Red Hand of Doom in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Red Hand of Doom in Eberron? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
JMSilverwolf
02-03-08, 09:18 PM I haven't seen Dragons of Eberron yet, but I want to run the Red Hand of Doom adventure module in my Eberron game. The opening section speaks to where I could put it, but doesn't say anything about how to adapt the storyline. Where does Tiamat fit in Eberron? Or Bahamut for that matter?
Amaril
02-03-08, 11:11 PM Tiamat plays the role of a demon trapped in Khyber whereas Bahamut has a more subtle role as a deity.

I've recently been reading Red Hand of Doom as a possible adventure arc for my campaign featuring wartorn veterans seek a place in post-war Khorvaire.

After reading Dragons of Eberron, the issue I'm having is how to interpret and convey the spawn of Tiamat and the aspect of Tiamat in terms of their significance in Eberron. Their presence is something that would invoke some interest from the dragons of Argonnessen, but I'm not sure to what scale I should take it to.
WarlockDa
02-04-08, 04:52 PM Actually there's been several references to spawn either being a result of dragons too close to Taimat's prison, or just a near random birth, any non-Taimat worshipping dragon typically ditching them in various areas.

I'm actually using spawn as a Demon/Daelkyr experiment ALA Dragonance's old Dragonians.
Amaril
02-04-08, 04:57 PM ...

You might want to spoiler block that seeing as how this is a thread for an adventure that others might not have played yet. I meant to say in the context of Red Hand of Doom. It would seem to me that the events in Red Hand of Doom would call the attention of the dragons of Argonnessen who, in my opinion, would not be sitting still if an aspect of Tiamat manifested and dragonspawn were running amok in Khorvaire.
WarlockDa
02-05-08, 03:12 PM Sure, but key refence I'm referring to is actually in the MM4, I don't really see any of my comment spoiling anything.
Amaril
02-05-08, 03:20 PM Seeing as it's a thread about Red Hand of Doom, revealing spawn of Tiamat as playing a role in the adventure could be considered a spoiler.
JMSilverwolf
02-05-08, 08:22 PM Thanks for looking out Amaril but I'm planning to run the adventure, and so have already read it all the way through. I guess we should be careful about giving to much away to others though.

Anywhoo, thanks both for your ideas. You've given me some food for thought.
mahavira
02-19-08, 09:14 PM Other options include taking advantage of the fact that in Eberron gods needn't exist or actually be gods. When I ran RHoD in Eberron, I used Tiamat as a warlord of Shavarrath, a descendant of draconic colonists in the era between the end of the age of demons and the beginning of the age of giants. Being born and raised on Shavarrath, she wasn't your normal dragon, but she still had an interest in the prophecy, and her servants were manipulating the hobgoblins into drawing Breland into a war against Darguun. Bahamut? Who's Bahamut? Nobody here but us fiendish dragons.

The option I would have liked to go back and redo RHoD in order to use is to make the hobgoblins actually the good guys: Prince Ogarev is making a deal with mind flayers who have created a monster that can siphon up the corrupt energies of the Mournlands, theoretically making them habitable (actually not true, they just store it to release later as a destructive magical attack, but poor Ogarev doesn't need to worry his tasty but unfilling brain about that). A Dahakani warlord named General Kharne learned of this (perhaps a vision from the ancestors, perhaps the Ghostlord, actually an ancient gatekeeper told him) and launched an assault on New Cyre to burn out the corruption root and branch. Only after the PCs hurl back the hobgoblin hordes do Ogarev and his mind controlled and symbiont empowered guards try to capture them and make them join their tentacled masters (basically take the adventure as far as the battle for Brindol/New Cyre, then replace the final dungeon with a Mind Flayer complex under New Cyre). In that scenario, the dragons were largely replaced by other allied monsters, the ruins of Rhest were actually recently captured from abberant spawn, and instead of Greenspawn Razorfiends teh illithid creations (I called them mournworms and planned to use the stats for corruption eaters, but do whatever you want). The hobgoblin mindbender was to be replaced by a blue telepath/thrallherd who thought he could control the abberations (or perhaps was already secretly a thrall). The other tiamat spawn were largely to be replaced by creatures made by house Vadalis (Darguun gold is as good as any other, after all), the Ghostlord was to provide the hobgoblins wiht Horrid Lions for their assault on New Cyre, and the PCs were to constantly wonder "why do all these guys have Byesk arrows when they're marching on a human city?"
UCsimplyme
03-07-08, 07:07 PM *************DISCLAIMER: MUCH OF THIS CONTENT WAS LIFTED FROM OTHER THREADS! THE ONLY CREDIT I AM TAKING IN THIS WAS ASSEMBLING IT INTO A COHESIVE AND PLAYABLE CAMPAIGN WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF EBERRON********************************* ********

I am planning on running this adventure in Eberron and thought I would share my conversion.

My Setup

Elsir Vale is in the far eastern tip of Brelish lands. I put it even farther west than Vathirond. According to the scale there is almost 200 miles from the edge of Vathirond to the Mournland. This is almost large enough to accommodate the scale of the vale from the module. Additionally, I rotated the map approximately 45 degrees to allow Rhest and part of the Blackfens to be in the Mournland. I had the road blockades near Rhest be where the Mournland border lies. This allows for the borders of Thrane and Darguun to be fairly nearby.

Azarr Kul and most of the hobgoblins have come up from the Dhakanni lands under the pretense of preparing the way for “a mighty mistress, the Red Hand of Doom” who will lay the kingdoms of men low. This is none other than Tiamat the Rajah as detailed in Dragons of Eberron. Tyrgarun is a renegade member of the chamber that has been seduced by the call of Tiamat. His desire is to facilitate/manipulate the prophecy in order to orchestrate the return of Tiamat. Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand the full context of Tiamat’s bonadage and ultimately only a shard of Tiamat (her aspect) will ever materialize. Tyrgarun’s creation of Azarr Kul was simply a tool of manipulation to gain control of the hobgoblin horde. Ultimately, this will attract attention from Argonesson but Tyrgarun is leaning on the power/persuasion of Tiamat to control/influence his breatheren.

The Ghostlord is an orcish lich druid who was formally part of the Gatekeeper sect. The lich betrayed the Gatekeepers and decided to work with the Daelkyr in exchange for immortality. The Daelkyr then betrayed him: the ritual they performed on him made him a lich instead of a true immortal. The Ghostlord makes a good tragic figure who is “saddened by his misdeeds, yet spiteful & envious of the living”.

Tyrgarun promises to use ancient magic to return the Ghostlord to his former self in exchange for the Ghostlord's aid in the coming conflicts. This is of course a false promise but he is using his sway as a former Chamber member to convince the Ghostlord that he would have access to that kind of power. Tyrgarun’s offer is a ruse as it appears to be in the module. The purpose of any meeting would be to allow Tyrgarun to steal the Ghostlord's phylactery & force the druid lich to aid Azarr Kul.

The Tiri Kitor is a clan of shifters of different varieties that inhabit the Blackfens. They ride on hawks as the elves did and fill this role very nicely. Their community borders the Mournland and everything north of the island is considered part of the tainted region.

Warklegnaw is a venerable old Werewolf vet of the Lycanthrope wars who is a natural werebear and generally a goodly person. The Silver Flame orchestrated the purge in the areas surrounding Vrathe keep. As the elder of the community Lycan community, they listen to him and trust his council and would come to the aid of those in the region.

Eberron Flavor Additions:

• Brindol itself is another town in the region that is predominately refugees from Cyre. This town is part of the movement in the reformation of a new nation of Cyre. More about this in my plot hooks below.

• Brindol has a House Sivis messaging station. The horde destroys the dragon shard in part 1 off stage. The pc's hear about it during the Rumors of War encounter (pg 38).

• Delora's Livery Stable offers magebred animals. I'm thinking of making her a member of House Vadalis.

•The Old Bridge Inn is run by a member of House Ghallanda.

•Church in Drellin's Ferry is a church of the Sovereign Host (one member or the entire pantheon I'm not sure).

•Wee Jas church in Brindol becomes church of Silver Flame.

•Pelor church in Brindol changes to church of Dol Arrah.

•Church of Yolanda in Brindol is a Jorasco House of Healing.

•Added House Tharashk enclave in Brindol. Enclave sponsors expeditions into the mountains for Kyber Draganshards. They also offer to identify items. This allows the PCs to have items identified as they galavant around the vale without having to spend precious time on the identifies.

My Setup/Hooks:

My game is starting with this adventure thus the PCs will be starting at 5th level. Here is the flavor text pitch for the campaign I have given my players:

As the alignment of the planar bodies Kythri and Shavarath looms on the horizon, war threatens the newly found peace of the Five Nations as a large force of hobgoblins have been seen entering a demilitarized region granted to Breland in the Treaty of Thronehold. The bordering hobgoblin nation of Darguun claims no knowledge of this rogue war party and Breland’s northern troop deployments along the Aundairan border limit any immediate military response from the Crown. As veterans of the Last War and elite agents of Breland’s Crown, you have been commissioned to learn the truth of the hobgoblin menace and quell any threat to your land and nation.

Key Story Points:

The PCs are veterans of the last war and most are Brelish patriots. They will have been hand selected for their skills and sent into the region as an “adventuring party”.

Ambassadors of Thrane and Breland are meeting in Brindol regarding nearby border disputes/grievances. The PCs are insurance that this does not get disrupted.

In addition to securing the talks between Thrane and Breland, the PCs’ have two additional tasks. One is to find out whom the Darguuni are and if they are working for the nation of Darguun or serve some other faction. Second, they are to keep their ears open for any activity amongst the Cyran refugees regarding seceding from Breland.

The Brelish Crown has its hands tied as they are dealing with increased troop activity along the Aundairan border in addition to the Elsir Valley being a demilitarized zone. Discretion is required of the PCs. If war comes to the vale, the PCs are to look for local aid because of the mentioned complications in this region.

Breland recognizes that it doesn’t have an option to send their forces into this region. One factor that is out of their control and quickly approaching is the “alignment of the planar bodies Kythri and Shavarath”. This once in a millennium planar event will last for approximately three months and it is predicted to play havoc with elemental vessels and magic in general. This is the tool that I will use to remove the national military response from the upcoming conflict. Additionally, it provides some explanation as to why all the devils show up in the game. While this isn’t a straight convergence of the planes, I can make up some story about them being easier to summon or being bound to the prophesy of the “Red Hand of Doom”.

Additionally, I will have subplots swirling about the players depending on their backgrounds. One player will actually be a Cyran national who was under deep cover when the Last War ended and rather than blow his cover he adopted his fake identity. With the secret rise of a new nation of Cyre in this region, he has a vested interest in seeing this region secured. Another player will be a contact/agent of the Chamber.

All of these hooks will influence the events as they happen and hopefully lead to an interesting game. I would love to hear some feedback and see what others think about this adaptation.

Thanks!
Gerry
04-08-08, 02:50 PM Hi folks. Just letting you know I'm going to cross-link this thread in my Eberron Related Threads and Resources (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=13167832#post13167832)
Red Hand of DOom Index. You may find other ideas useful from there as well.

Gerry

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
JMSilverwolf 02-03-08, 09:18 PM	I haven't seen Dragons of Eberron yet, but I want to run the Red Hand of Doom adventure module in my Eberron game. The opening section speaks to where I could put it, but doesn't say anything about how to adapt the storyline. Where does Tiamat fit in Eberron? Or Bahamut for that matter?
Amaril 02-03-08, 11:11 PM	Tiamat plays the role of a demon trapped in Khyber whereas Bahamut has a more subtle role as a deity. I've recently been reading Red Hand of Doom as a possible adventure arc for my campaign featuring wartorn veterans seek a place in post-war Khorvaire. After reading Dragons of Eberron, the issue I'm having is how to interpret and convey the spawn of Tiamat and the aspect of Tiamat in terms of their significance in Eberron. Their presence is something that would invoke some interest from the dragons of Argonnessen, but I'm not sure to what scale I should take it to.
WarlockDa 02-04-08, 04:52 PM	Actually there's been several references to spawn either being a result of dragons too close to Taimat's prison, or just a near random birth, any non-Taimat worshipping dragon typically ditching them in various areas. I'm actually using spawn as a Demon/Daelkyr experiment ALA Dragonance's old Dragonians.
Amaril 02-04-08, 04:57 PM	... You might want to spoiler block that seeing as how this is a thread for an adventure that others might not have played yet. I meant to say in the context of Red Hand of Doom. It would seem to me that the events in Red Hand of Doom would call the attention of the dragons of Argonnessen who, in my opinion, would not be sitting still if an aspect of Tiamat manifested and dragonspawn were running amok in Khorvaire.
WarlockDa 02-05-08, 03:12 PM	Sure, but key refence I'm referring to is actually in the MM4, I don't really see any of my comment spoiling anything.
Amaril 02-05-08, 03:20 PM	Seeing as it's a thread about Red Hand of Doom, revealing spawn of Tiamat as playing a role in the adventure could be considered a spoiler.
JMSilverwolf 02-05-08, 08:22 PM	Thanks for looking out Amaril but I'm planning to run the adventure, and so have already read it all the way through. I guess we should be careful about giving to much away to others though. Anywhoo, thanks both for your ideas. You've given me some food for thought.
mahavira 02-19-08, 09:14 PM	Other options include taking advantage of the fact that in Eberron gods needn't exist or actually be gods. When I ran RHoD in Eberron, I used Tiamat as a warlord of Shavarrath, a descendant of draconic colonists in the era between the end of the age of demons and the beginning of the age of giants. Being born and raised on Shavarrath, she wasn't your normal dragon, but she still had an interest in the prophecy, and her servants were manipulating the hobgoblins into drawing Breland into a war against Darguun. Bahamut? Who's Bahamut? Nobody here but us fiendish dragons. The option I would have liked to go back and redo RHoD in order to use is to make the hobgoblins actually the good guys: Prince Ogarev is making a deal with mind flayers who have created a monster that can siphon up the corrupt energies of the Mournlands, theoretically making them habitable (actually not true, they just store it to release later as a destructive magical attack, but poor Ogarev doesn't need to worry his tasty but unfilling brain about that). A Dahakani warlord named General Kharne learned of this (perhaps a vision from the ancestors, perhaps the Ghostlord, actually an ancient gatekeeper told him) and launched an assault on New Cyre to burn out the corruption root and branch. Only after the PCs hurl back the hobgoblin hordes do Ogarev and his mind controlled and symbiont empowered guards try to capture them and make them join their tentacled masters (basically take the adventure as far as the battle for Brindol/New Cyre, then replace the final dungeon with a Mind Flayer complex under New Cyre). In that scenario, the dragons were largely replaced by other allied monsters, the ruins of Rhest were actually recently captured from abberant spawn, and instead of Greenspawn Razorfiends teh illithid creations (I called them mournworms and planned to use the stats for corruption eaters, but do whatever you want). The hobgoblin mindbender was to be replaced by a blue telepath/thrallherd who thought he could control the abberations (or perhaps was already secretly a thrall). The other tiamat spawn were largely to be replaced by creatures made by house Vadalis (Darguun gold is as good as any other, after all), the Ghostlord was to provide the hobgoblins wiht Horrid Lions for their assault on New Cyre, and the PCs were to constantly wonder "why do all these guys have Byesk arrows when they're marching on a human city?"
UCsimplyme 03-07-08, 07:07 PM	***********DISCLAIMER: MUCH OF THIS CONTENT WAS LIFTED FROM OTHER THREADS! THE ONLY CREDIT I AM TAKING IN THIS WAS ASSEMBLING IT INTO A COHESIVE AND PLAYABLE CAMPAIGN WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF EBERRON***************************** ****** I am planning on running this adventure in Eberron and thought I would share my conversion. My Setup Elsir Vale is in the far eastern tip of Brelish lands. I put it even farther west than Vathirond. According to the scale there is almost 200 miles from the edge of Vathirond to the Mournland. This is almost large enough to accommodate the scale of the vale from the module. Additionally, I rotated the map approximately 45 degrees to allow Rhest and part of the Blackfens to be in the Mournland. I had the road blockades near Rhest be where the Mournland border lies. This allows for the borders of Thrane and Darguun to be fairly nearby. Azarr Kul and most of the hobgoblins have come up from the Dhakanni lands under the pretense of preparing the way for “a mighty mistress, the Red Hand of Doom” who will lay the kingdoms of men low. This is none other than Tiamat the Rajah as detailed in Dragons of Eberron. Tyrgarun is a renegade member of the chamber that has been seduced by the call of Tiamat. His desire is to facilitate/manipulate the prophecy in order to orchestrate the return of Tiamat. Unfortunately, he doesn’t understand the full context of Tiamat’s bonadage and ultimately only a shard of Tiamat (her aspect) will ever materialize. Tyrgarun’s creation of Azarr Kul was simply a tool of manipulation to gain control of the hobgoblin horde. Ultimately, this will attract attention from Argonesson but Tyrgarun is leaning on the power/persuasion of Tiamat to control/influence his breatheren. The Ghostlord is an orcish lich druid who was formally part of the Gatekeeper sect. The lich betrayed the Gatekeepers and decided to work with the Daelkyr in exchange for immortality. The Daelkyr then betrayed him: the ritual they performed on him made him a lich instead of a true immortal. The Ghostlord makes a good tragic figure who is “saddened by his misdeeds, yet spiteful & envious of the living”. Tyrgarun promises to use ancient magic to return the Ghostlord to his former self in exchange for the Ghostlord's aid in the coming conflicts. This is of course a false promise but he is using his sway as a former Chamber member to convince the Ghostlord that he would have access to that kind of power. Tyrgarun’s offer is a ruse as it appears to be in the module. The purpose of any meeting would be to allow Tyrgarun to steal the Ghostlord's phylactery & force the druid lich to aid Azarr Kul. The Tiri Kitor is a clan of shifters of different varieties that inhabit the Blackfens. They ride on hawks as the elves did and fill this role very nicely. Their community borders the Mournland and everything north of the island is considered part of the tainted region. Warklegnaw is a venerable old Werewolf vet of the Lycanthrope wars who is a natural werebear and generally a goodly person. The Silver Flame orchestrated the purge in the areas surrounding Vrathe keep. As the elder of the community Lycan community, they listen to him and trust his council and would come to the aid of those in the region. Eberron Flavor Additions: • Brindol itself is another town in the region that is predominately refugees from Cyre. This town is part of the movement in the reformation of a new nation of Cyre. More about this in my plot hooks below. • Brindol has a House Sivis messaging station. The horde destroys the dragon shard in part 1 off stage. The pc's hear about it during the Rumors of War encounter (pg 38). • Delora's Livery Stable offers magebred animals. I'm thinking of making her a member of House Vadalis. •The Old Bridge Inn is run by a member of House Ghallanda. •Church in Drellin's Ferry is a church of the Sovereign Host (one member or the entire pantheon I'm not sure). •Wee Jas church in Brindol becomes church of Silver Flame. •Pelor church in Brindol changes to church of Dol Arrah. •Church of Yolanda in Brindol is a Jorasco House of Healing. •Added House Tharashk enclave in Brindol. Enclave sponsors expeditions into the mountains for Kyber Draganshards. They also offer to identify items. This allows the PCs to have items identified as they galavant around the vale without having to spend precious time on the identifies. My Setup/Hooks: My game is starting with this adventure thus the PCs will be starting at 5th level. Here is the flavor text pitch for the campaign I have given my players: As the alignment of the planar bodies Kythri and Shavarath looms on the horizon, war threatens the newly found peace of the Five Nations as a large force of hobgoblins have been seen entering a demilitarized region granted to Breland in the Treaty of Thronehold. The bordering hobgoblin nation of Darguun claims no knowledge of this rogue war party and Breland’s northern troop deployments along the Aundairan border limit any immediate military response from the Crown. As veterans of the Last War and elite agents of Breland’s Crown, you have been commissioned to learn the truth of the hobgoblin menace and quell any threat to your land and nation. Key Story Points: The PCs are veterans of the last war and most are Brelish patriots. They will have been hand selected for their skills and sent into the region as an “adventuring party”. Ambassadors of Thrane and Breland are meeting in Brindol regarding nearby border disputes/grievances. The PCs are insurance that this does not get disrupted. In addition to securing the talks between Thrane and Breland, the PCs’ have two additional tasks. One is to find out whom the Darguuni are and if they are working for the nation of Darguun or serve some other faction. Second, they are to keep their ears open for any activity amongst the Cyran refugees regarding seceding from Breland. The Brelish Crown has its hands tied as they are dealing with increased troop activity along the Aundairan border in addition to the Elsir Valley being a demilitarized zone. Discretion is required of the PCs. If war comes to the vale, the PCs are to look for local aid because of the mentioned complications in this region. Breland recognizes that it doesn’t have an option to send their forces into this region. One factor that is out of their control and quickly approaching is the “alignment of the planar bodies Kythri and Shavarath”. This once in a millennium planar event will last for approximately three months and it is predicted to play havoc with elemental vessels and magic in general. This is the tool that I will use to remove the national military response from the upcoming conflict. Additionally, it provides some explanation as to why all the devils show up in the game. While this isn’t a straight convergence of the planes, I can make up some story about them being easier to summon or being bound to the prophesy of the “Red Hand of Doom”. Additionally, I will have subplots swirling about the players depending on their backgrounds. One player will actually be a Cyran national who was under deep cover when the Last War ended and rather than blow his cover he adopted his fake identity. With the secret rise of a new nation of Cyre in this region, he has a vested interest in seeing this region secured. Another player will be a contact/agent of the Chamber. All of these hooks will influence the events as they happen and hopefully lead to an interesting game. I would love to hear some feedback and see what others think about this adaptation. Thanks!
Gerry 04-08-08, 02:50 PM	Hi folks. Just letting you know I'm going to cross-link this thread in my Eberron Related Threads and Resources (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=13167832#post13167832) Red Hand of DOom Index. You may find other ideas useful from there as well. Gerry