| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Rhewtani |
Posted - 18 May 2012 : 17:06:10
As a side note, this campaign is using the Kingmaker rules.
Lord Ericon Hulmaster, Harmach of Hulburg is using his adventuring wealth and his marriage to Amali Hulmaster to rebuild the town of Hulburg, along the Moonsea. Recent events have caused Hulburg to gain a deep water way, making it an ideal trading hub, alongside and as alternatives to, Melvaunt and Mulmaster.
Lord Nanther of Melvaunt has already made some beginnings into diplomacy with Ericon and his council. Town criers were sent throughout the Moonsea and ships will bring settlers in the spring. It is looking more and more like this is going to actually work!
What else should begin happening, as well?
-Humanoids are taking notice.
-I intend to have House Sokol also make an appearance soon, but I do not know how that negotiation SHOULD work.
-There is a priest of Myrkul hiding in the ruins that Ericon and the Knights are sworn to remove. They just do not know where he is. This priest has allied himself with a cell of the Cult of the Dragon.
-Lord Nanther pledged 100 slaves and 10 of his best craftsmen (he slaves indefinitely and Lord Hulmaster intends to free them; the craftsmen for 11 months).
-House Valjevo, in Phlan, is establishing stables and a messenging service between all the cities of the Moonsea. He has secured building rights with Ericon.
-There are, of course, pirates in the Moonsea. What role should they play?
-In their covert attempt to remove Aesperus, the knights are trying to discern how Rivan Hulmaster overthrew Aesperus before. They have discerned Rivan was a skilled fire mage and that he drew power from energy wells throughout Thar that are connected to the elemental planes. They now have some leads on Vorbyx and are beginning to search out his legacy, as well.
|
| 6 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Rhewtani |
Posted - 22 Jun 2012 : 18:05:35
It actually worked out great that the one player left with me gaining essentially "veto" power. One, it allows me to do things like name the castle Griffonwatch, which in canon it would be called by the 1450s. I can create canon "flare" to their actions. Secondly, since there is a tendency to number crunch and power game here and there, I can out right block truly ridiculous actions. Apparently, there was a plan to maximize stability and then levy excessive taxes. Luckily, Erikon's player had already promised no taxes for one year. So, I stuck by that and they changed their plans. Though, they did briefly discuss ramping unhappiness up until he got deposed.
|
| Eilserus |
Posted - 21 Jun 2012 : 18:43:35
Very cool. I can't wait to use the Kingmaker adventures myself when we finally get out of the Underdark and start our good guy campaign. Since Zhentil Keep is nuked, I think another nice area would be the old lands of Teshar. I think I have the area right, basically from the Daggerdale area all the way to the ruins of Zhentil Keep. Can't wait to play a dwarf again and hopefully reclaim Tethyamar! Let us know how the campaign goes, the Kingmaker adventure series is pretty slick. |
| Rhewtani |
Posted - 21 Jun 2012 : 14:28:24
We had our first "kingmaking" session, to get our hands around the rules and move forward. I provided them with discounts on certain construction items based on existing materials and agreements. They got a "free" (money already spent) standard promotion bonus for having intiiated a campaign of town criers and chartering ships to pick immigrants up to bring them to Hulburg. They can receive a cathedral at half as long as it was dedicated to Tyr, having been built on the mostly intact remains of Rosestone Abbey. They can receive a castle at half-price building upon the Fastness. They can receive half price on waterfront, having secured assistance from House Nanther of Melvaunt.
They began with 120 BP, from gold set aside for the purpose. The council is primarily PCs. The defacto ruler (married to Amali Hulmaster and made heir and recently Harmach) was run by a PC whose player moved. As a result, he is letter the two other primary player characters make the bulk of the decisions with only certain objections. Erikon is forbiding taxes for the first year, he would not let them make the city lawful evil, etc.
During the first month, the town worked to completing construction on the castle and housing. Many of the citizenry still live in its courtyard and will do so for the winter. Upon its completion, Erikon christened the castle as "Griffonwatch" for the symbol of House Hulmaster and for the griffon that Kiavon recently rescued.
Work began in earnest on the waterfront during the second month. House Nanther provide 10 skilled craftsmen, including the man responsible for House Nanther's docks in Melvaunt, for eleven months as well as 90 slaves. The slaves are to become indentured for the eleven months and then given land and their freedom. A gaff in Kiavon's speech to them and the lax security after Nanther relinquished control of them did result in ten of them leaving in the night.
Cultists made an attempt on the lives of the PCs, still assisted by the Myrkulite Priest the party encountered before. They interrupted a ceremony he had been trying to conduct with Hulburg's Pool of Radiance. They have also been required by their treaty with Aesperus to banish or execute the priest within the year.
|
| Derulbaskul |
Posted - 19 Jun 2012 : 05:57:25
I really like what you've done. Hulburg in 1351 seems to be a perfect location to start a Kingmaker-powered and -flavoured campaign. I hope you post more for your fellow Moonsea fans to enjoy! |
| Rhewtani |
Posted - 22 May 2012 : 15:20:03
We're in the process of moving to an online format to add a couple of players back in. Until then we bounce from 2 to 3 players.
When Dan is missing, we have been running some of the shieldsworn (house guard) of Lord Hulmaster. When all three are there we can run the council members.
Dan was missing last night, so Adam and Chris ran Traec and Briscan. These two shieldsworn are in the training to eventually become Captain of the Guard and Chief Constable. Lord Hulmaster sent them to retrieve the Everflame from the tomb of Kassen. The gathering of the everflame was a ritual performed by the people who ruled Hulburg before Aesperus. Lord Hulmaster is trying to walk the fine line of his authority coming from being married into the Hulmaster family and still undermining Aesperus' claim to old Thentur.
They reached the Tomb of Kassen where they found recent bodies. Exploration determined that cult of the dragon members broke into the tomb seeking an amulet kept within that acts as a key to an ancient vault. The managed to rescue a brother and sister who turned out to be settlers embarking from Thentia. The group of about a dozen people had hoped to stake an early claim to land, before more people arrived in the Spring. It turns out that Roldare and Dimira, at least, lucked out - gaining shares in the treasure, enough, to set up fairly well funded farms or shops.
What should they be able to do with their combined wealth of about 1,500 gp?
They also came across a cave blocked by a statue of a dragon. It is, in fact, a dragon that had been turned to stone. Goblins had filled its mouth with a camp fire and it was doing a reasonable job of scarying away monsters, but attracting adventurers. The cave was cleared by Traec, Briscan, and Roldare on their way back.
Lord Hulmaster made sure to reward them both now and with delayed rewards (notes for 500 gp each redeemable in the Summer). He means to keep the shieldsworn loyal and also with incentive to not cash out and leave.
As Roldare and Dimira tell the tale of the dragon in the spring, the CoD will likely head on out and capture that one. They have also reanimated one dragon into an actual dracoliche. |
| Rhewtani |
Posted - 18 May 2012 : 17:07:02
I want to add this, because I'm a little bit proud of how I've weaved things through canon and made some of it more explainable (if not more plausible).
Some background info:
According to canon, the Zhents leveled Hulburg in 1347. In 1350, Bane sucked the town out of the prime material plane, but Tyr made him put it back.
In our campaign, Fzoul Chembryl working with Marcus, an exiled Thayvian, linked four cities together through their pools of radiance and anchoring them in the astral sea by the use the magicla weight of four artifacts. Each "pair" of cities needed to have equal weight, metaphysically. Calculations allowed them to pair Hulburg with the small mining town of New Verdigris (and the ruins of old Verdigris) and Phlan with Melvaunt.
Elminster was able to hold the pocket plane created by the intersection of these four pools open with silver fire, but was limited from any other action. He had come upon the incident while following Fzoul Chembryl through the portals these pools inadvertantly created. It turns out that Fzoul Chembryl, in addition to doing the will of Bane, was also using them as a way into the frozen ruins of Verdigris. From there he was able to remove the Blade of Lathander - the one weapon capable of destroying the spirit being Tyranthraxus. As always, Fzoul prefers to be able to kill anyone he is doing business with and they have begun working with Zrie Paxus on the creation of Azure Bonds.
The Knights of Phlan, heroes who had been knighted by the council as they left to face Tyranthraxus had been turned to mithral when facing the spirit being in Valjevo Castle in 1340. Using ioun spheres, Tyranthraxus was able to draw power from the pool and the resulting explosion transformed any present into pure mithral and collapsed the castle. The reactivation of the pool and its transformation into a pool of darkness released them from this bondage.
They traveled through the portals, breaking the anchors holding each city on the astral sea. In Hulburg, they ment the Hulmaster family and one member was wed to Lord Hulmaster's daughter, Amali and made heir to the title of Harmach. Once all of the cities were returned to Faerun, Ericon began the work of restoring the ruins of Hulburb into a town.
He was shocked to find that this ended up requiring negotiations with the Lich, Aesperus. He was able to convince Aesperus to leave his lair beneath Hulburg and take all of the undead that served him from there. He did this in exchange for, among other concessions, a copper amulet that Ericon had found in Rivan Hulmaster's sarcophagus.
However, unknown to Ericon, a great many of those undead were ... structural. It is believed that their exit is what caused the massive collapse of half the ruins into the bay. Little of know value was lost, though access to the pool of radiance is now impossible. Hulburg did gain the deep water bay that they lacked (but would have gained during the spellplague).
|
|
|
