Post/Author/DateTime	Post
liquidfilth 05-20-05, 01:24 PM	I've been putting some thoughts down on Word for my upcoming Eberron campaign, but, I haven't been able to bounce my thoughts off of anyone really - this would be my first Eberron campaign: Eberron has provided a rockin' backdrop to a lot of things I wanted to do, but couldn't really put a world together in a reasonable fashion to do so. So, I'd like to share my notes, and, if anyone happens to have any comments, questions, compliments or critisisms, please, post 'em. Brainstorming, 5/15/05: Why “Iron Lung” again, I have to ask myself. Well, it stems from the fact that Eberron provides the perfect environment for the story that I wanted to happen. The girl’s little world explored by adventurers, the consequences surrounding it, the events leading up to it. So far what I have is this. One of the Daughters of Sora Kell (Sora Tereza, specifically), had lost a particularly odd hag’s stone that she had crafted some ages ago. How she lost it is unimportant at the moment. What’s important is that it’s currently in the hands of a nobody merchant in the city of Sharn. Ever since coming into possession of the stone, he’s had terrible nightmares of indescribable varieties, but hasn’t been able to force himself to get rid of the stone just yet. What’s responsible for his nightmares? Well, Quori, of course, but, they’re responsible for everyone’s nightmares, after a fashion. Why are they giving this poor sap such a hard time of things? Well, this stone, for one reason or another, makes one’s dreams more raw, more real, and thus, more palatable to the Quori who feed upon the dream-energy. While Sora Tereza is strong enough to keep the Quori thought-leeches at bay, he’s just an innocent little spice-pusher. He’s a buffet for the nightmares. The presence of the Quori in the as-yet-unnamed merchant’s dreams has actually proven to make this stone stronger. And what was once a long-lost trinket to Sora Tereza has become, once again, an object of desire for her. Her connection to the stone hasn’t weakened at all during the years, and the recent activity in the possession of this merchant has piqued her interest; so, at this time, she’s arranging for her contacts with the Daask in Sharn to pay this man a visit, so that they might deliver the stone back to her. Where do the players fit into this situation? Well, the whole daily nightmares thing has put the merchant a bit on edge. Having an eerie premonition (actually psionic abilities given to him by the stone, unbeknownst to him), the merchant decides that he’s not safe in his home anymore, and wants to hire either a group of take-any-job thugs to help protect him as he sleeps (he’s wealthy enough to keep the players in good money) or hire on House Deneith guards (a little steeper than he would like to go, but, he has a really bad feeling about this) until he’s able to unload the stone onto someone else. Aside from Sora Tereza and the Daask, there are other interested parties in this stone. Already the Quori are moving the Dreaming Dark into position to acquire the stone, but an unknown organization has heard rumors of a dream-focus such as the stone that would be ideal in their experiments to create a quasi-dimension in Dal Quor for their own amusement. When the Daask stirs up trouble, word’s bound to spread (the merchant’s kept no secrets about his having a hard time sleeping of late), and various parties are bound to move in. And, as player characters are bound to do, they get caught in the middle of it all. Now, what’s to keep the player characters from simply turning over the stone to any of the given interested parties? Well, the Quori feeding upon it want it to end up in their hands, but, they’re the furthest away from getting their hands on it – so it’s in their best interest to protect the stone, and, having some understanding of the nature of the artifact now, they decide, if the stone is at risk, to break it up into smaller pieces until they can send someone to collect. This will likely happen in the encounter with Crone (a female personality warforged monk) after the Daask forces strike. Crone, an agent of Daask (and more directly, the Daughters), sneaks in past the players and almost gets away with the stone – however, the Quori being more than aware of what’s happening when the Crone picks up the artifact, decide it’s time to play their card. In an unprecedented connection between Dal Quor and Eberron the Quori manage to will the stone to explode. The Quori personalities are trapped within the fragments, and in the ensuing psionic explosion, the fragments are trapped in whatever players were present at the time, as well has having a fragment deep in Crone, as well. The wounds suffered by the shrapnel glow brightly, but fade when Crone flees. So, in short – the players will have what are, effectively, Quori-possessed shards of a hag’s stone imbedded within themselves, granting them minor psionic abilities. The downside of this is many fold – one, Sora Tereza is uninterested in the current state of the stone, or where it is (or who it’s in). She wants it back. Crone is in a unique position to spearhead the hunt for the pieces of the stone. Meanwhile, Dreaming Dark agents will close upon the locations of the stone, although their search is muddled due to the Quori personalities being trapped within the shards within the mortals. The third organization will likely take a back seat to the pursuits, but still send its eyes and ears out to keep up with the status of the stone (and to see how much of it is back together). All the while the Dreaming Dark and the Daughters of Sora Kell will play the players against each group. And that should be enough to start with. Now, I quite simply need a house. And a name for the poor merchant. Brawn Dyson. There.
liquidfilth 05-20-05, 01:25 PM	Brainstorming, 5/16/05: I mentioned before something along the lines of having the stone split into several distinct shards, a Quori spirit possessing each one. The Quori are significantly weakened in this state, but, they still possess some influence – nightmares will come to the carriers of each shard, if they sleep, and, if they suffer the nightmares, they gain a modicum of power from them (a power that would be related to, in some way, the nightmare in question). Below are a list of common nightmares, and the ability that it will grant. Perhaps, if the PC embraces the shard, the power will grow – but, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I would name each shard, but, I doubt the Quori could communicate their names, if they even have them, and, if they could (or if they did), that they would. Each shard provides 1 power point per character level. (All the below powers are in the Expanded Psionics Handbook). • Falling: Perhaps the most common of nightmares – the obvious ability here is catfall. • Drowning: Personally I think this is more terrifying than falling – the ability float would be appropriate here. • Lost, Abandoned: You’ve either been left behind or you’ve gotten yourself lost – and for that you’ll need the ability know direction and location. • Unprepared: The day has come, the day you’ve been waiting for, and you’ve forgotten everything you need to know – call to mind is appropriate here. • Under Attack: Sometimes you dream that some manner of beast is lashing at you – which is why you might need a force screen to protect yourself. • Being Chased: Run. Gain the burst ability. I’m sure I could find some more nightmares, but, those are generic enough that I think they’ll be well suited – the nightmares will get more specific and stronger as time goes on (provided they haven’t gotten rid of the shards), and the Quori will gain more of a connection to the individual. I’ll probably increase the powers at 6th and 9th level, just about when you could increase the abilities of a dragonmark. Unless they get ahold of the whole stone, I probably won’t increase it past that.
liquidfilth 05-20-05, 01:26 PM	Brainstorming, 5/17/05: I should be in line for Star Wars Episode III, but, it’s probably better that I wait. Besides, with the introduction of Amy’s character, Pythiyakri, I actually had a fairly interesting idea as to what the nature of the “third organization” might be. We mused that Amy’s ghost kalashtar (using the Ghostwalk campaign variant) is the result of whatever happened in former Cyre. My thoughts basically boiled down to this – during the cataclysm a small kalashtar thorp just on the border of the devastation had something unusual happen to them. The entire thorp fell into a slumber, and, despite the kalashtar’s adversion to dreaming, this thorp’s population forced itself into it. Or something bizarre happened – alright, so I’m not clear on what happened to the rest of the village yet. But, the thought stemmed from Pythi’s current state – her spirit(s) got shunted from her body – her body remains back at the village where she lived, and it sleeps – needing not air, nor food, nor anything. Her body is in some strange stasis, as are the rest of her townsfolk. It hasn’t been determined if she’s aware of her state yet – I’m going to assume she’s not. She won’t be returning to the Mournland anytime soon, nor will she really have any reason to – she’ll likely assume her village got obliterated. The Morgrave University, however, knows better. While they know nothing of Pyhti (yet), an expedition they led into the Mournland came across this slumbering town. In a desire to study (and, admittedly, exploit) these poor kalashtar, they set up camp in the village and monitored every little thing about it. Magical readings, life monitoring, archeological digs – the study continues to this day, and the discovery of both a hag’s dreamstone (mentioned before) and the walking spirit of one of the sleeping will certainly pique their interest. The kalashtar of the sleeping town are in a unique state – despite their normal adherence to “no dreams”, they’ve begun to leak a little psychic thought (a Morgrave psion is on the scene). Nothing so overt to attract any attention on Dal Quor, but, the University has enough knowledge to know sort of how things (dreams) work (in Eberron). And with these (apparently) immortal vessels dreaming sort of neutral thoughts, well, it was just a matter of time before someone came up with the Iron Lung idea. Sure, they’d need something to amplify the dreams to mold them, and a way to get to the pocket dimension but… it became feasible to create their own little play-world. *I* know what I’m talking about. And if you’re reading this, chances are *you* know what I’m talking about. So, for the time being, I’m done talking about it.
chimpman 05-21-05, 01:50 AM	Hey, I just found this thread, and I have to say there are some really good ideas here. I have to admit that I'm not familiar with the "Iron Lung" plot. Can you elaborate a bit on that? Aside from Sora Tereza and the Daask, there are other interested parties in this stone. Already the Quori are moving the Dreaming Dark into position to acquire the stone, but an unknown organization has heard rumors of a dream-focus such as the stone that would be ideal in their experiments to create a quasi-dimension in Dal Quor for their own amusement. It seems like you've found your other organization in Morgrave U. I would also suggest considering the Aurum. In fact some Aurum member might be behind funding Morgrave's expidition in the first place. Also, what level will your PCs be starting at?
liquidfilth 05-21-05, 07:55 AM	I had considered having another group behind the University, but hadn't made any solid decisions - I'll admit that I didn't think of the Aurum, and, honestly, they had completely slipped my mind as an organization. Just goes to show where my head's at. The PCs are starting at 1st level - while I haven't written this in the notes yet, they're all budding members of the Boromor Family, just trying to find a place in Sharn. As for "Iron Lung" - it's alien except to people I've run it for - the notes I posted are mostly just notes to myself and players that aren't participating in this particular game. The original idea was that a young woman was being kept in a coma, by means of a magical/technological coffin. This provided a permanent "dreamscape" dimension (as presented in Manual of the Planes) that they would mold by using a _gate_ spell to travel to the dream itself, and by using outside stimuli at the lung. Most of the campaign would take place inside of the dream, the PCs playing the part of characters in the girl's imagination. They were to discover the nature of their world, and have to decide how to preserve it. Be it escaping into the "real world" to make sure the girl kept sleeping, or some other means.
chimpman 05-21-05, 10:46 AM	Ahhh, ok. I remember reading that post as well. Here are som other thoughts that come to mind regarding this plot: 1) I've thought about using Ghostwalk in Eberron as well. The Kalashtar however present some problems for me. They are supposed to be dual spirit entities, so what actually happens if one becomes a ghost? My first inclination was to say the the ghost portion was the human spirit. The quori spirit lives on in its other kalashtar 'hosts'. I would represent this by removing all "kalashtar" racial traits from the ghost - since those are derived from the quori side. Anyway, this is something to think about. 2 spirits, 1 ghost. How do you handle it? 2) Your setup provides some nice opportunities for expanding the plot somewhat. With regard to the 'sleeping' kalashtar village several things could be happening. Perhaps the human spirits escaped as ghosts, while a portion of the quori spirit is still inhabiting the bodies (and providing a link to Dal-Quor). If this is the case I can see 2 possible outcomes: - The kalashtar who share quori spirits with those trapped in the Mournland, would realize that something is wrong and try to put an end to it. I imagine that those kalashtar quori trapped in Dal-Quor would get pretty nervous about being found out by their Dreaming Dark enemies. They would want to get out of there as soon as possible. - Perhaps some could see this as a way to take the war to the Dreaming Dark on their own territory. A more militant group could begin to shape the dreamscape demi-plane as a sort of military fortress, from which they could lead assaults into Dal-Quor. Maybe some of the kalashtar might want this. Perhaps a few giants who dabble in such things on Xendrik could also find out about this dream village and try to take it for their own purposes. 3) What will happen when a PC with a shard comes into contact with the dream village. The Dal-Quor quori might be able to get their first glimpse of the demi-plane at that point and then those trying to use it would be in greater danger.
liquidfilth 05-24-05, 05:05 PM	Brainstorming 5/21/05: Today’s been a really tiring day, but, you know what? Everything risked was worth it. But, I digress. When I was standing outside having a cigarette, I thought that I had put a lot of thought towards Amy’s character, and not a lot to Shannon’s – so, when I did, the first thing that came to mind was that she should most certainly be kidnapped by pirates at some point (or pirates should at least attempt to take her). Why? Well, a few reasons popped into my head. 1) She’s the long lost daughter of a pirate lord. The lord, becoming addled and desperate in his old age decides to seek her out and force her to take over for him when he passes on. 2) Of course, the above could simply be a matter of mistaken identity – in truth, the lord’s daughter passed away long ago, perhaps a causality of the Last War, and the lord is too confused to see it. 3) And on the subject of identity, another possibility is that Loreli resembles the lord’s lost love so closely that he decides that he must have her. There’s also the possibility of all of the above being true, but, I’m not in any mood to push it right now. Amy’s character might be the disembodied human-side of the kalashtar spirit, separated from her Quori half during the Day of Mourning. Her Quori remains trapped, helpless, in her body, desperate to get her back. It may be the only way that the Quori can summon back their spirits is through dreams, a dangerous task indeed, and who knows if dreams can be trusted with the Dreaming Dark pursuing the party. Tom? I don’t know what he’s playing yet. He’s changed his mind about 20 times now. Kobold sorcerer, human warlock, anthro-donkey monk/hexblade, I don’t know.
liquidfilth 05-24-05, 05:05 PM	Brainstorming 5/24/05: Getting closer and closer to actually playing. Met a new potential player, Tyler, yesterday, and decided to give Tom a chance – he’s settled on a human cleric heading towards mindspy. An exorcist/warrior, I suppose. It’s time to think as to how all of these folks got mixed up with a group like the Boromar Family. • Loreli: Loreli set herself upon the streets at the age of 10, when her parents died in what appeared to have been a terrorist attack on Sharn. No one ever took credit for the attack done that day. Loreli survived on the street on her own for years, but eventually made friends with some of the members of the Family. She works closely with them to this day. • Pythiyakri: Pyth is an unusual case. Her unique state of being provides many an opportunity for the Family, and in exchange for her services, they’ve promised that they’d help her with any research she would need in the future. They’ve also made a deal with Panbatter, a local baker, to allow Pyth to come and go into her shop as she pleases, so that she might sate her desires for the sights and smells of the place. • ???? (Tyler): Tyler’s character was born and raised out in the Reaches, among a small group of other cliffwalkers. While the clan was training to defend themselves, they weren’t prepared for the horrors they would face one day – his clan was scattered to the winds. Tyler’s character found himself in wandering; one day he found himself in Sharn. Looking for work, so that he might eat, the Boromar Family offers him a simple job. • Boden: Boden is a spy for the Church of the Silver Flame. He was planted into the Boromar clan, who subsequently planted him in the Church of the Silver Flame – he’s doing a spectacular job of it, too, having great knowledge of the religion. No one suspects a thing. They’re keeping Boden busy, though – from having him investigate potential other members to form an adventuring group with him in Clifftop to having him keep up with simple jobs, like the one presented to him this day. Still would like maybe one or two more players.