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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Sep 2010 : 21:48:00
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I am currently running a Play by Post campaign set in the Forgotten Realms in 1368DR and am looking for good locations to set some of the campaign in as well as criticisms or advice on ideas I have that could be improved or which sound fine as is.
The campaign follows a group of adventurers who set out from the town of Reddansyr on the Dragon Coast on a journey for excitement, fortune, and all that other great stuff adventuring companies get. Along the way to Starmantle, from which they plan on catching a ship to somewhere far away and exciting, they get caught up in a twisted plot by cultists of Graz'zt to trick Lliira into releasing the divine power of Waukeen using a powerful artifact and an ancient spell.
After reading the adventure, For Duty and Deity, I liked the idea of the party being responsible for rescuing the goddess Waukeen, but not by charging down into the Abyss and fighting their way to her. Instead they are going to encounter and stop an attempt by a cult of Graz'zt subverted by his daughter as they gather up an ancient and powerful artifact which they will use to fuel an illusion so powerful that it will deceive the goddess Lliira into believing that Waukeen is in front of her. If they succeed then the divine energy of Waukeen will be returned to Graz'zt's daughter, though not Thraxxia as in the module, who will take over the portfolio of wealth and trade in Faerun and ascend to godhood above her father Graz'zt.
To do so I created an artifact holy to both Shar and Leira, and is a staff of 6 separate segments influenced by the rod of seven parts. The segments, when put together, allow the staff wielder great power over illusions and shadow magic, and can also be consumed to help fuel an illusion so perfect that it cannot be distinguished from the truth by even a deity. I also added in a long ritual and the sacrifice of dozens of worshipers of both Shar and Leira as requirements for the spell, ensuring that it is a long process and one the PC's will have multiple chances to stop the process, either by destroying the artifact itself or stopping the ritual once in progress.
This brings me to the part I need help with. I have these 6 rod parts, as well as vague ideas for guardians and locations, but want opinions on where to place the locations around Faerun. With the party starting along the Dragon Coast anywhere that borders the Sea of Fallen Stars is a possibility, and I find myself with an overabundance of choice. So far here is what I have for the staff parts and locations:
Piece 1, the party is about to recover this from a cleric of Graz'zt doing research in an abandoned lair of the Cult of the Dragon on the road near Starmantle. The cultist will have a decent chance of escaping alive, but the party will be able to recover her notes if she escapes or dies, or else question her if they are able to capture her alive. Either way, through translation of her notes or forcing her to speak the truth, the party will learn that the piece they recover is part of an artifact and that the cult is interested, though not the reason why. Also, her notes will be able to point them towards 2 pieces as well as another cell of cultists active in Starmantle, giving the party an option of where to go next.
Piece 2, I'd like to have this one either as part of a wrecked ship or possessed by a pirate operating out of the Pirate Isles so the group can have a ship or water based adventure. I'm flexible about this though, it could be anywhere along the Sea of Fallen Stars or one of the lakes that branch off from it. I think I want to party directly competing with a group of cultists for this piece, with every possibility of being too slow and coming up short.
Piece 3, this one I'd like to be somewhere in Cormyr in the possession of a War Wizard or else in Thay possessed by a Red Wizard, I still haven't decided which location would be better to adventure in. If in Cormyr the group would be much less obvious outsiders and could get caught up in politics since their opponent is one of the War Wizards, while Thay is just full of perils and could be interesting as well. Either way would be fine to me so I would love advice on which location people prefer and where in those countries would be a good place to have the players visit.
Piece 4, this piece will be held by a dragon(or dragon pair) of some kind, just so the party can get a chance to face these iconic creatures. Anywhere in the Realms could work for this lair, though the closer to the Sea of Fallen Stars the better as far as travel goes.
Piece 5, this piece I want to be in the hands of a monastery devoted to Shar and built around protecting this piece of the artifact. I'm not sure where to place this temple/monastery, possibly even in the Shadow plane or in a location bordering it, though a dark forest in Faerun would work as well.
Piece 6, this piece, along with any the party loses or gets stolen along the way, will be in the location where the illusion will be cast and will be a massive temple full of the sacrificial Shar and Leira worshipers, a number of powerful cultists, demons, and followers, as well as the half-fiend in charge of it all. I want this to be in a remote area of Faerun, maybe one unknown to the group and only accessible through a one-way portal of some kind. This way the group can't just figure out what is going to happen and march an army of former followers of Waukeen there to stop it, by the time they know its exact(and possibly unscryable?) location they are already there and need to stop it themselves. Anywhere in Faerun is acceptable for this as long as it is wild, remote, or otherwise difficult to get to(mountain range, small uncharted island, ect.)
Anyways, thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this long post and offer suggestions or advice. Other than locations one thing I am having trouble with is when to introduce the larger plot of stealing Waukeen's divinity. Should it be fairly early so the party has a reason for urgency or should it be close to the end so they don't try to warn anyone? I can always rule that their story is too far fetched since only a few followers of Waukeen or extremely high placed clerics of Lliira would believe that Waukeen is alive and that they would be ignored, but I'm not sure. Thanks again in advance for anything you have to offer.
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Erik Scott de Bie
Forgotten Realms Author
USA
4598 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 02:02:39
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I don't know, you sound like you're going excellent directions without input from me, but if you *do* want some ideas, you might check out my story in Realms of the Elves, called "The Greater Treasure," which takes place in Elversult (city on the Dragon Coast) and features an underground temple to Graz'zt beneath (you guessed it) an abandoned temple to Waukeen. 
Cheers |
Erik Scott de Bie
'Tis easier to destroy than to create.
Author of a number of Realms novels (GHOSTWALKER, DEPTHS OF MADNESS, and the SHADOWBANE series), contributor to the NEVERWINTER CAMPAIGN GUIDE and SHADOWFELL: GLOOMWROUGHT AND BEYOND, Twitch DM of the Dungeon Scrawlers, currently playing "The Westgate Irregulars" |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 02:36:40
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| Thanks, I never picked up Realms of the Elves but I enjoyed your work on Depths of Madness so I'll definitely go check it out. |
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Ionik Knight
Learned Scribe
USA
222 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 03:29:18
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I have vague recollections of a cave Vanderghast was using for research out in the hinterlands of Cormyr...I think it was guarded by helm horrors. It may have been in a novel....anyone else remember this?
EDIT
I did some googling and recollecting and I'm pretty sure this was in the novel Elminster's Daughter. You could place one of the parts there in the possession of Vanderghast (or one of his successors--depending on when this is happening). You could even put it in Vanderghast's hoard after he becomes a dragon (likely a steel dragon); as has been discussed in other scrolls here at Candlekeep. |
Fools to right of them,
Jesters to left of them,
Clowns in front of them
Pun'd and parody'd. |
Edited by - Ionik Knight on 09 Sep 2010 03:53:21 |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 04:25:32
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| That could work but I'd rather not put the party directly up against Vanderghast. I could still use that site thought, or a similar one, and just have it being used by one of his more trusted War Wizards for research at that time and not Vanderghast himself. It'd certainly be interesting having them break into a legitimate vault and earn the ire of the War Wizards, perhaps becoming outlaws in Cormyr, while trying to stop the plot. I think I might use that, having the party be forced to break into a vault because the people in charge that they are able to talk to, lower ranking War Wizards and Purple Dragon officers most likely, won't take their claims seriously as they are adventurers, and foreign adventurers at that. |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 06:30:53
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| There's always the Palace of Esparin, which I've been gagging to use since I was introduced to it in the KoMD novels (was it in the Sword that Never Sleeps? I think so); An ancient, forgotten palace used by the War Wizards to seal up dangerous items and mages for hundreds of years. |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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idilippy
Senior Scribe
USA
417 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 06:54:19
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| Oh now that's an idea, I remember that from those novels also, that could be an interesting place to send the PCs through. Now I've got two good ideas for Cormyr, maybe if I think of a few more, or get them from you, I could have more of the campaign take place in Cormyr rather than all around the Sea of Fallen Stars. |
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Penknight
Senior Scribe
USA
538 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2010 : 07:53:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Erik Scott de Bie
I don't know, you sound like you're going excellent directions without input from me, but if you *do* want some ideas, you might check out my story in Realms of the Elves, called "The Greater Treasure," which takes place in Elversult (city on the Dragon Coast) and features an underground temple to Graz'zt beneath (you guessed it) an abandoned temple to Waukeen.
Cheers
Which is also the greatest tale in the entire book, by the way.  |
Telethian Phoenix
Pathfinder Reference Document |
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Campaign locations or storyline advice?
