Help Wanted with ideas for Chapter 3 (levels 9-14) of my campaign

[Henry]

Ferrum won my vote. Damn, but that was cinema-worthy; maybe even Joss-worthy.

 

[Lackhand]

(oh, and Ferrum wins my vote, too )

I wasn't thinking of counterspelling the orb -- I was thinking of counterspelling Triel's getting away, if they couldn't stop him. But he can put a stop to that, so all's well.

Also good to know the players are (seen as) commoners -- I was just complaining 'cause the scene felt, well, scripted. Heh

Please please please please *please* tell us how this plays out. I want stories ; )

It sounds like you run an incredible game.

 

[helium3]

No - all the characters I'm giving them are minor characters with predictable concerns.

And ressurection is fairly available - indeed all the characters have died more than a couple of times now except the 9th level one (and that's the main reason she's 9th over their 8th).

But she's going to be killed by a fairly potent artifact. Undoing it's magic will probably be a major plot point.

This character you're killing off with the artifact, is it a PC?

 

[Michael Morris]

No. I would never kill a PC without a saving throw or an attack roll involved. The character is an NPC - but one very near and dear to several PC's so her death will HURT.

 

[Berandor]

The party arrives. Triel looks up.
"This would be where I taunt you over the body of your friend. But, you know, I just can't think of a good line right now, so – goodbye."

 

[Michael Morris]

Nah, Triel ALWAYS has something to say. Anyway, anymore entrants, or am I singing Ring around the Rosie??

 

[Slife]

Can't go wrong with Shakespeare! The intro lines need work, though...

Obviously based off of Ferrum's entry. I don't think I can improve upon his presentation.


To the parlaiment, with sweeping gestures and a bellowing voice: "The regent of this kingdom needs to embrace reality. No longer may she cling to childish illusions of a miraculous rescue."

Turns to Nelaria, lowers his voice "But you will soon meet your brother. Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to..."

A short dramatic pause as teleportation magic begins to swirl about him, and the artifact rolls off the tips of his fingers, in a low, gravelly voice he whispers: "dust."



EDIT: Who is Valsil?

 

[Michael Morris]

Well, it is over. A breathtaking end to the second chapter of the character's saga. You see, macroscopically speaking the campaign I'm running is broken into 4 chapters. The first chapter is for levels 1-5. The second 6-10, the third 11-15 and the final epic conclusion 16-20.

The final chapter unfolded as follows. New player character joins playing a dwarf. I work his character in and break out the conversation that ended last week's session by using an interweaving conversations technique pulled from daytime soap operas. You see, the party went off 4 different directions and I would spend 1 to 1 1/2 minutes in one conversation, spring to the next and to the next in random order. The effect of this is to keep the players engrossed. If I resolved each line seperately I'd run the huge risk of the players not involved becoming bored and missing something.

One of the scenes had new dwarf demanding to see the ruler. While in the lobby he is approached by Triel. Now the new player, with no knowledge of the history of the character innocently plied along but the other players skin scrawled visibly. They hadn't seen Triel in 4 months and so to have him on the stage was, foreshadowing

New player spurns Triel and there is much applause from the party, but Triel's comeback silenced the applause, "Be very careful as to whom you can a pansy bastard sir dwarf." and he faded away.

After all the thread resolve the party gets together and Nelaria teleports them to Hone Rae to meet Queen Tiliansia and learn where the sword is. The Queen in turn recognizes the PC who is to be king and teleports them to within travelling distance of an elven city where the sword is at. Players and getting a bit fidgety at all the roleplay so I throw in a random round of hill giant bashing. This also allows me time to collect my thoughts as I'm running this on the fly.

Party meets the elven king who is rude with the party at best. The party fumbles their conversation with him so I pop Telsindria in with the not so subtle hint to the elven king that this is what he must do whether he wants to or not. The king back down quickly and reveals he gave the sword to a black dragon in exchange for the city being left alone - after all what safer place for a sword than a dragon's horde? Telsindria shrugs and the party goes off dragon hunting.

(One reason Tess came in was the party botched the roleplay scene and I didn't want the plot to get too derailed. The second reason was I wanted to make it concretely clear that even when she does show up she isn't necessarily going to make things better - they had to fight a dragon after all without help. I also wanted the new player to meet Telsindria albeit briefly).

Party plans out dragon hunt, uses a sending message to call in Nelaria for extra help though I hinted at this. I let her play a strong role in this building up to the last scene of the evening. Also, seeing her in combat, if only once, got the party's minds alive with how powerful they could be with her aid (I'd mentioned time and again that if anyone wanted to play her I'd let her become a PC). Her ability to let her twin brother deliver touch spells for her is very devestating.

Party defeats the dragon, gets it's horde, gets the sword, heads home. The meeting with Parliment is abbreviated somewhat for time as I changed my plans slightly from above. I describe the morning half of the shouting and going on and reveal a major loss for the Dalsundrian army has occurred. The nobles are paniced. The Parliment breaks for lunch and rather than gloss over it I run a scene where Nelaria and the party talk about normal things amid the division of the dragon's treasure. Soon this scene will become bittersweet - too soon, though none of the characters knows it yet it's her last moment with them alive.

The second half of the meetings begins and things build to a fever pitch. Nelaria finally stands and gives a speech to the parliment - a speech Triel teleports in and interrupts. The party begins to quietly make their way down the stairs to get in range but it is as they reach the bottom of the flight that he delivers the nursery rhyme line above and drops the ball.

You could have heard a pin drop in the room for nearly a minute. Finally one of the players yells out "Triel, you bastard" and I state that was in character and on that cue the place erupts. The nobles run in a panic for the door lest the wizard show up again. The prince gets to where she last stood and just stands there in shock.

After two hours one of Nelaria's handmaidens gently takes him upstairs so the priests can see to the rites and the sorting of the domains. With little resistance he goes with her help and Sahara's (once of the PC's).

He goes out onto the balcony of her room and watches the sunset as she has done many, many times. He just stares off into the distance in shock. I play Peter Gabriel's I grieve and between the verses decribe the sunset. As the song ends he hears a voice. The conversation as best I can recall it went as follows.

DM (playing Nelaria's Ghost): You hear a voice behind you, one all too familiar, "I'm sorry."
PC: I don't turn around. I don't say anything.
DM: She says, "I failed you."
PC: He says, "No, you didn't." He still won't turn around, he just looks off in the distance.
DM: There is a long silence, "Nathan. Everything happens for a reason."
PC: "You do know I'm going to bring you back."
DM: "I know you must try. I know I would were our places reversed."
PC: He begins to cry. He still won't look at her though. He says, "I can't do this Nel."
DM: "Yes, you can. You are not alone. In life we were bound as twins. In death this tether remains, or else I would have already passed on to the halls of our ancestors. You are not alone. I am with you. You have friends who are with you yet, who will fight by your side and if necessary they will die."
PC: "I don't have a chance. They are no army."
DM: "My death is not in vain brother. Even now news of this treachery should be reaching the ears of Queen Tilansia. She adopted me as her daughter when mother passed away. She knows you yet live. She will not stand idly by and let this treachery win the day. She will come, and you will have your army for this war."
PC: He doesn't say anything.
DM: After a pause she says, "If it's any consolation, I didn't feel any pain. Triel was merciful in that much at least. It was too quick to feel."
PC: "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."
DM: "Of that I have no doubt. He will suffer for this greatly before his end comes. But do not let your anger consume you brother. Do not let the rage tear you apart or Triel will have won even if he does not live. Do not fight for revenge, fight for justice. Fight for our people, for now their need is greater than it has ever been."
PC: "Why did this have to happen."
DM: "Only the gods know brother, but everything happens for a reason. To all there comes a time to say goodbye, or as the elves say, 'Friansade' - 'Farewell Eternal', but that time has not quite yet come for us, though it will be soon. But always know that you are not alone. Not only am I here, but though you cannot hear or see them Mother and Father are here as well, as is grandfather, as is all the generations that came before to stand here as you do even now and watch the suns set. We will always be with you. We will always love you." And with that comes the end of Chapter 2: The Embers of War.

 

[Michael Morris]

Can't go wrong with Shakespeare! The intro lines need work, though...

Obviously based off of Ferrum's entry. I don't think I can improve upon his presentation.


To the parlaiment, with sweeping gestures and a bellowing voice: "The regent of this kingdom needs to embrace reality. No longer may she cling to childish illusions of a miraculous rescue."

Turns to Nelaria, lowers his voice "But you will soon meet your brother. Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to..."

A short dramatic pause as teleportation magic begins to swirl about him, and the artifact rolls off the tips of his fingers, in a low, gravelly voice he whispers: "dust."



EDIT: Who is Valsil?

Valsil is Triel's Liege and the one who wishes to become King with his pet wizard's help (or so it seems).

 

[Wik]

DM (playing Nelaria's Ghost): You hear a voice behind you, one all too familiar, "I'm sorry."
PC: I don't turn around. I don't say anything.
DM: She says, "I failed you."
PC: He says, "No, you didn't." He still won't turn around, he just looks off in the distance.
DM: There is a long silence, "Nathan. Everything happens for a reason."
PC: "You do know I'm going to bring you back."
DM: "I know you must try. I know I would were our places reversed."
PC: He begins to cry. He still won't look at her though. He says, "I can't do this Nel."
DM: "Yes, you can. You are not alone. In life we were bound as twins. In death this tether remains, or else I would have already passed on to the halls of our ancestors. You are not alone. I am with you. You have friends who are with you yet, who will fight by your side and if necessary they will die."
PC: "I don't have a chance. They are no army."
DM: "My death is not in vain brother. Even now news of this treachery should be reaching the ears of Queen Tilansia. She adopted me as her daughter when mother passed away. She knows you yet live. She will not stand idly by and let this treachery win the day. She will come, and you will have your army for this war."
PC: He doesn't say anything.
DM: After a pause she says, "If it's any consolation, I didn't feel any pain. Triel was merciful in that much at least. It was too quick to feel."
PC: "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."
DM: "Of that I have no doubt. He will suffer for this greatly before his end comes. But do not let your anger consume you brother. Do not let the rage tear you apart or Triel will have won even if he does not live. Do not fight for revenge, fight for justice. Fight for our people, for now their need is greater than it has ever been."
PC: "Why did this have to happen."
DM: "Only the gods know brother, but everything happens for a reason. To all there comes a time to say goodbye, or as the elves say, 'Friansade' - 'Farewell Eternal', but that time has not quite yet come for us, though it will be soon. But always know that you are not alone. Not only am I here, but though you cannot hear or see them Mother and Father are here as well, as is grandfather, as is all the generations that came before to stand here as you do even now and watch the suns set. We will always be with you. We will always love you." And with that comes the end of Chapter 2: The Embers of War.

You know, if I were that dwarf player, and this were my first session.... I'd be... um, blown away.

Sounds like you have a fun enough campaign going on,and it's great to hear it went well for you. I'm jealous.