| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Sarta |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 06:09:45
Just thought I'd share a campaign idea I've been kicking around and haven't had a chance of running. Feel free to steal, modify, embellish, critique, ignore, and or whatever else you feel like with it.
For the most part, I have just taken the plothooks provided for several npc groups in the Marches and run with it. Handy books to use with this: Silver Marches, Monsters of Faerun, Hellgate Keep, The North, Waterdeep and the North, Volo's Guide to the North, and I'm sure several others.
Some readers may recognize parts of this from my earlier posts in Classes, Races, & Monstes forum at wizards, where I outlined this in the thread on Tanarukka.
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overview:
The PC's start in Sundabar, seeking fortune whereever they may find it nearby. They come to the attention of a member or members of a newly-forming wizard guild in that city and party spell-casters are given an opportunity to get in on the ground-floor of this guild. The party becomes sponsored by the guild, who help faccilitate the gathering of basic adventuring gear, identifying magic items, and even possibly track down some lower-powered magical items. The guild on the other hand gains some prestige as the party's exploits become known.
One of the members of the party (preferably not a spell-caster) begins to recieve very elaborate dreams. In their dream a large, disembodied hand shows up and warns them, "Danger brews!". It then beckons them to follow and they begin soaring above the Silver Marches. As they head into the hills they begin to make out gathering orc bands. The hand points and says, "This is but a precursor of what is to come." At this point they wake up. The character, with the aid of a map, can determine the whereabouts of these orcs and, armed with this knowledge and the aid of the guild, the party begins an orcish killing-spree. The hand occasionally returns to this character's dreams to continue giving warning. A successful knowledge religion check informs the party that the hand is most likely a manifestation of Shaundakul.
Over time, they begin to encounter more terrifying creatures within the ranks of the orcs: trolls, hill giants, and Tanarukka. All signs point to Obould raising a horde. Eventually a show-down occurs between the party and Obould, who has an elite unit of Tanarukka guarding him, along with an assortment of other powerful bodyguards. The party, thinking they are done, returns home to a heroes welcome where they are hailed as the latest in a list of epic heroes to have stopped a gathering horde.
The hand returns again to the dreams of the character, this time to show them a handful of tanarukka approaching the Nameless Dungeon. As they watch, an even larger group of Tanarukka exits that location and joins this small group and they head off. The hand speaks, "Obould was but a pawn, seek out the source of evil." Now the party is prepared to assault the Nameless Dungeon in order to put down the source of Tanarukka, Kaanyr Vhok.
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Behind the scenes:
Arcane Brotherhood:
The newly forming wizard guild is none other than a branch of the Arcane Brotherhood. Seeking to gain more power in the Silver Marches, the Brotherhood has decided to implement a very long-term to plot to control the other cities of the Marches. Realizing that most magic is consolidated in Silverymoon, they decide that it would be very feasable for an organized guild to take control of the other cities of the Marches -- most notably, Sundabar, Feldbar, and Adbar. They merely have to do what they did once before in Luskan and given their experience and resources, they should be able to do this fairly quickly. Sundabar is the preferable city of the three to begin this plot. It has far more sway on the trade-routes they currently use and are interested in. The party provides a great opportunity for them to jeopardize very little and capitalize politically on the exploits of the party.
Countess Sarya Dlardrageth and the fey'ri
The disembodied hand of the character's dreams is none other than Countess Sarya Dlardrageth using the spell dream to manipulate the party into doing her bidding. Sarya wants the elven artifacts locked away in the Nameless Dungeon for herself. She knows that she does not have the resources, nor the man-power to unseat Vhok. However, through scrying and manipulating "heroes" she can possibly still get her way. She has teamed up with the Arcane Brotherhood and supports their efforts and promises lost lore and relics in return for reliable information and occasional hard to come by goods. She utilizes the avatar form of Shaundakul because it is one of the few human deities she is familiar with (his worship in and around Elven realms predates her imprisonment). She hopes the party, through interfering with Vhok's plans, will stretch his resources thinner. When the party finally attacks Vhok in his lair, she and her fey'ri will be prepared with a strike-team to mop up what's left and seize the Nameless Dungeon for their own.
Kaanyr Vhok
He wants to rule the Marches by proxy from his throne in the Nameless Dungeon. The scoured legion he commands numbers in the 1200 range, far too many to keep locked up there. He has to get some of them out in order to continue to lay low. He has already either defeated or taken control of the nagas and ophidians who arrived in Nameless at about the same time he did. His plan is to infiltrate his tanarukka into the ranks of the various orc tribes, have them gain power, and then begin to consolidate them with Obould as his pawn. To ensure Obould's compliance, he has lured at least one of Obould's sons back to the Nameless dungeon with promises of power and greatness. He secures Obould's obediance with the twin threats of either killing his son or simply replacing Obould with his more pliable son. He cements the deal by installing a Tanarukka honor guard for Obould's protection (who can assassinate Obould if need be). Since taking up lodging, Vhok has managed to recover quite a few of the hidden Elven artifacts which he has used to bolster his own power.
Obould Many-Arrows
Frankly, he's simply hanging on for the ride. Vhok's plan is not to his liking. While, the Tanarukka are appreciated -- especially since their children can be brought up loyal to Obould -- the puppet strings are definitely resented. Obould seems to genuinely care about his own children though, and is clever enough to realize the trap he's fallen into once one of his sons falls prey to Vhok. As long as Vhok allows Obould to appear to be in command and doesn't micro-manage Obould's plans for the horde, Obould will not rebel too strenuously. Obould does gain an opportunity to bolster his forces with the trolls and giants displaced by Gerti Orelsdottr's current push south. He will probably attempt to utilize these new-found troops to protect him against Vhok's forces should a show-down occur.
Sarta |
| 20 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wood Elf Ranger |
Posted - 08 May 2004 : 06:01:48
How is this project coming along Shadowlord? I have NWN and HotU and would like to play this campaign when you come out with a beta version or whatever.  |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 01:18:17
One question. Do you want the module to be more hack n' slash oriented, or more roleplay oriented? Or mayhaps a bit of both?  |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 01:04:23
On the contrary, this is plenty of information.
I'll start building the module right away, and let you know when it's finished.  |
| Sarta |
Posted - 22 Mar 2004 : 01:00:03
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord
As for details, I want to know about party levels, other areas the PC's explore, basically anything and everything you can come up with. Also, I'd like to know whether or not you play Neverwinter Nights yourself. When complete, you should at least be able to play your own campaign... 
I also need a name for the module. Basically, in order to complete the module, you'd need to feed me information, while I assemble the game.
In terms of levels, I had in mind the possibility of starting the pc's out as first level characters. With the major advesary of the campaign being orcs, there's no reason to start them out higher level. Throughout the campaign they would probably need to eventually get to around levels 15 - 16 in order to confront Vhok on his home turf and hope to prevail.
I have a copy of NWN, but it is not currently installed. I played it a bit when it first came out, but haven't picked up any supplements, nor done much with it in quite a while.
I suppose the title of the adventure itself could be something along the lines of Champions of Sundabar. Accurate description of the part the party will play, without revealing anything specific.
In terms of maps and locales, I'd suggest Volo's Guide to the North.
In terms of very specific details regarding encounters, I'm probably a bad person to talk to regarding this. I've always been a DM that sticks to the "winging it" style of gamemastering. I get to know the various npc's that will be involved in one plotline or another, analyze their resources and motivations, and then allow the party to insert themselves one way or another into these machinations. As a result, I often am making up the stats of junior officers, thugs, and magelings as game-play unfolds rather than having each encounter meticulously detailed.
I mainly do this because I have found over the years that a group of players will not always do what you think they will do and if you put a whole lot of planning into a specific encounter ahead of time, they may decide instead to do something completely different.
In this specific case, I'd scale the combat based on the party levels: beginning with small groups of orcs and scaling it up to hundreds of orcs with various adepts, sorcerors, war-leaders (levels of fighter, ranger, or barbarian), and non-orcish help (tanarukka, trolls, hill giants, etc.).
Sorry, if this isn't enough.
Sarta |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 17:08:05
Anything but that, Alaundo... 
I actually do have a logging system, but it's just like Sage leaving his notebook over Lady Kazandra's house..... (See, even our resident Master of Realmslore slips up sometimes...  ) |
| Alaundo |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 16:55:47
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord
Ah! The tome has turned up. The followers of The Masked Lord strike again!  In reality, I left it over one of my friend's houses.
Well, back to work... 
Well met
Back to work indeed!  Mayhaps you need some kind of logging system in place when booking out tomes within your personal library, Shadowlord. Woe be tide if you misplace a tome from within Candlekeep |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 16:50:24
Ah! The tome has turned up. The followers of The Masked Lord strike again! In reality, I left it over one of my friend's houses.
Well, back to work... |
| Mystery_Man |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 16:16:30
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord
Yes, but I seem to have misplaced this tome at the moment, Arivia.
*GaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssP!!* |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 15:56:43
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord
Yes, but I seem to have misplaced this tome at the moment, Arivia.
Sure one of your fellow gamers doesn't have it? That possibility can happen when you hang out with Vhaeraun followers.
In one of the Rand's Travelogues, there is a image showing a portion of the Silver Marches. Perhaps this http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/fx20011219rt
will help as a reference until you find your tome. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 12:40:19
You've misplaced an FR tome... I am sure that Alaundo would be most distressed to hear this news.
Now, how did you manage to misplace the Silver Marches tome...?
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| Shadowlord |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 04:39:19
Yes, but I seem to have misplaced this tome at the moment, Arivia. |
| Arivia |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 04:15:44
Perhaps the Silver Marches supplement? |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 21 Mar 2004 : 03:59:26
Well, I've started the Module for NWN. Does anyone know where I can find a quality map of Sundabar? Of the Silver Marches?
Thanks in advance. |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 21:12:42
Thanks for your consent.
As for details, I want to know about party levels, other areas the PC's explore, basically anything and everything you can come up with. Also, I'd like to know whether or not you play Neverwinter Nights yourself. When complete, you should at least be able to play your own campaign...
I also need a name for the module. Basically, in order to complete the module, you'd need to feed me information, while I assemble the game. |
| Sarta |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 21:05:09
quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord
Hmm, as was said before, this is an extremely well thought-out campaign. If I may, I'd like to create a Neverwinter Nights module featuring your campaign ideas. You will be given credit if you agree, and if you play NWN, you'll be the first to beta-test the module. Of course, I'd need to know more about the details, but I'm sure you agree that this could be a truly epic adventure!
Certainly, feel free. The idea for the campaign largely sprung from so many different people discussing how to use Vhok, Obould, and Sarya in a campaign set in the Silver Marches. Many people seemed to feel that the fey'ri should team up with the tanarukka. However, I was very against this idea. This was my personal view on how these power-groups would or could interact in the near future.
I think the plotline, being fairly linear, would lend itself well to a NWN game. If running this in tabletop, I'd intersperse the events of the story with other types of adventures in order to give the pc's a bit of a break from the monotony of a single story-line. However, in a computer game it is usually a good idea to not deviate from a single story-line.
I think my one concern would be how to handle Sarya's dream sendings. In another game, it would be traditional to cut to a movie for these sorts of events and then cut back to the game-play. Not being too familiar with the coding of NWN though, I suppose it could still be done. If doing this as part of the game, she could reveal that she was responsible for these visions during her final encounter with the pc's -- ye olde gloating villain plot device. She could also reveal the nature of the wizard's guild and allow the pc's to end the campaign by wiping that out as well.
If adapting this to NWN, I'd provide a store that sells spell scrolls. During the fighting against Obould's forces, very few spell-casters will be encountered. If PC's are leveling up as they go, this may present problems to spell-casting pc's. This was one of the reasons for utilizing the Arcane Brotherhood's wizard guild. I knew that one of the rewards a player-character wizard relies on is the occasional looted spellbook. Given that the campaign would not present many spell-casting oponents, I felt the sponsoring guild would provide a good opportunity to balance this issue.
In terms of details, let me know what you are looking for.
Sarta |
| Shadowlord |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 20:13:53
Hmm, as was said before, this is an extremely well thought-out campaign. If I may, I'd like to create a Neverwinter Nights module featuring your campaign ideas. You will be given credit if you agree, and if you play NWN, you'll be the first to beta-test the module. Of course, I'd need to know more about the details, but I'm sure you agree that this could be a truly epic adventure! |
| Sarta |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 19:54:20
Actually, I will not be using this in the current game I am running. I've monkeyed around with the timeline of things for my own campaign. This plotline assumes that one is using the current timeline without modifications. In the game I'm currently running, Hellgate keep has not been destroyed yet in 1372.
One of the pc's in my current game was born into the Tree Ghost tribe of Uthgardt. However, he was born with a birthmark of a bear on his arm -- the symbol of the Blue Bear tribe, which the Tree Ghost tribe split off from. His mother, fearing reprisals, made him always keep this birth mark covered and had his face tattooed with the Tree Ghost symbol on each cheek. At a young age, he was kidnapped from his family by strangers who knew about his birthmark. He managed to escape and was brought up in an Ilmatari orphanage. The pc has a level of monk from this upbringing, but has since shifted alignment and is now a barbarian worshipper of Uthgardt. He has not returned to the Tree Ghost tribe because he was always suspicious that someone from his tribe tipped off these kidnappers.
During the course of my current campaign. the party will have an opportunity to defend the Citadel of the Mists from Tanta Hagara, the Blue Bear tribe, and allied demons. After the destruction of the Blue Bear tribe (who's worship had switched to Malar) the player character will have an opportunity to reforge the Blue Bear tribe as once again loyal to Uthgardt. After a few quests he will qualify for the Bear Warrior prestige class in the Complete Warrior (his bear form will be blue).
I'll also be running an updated to 3.5 version of Hellgate Keep with them shortly after the battle with the Blue Bear tribe. So, if things go well, they will actually nip both Vhok and Sarya's plans in the bud or at the very least gain two powerful antagonists.
Sarta |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 15:07:45
quote:
Originally posted by Sarta
Countess Sarya Dlardrageth and the fey'ri
...She utilizes the avatar form of Shaundakul because it is one of the few human deities she is familiar with (his worship in and around Elven realms predates her imprisonment).
Interesting and a good element to add. Shaundakul would be someone that she apparently would be more than a little knowledgeable of despite her long absence in the Realms.
Does someone in the group follow Shaundakul as well?
Good luck in your gaming. |
| The Sage |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 08:41:18
This is a very solid beginning for a campaign set in the Silver Marches Sarta. You've presented enough potential hooks, and your usage of many of the North's unique NPCs and locations will ensure enough of a good basis for you to start developing future adventures that are not so reliant on pre-established material.
I hope you keep us apprised of your progress in this campaign...
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| Bookwyrm |
Posted - 20 Mar 2004 : 07:27:35
Hmm. Well thought out. I can't really give much feedback, since I'm inexperienced in gameplay, but it certainly seems interesting. |
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