Midnight - Campaign help.

[Arrgh! Mark!]

I'm out of good ideas.

After two highly successful Midnight campaigns lasting for about 2 months each (Crown of Shadow and a further 5th-8th campaign dealing with a plague carried by tainted water) the PC's have hit a few of the prestige classes and have had a few weeks off. My plan was to bring them south into the Sarcosan lands where they'd deal with a powerful nexus who is actually a newborn baby (And the Vampire cult led by Jael, ressurected by Sunulael and still armed with the Crown.)

My ideas for dealing with that sort of stuff are fine. PC's are currently in Caradul (Elven capital city) and need to get down into the sarcosan lands. I just can't think of anything interesting to happen on the way into the cities, but don't want to say "Two months of travel pass..."

So far I've had an idea of them pushing through the burning line, which would be difficult. Is there any adventure ideas or plots that could happen between the forests and the plains that you guys could think of?

Help is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Dirigible]

Weeks off? In MIDNIGHT?

You're dead to me!

Well, the route they're gonna take matters a lot here. Will they be going through the Fields of Ash and Blood, or along the scenic Felthara? Or take the long-yet-probably-faster-and-safer route and hike over to Alloduan and catch a boat headed around to the coastal cities of the south (probably via gnomish smuggling relay)?

Perhaps a Sarcosan sussar-in-exile in Caradul wants them to escort his herd (uh... flock? swarm?) of prize thoroughbreds through the forest to improve the bloodstock of some freerider's steeds. How much extra trouble can the PCs get in while they have a pack of meals-on-hooves with them (and that goes for the nominally friendly Dire Beasts and desperate human refugees as well as peckish orc soldiers)?

Perhaps as they travel they come across legates overseeing a gang of halfling slaves digging tunnels and catacombs - the order is planning to consecrate a Black Mirror right on the front lines, giving them an almost unstoppable beachhead. It's not ready quiet yet, through, so daring PCs can free the slaves and future sacrifices and wreck the building materials. Less daring PCs can just try and get a emssage to the nearest elven commander and let her deal with it.

Or perhaps the Shadow has captured a treant and are proceeding to turn it into something abominable. They cleave into its bark, pouring in tainted blood and dark alchemical components, slowly torturing the treeman to death and Fell ressurection. As was pointed out on www.agaisnttheshadow.org , if the dispel animation ability is expaned to include the various elven guard-plants (the magical, semi-sentient trees, vines and hedges from Minions of the Shadow), such a creature operating at the behest of legates would be a very dangerous linebreaker indeed.

Or perhaps the PCs come across one of the Queen's avatars or a high ranking advisor, rushing through the woods on a mysterious mission - and she resents any attempts to find out what she's up to. The PCs may notice something suspicious about her behaviour (bandaged wounds from elven weapons, carrying a copy of the MacGuffin from Crown of Shadows - the one they themselves were carrying just recently. Is this an imposter, carrying intelligence back to the Shadow? A traitor?

 

[Dirigible]

Maybe the PCs get caught up in a gigantic orcish push into the forest kingdom that ensnares the inhabitants of several dozen villages, and they are forced to hide amongst the populace as it is force-marched back into occupied Erenland. The PCs will ahve to protect the captives from violence and dinner time while not being to obtrusive, and will have plenty of opportunities to use Heal, Perform and Diplomacy to keep spirits up, and stealth skills to smuggle or acquire weapons and supplies unnoticed. Perhaps one or two of the PCs avoided the roundup, and has to find some elven warriors, Sarcosan freeriders or even orcmen to lead against the slave convoy and free her comrades.

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Well, it doesn't have to be weeks. I haven't started the game as yet. It could be "The moment your foot enters the hall, a dozen elves quickly tell you of an emergency.."

But thanks for the ideas guys. I do have that treant mission and plan to run it slightly later with the pregen characters (Normal characters having stolen the plans from Badens Bluff.) It sounds very cool.


I'm loathe to stick them through the Pellurian sea only for the reason that they've already been there. If they really want to go that way I'll make a few encounters, but with any luck going past the fields of ash and blood would be interestingly insane.

The idea of a network of tunnels is also very nice, especially with a black mirror at the center of it. *Steal*


Being caught in a shadow push would be interesting. I could see a TPK; my players (and characters) would prefer death to capture, oddly.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Dirigible]

Well, it doesn't have to be weeks. I haven't started the game as yet. It could be "The moment your foot enters the hall, a dozen elves quickly tell you of an emergency.."

You should also add that they're half-starved and have caught syphillis.

If they're more the last stand type, perhaps give them one.

They're travelling down a long valley or other fairly restrictive terrain, when they see and hear a large, clanky, stinkin' horde of orcs staggering up the path behind them, a fair ways back. These are the survivors of a big battle with the elves, and are battered and tired, but moving relentlessly. The PCs will likely try and race ahead, but at the head of the valley they find a bridge or an encampment that blocks or chokes their passage, and they have to fight. This delays them enough for the horde to catch up, and the PCs will have to use the same terrain features that delayed them to slow the orcs, letting them handle them a few at a time.

Thanks for the help guys!

I think you'll find the singular is more accurate

 

[Arrgh! Mark!]

Whoops. I mean, Thanks Dirigible!

We've had the whole half starved thing going for awhile now. A plagued forest covered in frost-broken trees doesn't really have a great deal of animals in it . Catching syphilis would be interesting but they all just saved a powerful nexus of healing and had a swim. Hey, I suppose they had to get back

By the way, they have been recognised by named characters on several occasions now, and are directly responsible for pushing of the Orcish hold on Autilar. I've ruled this to mean that the Shadow are actively hunting them with magic and have a price on their head. Due to the fact that all of the PC's have been recognised, it shouldn't be too hard to find them. I can send a few of those nasty assassin demons from Minions of shadow, but I'm uncertain what else to do.

Your idea about the trail is very interesting and I'll steal that too. It'd certainly take up time.

Alright. After having new PC's introduced/knighted (Post Crown of Shadow and all that) and travelling south, it looks like they are leading towards taking ship with an old friend and risking discovery through Baden's Bluff and the rest. Prior to that we can work in a strike force of orcs and your bridge scenario. On the ocean I might have them come across (in no order)

1. A Dornish reaver, off to slaughter some new Blood Mother ships apparently staffed by Dornish sailors

2. A Goblin supply convoy bound for Baden's Bluff

3. Attacked by wyverns.

4. A Gnome merchant ship.

5. A massive storm blows them off course (Thinking... Low Rock off course.)

6. Shipwrecked on the north coast.

Eventually they find their way south to Baden's bluff, where I can set a few adventures in place - they know a few NPC's there. A great place for the shadow to find them, too.

Then they'll travel down the river. What exactly they'll do here I'm uncertain. Pass a few places they've been before.

Finally they'll reach hallisport.

All I have to do is have a few ideas between Badens Bluff and Hallisport and it should be good.

Any help still appreciated, Dirigible