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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 5630470" data-attributes="member: 3192">DragonChessA long, regional-based adventure for 1st Edition AD&D characters levels 7th-8th.Breeding Ground – The Cracked Lands where the basilisk is bred to lizardwomen.Disreputable Dragon – Teraxus, unpopular overlord of Teraxopolis who uses the PCs as pawns.Lost – Long search for the lost basilisk, finally in the disorienting Cracked Lands.Wounded Pet ¬– Stonetooth, Teraxus’s blinded basilisk held captive by the witchlord.Witchlord – Sslaritha, head witch and lord of Foeter Barony.Institutionalization – PCs forming laws and agencies within Teraxopolis.One month ago a ten lizardmen led by the witchlord Sslaritha infiltrated the city-state Teraxopolis. Aided by agents of the Empire they entered into Teraxus’s lair. Upon seeing the sleeping blue dragon, Sslaritha changed her mind about attacking and chose to steal Teraxus’s sleeping pet basilisk instead. She slipped on its paw a Non-Detection Ring and an allied spy M-U teleported everyone to the nearby swampland headquarters. When the basilisk awoke, however, it petrified dozens of lizardmen before being subdued.  When Teraxus awoke to feed Stonetooth he was angered and ordered his steward to close the city, while he scryed for his pet without success. Over the following weeks he learned of the long, systematic attacks upon his reputation over the years he had slept. The citizens were angry, his followers disloyal, and all blamed him for their strife. In a fit of rage he incinerated the two-faced steward and advisors, and left the city to its own chaos.HooksTeraxus has a plan: to clear his reputation, gain time to find his pet, and enact revenge on those who wronged him. To begin he requires patsies to “win” control of his city and herein enter the PCs. Ultimately, he plans to shift Teraxopolis’s anger to them, smote them, and “rescue” the city back. His trump card is the Ring of Stewardship, which allows Teraxus to scry upon and know the condition of the wearer.Three hooks for the PCs to begin the adventure:1.    Accepting Teraxus’s summons and bartering for rulership of Teraxopolis. His only stipulations being not to join the empire and to keep an eye out for his pet Stonetooth.2.    Finding the ring of Stewardship cunningly planted, afterwards learning the wearer holds executive authority.3.    Engaging in Teraxopolian politics and taking power themselves.TeraxopolisLevel 8 City and regional zone of control; Layout: zonal, cavernous dragon lair beneath; Climate: arid; Terrain: rocky; AL: LE currently a Stewardship with draconic taxation and byzantine legality; Level 8 city and region population size; No alliances; Hostilities: Empire, Foeter Barony; Significant Magic Items:  Ring of Stewardship, (possible Treasure Type: “very old” blue dragon lair); Ruler: N/A; Encounters, Exports/Imports by campaign. History150 years ago, Teraxus conquered this city and declared it as his domain. He set up a stewardship to rule in his absence as he took long dragon naps and attended to other affairs. It is culturally diverse and has become an oasis for exiles from the empire and other civilized territories. Recent history is in the introduction.Teraxus’s Lair- Is a typical trapped and warded blue dragon cavern below the city proper. A few secret entrances allow access to those Teraxus trusts with their whereabouts and some citizens randomly discovering them.  The interior includes statues of intruders due to Stonetooth, Teraxus’s basilisk pet. Teraxus is 50% in lair, 50% exploring. Major NPCs/ FactionsAverage Citizenry: know the history of Teraxopolis with varyingly true and false rumors of other events and factions within.Traxopolis Government: Multiple factions exist once cowed by the dragon.  Each seeks as much autonomous authority within their sphere as possible. A handful seek stewardship directly or outright rulership. Roll Morale with Loyalty modifiers for each new PC policy instituted with failure resulting in joining opposition factions (reversed for opposition faction members). Knowledge: Citizen Knowledge and varying information about current government activities (true/false rumor table). Most begin believing Teraxus destroyed the previous steward for losing his pet. Timeline: Government personal change according to how PCs run the city and Morale checks. Use stronghold resource management, morale, and loyalty rules for establishing a territory of appropriate size.DragonTrue: Faction of Teraxopolitans loyal to the dragon. Their orders are to seek for news of any basilisk near or far. They are also to break and protest any new laws and spread false rumors about the PCs (or nominal leader) of the city. They have regular contact with Teraxus to learn of new missions. Knowledge: As territorial citizens, some maintain power positions within the government and community organizations (other factions). Starting members know Stonetooth is a basilisk. Timeline: Actions as above with new from Teraxus as communiqués arrive. Empire’s Spies: Faction of Empire’s spy network. A diverse ensemble, it is led by hireling assassins orchestrated by Sslaritha via lizardmen couriers. However, a watchdog spy also reports activities directly to the emperor.  Their goal is to topple the city from within by inciting rebellion and promoting Empirical rule. Knowledge: Cell-based organization allows only slow communication within. A leader cell retains the orders by Sslaritha, the group’s origins, funders, and connections to other cells. Timeline: At start, they go publicize with an “Empire League” of citizens to join. Rumors are spread opposing Teraxus. Agents in governmental advisory positions press for an Empirical alliance. Teraxus: aims to hang his city’s ills upon the PCs by setting them up to fail. This buys him time to search for Stonetooth, while manipulating events behind the scenes with the DragonTrue. Also the Ring of Stewardship he created enables Teraxus to know the location of the ruling PC. Direct attempts for contact from the PCs are handled surreptitiously and with innuendo. Intrusions upon his lair may lead to violent confrontation, but always later removal of the used entrance. Attacks are dealt with in brutally.  Knowledge: Teraxus is bonded to his pet and knows of its injury and health, but cannot currently locate it because of the Non-Detection Ring. He had slept for many years, but over the course of the adventure he will seek to learn citizen and DragonTrue knowledge and scry the PCs and their associates. His travels throughout adjacent regions earn him more information for each excursion.  Timeline: Teraxus’s time in lair declines, if the citizen unrest rises, but increase as the city flourishes. His strategies are covert manipulations via the DragonTrue to vilify the PCs and empire, incite lawlessness, investigate other factions and pry loyalists away, hamstring instituted policies, collect more loyal servants to himself, and ultimately restore his position and reputation. RING OF STEWARDSHIP Governmental authority over Teraxopolis, Spell-like 1/day: Fear, Hold Person, Detect Alignment; Teraxus knows whereabouts and condition of wearer.Foeter BaronyLevel 7 Zone of Control - regional collective of urban centers Levels 1-3; Layout: multiple nuclei; Climate: rainy; Terrain: freshwater swamp; AL: N currently a protectorate nominal barony of the Empire with primitive religious tithing and mores; Level 7 rural population size; Alliances: Empire and varied territories within; Hostilities: Teraxopolis; Significant Magic Items: Gating Rings; Ruler: Witchlord Sslaritha; Encounters, Exports/Imports by campaign.HistoryFifteen years ago Sslaritha, a powerful witch (CLR 7/ M-U 2) united the lizardmen tribes of the Mired Swamplands and ever since has sought to expand her power to neighboring regions. Throughout that time she has courted the Empire, instigated attacks, initially feeble, against the nearby city-state of Teraxopolis. With her recent successful theft within Teraxopolis, the “Mired Swamplands” have been nominally entered into the empire as the Foeter Barony, a protectorate on its outskirts, and Sslaritha given the title of Lord. Sslaritha’s PalaceMud huts center around a newer, stone edifice Sslaritha is building to “cement” her authority over the scrabbling tribes. It is constructed of stone statues of creatures petrified by the basilisk’s gaze.  Protections are mainly creatures loyal to Sslaritha and hidden areas for her treasures.  The majority lies in water-filled caves below ground. One of the Gating Rings is hidden within.Major NPCs/ FactionsAverage Tribefolk: know the history of the Barony, including the theft of a basilisk, with varyingly true and false rumors of other events and factions within.Sslaritha: is playing a long game. She aims to conquer Teraxopolis, remove Teraxus, and eventually break from the empire to begin her own sovereignty.  She coordinates the Empire’s hired spy ring via loyal associates, but will seek more clandestine meetings, if her couriers are discovered. She seeks temporary alliance with the steward PCs, if they ally against Teraxus. As her endgame, Sslaritha openly engages in mass battle and siege against the city with all willing allies and her shock troop basi-lizards. Knowledge: Average tribesfolk knowledge and communications with the Empire’s spies. At start she seeks information on basilisk breeding practices. Timeline: For one month Sslaritha attempts to breed the basilisk without success before it escapes for home and dry land, eventually reaching the “Cracked Lands”. Otherwise, to hide her guilt role in the theft, Sslaritha takes no overt actions against the city and seeks only to maintain normalcy in the barony.  Once she finds the basilisk again she sets up her Gate Rings secretly and enlists only here most loyal followers to enact her long term plan. More under the “Cracked Lands”GATING RINGS Paired set of golden rings enabling gated travel from one to the other for 1 Turn, 1/Week each.Cracked LandsLevel 6 Wilderness Territory; Layout: fractured dry lake; Climate: arid; Terrain: rocky; AL: N; Level 6 animal population size; No alliances/hostilities or imports/exports; Ruler: local druid; Significant Magic Items and Encounters by campaign. History This is a desolate region formed at the dried edge of the mired swamplands. Fractured dried mud crevasses make travel dangerous and labyrinthine. At start, the basilisk has escaped to this dry land, but has lost itself in the maze of cracks. It will die in a few days without water, but unless hindered Sslaritha’s hunters will eventually track, discover, and recapture the creature. Breeding GroundA protected outpost constructed hidden within the cracks to protect the basilisk after it is found. Defense is mainly cover, but these grow over time to include warrior trainers and patrolling basi-lizards. A walled off portion contains the caged Stonetooth with Non-Detection Ring and a guarded entrance for a Gating Ring.Major NPCs/ FactionsSslaritha: When Sslaritha spellcasts to speak with Stonetooth, it finally answers revealing it hates being submersed in water. For six months she trains the basilisk learning how to breed it with lizardwomen to create Basi-Lizards. These are then trained from birth as shock troops. Eight years after birthing they reach warrior age. When fifty are ready Sslaritha begins marshaling all her forces and drawing in allies to attack Teraxopolis regardless of its current ruler.  Throughout she routinely gains teleportation offers from envoys to various regions within the empire. She brings Stonetooth along and slips off his ring to lead Teraxus on a wild goose chase.BASI-LIZARD AC:4, MV 9”, HD5+1, #AT:6,  Dmg 1d6, petrifying gaze, semi-intelligent, astral/ethereal sight, AL:N, 8’, 400#, 6-armed reptilian humanoid.Ongoing ScenariosTraxopolis Government: Agencies and citizenry will slowly become more or less loyal and friendly according to the PCs institutionalization of delegated power.DragonTrue: If Teraxus is destroyed, morale checks split the faction. Those who remain organize reprisals upon his killer.Empire’s Spies: If an alliance is made with the empire, orders begin to come from the emperor to stand down, ensure loyalty, and continue reporting.Sslaritha: Further orders by Sslaritha include learning about and advising against going to the Cracked Lands. Shorter strategies are all aimed to retain her long term goal of a conspicuous army victory.Teraxus: If he loses his lair, he will instigate an internecine uprising to overthrow the PCs. He aims to win the chess match for the people’s obedience, but is unafraid to act quickly or overtly when necessary. His final play is to cheat the PCs out of their promised of stewardship, when the citizenry desire him back.</blockquote>

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