Need a bit of Inspiration please! (long) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Need a bit of Inspiration please! (long) [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Twinblades
02-22-06, 09:24 AM The party I DM are currently at 6th level, and are currently between WotVB and GotEC. The party comprises of:

A Warforged Barbarian
A Human Monk
A Human Artificer
A Kalashtar Telepath

Until recently the Kalashtar had been playing his character as a human with some bonus power points, so I decided it was time the Dreaming Dark got involved to shake things up a bit. It started with him being attacked a couple of times by soulknife assassins - they always have the same very distinctive blade colouring and always make a bee-line directly for the Kalashtar spitting vitriol about how his kind will soon be wiped from the face of Eberron etc. Both times he was unconscious within 2 rounds and only the timely intervention of the party (an enraged Barbarian scoring a particularly messy power-attacked crit the first time and the monk scoring a trip with his @*%#ing spiked chain the second time) prevented the inevitable coup de grace.

Having proved that a simple assassin wasn't going to be enough, the DD resorted to type and started getting sneaky. Their next trick was to send a message to the party, purporting to be from the Dark Lantern who hired them at the start of WotVB (don't have my stuff here - can' remember his name) inviting the party to a meeting in the local tavern. They turned up, but their contact didn't show. 10 mins late a messenger ran in looking hot and flustered, located the party and gave them an apology that (???) couldn't make it, something urgent had cropped up, and handed over a package. It contained a map to an old workshop deep in the bowels of Sharn and instructions to recover a journal from within, and to take it to Jarred d'Cannith in the House Cannith enclave who would reward them well. It also contained a downpayment of 50PP (they'll believe anything if you throw cash at them!)

To cut a long story short, the workshop turned out to be an old tomb guarded only by a couple of nasty traps and a rusty (but still fully operational) Warforged Titan. They found the journal in the sarcophagus along with some other valuables that they nicked, and headed back to House Cannith to claim their reward.

Needless to say, Jarred d'Cannith (a mid-ranking bureaucrat with a lesser mark and a power complex) was somewhat surprised when a party of adventurers turned up to see him out of the blue, to tell him that they'd just looted his great grandfather's tomb and would he please reward them now... :devil:

When they realised all was not as it should be, the party thankfully decided not to try to fight their way out of the Cannith enclave, and handed themselves in pending a full investigation. J d'C saw them locked up in temporary cells, muttering about Cannith justice and seeing them hung for this outrage (much as the DD had planned). The PCs started name dropping, starting with (??? him again), but of course nobody had heard of him or the Dark Lanterns. Then they tried dropping Elaydren d'Cannith's name as they'd worked for her in the past. They have no idea (yet) about the schism in House Cannith or that she's known (by most) to be part of the Aundair Canniths. They were however advised that she had suddenly gone missing a month or two ago with no contact since, so the PCs are suspects in that mystery too (in fact she's just keeping a low profile on Merrix's orders while he investigates the Schemas - pending his double cross at the start of GotEC).

After a nervy night in the cells, the PCs were awakened by a raging argument as the Dark Lantern bloke walks in (Cannith investigators dropped his name too often and attracted his attention) and dismisses J d'C, using his authority on King's business to outrank him. J is not happy and swears all sorts of revenge on the PCs for their crime and also for his loss of face.

??? says he's very concerned, not least because his organisation must have been compromised as somebody knew to use his name (unlike me! :embarrass ) to set up the PCs. He tells them they'll never hear from him again, but he owes them one for the Lucan affair (and besides, he needs some adventurers for a little job...and they need to be out of town for a while). One of his guards is a mage who uses a scroll to teleport them to Vedycar where they're to provide guards on an airship ferrying urgent medical supplies to the Mror Holds...cue MarkB's adventure, Errand of Mercy (check his sig - it's good stuff!)

They're nearly ready to return to Sharn now (assuming they survive the final encounter which I'll be running next session), and my next plan is to have Jarred d'Cannith found brutally murdered, with all clues pointing at the PCs. Tht should stir things up nicely, and fits with how the DD would operate. The PCs have no idea who's got it in for them as yet, but I haven't really got anything past that point...

How would Cannith take it's revenge? How do the PCs find out who is really responsible (I was thinking they might recognise the messenger from the Inn and trace him back to the Riedran ambassador)? Can they prove their innocence? And what would the DD's next nefarious move be?

Thanks in advance...
DarkWarriorKarg
02-22-06, 11:45 AM How would Cannith take it's revenge?
Warforged ninjas?
Depends if the murder victime was annoying to Merrix or not. If Merrix didn't care for him, he probably would do very little. Otherwise, he might need a suicide squad for one reason or another.

How do the PCs find out who is really responsible (I was thinking they might recognise the messenger from the Inn and trace him back to the Riedran ambassador)?
That would be sloppy of the DD. They don't normally use embassy staff for stuff like this. No, they trace the messenger to a shopkeeper in the Reidran section of Sharn. The shopkeeper is the inspired agent, taking his orders directly from the DD. It helps if he /she has a family as well.

Can they prove their innocence?
Well, there is massive evidence of a frame-up. There are witnesses to them being out of town while it happened. And Vidorr (That's the name) might still be able to pull some strings, as someone is mucking around obviously framing these guys. he'd probably dislike someone able to pull stuff like that under his nose.

And what would the DD's next nefarious move be?

Give the characters dreams/nightmares about the murder, as if from their perspective.
Offer the Kalashtar a chance to rescue his/her companions by surrendering.
Endless_Helix
02-22-06, 06:02 PM Depending on exactly how important he was to House Cannith South, the party would probably be attacked by any of the following, from nastiest to pathetic.

- 2 warforged Juggernaughts of equal level to the party, a human artificer 1 level lower, and a warforged rogue with some buffs. They would have bane weapons keyed to the types of the party and some nasty scrolls and wands.The artificer would have an augmented homunculus
- 2 warforged fighters, two human artificers, and a couple of watchmen, all about 1st-3rd level.
- 3-4 redcloaks and a 4th level artificer.
- 3-4 watchmen and a magewright or two, 1st-2nd level

Also, you could just have them rant to watch to find the killers, giving the PC's names as possible witnesses, henchmen, or perps. Although I think that the DD would be making a mistake by killing off someone in house cannith, particularly if he was important. The only reason I can see is that he was in the middle of a deal/discovery that would ruin their economic foothold in Khorvaire, even if the PC's were very agrivating.

This could be an interesting plot twist. I mean, the DD must have had some reason for picking Jarred to be the patsy and the murder victim... And what would happen if this discovery was brought to light?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Twinblades 02-22-06, 09:24 AM	The party I DM are currently at 6th level, and are currently between WotVB and GotEC. The party comprises of: A Warforged Barbarian A Human Monk A Human Artificer A Kalashtar Telepath Until recently the Kalashtar had been playing his character as a human with some bonus power points, so I decided it was time the Dreaming Dark got involved to shake things up a bit. It started with him being attacked a couple of times by soulknife assassins - they always have the same very distinctive blade colouring and always make a bee-line directly for the Kalashtar spitting vitriol about how his kind will soon be wiped from the face of Eberron etc. Both times he was unconscious within 2 rounds and only the timely intervention of the party (an enraged Barbarian scoring a particularly messy power-attacked crit the first time and the monk scoring a trip with his @*%#ing spiked chain the second time) prevented the inevitable coup de grace. Having proved that a simple assassin wasn't going to be enough, the DD resorted to type and started getting sneaky. Their next trick was to send a message to the party, purporting to be from the Dark Lantern who hired them at the start of WotVB (don't have my stuff here - can' remember his name) inviting the party to a meeting in the local tavern. They turned up, but their contact didn't show. 10 mins late a messenger ran in looking hot and flustered, located the party and gave them an apology that (???) couldn't make it, something urgent had cropped up, and handed over a package. It contained a map to an old workshop deep in the bowels of Sharn and instructions to recover a journal from within, and to take it to Jarred d'Cannith in the House Cannith enclave who would reward them well. It also contained a downpayment of 50PP (they'll believe anything if you throw cash at them!) To cut a long story short, the workshop turned out to be an old tomb guarded only by a couple of nasty traps and a rusty (but still fully operational) Warforged Titan. They found the journal in the sarcophagus along with some other valuables that they nicked, and headed back to House Cannith to claim their reward. Needless to say, Jarred d'Cannith (a mid-ranking bureaucrat with a lesser mark and a power complex) was somewhat surprised when a party of adventurers turned up to see him out of the blue, to tell him that they'd just looted his great grandfather's tomb and would he please reward them now... :devil: When they realised all was not as it should be, the party thankfully decided not to try to fight their way out of the Cannith enclave, and handed themselves in pending a full investigation. J d'C saw them locked up in temporary cells, muttering about Cannith justice and seeing them hung for this outrage (much as the DD had planned). The PCs started name dropping, starting with (??? him again), but of course nobody had heard of him or the Dark Lanterns. Then they tried dropping Elaydren d'Cannith's name as they'd worked for her in the past. They have no idea (yet) about the schism in House Cannith or that she's known (by most) to be part of the Aundair Canniths. They were however advised that she had suddenly gone missing a month or two ago with no contact since, so the PCs are suspects in that mystery too (in fact she's just keeping a low profile on Merrix's orders while he investigates the Schemas - pending his double cross at the start of GotEC). After a nervy night in the cells, the PCs were awakened by a raging argument as the Dark Lantern bloke walks in (Cannith investigators dropped his name too often and attracted his attention) and dismisses J d'C, using his authority on King's business to outrank him. J is not happy and swears all sorts of revenge on the PCs for their crime and also for his loss of face. ??? says he's very concerned, not least because his organisation must have been compromised as somebody knew to use his name (unlike me! :embarrass ) to set up the PCs. He tells them they'll never hear from him again, but he owes them one for the Lucan affair (and besides, he needs some adventurers for a little job...and they need to be out of town for a while). One of his guards is a mage who uses a scroll to teleport them to Vedycar where they're to provide guards on an airship ferrying urgent medical supplies to the Mror Holds...cue MarkB's adventure, Errand of Mercy (check his sig - it's good stuff!) They're nearly ready to return to Sharn now (assuming they survive the final encounter which I'll be running next session), and my next plan is to have Jarred d'Cannith found brutally murdered, with all clues pointing at the PCs. Tht should stir things up nicely, and fits with how the DD would operate. The PCs have no idea who's got it in for them as yet, but I haven't really got anything past that point... How would Cannith take it's revenge? How do the PCs find out who is really responsible (I was thinking they might recognise the messenger from the Inn and trace him back to the Riedran ambassador)? Can they prove their innocence? And what would the DD's next nefarious move be? Thanks in advance...
DarkWarriorKarg 02-22-06, 11:45 AM	How would Cannith take it's revenge? Warforged ninjas? Depends if the murder victime was annoying to Merrix or not. If Merrix didn't care for him, he probably would do very little. Otherwise, he might need a suicide squad for one reason or another. How do the PCs find out who is really responsible (I was thinking they might recognise the messenger from the Inn and trace him back to the Riedran ambassador)? That would be sloppy of the DD. They don't normally use embassy staff for stuff like this. No, they trace the messenger to a shopkeeper in the Reidran section of Sharn. The shopkeeper is the inspired agent, taking his orders directly from the DD. It helps if he /she has a family as well. Can they prove their innocence? Well, there is massive evidence of a frame-up. There are witnesses to them being out of town while it happened. And Vidorr (That's the name) might still be able to pull some strings, as someone is mucking around obviously framing these guys. he'd probably dislike someone able to pull stuff like that under his nose. And what would the DD's next nefarious move be? Give the characters dreams/nightmares about the murder, as if from their perspective. Offer the Kalashtar a chance to rescue his/her companions by surrendering.
Endless_Helix 02-22-06, 06:02 PM	Depending on exactly how important he was to House Cannith South, the party would probably be attacked by any of the following, from nastiest to pathetic. - 2 warforged Juggernaughts of equal level to the party, a human artificer 1 level lower, and a warforged rogue with some buffs. They would have bane weapons keyed to the types of the party and some nasty scrolls and wands.The artificer would have an augmented homunculus - 2 warforged fighters, two human artificers, and a couple of watchmen, all about 1st-3rd level. - 3-4 redcloaks and a 4th level artificer. - 3-4 watchmen and a magewright or two, 1st-2nd level Also, you could just have them rant to watch to find the killers, giving the PC's names as possible witnesses, henchmen, or perps. Although I think that the DD would be making a mistake by killing off someone in house cannith, particularly if he was important. The only reason I can see is that he was in the middle of a deal/discovery that would ruin their economic foothold in Khorvaire, even if the PC's were very agrivating. This could be an interesting plot twist. I mean, the DD must have had some reason for picking Jarred to be the patsy and the murder victim... And what would happen if this discovery was brought to light?