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Message: <blockquote data-quote="carpedavid" data-source="post: 1510316" data-attributes="member: 6971">SEMIFINAL MATCH ONE: Nemmerle vs CarpeDavidIngredients:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep on the Borderlands</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Queen of the Spiders</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Assassin's Knot</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dwellers in a Forbidden City</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Final Enemy</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Best of Intentions</li> </ul>When Lady Jorougumo, the Yellow Spider, left the safety of Castle Yume to accept the hospitality of Eimin, the Lord of the Dead, it was with the best of intentions. She hoped to begin a dialog that would bring peace to the spirit world, allowing the ephemeral tapestries created by her dreamweavers to bring joy and happiness even to the pale spirits that inhabit the Forbidden City of the Dead. Alas, when she arrived at Yominokuni, Lord Eimin's oni army slew her entourage and took her captive. Now, Castle Yume is besieged, and the spirits that carry the dream tapestries to the mortal world have been captured. Only the dreamweavers and Jorougumo's most dedicated servants remain behind the impossibly high walls of Yume, waiting in vain for their Queen to return.The Siege of Castle YumeAn adventure for 4 epic or near-epic level PCs.On the border of the spirit world and the mortal realm sits Castle Yume. Behind its high walls, Lady Jorougumo's servants, giant celestial spiders, weave silk into the tapestries of dreams. These dreams are then carried into the mortal realm by a host of spirits, who deliver them into the minds of all slumbering creatures. Now that Lady Jorougumo has been taken captive, and the castle besieged, dreams have stopped flowing into the mortal realm.Without dreams, sleep becomes ineffective. The entire populace of the civilized world is beginning to suffer from sleep deprivation, causing a dramatic increase in the rate of accidents and violence. The peasantry is beginning to panic, and for good reason - for without the return of dreams, they will all inevitably go insane.Each morning, every creature that normally dreams must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or become permanently fatigued. Fatigued creatures must make a save or become permanently exhausted. Those that are exhausted for more than a week begin acting as if under the influence of a permanent confusion spell. For each day that the siege continues, the DC for all saves increases by 1.Hooks <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Several of the spirits in Lady Jorougumo's entourage managed to escape the blades of the oni army. They have been surreptitiously traveling the mortal realms, looking for heroes powerful enough to free their Queen. They may approach the PCs, either directly, or though dreams (in which case, the PCs would be the only ones having dreams, which should strike them as significant). </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The local noble lords are likely to have their hands full with a frightened peasantry, and may turn to the PCs for assistance in tracking down the cause of the problem.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the group contains a Shaman, or a priest dedicated to Lady Jorougumo, they will notice their powers begin to wane. Communication with the spirit world will reveal the actions that have taken place there.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The PCs may begin suffering the effects of fatigue and exhaustion, themselves, and set out to find the solution.</li> </ul>NPCsLady Jorougumo is the queen of the dreamweavers, the celestial spiders that spin and weave dreamsilk into ephemeral tapestries. She normally appears as a demure, middle aged, human woman dressed in an exquisitely woven, silk kimono. Her true form, however, is that of a huge, celestial spider.She is genuinely interested in spreading peace throughout the spirit realm, and believes that bringing dreams to the spirits of the dead would help to establish harmony.Lord Eimin, an oni, is the ruler of Yominokuni, the Forbidden City of the Dead. He is known as the Final Enemy, since the spirits of all noble samurai are given one chance to best him in combat. Those who are successful are permitted to return to life, while those who fail become permanent residents of the city. He wants Castle Yume so that he can expand his territory and launch invasions into the mortal realm.Eimin is a huge oni, standing 20 feet tall and weighing over two tons. He is always encountered dressed in samurai armor, and wields a huge, black katana.The Assassin's Knot is a tangle of celestial dragons that spend eternity chasing each other's tails. They are the lords of murder and death, and used to be the rulers of Yominokuni. Several millennia ago, they were overthrown by Lord Eimin, who they now reluctantly serve. They are now on the lookout for any opportunity to betray him and take back the City of the Dead.Encounters <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Castle Yume guards the border between the spirit realm and the mortal realm. It is currently besieged by Eimin's army, which is lead by the Assassin's Knot. The PCs may attempt to break the siege by force, which, while possible, is likely to be extremely difficult. The army is 10,000 units strong, and filled with oni and other creatures native to the spirit realm. Even if they are successful, they must still retrieve Lady Jorougumo from the Forbidden City of the Dead. If the PCs are familiar with the history of Yominokuni, they will know that the celestial dragons were the previous rulers, which may lead to negotiations with the Assassin's Knot. If this occurs, treat the Assassin's Knot's initial attitude as hostile, but give a +4 bonus to any diplomacy checks that include an offer of assistance to overthrow Eimin and retake the city.</li> </ul> <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Yominokuni is the Forbidden City of the Dead. With the exception of the oni who serve Eimin, only the spirits of the deceased are permitted in the city. While the oni army is besieging Castle Yume, Yominokuni is relatively undefended, as only Eimin and his personal guard remain. If the PCs try a direct assault on Yominokuni, they will have to deal with Eimin's personal guard, Eimin himself, and millions of angry ghosts of the city dwellers. While death is a dreary existence, the city's inhabitants are all very loyal to their lord, and they will not take kindly to the living invading their city. If the PCs attempt an assault before breaking the siege on Castle Yume, Eimin will recall his oni army, which is likely to trap the PCs between a rock and a hard place. If they attempt an assault after breaking the siege, Eimin will hold Jorougumo hostage - and is perfectly willing to kill her to defend himself. If the PCs have the Assassin's Knot on their side, many of the city's ghosts will refrain from attacking, because they were subject to the dragons' rule before Eimin, and feel a sense of loyalty to them as well. The other option for the PCs is to try to negotiate with Eimin for the release of Jorougumo. He will negotiate with them through one of his oni advisors. They will not be permitted inside the city, and any attempt to enter will be met with force, and the cessation of negotiations. Treat Eimin's initial attitude as hostile - if they sway his attitude to friendly, he will release Lady Jorougumo, but will continue his siege on the castle. Only if they manage to sway his attitude to helpful will he recall his army. If the PCs have attempted to use any force against Yominokuni, they will suffer a -10 penalty to any diplomacy checks. If they have already broken the siege, they will gain a +10 bonus to any checks, due to intimidation.</li> </ul>Resolution <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">To be completely successful, the PCs must restore Lady Jorougumo to her position in Castle Yume. They must both break the siege on the Castle and free her from the Forbidden City of the Dead.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The PCs can be partially successful by freeing Lady Jorougumo, even if the siege is not broken. By freeing her, and helping her to establish a new stronghold, her dreamweavers can resume their activities, thereby restoring dreams to the world.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If the PCs attempt an invasion of Yominokuni after having defeated the Assassin's Knot, and are successful in defeating Eimin, they will become the new rulers of the City of the Dead, and the oni army will be under their control.</li> </ul>Ingredient Recap <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Keep on the Borderlands - Castle Yume - Lady Jorougumo's keep between the mortal realm and the spirit world.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Queen of the Spiders - Lady Jorougumo, queen of the realm of dreams.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Assassin's Knot - the tangle of dragons that works for Eimin.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Dwellers in a Forbidden City - the oni and spirits who inhabit Yominokuni.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Final Enemy - Lord Eimin.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Best of Intentions - the fateful mistake that lead to Lady Jorougumo becoming captured.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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