Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Soloran 11-14-06, 12:59 AM	Though I am confined in my dorm room without the use of any of my precious Eberron books, browsing this site on my free time has gotten the motors in my brain churning. When I go back home this Thanksgiving, I am thinking about starting up a new game with a couple of my friends. Whenever I played Eberron, I would usually start in Sharn. This time, I'm going to say good-bye to the City of Towers and base the campaign in Karnath. Why? First off, one of my players wants to be a Bone Knight; secondly, I read Fireballed Mage's wonderful article on House Lyrander, and as one of my friends expressed interest in being a dragonmarked heir from that house, I was thinking about assigning her to Karnath as a Raincaller; finally, I have been watching a lot of vampire movies of late and am seriously considering rekindling my love interest in all things Ravenloft. (In case you are wondering, I DM for four players - I don't know what kind of characters the other two are going to make) With those things in mind, I only have a basic theme outlined. Without my books (namely Five Nations) I don't really have too much fluff to play with. In any case, I want this new game to have a gothic, 'Masque of the Red Death' feel to it. As such, vampires, liches, ghosts, and other undead are a must. I've made up my mind to purchase Expedition to Castle Ravenloft when I get home and will be looking forward to inserting that into my campaign. The Campaign Arc might look something like this: lvls 1-3) A state sponsored Karnathi necromancer is defiling graveyards and murdering bums and other undesirables to raise his quota. Unfortunately, this causes the quality of Karnathi undead to decline significantly and questions are raised when the drunkard who was raised as a skeleton couple weeks ago turns out to be the son of a prominent government official (or merchant) [PCs will probably spend their lower levels dealing with corrupt government scum] 3-6) I'll think of something...maybe I might check out some issues of Dungeon? (Have any recommendations) 6+) Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. I am planning on making Strahd my bbeg here. Anyways this leaves me with several questions. I am familiar with Strahd's history as I own the 2ed boxed set and I have read the novels based on him. However, I am curious as to how we can get this distinct, iconic Ravenloft character and Eberronize him. I want to make him feel a part of the world and aside from him being a lord (perhaps former general to the original King of Galifar?), I don't have much to go with. Also, I'm curious as to his relationship with Kaius and Vol. I don't want him to be in cahoots with either of them, (I can't imagine a badass like Strahd being subservient to anybody but himself) but I am at a loss as to how he has been operating under these two powers' noses. Finally,there is a female PC that I know I will take great pleasure in torturing... :P I am thinking about making her an incarnation of Ireena. I don't own EtCR yet, so I don't know if this might work out, but I nevertheless enjoy this idea. Help me make this work and perhaps I may reward you with 100 galifars. :) Thanks, Soloran
Godu 11-14-06, 01:19 AM	Well, my first response was to say “make Strahd a leader in the BoV” but then I actually read the rest of the post. So, I have two suggestions, both harking back to Keith Baker’s take on Libris Mortis posted elsewhere on the WotC site. Make him a member of the Qabalrin, elven vampires who predate Vol (they actually appear to have given rise to the initial incarnation of the BoV religion prior to Vol). This could allow the characters to initially find themselves working with the BoV and the Emerald Claw who would certainly be interested in obtaining the knowledge and power that Strahd represents. It could turn into a contest as the party seeks to destroy Strahd while the Emerald Claw seeks to enslave or hire him, and he attempts to kill and enslave everyone. The second option is to make him a minion of Katashka, a Lord of Dust dedicated to undead and horror. You could still play the Blood of Vol angle since Vol would certainly desire the secrets of a LoD but this would completely decouple Strahd from the BoV so that they would not even have to make an appearance. Perhaps the sacrifice of Ireena is part of a ritual to free either Katashka or one of his major minions. This could be more of a Call of Cthulhu-esque campaign.
Ellorin 11-14-06, 04:09 AM	I'll second the Qabalrin option.
Soloran 11-14-06, 09:30 AM	Although the Quabalrin idea is intriguing, I find it difficult to imagine that ancient Aereni vampires would give the "gift" of immortality to a mere human. The Katashka idea - I like a lot. It fits with the original Strahd mythology wherein he made a pact with the Devil in order to woo his brother's fiance: Ireena. Of course, that all went horribly wrong after he murdered his brother and all the guests at their wedding. Ireena then throws herself off the edge of a cliff and Strahd becomes a vampire. It could go something like this Many centuries ago, when humans were just settling in Khorvaire and fighting the remnants of the shattered Dhakaani empire, Strahd emerged as a brilliant tactician and general. After many years of fighting for his liege, Strahd was granted a lordship over what is now Barovia. He settled down, hoping to live a quiet life and perhaps start a family. Now this is where things take a turn for the worse... Strahd invites his brother Sergei and his new fiance Ireena to live with him in his castle. When they arrive, Strahd is immediately struck by the beauty of his brother's fiance and falls madly in love. Throughout the subsequent months, Strahd's love for Ireena grows as well as his burning jealousy towards his younger brother. As Ireena does not seem to be attracted to Strahd in the least, the envious lord begins to consult occult lore in an attempt to get Ireena to love him. In his studies, he happens upon an ancient tome, (this could be anything - I haven't decided yet) which he uses to summon Katashka, a Rakshasha Rajah, who promises him eternal youth (Strahd was jealous of his brother's youth and thought that his vitality was what attracted Ireena to him) as well as an opportunity to gain the love of Ireena. Strahd eagerly accepts the rajah's offer and you know the rest... Forsaken by his love and his life, Strahd embraces Unlife and becomes Katshka's oldest and most powerful agent in Khorvaire. Barovia is a relatively small county on the borders of Karnath. Kaius gives the Count a wide berth as enemy armies and tax collectors don't seem to get out of there alive. Vol and the Emerald Claw however, are a different story. Believing that the oldest vampire in Khorvaire could become a powerful ally and may have powerful magic at his disposal, the lich queen is actively probing the area. Of course, this greatly annoys Strahd who could care less about the machinations of Vol. As Godu suggested: I plan on having the PCs unwittingly working for the Emerald Claw in gathering information on Strahd and whatnot. I am still at a loss of what kind of adventures this might entail for a low to mid-level party. Any suggestions?
okaynowa 11-14-06, 11:12 AM	Said Soloran:Barovia is a relatively small county on the borders of Karnath. If you want to go for that ECS Karrnathi flavor, the administrative sub-unit in Karrnath is known as a rath. For example, "Strahd is Warlord of the Barovia rath." (Or is it rath of Barovia?) Given Karrnath's military bent, you might switch other noble titles out for military ranks as well. Sergei, for instance, might have been a colonel. As for low level adventures to bring them into Barovia... The Census? The characters could be sent into Barovia to do a quick "head count" for Kaius. In Karrnath, census numbers translate into taxes and conscription (compulsory military service and all that). Given the lack of success in getting accurate numbers so far, the characters could be told that their obligatory duty would be fulfilled by updating the capital's records on this rath. Specifically, they'd have to: 1) Visit every town and village of more than 100 people in the rath, and talk to the captain/mayor/selectman in charge. 2) Determine the quality of the roads between the towns. 3) Find every fortification over 1000 square feet in area. 4) Gain an audience with the rath's Warlord (guess who). That's just a rough idea, and it looks sort of dull on paper, but what it translates into is the characters traipsing back and forth around Barovia, battling the occasional dark thing in the woods, and gradually picking up clues that all is not well. Good foes to run into would be: --Children of the Night: Monstrous bats and wolves that are drawn to the area by Strahd's aura. --Interlopers: You mentioned placing Barovia on the border. Okay-- who is on the other side? The party could run into, say, a Valenar war band that is starting to feel increasingly trapped and squirrely in this bad place. Do they fight them, or show them the way out? --The Decommissioned: Even undead soldiers can be demobilized as redundant. Instead of trying to collect pensions, Strahd's cast-off flunkies might be stumbling around the hollows, waiting for braaaaains. --AWOL: Or, those undead might be lieutenants on an unapproved liberty. Strahd may keep them reigned in to maintain a low profile, but a little rampage every now and then is good for a ghoul officer's morale. --Party Official: The PCs may figure out that the town mayors and village elders are just fronts for various ministers enforcing Strahd's law. An imp here, a necropolitan enchanter there, a changeling strongman here and there... Part of the challenge will be that after a few levels, Strahd's going to know the characters are coming. They either need to keep their scouting low key, or level up quickly, lest they give Strahd time to mobilize the entire rath against them. Just a thought!
Soloran 11-16-06, 09:55 PM	Excellent ideas Okaynawa! You've given me some good seeds to plant here ;) The census taking idea is a good way to bring them into Barovia, though I don't want them to enter Strahd's realm yet... I've decided that Strahd was a general under the original Karn the Conqueror. This pretty much means that he's seen the rise and fall of the Galifar Empire and explains his bond to Barovia. I am still iffy as to his overall motives. At a mere 18 years of age, I'm having difficulties getting into the mind of an ancient vampire. Also, where would you say is a good place to start a party of four level one characters in Karnath? From correspondence with my players, I know that the party includes: Changeling Rogue 1 Human Fighter 1 (aiming for bone knight prestige class) Half Elf Cleric (or druid) with the Mark of the Storm Human spellcaster of some sort What sort of challenges should they face? Any more good adventure seeds?
okaynowa 11-17-06, 08:39 AM	Hm, changeling rogue, human fighter, Lyrandar cleric or druid, and a spellcaster of some sort. Pretty good line-up-- covers the four basic food groups of adventurer, so to speak. What challenges should they face? Even at first level the changeling should be fairly adept at impersonating people, which is something to keep in mind. The spellcasters will have very limited spells, but if the half-elf goes clerical the party will have a fair number of turn undead uses (low hit dice animal skeletons and zombies would be good there). Depending on feat selection, a low level fighter is generally good against multiple weak opponents-- for my money, nothing beats throwing a bunch of monstrous vermin at Ftr 1s and 2s. A Small monstrous centipede may look lame on the page, but describe a three foot long critter with pinchers and feelers coming at them along the ceiling and they'll pay attention (did you see that scene in King Kong?). As for where, I'd suggest somewhere simple that you can control. Out of deference to the Mark of Storm character, I'd suggest somewhere on the shores of Lake Dark, or creating a town where the Iceflow River meets Karrn Bay. I don't know what direction the Lyrandar is planning to take the mark, but if he/she decides to go for wind control and sailing and so forth, it'd be good to establish some water locations for the party to play in. The advantage of Lake Dark would be that the party would have the choice of two major towns on either side of the lake, some decent wilderness at the opposite ends, and a fast means of travelling between them. Plus, they can go fishing. ;) I'll try and think of more later-- gotta prepare my own game for this weekend. Cheers!