Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Zuj 07-19-06, 03:29 PM	Hello, I DM an Eberron campaign where the 4 PC's are all around 7th level. Currently, they are going to be undertaking a trip to Seren, because one of the PC's would like to become a Dragon Prophet (PrC, Magic of Eberron). For awhile now, we have gone through a few cryptic visions he has had, and his character feels a mysterious longing to go on a pilgrimage to Totem Beach. The character believes he is a native of Sharn, but we worked out how he doesn't really know his entire past, including who his mother is (except for her being some manner of "gypsy"). I was thinking she could have been a Seren who fell in love with a merchant on a visit to the isle, eventually leaving and going to Sharn. She left the family (husband and her very young son) mysteriously and never returned. I was looking for some good ideas on a quest the party could undertake when they get to Seren. I was thinking it could be kind of neat if they aided a Seren tribe, and through the PC's actions he could become a Speaker of the Shroud. Also, he is level 8, and wanted to take the leadership feat at level 9, so having a few barbarian acolytes could be quite a bit of fun and fitting for him (he is Chaotic Good, and very much an open and free-spirit). This quest would also have to be something that would capture the notice of a dragon patron who would preferably be True Neutral in alignment. As far as organizations or adversaries I would like to possibly use, I am considering the following: other Seren tribes (maybe the Firebringers), or perhaps daelkyr aberrations. A possible ally could be a Gatekeeper druid. I have to come up with something that can be wrapped up in 2 or 3 sessions or less (preferably just one quest), and I will be getting together to play with my group this Saturday (the 22nd). I thought it would be a lot easier to think of something, but I keep running into deadends. Any help in any of these areas would be helpful, whether it be just an idea for an NPC or patron, or an entire quest. What do you guys (and girls) think? Thanks! ;)
Zuj 07-19-06, 03:31 PM	Oh, and I will update as I think of things as well; hopefully I can come up with something. :)
JayceMD 07-19-06, 03:58 PM	I was looking for some good ideas on a quest the party could undertake when they get to Seren. I was thinking it could be kind of neat if they aided a Seren tribe, and through the PC's actions he could become a Speaker of the Shroud. Also, he is level 8, and wanted to take the leadership feat at level 9, so having a few barbarian acolytes could be quite a bit of fun and fitting for him (he is Chaotic Good, and very much an open and free-spirit). This quest would also have to be something that would capture the notice of a dragon patron who would preferably be True Neutral in alignment. Consider having the PC act as a mediator between two tribes who are on the brink of war. In situations such as this, it can be useful to have a disinterested party who does not stand to gain from the outcome to reason with both sides and help them come to a mutually satisfying agreement. Note that such an adventure does not have to be solely RP if your players want some action as well and would be bored with a lot of political maneuvering. A couple possibilities for combat-oriented interludes could include: The tribes will only respect someone who can prove that he has both strength and wisdom. Therefore, they insist that the PCs undertake a ritual hunt before they can act as mediators Someone (a third party or a member of one of the two feuding tribes) stands more to gain by the tribes going to war than finding a peaceful resolution. One or both of the emissaries from the tribes is attacked on the way to the conference or perhaps the attack happens at the conference. If before the conference, the attacking party could try to frame the other tribe. The tribes are war-bound because an artifact was stolen from tribe A and they think that tribe B stole the artifact. The party must recover the artifact from the thieves (who may or may not be affiliated with tribe B) Note that such actions could be what attract the attention of the dragon patron because they would show that the character can deal with a variety of situations. Not to mention it would prove that the PC has all the necessary skills to be the patron's emissary in the world...you know, nunchuk skills, bow staff skills, computer hacking skills...
Zuj 07-19-06, 04:35 PM	I really like those ideas. How about two tribes are fighting over a piece of land that contains a wealth of Khyber dragonshards? There is a greedy artificer in my party, so he would naturally be interested as well. Maybe one of the Speakers for one of the two tribes is under the influence of a daelkyr servant, who would stand to gain by the two tribes fighting. A beholder or Mind Flayer comes to mind first. I think this may be a good set-up, because then the PC could eventually take his place as Speaker for that tribe, assuming things go well for them. Ideas, folks? :) - What kind of hunt do you think would be appropriate for the PCs to prove themselves? Maybe a test of strength with the strongest warrior in the tribe instead? - Any ideas for two different tribes that should be involved? I would like the one the PC might become a part of to be mostly neutral or chaotic neutral as a general alignment. -At what point do you think a dragon patron would become involved? Do you think he would just watch in a shapeshifted guise, or take a more active role? -Any good ideas for NPCs I could use?
JayceMD 07-19-06, 05:18 PM	Maybe one of the Speakers for one of the two tribes is under the influence of a daelkyr servant, who would stand to gain by the two tribes fighting. A beholder or Mind Flayer comes to mind first. I think this may be a good set-up, because then the PC could eventually take his place as Speaker for that tribe, assuming things go well for them. OR......What if the Speaker is controlled by the dragon who will become the PC's patron. This serves two purposes for the dragon: first, it eliminates the original speaker (I can think of four or five reasons the dragon would want to, this shouldn't be hard); and second, part of the test for the PC will be to figure out that the dragon is behind it all. You may now revel in my genius. - What kind of hunt do you think would be appropriate for the PCs to prove themselves? Maybe a test of strength with the strongest warrior in the tribe instead? I personally would recommend something that the party can do cooperatively. Much of this adventure will be focused around one of the PCs, so if you don't involve everyone as often as possible the other players may get bored. Boredom leads to chattering, chattering leads to chaos, chaos leads to a night where nothing gets accomplished so will you all sit down and shut up now or else Tiamat is going to appear and eat all of your heads (not that I've ever threatened my players with that or anything). - Any ideas for two different tribes that should be involved? I would like the one the PC might become a part of to be mostly neutral or chaotic neutral as a general alignment. If I remember correctly, Magic of Eberron detailed a few different tribes. I'll look tonight when I get home and see if I can't come up with an idea or two. -At what point do you think a dragon patron would become involved? Do you think he would just watch in a shapeshifted guise, or take a more active role? See first response. If you'd like, you can take this opportunity to revel again. -Any good ideas for NPCs I could use? Tharg (CE Human Brb 7): Tharg is the warleader for one of the two clans. Tharg, however, is not satisfied with only leading the tribe in wartime. Tharg wants to lead all the time. Tharg wants the peace negotiations to fail, because then the tribe will be at war, which means Tharg will get to lead. Tharg doesn't plan on giving power back to the Speaker once the fighting is done. Actually, Tharg doesn't really like peacetime anyway; peacetime is boring. Tharg will make sure his tribe is always at war. Then, Tharg gets to lead and Tharg doesn't get bored. Tharg is genius.
Zuj 07-19-06, 05:32 PM	By the speaker being controlled do you mean mind-control, the dragon in disguise, or soemthing else? I could see it working either way. Maybe "Tharg" and the speaker in question are in the same tribe. The current speaker is weak, and Tharg wants to take the tribe over full-time as you stated. The dragon patron is aware of this, but wants the humans to solve their own problem, or maybe he has foreseen the PCs' arrival. He wants someone strong to step up and challenge the old Speaker (who for some reason is negligent or unsuitable for the position; this can be worked out as you said). This new speaker could then go about trying to get the two warring tribes to call a truce. Tharg obviously wouldn't want this, as he would see the new PC's as a potential threat to his absolute rule. Behind the scenes, there could be another threat in the land that will require the two warring tribes to be united. It could be a monster, organization, catastrophic event that will require their mutual cooperation if either tribe wishes to survive. That could be a very fulfilling conclusion to this whole ordeal, but something that would ultimately happen further down the line. Hmmm... I think we may be on to something...
JayceMD 07-20-06, 11:05 AM	I was wrong, the descriptions of the Seren tribes were in the Players Guide, not Magic of Eberron. Anyway, here's what I've come up with: Meet the XX tribe (I'm having trouble coming up with a name for them). The XX tribe reveres a CN Copper dragon, whom, for the sake of this discussion, we're going to call Carlos the Copper Dragon. Traditionally, the XX tribe was a group of lorekeepers and performers, preserving the oral histories of the Seren tribes and the ritual sites on the island (higher percentage of bards, rogues, and experts concentrating on Knowledge (history), Perform (dance), Perform (acting), and Perform (singing)). They usually traveled with the White Wanderers, helping to protect the sacred sites of the tribes. Approximately two generations ago, the White Wanderers and the XX came upon an outlander excavating Khyber shards near one of their holy sites. The outsider (an Artificer/Shugenja (earth, Order of the Perfect Sculpture) from Aundair/the Eldeen Reaches) had been guided to the site by a vision, presumably from Carlos. The outsider convinced the tribes not to kill him and instead showed the XX tribe how to mine the shards to trade with Khorvairans for weapons and other items useful to the tribes. The XX settled down and began learning to mine and excavate. Because of the gold rush that this produced, more and more XX members started concentrating on mining-related professions, leading to a dearth of warriors. They rely on the Frostblades and other less-hostile tribes to defend them in exchange for some of the largesse produced by the shard mines (much like Japan and Costa Rica IRL - they don't have standing armies of their own but rely on their neighbors and allies to deflect hostilities). The Speaker of the XX tribe is a shugenja of the Order of the Perfect Sculpture. If you don't use shugenja in your game, make the speaker an adept or cleric with the earth domain. Currently, the XX tribe sells the shards to House Tharashk for weapons and other useful items that can't easily be produced on the island. Tharashk is obviously not happy about these savages cutting into their profit margins; they want to have direct control, not just to act as middlemen. So, here are our actors: The XX tribe, described above. The AB tribe, violent and hostile to the XX tribe. They are jealous of the riches of the XX tribe and think that the mines should be theirs. They plan (a plan devised by Tharashk, btw) to overrun the XX tribe, enslave their members, and force them to continue mining the shards. The profits will belong to the AB tribe, however, not the XX tribe. What the AB tribe does not know is that they're being tricked. Tharask intends to turn this entire situation to their advantage so that they alone profit from the khyber mines. The Frostblades, defenders of the XX tribe. The Speaker of the Frostblades has declared that the Frostblades will not come to the aid of the XX tribe if the AB tribe attacks. Why? Because the Speaker is being manipulated by Carlos the Copper Dragon. Why? Because Carlos, although he is pleased that the tribe is excavating the shards, is not happy that the tribe is losing its ability to defend itself. The tribe will need to be strong if it is to resist the inevitable daelkyr attacks that will come after the XX tribe digs too deeply for shards. The CD tribe (I'm seeing this as a blue dragon tribe, since blue dragons are earth dragons just like the copper ones are), also defenders of the XX tribe. The Speaker of the CD tribe does not want the tribe to lose its access to good weapons and armor bought with khyber shards and provided as payment for CD's protection of XX. Currently, the fact that CD will protect XX is the only thing keeping AB from attacking XX. Tharg, however, hates that his tribe is becoming nothing more than nursemaids for XX, bought off for nothing more than trinkets. Tharg thinks that true warriors deserve only what they can take on the field of battle from fallen foes. Tharg is trying to encourage AB to attack and will do what he can to prevent CD from lending aid to XX. How about that?
Zuj 07-20-06, 12:03 PM	Wow. I am really impressed by these ideas. I never really considered putting House Tharashk into the mix, but it would actually work quite well. One question I have regards the Speaker of the XX (copper tribe). I will probably make him a shugenja or cleric, but I want to see if I can flesh out his character a bit more. Do you think he should be portrayed as an incompetent leader? What role do you think the war chieftain of XX should play? Do you think they even have another leader separate from the Speaker? I am also trying to think about who they should meet up with first; I'll add some in a bit here when I think of something. Anyhow, other input is very welcome!
JayceMD 07-20-06, 02:15 PM	Let's flesh out our Speaker. For the purposes of discussion, let's call him Sam. Sam the Shugenja Speaker. Shugenjas are Cha-based casters, so taking the elite array, we'll give him: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 15. This gives the following portrayal of our Speaker: Sam is a very good leader who is able to get his tribe to do what he wants and can negotiate well with other tribes (high charisma). He's also a fairly good theorist and can plan well (above-average intelligence). Unfortunately, Sam sometimes has trouble reading other people and has trouble seeing the big picture (low wisdom). One of Sam's critical flaws is that he doesn't always comprehend that things don't necessarily work as they ideally should and that people don't always act in their own best interest. He also isn't the best at contingencies, mostly because he expects "Plan A" to work. Once "Plan A" doesn't work, he can come up with an alternate "Plan B," but where most people would come up with Plans "A" and "B" at the same time, Sam usually forgets to think about contingency plans until they're required. Keep in mind that many of Sam's "Plan As" usually do work, but when they don't, he's at a loss until he can come up with something else. Here's the ideal state of things, according to Sam's mind: The XX tribe has access to profitable khyber shards, which need to be excavated and then traded. The more tribe members there are dedicated to mining shards, the more profit can be made. This has the unfortunate side effect of lowering the number of warriors available to defend the tribe, making it an attractive target. However, there are also negative consequences attached to maintaining a large number of warriors; namely, if the tribe is rich, with access to better weapons and armor than other tribes, and has a large force of warriors, then the other tribes may perceive this as a threat. If they do, then they could band together and wipe out the XX tribe. Therefore, the XX tribe can act in such a way as to maximize the situation. Thus, the following situation emerges: The XX tribe increases its number of miners at the expense of warriors. This maximizes profits for the XX tribe but also makes it weak. The XX tribe allies itself with other, stronger tribes, offering some of its profits in exchange for security. This means that a number of tribes all benefit from this situation. This is where Sam's critical flaw comes to the fore. In an ideal world, the situation that we were discussing in the posts above would never come to pass. It's illogical for the AB tribe to attack the XX tribe when the XX tribe has strong allies. It's illogical for the Frostblade tribe to refuse to help the XX tribe because it's in the Frostblades' best interest to have the superior weapons and armor provided by the XX tribe. It's illogical for the CD tribe to sabotage the current peace. This, then, is the heart of the matter. It's not that Sam is incompetent or weak; it's that he expects everyone to behave logically. We, of course, know that people don't always behave rationally. It is into this state of affairs that your PCs will enter.
Zuj 07-20-06, 03:05 PM	All right, I like the idea of this "Sam" character. I would also like him to come off as kind of arrogant and overconfident in his leadership ability of the tribe. I think it would be best for the XX tribe to maybe have a very small group of warriors (like 10), who are rather inexperienced but help guard the mining operation, or hunt for food when times are hard. Ultimately, I could have the PC's uncover the plight of the other tribes, and how the negative outcome it will probably have on tribe XX. Chances are good they will try and bring this situation to light with Sam, but his shortsightedness might dismiss their claims. He may even be paranoid that they are only saying this to gain some kind of leverage in trading some of the Khyber Shards. Like you said, he believes that the hostilities between tribes XX and AB would not erupt into open war, just as he believes the Frostblades, along with tribe CD will undoubtedly come to his aid. I think it would be best for the PC's to meet the Frostblades first. Since this Speaker (let's call him Frank) has received a vision from Carlos (who is also responsible for the PC's draw to Seren in the first place), he might allude to the future Dragon Prophet's (Klouth) role in the upcoming conflict... IF the Klouth and party can prove themselves worthy. At this point, I could have PC's do some manner of challenging ritual, whether it be a hunt, trial by combat, or something of that nature. This might fulfill some vision this Speaker received that the group is in fact the one's Carlos has been waiting for. Upon completing this task, the PC's can set out to solve this situation as they see fit. They know that AB wants to attack XX, but are not aware of CD's desire to betray their allies. In truth, the Frostblades probably don't know this either. The PC's will then travel into XX's land, where they are waylaid by CD defenders. They may choose to try and talk their way through the situation, or fight. Through clever diplomacy, they can gain passage to meet with the Speaker for the XX tribe. If they fail, and hostilities ensue, they can flee and seek a different way towards the village; their actions reinforcing CD's desire for XX's downfall, or seek a more subtle way to investigate exactly what is going on. What I need to think of now is a way to make the PC's aware that CD is planning on betraying XX. Maybe the stumble across warriors of the two groups working in concert at some task, or chance to hear a conversation somewhere. Maybe they meet up with the CD tribe, and Tharg isn't smart enough to make his intentions as discrete as they could be. Thoughts?
JayceMD 07-20-06, 05:04 PM	OK, well you've caught me at the part that I'm not so good at. Hmmm....ways the party can discover that Tharg is trying to sabotage the peace. Everything I can think of seems trite and hackneyed, but maybe it'll inspire something with you. Here's what I have: 1) The party happens upon an argument between someone from tribe AB and either Tharg or one of his allies in CD ("You told us that CD would betray XX!!" "We will! We just need more time!") 2) The party attends a mediation session where the Speaker from CD affirms CD's support of XX. Tharg and/or someone from AB does something to give away that CD's support isn't so certain. 3) I like your idea of Tharg slipping up. Something where he thinks he's really clever but ends up giving it all away. In any event, Carlos's goal throughout this entire thing is to ultimately strengthen XX. He prefers for them to have the profits from the shards and have a strong enough force to defend themselves. My suggestion here was because he has interpreted a part of the Prophecy that leads him to believe that XX will eventually open a portal to Khyber that unleashes a daelkyr attack. In one of the books (I think it was the PGtE), it talks about a dragon (I believe a blue dragon) that is upset that Vharaak (the green dragon that warned the orcs about the Xoriat invasion) gave the orcs the necessary information to stop the daelkyr the first time. The dragon wants to create a second mini-invasion to observe that part of the Prophecy in action. The party could uncover (either now or at a later date) that plan. Anyway, that's all I have for the moment. Hopefully, someone else will have a really good idea about the party finding out about the AB/CD alliance.
Zuj 07-20-06, 05:25 PM	I also read that part about a dragon being upset over Vharaak. I think it is in the Mesk Village entry of the Explorer's Handbook. In any case, I am definitely going to be implementing the daelkyr quite a ways down the line. I recently got Lords of Madness and I want the PC's main enemy in the larger plot to be that group. Anyway, I think I will go wit the idea of Tharg slipping up. Perhaps through the party's actions with the Frostblades (proving their worthiness) they are allowed to attend a mediation on Totem Beach. At the point, clues will be dropped, unveiling the plot as a whole to them. I can't thank you enough for your insight, Jayce. I will update with how everything goes. I am going to start drawing up maps and characters tonight, and I will post my final draft of everything when I am done. If anyone else has anything to suggest (in the way of other minor NPC's, or maybe how House Tharashk may be involved a bit more), I would really appreciate it. Also, any ideas for some compelling daelkyr-spawned villains later? ;)
JayceMD 07-24-06, 10:01 AM	So how did the game go Zuj? We're dying to know how it turned out.
Zuj 07-24-06, 12:10 PM	Due to last second cancellations on the players' parts, this adventure never came to be :( . I am going to be running it in the very near future as a solo adventure for the Dragon Prophet to be, during some downtime in the normal plot (when some of the players are moving back out to college). That should give me a good chance to hammer down the final details. I also won't have to worry about trying to incorporate everyone else's characters; they have little reason to go to Seren anyway. Here is what I've decided: The PC receives a vision (probably in the form of a dream) of a ritual taking place on Totem Beach. He sees fleeting scenes of the Firebringers (tribe AB) and the Stonescales (Tharg's tribe, CD) making gestures of peace (ritual dances, ceremonies between speakers, sacrifices, something of that nature) upon Totem Beach. I'm still working out specifically what he will see. He will feel an inexplicable urge to make a pilgrimage to this place, as he has already expressed his desire to me for his character to travel there, seeking out a patron for his PrC. Upon arrival, he will encounter a Frostblade patrol first. Because the PC is an outlander, he probably be met in a hostile manner initially, and will have to rely on his wit and charisma to convince them to take him to their speaker. The speaker will be unhappy that more outlanders have come into his land, but suspects their is more to this traveller than meets the eye (the PC has a charisma of 22 with the help of an item, and he roleplays it as a mystical, otherworldly presence). The PC is sent on a quest to prove his worth. I'm still working on what this quest will be, but this should be a good start to the adventure. I'll add more when I think of it. Suggestions are definitely still welcome!