D&D 5E Help with Nentir Vale adventure

[Charles Angerstein]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. I read the other forums but none seemed quite right. I apologize if this is not the correct place.

I've decided to create my first D&D adventure. I was thinking of setting it in the Nentir Vale. In the story a bloody "world war" has only just ended. I was thinking I would set this just after the war with the Nerath empire. Problem is I don't know that much of the story and I can't find it explained anywhere.

My thinking is the Nerath empire was at war with several other powers, not just one. At the end of the war the various powers are all weakened or destroyed. That's where the story begins, in the aftermath of the war.

So what I could use help with is lore and other kingdoms that might have existed within The World.

 

[ninjayeti]

I am not really familiar with the Nentir Vale, but if you are looking to run a campaign in the wake of a major world war you might want to look at Greyhawk instead. The "From the Ashes" campaign guide (available as a PDF from DriveThru/RPGNow) is set immediately after a series of wars between all the major kingdoms on the continent.

The Eberron campaign setting also takes place shortly after the conclusion of a world war, but Eberron is a non-traditional campaign setting that might not work well for you.

 

[Shroomy]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. I read the other forums but none seemed quite right. I apologize if this is not the correct place.

I've decided to create my first D&D adventure. I was thinking of setting it in the Nentir Vale. In the story a bloody "world war" has only just ended. I was thinking I would set this just after the war with the Nerath empire. Problem is I don't know that much of the story and I can't find it explained anywhere.

My thinking is the Nerath empire was at war with several other powers, not just one. At the end of the war the various powers are all weakened or destroyed. That's where the story begins, in the aftermath of the war.

So what I could use help with is lore and other kingdoms that might have existed within The World.

Nerath was destroyed by a massive gnoll horde. Here's a time line that someone created from the various 4e sources: http://nentirvale.wikidot.com/modernage

 

[Tony Vargas]

I've decided to create my first D&D adventure. I was thinking of setting it in the Nentir Vale. In the story a bloody "world war" has only just ended. I was thinking I would set this just after the war with the Nerath empire. Problem is I don't know that much of the story and I can't find it explained anywhere.

There isn't a lot. Nerath, Arkoshia, Bael-Turag, Solaneillon and any other place names dropped in a 4e product were part of a vaguely-suggested history of the generic 'Points of Light' non-setting used in place of a genuine default setting in 4e. The idea was to avoid limiting how the DM could use the game, and let it be adapted to other settings more easily. In spite of that, the Nentir Vale from the first couple of published adventures and the DMG made an impression.

Nerath is presented as a Rome-like Empire, that, weakened by over-expansion, decadence, and internal strife, eventually falls to barbarian (Gnoll, in this case) invasion. The lands Nerath conquered in it's rise, and that it fragmented into after its fall are mostly left to the DM, though a few are mentioned here or there, mostly not even by name.

My thinking is the Nerath empire was at war with several other powers, not just one. At the end of the war the various powers are all weakened or destroyed. That's where the story begins, in the aftermath of the war.

Very fitting for 'points of light.' Even 4's World Axis, with the Gods' Astral Sea still in ruins after the destruction of the Lattice of Heaven in the Dawn War, is like that.

So what I could use help with is lore and other kingdoms that might have existed within The World.

Since it was a generic setting, there's not much of that - but, you were free to make things up or graft things in from other settings.

 

[Charles Angerstein]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Here's what I've come up with:

I found a timeline on Obsidian Portal that was very helpful. I found it before I read Shroomy's post.

Here's the background I've come up with based on that timeline:

​In the year 1200 a war unlike any The World had seen before ravaged the lands of the Nentir Vale and beyond.

In the year 700, the dragonborn of the Arkhosian empire had expanded their territory from their arid home to the south. Through largely diplomatic means the Arkhosians sought to bring knowledge, civilization, and security to the region. The Nentir vale enjoyed 300 years of peace and prosperity under the Arkhosian rule.

By the year 1000 the tiefling empire of Bael Turathi in Val Kragal had begun agressive, forceful expansion of their territory, enslaving the nations they conquer. At about the same time they begin to have border skirmishes with the Arkhosian empire. For the next two hundred years the influence of Bael Turathi continued to expand while the Arkhosian empire stagnated. Then on Shieldmeet, the second day of Midsummer, in the year 1200, war broke out in earnest.

The isle of Saris was to be the first battleground. It was late at night when all had had their fill of wine and song, when the acrobats and entertainers had packed up for the evening, that's when the tiefling's struck. Magical fire plucked from the Abyss fell from the sky as tiefling warlocks pounded the city indiscriminately. Eventually the Arkhosians were able to push back the Tieflings.

The war raged on for 860 years and was not going well for the Tieflings. Bael Turath began to collapse under the unrelenting force of the Arkhosian army. ​Increasingly desperate they looked to more and more powerful, and reckless, magic to employ against the Arkhosian's causing earthquakes and droughts, forever altering the landscape. The Arkhosian's homeland was changed into a barren dessert however, the tieflings were unaware that the magic had affected their home as well. Failed crops resulted in famine and mass starvation in both empires.

On the 29th day of Ches in the year 2000 the War of Ruin breaks out. A tiefling siege of Razortear, an Arkhosian fortress, drags on for ten years before leaving both once great empires unable to sustain themselves. Again, the tieflings turned to even more desperate magic. On the 5th of Kythorn, 2050 DR, the tiefling city of Vor Kragal was consumed by a mysterious cataclysm that buried the city beneath the earth.

Near the end of the War of Ruin, a tiefling sorcerer attempted to open a hellgate to defend Vor Rukoth against an Arkhosian army but lost control. In the process he destroyed the city, killing the invaders and residents alike but that's not where it ended. Near the center of where the city once stood, a black tear in the Weave causes magic to behave in strange, unpredictable ways, that is if it even works at all. Dark magical energies pour from the rift, reviving the bodies of the fallen soldiers who's corpses still lay rotting in the fields. Things far worse slipped through occasionally as well bringing decades of sorrow to the land.

Today is Highharvestide and the people of the city of Fallcrest are celebrating. There are preformers in the streets, merchants peddling trinkets, food booths assaulting your senses with a cacophony of smells. There are nobels and commoners alike watching acrobatic displays and magic shows put on in the town square but all is not well here. Signs greet you as you enter town warning, "No public displays of magic or sorcery are allowed by order of the king." Another sign reads, "All mages and other magic users are required to report to the keep for registration. Unlicensed mages may be executed on sight."​

I have the following plot points planned:

In Act I, the PCs must deal with the ever growing fear of magic in the city and the surrounding area.
In Act II, the PCs must face off against a powerful demon that has come through the rift to set up armies and allow other creatures from the Astral Plane to enter The World.
In Act III the PCs must defeat a vanguard of demon warriors who have come through the tear in the Weave.
In Act IV the PCs must enter the rift and close it from the other side. It's a one way mission and they must battle hords of creatures in an alien and constantly changing environment.

So what do you think?

 

[EdL]

The first thing that lept out at me was that there are magic shows going on in a town where magic is forbidden. Next, you need to get a bit of buy in from the players before you start. If not, any MUs in the group might just say "Screw this, I'm going somewhere else!"

But I like your ambition. It ought to be quite a ride for your group.

 

[Charles Angerstein]

The first thing that lept out at me was that there are magic shows going on in a town where magic is forbidden. Next, you need to get a bit of buy in from the players before you start. If not, any MUs in the group might just say "Screw this, I'm going somewhere else!"

But I like your ambition. It ought to be quite a ride for your group.

Magic as in slight of hand, not outright magic. Magic isn't forbidden, but unlicensed magic is forbidden and punishable by death. The idea is that the people are terrified of magic so they've legislated control over it. Does that make sense?

 

[EdL]

Magic as in slight of hand, not outright magic. Magic isn't forbidden, but unlicensed magic is forbidden and punishable by death. The idea is that the people are terrified of magic so they've legislated control over it. Does that make sense?

Yes and no. It depends on your definition of "terrified", and how well the populace knows the difference between real magic and slight of hand. On the one hand, if they're really terrified, and don't know the difference, I could easily envision a street magician being accused of spellcraft if his show is too good. On the other hand, if they're more just really uneasy about magic, and are fairly familiar with the difference, I don't see it being a problem.

The only question is how you present it to the players. If you say one thing, but it looks like you're doing something else to them, there could be some friction. That's why I suggest getting some buy in up front. A bit of out-of-character explanation tends to go a long way toward diffusing potential problems of this sort.

In any case, good luck with your game!

 

[sunrisekid]

WotC produced seven .pdf files that each described a region, complete with adventure ideas, history, etc. I enjoyed reading them, and used a couple of them for my own campaign. Should be easy to find.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but the boardgame Conquest of Nerath is tied directly to the Nentir setting. The setting material I mentioned is specifically linked to the regions on the game map. They are well-written, IMHO.

My campaign, like yours, is set after a war. But in my case the details of that war follow from our first time playing Conquest of Nerath, and our adventures are also situated on that map. Personally, I love how of it is described. It really is a non-setting, which is good if you want to play in a barely-described, relatively vanilla game world.

 

[Charles Angerstein]

Yes and no. It depends on your definition of "terrified", and how well the populace knows the difference between real magic and slight of hand. On the one hand, if they're really terrified, and don't know the difference, I could easily envision a street magician being accused of spellcraft if his show is too good. On the other hand, if they're more just really uneasy about magic, and are fairly familiar with the difference, I don't see it being a problem.

The only question is how you present it to the players. If you say one thing, but it looks like you're doing something else to them, there could be some friction. That's why I suggest getting some buy in up front. A bit of out-of-character explanation tends to go a long way toward diffusing potential problems of this sort.

In any case, good luck with your game!

Thanks. It's probably easiest to just remove the reference for clarity sake. Appreciate the feedback.