Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Sceaming Evil 01-30-05, 10:46 AM	Has anyone run a campaign based around the Daelkyr and their battles with the Gatekeepers. I myself i am about to start one on the Real Roleplay forums and i was wondering if anyone else had had a go at it? How did it turn out and wat sort of things did you have happen in it?
KP91 01-30-05, 11:25 AM	I never really though about it but you'll probably need the epic handbooks as the Daelkyr are CR 20 to start, so adding any character levels makes them really hard to beat.
polt 01-30-05, 01:29 PM	Before you meet Daelkyrs, there's always the Cult of the Dragon Below though. I haven't tried anything with any of the two groups yet, but i'm thinking about it, i really like the Gatekeepers.
ekomega 01-30-05, 08:29 PM	The main focus of the campaign I'm running is around the Gatekeepers and the Daelkyr, sort of. The PCs started at 1st level, so there haven't been any Daelkyr yet, but there have been a few minor aberrations and/or Dragon Below members. Some of their quests have involved wandering around western Khorvaire checking out Gatekeeper seals that were placed thousands of years ago, to see if they remain. The PCs are working for the Gatekeepers because there are two Wardens of the Wood (one druid, one ranger) who were enlisted for help at the behest of Oalian. It turns out that so far, all of the seals are damaged or destroyed, and occasionally there are aberration culprits about. I can't reveal how it turns out, since it hasn't happened yet, but eventually if the game still exists, the PCs will fight a Daelkyr when they are capable. Becoming capable and figuring out how to kill it is another matter. Remember that the Dhakaani fought the Daelkyr, too, so that opens up a whole area of adventure and roleplaying. Also, since there is only one group of hobgoblins that have any records that go that far back, then the politics of Darguun can come into play. There's a lot of places you can go with it.
fizzbang 01-31-05, 09:15 AM	It's quite possible to have a campaign play from 1st level all the way up while still dealing heavily with the Daelkyr. Such a campaign would probably deal with a lot of aberrations, and no small amount of research into the history of the Daelkyr invasion and the downfall of the goblin empire. Expect to delve into ruins in Darguun, Droaam, and the Eldeen Reaches (for a start!). Remember that there are all sorts and sizes of Cults of the Dragon Below that can be found and dealt with, at all levels of power. Meanwhile, the actual Daelkyr themselves are (mostly) locked away, but may still be manipulating actions behind the scenes through influence, magic, or other parties. And their influence is certainly widespread enough to pull the heroes to locations across the continent, or even around the world. There's lots of potential to really build up the information about the Daelkyr, especially if one or more of the characters have connections in the druidic orders. Druids and Eldeen Rangers would make the most obvious choice for appropriate classes, but there's reasonable connection with others. A sorcerer who could trace his ancestry back to the original dragon who taught the druidic orders? A cleric of Boldrei who opposes the unnatural creations of the Daelkyr? An Cyran rogue who believes that the unnatural disaster that destroyed his homeland is the work of the Daelkyr? And, of course, none of this happens in a vacuum. If it became widely known that the Daelkyr are gaining power and weakening their bonds, there are forces around the world that would get involved. Beyond the Gatekeepers, every good religion (and most not-so-good ones) would spring to work against them and defend their world from the Masters of Madness. Most "civilized" villainous organizations (the Aurum, organized crime, warring nations) would recognize the dangerous instability that Daelkyr represent, and throw their weight against them. Even the forces of the Dreaming Dark may be opposed to another major player interrupting their subtle work in Khorvaire. Meanwhile, the Lords of Dust may or may not work with them, and dragons may interpret the prophecy for or against them... Yeah, it's definitely an excellent focus for a campaign! Enjoy it and milk the possibilities!
Sceaming Evil 01-31-05, 12:19 PM	I believe that 6 Daelkyr remain in Eberron, is this correct. I am sure i read this somewhere.
Sharn Inquisitor 01-31-05, 12:39 PM	Actually the ECS says, "At least six daelkyr (possibly more) inhabit Eberron." I personally like to think that one is located underneath the Dragon Crown's, a particularly nasty one. They land acutually rises up around the DC's like there is something swelling beneath, and that's in Breland. My PC's have just finished with Whispers, having completed Shadows and Forge. They are traveling east and will come across some Cults of the Dragon Below in a dark ritual there.
Ksaturn 01-31-05, 04:14 PM	There are so few Daelkyr because they were the generals of an invading army, not the army itself. There may have been more daelkyr or even different kinds of daelkyr that simply didn't get involved in the war(as opposed to the 6+ invaders who were obviously a warrior caste). Then again why do the lords of madness do anything? What if they manipulated the dragons to teach the orc for the purposes of a greater or plane-spanning scheme? Is Ebberon the testing ground for there invasion forces? Did they do it just for fun? Personally I'd like to get the seren's involved too...