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The Heir Apparent [4e]
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<blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 4903448" data-attributes="member: 20323"><p>I thought I'd indulge myself with a thread about our home game. It's meant to go through levels 1 to 10, pitting the PCs in a game of cat and mouse against a scheming Prince. We're just getting started (2 games in), and I'd like your insight and advice about the campaign plot. And also about ways to tie the PCs more tightly to the story. </p><p></p><p>Now and then I'll post updates about how the campaign is going, adventure design notes, and things I learn about running a game for 7 players.</p><p></p><p>_________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>Here is the backstory for our campaign...</p><p></p><p>An arrogant and sinister Crown Prince, the next in line for the throne, learns his dying father prefers his younger brother for succession. While it is a breach of tradition, the king is within his rights to declare any family member his heir. However, the younger brother doesn't realize this - he is away on the western border of the kingdom facing foreign crusaders and has no stomach for politics. Thus, the Crown Prince conspires to seize the throne, winning many of the redcoats (soldiers of the King) to his side. The King's authority is all but undermined as he loses his health, and the Crown Prince is doing all sorts of mischief by the time the campaign begins.</p><p></p><p>That's where the PCs come in. The Crown Prince has a major weakness - he had an affair with a woman of a rival noble house and she had his son (Arslein) who was hidden with a kindly witch far from the Crown Prince's eyes. Once she had evaded the redcoats and bounty hunters seeking her, the noble woman planned to return to her son and prepare him to usurp his wicked father's throne. Of course, things didn't play out quite as anticipated, and the witch used magic to conceal the boy, wanting him to have a "normal life" far from the thrones and intrigues of kings.</p><p></p><p>So, the heir (the Crown Prince) is a parent. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p></p><p>_________________________________________________</p><p></p><p>We've played our first 2 sessions, and the party reached 2nd level. We joked that the party would call themselves the "Orphans Seven" because almost every character lost their parents at some point.</p><p></p><p>Here are the PCs in brief...</p><p></p><p><strong>Miri</strong> <em>(female human, barbarian)</em> A barbarian from the plains of Nic'Epona, Miri reveres the horse goddess Epona (who her people consider to be their mother) and is a terror on horseback. Her tribe is being persecuted by the redcoats, their language & religion forbidden and many forced to serve as indentured servants to military units or worse.</p><p></p><p><strong>Gliek</strong> <em>(male gnome, artificer)</em> A tinker gnome, Gliek is obsessed with alchemy, magical gadgets, and especially the crossbow - a weapon of the peasant class which he seeks to perfect (and claims gnomes created). Gliek's parents, ardent supporters of the King, were among those "disappeared" as the Crown Prince undermined the King's power.</p><p></p><p><strong>Selena Elrunaa</strong> <em>(female eladrin, swordmage)</em> Heir to an eladrin citadel, Selena is conflicted by two motives: First, she is sworn to defend magic-users from human ignorance, scheming nobles, and the evil archmages. Second, she seeks revenge on her mother's apprentice who betrayed her parents to the Crown Prince. Currently she believes her parents are dead, but that might not be the whole truth.</p><p></p><p><strong>Micare</strong> <em>(male human, invoker)</em> A man of faith and learning, Micare is something of a supernatural detective, protecting the people from the dangers of witchcraft and other arcane horrors. While independent, he begins in the employ of the Lord Warden Markelhay who he has helped solve many troubling mysteries.</p><p></p><p><strong>Fayne</strong> <em>(female shifter (razorclaw), rogue)</em> A feral thief, Fayne lost her parents to human persecution and she and her brother were "raised" by a vicious cutthroat who used them to fatten his pockets. After a job they did that was tied to the Crown Prince, her cutthroat mentor had her brother murdered. Now Fayne seeks revenge and to honor her brother's memory.</p><p></p><p><strong>Gwaednerth</strong> <em>(male shifter (longtooth), paladin)</em> A bloodthirsty yet enlightened bounty hunter, Gwaednerth was raised by a paladin order devoted to the Sun King - given up by his family in an honorable sacrifice. However, the paladin's keep was sacked by mercenaries and trolls - Gwaednerth was among the few survivors and he went on to wage his personal crusade against injustice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Wes Evenhand</strong> <em>(male gnome, bard)</em> An eloquent hymnist in the Celestine Temple, Wes lost his family to orcish marauders and was raised by a retired human adventurer who instilled in him a thirst for truth and justice. He was recently accepted as an initiate in the paladin order, a fact he takes great pride in, and he seeks to prove his swordarm equal to the larger folk.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Quickleaf, post: 4903448, member: 20323"] I thought I'd indulge myself with a thread about our home game. It's meant to go through levels 1 to 10, pitting the PCs in a game of cat and mouse against a scheming Prince. We're just getting started (2 games in), and I'd like your insight and advice about the campaign plot. And also about ways to tie the PCs more tightly to the story. Now and then I'll post updates about how the campaign is going, adventure design notes, and things I learn about running a game for 7 players. _________________________________________________ Here is the backstory for our campaign... An arrogant and sinister Crown Prince, the next in line for the throne, learns his dying father prefers his younger brother for succession. While it is a breach of tradition, the king is within his rights to declare any family member his heir. However, the younger brother doesn't realize this - he is away on the western border of the kingdom facing foreign crusaders and has no stomach for politics. Thus, the Crown Prince conspires to seize the throne, winning many of the redcoats (soldiers of the King) to his side. The King's authority is all but undermined as he loses his health, and the Crown Prince is doing all sorts of mischief by the time the campaign begins. That's where the PCs come in. The Crown Prince has a major weakness - he had an affair with a woman of a rival noble house and she had his son (Arslein) who was hidden with a kindly witch far from the Crown Prince's eyes. Once she had evaded the redcoats and bounty hunters seeking her, the noble woman planned to return to her son and prepare him to usurp his wicked father's throne. Of course, things didn't play out quite as anticipated, and the witch used magic to conceal the boy, wanting him to have a "normal life" far from the thrones and intrigues of kings. So, the heir (the Crown Prince) is a parent. ;) _________________________________________________ We've played our first 2 sessions, and the party reached 2nd level. We joked that the party would call themselves the "Orphans Seven" because almost every character lost their parents at some point. Here are the PCs in brief... [B]Miri[/B] [I](female human, barbarian)[/I] A barbarian from the plains of Nic'Epona, Miri reveres the horse goddess Epona (who her people consider to be their mother) and is a terror on horseback. Her tribe is being persecuted by the redcoats, their language & religion forbidden and many forced to serve as indentured servants to military units or worse. [B]Gliek[/B] [I](male gnome, artificer)[/I] A tinker gnome, Gliek is obsessed with alchemy, magical gadgets, and especially the crossbow - a weapon of the peasant class which he seeks to perfect (and claims gnomes created). Gliek's parents, ardent supporters of the King, were among those "disappeared" as the Crown Prince undermined the King's power. [B]Selena Elrunaa[/B] [I](female eladrin, swordmage)[/I] Heir to an eladrin citadel, Selena is conflicted by two motives: First, she is sworn to defend magic-users from human ignorance, scheming nobles, and the evil archmages. Second, she seeks revenge on her mother's apprentice who betrayed her parents to the Crown Prince. Currently she believes her parents are dead, but that might not be the whole truth. [B]Micare[/B] [I](male human, invoker)[/I] A man of faith and learning, Micare is something of a supernatural detective, protecting the people from the dangers of witchcraft and other arcane horrors. While independent, he begins in the employ of the Lord Warden Markelhay who he has helped solve many troubling mysteries. [B]Fayne[/B] [I](female shifter (razorclaw), rogue)[/I] A feral thief, Fayne lost her parents to human persecution and she and her brother were "raised" by a vicious cutthroat who used them to fatten his pockets. After a job they did that was tied to the Crown Prince, her cutthroat mentor had her brother murdered. Now Fayne seeks revenge and to honor her brother's memory. [B]Gwaednerth[/B] [I](male shifter (longtooth), paladin)[/I] A bloodthirsty yet enlightened bounty hunter, Gwaednerth was raised by a paladin order devoted to the Sun King - given up by his family in an honorable sacrifice. However, the paladin's keep was sacked by mercenaries and trolls - Gwaednerth was among the few survivors and he went on to wage his personal crusade against injustice. [B]Wes Evenhand[/B] [I](male gnome, bard)[/I] An eloquent hymnist in the Celestine Temple, Wes lost his family to orcish marauders and was raised by a retired human adventurer who instilled in him a thirst for truth and justice. He was recently accepted as an initiate in the paladin order, a fact he takes great pride in, and he seeks to prove his swordarm equal to the larger folk. [/QUOTE]
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