Campaign Help

[Acidburns]

Greetings,


I have been running a small campaign based in the area of Varsi.  I was hoping I could pick some of your brains for some ideas, and share my ideas with your brains.  This thread will also allow me to organise my thoughts somewhat.  It has become something of a huge wall of text, although I have tried to be as brief as possible.  While I have provided as much information as possible, please focus your attention on the "Further Development" paragraph, as this highlights the areas that I am most unsure on.  Generally I feel I have an interesting campaign idea, but I would appreciate any suggestions on firming it up, or even better some plot hooks/adventure ideas that could help me build up to the climax.  Repercussions of the conclusion would be helpful also.


The current cast consists of:


PCs


Twilight caste solar who plans to build a massive city, a refuge for solars.  A martial arts and crafting machine.  Has his family and former employees (tradesmen) who are his followers.


Eclipse caste solar: Conman whom runs this crazy buddhist style cult that is similar to the spiritual enlightenment of the immaculate order, but without the dragon-blooded focus.  I think he plans on turning them into spies or ninjas or somesuch.  Mostly focuses on living a secret life of luxury.


Zenith caste "wandering protector".  All round good guy, exploring his spiritual side with regards to the old UC.  Has a strong anti-slavery streak.  Is currently attracted to one of the Twilight's sisters.  Is out to protect other solars from the Wyld Hunt.


Major NPCs


Samire - Mortal. Was the leader of a unit of 10 men, under command of a Dawn caste PC.  PC died and player has went to sea for 5 months.  Samire intends to take the remaining men and start a resistance group against their realm occupied homeland.  I believe the twilight intends to convince them to stay.


Annora Steelwing - No Moon Lunar.  Encountered PC's on their way to Varsi.  Was attacking a guild slave caravan with the intention of freeing the slaves.  The Twilight decided the lunar was breaking the law and helped fight her off, while simultaneously the Zenith was freeing the slaves.  After a minor debacle, the slave caravan was escorted to Varsi where the Zenith purchased and freed the slaves.  The Zenith later befriended the lunar.  Annora is most likely going to be the reincarnation of the Zenith's first age wife, for hilarious mortal / lunar / solar love triangle.


Indra - Mortal.  Sister of Twilight caste.  Currently looking after two orphan children the Zenith rescued from a zombie attack.


Plot summary.


- Circle was formed, fled from realm troops pursuing the Dawn caste (deceased).


- Circle stops at a town called Iliad.  Group encountered an outcaste dragon blooded group that was investigating rumours of a manse hidden in a misty swamp in the area.  PCs decided this could make a good base.  Players raced the DB group and a further group led by a mortal demon summoning thamaturge.  The manse was occupied by two young lunars that were acting gods of a small barbarian tribe.  Long (and oh so messy) story short, the players left the manse alive (minus one dawn caste).  Mortal thamaturge killed, DBs driven off, lunars still in charge of manse.


- Upon return to Iliad, they found the area was under repeated zombie attacks.  A Nephwrack, Midenkas, was possessing the corpse of the town doctor.  In possession of a soulsteel artifact that causes all corpses to arise as zombies under control of the attuned owner.  He was poisoning villagers and generally causing mischief.  Exposed and artifact claimed by the group.


- Players move to Varsi.  Encounter Lunar.  Unaware of the artifacts power, all those who expired in Varsi began to arise.  They eventually linked the recent outburst of zombie attacks to the artifact.  Presented the artifact to the cities ruling god.  God, angrily sends them to Alejo, a DB sorceror who may be able to unmake the artifact.


Next step:


Alejo lives in a small keep a weeks ride from Varsi.  He can unmake the artifact.  The artifact does not need regular contact to maintain attunment, this strength also provides a weakness, and the artifact can be destroyed with an occult ritual.  Meanwhile an undead army lead by Midenkas approaches.  The players must hold off the undead while helping Alejo prepare the ritual.


Further development:


Currently, I am heading the following direction: I believe that this is an opening move by the Mask of Winters to soften the area up.  I would like to create a plot line that leads the players to ally with Walker in Darkness, against the Mask of Winters. His hands on style would allow the amusing possibility for the players to go on an adventure with a Deathlord and a couple of Abyssal henchmen (my players will never expect this haha).  This will allow me to explore Abyssal/Deathlord relationships and establish them as characters rather than 1 dimensional foes.  Obviously I cant allow the Deathlord to eclipse the players, but i will plan all encounters so they keep the PCs as the focus.


Mask of Winters plan?  To slay and raise a second behemoth.  The players must engage in a race against time, and slay the behemoth before Mask of Winter's abyssals do.  A blade will be provided by Walker in Darkness.  What Walker will tell them is that this blade, if used to slay the behemoth, will prevent Mask of Winters from raising/controlling the behemoth.  Cue betrayal by Walker, for the sword will instead place the behemoth under his control.  The PCs will accompany Walker and co. to forge the blade.  After this the circle will go slay the behemoth, meanwhile Walker and his minions go to hold of a military thrust from MoW, who is attempting to draw attention away from his behemoth stealing plans.


Probably humanoid, the behemoth will be between 1 and many miles high, taking many hours to climb, all the while the players are engaging in a running battle with MoWs abyssals, and the behemoth itself.


I feel that I need some sort of build up, hints etc leading towards this.  Transfer from the current plot (nemissary mischief) and introduce and establish MoW as a threat.  I also need to put some thought into the placement of Walker as an ally.  How will the players find out about MoW's plan?  Will they find evidence from encounters with his abyssals, or will Walker contact them first?  If I choose the former, why will they seek out Walker?  My players can make very hasty judgements sometimes, and may attack anything that seems related to the undead (ie Walker and co) if I indicate the MoW as a threat.


I think that some sort of in-between, a short series of adventures that introduce MoWs abyssals as foes, where they engage in some sort of plan the the players can foil would help bridge the current and future plan.


Oh, I also need to find a location for the behemoth.  Where can a 5 mile high giant be placed without it causing to much of a ruckuss already.  Perhaps it is underground or something?


Other threads


The players are poor as hell, the richest player is the Twilight has a resources 3, but has strained his resources recently.  The players will most likely see this as a possibility to gain resources, allies etc. in what will be their main goal; building their city.  


The Twilight is drafting concept plans for this city, and its going to be completely out of their scope to construct.  They intend to build it on a huge an island in the river that flows north to Nexus.  It is a circular form designed around a combination of the 5 solar caste marks.  They intend the city to have a mirrored undercity that hangs underneath in a cavern.  Its all a bit vague (they have not explained it to me fully yet), regardless, this well beyond their means.


Fortunately, I intend for old Ligier to make an appearance and lend a hand.  What could the possible consequences be?


Thank you for your input.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

While I made the region a whooooole lot different, please, check this old thread of mine.


Varsi, my style.

 

[Acidburns]

While I made the region a whooooole lot different, please, check this old thread of mine.
Varsi, my style.

Indeed, I read that thread a while back, I nabbed the first age bridge and some of the place names hehe.  While I found the background very interesting (and was what inspired me to take this area) as my players created their characters the tribal stuff didn't mesh well.  I originally intended to introduce my players to the scavanger trade in order to get them more familiar with the area, but the undead stuff kicked off and just started rolling.  I was eventually planning on sending the players to a dig site to clean up some rogue spirits/automatons that were harrasing the workers.  The site manager wanted to get the place cleared out as quick as possible.  However the dig manager's real concern was getting access to the site in order to conceal the massive hand the was protruding from the ground, with metal claws the size of grand daiklaives....


I'll post my ideas for Varsi and a few sketches when I get a chance.

 

[Cthulhu_Wakes]

I'm glad to have inspired you


And yeah, the tribal thing is a bit more complex than I imagined. I recently ran that game anew from where I left off. Friggin' epic. Currently, all but two tribes have rallied under my PCs. A huge war is looming come the spring thaw.


The area is falling into winter, with the mysterious Lombard king of the fortress city of Bastion calling down a month long rain storm on Puyo. And the rain is freezing. So buildings will fall and people are already starving, because the Bastion region controls all the massive grain stores of the nation.


Wicked political games are starting. And my PCs have discovered the good Lady of the bridge is calling on help from home. The Realm has given her three airships and they're building an aerie for them to dock at near the bridge  :twisted:


The winter holds a deadly game of words to play, come Spring, the entirety of the region could spark into a full war of which they haven't seen in decades.


The Lombards and Franks control a combined army of hundreds of thousands. Essentially a nation that is constantly at war within it's own borders, almost every one knows how to fight and fight well.


"Not a man in Vinland can go without knowing how to swing his scythe to reap his wheat and gut his neighbor." That's an 'old saying' I made for the game.