Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Jürgen Hubert 05-01-05, 04:53 PM	My campaign has recently taken some unexpected twists and turns, and I’d like your input on how to make it even more twisted... Here is what happened last session: The party was on the way to Sharn from Zilargo by ship (non-elemental powered) when the ship was attacked by sahuagin. The attack left all of the crewmembers dead, and they had to abandon ship with a row boat when a giant squid wrecked it. The guy in the party who had some clue about navigation determined that they were about 100 miles from the southern coast of Breland. After rowing for a few hours, they spotted an island in the distance and decided to find some fresh supplies (especially freshwater – the only thing they had to drink was about 20 liters of exctremely cheap ale which was rapidly depleted by the party’s resident alcoholic). They discovered that the island was occupied by a small settlement of about 25 yuan-ti (well, weird snake people – I decided that yuan-ti in Eberron originally came from Xen’drik and were fairly uncommon on Khorvaire). After capturing and questioning a pureblood women (all fairly polite for questioning, and they did let her go afterwards – although she didn’t let on that she understood common, and thus they used magic to communicate with her...), they determined that their leaders – an abomination and his half-blood spawn – oppressed them and were generally disliked by their pureblood underlings – so they decided to kill off the leaders in the hopes that the rest would be grateful enough to give them some supplies (and perhaps some gold, the universally accepted form of gratitude)... So they did, and afterwards the remaining yuan-ti – about 10 male and 10 female purebloods, plus some children – not only were grateful, but the women they had questioned earlier told them that they wanted them as their new leaders (she also revealed to them that she spoke Common in the process)! She also revealed that this was a way station for yuan-ti spies from Xen’drik who wanted to infiltrate Khoirvaire – they arrived here with ocean-going ships and were transported to the mainland with small boats (the PCs found a small booklet with what is a list of names and locations, but it is written in Draconic which they can’t read, and the party cleric has apparently forgotten at the moment that he can translate it with magic). She also mentioned that the next ship will arrive in a month, and that it would be a good idea for everyone to leave the island until then. The PCs accepted, and discussed what to do with their new subjects. They agreed that bringing them to the mainland and civilization would be a bad idea since they would likely be persecuted and killed as “monsters” (which is not really true – especially in big Brelish cities like Sharn they could probably fit in without too many problems, given what other creatures are running around there. But the players are used to campaign worlds with the standard “racial wars”...). So for now they decided to resettle to another island to the east, which according to the map is only 50 miles off the coast (and closer to the Sharn-Xendrik shipping lanes, but not close enough that it will see frequent traffic). They also relish the prospect of having their very own subjects also have some vague notions about making money from them by getting them to produce “native Xen’drik goods” and selling them in Sharn or something. But really, they haven’t thought about this much apart from thinking that ruling over their very own island nation sounds like a good retirement plan (well, they are war veterans)... So, what do the yuan-ti think of all this? Well, to some degree they feel genuinely grateful to the PCs for disposing of their old rulers. But they aren’t stupid – in fact, on average they are far more intelligent than the PCs, which the PCs haven’t realized yet. And they have a host of powers (telepathic and otherwise) of which the PCs don’t have a clue, either – and they are not going to reveal them without a very good reason. They know that they can’t return to Xen’drik – and they don’t want to, either (since they would only oppressed by the abominations again). To them, Khoirvaire is a land of opportunity – but they know little about it yet. So they are going to milk the PCs for all the information they can get. They also know that the PCs might remain useful to them in the future – after all, they have lived in Khoirvaire for all their lives, and they are more socially acceptable than the yuan-ti. So the yuan-ti will soon peg the PCs as powerful (their fight with the abomination showed that), but not too bright – the perfect figureheads for their own schemes, whatever these might turn out to be. They are perfectly willing to let both the PCs and the rest of the world think that the PCs are in charge, while they are secretly doing whatever they want. If this means throwing some baubles, entertainment, flattery, and alcohol in their direction, then so be it... So, where do I go from there? Well, first of all they need to settle on a new island. The yuan-ti can deal with most of the infrastructure, but they will be glad to let the PCs deal with anything truly dangerous – like exploring old ruins possibly filled with dangerous monsters and traps. Suggestions on what they might find there (and how it ties to Eberron at large) are very much common. And after that? Well, I originally intended this whole “shipwrecked” scenario to be nothing more than an opportunity to introduce a new PC, and force him and the rest of the party to work together. I had assumed that after this they would simply continue on their way to Sharn. However, they seem to relish the prospect of being the rulers of their very own tropical island, and I am okay with that, since it is always best if the players are having fun. Of course, ruling an island is not neccessarily going to be easy, but then again, trouble always somehow seem to find adventurers... But how do I build a campaign from here? I’d still like them to travel to new exotic places from time to time (I haven’t showcased most regions of Khorvaire yet), though I have nothing against them using the island as a home base. And of course, somehow trouble should also be able to come to the island from time to time to liven things up there (high-stakes diplomacy with various nations and organizations? Sounds fun, but why should they bother with a tiny island)? Ideally, they should feel that their current position should be the cause of very big trouble for them – but if they manage to pull through, they might just become rich and powerful beyond their dreams (hope springs eternal...). Apart from these, there are two more questions I have: - Has there anything been written on the nature of yuan-ti on Eberron? For the purposes of my campaign I have stated that they come from Xen’drik, but that’s about all (and this might not even be true...). - There is a changeling investigator PC whose player couldn’t participate in the last two sessions, and has remained back in Korranberg. Assuming the player can participate in the next session, how can I get him involved in the island adventure without blowing suspension of disbelief? After all, no one knows about the shipwreck – and even if they did, few in any position of authority would care... Thanks in advance, and if you have any additional suggestions to make for my campaign, please let me hear them!
DarthMidget 05-01-05, 07:05 PM	Very nice twist to the standard adventure! As far as Yuan-Ti go I though I read somewhere that they originally come from Sarlona, but fled when the Inspired started taking over. Some of them found refuge in Argonnessen, but the dragons would not accept all of them. The majority of them fled to Xen'drik where they became corrupted at some point. I think a perfect adventure hook would be the information you've already included about Yuan-ti spies using the 'old' island as a base of operations. When the latest agents show up they are going to wonder where their safe village went. They'll obviously go looking for it. This could create ample conflict for the players to deal with. Also, in terms of the PC inquisitive in Korranburg simply have him investigating the activities of a Yuan-ti spy. The inquisitive follows the clues back to the 'old' island, and meets up with the PCs in that way. As far as an excuse to rove about the rest of Khorvaire I wouldn't worry about it. Once the PCs get their island base set up they are going to quickly find that being lords can get fairly boring. This side adventure shouldn't take up too much time before the group is ready to get back out on the road. Of course, you could also give the Yuan-ti villagers info about items their evil kin in Xen'drik possess or are hunting. This valuable info could be the spur for many treasure hunting expeditions.
Charles Phipps 05-01-05, 08:41 PM	I love it as well. It might be interesting if the PCs find themselves rapidly becoming head of an island that's becoming an effective and powerful state.
Caliber 05-01-05, 08:55 PM	As for the suspension of disbelief with your missing PC, no reason he couldn't realize the PC's were well overdue and start his own search for them. It's safe to assume he knew of the tentative travel routes/plans? -Cal
madteuton 05-01-05, 10:37 PM	As for the suspension of disbelief with your missing PC, no reason he couldn't realize the PC's were well overdue and start his own search for them. It's safe to assume he knew of the tentative travel routes/plans? -Cal True. Say he caught a clipper from Zilargo soon after they left. Unfortunately, also aboard the Zil ship is a contingent of Brelish soldiers and government officials who have heard of the island and want to assert Brelish dominion by making sure no one is misguided enough to call it anything but part of Brelish territory. Just about any well-organized nation with a navy could easily choke the island off of supplies and into submission ... unless it has tremedous indigenous resources. And Zilargo is the Brelish ship-building capital.
madteuton 05-01-05, 10:41 PM	True. Say he caught a clipper from Zilargo soon after they left. Besides, the character is an investigator. If he's worth his salt, he'd be able to track them down.
DarkWarriorKarg 05-02-05, 09:12 AM	If he has enough gold, he might be able to purchase a Scry
Jürgen Hubert 05-02-05, 04:43 PM	The problem is that the changeling, as portrayed, is rather selfish. While he probably wouldn't betray his companions (possibly out of some sense of self-preservation), his likely reaction to hearing that their ship was lost at sea would be: "Bugger. They weren't all that bad to hang around. Oh well, let's see if I can find myself some new human shields..."
yossarius 05-03-05, 11:20 PM	This is a great idea. I don't know about you, but I find standard dungeon-crawls about as interesting as taking out the trash. It would be a terrible mistake if the PCs just got bored with being lords and went back to treasure hunting. This is where I see this going: When the yuan-ti relocate to the new island, there isn't going to be a pre-built village waiting for them. Perhaps there are some monsters to kill there as well. But not just that. Nothing will make your players feel attached to npcs as get them to do things for them. The yuan-ti might be able to build a village on their own (complete with a lordling's villa for the PC's, but what about livestock? Perhaps the subject can convince the pc's to bring some over from Khorvaire, so they can live a productive existence. While this is going on, have the yuan-ti start emulating the pc's behavior in small, noticable ways. This encourages the pc's to like them as well. It strokes their egos big-time. Before long, living a simple life won't be enough for the pc's subjects. One will want to act as a blacksmith, but has no training in the area. Another has an interest in jewelry, and wants to apprentice. Some others want some fishing boats to help suplement the community's diet. When the yuan-ti ask for these things, make sure they point out that these ventures will be profitable in the long run. No pc can resist having others earn money for them. Now, it won't be enough to bring their subjects things; now the pc's are bringing them people. These other people and fishing boats are the yuan-ti's ticket off the island. When they leave, be sure to leave subtle clues around as to where they went. The pc's will fell betrayed ("After all we did for them!") and will pursue the yuan ti to the ends of eberron. Or something like that.
rwarner3701 05-04-05, 10:40 AM	It might be to late, but if the party was carrying some important item with or without their knowledge, the the changleing could want it back. "Here take this box with you because I won't have room for it in my cabin on the later boat." Or he could conceal it among their belongings. What he really wants them to carry it because it is stolen/illegal and the Sharn watch is in the habit of searching changelings that come into port. Once he knows they are lost at sea, he can hire a diviner to locate them on the first island but by the time he gets there they are gone. He finds their tracks to the shore and possibly sees the boats they use to transport the villagers. When he goes toget his boat to catch them, he sees the next batch of yuan-ti spies arriving and hurries to get away before he is caught without his human shields for protection. I like the idea of the yuan-ti manipulating and eventually betraying the party it sounds like a good time. I hope you add more as you run the campaign.
(Psi)SeveredHead 05-04-05, 03:57 PM	If the changeling were worried about his friends, he might follow any yuan-ti spies that haven't gone back to the island to the island. Once there, the spy finds out about the leadership change and tries to escape with that info. Failure to stop him results in a powerful yuan-ti army coming back to the island.
KP91 05-04-05, 04:30 PM	I say you head back to Xen'drik and defeat the overlord they are scarred of. Although you might want to explain that Sharn is the perfect place for these creatures. It has many horrid things anyway.