| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
 Posted - 07 Sep 2011 : 22:07:26
|
In my 1351 campaign, the group has run afoul of Aesperus the King in Copper, near Hulburg. Half the group should be holding a diplomatic session with him (as one PC is the new ruler of the hole that is Hulburg), while the other half will be out searching for some means to kill him. This will involve a trip to Rivan's Tower, where they will find information that will lead them to consult the monks of the winding way in the mountains.
This is where I want to use "The Winding Way" from Dungeon 117. The monastery is vacant except for undead ... all over the place. It turns out the monks were killed when the rogue-turned-gardener let out an evil that had been tucked away there by an ancient lich.
So, who do I use for this lich?
|
Edited by - Rhewtani on 17 Jan 2012 18:59:50
|
|
|
Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 07 Sep 2011 : 22:12:57
|
| Szass Tam? |
 |
|
|
Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 07 Sep 2011 : 22:37:15
|
| I'd use a banelich. The 2nd edition Zhentil Keep boxed set has a list of a few names in the adventure booklet if I remember right. I think I read that not all of them were destroyed when Bane was ressurected. If you only want a lich priest of Myrkul I'd just make one up. There is supposedly a ruined temple of Myrkul in the Flooded Forest southwest of Mulmaster, perhaps that is/was the lich's base of operations. |
|
|
|
Marc
Senior Scribe
658 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2011 : 07:11:55
|
| In Polyhedron articles about that area is a story about a lich with antlers. |
. |
|
|
|
Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2011 : 20:21:40
|
Didn't have to be of Myrkul, but the adventure I was pulling it from had the tomb where he is keeping undead creatures of particular horrid traits as also a shrine of Nerul. Since this is '51, that translates to Myrkul. Basically, I need a lich that predates the 1050's, or so - if only just barely. The background for the lich in the background of the adventure is this:
A notorious necromancer had a vision of his death at the hands of an army of heroes. So, in preparation he created dozens of tombs throughout the world where he hid his favorite creations. Since he knew that the heroes would defeat him if he opposed them, he chose to pass into lichdom and wait for them to die. I guess this sort of sounded to me like one of those bizare plans that Tam might come up with. |
|
|
|
Rhewtani
Senior Scribe
USA
508 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2012 : 03:42:18
|
Ressurecting this one, or reincarnating, or something.
Natural progression of play has allowed me to sort of leave the "lich" slot empty for a few months. Last game the PCs finally did get to the monastery. I would have gone with Szass Tam, and shoe horned it, but in the interim some detail on Zhengyi got updated into the forgotten realms wiki. Sure, I have to fact check everything there, but it does give me a start.
With the game in 1351 it makes perfect sense for it to be him. He's fighting in Damara, with Castle Perilous now 4 years old. The adventure basically puts this tangent threat out there "this ancient Lich has stored up reproducable undead for his use when he returns." Zhengyi dates back to 900 (predating Aesperus) so it's feasible for him to set this up and now they're coming across one of his undead-stockpiles.
I'm confronted with two issues that I might like to solve with one solution:
1) I would like to Zhengyi-up the tomb in the adventure a little. I was reading about his tomes that were used in Promise of the Witch King. Apparently, reading one causes some major magical event to happen (such as building Castle Perilous) that typically drains the life force of the reader turning them into a lich-guardian for whatever the tome creates. I would like to scale that down ... a bit. However, it could also work in some ways. They are rebuilding Hulburg and the mage is responsible for building a wizard tower/lighthouse for the harbor. I doubt the player wants his character to become undead or a lich (necromancy, in fact, is a restricted school for him). While, I don't plan events to make players happy or unhappy, I don't need to throw out undead transformations right now, really. In fact, he already got killed and turned into a shadow ... last month.
2) The whole set up for this adventure is that they are looking to find out how Rivan Hulmaster defeated Aesperus back in the 1050s. Beneath Rivan's tower they found out a noble salamander had been bound by Rivan to defend his signature staff. The salamander, partially because he liked Rivan, partially out of boredom, told the PCs that Rivan had left Hulburg and Aesperus a scared boy and had returned from the Monastery a dragon of a man - ready to take on Aesperus. He spent several years there and I want the PCs to be able to find some record of that and some ideas for dealing with the King in Copper. I don't want it to just be that he found self-esteem there.
So, any thoughts? Does Zhengyi sound like a good fit? |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Liches and plot points
