SurfMonkey01
First Post
I'm currently running an Epic Level Forgotten Realms game... I've just finished writing out my little "outline" for the major plot of the campaign, as well as some of the major adventures and NPCs. I'd like some opinions, if anyone's up to it... I'm really proud of the ideas but nervous about how they'll excute. Let me know what you think.
Forgotten Realms campaign:
Draped in the Shadows of an Eternal Night
One of the most unholy alliances in the history of Faerun is about to make its move, and their actions will change the world forever…
Campaign Arc
The dark gods Cyric and Shar have joined forces. Together they intend to destroy Mystra, the guardian of the Weave. Once the Weave falls, many of the great nations of Faerun will be vulnerable to attack, and ripe for the taking.
Cyric and Shar have been working in secret for almost ten years now, moving key players into place and performing the major preparations for their plans. Chief among these preparations has been the corruption of Khelban “Blackstaff” Arunsun, one of the most powerful of Mystra’s Chosen. For over six years, they have invaded his dreams, planting subtle suggestions into his mind. Over these years, they have slowly begun to blacken both his heart and soul, and with each passing day his allegiances shift more and more towards his own inner Shadow. Once his corruption is complete, he will give himself completely over to his Shadow self. When this happens, he will betray Mystra and strike her down, leaving the Weave without a keeper.
Chief among the obstacles blocking this phase of the plan is Elminster the Sage, another of Mystra’s Chosen. As soon as Mystra is struck down, Elminster will be by her side and looking for vengeance on her betrayer, Khelban. Cyric and Shar are counting on this fact, for it will serve to keep one of their most powerful enemies out of the way while they implement the next phase of their plans. Even if Khelban should fall, it will not matter – he will have already served his purpose, and his defeat will be one less thing they have to deal with in the later stages of their plan.
Once the Weave is without a keeper, and with Khelban and Elminster’s attentions occupied, a combined army of Cyric’s Zhentarim warriors and Shar’s loyal Shades will lead an attack on the great nation of Cormyr. Using the Shadow gateway in the remains of Tilverton, these forces will be able to gain the additional advantage of surprise on their foes. Already weakened by their lack of a regent, the people of Cormyr will be even more vulnerable when all of their Weave-granted defenses fail them, making them an easy conquest for Cyric and Shar.
After Cormyr has fallen, the dark gods have different opinions about where they should go next… while Shar wants to keep Cyric on her side as long as possible in case the forces of good can somehow mount a counter-offensive, Cyric plans on betraying Shar and stealing both her and Mystra’s powers for himself as his earliest convenience.
These threats from within are not the only that this unholy union faces, however. Although unsure of Shar’s exact plans, Mystra knows that her newfound rival is planning something. She has conferred with Selune, Shar’s twin sister, to see what the keeper of the Shadow Weave might have planned. Much like Mystra, Selune knows that her dark twin is up to something, but has no idea what it may be. These two goddesses have chosen to pool their resources, sending their agents out to gather as much information as possible. Chief amongst these agents are members of the organization known as the Harpers, a group that spans across much of the continent. If there are any answers to be found, it will most likely be a Harper that finds them.
Shar’s rivals are not the only ones investigating current events, however. Tyr, one of Cyric’s most powerful foes, has been aggressively sending his agents out into the world to find out information about Cyric’s current schemes. Tyr’s resolve was only strengthened by a recent vision of Mystra’s fall. It was this vision that led him to cross paths with the keeper of the Weave and Selune. As Tyr delivered his dire portents to Mystra, she and Selune devised a plan to ensure that the Weave would continue on.
Years earlier, a girl was born to one of Mystra’s highest priests. This girl, named Elena, was prophesized to be the true successor to Mystra should she ever fall. Fearing that Shar or Cyric would hear of this girl and eliminate her, Selune arranged for her to be transported to a temple of Selune, where she was to live under an assumed name. Over the years, the girl began to blossom into a beautiful young woman and a powerful wizard.
Unfortunately for Faerun, Shar had managed to break several of her sister’s followers, who revealed the secret of Elena. After learning of the girl and her power, the dark gods began to slowly corrupt her as they have done with Khelban Arunson. Although the methods may be similar, however, the results are proving quite different. Being so much younger than the Blackstaff, Elena’s defenses are still weak. Her heart and soul began to blacken almost immediately, and her magic quickly began to warp to that of the Shadows. As Elena falls more and more to her inner Shadow, her appearance subtly alters; every step of her descent serves to darken her fiery red hair another slight shade, as well as drain a small amount of the color from her eyes. When her Shadow completely takes over, she eyes and hair will be black, like the darkest night – as shall her heart.
Not knowing of the corruption of Elena, the alliance of Mystra, Selune, and Tyr sees her as their last resort to protect the Weave. They are not content to sit by and wait for Cyric and Shar to make their moves, however. Rather, they have begun to “recruit” groups of adventurers, loyal to either themselves of other good-aligned deities, to both seek out further information on the dark gods’ plans and to stop them if at all possible. In order to keep these would-be heroes on the right track, the deities have been guiding them as much as possible, whether it be prophetic dreams or sending an agent to serve as a guide. Despite all of these preparations, Tyr especially fears the worst, and has begun to gather his armies and the armies of his allies in preparation for the battles he feels are soon to come.
In the end, all of the players involved in this drama know that, no matter what the outcome, the coming storm stands poised to change the face of Faerun for all time.
Players and Pawns
Thoric Battlehammer – Dwarven wizard, follower of Azuth; hails from Mithril Hall
Shanna – Human sorceress; hails from Sembia
Waywocket – Gnomish cleric of Selune; hails from Aglarond
Arlin Veris – Elven bladesinger; hails from the isle of Evermeet
Elena – Prophesized successor to Mystra; slowly being corrupted by Cyric and Shar
Artemis Entreri & Jarlaxle – Current heads of the Shadow Thieves, looking to cement a power base in the new world order.
Davros Songsteel – Half-drow Spellfire wielder, possible son of Jarlaxle; looking for a place to belong in the world, easily swayed by dark forces
Link “Greyhand” Sharloe – Human wizard; one of the heroes who prevented Bane’s original attempt to return; forever altered by a fateful trip to the negative energy plane… now his mind and body are warped and twisted, and he is quite possibly mad. Knows more about both sides’ plans in the coming conflict, but plans to hold all of his cards until his personal reward is the greatest.
Drake Brecca – Human cleric of Tyr; another of the heroes who prevented Bane’s initial attempt to return to life; high priest of Tyr… one of Tyr’s chief agents, instrumental in both investigating coming events and preparing to fight back
Paths of Adventure
Candlekeep – investigation of the Shadow Thieves leads to an encounter with that very group as they attempt to take the walled library city; first hints to overriding plot
Aglarond – the group is introduced to Elena at the temple of Selune
Underdark – Arlin’s mother is a prisoner of the drow; they are using her to the portals to Evermeet so an army can march through and conquer
Mithril Hall – King Bruenor has gone missing, and the shadow dragon Shimmergloom is suspected to be involved
Halruaa – the arcane mysteries, such as the origins of sorcerers, are investigated
Waterdeep – a powerful assassin is loosed on the party’s trail as they begin to unravel the mysteries of Shar and Cyric’s plots; meetings with Khelban, Drake Brecca, and others
Silverymoon – a visit to the ruined tower of Link Sharloe reveals what happened to change him, as well as more pieces of the dark puzzle
Final Battle – taking place in Cormyr, Mystra’s plane, Elminster’s tower, and other locations across the Realm
Aftermath – a changed world
Possible Stories:
Ao creates a neutral deity to serve as the new Mystra
Advent of Chaos Magic
Necromancers – City of the Dead
Forgotten Realms campaign:
Draped in the Shadows of an Eternal Night
One of the most unholy alliances in the history of Faerun is about to make its move, and their actions will change the world forever…
Campaign Arc
The dark gods Cyric and Shar have joined forces. Together they intend to destroy Mystra, the guardian of the Weave. Once the Weave falls, many of the great nations of Faerun will be vulnerable to attack, and ripe for the taking.
Cyric and Shar have been working in secret for almost ten years now, moving key players into place and performing the major preparations for their plans. Chief among these preparations has been the corruption of Khelban “Blackstaff” Arunsun, one of the most powerful of Mystra’s Chosen. For over six years, they have invaded his dreams, planting subtle suggestions into his mind. Over these years, they have slowly begun to blacken both his heart and soul, and with each passing day his allegiances shift more and more towards his own inner Shadow. Once his corruption is complete, he will give himself completely over to his Shadow self. When this happens, he will betray Mystra and strike her down, leaving the Weave without a keeper.
Chief among the obstacles blocking this phase of the plan is Elminster the Sage, another of Mystra’s Chosen. As soon as Mystra is struck down, Elminster will be by her side and looking for vengeance on her betrayer, Khelban. Cyric and Shar are counting on this fact, for it will serve to keep one of their most powerful enemies out of the way while they implement the next phase of their plans. Even if Khelban should fall, it will not matter – he will have already served his purpose, and his defeat will be one less thing they have to deal with in the later stages of their plan.
Once the Weave is without a keeper, and with Khelban and Elminster’s attentions occupied, a combined army of Cyric’s Zhentarim warriors and Shar’s loyal Shades will lead an attack on the great nation of Cormyr. Using the Shadow gateway in the remains of Tilverton, these forces will be able to gain the additional advantage of surprise on their foes. Already weakened by their lack of a regent, the people of Cormyr will be even more vulnerable when all of their Weave-granted defenses fail them, making them an easy conquest for Cyric and Shar.
After Cormyr has fallen, the dark gods have different opinions about where they should go next… while Shar wants to keep Cyric on her side as long as possible in case the forces of good can somehow mount a counter-offensive, Cyric plans on betraying Shar and stealing both her and Mystra’s powers for himself as his earliest convenience.
These threats from within are not the only that this unholy union faces, however. Although unsure of Shar’s exact plans, Mystra knows that her newfound rival is planning something. She has conferred with Selune, Shar’s twin sister, to see what the keeper of the Shadow Weave might have planned. Much like Mystra, Selune knows that her dark twin is up to something, but has no idea what it may be. These two goddesses have chosen to pool their resources, sending their agents out to gather as much information as possible. Chief amongst these agents are members of the organization known as the Harpers, a group that spans across much of the continent. If there are any answers to be found, it will most likely be a Harper that finds them.
Shar’s rivals are not the only ones investigating current events, however. Tyr, one of Cyric’s most powerful foes, has been aggressively sending his agents out into the world to find out information about Cyric’s current schemes. Tyr’s resolve was only strengthened by a recent vision of Mystra’s fall. It was this vision that led him to cross paths with the keeper of the Weave and Selune. As Tyr delivered his dire portents to Mystra, she and Selune devised a plan to ensure that the Weave would continue on.
Years earlier, a girl was born to one of Mystra’s highest priests. This girl, named Elena, was prophesized to be the true successor to Mystra should she ever fall. Fearing that Shar or Cyric would hear of this girl and eliminate her, Selune arranged for her to be transported to a temple of Selune, where she was to live under an assumed name. Over the years, the girl began to blossom into a beautiful young woman and a powerful wizard.
Unfortunately for Faerun, Shar had managed to break several of her sister’s followers, who revealed the secret of Elena. After learning of the girl and her power, the dark gods began to slowly corrupt her as they have done with Khelban Arunson. Although the methods may be similar, however, the results are proving quite different. Being so much younger than the Blackstaff, Elena’s defenses are still weak. Her heart and soul began to blacken almost immediately, and her magic quickly began to warp to that of the Shadows. As Elena falls more and more to her inner Shadow, her appearance subtly alters; every step of her descent serves to darken her fiery red hair another slight shade, as well as drain a small amount of the color from her eyes. When her Shadow completely takes over, she eyes and hair will be black, like the darkest night – as shall her heart.
Not knowing of the corruption of Elena, the alliance of Mystra, Selune, and Tyr sees her as their last resort to protect the Weave. They are not content to sit by and wait for Cyric and Shar to make their moves, however. Rather, they have begun to “recruit” groups of adventurers, loyal to either themselves of other good-aligned deities, to both seek out further information on the dark gods’ plans and to stop them if at all possible. In order to keep these would-be heroes on the right track, the deities have been guiding them as much as possible, whether it be prophetic dreams or sending an agent to serve as a guide. Despite all of these preparations, Tyr especially fears the worst, and has begun to gather his armies and the armies of his allies in preparation for the battles he feels are soon to come.
In the end, all of the players involved in this drama know that, no matter what the outcome, the coming storm stands poised to change the face of Faerun for all time.
Players and Pawns
Thoric Battlehammer – Dwarven wizard, follower of Azuth; hails from Mithril Hall
Shanna – Human sorceress; hails from Sembia
Waywocket – Gnomish cleric of Selune; hails from Aglarond
Arlin Veris – Elven bladesinger; hails from the isle of Evermeet
Elena – Prophesized successor to Mystra; slowly being corrupted by Cyric and Shar
Artemis Entreri & Jarlaxle – Current heads of the Shadow Thieves, looking to cement a power base in the new world order.
Davros Songsteel – Half-drow Spellfire wielder, possible son of Jarlaxle; looking for a place to belong in the world, easily swayed by dark forces
Link “Greyhand” Sharloe – Human wizard; one of the heroes who prevented Bane’s original attempt to return; forever altered by a fateful trip to the negative energy plane… now his mind and body are warped and twisted, and he is quite possibly mad. Knows more about both sides’ plans in the coming conflict, but plans to hold all of his cards until his personal reward is the greatest.
Drake Brecca – Human cleric of Tyr; another of the heroes who prevented Bane’s initial attempt to return to life; high priest of Tyr… one of Tyr’s chief agents, instrumental in both investigating coming events and preparing to fight back
Paths of Adventure
Candlekeep – investigation of the Shadow Thieves leads to an encounter with that very group as they attempt to take the walled library city; first hints to overriding plot
Aglarond – the group is introduced to Elena at the temple of Selune
Underdark – Arlin’s mother is a prisoner of the drow; they are using her to the portals to Evermeet so an army can march through and conquer
Mithril Hall – King Bruenor has gone missing, and the shadow dragon Shimmergloom is suspected to be involved
Halruaa – the arcane mysteries, such as the origins of sorcerers, are investigated
Waterdeep – a powerful assassin is loosed on the party’s trail as they begin to unravel the mysteries of Shar and Cyric’s plots; meetings with Khelban, Drake Brecca, and others
Silverymoon – a visit to the ruined tower of Link Sharloe reveals what happened to change him, as well as more pieces of the dark puzzle
Final Battle – taking place in Cormyr, Mystra’s plane, Elminster’s tower, and other locations across the Realm
Aftermath – a changed world
Possible Stories:
Ao creates a neutral deity to serve as the new Mystra
Advent of Chaos Magic
Necromancers – City of the Dead
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