Adventure idea: The Grail of Kol Korran [Archive] - Wizards Community

Adventure idea: The Grail of Kol Korran [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
polt
10-11-04, 02:31 PM I haven't worked out all the details, so i need some ideas :)

I was thinking of having a rich collector of artifacts hire the PCs to find an especially sacred item: The Grail of Kol Korran, promising the drinker wealth beyond imagination.

I do not know where this should be located, maybe on Xen Drik or the Mror Holds, but i would like some advice here.

The idea is that one of the PCs maybe wants to drink of it, of course.
However, the Grail is not of Kol Korran, but: The Grail of the Keeper, Kol Korrans twin brother.

Instead of wealth, you get greed. Money and treasure become an obsession.
I’m not sure on what the exact effects should be, but something like that.

If none of the PCs drink from it, you can always have the collector do it, and then he'll need the pc's to get more treasures for him, in more extreme places, and maybe even get them illegal (without the PCs knowing its illegal of course)

In addition, I was thinking maybe throwing a Lhazaar Prince in, also searching for the Grail.

So what do you think any ideas? Or opinions?
xanthus
10-11-04, 02:44 PM I like the ideas of this. If any of the PCs figure out that it's the Keeper's Grail and not his brother's, then would they risk their paycheck to not bring it back? And the idea of the Lhazzar Prince also brings in some great competition because he can always show up right at the wrong moments for the PCs.

Lots of good stuff can be done for reoccuring NPCs as villians, employers and some kind of combination of the two. Good show!
ENHenry
10-11-04, 02:54 PM Instead of wealth, you get greed. Money and treasure become an obsession. I’m not sure on what the exact effects should be...

For your standard adventurer? Wouldn't change him one darned bit. :D

Perhaps the Cup is hidden in the Ironroots among a tribe of the Orcs there, in their Holy of Holies. Good old-fashioned orc-busting adventure, versus thousands of warrior orcs (levels 1 through 5) and their Cleric high priest of the Keeper? That way, they'd think they were liberating a stolen artifact, rather than stealing a rightful artifact, which is what they're actually doing.
polt
10-11-04, 04:31 PM Yup, i like the idea of a tribe worshipping the Keeper, but don't think Orcs is right.
Maybe Kobolds? Any suggestions?

Where is the Ironroot mountins? Can't seem to find them. But it would be nice if the PCs maybe had to sail a bit, so they could meet up with the Lhazaar Prince in the middle of the aventure, and then again later.
polt
10-13-04, 08:47 AM Okey, i do not like the creatures to be Kobolds, so any suggestions?
JDubTrafficGod
10-13-04, 08:55 AM How about gaurded by paladins and knights i.e. the Last Crusade but with Kinghts not Nazi's.
polt
10-13-04, 08:57 AM Well, Paladins are good. So that would kinda tip of the players that the grail is a big "no no", so that doesn't work.

Also, if it is hidden in a temple of The Keeper, it might alert the players too. So maybe a ruined temple?
JDubTrafficGod
10-13-04, 02:11 PM Well, Paladins are good. So that would kinda tip of the players that the grail is a big "no no", so that doesn't work.

Also, if it is hidden in a temple of The Keeper, it might alert the players too. So maybe a ruined temple?

Paladins being Lawful Good would gaurd the cup without partaking of it, and would gaurd it to the death as such. They could believe it to be the true grail, or not, doesn't matter. The rich collector, in all his 'good' intentions, is trying to keep the grail being taken by evil doers. Just a thought, you're the DM, so do it your way. :)
Serpentine
10-13-04, 02:22 PM How could you tell that a paladin was a paladin, and not just an armored fighter or a cleric, if you didn't see them use healing touch?

What level are the PCs?

Yuan-ti might be a possibility.
polt
10-13-04, 03:26 PM I don't know what level my PCs are. This isn't going to be their next adventure, but in a couple of sessions i might try and run it.

Remember that the Rich collector hiring them, doesn't know the Grail is evil, he want's it because he thinks it can give him even more wealth.
But instead it will make him Evil greedy, instead of just greedy.

Yuan-Ti is a possibilty, i need some creatures who are greedy and like shiny thinks, and are of course: EVIL.

I still don't like the Paladin thing.
JDubTrafficGod
10-13-04, 03:40 PM But I like making Paladins be mean, its just makes things that much better.
Graz'zt, Prince of Shadow
10-13-04, 10:47 PM Yuan-Ti is a possibilty, i need some creatures who are greedy and like shiny thinks, and are of course: EVIL.

Dragons. Yugoloths. Duergar. Night hags. Mummies. Humans.
polt
10-14-04, 07:08 AM Dude this is EBBERON :)

Duegar may work though, but dragons? No way.
Graz'zt, Prince of Shadow
10-14-04, 11:20 AM Dude this is EBBERON :)

Duegar may work though, but dragons? No way.

I was simply pointing out creatures that have been traditionally thought of as greedy and evil and willing to guard treasure.

I do remember there's a black dragon in the ECS who was supposed to guard a cave or mountain or something and is worshiped by local tribes as a god. Besides, if you and your party are racing against a rival group of explorers, trying to find the long-hidden Grail of Kol Korran, what's more memorable, a climatic three-way fight against both a cunning dragon and your rivals, or a showdown with a bunch of grumpy dwarves? :D
polt
10-14-04, 01:27 PM Dragons is out of the question, since this is ebberon.

I like the Duegars, or at least evil dwarves. That make sense, maybe even allied with some Kobolds.

So we have three Groups: The Adventure and the Rich guy, the Lhazaar Prince and his crew, and the Kobold/Dwarves guarding the wicked grail.
ENHenry
10-14-04, 02:20 PM Yup, i like the idea of a tribe worshipping the Keeper, but don't think Orcs is right.
Maybe Kobolds? Any suggestions?

Where is the Ironroot mountins? Can't seem to find them. But it would be nice if the PCs maybe had to sail a bit, so they could meet up with the Lhazaar Prince in the middle of the aventure, and then again later.

Read up on the Mror Holds, and the Ironroot Orcs that the Dwarves fight. Still a good fit, I think, especially since the Dwarves themselves venerate Kol Korran pretty highly.
JDubTrafficGod
10-14-04, 03:17 PM Hey, just another idea. At the final battle for the grail have your men and the Lhazaar Prince, let us call him Bubsy, show up at the same time. Of course there’s the good old banter of I found it first, I'll kill you, blah blah blah...

But then to give it that good pulp Eberron twist, make them all work together against overwhelming odds to escape, becoming friends along the way. Then at your discretion have Bubsy either die shortly before the end of the escape and have your PCs fulfill his last wish, with a massive reward to be gained, or have him become an ally/contact of the PCs. Cause I mean really, everyone needs a good pirate every now and again.

And then bring on the Paladins... :ayyyy!: Just kidding.
polt
10-14-04, 06:48 PM That's actually not a bad idea. But then i need a reason for why the Lhazaar prince give up on the Grail?

Maybe is most of his crew lost, and they have to rescue him?
That may work: If they save him, the party gain a not-always-trustworthy-ally, and if they dont save him, he might wanna get revenge or something. Or is the loss of an ally bad enough?
ThanisKartaleon
10-15-04, 05:25 AM Dragons is out of the question, since this is ebberon.

Why? Dragons can be any alignment in eberron, and can have any motive. Maybe the traditional in-a-cave-with-shinies approach doesn't work, but how about this: A young silver dragon (easily mistaken by those unversed in draconic lore as a white dragon) who heard a different legend calling it the Chalice of Chronepsis. Chronepsis, being the draconic diety of prophecy, obviously would perk the interest of any self-respecting eberronian dragon. So our poor sap seeks it out, finds it and takes a sip, expecting to be gifted with amazing powers of prophetic vision. Instead, he begins to regard everything around him as his own, and begins to collect all the treasure he can, the grail being the first.

So this plays as a standard against-the-dragon type adventure, with a twist. It should be set in Argonnesson or Xen'drik, in some giant draconic temple. Oh, and the artifact in this instance would be rightly called Tiamat's Tankard or something like that. :P
JDubTrafficGod
10-15-04, 05:53 AM At some point or another you could have your PCs make choice, here’s the situation: During one of the fights on the way out have the Prince, once again Bubsy, be dragged down/knocked out/surrounded. At this point the PCs make their choice, save Bubsy's life, or leave him to be killed. If the PCs save his life then he will hold them in the highest of regards and will be a stalwart ally. If the PCs leave him to die, then one of two things can happen, he can just die, or by some stroke of luck he escapes and becomes an enemy of the PCs, hiring assassins, and occasionally all out attacking the PCs, always to escape to fight another day.

I like this so much I just might throw my PCs against him.
polt
10-15-04, 06:21 AM Yes, its a good idea. I'll defently use the Lhazaar prince, and the ally/enemy thingie, nice nice.
Other ideas?
polt
10-16-04, 10:42 AM Okey, here he is:

Budsy Two Blade (I may need a new name :D)
Male Dwarf, Fighter 2 / Rogue 3
HP:48; Init +3, Spd: 20; AC 18.
Base Atk: +4;
Weapons: Masterwork Scimitar +1, Masterwork Shortsword +1.
and 5 throwing axes.
Armor: Masterwork Studded Leater +1 and a Darkwood Buckler.
Possesions: Ring of Featherfall, 2 cure light wounds and a repair moderate wounds. Smokesticks and one Alchemists Frost.
Also he owns a ship: "The Dagger"

Skills is all the usual, balance, jump, tumble and so forth. Also with a good deal of ranks in Use Rope and Escape artist. Of course also in Prof. Sailor and Sense Motive.
Feats: Point Blank Shot, 2Weap fighting, Quick Draw, Precise Shot and Ranged Disarm.

Budsy Two Blade is one of the less powerful princes in the Lhazaar Principalities, he doesn’t have any ambitions about gaining power, he simply lives for adventure, not caring much about who he’s working for.
Most of the time however, he is trustworthy.
He tries to avoid killing to much, but if there is no other, way he does it without thinking twice.

He is currently on a mission for the Aurum (however he doesn't know he is working for the Aurum), the mission is the find the Grail of Kol Korran.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
polt 10-11-04, 02:31 PM	I haven't worked out all the details, so i need some ideas :) I was thinking of having a rich collector of artifacts hire the PCs to find an especially sacred item: The Grail of Kol Korran, promising the drinker wealth beyond imagination. I do not know where this should be located, maybe on Xen Drik or the Mror Holds, but i would like some advice here. The idea is that one of the PCs maybe wants to drink of it, of course. However, the Grail is not of Kol Korran, but: The Grail of the Keeper, Kol Korrans twin brother. Instead of wealth, you get greed. Money and treasure become an obsession. I’m not sure on what the exact effects should be, but something like that. If none of the PCs drink from it, you can always have the collector do it, and then he'll need the pc's to get more treasures for him, in more extreme places, and maybe even get them illegal (without the PCs knowing its illegal of course) In addition, I was thinking maybe throwing a Lhazaar Prince in, also searching for the Grail. So what do you think any ideas? Or opinions?
xanthus 10-11-04, 02:44 PM	I like the ideas of this. If any of the PCs figure out that it's the Keeper's Grail and not his brother's, then would they risk their paycheck to not bring it back? And the idea of the Lhazzar Prince also brings in some great competition because he can always show up right at the wrong moments for the PCs. Lots of good stuff can be done for reoccuring NPCs as villians, employers and some kind of combination of the two. Good show!
ENHenry 10-11-04, 02:54 PM	Instead of wealth, you get greed. Money and treasure become an obsession. I’m not sure on what the exact effects should be... For your standard adventurer? Wouldn't change him one darned bit. :D Perhaps the Cup is hidden in the Ironroots among a tribe of the Orcs there, in their Holy of Holies. Good old-fashioned orc-busting adventure, versus thousands of warrior orcs (levels 1 through 5) and their Cleric high priest of the Keeper? That way, they'd think they were liberating a stolen artifact, rather than stealing a rightful artifact, which is what they're actually doing.
polt 10-11-04, 04:31 PM	Yup, i like the idea of a tribe worshipping the Keeper, but don't think Orcs is right. Maybe Kobolds? Any suggestions? Where is the Ironroot mountins? Can't seem to find them. But it would be nice if the PCs maybe had to sail a bit, so they could meet up with the Lhazaar Prince in the middle of the aventure, and then again later.
polt 10-13-04, 08:47 AM	Okey, i do not like the creatures to be Kobolds, so any suggestions?
JDubTrafficGod 10-13-04, 08:55 AM	How about gaurded by paladins and knights i.e. the Last Crusade but with Kinghts not Nazi's.
polt 10-13-04, 08:57 AM	Well, Paladins are good. So that would kinda tip of the players that the grail is a big "no no", so that doesn't work. Also, if it is hidden in a temple of The Keeper, it might alert the players too. So maybe a ruined temple?
JDubTrafficGod 10-13-04, 02:11 PM	Well, Paladins are good. So that would kinda tip of the players that the grail is a big "no no", so that doesn't work. Also, if it is hidden in a temple of The Keeper, it might alert the players too. So maybe a ruined temple? Paladins being Lawful Good would gaurd the cup without partaking of it, and would gaurd it to the death as such. They could believe it to be the true grail, or not, doesn't matter. The rich collector, in all his 'good' intentions, is trying to keep the grail being taken by evil doers. Just a thought, you're the DM, so do it your way. :)
Serpentine 10-13-04, 02:22 PM	How could you tell that a paladin was a paladin, and not just an armored fighter or a cleric, if you didn't see them use healing touch? What level are the PCs? Yuan-ti might be a possibility.
polt 10-13-04, 03:26 PM	I don't know what level my PCs are. This isn't going to be their next adventure, but in a couple of sessions i might try and run it. Remember that the Rich collector hiring them, doesn't know the Grail is evil, he want's it because he thinks it can give him even more wealth. But instead it will make him Evil greedy, instead of just greedy. Yuan-Ti is a possibilty, i need some creatures who are greedy and like shiny thinks, and are of course: EVIL. I still don't like the Paladin thing.
JDubTrafficGod 10-13-04, 03:40 PM	But I like making Paladins be mean, its just makes things that much better.
Graz'zt, Prince of Shadow 10-13-04, 10:47 PM	Yuan-Ti is a possibilty, i need some creatures who are greedy and like shiny thinks, and are of course: EVIL. Dragons. Yugoloths. Duergar. Night hags. Mummies. Humans.
polt 10-14-04, 07:08 AM	Dude this is EBBERON :) Duegar may work though, but dragons? No way.
Graz'zt, Prince of Shadow 10-14-04, 11:20 AM	Dude this is EBBERON :) Duegar may work though, but dragons? No way. I was simply pointing out creatures that have been traditionally thought of as greedy and evil and willing to guard treasure. I do remember there's a black dragon in the ECS who was supposed to guard a cave or mountain or something and is worshiped by local tribes as a god. Besides, if you and your party are racing against a rival group of explorers, trying to find the long-hidden Grail of Kol Korran, what's more memorable, a climatic three-way fight against both a cunning dragon and your rivals, or a showdown with a bunch of grumpy dwarves? :D
polt 10-14-04, 01:27 PM	Dragons is out of the question, since this is ebberon. I like the Duegars, or at least evil dwarves. That make sense, maybe even allied with some Kobolds. So we have three Groups: The Adventure and the Rich guy, the Lhazaar Prince and his crew, and the Kobold/Dwarves guarding the wicked grail.
ENHenry 10-14-04, 02:20 PM	Yup, i like the idea of a tribe worshipping the Keeper, but don't think Orcs is right. Maybe Kobolds? Any suggestions? Where is the Ironroot mountins? Can't seem to find them. But it would be nice if the PCs maybe had to sail a bit, so they could meet up with the Lhazaar Prince in the middle of the aventure, and then again later. Read up on the Mror Holds, and the Ironroot Orcs that the Dwarves fight. Still a good fit, I think, especially since the Dwarves themselves venerate Kol Korran pretty highly.
JDubTrafficGod 10-14-04, 03:17 PM	Hey, just another idea. At the final battle for the grail have your men and the Lhazaar Prince, let us call him Bubsy, show up at the same time. Of course there’s the good old banter of I found it first, I'll kill you, blah blah blah... But then to give it that good pulp Eberron twist, make them all work together against overwhelming odds to escape, becoming friends along the way. Then at your discretion have Bubsy either die shortly before the end of the escape and have your PCs fulfill his last wish, with a massive reward to be gained, or have him become an ally/contact of the PCs. Cause I mean really, everyone needs a good pirate every now and again. And then bring on the Paladins... :ayyyy!: Just kidding.
polt 10-14-04, 06:48 PM	That's actually not a bad idea. But then i need a reason for why the Lhazaar prince give up on the Grail? Maybe is most of his crew lost, and they have to rescue him? That may work: If they save him, the party gain a not-always-trustworthy-ally, and if they dont save him, he might wanna get revenge or something. Or is the loss of an ally bad enough?
ThanisKartaleon 10-15-04, 05:25 AM	Dragons is out of the question, since this is ebberon. Why? Dragons can be any alignment in eberron, and can have any motive. Maybe the traditional in-a-cave-with-shinies approach doesn't work, but how about this: A young silver dragon (easily mistaken by those unversed in draconic lore as a white dragon) who heard a different legend calling it the Chalice of Chronepsis. Chronepsis, being the draconic diety of prophecy, obviously would perk the interest of any self-respecting eberronian dragon. So our poor sap seeks it out, finds it and takes a sip, expecting to be gifted with amazing powers of prophetic vision. Instead, he begins to regard everything around him as his own, and begins to collect all the treasure he can, the grail being the first. So this plays as a standard against-the-dragon type adventure, with a twist. It should be set in Argonnesson or Xen'drik, in some giant draconic temple. Oh, and the artifact in this instance would be rightly called Tiamat's Tankard or something like that. :P
JDubTrafficGod 10-15-04, 05:53 AM	At some point or another you could have your PCs make choice, here’s the situation: During one of the fights on the way out have the Prince, once again Bubsy, be dragged down/knocked out/surrounded. At this point the PCs make their choice, save Bubsy's life, or leave him to be killed. If the PCs save his life then he will hold them in the highest of regards and will be a stalwart ally. If the PCs leave him to die, then one of two things can happen, he can just die, or by some stroke of luck he escapes and becomes an enemy of the PCs, hiring assassins, and occasionally all out attacking the PCs, always to escape to fight another day. I like this so much I just might throw my PCs against him.
polt 10-15-04, 06:21 AM	Yes, its a good idea. I'll defently use the Lhazaar prince, and the ally/enemy thingie, nice nice. Other ideas?
polt 10-16-04, 10:42 AM	Okey, here he is: Budsy Two Blade (I may need a new name :D) Male Dwarf, Fighter 2 / Rogue 3 HP:48; Init +3, Spd: 20; AC 18. Base Atk: +4; Weapons: Masterwork Scimitar +1, Masterwork Shortsword +1. and 5 throwing axes. Armor: Masterwork Studded Leater +1 and a Darkwood Buckler. Possesions: Ring of Featherfall, 2 cure light wounds and a repair moderate wounds. Smokesticks and one Alchemists Frost. Also he owns a ship: "The Dagger" Skills is all the usual, balance, jump, tumble and so forth. Also with a good deal of ranks in Use Rope and Escape artist. Of course also in Prof. Sailor and Sense Motive. Feats: Point Blank Shot, 2Weap fighting, Quick Draw, Precise Shot and Ranged Disarm. Budsy Two Blade is one of the less powerful princes in the Lhazaar Principalities, he doesn’t have any ambitions about gaining power, he simply lives for adventure, not caring much about who he’s working for. Most of the time however, he is trustworthy. He tries to avoid killing to much, but if there is no other, way he does it without thinking twice. He is currently on a mission for the Aurum (however he doesn't know he is working for the Aurum), the mission is the find the Grail of Kol Korran.