Setting the stage Part 1
Hi-
Masks of Nyarlathotep is a very difficult adventure to DM, alot going on and its a Miracle I have kept the players focused thus far. I will try to include verious magic items and NPC's as time permits. One thing I do advise is limiting the number of FR gods and to Composite for SAN, use high Fear DC's, nothing like an 11th Monk hiding in the corner........
If you guys have any questions, please post them to this thread and I'l will try to answer them.
Below is part one and I'll get more parts out during the week, I'm really lazy. Enjoy:
The Players are trying to solve the mystery of a group of adventurers led by a wealthy and influential playboy named Roger Carlyle of Baldersgate. Basically Roger met up with a beautiful priestess named M’wru and through her influences and with a little help from her god, the Lord of the Bloody Red Hand (another aspect of Nyarlathotep) they gathered together the core of adventurers to unwittingly do Nyarlathoteps bidding. The Adventurer’s of the Carlyle party are as follows:
Note I changed some of the names from the original adventure, the date is: Current Forgotten Realms Date: (1925) 1372
Roger Carlyle-wealthy playboy who inexplicably turned from a life of a wastrel to finance and head an archaelogical expidition to Calimshane.
Sir Vance Volkmann (was Aubery Penhew), limited service in Cormyr’s Purple Dragon Knight Officer corps, Titled, Wealthy, and a noted loremaster on all things of ancient.
Hypatia Masters- A beautiful cleric of Melikiki and noted linguist, wealthy due to merchant parents from Baldersgate
Dr. Robert Huston, Secretly a Cleric of Shar, by day a fashionable psychoanalyst and interpreter of dreams with his office located in BaldersGate.
Jack “Brass”Brady, ex-paladin of Kelomvor, Mercenary and Roger Carlyle’s bodyguard and best freind.
Lord Riech- Administering Vance Volkmann’s holdings (The Volkmann Foundation and Misr Manor) in Silverymoon and continuing to further the agenda of the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh.
Mielock- Lich and original owner of Misr Manor an estate just outside the City of Silverymoon. Years ago both Volkmann and Riech under the auspices of the high lady and Taern Hornblade gave both men permission to take out the Lich. Both men agreed to the deal, but when it actually came time to do the deed, both were sweet talked with promises of great power from the Lich’s patron The Black Pharaoh. Both men who craved wealth and power easily succumbed to the Lich’s influence. Both returned to Silverymoon and told the authorities that the Lich was destroyed, great wealth was heaped upon both men as well as lordly status. Now they could pursue the ambitions of the Black Pharaoh, setting up a Foundation in the name of furthering archaeological expeditions, a legal way of getting ahold of Mytho’s relics and undermining the City of Silverymoon and its rulers.
Enter the players:
With Volkmann on Carlyle’s expedition, it fell on Lord Riech to continue the Cult of the Brotherhood of the Black Pharaoh. Both the Lich and Riech worked towards the final goal of destroying Silverymoon in the name of Nyarlathotep but with players showing and asking questions, the time table to release destruction on Silverymoon had to be moved up, worse, when the players met with Alustriel, With help from Storm Silverhand, The Inquisitor of Helm could tell the court was under somekind of mind controlling spell, Lord Riech with his henchman Al Jaffari, a calamshite priest of the Black Pharaoh at Alustriel’s side tipped his hand and ordered the players arrested in the name of the high lady for carrying evil artifacts (one player has the ring of Gaxx and lord Riech wanted it) Soon a huge melee brokeout in the High Palace with the Mage casting a high powered dispel magic on Alustreil destroy’s the negative influence on her. The Initiate of the Bow, an Air Genisi, slams Lord Riech with a few arrows, The Monk launch’s into a massive whirlwind of attacks on Al Jaffari, The Kensai tries to do stun damage to the Knights in Silver so as not to hurt them.
See’ing there ruse is at an end, Al Jaffari and Lord Riech Teleport to the VolKmann Foundation within the City of Silverymoon.
