Post/Author/DateTime	Post
SurfMonkey 07-14-05, 09:27 PM	As ever, if you're my players, please go away. Thanks. This first part I previously posted on another forum, I'm putting it here as background info on my campaign: I kicked off an Eberron campaign a few weeks back. So far it's been good fun, and in the two sessions we've played so far we've intertwined a variety of different storylines and interactions. I'm starting now to look at the bigger picture of the campaign, and trying to make all the pieces fit. I could use a little bit of outside input on what I've got, and since most of my gaming friends are in the group, I turn to you folks instead. The group is stationed in Passage, working for an adventuring company to make their ways in the world. They are hired by an Orien man named Cresius to investigate a possible plot to sabotage the lightning rail. After a brief interlude where they ended up helping a Silver Flame paladin fight off his half-fiend son (he was raped by a fiend many years sooner), they found a shifter woman and her warforged ally sabotaging the lightning rail. The trail led back to Cresius himself, and all three were taken into custody. Their plan involved replacing the conductor stones of several sections of the lightning rail with forgeries that would explode after building up enough charge. The lightning rail was completely shut down until all the counterfeits could be found. With the rail down, house Lyrandar found an increase in the use of land and sea transports. So much so, in fact, that many suspect they may have been involved in the lightning rail plot to begin with. While moving the shifter woman to a safehouse for further questioning, the group crossed paths with a changeling thief who had stolen a wand from the museum. The wand was from the Mournland, and when used it conjured up two living fireballs which caused immense damage to much of Passage. In the chaos, the shifter woman got away. A trail of clues I've left is going to lead them in the direction of a woman named Argos, who was the mastermind behind Cresius and the others. His tower is rumored to be on the outskirts of the Mournland. The shifter woman is on her way there now, hoping to take him down and exchange him for clearing her name. Unbeknownst to all, Argos has a powerful scrying orb that has been mutated by the Mournland -- it has a much longer duration and range than a normal orb, plus it can be used to transport creatures and objects. Although Argos will claim the idea was his, he actually is a pawn of a much larger force -- a dragon, who planned to use the devastation caused by the lightning rail as the first in a series of events that would serve to bring about the beginning portions of the draconic prophecy. That's as much as I have of the grand overplot right now. Among the smaller plots I know I want to use are a return of the Silver Flame paladin, now hunting the mother of his son; a town at the edge of the Mournland that is trapped in time at the latter moments of the Last War, completely oblivious of the changes to the world that include the loss of their homeland; a murder mystery aboard a lightning rail; a visit to Sharn that embroils them in a plot to destroy the massive metropolis. So, whathca think? And now this is the real meat of my current dilemma: Alright, here's my rough plans for this coming mega-session (we normally only get maybe 4 hours, this weekend we're gonna have more like 8). I like what I have so far, but it feels like there's something missing... I dunno... the party has picked up the shifter woman, Delilah, who wishes to find the wizard Argos and make him pay for what he has done. They can't use the lightning rail, because as part of the plans apparently masterminded by Argos, conductor stones at random points along the rail have been replaced with forgeries that will explode after gathering enough charge. The party is riding on horseback from Passage to Lathleer, where they will resupply. I plan on them running into Gilad, a Silver Flame paladin they have a history with, there. He will arrange for them to join him on an airship that is heading to Flamekeep. At Flamekeep, Gilad will learn that the succubus who raped him and bore his half-fiend son (a son which Gilad and the party killed in a previous adventure) has been seen near the edges of the Mournland. Knowing that the party seeks Argos, who is rumored to also live at the Mournland's edge, Gilad asks their help. The quest will lead them to a town which resides under unusual circumstances. During the final days of the Last War, the townspeople were approached by Argos and a deal was forged. In exchange for access to the Manifest Zone below the town, the wizard would preserve the town and its people from any coming horrors. Using the succubus to power the spell, Argos put a barrier around the town as the Mourning occurred. The townsfolk were safe, but they were now forever trapped in another time -- the magic barrier kept them alive, but it also kept them frozen in the days before the Mourning. Argos used the magics of the Manifest Zone to create his mock conductor stones, and constructed himself a new tower near the town. This tower became his home, and is the one which the party now seeks... Like I said, I can't help but feel like it's missing something. Anyone got any ideas what that may be?
aelryinth 07-15-05, 02:03 AM	Everything in italics is impossible to read. Text too dense, eyes hurt, brain fry. Break it up, make it bigger, easier to look over. Be friendly to the board and we'll be friendly back. :) ==Aelryinth
CJN 07-15-05, 02:33 AM	Like I said, I can't help but feel like it's missing something. Anyone got any ideas what that may be? House Orien reactions. What did they do when they heard that Cresius had betrayed his own house? Do they believe that the PC:s will handle the situation or will they call in additional forces?
talion09 07-15-05, 02:41 AM	House Orien reactions. What did they do when they heard that Cresius had betrayed his own house? Do they believe that the PC:s will handle the situation or will they call in additional forces? Or will House Orien possibly "handle" the PCs themselves once the party has removed the orginal problem? Depending on the exact details and how noir you are playing the game, they might want to remove all evidence of a traitor to House Orien, and that includes the PC's who disposed of him. --- Related Side Story: I had a PC who, despite in-game "advice" to keep quiet from PC's and NPCs, went around Sharn telling everyone in bars about House Cannith's secret glass cannon and experiments in Whitehearth, and how he thought they were related to the Day of Mourning. (After playing through SOTLW) He lasted around a day before he was brought in for a little "remedial attention" by some House Orien enforcers. Kept the character, but all of his memory from the last 2 weeks were gone, due to a little "electro-shock" therapy and spells... the last thing he saw before going under was Dravot d'Cannith with a sparking wand in each hand, lol... Funny thing was, the rest of the party thought it was appropriate punishment for his character, and no one in-game ever told his character what had actually happened, just telling him instead that he got multiple concussions during the adventure...
cmanos 07-15-05, 07:55 AM	Everything in italics is impossible to read. You can very easily increase the size of the text in your browser. It was quite easy to read once I took it to it's max size. I agree, House Orien would have some interest in the outcome of this, whether backing the characters (which if they were smart, they would have gone to Orien and said "Hey, look what we're doing for us. Can we have...". Or you can go the noir way and have Orien come in as the Men in Black (not the movie...the Technocratic Order) to 're-educate' the characters. Hmm, now there's a side thread......with the Magic is Technology line in Eberron, when do the Technocratic Orders (Mage:The Ascension) arise and in what form would they take?
SurfMonkey 07-15-05, 08:06 AM	Whoops... I forgot to mention the Orien part. When the rail plot was first discovered, the PCs captured Delilah and the warforged she was working with, and were instrumental in the capture of the House Orien traitor who had been involved. The PCs kept Delilah in their custody so they had some sort of leverage with the House. The House was all friendly and allowed them to participate in interrogations and whatnot, hoping that in the end Delilah would be turned over to them. Then a living fireball got loose in town (which the PCs got blamed for, don't ask) and Delilah got away, which got any PCs hanging out at House Orien kicked out and the entire party added to their "crap list." By now Cresius and the warforged have both been silenced, and now that you mention it, I guess the House would be looking for the gang now -- especially since they've got Delilah the side-switching shifter with them now...