Campaign Log

[Cynis Filthist]

-1-


A couple weeks ago we discussed the prelude of the game, and played through the final encounter that brought all the players together: a massive breakout in Firewander, Some fair folk, hobgoblins and a few rampaging behemoths exploded from the zone, which was heavily under defended by the mercenary company put on guard.


After a few rounds, the Emissary appeared to directly put down any remaining threats, while the characters tentatively eyed one another (it was 2 groups of 2, both throwing caution to the wind and blowing through their essence and going iconic).


-2-


Plans


The Emissary will sentence the commander of the Twilight Hammer Mercenaries to death, to be carried out immediately.  The contract the company had with the Council of Entities was to have far more men defending firewander at all times. After he is killed in a horrible and graphic way, the Emissary will stare listlessly at the body before decreeing that agreements with the Council have to be seen as immutable and binding without question.  He will then begin to work a wonder that will slay every member of the Twilight Hammer Mercenaries as a 'message to those that would betray the trust of the Council.'  Hopefully, here, the Compassion 3 Dawn Caste will step in and try to stop him.  The Emissary will pause and allow the Exalts to save the entire mercenary company (and allow that they only be Exiled from Nexus).


They must fully investigate Firewander and provide for him any wonders they find within the ruins, as well as clearing the zone of the wyld taint if possible - or at the very least provide enough intel that it may lead to the clearing of the wyld.  He will of course provide them with 'reasonable' pay in any artifacts they find - but the Council of Entities will lay claim to a majority of them.


Providing what is seen as a sufficient amount of intelligence and wonders from Firewander, would be sufficient, clearing the Zone of Wyld will definately see the Mercenaries saved.


-3-


Forwards and Concerns


1.  Originally I intended for the players to not enter Firewander, 4 starting solar exalted clearing the zone is sufficiently epic - but it seemed abit high level and i didn't want to start with a bang I wouldn't be able to follow.  


2. However, My girlfriend has been waiting me to run a Dragonking game, and so I settled on a fun idea.  Push the solars into Firewander, where they encounter the slumber chambers of the Dragon Kings beneath Nexus.  The detonation of the Wyld Weapon has disrupted most of their memories, so that they only recieve flashes of their previous lives (sort of like solars).  This will allow me to put in a more ancient Dragon King that won't be overshadowed by the Solars, but won't unbalance the game with tons of first age knowledge.


3. Again, I intended for them to encounter some stuff they couldn't handle as they got closer to the Golden Dome, eventually retreat with Dragonkings in stow.  Than I realized, 4 newly exalted solars clearing firewander is abit of a stretch... but 4 newly exalted solars and 6-8 Ancient Dragonkings... suddenly seems less stretchy.


4. To prevent the players from being overshadowed by a bundle of NPCs in combat, I decided to Role Play the Dragon Kings, but to let the players themselves dual play a Dragon King during combat so they still feel they are contributing.


5. I'm not sure yet what I want to include in the center of Firewander ("boss encounter") yet.  I'm thinking perhaps a powerful unformed Fair Folk God/lord of sorts (I couldn't really sit through the fair folk book, but i may try to do some glancing through it), or possibly a powerful Free Hold held by a small but powerful court.  Maybe a twisted Reality Engine that has created a Sentient God-like entity created out of the Wyld itself.  I dunno...


-4-


Further Plots.


- I've been having alot of fun coming with personalized focused arcs and side stories with the characters during the boring hours at work.


The Sunflare:  The Night Caste is the third Night Caste in Nexus to take the Title of The Sunflare. Each Sunflare has been apprenticed by the last and his artifacts passed down.  The First of Nexus's Sunflares worked for the Emissary who imparted the artifacts to him, telling him of a powerful Night Caste in the First Age who called himself The Sunflare, and that the Night Caste could hold onto them until the real Sunflare appeared to reclaim his birth rights.


I may hint at the fact that the Player himself, is the Original Sunflare reborn, but eventually the Day Caste Abyssal, Eyeless Mist Assassin, will appear to claim his Artifacts.


Twilight and Demons: The twilight will begin to be plagued by Nightmares - probably starting soon, even though we won't get to this arc for a long time (Foreshadow ftw!).  Towards the end of the Usurpation, a Twilight fled to the South East Reclusive Manse and attempted to summon a powerful Demon to help defend him, as he finished but before he could banish or enslave the demon, the Dragon Blooded that hounded him arrived and slew him - they were consequently killed by the enraged demon.  The demon has been intent on consuming the Twilight's soul and his solar spark but they fled his body too quickly.  Enraged the Demon promised she would find and feed on the soul of the Twilight, and still she waits.


Dawn and the Lunar: The Dawn caste has an Hawk familiar, that just appeared to save her life upon her Exaltation.  I think she will begin to get flashes of her First Age lunar mate that will connect with the Hawk.. eventually the Lunar herself will arrive.


Obviously Rathess: my Girlfriend's Dragonking will obviously be an easy hook to lead them to Rathess.


- Gotta run, may update, feel free to comment or ignore as the fancy strikes ya -[/b]

 

[Cynis Filthist]

So the characters have made their way into Firewander, where they have encountered Karmeus, arm-tree/beasts and than stumbled upon a 'ground squid' a monstrous squid that lies in wait disguised as the ground itself, when someone is directly over its maw it snaps its mouth open and its tentacles up to catch anyone else in the area. The poor twilight found himself failing his reflexive get away roll, and managed to save himself by grappling onto a tooth - the Dawn caste beside him was able to leap to safety, and everyone else was suprise-clinched except the Night-Caste which succeeded in an awareness roll.


The Twilight was saved with a fantastic two-manned stunt with the Dawn caste using Iron Raptor Technique. The fight that ensued was alot of fun, with my group starting to get more involved in figuring out the idea of stunts, as the fight geared-up the Night Caste was the only character not clinched, when the Night Caste got clinched - it didn't look good for our plucky heroes when the character exclaims - WAITAMINUTE CANT BE CLINCHED! and points at his Freedom Stone. SLIIIIP! the night caste is free, but the Squid is now trying to flatten him, enough archery-charms later the dawn caste is free, the Tiger Martial Artists is finally able to break clinch and the 3 of them pull the Twilight to safety.  The Twilight and Zenith finish the beast off with some awesome combo-action. The Dawn caste has the bright idea that they are most likely not the only travelers the Squid has consumed and that with the rumors that more than the threshold's share of Outcaste have entered firewander seeking glories or the favor of the Emissary, so their might be artifacts down there.


The groups spends its time traversing through Emperor and Giant rat infested stone tunnels that make up the ground squids odd phisiology, they eventually find the body of a fire aspected outcaste, the liberate him of his Jade daiklave and bracers.


Again on the surface, they continue on where eventually screams for help lead them to Jauxer the Magnificent, a bumbling thaumaturge - initiate in a Cult of the Sun worship  and Solar Exalted fan boy - has followed them into firewander and come under attack by some arm-tree beasts.  The Night Caste and Zenith are suspicious of the character, the Dawn caste is annoyed with him, but the Twilight likes him (mainly because the character strokes his undeniable ego (both character and player ). Twilight offers to keep him under protection, after its determined that the thaumaturge will not stay away.


The characters come across a single Maqrble Ichneumon cottage - they were pains-in-my-ass to run, very boggy and long boring fight encounter (such a thing... has spurred me to ::shudder:: convert my game entirely over to 2e with... Static DVs... )


Now the characters have come across a building of interest, a gigantic building nearly a mile square - it is a first age university of Hallow, it will be a very Invisible Fortress type encounter.  In the first age, a few solars used it as their last stand - the building itself is impenetrable when it needs to be (also unescapable) and so the Solars eventually slew one another under Dragon Blooded siege.  Again when the Wyld invaded - it was used as a bastion of defense by a group of shogunate Dragon Blooded from the fair folk, just prior to the detonation of the Fair Folk Weapon.  The university however seemed alive and dangerous, the Dragonblooded were attacked by vicious hungry ghosts (the ghosts themselves act and work slightly different due to the properties of the school itself) as even the dead are not permitted to rest or leave, automaton's seemed to come to life and attack the characters, and hallucinations and manifestations wore on their nerves.


Eventually they went their separate ways told the rest to keep their distance or pay the consequences, and determined to defend themselves.  The longest living was a sorcerer who conjured demon after demon after demon to surround himself with body guards.  After he had died - the demons likewise found themselves unable to escape and so they began warring endlessly with hungry ghosts, every couple years adventurers would make it as far as the school where they were quickly assimilated by the demons and used to breed their numbers.


The characters will find out some of this through written logs and notes found throughout the building (which ive already printed up in hand writing font, crumpled and aged for props ).


the culmination will end in them challenge a powerfully swollen first age Solar Ghost that has learned to control all within the university - including the ghosts, automatons and eventually the demons.  Killing or negotiating with the Ghost will allow the characters freedom to leave (or control of the manse if they kill him)


During the course of their investigation the characters will learn of the Dragon Kings (once professors of their own studies at the university) that slumber in hidden chambers beneath the university.


- Additional new plot ideas -


Patron: Ma-Ha-Suchi


The character with his Gem of Adamant Skin will find his hearthstone shatters and his connection to his manse broken - obviously this will send the group fleeing towards his manse to find out why.  once there, they will come across a powerful lunar and an army of beastmen who has claimed the manse for his Lord Ma-Ha-Suchi, having found the manse already attuned, they simply shifted its occult architecture in order to affect a new Hearthstone (through the use of hired outcaste occult architects).


The characters will be brought before Ma-Ha-Suchi where he will demand their obedience to further his war with the realm, in exchange for loyalty he will allow the character access to his manse (with the new Hearthstone), he will be disappointed at the lack of Eclipse Caste to sanctify the oath of their loyalty, and make sure they are watched at all times.  If they prove to be traitorous, he will discover a ruins where an artifact lies - he commands them to retrieve it for them - if they succeed they will provide Ma-Ha-Suchi with the means to bind them to their oaths themselves.

 

[Moonsilver]

Looks good and welome to 2e

 

[Cynis Filthist]

things are getting better and better as I re-acquaint myself, and everyone acquaints themselves, with the rules and regs... Especially making the jump to 2e.


My player's are getting quite a nice grip on Stunting, doing a little more in-character collaboration as opposed to (OOC: Okay, guys, what should we do?), and spending alil more time exploring.


I'm still finding trouble figuring out how to challenge them (finding the delicate balance between DEAD OVERKILL and TOO EASY), which unfortunately is pretty hard (the combat MA munchkin with 5 tiger charms, 3 ox-bodies, body mending meditation and Chaos Repelling Diagram, not too mention piercing Tiger Claws... and the Gem of Adamant Skin (which will be going bye-bye soon), but I am getting there.


-----


Currently the group has lost their mortal tagalong, killed a rampaging spirit, and done battle with their share of Demons and Ghosts, missed their first chance on a few artifacts, and as of the ending of the game been split up.