination. The fact that someone lord,baron, count, earl or viceroy owns the real estate that the trade/traffic stops begins to create ideas for meta plots for me.
Usually whenever I am establishing 1. the ecology of any monsters I wish to populate(that I think would live their logically and naturally even if they are enchanted creatures) and 2. the positioning of any given tribe or civilization of humanoids either organized or chaotic usually starts a meta plot for me.
Also there is the land rights of good and greedy nobles. Reading medieval history you find out that kings, popes and even emperors were on a constant lookout for cash. Many kings were indebt in order to pay their soldiers/mercenaries in order to continue a given war.
Land rights were extremely important and often abused and the greedy king/noble frequently looked upon the churches lands (tax free) with much hunger. As well as heavily taxing their own lands/vassals/fiefdoms.
This is just an overview suggestion of course.
After reading your player's plotline and then the Patronage Law I don't see you having any trouble coming up with Meta Plot Ideas.
You've got a great game going! Even though I am running a campaign in Ekbir I like to live vicariously through your Keoland campaign!
Hope I have helped a little.
~H
the Marius storyline.
From an earlier post you mentioned Keoland parleying with the Lizardmen of the Hool Marshes. Sounds like your developing a Meta-Plot in that direction.
If you haven't already, I suggest you read the Thread:
New campaign (evil) please read if you have time
by Markero
Scroll down to the next to last post and you will find a very organized and logical lizardman city brief background.
Its more for a high level adventuring party to infiltrate but it may give you more ideas along the lines of a Meta Plot.
I always found it easier to come up with ideas, once I defined the inhabitants/ecology/civilization/economics/trade and routes/traffic of economy/other races living within area/climate/terrain the whole shebang really if only in brief outline.
Kind of what Tilla was talking about with his meta plots and timeline but for me before I come up with the idea I try to figure out more of the stats/locations of a kingdom/area.
Finding out the commerce, the natural resources, the cottage industry, the imports/exports of the region one begins to find out the haves and the have nots as well as what happens when certain goods (whether natural or crafted) stop going to their given destination. The fact that someone lord,baron, count, earl or viceroy owns the real estate that the trade/traffic stops begins to create ideas for meta plots for me.
Usually whenever I am establishing 1. the ecology of any monsters I wish to populate(that I think would live their logically and naturally even if they are enchanted creatures) and 2. the positioning of any given tribe or civilization of humanoids either organized or chaotic usually starts a meta plot for me.
Also there is the land rights of good and greedy nobles. Reading medieval history you find out that kings, popes and even emperors were on a constant lookout for cash. Many kings were indebt in order to pay their soldiers/mercenaries in order to continue a given war.
Land rights were extremely important and often abused and the greedy king/noble frequently looked upon the churches lands (tax free) with much hunger. As well as heavily taxing their own lands/vassals/fiefdoms.
This is just an overview suggestion of course.
After reading your player's plotline and then the Patronage Law I don't see you having any trouble coming up with Meta Plot Ideas.
You've got a great game going! Even though I am running a campaign in Ekbir I like to live vicariously through your Keoland campaign!
Hope I have helped a little.
~H
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shilsen
Adventurer
Hunter said:
Actually I expect it to run a lot longer before we get to a climax. If the PCs decide to accuse Marius of wrongdoing, there's a good possibility that their focus on opposing Gulthias and getting to the Crown first may shift to opposing Marius (and possibly still getting to the Crown first). Depending on the situation, Gulthias (who's both scried on them at least once and showed up in a dream they collectively had) may actually try to ally with them
Thanks. I might not get to use any of it, but having a few good sources to cannibalize always helps.
Definitely. I appreciate the comments.
By the way, here's a little update on events in the last session. The party had three encounters with a lair of kobolds they ended up camping next to. In the first, a bunch of kobolds (EL 3 encounter) attacked their campsite and were handily beaten (considering the PCs are 5th lvl, hardly surprising), but not before a couple made off with two PCs' backpacks.
Angered, the PCs followed them into their lair, and encountered a more prepared group of kobolds (EL 5). Again, they won, but not before taking some damage and having the druid's wolf companion killed by a trap (pit trap, spikes, rocks falling on top of it!).
Just as they were about to bemoan its loss they were attacked by the two kobold leaders - a sorceror and a warrior. Only an EL 6 encounter, so they should still have won easily. Right? Well, they did, but the sorceror got away and at the end of the fight Korven was unconscious at -6, the dwarf wizard was at 2 hp, and one of the other two was at half health.
Kobolds are fun, and my players already know that EL doesn't mean much
shilsen
Adventurer
Update
Well, the excreta struck the ventilation device in this week's session.
The party got back to Flen, meeting up with a former acquaintance of Phyllis' on the way (new player joined the group, with a human fighter PC called Dryst, but with a somewhat unusual racial background). Before getting back, Korven told the others about his suspicions of Marius. Reaching the temple of Flen, they found a number of new people moving around the place, Marius off somewhere with an unnamed mage who's been around recently, and Bartholomew (the 2nd-in-command who's a jerk and has picked on Phyllis for years) worried about the way he's been behaving. Druscilla discovered that there'd been problems with the Dreadwood and that the local druids had headed off there, and took off herself, planning to have the others join her when they could.
Later in the evening, Marius returned and called the PCs to a meeting (where they met a wizard who's working for him). There he tried to get them to hand over all information about the Crown and to fob them off on some other work. They (excluding Phyllis) disagreed, and eventually it broke out into combat. For a couple of seconds, that is, since they were speedily captured and knocked out. Waking up in a cell, Korven, Garrick and Dryst, managed to escape, just as Bartholomew (totally freaked out about Marius's actions) turned up to free them. Trying to leave through an entrance to the sewers, they were almost caught by Marius, but got away (except for Bartholomew, who was slain).
So that's where we ended. Phyllis is now an NPC while her player brings in a new PC, and the other three are in the sewers. I left it totally up to them where they want to go, and they have at least half a dozen potential options in front of them. Should be fun to find out what comes next.
Well, the excreta struck the ventilation device in this week's session.
The party got back to Flen, meeting up with a former acquaintance of Phyllis' on the way (new player joined the group, with a human fighter PC called Dryst, but with a somewhat unusual racial background). Before getting back, Korven told the others about his suspicions of Marius. Reaching the temple of Flen, they found a number of new people moving around the place, Marius off somewhere with an unnamed mage who's been around recently, and Bartholomew (the 2nd-in-command who's a jerk and has picked on Phyllis for years) worried about the way he's been behaving. Druscilla discovered that there'd been problems with the Dreadwood and that the local druids had headed off there, and took off herself, planning to have the others join her when they could.
Later in the evening, Marius returned and called the PCs to a meeting (where they met a wizard who's working for him). There he tried to get them to hand over all information about the Crown and to fob them off on some other work. They (excluding Phyllis) disagreed, and eventually it broke out into combat. For a couple of seconds, that is, since they were speedily captured and knocked out. Waking up in a cell, Korven, Garrick and Dryst, managed to escape, just as Bartholomew (totally freaked out about Marius's actions) turned up to free them. Trying to leave through an entrance to the sewers, they were almost caught by Marius, but got away (except for Bartholomew, who was slain).
So that's where we ended. Phyllis is now an NPC while her player brings in a new PC, and the other three are in the sewers. I left it totally up to them where they want to go, and they have at least half a dozen potential options in front of them. Should be fun to find out what comes next.
shilsen
Adventurer
Hunter said:
Considering that there's a fairly effective legal system in Keoland, and that he doesn't want news about the Crown to get out, Marius can't afford to let it come to a trial. So now it depends on how well both sides can take advantage of loopholes and weaknesses in the patronage system.
The PCs don't have a Writ (Phyllis had it), but as long as they don't come to any of the larger towns, they might be able to get by without it. Otherwise, they'll have to get sponsorship of some kind or maybe even forge one (which brings up a whole other set of problems). They could also look for some of the Pholtics' traditional rivals (St. Cuthbert's church, for example) and try to get help from them.
Marius can use his connections to spread word about these untrustworthy and probably dangerous vagabonds who once served the temple but turned traitor. He might even be able to declare a bounty on them, but in that case, would have to balance the risk of someone actually talking to them against the advantage of having other adventuring companies take care of his problem. His reaction will probably depend on whether he perceives them as likely to interfere with his activities in the Dreadwood (searching for the Crown as well as taking out Gulthias, who is also searching there).
The party's probably going to be heading to Garrick's folk in the Good Hills, since the dwarves are among the more independent communities in Keoland. From there, they might head for the Dreadwood. Apparently the dwarves have discovered one of the dungeons of Zagyg. Shortly before his apotheosis the mad archmage created a number (or maybe it's just the same one) of extraplanar dungeons which pop up across the Flaeness and then disappear equally suddenly. Legend says that if you can explore one and survive then there is some serious treasure to be gained in there. So the PCs may decide to check that out too.
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