My first Eberron adventure (brainstorming time!) [Archive] - Wizards Community

My first Eberron adventure (brainstorming time!) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
treehouse916
09-29-05, 12:45 PM If any of my players frequent these boards, please don't read past this line! Thanks.

Well, the votes are in and my Saturday group is finally ready to take a break from my two-and-a-half-years-running homebrew campaign. We'll be going back after a decent length of time to finish it, but for now we are going to play some Eberron. I have three players. Normally they each play multiple characters and we have a pretty large party of characters, but for Eberron I'd like to have everyone focus on one character, so we are testing out the gestalt variant. It should be fun, especially since I get to build all of the villains as gestalt characters, too.

I had originally planned to run the first Eberron adventure in Sharn with a manhunt-style murder investigation. Since then, Five Nations and the Explorer's Handbook have come out, so I've had an opportunity to see other parts of Eberron detailed. Instead, I think I'd like to run the first set of adventures in the north (Karrnath, Aundair and possibly the Mror Holds). The ultimate plot of the first few adventures involves an alliance between the Inspired and the Emerald Claw (and ultimately, the Blood of Vol cult). I haven't got much further than that, but I'll have great hooks for all three characters, as follows:

Morgan Ironwright - human artificer/wizard 1: Morgan poses as a simple Brelander eager to get out and see the world. He is actually a displaced Cyran refugee and an unmarked scion of House Cannith. Morgan is extremely paranoid - he believes that whoever caused the Mourning is now looking to eliminate every last Cyran. He was tutored by one of the most prominent artificers in the history of the House - Alec d'Cannith. I will post a thread later in People and Places about Alec d'Cannith and his important role in my version of Eberron; for the moment, all you need to know is that he was involved in the project that ultimately contributed to Cyre's destruction, detailed here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=428019). Anyway, Morgan currently suspects that Karrnath was behind the Mourning, because Emerald Claw cells operating in Cyre claimed responsibility for several killings and other terrorist acts in Metrol between 991-993 YK. He's wrong, of course; the Emerald Claw didn't even work for Karrnath by that time, and they certainly weren't involved in the Mourning. But Morgan doesn't know that. Obviously, he doesn't know anything about Alec's last project. He is going to Karrnath on his own initiative to learn more about the Emerald Claw.

(Unnamed) - elan monk/psion (egoist) 1: I am using the explanation of elans in Eberron detailed here (http://www.coveworld.net/eberron/conversions-xph.html). He's closely allied with the kalashtar rebels, and thus actively opposes the Inspired. The real kicker is that the Inspired have very few ways to tell an elan apart from a human, so he makes a much better Inspired-stalker than any kalashtar. He is going to Karrnath to find a kalashtar agent who went missing three months ago while spying on a Karn warlord who was suspected of having ties to the Inspired.

Gerard Angevin - human fighter/cleric of the Silver Flame 1: Gerard is on his way down the path of the Shadowbane Inquisitor (Complete Adventurer), so you should already have a measure of the level of his zealousness. He already has the title of 'Novice Inquisitor', and he's been secretly ordered by the Council of Cardinals to go to Karrnath and find a link between the Emerald Claw and Kaius III.

So, now I need a coherent adventure path to get the party together for the first time (none of them know each other). Get cracking! Err, just kidding.

I'll be back to start my brainstorming in a little bit. I'll take any feedback I can get, especially if you have a clever way to connect the Inspired to the Emerald Claw/Blood of Vol.
treehouse916
09-29-05, 02:55 PM Here's a prospective outline of the first chapter:

Adventure Outline

I – Chapter 1: Courtesy of House Orien
A. Wroat to Thaliost (Morgan & Elan)
1. Elan boards the Orien Express at Wroat and sits in the only compartment left with open seats. Morgan is there with two other travelers (Corban Heartwine and Liam Redenbourgh). Liam tries to engage the group in conversation, mentioning rumors about rising tensions between the royalty of Aundair and Karrnath.
B. Thaliost (Gerard)
1. Gerard makes his way down to the Dock District of Thaliost. On his way, he is attacked by a pair of Aundairan patriots who haven’t gotten over Thaliost falling to the Thranes.
C. Across Scion’s Sound
1. Morgan and Elan arrive in Thaliost. They make their way down to the Dock District with a few other passengers from the Orien Express. They arrive at an Orien-sponsored ferry that helps bridge the service gap between Thaliost and Rekkenmark. Gerard is there. After a short wait, the ferry departs. River brigands attack the ferry halfway across. The ensuing battle sets the ferry adrift. It smashes into rocky eastern shoreline several miles north of Rekkenmark. Morgan, Elan & Gerard survive the landing and make their way to hard ground.

In Chapter 1A, Corban Heartwine can be played by Gerard's player, and in Chapter 1B, the two Aundairan patriots can be played by Morgan & the elan's players. That way someone is always doing something.
MavrickWeirdo
09-29-05, 11:55 PM Morgan Ironwright is going to Karrnath on his own initiative to learn more about the Emerald Claw.

Gerard Angevin has been secretly ordered by the Council of Cardinals to go to Karrnath and find a link between the Emerald Claw and Kaius III.

<(Unnamed) - elan monk/psion (egoist) 1> is going to Karrnath to find a kalashtar agent who went missing three months ago.

Have the inquiries converge.

An Inspired has infiltrated a cell of Emerald Claw. He convinced them that a certain kalashtar agent was their enemy. The kalashtar agent was captured.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
treehouse916 09-29-05, 12:45 PM	If any of my players frequent these boards, please don't read past this line! Thanks. Well, the votes are in and my Saturday group is finally ready to take a break from my two-and-a-half-years-running homebrew campaign. We'll be going back after a decent length of time to finish it, but for now we are going to play some Eberron. I have three players. Normally they each play multiple characters and we have a pretty large party of characters, but for Eberron I'd like to have everyone focus on one character, so we are testing out the gestalt variant. It should be fun, especially since I get to build all of the villains as gestalt characters, too. I had originally planned to run the first Eberron adventure in Sharn with a manhunt-style murder investigation. Since then, Five Nations and the Explorer's Handbook have come out, so I've had an opportunity to see other parts of Eberron detailed. Instead, I think I'd like to run the first set of adventures in the north (Karrnath, Aundair and possibly the Mror Holds). The ultimate plot of the first few adventures involves an alliance between the Inspired and the Emerald Claw (and ultimately, the Blood of Vol cult). I haven't got much further than that, but I'll have great hooks for all three characters, as follows: Morgan Ironwright - human artificer/wizard 1: Morgan poses as a simple Brelander eager to get out and see the world. He is actually a displaced Cyran refugee and an unmarked scion of House Cannith. Morgan is extremely paranoid - he believes that whoever caused the Mourning is now looking to eliminate every last Cyran. He was tutored by one of the most prominent artificers in the history of the House - Alec d'Cannith. I will post a thread later in People and Places about Alec d'Cannith and his important role in my version of Eberron; for the moment, all you need to know is that he was involved in the project that ultimately contributed to Cyre's destruction, detailed here (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=428019). Anyway, Morgan currently suspects that Karrnath was behind the Mourning, because Emerald Claw cells operating in Cyre claimed responsibility for several killings and other terrorist acts in Metrol between 991-993 YK. He's wrong, of course; the Emerald Claw didn't even work for Karrnath by that time, and they certainly weren't involved in the Mourning. But Morgan doesn't know that. Obviously, he doesn't know anything about Alec's last project. He is going to Karrnath on his own initiative to learn more about the Emerald Claw. (Unnamed) - elan monk/psion (egoist) 1: I am using the explanation of elans in Eberron detailed here (http://www.coveworld.net/eberron/conversions-xph.html). He's closely allied with the kalashtar rebels, and thus actively opposes the Inspired. The real kicker is that the Inspired have very few ways to tell an elan apart from a human, so he makes a much better Inspired-stalker than any kalashtar. He is going to Karrnath to find a kalashtar agent who went missing three months ago while spying on a Karn warlord who was suspected of having ties to the Inspired. Gerard Angevin - human fighter/cleric of the Silver Flame 1: Gerard is on his way down the path of the Shadowbane Inquisitor (Complete Adventurer), so you should already have a measure of the level of his zealousness. He already has the title of 'Novice Inquisitor', and he's been secretly ordered by the Council of Cardinals to go to Karrnath and find a link between the Emerald Claw and Kaius III. So, now I need a coherent adventure path to get the party together for the first time (none of them know each other). Get cracking! Err, just kidding. I'll be back to start my brainstorming in a little bit. I'll take any feedback I can get, especially if you have a clever way to connect the Inspired to the Emerald Claw/Blood of Vol.
treehouse916 09-29-05, 02:55 PM	Here's a prospective outline of the first chapter: Adventure Outline I – Chapter 1: Courtesy of House Orien A. Wroat to Thaliost (Morgan & Elan) 1. Elan boards the Orien Express at Wroat and sits in the only compartment left with open seats. Morgan is there with two other travelers (Corban Heartwine and Liam Redenbourgh). Liam tries to engage the group in conversation, mentioning rumors about rising tensions between the royalty of Aundair and Karrnath. B. Thaliost (Gerard) 1. Gerard makes his way down to the Dock District of Thaliost. On his way, he is attacked by a pair of Aundairan patriots who haven’t gotten over Thaliost falling to the Thranes. C. Across Scion’s Sound 1. Morgan and Elan arrive in Thaliost. They make their way down to the Dock District with a few other passengers from the Orien Express. They arrive at an Orien-sponsored ferry that helps bridge the service gap between Thaliost and Rekkenmark. Gerard is there. After a short wait, the ferry departs. River brigands attack the ferry halfway across. The ensuing battle sets the ferry adrift. It smashes into rocky eastern shoreline several miles north of Rekkenmark. Morgan, Elan & Gerard survive the landing and make their way to hard ground. In Chapter 1A, Corban Heartwine can be played by Gerard's player, and in Chapter 1B, the two Aundairan patriots can be played by Morgan & the elan's players. That way someone is always doing something.
MavrickWeirdo 09-29-05, 11:55 PM	Morgan Ironwright is going to Karrnath on his own initiative to learn more about the Emerald Claw. Gerard Angevin has been secretly ordered by the Council of Cardinals to go to Karrnath and find a link between the Emerald Claw and Kaius III. <(Unnamed) - elan monk/psion (egoist) 1> is going to Karrnath to find a kalashtar agent who went missing three months ago. Have the inquiries converge. An Inspired has infiltrated a cell of Emerald Claw. He convinced them that a certain kalashtar agent was their enemy. The kalashtar agent was captured.