First off let me lay down the basics, my players are not heavily into hack and slash. They need solid narrative reasons for going on quests, going into dungeons, killing and the like. To accomodate this very reasonable request I am trying to fashion a campaign filled with political and personal intrigue (they want a little o' both).
The locale: The ancient port of Farhaven (pop. 300 000ish), founded as an elven colony about 1000 yrs ago, now inhabited by a good mix of humans, elves, and halflings (no interbreeding IMC). This city is one of the largest in the world and a hub of international trade as it lies on the tip of a peninsula, eastern most edge of one continent, within sailing (and trade route) distance from another continent. Crowded, but reasonably clean, cosmopolitan, and in a warm climate.
The problem: 100 years ago the city declared itself independent from the Dolphitic Empire, which lead to huge civil war in the multi-ethnic empire, which eventually lead to its collapse. In the present, the city is being threatened with capture by two powerful adjacent nations. The city's high council recently hired a large mercenary army from the other continent to protect them. Of course, they plan on pulling the same trick the Saxons pulled on the Britons 1500yrs ago - demanding more and more pay and eventually attacking the city. Furthermore, the general of the mercenaries is a powerful cleric (lvl ???) who plans on double crossing his own forces by contacting demonic forces to claim the area after his troops complete the first treachery. They numbers won't be wasted, of course, he plans on obtaining an artifact from the wizard's academy (one of the few outside of elven lands) that will allow him to make massive amounts of undead - ie. he'll kill, kill, kill and then raise his army from the remains. If the campaign ever gets this far I was thinking that the demonic forces may try to double cross him to gain a toehold in the prime material plane.
The PCs (we've been playing a while with these characters; they've finished one FR campaign and several games I've found on the web. We're starting a new campaign on a homebrew - they really wanted to keep these characters so I let them)
Darvin Human LG Ftr2/Clr4
Ielenia Elven CG Brd6 (alt.bard, though)
Nialla Halfling N Wiz6
Halandar Halfling N Ftr2/Rog4
Ielenia, Darvin, and Nialla are all members of the city's aristocracy. Halandar is Nialla's lower class love interest, and is a somewhat well known swashbuckler. Darvin, a cleric of the god of duty, has sworn to protect Ielenia with his life as a debt his family owes her's. The main thing is he has to keep her safe because she's supposed to marry into another major aristocratic family; there's a potential love interest between these two as well. Ielenia and Nialla are well-respected members of the city's bardic college and wizardry academy, respectively. It would be these familial and career ties that will serve as the impetus to go on the adventure - ie. a powerful political figure could asks them to get proof that the mercenary general is planning a coup d'etat.
Other factors: Druids and Clerics are the priests of two competing religions. Clerics have, for ages, been the dominant one, despite being a newer religion. There is a general hysteria against druids and non-good clerics tend to try to kill them on sight or at least drive them out of town.
Farhaven's thieves' guild is incredibly powerful. They have international reach and are a sort of mafia. The leader is an evil dragon that resides in human form, the plans of the mercenary general don't include the dragon and he is most displeased.
The armies of Gelaveth or Droremeth may mobilze at any time.
The nearby Dwarven clan, the Bladebenders (Dwarves all live underground à la Moria IMC) are trying to remain as neutral as possible on all front to maximize profits.
How do I present this to the PCs? What story arc should the game follow? General Comments, or plot suggestion are also welcome.
The locale: The ancient port of Farhaven (pop. 300 000ish), founded as an elven colony about 1000 yrs ago, now inhabited by a good mix of humans, elves, and halflings (no interbreeding IMC). This city is one of the largest in the world and a hub of international trade as it lies on the tip of a peninsula, eastern most edge of one continent, within sailing (and trade route) distance from another continent. Crowded, but reasonably clean, cosmopolitan, and in a warm climate.
The problem: 100 years ago the city declared itself independent from the Dolphitic Empire, which lead to huge civil war in the multi-ethnic empire, which eventually lead to its collapse. In the present, the city is being threatened with capture by two powerful adjacent nations. The city's high council recently hired a large mercenary army from the other continent to protect them. Of course, they plan on pulling the same trick the Saxons pulled on the Britons 1500yrs ago - demanding more and more pay and eventually attacking the city. Furthermore, the general of the mercenaries is a powerful cleric (lvl ???) who plans on double crossing his own forces by contacting demonic forces to claim the area after his troops complete the first treachery. They numbers won't be wasted, of course, he plans on obtaining an artifact from the wizard's academy (one of the few outside of elven lands) that will allow him to make massive amounts of undead - ie. he'll kill, kill, kill and then raise his army from the remains. If the campaign ever gets this far I was thinking that the demonic forces may try to double cross him to gain a toehold in the prime material plane.
The PCs (we've been playing a while with these characters; they've finished one FR campaign and several games I've found on the web. We're starting a new campaign on a homebrew - they really wanted to keep these characters so I let them)
Darvin Human LG Ftr2/Clr4
Ielenia Elven CG Brd6 (alt.bard, though)
Nialla Halfling N Wiz6
Halandar Halfling N Ftr2/Rog4
Ielenia, Darvin, and Nialla are all members of the city's aristocracy. Halandar is Nialla's lower class love interest, and is a somewhat well known swashbuckler. Darvin, a cleric of the god of duty, has sworn to protect Ielenia with his life as a debt his family owes her's. The main thing is he has to keep her safe because she's supposed to marry into another major aristocratic family; there's a potential love interest between these two as well. Ielenia and Nialla are well-respected members of the city's bardic college and wizardry academy, respectively. It would be these familial and career ties that will serve as the impetus to go on the adventure - ie. a powerful political figure could asks them to get proof that the mercenary general is planning a coup d'etat.
Other factors: Druids and Clerics are the priests of two competing religions. Clerics have, for ages, been the dominant one, despite being a newer religion. There is a general hysteria against druids and non-good clerics tend to try to kill them on sight or at least drive them out of town.
Farhaven's thieves' guild is incredibly powerful. They have international reach and are a sort of mafia. The leader is an evil dragon that resides in human form, the plans of the mercenary general don't include the dragon and he is most displeased.
The armies of Gelaveth or Droremeth may mobilze at any time.
The nearby Dwarven clan, the Bladebenders (Dwarves all live underground à la Moria IMC) are trying to remain as neutral as possible on all front to maximize profits.
How do I present this to the PCs? What story arc should the game follow? General Comments, or plot suggestion are also welcome.
