| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| GerbenDekker |
Posted - 16 Apr 2011 : 14:26:32
So basically, I'm working on a baseline story for a homebrew campaign I might run in the future. I'm posting the short of it here, and I'd like to ask anyone (especially 4e specialists) to give your view on it. What I'm concerned about most is, if the story doesn't mess with the canonical lore too much and if it is viable technically. Thanks in advance for any views given!  Oh and sorry for the length of the post, I imagine it's not exactly what you'd call high literature. All info I use is derived from 4e sources.
The idea is the following: each player can choose a magic item equal to their level that can be clearly tied (by the item's name, fluff text, specific mention as usable for certain classes such as the shuriken for rogues, etc.) to their class, race, power source, character background, or any other aspect of their character that is chosen during char creation. These magic items, which the players must think is just a bonus, are actually what the campaign turns out to be about. These items will grow with the characters as they progress (so a +1 Magic Dagger automatically becomes a +2 Magic Dagger when the character reaches level 6). As they play through the campaign, they will learn about the history (stated below) behind the items. I plan to include the Harpers as well, as not much is known about them in 4e and are as such easily incorporated into the story, while they of all organisations I think should have this kind of information. Of course, I wouldn't have the Harpers do anything that isn't on a par with lore 
So basically, when the Astral Gods defeated the primordials during the Days of Thunder, Ao the Hidden One gave Abeir to the latter party. So the primordials were set to Rule Abeir and the Astral Gods were given Toril (Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, "Sundered Abeir," p.41). However, this information was (as I interpreted it) partially revised when the PHB2 came out, stating that the primal spirits of Toril would suffer no rule of either the Astral Gods or Primordials, and by their decree both forces could only (indirectly as I understood) influence that world (Player's Handbook 2, "The Primal Power Source," p.5). The primal spirits asserted that Toril would no longer serve as the battle grounds for the wars of primordials and Astral Gods, and banished both forces to their home planes. I actually have some questions on this particular piece of lore, but I'll post that elsewhere, as I don't believe it's relevant to what I'm posting here.
Then, I added the following to this piece of lore: As the primordials were slain and driven back and banished to Abeir, one of them created a Rift between Abeir and Toril in a last wrathful rampage. This Rift was not discovered by the Astral Gods or Creator Races and so was left there unnoticed and untouched. Then, during the Age of Proud Peoples, the primordials broke the decree set by the spirits that dwell on Toril and marched forth from Abeir, through the Rift, and into Toril, disguised as Deceiver Gods. Once there, these Deceiver Gods contacted in secret the greatest leaders of that time (these would be leaders of cults, class organizations, kingdoms, etc. etc., basically any group belonging to the aspect the PCs chose to base their magic item on). The mortal leaders were overblown by the appearance of the Deceiver Gods in all their "piety." The fake Gods showed the leaders visions of Toril being attacked by Primordials, and gave these leaders instructions to create devices (so, the magical items the players can choose) that would be hallowed with the power of the (fake) Gods, and that the leaders would wield in the war against the primordials, which they were promised to fight alongside these Deceiver Gods; which they held as true Gods, as no mortal on Toril knew how a true living God would appear to them.
In fact, the primordials would infuse these crafts with their power so that they could control the minds of the leaders who made them. As such, if they could control the greatest leaders of Toril, they could slowly but assuredly gain more control over the world and in the end govern it.
So during the Labour of these leaders, the spirits of Toril sensed a shift in the balance, and increase in the control of the primordials over the earth. They warned the Astral Gods, and both they and the Gods (in mortal form, not in their true shape which was forbidden) reached out to convince the leaders to break their promise to the Deceiver Gods. However, as the leaders were near to completing their life works and their minds were overthrown by the otherworldly wisdom of the Deceiver Gods, they did not comply to the request of the Astral Gods and spirits.
Then, the Deceiver Gods started a Ritual when the leaders' devices were offered to them. They wove fragments of their powers into the items, and many other spells that none of the leaders could know of. Before a link between the power now put into the crafts and the primordials themselves was made, a vision came to the mortal leaders. In this vision, the Astral Gods and spirits of Toril spoke of the rescue of the leaders and Toril from a fate the leaders could not see. Then the Astral Gods, aided by the primal spirits, fought and defeated the primordials, banishing them again to Abeir, and at last sealed the Rift. The leaders were spared, though ashamed, of what they'd done.
The items were too great to destroy and their power couldn't be altered, because the Astral Gods do not share the same power (in a power source kind of way) as the primordials. Hence, Mystra put a spell of her own on them, making the items reject each other like equal poles, which would remain as long as the Weave stood.
However, one of the leaders still longed for the power of the primordials and thought the Astral Gods unfair; the primordials after all sparked in his mind the creation of an utterly beautiful craft, and the gods disallowed him to keep it, even though he spent so many of his mortal years perfecting it. And so he went over and into Abeir, pledging himself to the service of the primordials. He then served as their avatar and they were henceforth the source of all his power and wisdom.
After many years however, the items passed into forgetfulness. This was one of the spells that the Deceiver Gods had woven into their Ritual. The items were never more than a shimmer to any one's mind, even to the Gods', lest these crafts should be discovered as the source of the primordials' control over the minds of the leaders.
And so the devices strayed across Toril, never coming any closer to one another than their curse would allow them to. But then, as Mystra was slain by Cyric during the Time of Troubles with the sword Godsbane, the Weave was shattered and utter ill befell the world. Not only were Abeir and Toril mingled worlds then, but the items could again work their way to each other's nearness. So, 94 years after the Spellplague, these devices have once again found each other - and their masters (aka Chapter 1: An Unexpected Party). This would be the point where play starts 
I'm not sure how I'd like the rest of the story (that would be, the story the PCs get to wrestle through) to unfold, but as I said: this is the background story to this campaign. Because of that I left and want to use some plot devices that are as of yet left unused; such as the unknown spells cast on the items by the primordials, the fact that in 4e no one actually knows what happened to the Harpers, the fact that Abeir has partially merged with Toril (who knows where else this might have occured?)etc.
Again, my questions: this doesn't clash with existing lore does it? For example, would it be in the nature of primordials to try and use stealth and trickery like that? Is it viable when applying The Rules (for example, don't the magical items interfere with balancing, which I doubt)? What prevents players from selling/dropping/destroying their items? What about power sources not mentioned here (shadow, for example), or races that did not exist yet (such as Wilden)/come from another plane (Eladrin, Shadar-Kai, Genasi)? Etc. etc. I have some ideas on the latter two, but I'd like to hear some ideas first Thanks!! Also, I gladly accept any and every thought on this, but answers along the lines of "it is if you say it is" aren't what I'm looking for. Except when it's true. |
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