Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Demangel 07-22-07, 03:52 PM	First off I put this in this forum because I felt since it deals with manifest zones and eldritch machines (IE magic) this would be the best place to get a related response. I realize it also covers other areas, but I hope nobody minds. On the to the meat and taters- "Sharn sits within a manifest zone linked to Syrania..." Ok this gave me an idea for an adventure idea/quest hook for a game I'm thinking of making. But I have to be sure the idea I have is workable, and if so, what would it take. I'm thinking of having my party go on an adventure to stop an evil group from demolishing Sharn by somehow disrupting the manifest zone linked to Syrania. My question is, is this feasable? What would it require? And what known factions would be most likely to be behind such a dasterdly act? I'm thinking the following things would be the best: 1: The bad guys would likely be the Emerald Claw, using this as a shock and awe terrorist attack, the motivation being something that would cripple Breland, and hopefully spark off a new war between Breland and Karnath. With Breland being crippled by the loss of one of it's most important cities, Karnath would stand a better chance of winning this time. Natural King Kaius wouldn't be behind this, nor would he favor it, but the Emerald claw would make it appear as if it was Karnath that was behind it, and thus give the nation no choice but to defend itself against Brelands retaliations. 2: An Eldritch machine would likely have to be the mechanism behind the disruption of the manifest zone. I feel this works as Eldritch machines are mean to serve as such plot devices through which things like this could happen. However what ingredients would make sense to use in such a device? A bound Earth elemental? A bound air elemental? What else? Are there any other things I'm missing? Would the emerald claw not be the most likely group behind this? Is there a better group to have involved? Keep in mind this adventure is meant to begin with the PC's likely at level 1. The entire campaign will likely span 3-4 levels (ending at level 4). I feel the first sessions/levels would involve the PC's becoming aware of the danger (maybe they find a body with clues on it, or are asked to investigate a series of tower quakes that seem to be unusual). Later the party learns of the plot itself, and have to try and find a way to stop it, the idea being they will seek to thwart the EC from finding the parts they need to craft the machine, taking them on a quest through several locations around Khorvaire. This would be the part of the encounter where they ultimately succeed in delaying the EC, but can't outright stop them (IE the EC manages to find enough parts to complete their work despite the PC's best efforts, likely to include an NPC betrayal or two.). Lastly, because it wouldn't be fun otherwise, the PC's have to confront the EC in their secret location beneath Sharn and destroy the machine before it can be activated. In keeping with the Noir quality of Eberron, maybe the bad guys would manage to activate the machine, but the PC's would be able to stop it from fully powering up, so only some damage occurs (IE a couple of towers might collapse, and several thousand lives are lost). Any ideas offered will be considered and appreciated :)
Need_A_Life 07-22-07, 04:11 PM	I'd recommend Night of Long Shadows for this campaign... Its plot is geared towards the same goal, with a shadow elemental being bound into a special khyber shard in order to bring down Skyway
Rerecros 07-22-07, 04:18 PM	Moving planes out of alignment is serious magic, it would only be the one manifest zone, but still. The giants knew how to do it, there might still be some schematics left behind in some ruin now controlled by drow. The gatekeeper druids would also know how to block the effects of the planes, but they'd be far from cooperative to block Syrania. The inspired could do this, but something like destroying sharn would be too dramatic, and might cause the turn of the age.
Demangel 07-22-07, 04:46 PM	Hmm ok, so maybe this is a bit more than a lower level party could tackle is the feeling I'm getting. Although I like the idea of the "parts" the PC's have to stop the bad guys from finding being Schemas. On the other hand, the climax might be of too high a level for the PC's to consider tackling. IF I planned the campaign for a longer duration (IE spanning a dozen levels or more) then maybe it could work. I COULD use it as recurring quest element. That is, the PC's are unknowingly involved in it and every couple of adventures could be directly involved with it, whether the PC's know it or not. Maybe the PC's are tasked with finding the one of the schemas by the bad guys early on, thinking they are actually doing something else, or not caring because they are mercenaries or something. If I really draw out the climax and delay it I could also have the fun of having Sharn already be in danger long before the PC's find out. That is, as the series progresses, the city suffers more and more tower quakes that are unexplainable, and by the end, the city is in a panic as without warning sky coaches and other things mysteriously malfunction, but not all at once, IE localized disruptions are happening which are short term, and lead to localized destruction... It could be good ambiance to increase tension as the PC's grow in power. Eventually as they reach a level more inclined with dealing with such a threat, their indirect involvement becomes direct. Maybe the city being in a panic does it's own investigation and learns the PC's found the Schema for the bad guys and brings them in for questioning. Maybe telling them the only way to be pardoned is to help set things right and try and stop the bad guys. Hmmm... Well at least this gives me things to think about.
Syltorian 07-22-07, 05:36 PM	Some ideas for who could have done it, apart from the Emerald Claw: A Radiant Idol. They were cast out from Syrania, and can never fly again. They would hate their home plane and everything that still can fly; great motive for vengeance against both Syrania (cutting it off more from the world) and Sharn. Cannith East/West. Bringing Sharn down would destroy Merrix and Cannith South, and eliminate one of the contestants for the rulership of the House. House Cannith might have the technology to do it, it just needs to find someone to blame it on... such as the aberrant marked who are rumoured to live in Sharn and have destroyed the city once already A member of the Aurum, working a bit like James Bond's SPECTRE. He won't be referring to the Aurum, of course, but he will collapse one tower first and then hold the rest of the city to ransom. Could work with other groups too. The Emerald Claw might require Breland's immediate surrender as a ransom. Cyrans. Either as a revenge for Wroann's rejection of Mishann, or as a means to get independent land out of Breland, keeping the threat as a means to ensure Breland does not go back on the deal or works against them in the next war, either. Oargev and most sane Cyrans deny involvement, of course. The Ashbound. They are fairly weak, but what if, say, a Gatekeeper went over to them and took knowledge of the seals with him? The Ashbound hate civilisation, and it doesn't get much more "city" than Sharn A mad Puritan of the Silver Flame. Flamekeep is aware of it and has sent a frantic message to the Citadel, warning them, and dispatched its own agents. A bit like "Hunt for Red October", except that this guy will drop the nuke. His motive? Eradicate the den of iniquity that is Sharn. Any criminal group who has discovered the means to do this and has a prisoner stuck in Dreadhold they want freed. Preferably one actually kept by Breland, but it could be interesting if Breland has to get Thrane to release Melisse Miron, for example. The Dragons. Not because they have a particular hatred for Breland, but because the Prophecy absolute demands that Sharn falls again, if something else important has to come to pass (such as preventing the release of a rajah); get the players out of that dilemma! As for how it works: Gatekeeper Seals, modified to fit Syrania - as has been pointed out above by Rerecros. Either a renegade sells the secret to someone else or believes Sharn needs to go, or someone unconnected has found out. Giant Magic. Also pointed out above. Reverse Planar Orrery: These devices are positioned throughout the city, and need to be removed one by one. Even if the city doesn't crash entirely, having half of it come down won't be great either. Eldritch Machine, made with things that are heavy (lodestone, adamantine), inimical to Syrania (darkness captured deep in Khyber, artifacts of evil, anything you would use to banish an angel), or inimical to flight (blood of a radiant idol, or a number of them In general, it does not really matter what level the party is. Much of this will be a mystery, and it could be someone fairly weak ending up with powerful magic...
Sarlax 07-22-07, 05:45 PM	A Radiant Idol. They were cast out from Syrania, and can never fly again. They would hate their home plane and everything that still can fly; great motive for vengeance against both Syrania (cutting it off more from the world) and Sharn. I like this idea a lot. I can see an Idol attempting to shut down the manifest zone in the belief that if it's closed off, no more angels will be cast out from the heavens.
Rerecros 07-22-07, 06:21 PM	I like this idea a lot. I can see an Idol attempting to shut down the manifest zone in the belief that if it's closed off, no more angels will be cast out from the heavens. :D Slight problem, all angels can cast planeshift.
TiwazTyrsfist 07-22-07, 08:11 PM	So, I think the easiest way to do it, would be to build an eldrich machine that creates a dimensional warp/fold. Basicly, you are causing the magical field to shift, in such a way that the manifest zone moves, temporarily, out of Sharn. The manifest zone shifts off to the side of the city, and the flying butresses can't hold anymore without the boost from the manifest zone, so the whole thing comes crashing down, slowly. A lead in to the adventure could be that the party is actually hired to acquire parts for a group of artificers, without realizing the purpose. Dragon shards with lightning para-elemental bound in them. A one ton chunk of solid lode stone. A fist size gemstone, from the plane of syrania, bound in adamantite. And then, when they realize what they are going to be used for, they have to stop the project that they helped happen. Fortunately (of coarse) the shift of the manifest zone is slow, and the weakened echantments still slow the fall of the towers. So the PC's have, oh let's say 8 hours, to find the finished machine and disable it, before the damage is serious and towers begin to crash. But towers are moving, and getting around the city should be difficult as bridges break and shift.
Demangel 07-22-07, 09:14 PM	Really amazing ideas here making me think this could be the quest I'm looking to making :) So far I'm sure of the following: 1: Eldritch machine falls into the hands of a lower power (IE keeping the adventure lowish in level). This is good because it can allow me as a DM to have a safety valve in case the PC isn't entirely successful. That being if the PC's somehow fail to stop the bad guys completely, their own ineptitude will foil their plans for them as the machine goes out of control and simply nukes a single tower or something instead of the whole city. I also really like idea of this person looking to use the device as a weapon to use to hold the city for ransom of some kind. I'd like to link it to something political or religious. EC still works for me, but I am considering some other sources, I will have to read up on the auruum to decide on them. I don't want to make this a House civil war of any kind, I want this to have more of a terrorist slant on it to appeal more to the real world paranoia of the current age, at least here in the states. Allowing me to lightly touch on and explore real world issues in the setting. Perhaps another option has come to me. Perhaps originally the machine was built with positive effects in mind - a way to extend the building of sharn even higher, or perhaps make the towers more secure against tower quakes and the like. The machine was already built and working, and was even employed for a short time in the city. It was built to help manipulate the manifest zone in such a way as to make some areas in sharn even more deeply linked to sharn allowing for the creation of even more impressive buildings than are already possible. It was used to reinforce the glass tower in what was once Godsgate. However the people who rebuilt the machine from an old giant design didn't know how to control it properly. For a time it worked and the designers built a great glass structure, something that would normally be impossible due to the brittle nature of glass making it incapable of being a load bearing material. However, after only a short period of time, the machines effects began to oscillate and the effect began to stray from where it was localized. Suddenly and without warning the machine went haywire, and the increased effects of the manifest zone shifted away from the glass tower. Most people only recall the fall of the tower as it was the most dramatic destruction caused, but the surrounding buildings were also effected initially as they rose higher into the air. As the glass tower shook and began to crumble every effort was made to keep the machine under control, but somehow this interference caused the machine to behave even more erratically eventually overloading. When the machine finally shut down these other buildings dropped several feet and took disastrous damage as well, damage mostly hidden by the collapse of the Glass tower. The Machine itself was built in secret by (someone? I'm thinking house Cannith), when it failed they knew they had to hide what they had done so they dismantled the machine and scattered it's parts, many of them remain in sharn. Thus to this day, almost no one knows anything about it. Today: Someone (AKA the bad guys) have learned of the device and realizing the device could be used for destruction, have spent a lot of time researching the machine and on how to find the parts of it they have yet to acquire. The bad guys would have come into knowledge of it by accident, IE some lower level enemy with delusions of granduer. Having secretly conspired with some renegades of house cannith they have set about the rebuilding of the machine and need our PC's to go find some of the parts. This could appeal to a lower level party because at the lower levels the PC's would still be looking for a good patron, and I can simply say that business has been slow of late. However the PC's/contacts have told them about a ground floor opportunity to get involved in a big project that should give them lots of chances to make a name for themselves. From time to time the PC's will be asked to go on a spelunking expedition somewhere in the city, to find the parts they need. Maybe escort someone doing research etc. This could also allow me a hook to get the PC's in the District of Sharn where the Glass tower fell for an exiting romp through a district filled with the kinds of enemies found there to find a piece of the machine that was left in the rubble somewhere below where the tower once floated. I could allow for the parts of the machine to not only be scattered in sharn, but all over breland, allowing for some less than local adventure as well. I could have one of these part seeking quests happen every couple of levels if I had to to spread out the building climax till later on. Allowing the PC's to go on other adventures between spelunking trips to the depths of sharn. Then at the end, the PC's will be confronted as the pawns in this whole thing, and be given the chance to right the wrong they have caused, while the city starts to crumble. I like the idea of giving them 8 hours (or some other limit) to solve the final climactic ending - Ie find the hidden lab where the machine is being operated, and then put a stop to it before it's too late. All the while the city is suffering constant quakes and ruin. Escape valve - If for some reason the PC's fail (take too long etc). The machine will have a repeat of it's past failure, spin out of control and simply cause widespread low level destruction with perhaps a single building taking the brunt of the damage. IE it wouldn't be something epic or catastrophic. The damage done might set the city back a while for repairs and cost a fortune, but wouldn't ruin the city. The quest could even continue with either result with the PC's discovering that the guy they faced who was behind this (or who seemed behind this) was indeed a pawn himself (how else would someone so inferior have gotten so much power). Someone who didn't want to be implicated, arranged for this guy to have the chance to make the machine and carry out their plans. If this pawn was the right person, even if the plan failed and the city didn't fall, it could spark a war, or bigger conflict that might benefit someone even higher in the pecking order. This leads me back again to the emerald claw. At least as the main visible protagonist behind the machines creation. He might leap at the chance to destroy sharn to spark a new war or hold the city ransom in the name of his cause. He would be fanatical enough to take help from anywhere he could get it. Now I must consider who would be behind letting the device fall into his hands... Who would benefit from this besides the emerald claw, who would also want sharn to fall or failing that have Breland be given cause to go to war again? Could I fall back on a cliche Lords of Dust plot to restart the war? There are plenty of faction who might see the destruction of Sharn or the start of a new war between Breland and Karnath as a good thing. Maybe instead of being so diabilocal it could be more mundane, IE a cyrean refugee looking to ruin breland/sharn for personal feelings of hatred and injustice? Hmm keep the ideas coming, it's really helping me fill in the blanks well :)