A Sharn campaign: The Race of the Winds, what do you think? [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Sharn campaign: The Race of the Winds, what do you think? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Malindle
02-26-05, 01:27 AM Hey all,

I've become mightily sick of Forgotten Realms, i've decided to try something different. Picked up the Eberron setting, and pretty much fallen in love with it.

After some dithering I decided that Sharn was a great fantastic yet cosmopolitan place to set the majority of my campaign. Usually my group does a lot of "go here, now go there" style gaming, and we wanted something fresh.

My problem is the plot i've woven. Currently the House Toranak Councilman is embroiled up to his neck in a plot to steal, and then re-sell flametouched iron ingots imported into the city from Thrane by House Caanith, as a form of revenge for the slaying of his children by warforged, and to fill his own House coffers.

He's managed to do this by hiring Emerald Claw factols to kidnap and manipulate an unimportant d'Caanith heir who was shoved into the management of a minor warehouse out in The Stores. Now they're using his signatures and authority to reroute the incoming Ingots to a long-forgotten Caanith foundry in the Cogs (The councilman obviously has enough clout to find it, and make arrangements for it's use to be covered up).

On top of that, the Claw is using a dreamlily den in the lower Dura to kidnap and enslave workers for the foundry.

The Claw is providing most of the man-power to make this happen (aside from teamsters, clerks, and Toranak Brute squads), whereas House Toranak is providing funding, logistics, information, and even the use of an entire, though smallish, tower in the Upper Dura for their use.

The party has already escaped the foundry where they were imprisoned (after various indiscretions that led to the dreamlily den), and has managed to find the location of the Caanith warehouse that the heir is imprisoned at with the help of some incriminating documents (very cooked books). After varying encounters there they'll find a lead to the Toranak owned tower that the Order of the Emerald Claw is using as a base for this operation (and others). There they'll find the Orders factols in this scheme, the Necromancer Vadmarl, as well as the final incriminating evidence from House Toranak. Of course this leads to a showdown, but just as they overcome the Necromancer, the Watch will show up, and secure the premises. Apparently Toranak has found out that they're being found out, and sold the entire tower and it's contents to the city... as the yearly reward of land for this years Race of the Eight Winds. Of course all the necessary notaries and clerks have been bribed so that this took place days ago. But the Watch secure's the premisis (and hauls away the corpses) before the party can gather the evidence they need.

The Watch will not touch any of the towers contents, and lock it up tight (behind the scenes, which the party can discern with a little work, is that someone is working within the council/government to block Toranaks work to de-implicate themselves). Over the course of the next 20 days, the players not only have to work to prevent firebombings, "terrorist" assaults on that district (aimed at destroying the tower of course), and assassins; they have to get themselves entered as contestents in the Race of the Eight Winds.

Ultimately it's doubtful that they can topple the Toranak councilman, but they should at least be able to severly blacken his reputation, and to completely derail his schemes.

My reasons for posting this are twofold. Firstly, if "beaten" to what lengths do you think the Order of the Claw (and possibly the Blood of Vol) go to get revenge on those meddeling adventurers? And secondly, does this have the "feel" of a Sharn campaign? Any suggestions or comments, positive or negative, are welcome.
Shaddox
02-26-05, 01:57 AM The claw/blood of vol could possibly plot some sort of revenge later on in your campaign. such as hiring mercenaries, assassins, or even the nice and simple coming at them head on tactic. and actually by all means they dont need to come back right away, it'd be kinda fun to see them come back later on but thats just me lol
Splendide
02-27-05, 08:15 AM First of all, remember that the Claw have to figure out the implications of what is going on. Secret societies rarely operated with total efficiency.

They'll be looking first for a patron that caused the PC group's actions, so if any of the PCs have well-connected contacts, they may find them mysteriously disappearing or falling from great heights - regardless of their actual involvement. If the contacts are too well-connected, the Claw may back off completely until the PCs are clearly no longer aligned with them.

I think the only aspect of this that might be un-Sharn is that only one group of people are working against the party. Its always fun to chuck in some extra connected and interconnected antagonists, rather than give one clear foe, especially when they may or may not hate each other as well.
Taurren
02-27-05, 12:12 PM Stealing the party's thunder by having the Watch stop them from getting the evidence (or loot) they so richly deserve, especially after they have defeated the necromancer, may make them very irritable. IMHO I hope there is really high motivation for entering the Race aside from what you've listed. My players would walk away from further entanglments, especially after slaying the necro.

Aside from that the plot is very well done. I agree with Splendide that additional antagonists that, might be more flavorful. But this plot already has a number of twists & turns. More tangents might muddy the waters too much.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Malindle 02-26-05, 01:27 AM	Hey all, I've become mightily sick of Forgotten Realms, i've decided to try something different. Picked up the Eberron setting, and pretty much fallen in love with it. After some dithering I decided that Sharn was a great fantastic yet cosmopolitan place to set the majority of my campaign. Usually my group does a lot of "go here, now go there" style gaming, and we wanted something fresh. My problem is the plot i've woven. Currently the House Toranak Councilman is embroiled up to his neck in a plot to steal, and then re-sell flametouched iron ingots imported into the city from Thrane by House Caanith, as a form of revenge for the slaying of his children by warforged, and to fill his own House coffers. He's managed to do this by hiring Emerald Claw factols to kidnap and manipulate an unimportant d'Caanith heir who was shoved into the management of a minor warehouse out in The Stores. Now they're using his signatures and authority to reroute the incoming Ingots to a long-forgotten Caanith foundry in the Cogs (The councilman obviously has enough clout to find it, and make arrangements for it's use to be covered up). On top of that, the Claw is using a dreamlily den in the lower Dura to kidnap and enslave workers for the foundry. The Claw is providing most of the man-power to make this happen (aside from teamsters, clerks, and Toranak Brute squads), whereas House Toranak is providing funding, logistics, information, and even the use of an entire, though smallish, tower in the Upper Dura for their use. The party has already escaped the foundry where they were imprisoned (after various indiscretions that led to the dreamlily den), and has managed to find the location of the Caanith warehouse that the heir is imprisoned at with the help of some incriminating documents (very cooked books). After varying encounters there they'll find a lead to the Toranak owned tower that the Order of the Emerald Claw is using as a base for this operation (and others). There they'll find the Orders factols in this scheme, the Necromancer Vadmarl, as well as the final incriminating evidence from House Toranak. Of course this leads to a showdown, but just as they overcome the Necromancer, the Watch will show up, and secure the premises. Apparently Toranak has found out that they're being found out, and sold the entire tower and it's contents to the city... as the yearly reward of land for this years Race of the Eight Winds. Of course all the necessary notaries and clerks have been bribed so that this took place days ago. But the Watch secure's the premisis (and hauls away the corpses) before the party can gather the evidence they need. The Watch will not touch any of the towers contents, and lock it up tight (behind the scenes, which the party can discern with a little work, is that someone is working within the council/government to block Toranaks work to de-implicate themselves). Over the course of the next 20 days, the players not only have to work to prevent firebombings, "terrorist" assaults on that district (aimed at destroying the tower of course), and assassins; they have to get themselves entered as contestents in the Race of the Eight Winds. Ultimately it's doubtful that they can topple the Toranak councilman, but they should at least be able to severly blacken his reputation, and to completely derail his schemes. My reasons for posting this are twofold. Firstly, if "beaten" to what lengths do you think the Order of the Claw (and possibly the Blood of Vol) go to get revenge on those meddeling adventurers? And secondly, does this have the "feel" of a Sharn campaign? Any suggestions or comments, positive or negative, are welcome.
Shaddox 02-26-05, 01:57 AM	The claw/blood of vol could possibly plot some sort of revenge later on in your campaign. such as hiring mercenaries, assassins, or even the nice and simple coming at them head on tactic. and actually by all means they dont need to come back right away, it'd be kinda fun to see them come back later on but thats just me lol
Splendide 02-27-05, 08:15 AM	First of all, remember that the Claw have to figure out the implications of what is going on. Secret societies rarely operated with total efficiency. They'll be looking first for a patron that caused the PC group's actions, so if any of the PCs have well-connected contacts, they may find them mysteriously disappearing or falling from great heights - regardless of their actual involvement. If the contacts are too well-connected, the Claw may back off completely until the PCs are clearly no longer aligned with them. I think the only aspect of this that might be un-Sharn is that only one group of people are working against the party. Its always fun to chuck in some extra connected and interconnected antagonists, rather than give one clear foe, especially when they may or may not hate each other as well.
Taurren 02-27-05, 12:12 PM	Stealing the party's thunder by having the Watch stop them from getting the evidence (or loot) they so richly deserve, especially after they have defeated the necromancer, may make them very irritable. IMHO I hope there is really high motivation for entering the Race aside from what you've listed. My players would walk away from further entanglments, especially after slaying the necro. Aside from that the plot is very well done. I agree with Splendide that additional antagonists that, might be more flavorful. But this plot already has a number of twists & turns. More tangents might muddy the waters too much.