For GREAT justice, even.
Okay, with that out of the way....
My Britannia 3E campaign is coming along nicely. We've been going for about a year now, and the PCs have reached 9th level. Now I'm looking for some ideas for the next few sessions, which will probably involve said Quest for Justice.
Some background: the campaign is loosely based around the old Ultima 4 CRPG. For those who haven't heard of it, this was possibly the first CRPG whose plot didn't revolve wholly around killing a huge boss monster. Oh, there was still lots of monster killing and looting, but the plot itself involved becoming enlightened in eight virtues and then retrieving a fabled artifact.
The PCs have already done the quest for Compassion. This involved a number of subquests:
- They had to protect a troll living under a bridge from a company of soldiers who were coming to kill it. The soldiers had been told that the troll was a menace, but the truth was a bit different. The point being that compassion is universal, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, culture or appearance.
- Then they had to find an evil necromancer whom they'd fought previously, and save him from a lynch mob (he'd lost his powers and couldn't defend himself). The point being that it isn't particularly noteworthy to be compassionate to your friends; true compassion is displayed when it's extended even to your enemies.
- Finally they were given a vision of a powerful orc warlord and his minions, and told to destroy them all. This caused a bit of puzzlement at first; eventually it was revealed that orcs are spirits of Hatred, who spawn in the depths of the Underworld when mortals succumb to hate. From the Underworld, these spirits make their way to the depths of the great dungeons, where they are formed into warbands and armies, and from which they emerge to despoil the surface world. The point is that the only way to destroy the orcs is to destroy the hatred that festers within oneself. When one has succeeded in this task, then one is enlightened in the virtue of Compassion (and you gain a funky powerup).
As you can see, it's all rather allegorical.
So, what similar quests can I use for Justice?
The PCs already know that they have to offer their services to the head of the Witch Hunters, a semi-official group of vigilantes who make war on the Bloodmages, an evil necromantic cult. (In fact, the necro mentioned above was a Bloodmage.) I'm thinking of Dryden, the chief Witch Hunter as being a pretty ruthless, win-at-all-costs type. This would give plenty of room for moral dilemmas along the lines of mercy vs retribution.
Any ideas, people?
Okay, with that out of the way....
My Britannia 3E campaign is coming along nicely. We've been going for about a year now, and the PCs have reached 9th level. Now I'm looking for some ideas for the next few sessions, which will probably involve said Quest for Justice.
Some background: the campaign is loosely based around the old Ultima 4 CRPG. For those who haven't heard of it, this was possibly the first CRPG whose plot didn't revolve wholly around killing a huge boss monster. Oh, there was still lots of monster killing and looting, but the plot itself involved becoming enlightened in eight virtues and then retrieving a fabled artifact.
The PCs have already done the quest for Compassion. This involved a number of subquests:
- They had to protect a troll living under a bridge from a company of soldiers who were coming to kill it. The soldiers had been told that the troll was a menace, but the truth was a bit different. The point being that compassion is universal, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, culture or appearance.
- Then they had to find an evil necromancer whom they'd fought previously, and save him from a lynch mob (he'd lost his powers and couldn't defend himself). The point being that it isn't particularly noteworthy to be compassionate to your friends; true compassion is displayed when it's extended even to your enemies.
- Finally they were given a vision of a powerful orc warlord and his minions, and told to destroy them all. This caused a bit of puzzlement at first; eventually it was revealed that orcs are spirits of Hatred, who spawn in the depths of the Underworld when mortals succumb to hate. From the Underworld, these spirits make their way to the depths of the great dungeons, where they are formed into warbands and armies, and from which they emerge to despoil the surface world. The point is that the only way to destroy the orcs is to destroy the hatred that festers within oneself. When one has succeeded in this task, then one is enlightened in the virtue of Compassion (and you gain a funky powerup).
As you can see, it's all rather allegorical.
So, what similar quests can I use for Justice?
The PCs already know that they have to offer their services to the head of the Witch Hunters, a semi-official group of vigilantes who make war on the Bloodmages, an evil necromantic cult. (In fact, the necro mentioned above was a Bloodmage.) I'm thinking of Dryden, the chief Witch Hunter as being a pretty ruthless, win-at-all-costs type. This would give plenty of room for moral dilemmas along the lines of mercy vs retribution.
Any ideas, people?
