Assist Wrapping Up A Long Campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Assist Wrapping Up A Long Campaign [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Fharghanar
11-29-07, 12:13 PM Okay, so the group of PCs has gone from 5th to 11th level on this single campaign arc, and the next two games should wrap it up. I'm having trouble deciding on how to finish the thing, so I thought maybe I could come here to find some inspiration or ideas.

The Plot So Far:
The PCs have been hunting down these 5 keys, that when brought together in Thronehold, will somehow reveal or create the new ruler of the 5 Nations. Currently, 4 keys are in the hands of powerful organizations (or maybe just one, the PCs don't know and I can change it to suit this ending), and the last key has just been found by the PCs. Most major organizations know about the rumor of the keys, and were present at an auction where keys gathered by (and stolen from) the PCs were sold.

The Secret:
Unbeknownst to the PCs, the whole purpose of the keys is to create an opportunity for the Dreaming Dark to move in, in a long plot starting with the Mourning. The Mourning was caused by some artifact from Xen'drik brought to Cyre by a team who's minds had been tampered with by a quori spirit. They believed this artifact was a weapon to be harnessed, when in truth it was a major player in a plot of the Dreaming Dark. The artifact explodes, the Mourning occurs. This is where they keys come in. The keys, when brought together, have the ability to create or destroy the 'Mourning Effect". This is how whoever has the keys will be able to become ruler - through fear of another Mourning, and through love of restoring Cyre. The keys also will, transform the wearer (the keys are regalia of royalty) into a twisted version of former King Jarot (who's spirit has been trapped within the crown of the key set). So now, the Quori have this great leader on their side - but they've got a great backup plan. Should the Five Nations not accept the new king, or should he be assassinated, a war will likely start again. Meanwhile Riedran ambassadors have been making political moves to become allies with a number of countries, and will become a stabilizing force, ceasing the war again. So the Dreaming Dark either scores if the Keys work, or if the war starts up again because of them.

My Plan(s):
The PCs have 2 reasons to go to Thronehold. One of the PCs sisters bids them come there, and that's where they've got to go if they want to do the keys thing. They don't know the 5 keys are there, but they'll want to investigate. House Deneith has taken it upon themselves to try and keep people out of Thronehold - heavily reinforcing their caretaker troops. The PCs have to either fight/negotiate with the Denieth commander to gain access. They burst in to find that the 4 other keys are already there, along with Queen Aurala, and specific members of the Aurum (long time enemies of the PCs) It's a showdown, the Queen turns into King Jarot, on the 'vid screen' he flexes his might in restoring portions of the mournland, and expanding it towards the Valenar a bit. A climactic fight scene, perhaps, the revelation of Dreaming Dark involvement when the mole in the party, (inspired telepath) throws her weight around, and the PCs save the day?

OR

The PCs get to Thronehold to find a host of vehicles arrayed nearby - it seems the powers of Khorvaire have come to attend some important event! They're allowed inside, everyone has been waiting for them, and the keys are given to Aurala (having risen in public opinion recently, evening mending wounds with Thrane). She/Jarot flexes their magical muscle, everyone is awed, and the new king is welcomed/feared and words are exchanged igniting the war again. Jarot dies, or not.

I had considered ending 1 part of the 2 part game with the PCs in a dark room, seeing a sillohuette of someone with the Keys of Galifar on, a cliffhanger to the 'oh no' moment being the revealing of the heir.

The Challenge:
So, I guess what I need help with is - how do I make this a good ending?
Things I need to happen: 5 keys brought together on an heir - Queen Aurala. Reveal power over Mourning effect. PCs realize war could break out, and do something to prevent it. A good 'oh no!' moment. One way or another, Khorvairan leaders/ Aurum or Chamber become involved. This turns into a 2 session adventure?

I'm rather lost. I hope someone can dig through that mess above, and come up with an idea to assist.

Thanks in advance :).
Wauthan
12-03-07, 08:51 PM I would advice against moving the Mourning around. In my campaign it's growing and that alone is enough to cause all kinds of epic fail. I'm going to "reboot" Eberron after the campaign is finished though.

Not knowing your players I would still go with your second scenario. It's simply more epic then a "secret" showdown. Also imagine the situation:

1. Queen Aurala doesn't know that she'll be replaced by the twisted (undead?) shadow of her own ancestor. The Inspired agent(s?) are thus there to ensure that the transformation goes smoothly. Disrupt the agents and the queen might fight the possessing spirit, giving the PCs a chance to strike.

2. The keys are most likely known by other factions. They might not know exactly what they do, but I'm sure they assume it can't be anything that benefits their own goals. And thus the PCs are not alone in this last showdown. The most likely help would propably come from The Royal Eyes of Aundair. They are close enough to the queen to suspect that her life may be in danger. Heck, even something as unlikely as the Emerald Claw might be ready to lend a hand when the stakes are this high.

3. The other leaders of Khorvaire will not react favorably to the appearance of King Jarot. The reaction will most likely be utter confusion, if not outright horror, rather then awe. Again the Inspired might have a psionic ace up their sleeve, but they might not know about the undead nature of King Kaius III.

4. The members of the Aurum are not exactly epic bossfight material themselves but most likely they got the best champions gold can buy. Let the PCs face of against a highlevel party of adventurers where each member have specialized in taking down a particular member of the PCs. After the champions are downed switch into high pace roleplaying rather then dicerolling. Like it or not but the Five Nations need the Aurum so the players can't just cut them down. But if they manage to save Aurala, capture the Aurum and make everyone calm down long enough to explain what happened they will be the greatest, and least known, heroes of Khorvaire.

5. What do you do if the PCs win? The Inspired just managed to become exposed for what they are. The once secret Aurum is now known by all the major political players. The royalty now know that the Mourning can be controlled. All it takes is that one of them is sacrificed to channel the warped spirit of their ancestor. An ancestor who might know a good deal of dirty secrets about how the war started.
Belkar
12-04-07, 10:44 AM The Aurum has used their vast wealth to hire [gasp] the foul being from the depths of khyber known only as "HIM". HE is a multi-headed fiendish dark tarrasque.

Sure.

Why not?

TPK! Woo HOO!!! :D

In all seriousness... have them fight Aurala's doppleganger - and give it some cool abilities. Make it like a legendary wraith with spellcasting out the wazoo and the ability to summon minions.

If you're going to end the game... make it an end to remember! ;)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Fharghanar 11-29-07, 12:13 PM	Okay, so the group of PCs has gone from 5th to 11th level on this single campaign arc, and the next two games should wrap it up. I'm having trouble deciding on how to finish the thing, so I thought maybe I could come here to find some inspiration or ideas. The Plot So Far: The PCs have been hunting down these 5 keys, that when brought together in Thronehold, will somehow reveal or create the new ruler of the 5 Nations. Currently, 4 keys are in the hands of powerful organizations (or maybe just one, the PCs don't know and I can change it to suit this ending), and the last key has just been found by the PCs. Most major organizations know about the rumor of the keys, and were present at an auction where keys gathered by (and stolen from) the PCs were sold. The Secret: Unbeknownst to the PCs, the whole purpose of the keys is to create an opportunity for the Dreaming Dark to move in, in a long plot starting with the Mourning. The Mourning was caused by some artifact from Xen'drik brought to Cyre by a team who's minds had been tampered with by a quori spirit. They believed this artifact was a weapon to be harnessed, when in truth it was a major player in a plot of the Dreaming Dark. The artifact explodes, the Mourning occurs. This is where they keys come in. The keys, when brought together, have the ability to create or destroy the 'Mourning Effect". This is how whoever has the keys will be able to become ruler - through fear of another Mourning, and through love of restoring Cyre. The keys also will, transform the wearer (the keys are regalia of royalty) into a twisted version of former King Jarot (who's spirit has been trapped within the crown of the key set). So now, the Quori have this great leader on their side - but they've got a great backup plan. Should the Five Nations not accept the new king, or should he be assassinated, a war will likely start again. Meanwhile Riedran ambassadors have been making political moves to become allies with a number of countries, and will become a stabilizing force, ceasing the war again. So the Dreaming Dark either scores if the Keys work, or if the war starts up again because of them. My Plan(s): The PCs have 2 reasons to go to Thronehold. One of the PCs sisters bids them come there, and that's where they've got to go if they want to do the keys thing. They don't know the 5 keys are there, but they'll want to investigate. House Deneith has taken it upon themselves to try and keep people out of Thronehold - heavily reinforcing their caretaker troops. The PCs have to either fight/negotiate with the Denieth commander to gain access. They burst in to find that the 4 other keys are already there, along with Queen Aurala, and specific members of the Aurum (long time enemies of the PCs) It's a showdown, the Queen turns into King Jarot, on the 'vid screen' he flexes his might in restoring portions of the mournland, and expanding it towards the Valenar a bit. A climactic fight scene, perhaps, the revelation of Dreaming Dark involvement when the mole in the party, (inspired telepath) throws her weight around, and the PCs save the day? OR The PCs get to Thronehold to find a host of vehicles arrayed nearby - it seems the powers of Khorvaire have come to attend some important event! They're allowed inside, everyone has been waiting for them, and the keys are given to Aurala (having risen in public opinion recently, evening mending wounds with Thrane). She/Jarot flexes their magical muscle, everyone is awed, and the new king is welcomed/feared and words are exchanged igniting the war again. Jarot dies, or not. I had considered ending 1 part of the 2 part game with the PCs in a dark room, seeing a sillohuette of someone with the Keys of Galifar on, a cliffhanger to the 'oh no' moment being the revealing of the heir. The Challenge: So, I guess what I need help with is - how do I make this a good ending? Things I need to happen: 5 keys brought together on an heir - Queen Aurala. Reveal power over Mourning effect. PCs realize war could break out, and do something to prevent it. A good 'oh no!' moment. One way or another, Khorvairan leaders/ Aurum or Chamber become involved. This turns into a 2 session adventure? I'm rather lost. I hope someone can dig through that mess above, and come up with an idea to assist. Thanks in advance :).
Wauthan 12-03-07, 08:51 PM	I would advice against moving the Mourning around. In my campaign it's growing and that alone is enough to cause all kinds of epic fail. I'm going to "reboot" Eberron after the campaign is finished though. Not knowing your players I would still go with your second scenario. It's simply more epic then a "secret" showdown. Also imagine the situation: 1. Queen Aurala doesn't know that she'll be replaced by the twisted (undead?) shadow of her own ancestor. The Inspired agent(s?) are thus there to ensure that the transformation goes smoothly. Disrupt the agents and the queen might fight the possessing spirit, giving the PCs a chance to strike. 2. The keys are most likely known by other factions. They might not know exactly what they do, but I'm sure they assume it can't be anything that benefits their own goals. And thus the PCs are not alone in this last showdown. The most likely help would propably come from The Royal Eyes of Aundair. They are close enough to the queen to suspect that her life may be in danger. Heck, even something as unlikely as the Emerald Claw might be ready to lend a hand when the stakes are this high. 3. The other leaders of Khorvaire will not react favorably to the appearance of King Jarot. The reaction will most likely be utter confusion, if not outright horror, rather then awe. Again the Inspired might have a psionic ace up their sleeve, but they might not know about the undead nature of King Kaius III. 4. The members of the Aurum are not exactly epic bossfight material themselves but most likely they got the best champions gold can buy. Let the PCs face of against a highlevel party of adventurers where each member have specialized in taking down a particular member of the PCs. After the champions are downed switch into high pace roleplaying rather then dicerolling. Like it or not but the Five Nations need the Aurum so the players can't just cut them down. But if they manage to save Aurala, capture the Aurum and make everyone calm down long enough to explain what happened they will be the greatest, and least known, heroes of Khorvaire. 5. What do you do if the PCs win? The Inspired just managed to become exposed for what they are. The once secret Aurum is now known by all the major political players. The royalty now know that the Mourning can be controlled. All it takes is that one of them is sacrificed to channel the warped spirit of their ancestor. An ancestor who might know a good deal of dirty secrets about how the war started.
Belkar 12-04-07, 10:44 AM	The Aurum has used their vast wealth to hire [gasp] the foul being from the depths of khyber known only as "HIM". HE is a multi-headed fiendish dark tarrasque. Sure. Why not? TPK! Woo HOO!!! :D In all seriousness... have them fight Aurala's doppleganger - and give it some cool abilities. Make it like a legendary wraith with spellcasting out the wazoo and the ability to summon minions. If you're going to end the game... make it an end to remember! ;)