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farinal
Learned Scribe
Turkey
270 Posts |
 Posted - 24 Dec 2016 : 21:27:39
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In the town of Amphail there is a small "starter" dungeon of sorts. It's details are unknown other than that there is a tomb inside and it belongs to a Maiden King of old and that there is a magical two handed sword in the tomb.
One adventuring party entered this tomb but never came back and after this a group of skeletons were seen in the town attacking people.
This is all the information I think available on this. Also the Environs of Waterdeep web enhancement product names the Maiden King as Raulbaera “the Maiden King” Bloodhand, who is the descendant of
Ulbaerag Bloodhand, who was as I understand a petty king in the area of now Waterdeep some thousand year ago.
My campaign starts in Amphail and I think my players could enter here around either level 2 or maybe 3.
I think it is implied that this adventuring group that never return was turned into these skeletons in the dungeon.
So I'm guessing a strong necromancy theme should be in the place.
Do you have any ideas to fill this dungeon?
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farinal
Learned Scribe
Turkey
270 Posts |
Posted - 25 Dec 2016 : 17:16:31
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4692 Posts |
Posted - 25 Dec 2016 : 18:19:47
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Well it really depends on how much source you have and how much you are going to use.
What I found with some search (and all might not be canon) indicates that:
Raulbaera's tome is reported to be under Horse Pond.
That indeed one party that went in search of it did not return.
That some years ago some undead skeletons appeared.
That the main fear of Amphail is horse thieves, with the possible concern about " trolls and hostile barbarians" that Amphail the Just rides the area in spirit to frighten away.
There is no direct linkage between the unreturned party of adventures and the undead. There appears no other history of undead however in known history. It is possible to guess that the party was turn into undead, however most likely if so was by curse rather then a magic user.
If you are trying just to map a tome of Raulbaera I would look at some fish, maybe water monster of little number (after all Horse pond is generally safe to use) near the tome. The tome itself would be warded by a curse effecting all that are unworthy. The curse certainly might kill and transform into skeletons. I just fail to understand why they would attack the village. A proper curse would have them defend the tome from other unworthiers.
It clearly is possible another party planned to invade tome and the skeletons left the pond to kill them, other villagers certainly might have seen them as a threat to all instead of a few.
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"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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George Krashos
Master of Realmslore
Australia
6678 Posts |
Posted - 26 Dec 2016 : 00:20:58
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I only created Raulbaera, the rest is up to you!
-- George Krashos |
"Because only we, contrary to the barbarians, never count the enemy in battle." -- Aeschylus |
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Cards77
Senior Scribe
USA
747 Posts |
Posted - 26 Dec 2016 : 02:03:22
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quote:
Originally posted by farinal
In the town of Amphail there is a small "starter" dungeon of sorts. It's details are unknown other than that there is a tomb inside and it belongs to a Maiden King of old and that there is a magical two handed sword in the tomb.
One adventuring party entered this tomb but never came back and after this a group of skeletons were seen in the town attacking people.
This is all the information I think available on this. Also the Environs of Waterdeep web enhancement product names the Maiden King as Raulbaera “the Maiden King” Bloodhand, who is the descendant of
Ulbaerag Bloodhand, who was as I understand a petty king in the area of now Waterdeep some thousand year ago.
My campaign starts in Amphail and I think my players could enter here around either level 2 or maybe 3.
I think it is implied that this adventuring group that never return was turned into these skeletons in the dungeon.
So I'm guessing a strong necromancy theme should be in the place.
Do you have any ideas to fill this dungeon?
Hi Farinal, I adapted the Pathfinder module "Hungry Are the Dead" to the area around Amphail. It took some stretching but it worked pretty well. It could easily originate from under the Horse Pond. The dungeon itself has an entrance that could be adapted.
In my campaign, a corrupted arch priest/necromancer has discovered the dungeon created to contain one of the three seals created to separate and keep safe the tripart essence of Moander to prevent him from ever returning (yes in my world he's not really dead, just locked away). It's proximity to Goldenfields isn't a coincidence either.
Alternately, you could take a look at the other 3E dungeons out there and see what could fit in that spot.
As for lore, since the grognards have already weighed in, there isn't much I can add.
If you need more notes for how I used that particular concept just let me know. |
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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2016 : 13:03:32
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If you want to throw your players a curve ball you can have the curse be a more sinister transformation using the Lankhmar Ghouls as an idea. The original adventurers are cursed with an appearance that has rendered their flesh invisible to the bone (making them appear like walking skeletons), a belief that they are undead, and a compulsion to devour the flesh of sapient beings. Other than that, their statistics and abilities are no different than the typical adventuring party with one probable exception - undead have no need of modesty or armors that protect organs that are neither there nor necessary for the unliving, which means clothing and much of the protective layers would have been shed by the deluded adventurers. Turning would have no affect, holy water and special wards are wastes of resources, and there are no weapon vulnerabilities beyond those of the base races.
As for the origin of the curse, you could chalk this one up as an old Myrkul special. Myrkul was a god of the dead at that time, but undead was in the portfolio of an unallied god, Velsharoon. The curse would provide the desired protection for the entombed dead, make an example of those that would defile a tomb, and terrorize the local populace into preventing others from approaching the tomb again. |
Make the best use of the system that's there, then modify the mechanics that don't allow you to have the fun you are looking for. |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 28 Dec 2016 : 14:36:20
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2e's Lords of Darkness has loads of stuff you could use, including a few tombs.
Not seeing Myrkul as the 'fake skeleton' type. That sounds more like Leira, or some trickster-god. I'm not saying I don't like the idea, I just don't see Myrkul being involved in something like that.
I would also leave the skeletons as a 'red herring' - either have them have nothing to do with the tomb at all (just coincidence), or have it have something to do with it in an oblique way (something else happened to the adventurers {stasis?}, but they managed to 'free' the skeletons somehow before whatever befell them... or that could have been part of a very elaborate plan/trap - that the exact same number of skeletons would be released from stasis as the number of adventurers 'caught', to ward-off others). If you make all the skeletons human, and then have your PCs ask questions and it turns out some of the adventurers weren't (like a dwarf, gnome, or halfling), then they might catch on that there is something amiss. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Tomb of the Maiden King in Amphail
