Please help me with Eberron Adventure plot

[moticon]

HI everyone,

I'm designing an adventure for the Eberron campaign setting that will loosely resemble the DaVinci Code/National Treasure. In other words, there is something (treasure, knowledge, artifact) which -- if found or exposed to the larger world -- would create havoc or give the holder of it significant influence/power/wealth.

I could write a book already with my ideas of the places to be explored, puzzles to be broken, mysteries to be solved, intrigue opportunities, and double-agents to be exposed, but first I need that big "Thing".

I would like for it to be very Eberron specific to give verisimilitude to the motivations of the party and protaginists for wanting this thing. I would like to stay away from the "artifact of great power", and go for something that is more "dangerous if found". It could even be something that, once found, the PC's decide to become the protectors of (as in the DaVinci code where there was a secret society dedicated to protecting and hiding the secret).

The adventure is targeted for starting at 8th level, and may run all the way to 12th level. Ideas I've thought of already include:

- The rumored existance of a device that permenantly deactivates warforged, or information about a previously unknown weakness the warforged have?
- A "historical document" which -- if published and verified -- would upset the balance of power between major groups (which ones and why is what I'm struggling with).

Any ideas you could suggest would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[EricNoah]

I like the warforged angle. Maybe something that would allow a nefarious individual to control warforged by remote control?

The "historical document" angle, if used, should probably be related to the dragon prophecies.

Then there's the whole issue of possession -- that's a fairly Eberron exclusive twist.

 

[Henry]

Some ideas:

-Knowledge that the Silver Flame is actually controlled by the Silver Flame Cardinals after all, and the Flame does not exist.

-Knowledge and birth record of a male previous heir to King Jarot, making not just Mishann's, but ALL of the sucessors of the Last War invalid. What's worse, the descendency of this lone heir has been simple and unbroken for the last one hundred years!

-Return of a single individual with the Mark of Death, which Vol would kill for.

 

[ydirbut]

One idea for the hidden document might relate to the collapse of the Glass tower in sharn (pg. 147, ECS). Also, Kaius III.

 

[Wraith Form]

Whispers of the Vampire's Blade may also fit your bill.

Admittedly, the adventure is a little weak here and there...and you'd need to beef it up for your group's level(s)...but it deals with topics you've mentioned here. (I'll keep it vague for spoilers' sake.)

 

[Morpheus]

Whispers of the Vampire's Blade may also fit your bill.

Admittedly, the adventure is a little weak here and there...and you'd need to beef it up for your group's level(s)...but it deals with topics you've mentioned here. (I'll keep it vague for spoilers' sake.)

Although I like WotVB, I don't know if it is what he is looking for. This might help though: Go here for tons of Eberron adventure seeds.

 

[Remathilis]

The obvious one is that there is a code hidden in the Treaty of Thronehold, but if you want to be a bit less blatent, mayhaps a secret under Thronehold itself, such as Jarlot's Last Will, might be interesting.

 

[moticon]

Wow, some great ideas. Thanks and I'd like to see more. I have WotVB and they will play it before beginning this, but it's more of a chase than a mystery/intrigue to me (I've only read through it one time).

Thanks again, and if anyone else has any ideas, please chime in.

Moticon..

 

[painandgreed]

Another book to check out for ideas would be _Holy Blood, Holy Grail_ which is probably the "non-fiction" book that The DaVenci Code was inspired by. There's also a couple of follow up books such as _The Holy Place_ and _The Messianic Legacy_.

 

[6pakofdwarves]

It could be an artifact that when activated on a specific place of power reawakens the potential for elves to have the Dragon Mark of Death manifest. It would require say... three things, The Item itself, the place of power and as I do not have my book with me possibly an Eldritch Machine? And then the plane of the dead would need to be coterminious. So various things could be incorporated, instructions for the items, the items themselves, the Dragonmarked houses, a race against time.. etc. etc......