Much Help Needed

[Chasmodai]

My campaign reached a climax (or anti-climax) a few days ago, when the big war between Heaven and Hell degraded into a Helm's Deep-esque scene with Pit Fiends, Solars, Black Slaads, Zelekhuts, Titans and all sorts of other extraplanar creatures fighting a massive battle outside a sieged fort. The battle ended, when an NPC casted an Epic Spell that put him into a coma and dismissed all outsiders from the Prime - as long as he remains in that coma, no outsider can ever step into the Prime again. It's a powerful spell, but fallible; the mage can always be killed considering that he's just about defenseless.

The problem is, I didn't really think too much about it, and the rest of my world seems to be untouched by this Divine War - which doesn't seem to right. I also have no idea how to conitnue this campaign, and I've only been running it for about three months or so... I make bad decisions when I'm tired and I think I just screwed myself over with this one.

Any suggestions? I'm pretty much stumped.

 

[Gilladian]

You say that the rest of the world has hardly been touched by this invasion and banishment. But do your players know this? Perhaps they only THINK that's true. What if they discover that the invaders have left behind problems that are not quite so blatant as pit fiends, but equally damaging.

Magical diseases, curses, insanity, evil weapons or artifacts, corrupt worshippers, could all remain behind and need to be dealt with. Also it may be that while the demons cannot return physically they can still reach into the world via dreams, by offering deals to those who do their bidding, and in other more subtle ways.

Give the PCs the responsibility of finding a way to build a structure of impenetrable magic around the comatose wizard to protect him. Or possibly they have to seek out and destroy an artifact that was left behind by a demon prince which has corrupted a whole temple, or wizzard's school, or an order of paladins.

I can't think of anything else immediately; hope this helps!

Gilladian

 

[heimdall]

Agreed. An epic battle between good and evil could have had major ramifications on the world, but not in the ways most people would necessarily notice... concept of wild magic with wild and dead zones, for instance.

Also, from a plot perspective, you know those former minions of these demons are going to be sending everything, including the kitchen sink to kill off the NPC. Summoners who could care less about the conflict but now are seriously deprived of their main focus what the NPC dead as well. Discovering a major plot to kill the NPC and tracking it back to the source could be a campaign in and of itself... and during that time, the players can discover the subtle changes in the world.

 

[Chasmodai]

Thanks lots for your help guys, I really needed the tips. It seems that I hadn't buried myself too deeply with this one. Thanks again.

 

[Tewligan]

The ban on outsiders could be so severe that no contact can be made with other planes in either direction. That would be bad news for clerics who realize that they aren't receiving spells anymore.

 

[takyris]

If I were an evil cultist member, I'd start sending the epic wizard thank-you notes.

"Dear epic wizard,

Thank you so muich for your thoughtfulness and generosity in forever banishing outsiders from this plane of existence. While we were initially disheartened, we eventually realized that the demons we kept summoning inevitably turned on us and devoured many of the faithful.

After much thoughtful consideration, we have opted to move on with our lives. Enclosed, please find our notice of Epic Disease Creation. This virulent plague is spread by divine spellcasting, meaning that any attempt to cure the spell by traditional clerical methods will result in instant contagion. Beyond some minor disfigurement, the disease magically attacks the ethical portions of the victim's soul, causing an (apparently irrevocable) shift in moral state over the course of several days. Many victims also regress to a primitive state of intellect and begin attempting to eat other people alive, but this was an early attempt at epic spellcasting, and mistakes are bound to happen.

The disease is, in its current incarnation, limited in effect to natives of this plane. A powerful extraplanar creature could likely effect an individual cure without too much difficulty, and might even be able to create some sort of wide-scale treatment. Fortunately for us, your spell prevents any such interference by the forces of light and goodness for as long as you continue to live. Our forces will be arriving shortly around your fortress to ensure your safety.

Again, thank you for your kindness and generosity. We remain, your faithful protectors,

-The Order of the Rotting Fist

PS: In order to continue to protect you properly, we may be forced to resort to transportation of your body to a secure and undisclosed location, possibly deep within the bowels of the earth or trapped within a very expensive gemstone."

The PCs' next big mission is to find the epic wizard, their old friend... and kill him.