Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Pallis 08-02-05, 07:22 AM	Anyone with any time to spare in offering up some suggestions for this cross and double adventure... The ‘party’ is comprised of a warforged fighter and a gnome artificer, who are based out of the Whiteroof Ward in Fairhaven, Aundair. The warforged is a construction worker, currently directing his efforts at the docks, while the artificer busies himself with repairs and spending a great deal of time at The Shattered Lamp inn, gaining rumour and gossip which he sells on for the right price as his position of information broker dictates. The artificer also arranges for the warforged to battle in ‘pit fights’ – underground fight clubs throughout the city, and turns to his contact, and fight promoter called Zal, a changeling fixer. It is through this acquaintance that the duo accepted a meeting set up by Zal with a low level agent of the Royal Eyes of Aundair. The meeting itself took place at midnight beneath a bridge out of the city, in the worst storms that had plagued the area for quite some time. The agent, named Kamiel, told them he needed a gang of bandits, holed up in nearby ruins, eliminated as they were compromising an on-going investigation. Both warforged and artificer bought his story and agreed, and were then promptly ambushed by Emerald Claw soldiers, one of whom – though wounded in the ensuing combat – managed to escape. Kamiel returned to Fairhaven, as the PCs ventured to the ruins, where they indeed met, and killed the so-called bandits, a sorceror – Jurien, along with a warforged Reaver and their ‘pet’ monstrous scorpion. This band also included a man known as Nallis, who was pushed off a cavern ledge by our heroic gnome artificer, spiralling down into darkness and thought-of as dead. Ha ha. To further complicate matters, Kamiel then showed up with a small force of Emerald Claw soldiers, thereby revealing his true colours as an agent of the EC. The previous battle with the EC soldiers beneath the bridge was simply an encounter to prove their level of prowess. He offered the PCs employ in the Order, but they refused and made a stand in the ruins, with the warforged proving his considerable fighting skill (the player rolled an 18 STR and 18 CON, without fudging…I kid you not…) and slaughtering everyone he came up against. Unfortunately from the point of view of taking prisoners, he killed Kamiel and neither he nor the artificer could heal the Order soldiers he’d brought along. It was here that the pair discovered a captured halfling called Nim, a scholarly historian captured while on field research at the ruins, which he knew as being a place of ancient power once known as Miriskarr. He offered the PCs the knowledge required to break the great seal and venture down into Miriskarr’s depths, there to uncover a ‘great power’…though through a possible misinterpretation that power could either be divine or demon-spawned. The PCs decided against an initial investigation of Miriskarr and returned to Fairhaven, where they intended to meet with their changeling fixer, Zal, to see what he knew about the Royal Eyes agent, Kamiel. Trouble is, when they ventured to his safe-house, they found it wasn’t quite as safe as once thought. Zal lay dead and the PCs disturbed the assassin (or thought-of assassin), a shifter fleeing the scene. The warforged, always one to strike first and ask questions later, killed the shifter on the spot. It was only after this that the artificer noticed a possible accomplice in the window across the street, who ran off after being spotted and was not found. The PCs did recover a crossbow and several bolts from across the street, to which the bolt embedded in Zal’s throat was a match. Knowing that Zal had dealings with Kreelo and the Dark Dagger gang, the PCs prepared themselves for venturing to the abandoned Cathedral of the Silver Flame, but first returned to their lodgings, where they discovered a note requesting a meeting at a notorious dive in Whiteroof – The Shimmering Water tavern. The note was marked with the symbol of the Lhazaar situated Dreadhold prison, a match to the brand the artificer noticed on the forehead of the assassin who fled the scene of Zal’s murder… That’s as far as they’ve got at the moment, but they’re headed to the meeting, which will make they’re heads spin when they see who it is who’s apparently back from the dead: Nallis, the man they thought of as bandit, working along with Jurien, who the artificer pushed into the chasm in the ruins… Nallis will tell them that he’s a bounty hunter who was trailing Jurien, once a prisoner of Dreadhold who escaped with a notorious master criminal, Ebba Kessler, a woman who was one of a triumvirate planning an assassination of the nation leaders at the signing of the Treaty of Thronehold. Having split up since their escape, Ebba had directed Jurien to the ruins of Miriskarr, there to uncover a great power that she could utilise to bring about the downfall of nations. Unfortunately, as Nallis gained Jurien’s confidence and accepted him into their band, he revealed that Ebba had become a creature of darkness during their travels through Karrnath. Now, Nallis is furious that the PCs have effectively killed his contact with Ebba, and as they’ve become, however inadvertently, placed in the centre of a national investigation with far-reaching consequences, he’s concerned that the PCs are up to the task of dealing with the situation they’re in. Of course, there’s also the Emerald Claw cell in Fairhaven, that’s also looking for the PCs for the murder of one of their top agents, Kamiel. There’s an assassin escapee from Dreadhold on the loose – the man who killed Zal and was chased, but not captured, by the PCs (he’s the third man who fled with Jurien, a hidden accomplice) There’s information awaiting them with Kreelo, if they can get him on their side. There’s something hidden in Miriskarr that a noted criminal is desperate to get her hands on. What should happen next…? At the moment, and this is very cool, the PCs don’t know who to trust, who’s telling them the truth or who’s lying and what they should do for the best. They can’t step away from the situation as they know the Emerald Claw is lurking in the background and they don’t know whether Ebba will come for them; they feel a responsibility for protecting the academic halfling, Nim, and generally feel as though major conspiracies are spiralling around them. Which is great fun for me as the DM. If you’ve got anything to add into this building sense of paranoia, please feel free to offer your suggestions as to where this can go. If there’s any guidelines I’ve set myself in drawing this up, it’s that the storyline is developing like a season of 24…which means that at this point, I don’t even know how it’s going to be resolved. A cookie for everyone that adds something worthwhile into this tangled tale…
Euangelion 08-02-05, 08:40 AM	One more factor you may want to include is House Kundarak, as it seeks to recapture those that escaped Dreadhold. If the dwarves were to believe that the PC's are assisting the escapees in some way, that would add another source of anxiety. But perhaps giving them a way of proving themselves to Kundarak could be the way that they finally gain the one source of help they need to begin to extract themselves from the glorious mess that they're in.
Altaris13 08-02-05, 12:06 PM	Pallis, nicely convoluted! :D About Nim, the scholarly haflling? I think it would be cool to have him as a secret member of a Cult of the Dragon Below. Or perhaps HE is the agent of the Royal Eyes. For a real twist, Nim could be both an Agent of the Royal Eyes, AND a member of the Cult.
Pallis 08-02-05, 03:41 PM	Now that's an idea I was toying was; having Nim being the financial backer to Ebba's schemes. Yep, I'm going for that - he'll be one of the planners that worked alongside Ebba on the assassination attempt at the signing of the Treaty. It'll be a gloriously wicked DM day when he unveils his true allegiances to the shocked and stunned PCs. Nim: "Thankyou for you assistance in helping me breach the defenses of Miriskarr." PCs: "Is this what you came down here for?" Nim: "Oh yes, and now that I have it, I have no further need of you, you poor, witless fools..." Of course, if the PCs manage to capture Nim, they'll have some bargaining power against Ebba, when she finally shows her face... So cheers Altaris for confirming in my mind that this would be a good choice of twist. Also, Euangelion, I think I will attempt to get House Kundarak in there too... One thing's for sure, as this is the first real proper campaign I've set in Eberron for my players (other than on RPG chat) I really think they don't know what's hit them. After being in the Realms for so long with years' old characters, this is certainly a fresh burst of thriller, suspense and mayhem all rolled into one... ...and though I've been with Eberron from the start, I'm only just now beginning to realise the possibilities and deviant plans that threaten to blow my players' minds... Excellent setting, amazing level of intrigue, and great fun! Can't ask for more than that. :w00t:
Brastan 08-02-05, 04:22 PM	*Sigh* does no one remember that you can take a -4 to hint and do non-lethal damage with any weapon? With a strength of 18 I think the Warforged should consider this as an option when fighting the future. :rolleyes: What to add? A rogue member of the Chamber perhaps? Maybe the halfling is actually a evil sliver dragon who is defying the Chambers mandated of non-interference and is behind all of this. He is pretending to be an agent of the Lords of Dust, who is pretending to be member of the Cult of the Dragon Below, who is pretending to be an Agent of the Royal Eyes, who is pretending to be a Halfling scholar.(He needs levels in Spy Master) He is doing all of this because of a prophecy that has been tampered with by the Mosaic Committe who are acting on the orders of a mind-seeded Kalashtar Dreaming Dark agent. :twitch: Uh... :confused: I just lost track of who's doing what now. Maybe Silver Flame Demon, maybe Ginger Bred Man? [HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER]They're coming to take me away ha ha. They're coming to take me away ho ho he he ha to the happy home....[/HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER] Epic Conspiracy! Oh and this all orchestrated by a 1st level commoner who wants revenge because the Warforged drop a create of Iron Rations on his foot one day. Or maybe it's the NEVER ENDING conspiracy, it just goes on and on my friend. :crazy:
Pallis 08-02-05, 06:22 PM	I think Brastan has earned his cookie with those comments...but whether the wardens at the asylum will let him have it is another matter... ;) :cookie:
aelryinth 08-02-05, 06:39 PM	I couldn't read the story, too much block text. As a convenience to people looking at a screen and having to scroll, seperate all paragraphs by a blank line to clearly subdivide things and make them easier to read. Thank you. ==Aelryinth
Brastan 08-02-05, 09:04 PM	Don't encourage me. If go any further I may find a way for PCs themselves (well their future selves) to be the generators of the mess and by doing so cause their past selves to fulfill a set of events that will result creating the whole thing all over again. (Have We Met?, episode 52 Red vs Blue)
Radkres 08-02-05, 10:19 PM	You know it all started with them asking for directions. And that person scraping all their money and hiring his uncle who knows someone starts the whole thing.