WotBS WotBS advice needed (SPOILERS galore)

[trencher7]

I think that because my group seems to not have a way to learn the song of forms anytime soon (or maybe never...) I will follow the route of Lyceum´s magicians coming up with the enforced flesh spell. Maybe I will have my group fight Madness and seeing that they stand no Chance as Long as the creature is incorporeal. Together with the magicians they can then develop the spell.
[MENTION=6816692]Lylandra[/MENTION] could you please point me to where exactly to find the 4e Tiljann´s Quest concerning Etinify? I am willing to buy the mentioned supplement if I just knew which one it is

So now my group will get some answers (even though just vague ones it seems) in Seaquen. I think I will message them and ask in advance whether there is more they´d like to investigate concerning the background so that I will be prepared in advance.

BTW: maybe someone could just tell me what is common knowledge about the Torch itself?

 

[Lylandra]

So, your group also completely missed the Living Blade? Ouch. One of my players is still using it at level 20 (though I upgraded it a bit with Weapons of Legacy ideas).

For Tiljann's quest: This is a sidequesi in the 4e version of Shelter from the Storm (adventure #3). I found this 4e adventure to be extremely useful due to the fact that it offers two suggested routes through Dassen to the Lyceum which 1) eases prepwork for the DM and 2) gives you and your players a bit of info on Dassen in advance.

I can only imagine how hard it must have been to prep a 4 weeks journey without any hard info on the country you're travelling through (playing #3 before #4 was even released). Okay, you can always go the "Haddin charms the captain" route...

Edit: Common knowledge about the torch?
1) It can teleport armies
2) Coaltongue devastated masses of enemies with it (he was an epic level character wielding an epic level artifact)
3) It looks very... crude and improvised for an artifact
4) You can use it to scorch revolting villages -> it produces some sort of magical flaming effect
5) It is most likely the most feared item on this continent

 

[trencher7]

Thank you, Lylandra!
No worries, they retrieved the sword from the stag´s corpse after Indomitability fled from it. They now also know whom it belonged to and want to find out more about Anyariel. Luckily this is more or less covered in the 3.5ed., which I am using, so that I can prepare something for them to find in Seaquen.

Also the trip through Dassen was overshadowed by the inner conflict of the group about what happened in the wood (they more and more realize that they did something veeeeery stupid) and how they could avoid a repetition in the future. So they more or less stayed away from settlements only sending Haddin to get what they needed for the trip and after they realized how he got the stuff from the merchants although they always gave him some money to actually pay for the goods the situation within the group got even worse (which lead to really intense roleplay within the group).

One of the Players just messaged me a couple of minutes ago that he would like to have some background information about Dassen but this can be found in @Tormyr´s new 5e player´s guide.

 

[Tormyr]

I think that because my group seems to not have a way to learn the song of forms anytime soon (or maybe never...) I will follow the route of Lyceum´s magicians coming up with the enforced flesh spell. Maybe I will have my group fight Madness and seeing that they stand no Chance as Long as the creature is incorporeal. Together with the magicians they can then develop the spell.

@Lylandra could you please point me to where exactly to find the 4e Tiljann´s Quest concerning Etinify? I am willing to buy the mentioned supplement if I just knew which one it is

So now my group will get some answers (even though just vague ones it seems) in Seaquen. I think I will message them and ask in advance whether there is more they´d like to investigate concerning the background so that I will be prepared in advance.

BTW: maybe someone could just tell me what is common knowledge about the Torch itself?

Reread the "If the Seela Died in the Conclusion of chapter 2. The song is ingrained in the heroes' minds. So they still have access to it if you wish. Maybe remind them of it in a dream on a long rest?

EDIT: Strike that, it is the second paragraph of the "Consequences" encounter.

 

[Tormyr]

Thank you, Lylandra!
No worries, they retrieved the sword from the stag´s corpse after Indomitability fled from it. They now also know whom it belonged to and want to find out more about Anyariel. Luckily this is more or less covered in the 3.5ed., which I am using, so that I can prepare something for them to find in Seaquen.

Also the trip through Dassen was overshadowed by the inner conflict of the group about what happened in the wood (they more and more realize that they did something veeeeery stupid) and how they could avoid a repetition in the future. So they more or less stayed away from settlements only sending Haddin to get what they needed for the trip and after they realized how he got the stuff from the merchants although they always gave him some money to actually pay for the goods the situation within the group got even worse (which lead to really intense roleplay within the group).

One of the Players just messaged me a couple of minutes ago that he would like to have some background information about Dassen but this can be found in @Tormyr´s new 5e player´s guide.

Nice job with Haddin!

 

[trencher7]

Nice job with Haddin!

You can´t imagine... They hate him so much right now

OMG: The more questions I have, the more stupid I feel...

Is there any common knowledge about the creation of the Torch?

And thanks a lot to all of you who contributed to this thread so far!

 

[Tormyr]

You can´t imagine... They hate him so much right now

OMG: The more questions I have, the more stupid I feel...

Is there any common knowledge about the creation of the Torch?

And thanks a lot to all of you who contributed to this thread so far!

That would be hearsay and rumor. Only a few were present at the creation of the torch...and half of them ended up dead or missing.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

The burning wood was great to play in Terms of roleplay but whatever could go wrong, actually went wrong. The barbarian tried to cross the wood with Crystin as fast as possible, while the other characters took their time. This was because they thought they would not have enough potions of stand the heat for all and they would have a better chance if two of them tried to be as fast as possible.

Did you know Stand the Heat is available as a 1st level spell in the new spells section of the campaign? I provided the info to my party before they even left Gate Pass, so they could prep by buying up the material component. The cleric, sorcerer, and (once 4th level) ranger could have always cast it some more (expanding it to the bard spell list wouldn't have broken anything, either) if they ran low on potions or supplemented each day so less potions could be used. If Torrent was with them, she could also cast it.
They're also supposed to be able to find the caravan in the gorge early on w/ a ton more of the potions. So I mean...while they can't spend a month in there, they should have felt safe being there for up to a week. May have helped lead to less rash decisions.
(agreeing to help Indomitability of course removes the problem entirely, but you can't expect most parties to do so)

Anyway, answers below:

They want to find out in Seaquen:
- Why does teleporting no longer work? (Is it at this moment possible to give any answer to this?)
The Wayfarers can tell them about the Burning Sky effect, in fact that's the reason they've suspended their teleporting services. No one currently knows why it is, but it started around the time the Torch and Emperor Coaltongue went missing...
- Is there any information about the Trillith/ Trilla herself available?
Try looking in Chapter 7, I think that had some knowledge checks to know who Trilla was (daughter of Syana), though I'm not sure they'd have access to the books/resources to know about that, or the battle between Coaltongue and the Taranesti elves yet. I had no one in Seaquen know of the Trillith or had ever heard of them before. The lack of info early on made my party super paranoid about Deception's return. Savor it, I say
- What does one know about the song of forms (they only know that there might be one surviving Seela, Etinify, who might know the song of forms)
The never got to talk to Tiljann or Papuvin about it before they made their bad decision? That's going to be tough with all the Seela other than Etinfi dead now... The seela learned the song of forms from the Worldshaper Worm, one of the four primal elemental creatures that in the campaign seem to be afforded the status of creators of the world. I guess the best option would be a bard in the Wayfarers or Headmaster Simeon in the Lyceum happening to know the song from research, if you want them to be able to learn it anytime soon. Otherwise, not till they meet Etinifi, way later on.
- Is there any common knowledge about Etinify available?
I'd say no. The Seela could have told them some things, but...so much for that.
- What exactly is at this point known about Coaltongues death?
He was last seen at Castle Korstull in Sindaire, and was in the midst crushing a rebellion by nobles there. No one seems to know what happened to him and the Torch, but he's presumed dead and Leska's ascended the throne in his absence. A huge area miles around the castle is now treacherous with a firestorm raining liquid flame, and no one who has ventured into the firestorm for any significant amount of time is known to have made it back out.
- What exactly is at this point known about Coaltongues relationship to Trilla/ her mother?
As above, they might be able to find out about the battle between his army and the Taranesti and Syana, and that Trilla was Syana's daughter, held captive by Ragesia to provoke Syana into fighting. But that'd be pretty obscure knowledge early on. Someone from the Shahalesti region might know about it. But that's about it for now.

EDIT: Oh, the campaign does cover them learning the song even if they kill all the Seela. Well, if you think suddenly learning it once one of them learns Sylvan is to easy/random, or they have no idea they need to know Sylvan, you could still get a Wayfarer or Simeon to help them research it.

 

[Tormyr]

Did you know Stand the Heat is available as a 1st level spell in the new spells section of the campaign? I provided the info to my party before they even left Gate Pass, so they could prep by buying up the material component. The cleric, sorcerer, and (once 4th level) ranger could have always cast it some more (expanding it to the bard spell list wouldn't have broken anything, either) if they ran low on potions or supplemented each day so less potions could be used. If Torrent was with them, she could also cast it.
They're also supposed to be able to find the caravan in the gorge early on w/ a ton more of the potions. So I mean...while they can't spend a month in there, they should have felt safe being there for up to a week. May have helped lead to less rash decisions.
(agreeing to help Indomitability of course removes the problem entirely, but you can't expect most parties to do so)

Anyway, answers below:



EDIT: Oh, the campaign does cover them learning the song even if they kill all the Seela. Well, if you think suddenly learning it once one of them learns Sylvan is to easy/random, or they have no idea they need to know Sylvan, you could still get a Wayfarer or Simeon to help them research it.

Interestingly enough, stand the heat is one of the easier spell components with a cost for PCs to create themselves, especially in the fire forest.

 

[trencher7]

I knew that stand the heat could be available as a spell but I didn´t want to make it too easy for my group. Knowing that there would be more potions in the wood I was not concerned that the heat would cause them any real trouble. But somehow my group was not paying attention to search for any clues which, coming from a long Call of Cthulhu tradition really surprised me.