Adventure Idea: Darkest Night [Archive] - Wizards Community

Adventure Idea: Darkest Night [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
bk_jamin
08-15-04, 04:22 AM Hey Gang,
I am looking for Feedback on an adventure idea I am putting together.

Basic Idea: Using the cosmonology of Eberron to make an adventure. Specifically using the Remote, Coterminous qualities of the planes to create a unique adventure possibility. The planes I have highlighted for the event are Mabar, Irian and Dolurrh. (I briefly toyed with the Faerie court and Mabar but gave up on it)

Underlying Theory: Technically the Planes of Mabar and Irian have an event every 15 years or so where they are opposite each other in the same year. (Mabar is Coterminous and Irian is Remote). The days don't overlap but I think that would still be a significant event. Expanding on that roughly every 150 years or so, Dolurrh would also be Coterminous in a year where both the above planes had their year of opposition. Now having just Mabar and Dolurrh Coterminous seems quite dark and scary but to really make the event special I wanted Irian to be remote as well. So how about every 60 years or so Mabar and Irian have a single overlapping day when they are in opposition. Moving forward every 300 years or so we have an event where Dolurrh is also Coterminous for that year.

Background Events: The Churches, Druids and Arcane Orders are aware of the events that occur every 60 years. They have developed responses to it that have become ingrained ritual. The Church of the Silver Flame holds the Night Watch where worshippers patrol the streets in force with great lanterns and magical flame. The Sovereign Host and Druidic Orders hold the Festivals of Light (each a little different but mainly working around celebrations with lots of bonfires and individual lights, and huge displays of magical light). Both ideas work on getting people in groups for protection and having them be in well lit areas throughout the evening to prevent accidental slippage into Mabar. These rituals would be held every 5 or 15 years I figure with only the most educated really understanding the purpose behind it.
These would be huge social events and looked forward to with much anticipation. In large cities like Sharn nobles would jockey for position to hold THE event of the season usually holding smaller events leading up to it.. To build anticipation for their own event, in smaller towns and cities farmers and homesteaders would come from miles around to join in the main festivities. Sure a few people go missing and some bad events occur but overall the ritual works.

Synopsis: The adventures will start at an event either hosted by someone they know, a patron or maybe just an influential noble they hope to attract as a patron. This event is actually being held the day before the Festival and allows characters a chance to mingle with the powerbrokers in their neck of the woods. I am using the event to develop concern around the precedent setting trial of Adar the Smith(Warforged accused of killing another smith(Use of a Deadly Weapon IE Being a Warforged) and conducting unfair trade practices(Basically not getting tired), which is going to develop into a Sharn wide riot in two or three more adventures). During the party a Gnome Dignitary from Zilargo approaches the characters and propositions them. It turns out he works for the Library and was to bring back several secretive texts on Undead as well as some lively speculation on the 13th Mark. A few of those texts have recently been stolen and he suspects a larger organization at work. He wants the party to look into the situation. After a fairly quick investigation aided by the Gnomes's assistant they locate one of the thieves and a journal left by a cultist. Using the journal they discover that the Blood of Vol is seeking a series of artifacts tied to the 13th mark. The artifacts are normally stored in a manifest zone tied to Irian protected by a group of Worshippers devoted to the Sovereign Host not far from where the party is. However the zone will be ineffectual during the Darkest Night a time when Mabar and Dolurrh are in ascension and Irian is in retreat. The party will head to the temple to find that it is already under siege by human agents. After routing them they will have a quick moment to recover discover they are in the center of an ancient burial site dating back to the ancient goblin kingdom. With that night falls, and the restless dead begin to rise. Characters will be able to play this as a siege or a retreat to civilization(with or without the artifacts), and I'll have events staged for both, throughout however the Blood of Vol/Emerald Claw will be on the scene providing intellect to the more mindless undead. If they survive the night they can return the books and/or artifacts to their rightful owners and receive their reward. Their local power base will have suffered a little as the regular festival preparations were not enough for the added danger of undead. That should conclude the adventure however I think I will provide some tantalizing hints that may lead them to discover the Gnome was not who he appeared to be and seems to be working for a small group of Elven Nobles close to the city of the Dead.

Levels: I am thinking around late 4th level early 5th maybe 1 or two 6ths. My party is 6 characters and they will probably finish The Jorasco Box at 5th. This adventure would follow the events of the Jorasco box in my campaign which in my adventure path occurs like so: Forgotten Forge(Eberron Handbook), Queen of the Burning Eyes(Dragon Magazine), Lombargians Lament(Self Made), Shadows of the Last War(Official Adventure which is a lot more fun when you run it as a third level adventure, I bulked up the first sections and left the Mournland portion mainly the same and it really reduced the TPK of Mournland), The Jorasco Box(Self Made), Darkest Night..

Please give me your suggestions, flames whatever.. Since planar events of this sort will be rare I want this adventure to be extremely satisfying. Do I need more lead in time..? Should I make it more 'caper' less 'endurance'? Do I wreck the spirit of Eberron too much? Your help is appreciated.
Save_vs_DM
08-15-04, 06:13 AM Actually, this is a really cool idea. Consider it "borrowed"

One thing I might add is that perhaps the item is actually stored in a "church" that lies on Irian. Perhaps with his dying breath a member of the Silver Flame begs the Players to retrieve the book, for it can only be destroyed when both planes are coterminous. So it's a race to the book before the BoV/EC gains it.

Other than that, really cool. Good work!

Cheers,
Save vs DM
Neofish
08-17-04, 12:10 AM Wow thats intense!
Dito on the "barrowing"

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
bk_jamin 08-15-04, 04:22 AM	Hey Gang, I am looking for Feedback on an adventure idea I am putting together. Basic Idea: Using the cosmonology of Eberron to make an adventure. Specifically using the Remote, Coterminous qualities of the planes to create a unique adventure possibility. The planes I have highlighted for the event are Mabar, Irian and Dolurrh. (I briefly toyed with the Faerie court and Mabar but gave up on it) Underlying Theory: Technically the Planes of Mabar and Irian have an event every 15 years or so where they are opposite each other in the same year. (Mabar is Coterminous and Irian is Remote). The days don't overlap but I think that would still be a significant event. Expanding on that roughly every 150 years or so, Dolurrh would also be Coterminous in a year where both the above planes had their year of opposition. Now having just Mabar and Dolurrh Coterminous seems quite dark and scary but to really make the event special I wanted Irian to be remote as well. So how about every 60 years or so Mabar and Irian have a single overlapping day when they are in opposition. Moving forward every 300 years or so we have an event where Dolurrh is also Coterminous for that year. Background Events: The Churches, Druids and Arcane Orders are aware of the events that occur every 60 years. They have developed responses to it that have become ingrained ritual. The Church of the Silver Flame holds the Night Watch where worshippers patrol the streets in force with great lanterns and magical flame. The Sovereign Host and Druidic Orders hold the Festivals of Light (each a little different but mainly working around celebrations with lots of bonfires and individual lights, and huge displays of magical light). Both ideas work on getting people in groups for protection and having them be in well lit areas throughout the evening to prevent accidental slippage into Mabar. These rituals would be held every 5 or 15 years I figure with only the most educated really understanding the purpose behind it. These would be huge social events and looked forward to with much anticipation. In large cities like Sharn nobles would jockey for position to hold THE event of the season usually holding smaller events leading up to it.. To build anticipation for their own event, in smaller towns and cities farmers and homesteaders would come from miles around to join in the main festivities. Sure a few people go missing and some bad events occur but overall the ritual works. Synopsis: The adventures will start at an event either hosted by someone they know, a patron or maybe just an influential noble they hope to attract as a patron. This event is actually being held the day before the Festival and allows characters a chance to mingle with the powerbrokers in their neck of the woods. I am using the event to develop concern around the precedent setting trial of Adar the Smith(Warforged accused of killing another smith(Use of a Deadly Weapon IE Being a Warforged) and conducting unfair trade practices(Basically not getting tired), which is going to develop into a Sharn wide riot in two or three more adventures). During the party a Gnome Dignitary from Zilargo approaches the characters and propositions them. It turns out he works for the Library and was to bring back several secretive texts on Undead as well as some lively speculation on the 13th Mark. A few of those texts have recently been stolen and he suspects a larger organization at work. He wants the party to look into the situation. After a fairly quick investigation aided by the Gnomes's assistant they locate one of the thieves and a journal left by a cultist. Using the journal they discover that the Blood of Vol is seeking a series of artifacts tied to the 13th mark. The artifacts are normally stored in a manifest zone tied to Irian protected by a group of Worshippers devoted to the Sovereign Host not far from where the party is. However the zone will be ineffectual during the Darkest Night a time when Mabar and Dolurrh are in ascension and Irian is in retreat. The party will head to the temple to find that it is already under siege by human agents. After routing them they will have a quick moment to recover discover they are in the center of an ancient burial site dating back to the ancient goblin kingdom. With that night falls, and the restless dead begin to rise. Characters will be able to play this as a siege or a retreat to civilization(with or without the artifacts), and I'll have events staged for both, throughout however the Blood of Vol/Emerald Claw will be on the scene providing intellect to the more mindless undead. If they survive the night they can return the books and/or artifacts to their rightful owners and receive their reward. Their local power base will have suffered a little as the regular festival preparations were not enough for the added danger of undead. That should conclude the adventure however I think I will provide some tantalizing hints that may lead them to discover the Gnome was not who he appeared to be and seems to be working for a small group of Elven Nobles close to the city of the Dead. Levels: I am thinking around late 4th level early 5th maybe 1 or two 6ths. My party is 6 characters and they will probably finish The Jorasco Box at 5th. This adventure would follow the events of the Jorasco box in my campaign which in my adventure path occurs like so: Forgotten Forge(Eberron Handbook), Queen of the Burning Eyes(Dragon Magazine), Lombargians Lament(Self Made), Shadows of the Last War(Official Adventure which is a lot more fun when you run it as a third level adventure, I bulked up the first sections and left the Mournland portion mainly the same and it really reduced the TPK of Mournland), The Jorasco Box(Self Made), Darkest Night.. Please give me your suggestions, flames whatever.. Since planar events of this sort will be rare I want this adventure to be extremely satisfying. Do I need more lead in time..? Should I make it more 'caper' less 'endurance'? Do I wreck the spirit of Eberron too much? Your help is appreciated.
Save_vs_DM 08-15-04, 06:13 AM	Actually, this is a really cool idea. Consider it "borrowed" One thing I might add is that perhaps the item is actually stored in a "church" that lies on Irian. Perhaps with his dying breath a member of the Silver Flame begs the Players to retrieve the book, for it can only be destroyed when both planes are coterminous. So it's a race to the book before the BoV/EC gains it. Other than that, really cool. Good work! Cheers, Save vs DM
Neofish 08-17-04, 12:10 AM	Wow thats intense! Dito on the "barrowing"