| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| KnightErrantJR |
Posted - 19 Jul 2007 : 03:58:56
Hey all, I'm about to get my new group's campaign up and running, and I was thinking about the potential paths the party might go on. I'm starting them out in Featherdale this time, in 1365 DR.
I'm going to get some mileage out of "Within the Circle" from Dungeon Magazine, with some modifications to make it fit better into Featherdale as well as tying it into a long term campaign.
One of the things that I'm going to establish is that (as per a suggestion from way back from George) that Baron Wildhurst is actually a Sembian whose family has purchased a title. He is living in his fortified abode in Featherdale because he came across into Featherdale with the Sembian mercenaries that helped to run Lashan out of the dale, and decided to stay because several families back in Sembia are . . . eager to see him again.
At any rate, beyond the information in the adventure, I wanted to expand this adventure a bit. Not only is there a Yuan-ti faction from Hlondeth (a lesser cousin of the ruling Extaminos) sponsoring Wildhurst, but this same Extaminos is sponsoring the Rot Grubs in Ordulin as well. The Yuan-ti are trying to slowly build some sympathetic Sembians as "nobility" and then use them to push for a "king" for Sembia, who will naturally be drawn from the ranks of their puppets.
The plan is to be a very long term one, except that the particular Extaminos involved is impatient and is forcing the matter sooner than his family would like. Wildhurst is going to attempt to peacefully annex the dale by calling on one of the Heralds, a duly appointed representative of the dale, and Morninglord Horgontivar to affirm him as the duly representative ruler of the dale.
The representative will be Speaker Kirshoff, but I'm still trying to figure out what angle to work in order to have her agree to the annex. I don't want Wildhurst to resort to magic or anything too underhanded. Horgontivar will be swayed by being told that the dale will be more prosperous and solid and firmly defended by Sembia, and his "flock" will be able to flourish under more clearly defined structures provided.
At any rate, this is the crux. While most of the Featherdarrans won't want to be part of Sembia, I do want there to be at least some though going into, "should we oppose this," especially if they don't figure out the yuan-ti connection, or if Wildhurst makes a show of distancin himself from them (perhaps by asking the PCs to act against them).
If a Dalesmeet isn't called to figure out what the people want, then Wildhurst could get what he wants, as Sembia and Cormyr and likely many of the dales will abide by the decision if the Heralds affirm what goes on.
Its only if the PCs do act against Wildhurst that I want him to get aggressive, start calling in favors, and brining in Sembian "friends" to back him up.
What I'm hoping will help in the tension in that one of the players is playing a Sembian born paladin, whose family is also "noble," and who isn't going to be nearly as upset as the native dale characters.
At any rate, with this setup in mind, what kind of twists and turns would my fellow scribes come up with? Any holes in my theory so far? What could use refining?
Thanks all for the ideas.
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| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Asgetrion |
Posted - 04 Aug 2007 : 16:58:10
A very good outline for a campaign filled with political intrigue!  I’d change ‘Baron’ Wildhurst’s name (and title) to properly fit a Sembian merchant family. Otherwise, I have very little to offer – I’d probably throw Men of the Basilisk into this mix somehow (maybe they’d oppose this ‘Baron’ because he owes them money or plot to control him as soon as he annexes the Dale?).
I'll post more comments and/or ideas if I come up with anything. |
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