Reforming Galifar

[Crothian]

My Eberron Campaign has taken an interesting turn. The PCs are about 10th level and were having trouble coming up with things to do as a group. To help them out I had them meet with the 15 year princess of Karnath that is in Breeland and she's heard their great tales sung by Bards. She wants to unite the Five Kingdoms and more and the group is well respected and liked in enough places to aid here. While the over all reasons for it all happening are a little shaky it helped give the group direction and limited the plot choices they have in front of them.

Basically we are doing high profile adventure in many of the countries now. For instance they went into the Demon Wastes to get the remains of Bennin Silverclaw (Races of Eberron). The adventure was pretty easy because I don't like to make ever Encounter challenging to them when they get to high level which they are at in Eberron. Next my two Gnomes are the only players able to make the session so they are going to Zilargo to see if they can figure out which of the Rulers are secretly part of Aurum.

It is becoming a more simple campaign as I will send them to different places and accomplish the impossible little adventure hooks the Eberron books talk about in such great abundance. It also gets me to leave the Dungeon Crawls behind and try to play to the characters strengths.

We have a Gnome Artificer, a Gnome (really Changeling) Wiz 5/ Rogue 5, and a Shifter Monk 9/something from Bo9S 1. They have a cohort of a Favored Sould of the Silver Flame. We had a Human Fighter of House Denith but his wife is giving birth to the second kid any day now so he obviously has more important things then D&D right now.

 

[jasin]

This is why Eberron is a low-level setting! Not so that you'd always play low-level characters, but so that when your characters reached mid- and high-level, they'd really be someone!

It'd be really convenient if you could use your Deneith, though, if he gets the time. IMO, House Deneith is in a uniquely convenient position to make a bid at restoring Galifar/continental domination (depending on whether you want to paint them as the good guys or the bad guys). They're implicitly trusted by almost everyone. They have troops almost everywhere. They hold Thronehold, which is perhaps not all that important strategically, but should be supremely important psychologically. They have ties to Karrnath, so indirectly, to your Princess (she's as much Brelish in mentality as Karrnathi, but that just makes things more interesting). And they have psionics.

Which gives you a nice hook for the same game at truly high levels. Now that the combined might of the PCs and Deneith has reunited Galifar under the young Queen... the Inspired come to collect.

 

[Sketchpad]

Have you considered using the Expeditions to Ravenloft book? Might be a neat hook to use the Tome of Ravenloft as a lead in ...

 

[Crothian]

This is why Eberron is a low-level setting! Not so that you'd always play low-level characters, but so that when your characters reached mid- and high-level, they'd really be someone!

We did plenty of low level things. We talked about it everyone is having fun so we continue onwards and see what happens.

It'd be really convenient if you could use your Deneith, though, if he gets the time. IMO, House Deneith is in a uniquely convenient position to make a bid at restoring Galifar/continental domination (depending on whether you want to paint them as the good guys or the bad guys). They're implicitly trusted by almost everyone. They have troops almost everywhere. They hold Thronehold, which is perhaps not all that important strategically, but should be supremely important psychologically. They have ties to Karrnath, so indirectly, to your Princess (she's as much Brelish in mentality as Karrnathi, but that just makes things more interesting). And they have psionics.

He is now an NPC. His job is now the Young princess' personal bodyguard. He has an Airship which is being used as her personal Airship for the time being. This way the Pcs can get use out of when I need them to but I can have it not be available in times I don't want them to have access to it.

Which gives you a nice hook for the same game at truly high levels. Now that the combined might of the PCs and Deneith has reunited Galifar under the young Queen... the Inspired come to collect.

The first Inspired NPC actually just got introduced. Although not in connection to this. I did a Necromancer Module called Diamond Fortress and the PCs now have this crystal castle they own. They have taken a lot of the extra crystal to Sharn to see if they can sell it and that got the attention on an Inspired who wants to buy it and more if they have it. With none of the PCs psionic they have no idea what the crystals can do for a psionic if anything.

 

[Crothian]

Have you considered using the Expeditions to Ravenloft book? Might be a neat hook to use the Tome of Ravenloft as a lead in ...

I have it and am thinking on using it. But I'm not sure I want to devote that much time to one adventure now. We are having fun with smaller adventures and lots of travel. Plus by the time I would want to use it they will be a bit higher in level. Still, it is a good thought and one I just haven't decided on yet.

 

[Kaodi]

It would probably take decades of game time and many years to do an Eberron campaign based around reunification of Galifar " right " . To liken it to the real world, it would be like waltzing up to India and Pakistan and say, " Hey, we know you guys have come a hairs breadth from obliterating each other in the past, but why don't you just get back together again and be one big happy family! "

Unveiling a dark plot by powerful supernatural forces like the Lords of Dust or the Inspired could likely hasten this process, but I'd be guessing it would still takes years even for the first supernation to form. Unification would probably be one step at a time, like Breland and Aundair, then Thaliost, then Karrnath and then maybe Thrane would relent. Sometime though, I'd be half-expecting an uneasy alliance between Darguun and Valenar, because they likely know they are probably the first on the chopping block if a new Galifar wants to take back some old territories. I don't see any of the other fringe nations giving in easily either, though they might not be given to warfare like the goblinoids and the elves.

Deneith doesn't have the power to force the remaining nations to do anything alone, though possibly an alliance of many Dragonmarked Houses could manage it, but I doubt it. Their greatest strength, their diffuseness, is also their greatest weakness. That is the one other thing that could possibly see the nations put aside their differences, an attempt by the Houses to impose their will.

That being said, its your campaign. Its a decent basis for a huge story arc, I'm just saying that trying to rush it would probably just leave you and your players feeling cold. The more time and effort they put into it, the greater victory will feel. Of course, in such a campaign, you would never ever run out of things to do, hehehe...

 

[Crothian]

Ya, it will take time. They have made allies with some of the more at odds groups like the LoB and House Cannith. They are going to be eventually going after some of the fringe groups that give nations trouble like the Emerald Claw and the Freedom guys of Breeland. And it is possible that for all their hard work it never actually happens. It is not so much the result we are looking towards but the many different things they can do on the way.

 

[jasin]

We did plenty of low level things.

Sure. The game is most interesting, IMO, when there's a full progression, from low to high. I just wanted to note that I've seen some people thinking along the lines of "a 15th-level game isn't appropriate for Eberron, Eberron is low-level". I think that's not true. Most of the people in Eberron are low-level. That's what makes 15th-level PCs world-shattering heroes, rather than just like 5th-level PCs only with three times higher numbers, which only makes 15th-level games more interesting.

The first Inspired NPC actually just got introduced. Although not in connection to this.

With the inspired, there's always a connection...

I did a Necromancer Module called Diamond Fortress and the PCs now have this crystal castle they own. They have taken a lot of the extra crystal to Sharn to see if they can sell it and that got the attention on an Inspired who wants to buy it and more if they have it. With none of the PCs psionic they have no idea what the crystals can do for a psionic if anything.

Maybe it can be used to make the warforged dream of mithral sheep...

 

[jasin]

Ya, it will take time. They have made allies with some of the more at odds groups like the LoB and House Cannith.

How did they manage that? Isn't the Lord of Blades a meatbag-hating fanatic? Or did you use a different interpretation?

They are going to be eventually going after some of the fringe groups that give nations trouble like the Emerald Claw and the Freedom guys of Breeland.

If they were really good diplomats and not too hampered by morals... or common sense... they might try to get the Emerald Claw on their side. Spin it so that reuniting Galifar under a Karrnathi princess looks like the creation of Greater Karrnath and you can get the nationalists. Eventually, you'd have to deal with Vol, but hey, that's what high-level is for.

It is not so much the result we are looking towards but the many different things they can do on the way.

This pretty much sums up playing D&D.

 

[Crothian]

How did they manage that? Isn't the Lord of Blades a meatbag-hating fanatic? Or did you use a different interpretation?

I made him a little more practical, but he is rather vaguely described in the books. We went through the modules which has him after the Schemas. Even with the modules done I figure he still wants the schemas and the group aided him in getting them. I figure as long as he can use them and get what he wants he will. As they are 10th level they are not people anyone who knows them wants to quickly make enemies of and the LoB's people has been watching them for nearly the whole campaign. They also did a dungeon adventure Steel Shadows that helps the Warforged in Sharn so there was reason to trust the PCs. Basically they took the LoB to Sharn (snuck him in covertly even) and then loose in Sharn he gave House Cannith some paypack and then made some sort of Deal with them. The PCs don't know what kind of deal has been made but they have been contacted by House Cannith to transport LoB and some "gifts" back to the Mournlands. In my vision the LoB will do anything to earn his people a country of their own and to learn the Cannith secrets of their creation. He is no fan of the meat bags but will work with them to get his goals.

If they were really good diplomats and not too hampered by morals... or common sense... they might try to get the Emerald Claw on their side. Spin it so that reuniting Galifar under a Karrnathi princess looks like the creation of Greater Karrnath and you can get the nationalists. Eventually, you'd have to deal with Vol, but hey, that's what high-level is for.

The Emerald Claw hates the PCs. The PCs have been kicking their asses for the whole campaign it seems. The Church of Vol is also after the PCs though they don't know why yet. The Emerald Claw is also after the schemas and believes the PCs have them. Plus at this point they just want revenge. The PCs are just trying to ignore the Emerald Claw. I've given them chance to strike back but they never do.