Shadowfell, the Abyss and Orcus (H1 SPOILERS)

[jinnetics]

I'm going to run Keep on the Shadowfell as a campaign intro, with an eye on Orcus being the ultimate villain at campaign's end. I also like the idea of introducing the Shadar-kai as minor villains - so the Shadowfell will definitely come up again, maybe with the Keep as a gateway.

The thing is, I want the PCs to have the option of forging an alliance with the Shadar-kai against the forces of Orcus - but I'm not sure how to weave this all together since Orcus dwells in the Abyss and the Shadar-kai in the Shadowfell.

I guess I don't quite understand the basis of Orcus' connection to the Shadowfell in H1, other than undead dwell there and it's a layover for newly dead souls. Why do the Orcus cultists want to open the rift?

Can anyone offer up some suggestions?

 

[Asmor]

Here's three ideas:

Thousands of years ago, before the Keep on the Shadowfell was built, a cadre of deathpriests were trying to commune with Orcus. They wanted to join him in his abyssal domain, but lacked the power to do so. Instead, they mistakenly wound up trapped in the Shadowfell.

They established a presence for Orcus there, converting some Shadar-kai and Dark Ones to the service of the demon lord, and built the temple to Orcus which would wind up being at the heart of the H1 adventure.

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Since the Shadowfell and Feywild are each one step removed from the real world, the barrier separating them from the machinations of outsiders is a bit thinner. Orcus chose to use the Shadowfell because as a staging grounds because the Feywild's vibrance and intense life proved even more difficult for undead to exist in, never mind be created in.

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Undead are naturally "generated" in the Shadowfell. As the lord of the undead, Orcus gains a natural foothold there through no intentional action of his own.

 

[malraux]

You could move Tcian Sumere from the negative energy plane to the shadowfell. Or if you are feeling really inventive, adapt the meta-plot from Dead Gods in its entirety. (short synopsis: Orcus was killed and his domain in the Abyss taken over. Somehow, he was able to return to life and gained the power to kill other gods. His current goal is to hunt down his wand. Tcian Sumere is a fortress in the negative energy plane where Orcus hid out while amassing power.) Kalarel obviously replaces Quah-Namog as the only surviving priest of Orcus.

 

[Shroomy]

This is actually easy, the shadar-kai serve the Raven Queen; according to the excellent "The Ashen Covenant" article by Ari Marmell in Dragon 364 article, Orcus wants to replace the Raven Queen as the God of the Dead. Check out the article here if you haven't already.

It appears that as part of Orcus's struggle to usurp the Raven Queen and because of its connection to the undead, the Demon Prince of Undead has some sort of undefined presence (or toe-hold) in the Shadowfell. The sealed rift that Kalarel is trying to re-open is tied to one of Orcus's power centers on that plane.

 

[jinnetics]

This is actually easy, the shadar-kai serve the Raven Queen; according to the excellent "The Ashen Covenant" article by Ari Marmell in Dragon 364 article, Orcus wants to replace the Raven Queen as the God of the Dead. Check out the article here if you haven't already.

It appears that as part of Orcus's struggle to usurp the Raven Queen and because of its connection to the undead, the Demon Prince of Undead has some sort of undefined presence (or toe-hold) in the Shadowfell. The sealed rift that Kalarel is trying to re-open is tied to one of Orcus's power centers on that plane.

Excellent! I missed that.

Thanks for ALL the ideas, gang.