Milling some idea's around for my campaign

[Stone Angel]

Hello one and all, good to be back this will be my first post in well over two years. A lot has happened in my personal life. Being homeless, drifter, multiple job losses and lay offs. Finally coming to terms with my faith. Getting married! And finally a little bit of stability in my life.

That being said. Time to get down to business. Not sure what I am after for but I just need an end really. I know where I want to go but I don't want it so cut and dry that the players become burnt out on my agenda. The campaign starts in a realm similar to Prussia(including landscape and climate). With similiar ruling powers and aristocracy. A lot of German influence. One interesting note is that The Dwarves in the adjacent kingdom of Ruarch have entered into what is known as the Duermas which is the Holy Sleep of Moradin, they believe that the inspiration for the forge and passion to defend their homeland comes from dreaming, so they have gone into a hibernation of sorts. Not all dwarves but almost all of the inhabitants of their capitol city Jorgfast.

The story starts in the place known as Scions Vale. A few hundred years ago an upstart by the name of Rake believed he was the illegitamate son of the Imperiator he stirred up a rebellion, laid siege and took a few cities. But at the place now known as Scions Vale he was thrown down by General Soren. In his death breath he prophesied that a true ruler would emerge from the coupling of the earth and his blood. With that he turned to stone(all the this fact has faded from history and common knowledge). So this city is built around that spot. The area has hit rough economic times with the dwarves asleep and that city depending on the travel and trade coupled with new sea routes and expansion of the empire in other directions.

Background; The traitor Rake was an illegitamate child, but not to the Imperiator, but to his Tiefling Vizier. This Tiefling was in fact trying to weasel his way to the throne. He is now a lich and has had more children! For the Story arc I call it: Son of a Lich

So the pc's stumble on this tiefling (viziers son)unlocking a magic sword in this tower but it's angelic guardians and wards prove to much for the warlock and he expires. They take the sword back to Scion and it takes over one of the PC's and he "sheathes" it into the statue. The statue awakens. It flee's into the mountains.

So thats pretty much where we are. I've got a few adventures planned I know I want an invasion by a rival empire. But I don't know if I want that to be the climax, I am kind over the "save the world" adventures. So I figured I would throw this out and see where the EnWorld took it.

Peace, God Bless
Stone

 

[Prisoner6]

I don't know if this helps, but I personally think the best way to engage your players is to make the adventures personal. If you can latch on to some aspect of one of the characters and build an adventure - even a side trek of some kind - the players will really enjoy it.

Does a PC have an old mentor or friend who can contact them? Do they have any current connections (family or friends)? Do any of them have something in their past waiting to come back and haunt them?

If worse comes to worse you can always throw something unwanted at them ... throw a beautiful woman in their way and see if one of the PCs flirts with her.... and THEN see what happens when her lover gets involved. Or maybe entangle them in some legal dispute.

How about one of the PC is race X, but when they get to a certain town they discover all of race X are slaves? The town authority then demands papers or other proof that the PC is properly owned and not an escaped slave. That's sure to cause a riot (at the game table).

 

[fba827]

instead of save the world, maybe the ultimate climax is to save the princess (corny, yes, but it is usually just as satisfying as saving the world to some people if they are immersed in to the story enough) - or if not princess, someone of political or personal importance.

 

[Ydars]

Hello Stone-Angel! Welcome back to ENWorld!

I think I would run this campaign as a "war of independance" rather than a "save the world" type thing.

Say, for example, that MANY of the people who live in Scion's Vale are descended from your Lich Vizier; after all he has had a few hundred years to sow his oats (so to speak). I might even be tempted to extend this to the PCs if their backgrounds allow.

What intrigues me is the fact you have a stone version of Rake running around and the Dwarves asleep. Now what if the dwarves mistake Rake (as he is stone) as an avatar of Moradin and awaken and become his army, perhaps towards the end of the campaign?

Rake could then besiege Scion's Vale and kick the Empire out. I would use this campaign to put the PCs in a moral dilemma; do they rally to Rake or ally with the Empire? It would be particularly delicious if some of them are also Scion's of the Vizier and thus related to Rake.....................

Then you can end the campaign in a huge civil war with the ethnic groups allying with Rake because of the oppression of the Empire and the "pure-blood" Imperials trying to fight to keep their hold on the provinces.

Good luck and let me know if any of this appeals as I would be happy to do some more brainstorming. I can't really do anymore now as I am concious that this campaign is already in play and so I don't know much about your players and their expectations.

 

[Stone Angel]

Thank you guys. I like the idea of the Rake Statue drawing allegiance from the dwarves as an avatar of Moradin. I was going to turn him into a Rogue Elidon(sp?) and draw a cult following but I like that better.

So now I see all these forces attacking the empire, but not neccessarily allied just one after another playing on the ever weakening millitary force. Some intrigue from within ect.

This I think will allow the PC's to get a good does of combat as well as let some personalities come out in the PC'sm, where as they can earn favors, lands, titles, and such.

Keep em coming!

 

[Ydars]

Hi again Stone Angel.

I have been kicking a few ideas around and here is what I have come up with. Note that I have not assumed what the PCs will do, instead I have tried just to come up with some idea of NPC motivations and to think of ways for the PCs to involve themselves somehow.

Since the Rake Statue and the Lich Vizier would not immediately be allies (Rake thought he was the get of an Emperor if I read your brief correctly) there is a plotline to reconcile them if the PCs get involved as Scions or if they try to oppose this union of powers. The Lich would send an envoy (the PCs if they are on his side?) to Rake and this could be quite dangerous. Alternatively, they could try to stop this "unholy union" from the point of view of the Empire.

I have asked myself what the Lich Vizier wants and figured that he wants him and his descendants to RULE! Yet he could not do so openly without becoming a "dark lord". A more interesting possiility is that he wants to be the power behind the throne. So I am guessing that he will have many schemes cooking including;

1) Marriage of his Scions, to the powerful and important in society. This social dance will be intricate and full of intrigue. The Lich cannot reveal himself and so often his Scions will be finding notes, money and information left in certain places and the Lich will have an operation to underpin this. Some of the Scions will know the Lich, whereas others will not, but will be enmeshed in his power through accepting his bribes or help. Some of the Lich's power over his Scions might be through blackmail if they are reluctant to acknowledge him as their Lord.

I am also seeing the Lich running brothels and other illicit activities in order to compromise rivals and son's of other houses, to further his objectives and to gather information.

2) In order to have money for dowries for the womenfolk of his "house", I think the Vizier might be running a sort of rival thieves guild, perhaps even using intelligent undead as thieves; including undead animals as spies, assassins and stealers. I beginning to see him as a kind of undead "Fagin" from Oliver (Dickens). The PCs could become involved in all kinds of plots opposing or helping the Lich. I would also suggest that this makes the Lich an enemy of the thieves guild.

If you want, the Lich could have discovered some dark secret at the heart of the Empire and this may provide a moral imperative for the PCs to oppose the Empire if they so choose. Perhaps they will find that secretly the Imperial cult practises human sacrifice or that the Emperor is a representative of some dark god and his wars of conquest are designed to bathe the land in blood.

I am also thinking that perhaps, when the Vizier was a young man, his city (Kruergsvalt) was razed to the ground after refusing the Empire's agenda. This provides the motivation for the Lich to destroy the Empire; as he is the last survivor of this fallen city. Perhaps Scion's Vale is even built over thr ruins of Kreurgsvalt and the Lich lives amid the fallen stones of his beloved home, deep in the catacombs of Scion's vale.

This picture of this Lich, also suggests how the PCs could first encounter him; as a source of information or a way to buy or sell certain items. His true nature would not at first be apparent but after a while then he starts to put the squeeze on the PCs, seeking to test and manipulate them.

All I can think of for now; let me know if this is "on track" or not and what aspect interest you and I can develop some more.

 

[Stone Angel]

While the Fagin slant is very tempting, I am not sure I have quite got the lich Figured out. He was a tiefling in his mortal life, hailing from a nearby underground(not underdark) Tiefling community.

By the way do we have an age span on Tieflings?

But he came to the empire of Volkraad wide eyed and hoping to gain acceptance. All he wanted to do was become a famous poet. Due to his heritage a and demonic visage he was scoffed at in public. He was pulled into the underbelly of the empire who gladly took him and his warlock skills, forced to become an assassin. Eventually he came to where he was in a position of power. Adviser to the Imperiator. After Rakes bar wench mother told him that he was born of royalty but could not tell him who(because of a compulsary spell) he deluded(incorrectly) he was the son of the Imperiator. Rake started his uprising. His father quitely and anonomously sent him aid. After Rake was killed. The father snapped. He then belideved it was because of his birth as a tiefling that had caused of this. He now seeks to make Volkraad a "Utopia" for all races.

I need a name for this guy too(musing to myself)

 

[Ydars]

I think the Fagin thing could really work given the Vizier's background, and it is a rather original take on the whole "Lich in the catacombs" thing.

Let us know how else we might help you?

 

[Stone Angel]

Sorry about my tardiness. That supposed say "I am not quite sure, I haven't quite got the lich figured out"

But I think indeed I am going that direction. I am actually going to have the lich's lair a well manacured estate just on the outskirts of the city. He attracts idealistic lesser nobles and gives them founding to attend universities and such, subltly converting them over to fanatacism. Volkraad is has become a behemoth of only the "pure" and without destruction they will surely eradicate all those that are non-pure in their eyes.

Although slightly misguided insane, and evil to the core, he is not wrong. The empire is getting increasingly more and more nepetistic. Anyone not of the "right" blood is inferior. Although they have not made the leap to outright genocide towards the impure. They have however made steps to eliminate any "free thinkers" in the circles of art, poetry, phillosophy, and politics. Blocking off certain parts of the city to other races and nationalities. They are withdrawing millitary support to the neighboring Eladrin, though trade is still happening. With the Dwarves asleep they have all been eliminated. Political tension is rising with their main rival the Osarians as they have allied with the highly democratic and idealistic Silver Republic they cannot afford threats from within.

So Romalthaine(the lich) plants demagouges, and artist in the public eye to stir up awareness and angst against the government, and thus attracts more of their ilk. But he never cares what happens to the mouthpiece and on his estate he inducted a few choice members to study in the warlock style.