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HideousPhidias
Acolyte
USA
14 Posts |
 Posted - 02 Oct 2010 : 05:02:59
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I have been working on this idea off and on for a number of years, not really getting anywhere on it. So it is high time I finish the project and tie many ideas together to make a good campaign for my players.
The idea is that the PC will start in side the city of Iltkazar, the last of the ancient sub-kingdoms of Old Sharatar. I am hoping to keep this mostly a dwarven campaign, due to the fact the most of the politics and NPC interactions will be dwarven. The main plot of the campaign is to life the siege of Iltkazar, driving out the Grey Dwarves. Some of my ideas of the sub plots are the awakening of King Mith Barak, or Mithbarakaz, helpping to bring the Grey Dwarves into the Thunder Blessing by redeeming them, finding a way to rule Iltkazar when : King Mith Barak, sleeps, and expanding the dwarven influence back to the region and reform parts of Old Sharatar.
Ideas for building Iltkazar:
1) The information I found says that there are three tunnels, each with nine gates that enter Itlkazar. I was thinking the that the outer walls of the city should be a circle of reinforced stone with each tunnel leading off in a direction of am area that was once important. Tunnel one would lead to Holorar, with the second leading to The Arnvaults and the last emptying out some where near the dwarven town of Morndivver.
2) The center of the city would be a multi-level maze/palace that would make of what would be called the citadel. The citadel would be the last refuge of the dwarves of Iltkazar if their outer gates were to finally fall. I was thinking a tower built out of the living rock, eight levels high, a tribute to the old kingdom. Each level would now bare a nickname this being one of the first sub-kingdoms. the upper most being Iltkazar. At the center of the citadel sit the statue that is : King Mith Barak.
3)Most of what was once greater Iltkazar would be in the area be the outside of the citadel and the inside of the wall. This would be most likely only three or four levels and mostly abandoned. The Greater part of the city would be mostly empty because thefalling population of Iltkazar. One of the subplot ideas was for the PC to have to go out side the walls and find and make contact with part of the Army of Gold. This is a dwarven army or many armies out of the south mostly From the Greatrift. The Army of Gold is a movement start by the gold dwarves during the thunder blessing to retake the lost dwarven kingdoms. They fight anyone that is stands in their way of the goal, even the Grey Dwarves, which make up the Army of Iron. Anyways I figured that sense the Army of Iron is Besieging Iltkazar the Army of Gold can not be far away, and this means the shield dwarves should welcome any help form other dwarves.
4)In side the city I need to have many different NPC and organizations that the PC can interact with. So this is a sort list of so ideas I had, please fell free to add your two cents to better ground out the city
Ale Houses
The Hungry Gnome
Vergadain's Venture
Thieves Guild
The Under the Boulder Gang
Adventuring Groups
Crafting Guilds
The Mithral Plates: a guild of armor smiths.
Thundering hammers a guild of weapon smiths.
Martial Schools
The House of Axe and Sword, a guild of fighter trained in high sword low axe.
Monastic Orders
Fist of Shatter Stone
Churches
The Ancient Forge, Moradin and Barronar TrueSilver
The Bronze Mask, Gorm Gulthyn
The Hall of Runestones, Dugmaren Brightmantle
The Stone Unturned, Oghma
The Hall of Omlars, Dunathoin
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Edited by - HideousPhidias on 08 Oct 2010 00:59:29
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Kno
Senior Scribe
452 Posts |
Posted - 05 Oct 2010 : 20:27:10
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| add the Shining Blades of Iltkazar, a religious and military order of Clangeddin from Demihuman Deities |
z455t |
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HideousPhidias
Acolyte
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 09 Oct 2010 : 03:38:54
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The city of Iltkazar sit just two miles under the Omlarandin Mountains of Tethyr, there for thousands of years, the last stronghold of a once great kingdom.
Architecture of Iltkazar
The city at it greatest point once stretch through a few dozen caverns, but with the passing of time and a long decay of more than 1300 years Iltkazar is a shadow of its former glory. Most of what was once one of the great eight kingdoms now is only what was once the city center. The Outer City now lies empty or in the hands of Drow, Duergar or other invaders. Iltkazar is a city under siege with a king that has failed to wake from his 75 year long cycle as a mithral statue, now falls further in to decay and want.
The outer wall is a circle with of radius of about a mile, from the outer surface to the inner most center point of the citadel. They are an impressive 60ft in height reaching from floor to ceiling of the cavern. This wall is made of a magical stone; the wall act like a living organism, able to heal itself over time. Only those who know the secret of this magic are able to reshape it to fit their needs. They have thickness of just over 100ft, but on the in side of the wall, tunnel of 50ft depth have been dug in three level along the inside. This simple honeycomb of tunnels service the simple function as a place for mushroom farms on the inner city. This feature would be necessary due to as the city declined and lost territory many of the traditional farming places would be lost and food would be need to be grow inside of the walls to help fend of hunger during a siege. The ways in to the city are three tunnels that have nine gates each. Tunnel one would lead to Holorar, with the second leading to The Arnvaults and the last emptying out some where near the dwarven town of Morndivver.
The city circle, an area in the shape of a ring, this would be the main city. The is an open cavern where buildings are build much like that in the style of those in the surface world. This is in part to help visitors from the surface acclimate to the city. The Shield Dwarves have a long tradition of working with other race, because of this I was thinking having the part of their city be more like these vistors own would help these relations. This part of the city would be in some decay due the fact the population that now lives in the city would mostly live in the citadel. This area would have long standing ale house, inns temples and martial training grounds. I would also think there would be so traditional clan holds that are still occupied but not as many because I see many of those being in the more dwarven part of of the city.
The most inner part of the city is what I like to call the Citadel. This I picture as a pillar of stone with a radius of 1/4 of a mile. This pillar is one of the main support for this large cavern wold be the last stronghold of the city if the outer walls were ever to be breeched. The dwarves would have tunneled in to the living rock creating a giant labyrinth complex that has be come their greatest fortress and palace. The would be many noble clanholds built in to the complex, as well as place for large number of troops and the common dwarf in times of trouble. The Citadel would tower high above the city past the roof of the cavern maybe twice the three times the height of the rest of the city. The citadel would have eight to ten levels the upper most being the halls of the king. The Citadel has only one gate. This faces south, the gate would be in the a large cutting of the pillar. In front of the gate is a square that is formed by the cutting, On the gate side of the square a water fall falls along the wall from a height over 50ft only interrupted only my the roof of the gate house to the Citadel. The water for the falls would come from the River Dhalnadar and the Deepflood . The waters of which run through out the city power many engines of industry. The two side walls of the square are lined with large ancient temples to the many gods of the Dwarven Pantheon. The last side is open to the outer ring of the inner city. |
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HideousPhidias
Acolyte
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 12 Oct 2010 : 07:00:33
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This campaign has a special place in my heart so I want it to be one of my best planned and run campaigns. But I also want it to not be anything like I have run before. I have tried a Dwarven game once before but in Ptolus, a city book by Monte Cook. That one was more finding of loss lore then rebuilding a Dwarven civilization. I also don't normally run in Faerun so I have been doing a lot of reading trying to get the feel of the world.
Campaign Theme: Dwarven Brotherhood and a Holy Crusade for the god Moradin
The campaign starts in Iltkazar the last stronghold of the Shield Dwarf Kingdom Of Deep Shanatar. The once great city is now in a slow decline and besiege on all sides by multiple groups, sits shepherdless after their King Mith Barak the clanless had not awaken from his long seventy five year sleep. The king has ruled for more than thirteen centuries, spending only twenty five years out of every century awake and in charge of his city. The rest of the time the Ironclad Council controls the city. They make no head way with out the king only carrying out edicts he made when last awake. This mysterious kings long sleeps leave the city venerable and with out a leader the people of Iltkazar grow restless and worried.
Moradin has given his dwarven children the Thunder Blessing, so that once more can grow strong and retake their place among the people of Faerun. This Blessing has swelled the population of both the Gold and Shield dwarves. The population of the Great Rift has grown so much they have started sending grand armies to retake lost realms, so that burden on their resources is lessened. These armies have become know as the Army of Gold, the Gold Dwarves make up a bulk of this troops and they have started to move into in to the fromer sub-kingdoms of Old Shanatar driving out old enemies and reclaiming lost realms. The Third branch of the Dwarven Brotherhood, the Grey Dwarves have not recessive the Thunder Blessing do tot he fall from grace and none veneration of the Dwarven Father Moradin. These Dwarves have a evil bent to their society and are out for revenge on the Illithids that took them as slaves and their dwarven brothers they fell abandoned them long ago during a the Mind Stalker Wars. But they too are on the move, like their brothers to the south they too are sending out armies to reclaim lost realms. They call their armies the Army of Steel. Both groups eye the city of Iltkazar with very different interest and intent.
Moradin sit a top his mountain looking out at his children and he want them to come back to together as on race once more. He wishes to give his great blessing to the Duergar but needs them to take a step forward first. Once they have come back to the fold only then can the experience the Greatness has planned for his children. The Thunder Blessing being only the first blessing to come the other will secure the dwarves place for centuries to come. But they first must endure the coming darkness and the horrors that it will bring.
The City of Oryndoll stirs once again. The Illithids have waited thousands or years to finish what they started. During the Mind stalker Wars they had invade Deep Shanatar, trying to take the dwarves as thralls and destroy the greatest dwarven kingdom of the Underdark. They failed, but where they fail time has won. Now only one city of Old Shanatar still stands in Shield Dwarves' hands and it is time to take it. Though they do not have all the information of what goes in the city but they have captured a number of dwarves of Iltkazar and raped their minds. They know of the kings long sleeps and the declining state of city. What is their plan, when will they attack and how?
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thebaron
Acolyte
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2012 : 03:44:54
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| Any more on this? Could be used in my current campaign at some point. |
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HideousPhidias
Acolyte
USA
14 Posts |
Posted - 27 Mar 2012 : 22:00:45
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| Well I have not really done much with it just keep looking at the idea for a Dwarven campaign from a few different angles. In 4th Edition the problems in this campaign are all solved, the king has been freed and awakened, the great war between dwarvens is over and the history of the duergar has been uncovered. So tell about your campaign or point a link. |
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Mumadar Ibn Huzal
Master of Realmslore
1338 Posts |
Posted - 28 Mar 2012 : 20:40:26
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| I'm running a Dwarf-centric PbeM currently with a similar idea as a start. I chose not to set the game in Iltkazar (though one of the Dwarf PCs hails from there), but instead started the game in Morndivver, which is a remnant of another of Shanatar's subkingdoms. I can't divulge too much on the game since two players also frequent the halls of Candlekeep, but some of the same items you are using in your idea appear in some form or other in mine, the Duergar, the Mindflayers, the history of Shanatar. I am also using the Wyrmskull Throne adventure idea, though instead of going for the throne, the group will be after one or more of the scepters. My game is a 3.5e game and I more or less ignore the timeline from where 4e starts. I do not envision the 'in game time' to advance beyond a few years. |
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Iltkazar Campaign: Building The Dwarven City
