Dark Lanterns [Archive] - Wizards Community

Dark Lanterns [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkangelUziel
06-13-07, 02:44 PM I'm gonna give my players a prophecy soon and this will eventually lead them into an adventure I prepared allready. It will take a few more levels (since they're only level 2 now), but it will cause the Dark Lanterns to go after them since they obtain an item which could harm the king and which they protected for about 20 years.

My question is: Are there any of you that have used the Dark Lanterns in their game and how elaborate have you made their network. According to the preview of the Forge of War, the Dark Lanterns are the best spy-group in Khorvaire. Second, how do they treat "prisoners"? I'd say they are harsh, since they try to protect the crown and imo that is at all costs, but I'd really like some different views on this subject.
From_Khyber
06-13-07, 03:04 PM According to the preview of the Forge of War, the Dark Lanterns are the best spy-group in Khorvaire.

While the Dark Lanterns are extremely talented spies and make up one of the finest intelligence agencies on Khorvaire, I wouldn't say that they are the best, despite canon. The Trust and House Phairlan/Thuranni are crucial groups to look at too, when discussing superiority in this profession. However, this doesn't change the fact that they are gifted spies, nevertheless.

Second, how do they treat "prisoners"?

I'm not sure I totally understand your question here. I think, depending on how cooperative the prisoners are of course, that their methods can be rather ruthless. In the end, it all comes down to this question: How big a threat does the prisoner pose to the Brelish crown?
rabidclipper
06-13-07, 03:20 PM I'm gonna give my players a prophecy soon and this will eventually lead them into an adventure I prepared allready. It will take a few more levels (since they're only level 2 now), but it will cause the Dark Lanterns to go after them since they obtain an item which could harm the king and which they protected for about 20 years.

My question is: Are there any of you that have used the Dark Lanterns in their game and how elaborate have you made their network. According to the preview of the Forge of War, the Dark Lanterns are the best spy-group in Khorvaire. Second, how do they treat "prisoners"? I'd say they are harsh, since they try to protect the crown and imo that is at all costs, but I'd really like some different views on this subject.

Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..."

Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..."

Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.."

Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..."

Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!"
From_Khyber
06-13-07, 03:23 PM Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..."

Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..."

Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.."

Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..."

Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!"

:rofl:
DarkangelUziel
06-13-07, 03:37 PM Thnx for the replies allready.

Rabidclipper:ROFL. cool

From_Khyber: I'm quite sure you''re right about House Phiarlan/Thurani. And offcourse there are also the Aundarian Royal Eyes and the trust indeed and I'm sure Karrnath and Thrane have their spies as well, although I don't have names just now.
In the end the fact is that the Dark Lanterns are very good at their jobs. But is there anybody that allready gave them some kind of layout in their organisation? A headquarters? Maybe a standard tactical procedure? Level-indictaion? Stuff like that.

Looking at the story I have in mind the secret it poses was a great threat during the Last War since it could hamper Breland's relations with Zilargo. In fact the Dark Lanterns found their info on their own accord and because of multiple aspects they decided to not tell their king. This can now possibly get back at them and that also makes the situation more complex.
From_Khyber
06-13-07, 04:49 PM But is there anybody that allready gave them some kind of layout in their organisation?

I'm not sure, but I do know, however, that the Dark Lanterns consist of five divisions, each stationed in a different location (Wroat, Sharn, Starilaskur, Xandrar, and Stormreach) - these five sections are also commanded by five captains (Captain Vron, Talleon Haliar Tonan, Meryl d'Ravalas, Amber Korranor, and Jev). The department in Wroat acts as the core of the Dark Lanterns.

A headquarters?

Apart from the abovementioned, the Dark Lanterns have a hidden fortress (Silent Keep) somewhere in the Howling Peaks, IIRC. It's unmarked on any official map, and is kept secret from society - few are aware of its existence. Silent Keep acts as training grounds for the Dark Lanterns, and alot of interesting stuff/weapons/resources is being housed here as well ;)

Maybe a standard tactical procedure?

Not as such, but they do prefer subterfuge over a forthright fight (their mantra is "kill quickly or be killed"). Obviously, they prefer the slightly more subtle approaches.

Level-indictaion?

Again, I must disappoint you, lad. Canon has offered us no benchmark on this, unfortunately. I would, however, have my typical Dark Lantern have 3-6 levels in the rogue class and for the elite ones have an extra few levels in the Dark Lantern prestige class.
DarkangelUziel
06-14-07, 01:27 AM That's a whole lot of useful information. Did you get all this from any of the Sourcebooks? and if so, which one was it?

Thnx very much!:D
From_Khyber
06-14-07, 07:34 AM Did you get all this from any of the Sourcebooks? and if so, which one was it?

In fact, yes. The Five Nations sourcebook grants a whole lot of useful information on the Dark Lanterns - it even features the Dark Lantern prestige class. It describes intelligence agencies from other nations as well, so if your game is heavily affected by the Five Nations, I'd recommend this book warmly.

Thnx very much!

No problem, mate. Always glad to help :)
Lady_of_Silence
06-15-07, 05:12 PM Five Nations states that the Dark Lantern's leader is Kor ir'Wynarn, a very weak character indeed (Aristocrat 3/Fighter 3), but, never the less, the king's brother. According to the organization section in the Dark Lantern prestige class, the leader commands five Citadel captains, each one leading a certain section and is responsible for that section. Four of the captains are mentioned in a little more detail (and indicate what their alignment, class and race are), however one, specifically Captain Vron, is mentioned very little.
One would assume that these captains are significantly more powerful than their underlings. Each captain, except Vron (who is pretty well ignored), has a sum of eight levels.
It would make sense if each member of the organization had between one and, lets say, six levels. This makes sense, most of the higher up members will only be two levels behind the five (four?) captains. However, on the very same page, the example Dark Lantern shown is an outstanding level ten, and his name isn't captain Vorn, so he is obviously not one of the five Citadel captains.
Ignore the example stat block and use agents between level two and six, the level sixes could be low ranking members of the prestige class. I hope things work out well.
~Kristen
From_Khyber
06-16-07, 02:40 PM Five Nations states that the Dark Lantern's leader is Kor ir'Wynarn

Not entirely true. He leads the Citedal, not the Dark Lanterns ;)
rabidclipper
06-16-07, 04:34 PM Five Nations states that the Dark Lantern's leader is Kor ir'Wynarn, a very weak character indeed (Aristocrat 3/Fighter 3), but, never the less, the king's brother. According to the organization section in the Dark Lantern prestige class, the leader commands five Citadel captains, each one leading a certain section and is responsible for that section. Four of the captains are mentioned in a little more detail (and indicate what their alignment, class and race are), however one, specifically Captain Vron, is mentioned very little.
One would assume that these captains are significantly more powerful than their underlings. Each captain, except Vron (who is pretty well ignored), has a sum of eight levels.
It would make sense if each member of the organization had between one and, lets say, six levels. This makes sense, most of the higher up members will only be two levels behind the five (four?) captains. However, on the very same page, the example Dark Lantern shown is an outstanding level ten, and his name isn't captain Vorn, so he is obviously not one of the five Citadel captains.
Ignore the example stat block and use agents between level two and six, the level sixes could be low ranking members of the prestige class. I hope things work out well.
~Kristen

So if you'll forgive me, I have to point out an error of logic in this post. That high rank = high level. There is no reason for this to be the case. It would equivalent to saying that since George W Bush is commander in chief, he must be the most high-level individual in the US military.. whihc would clearly not be the case, as there are some terrifyingly efficient soldiers in the US arsenal - Navy SeALs, Delta Force, Rangers, the list goes on and on.... The important thing is that an elite agent would never rise to the level of Kor because he is too valuable in the field and is skilled at field ops - not management, politics, bureaucracy and politics.

So, while Kor is a Aristiocrat3/Ftr3, there is no reason that the best and brightest agents of the Citadel wouldn't be 12th or 14th level individuals (every one of which would be a national treasure in their own right). The typical agent might be level 3 to 6 - but remember that this represents a level of competence equal to a highly skilled field operative in the real world on par with some of the best intel people out there.... a level 9 high level agent is approaching the realm of some of James Bond's top antagonists, an d above level 10 you're got basically Jack Bauer out there.

So the take home lesson? Rank and level can be correlated but in no way have to be - and beyond a certain point, you become to valuable to be taken out of the field and wind up not going up in rank or position despite your abilities.
DarkangelUziel
06-17-07, 06:07 AM Thanks again for all responses. It really helps a lot. The prophecy has been given to them and they're not yet under the attention of the dark lanterns. I've decided to take one of the five leaders, the LN-one in east Breland, to be the one that is sending his minions after them. That fits best in the picture of my story.
It will take some time before this happens, but that's only good since that leaves me with lots of time to prepare stuff. I'm sure it will work out fine;)
From_Khyber
06-17-07, 08:53 AM Thanks again for all responses. It really helps a lot. The prophecy has been given to them and they're not yet under the attention of the dark lanterns. I've decided to take one of the five leaders, the LN-one in east Breland, to be the one that is sending his minions after them. That fits best in the picture of my story.
It will take some time before this happens, but that's only good since that leaves me with lots of time to prepare stuff. I'm sure it will work out fine;)

Sounds good. Keep us updated on how it works out. Enjoy ;)
Lancer2010
06-18-07, 11:33 PM Well, let's just remember the Dark Lantern's Oath:

In brighest day, or darkest night,
No evil shall escape my sight,
Let all who worship evil's might,
Beware my power,
Dark Lantern's Light!

This was of course coined by Hal ir'Jordan, one of the most fearsome Dark Lantern, he was succeeded by both John ir'Stewart, and Kyle ir'Rayner.
ChaoticGood
06-20-07, 09:29 PM Well, let's just remember the Dark Lantern's Oath:

In brighest day, or darkest night,
No evil shall escape my sight,
Let all who worship evil's might,
Beware my power,
Dark Lantern's Light!

This was of course coined by Hal ir'Jordan, one of the most fearsome Dark Lantern, he was succeeded by both John ir'Stewart, and Kyle ir'Rayner.

I want so badly to hate you, but cannot find it in me. :mage:
Fanatic66
06-27-07, 08:02 PM Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..."

Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..."

Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.."

Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..."

Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!"

:rofl: :heehee

I totally want to make that character now.
Burningspear
07-01-07, 05:36 PM :rofl: :heehee

I totally want to make that character now.

ehm, who is this Jack D'Bauer? i can only think of Bob D'Builder :), or am i wrong in my sense motive? lol.
Neutronium_Dragon
07-01-07, 11:45 PM The response of the Dark Lanterns might vary with the circumstances, though.

Okay, so the PCs made off with an item which is potentially harmful to the king, and which the Lanterns have kept safe for twenty years.

What did the PCs do in order to break past the defenses - or what was wrong with the defenses that the PCs could bypass them? This is going to have a significant impact on their attitude. If the PCs slew a lot of Dark Lantern agents along the way then they can expect an outright hostile and violent response, whereas if they somehow made it undetected past a series of supposedly impregnable defenses then the Lanterns are going to be a lot more concerned with how this could have happened, which is going to call for a more considered and investigative approach to the PCs (especially since they'll want to know what connections might have made this possible).

Likewise, if the PCs make off with the item but don't seem to be doing anything particularly threatening with it, the Lanterns are going to be more interested in figuring out what's going on and who might be involved and may even take a bit of a wait-and-see approach so that they can appraise the situation; they'll still want to capture the PCs, but those efforts won't have nearly the intensity (or lethality) compared to if the PCs are making a beeline for Boranel after absconding with the thing.
Romulus LoneWolf
07-02-07, 08:33 PM Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..."

Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..."

Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.."

Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..."

Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!"

No, no, no... " D' " is for Dragonmarked Houses. Ordinary nobles use the " Ir' " prefix.

So he'd be Jack Ir'Bauer.

Edit: ...And yes, I realize I'm a bit strict about it.. :P
Burningspear
07-03-07, 06:21 PM ehm, who is this Jack D'Bauer? i can only think of Bob D'Builder :), or am i wrong in my sense motive? lol.

still no answer on this bit... :tie:
DarkangelUziel
07-04-07, 01:28 PM Well, the PC's did nothing to break through teh defenses of the Dark Lanterns. The Tyrants where hired by a "certain high Aundairian politician" to obtain this object and they have gotten through the defenses by use of their shapeshifting methods.
Unlucky enough for them they where ambushed by some villains when the Tyrants where bringing the object to the place they agreed upon not knowing what these people where carrying. The ambushing party was severly hurt, but managed to kill all tyrants but one. The party then (un)fortunately comes along the same path and finds the ambushing party scavenging the bodies and talking about dividing their new loot. When the party takes out this ambushing party, they find some small items and a noteworthy object which they will recognise from a prophecy that has been told to them about 2-3 months earlier.

So in fact, they are coincidentally drawn in a plot between a lot of powergroups without them knowing of this at first. Normally they would probably bring the object to nearest House Kundarak enclave, since there's a seal on it from House Kundarak, but since it's mentioned to them personally in prophecy I'm hoping that they will get intrigued by it :D
Neutronium_Dragon
07-05-07, 08:15 AM Okay, but that's going to influence the Dark Lanterns' reactions to the whole thing, once they find the remains of the double-ambush. To them it's going to seem apparent that there's a multi-faction struggle going on over this item, and they may or may not know who is involved on the various sides (and who they haven't found out about yet). Since the PCs presumably haven't gone on a Dark Lantern massacre, that's going to push the Lanterns towards the investigative approach.

Yes, they want that item back and they definitely want to know what the PCs are up to, but they probably aren't going to be sending in the pre-emptive hit squads unless the PCs are very clearly heading for Boranel or otherwise threatening to do something with the item which is a direct danger to Breland. They *will* want to find out who has an interest in this thing and why, though (and if tailing the PCs as they face further challenges for possession of it gives the Lanterns that info, they might be content to just keep the PCs under observation for now).

It might be a good time to bring other NPCs in indirectly. If the PCs have the thing, the Lanterns may question NPCs whom they know about them - and when the PCs later meet those contacts, they'll learn of this. Which might be responded to in any of several ways (especially if they're aware by that point that there are many groups who seem to be taking a sudden interest in them).
DarkangelUziel
07-05-07, 01:50 PM Yeah, it will certainly influence the reaction of the Dark Lanterns towards them. Next to that there are multiple groups involved. Dark Lanters, Queen Aurala, Tyrants, King Boranel, The Chamber, Sisters of Sora Kel and these are just the initial involved groups. If the word would spread even more would come.
The idea is to get them into something over their head without killing them.lol They'll be about 4th level. 5th max, when the adventure will start. They're 2nd now, nearing 3rd level at the moment.
Fanatic66
07-09-07, 09:28 PM ehm, who is this Jack D'Bauer? i can only think of Bob D'Builder :), or am i wrong in my sense motive? lol.

All I have to say is:

Bob D'Builder, can we fix it!
:D

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkangelUziel 06-13-07, 02:44 PM	I'm gonna give my players a prophecy soon and this will eventually lead them into an adventure I prepared allready. It will take a few more levels (since they're only level 2 now), but it will cause the Dark Lanterns to go after them since they obtain an item which could harm the king and which they protected for about 20 years. My question is: Are there any of you that have used the Dark Lanterns in their game and how elaborate have you made their network. According to the preview of the Forge of War, the Dark Lanterns are the best spy-group in Khorvaire. Second, how do they treat "prisoners"? I'd say they are harsh, since they try to protect the crown and imo that is at all costs, but I'd really like some different views on this subject.
From_Khyber 06-13-07, 03:04 PM	According to the preview of the Forge of War, the Dark Lanterns are the best spy-group in Khorvaire. While the Dark Lanterns are extremely talented spies and make up one of the finest intelligence agencies on Khorvaire, I wouldn't say that they are the best, despite canon. The Trust and House Phairlan/Thuranni are crucial groups to look at too, when discussing superiority in this profession. However, this doesn't change the fact that they are gifted spies, nevertheless. Second, how do they treat "prisoners"? I'm not sure I totally understand your question here. I think, depending on how cooperative the prisoners are of course, that their methods can be rather ruthless. In the end, it all comes down to this question: How big a threat does the prisoner pose to the Brelish crown?
rabidclipper 06-13-07, 03:20 PM	I'm gonna give my players a prophecy soon and this will eventually lead them into an adventure I prepared allready. It will take a few more levels (since they're only level 2 now), but it will cause the Dark Lanterns to go after them since they obtain an item which could harm the king and which they protected for about 20 years. My question is: Are there any of you that have used the Dark Lanterns in their game and how elaborate have you made their network. According to the preview of the Forge of War, the Dark Lanterns are the best spy-group in Khorvaire. Second, how do they treat "prisoners"? I'd say they are harsh, since they try to protect the crown and imo that is at all costs, but I'd really like some different views on this subject. Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..." Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..." Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.." Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..." Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!"
From_Khyber 06-13-07, 03:23 PM	Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..." Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..." Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.." Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..." Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!" :rofl:
DarkangelUziel 06-13-07, 03:37 PM	Thnx for the replies allready. Rabidclipper:ROFL. cool From_Khyber: I'm quite sure you''re right about House Phiarlan/Thurani. And offcourse there are also the Aundarian Royal Eyes and the trust indeed and I'm sure Karrnath and Thrane have their spies as well, although I don't have names just now. In the end the fact is that the Dark Lanterns are very good at their jobs. But is there anybody that allready gave them some kind of layout in their organisation? A headquarters? Maybe a standard tactical procedure? Level-indictaion? Stuff like that. Looking at the story I have in mind the secret it poses was a great threat during the Last War since it could hamper Breland's relations with Zilargo. In fact the Dark Lanterns found their info on their own accord and because of multiple aspects they decided to not tell their king. This can now possibly get back at them and that also makes the situation more complex.
From_Khyber 06-13-07, 04:49 PM	But is there anybody that allready gave them some kind of layout in their organisation? I'm not sure, but I do know, however, that the Dark Lanterns consist of five divisions, each stationed in a different location (Wroat, Sharn, Starilaskur, Xandrar, and Stormreach) - these five sections are also commanded by five captains (Captain Vron, Talleon Haliar Tonan, Meryl d'Ravalas, Amber Korranor, and Jev). The department in Wroat acts as the core of the Dark Lanterns. A headquarters? Apart from the abovementioned, the Dark Lanterns have a hidden fortress (Silent Keep) somewhere in the Howling Peaks, IIRC. It's unmarked on any official map, and is kept secret from society - few are aware of its existence. Silent Keep acts as training grounds for the Dark Lanterns, and alot of interesting stuff/weapons/resources is being housed here as well ;) Maybe a standard tactical procedure? Not as such, but they do prefer subterfuge over a forthright fight (their mantra is "kill quickly or be killed"). Obviously, they prefer the slightly more subtle approaches. Level-indictaion? Again, I must disappoint you, lad. Canon has offered us no benchmark on this, unfortunately. I would, however, have my typical Dark Lantern have 3-6 levels in the rogue class and for the elite ones have an extra few levels in the Dark Lantern prestige class.
DarkangelUziel 06-14-07, 01:27 AM	That's a whole lot of useful information. Did you get all this from any of the Sourcebooks? and if so, which one was it? Thnx very much!:D
From_Khyber 06-14-07, 07:34 AM	Did you get all this from any of the Sourcebooks? and if so, which one was it? In fact, yes. The Five Nations sourcebook grants a whole lot of useful information on the Dark Lanterns - it even features the Dark Lantern prestige class. It describes intelligence agencies from other nations as well, so if your game is heavily affected by the Five Nations, I'd recommend this book warmly. Thnx very much! No problem, mate. Always glad to help :)
Lady_of_Silence 06-15-07, 05:12 PM	Five Nations states that the Dark Lantern's leader is Kor ir'Wynarn, a very weak character indeed (Aristocrat 3/Fighter 3), but, never the less, the king's brother. According to the organization section in the Dark Lantern prestige class, the leader commands five Citadel captains, each one leading a certain section and is responsible for that section. Four of the captains are mentioned in a little more detail (and indicate what their alignment, class and race are), however one, specifically Captain Vron, is mentioned very little. One would assume that these captains are significantly more powerful than their underlings. Each captain, except Vron (who is pretty well ignored), has a sum of eight levels. It would make sense if each member of the organization had between one and, lets say, six levels. This makes sense, most of the higher up members will only be two levels behind the five (four?) captains. However, on the very same page, the example Dark Lantern shown is an outstanding level ten, and his name isn't captain Vorn, so he is obviously not one of the five Citadel captains. Ignore the example stat block and use agents between level two and six, the level sixes could be low ranking members of the prestige class. I hope things work out well. ~Kristen
From_Khyber 06-16-07, 02:40 PM	Five Nations states that the Dark Lantern's leader is Kor ir'Wynarn Not entirely true. He leads the Citedal, not the Dark Lanterns ;)
rabidclipper 06-16-07, 04:34 PM	Five Nations states that the Dark Lantern's leader is Kor ir'Wynarn, a very weak character indeed (Aristocrat 3/Fighter 3), but, never the less, the king's brother. According to the organization section in the Dark Lantern prestige class, the leader commands five Citadel captains, each one leading a certain section and is responsible for that section. Four of the captains are mentioned in a little more detail (and indicate what their alignment, class and race are), however one, specifically Captain Vron, is mentioned very little. One would assume that these captains are significantly more powerful than their underlings. Each captain, except Vron (who is pretty well ignored), has a sum of eight levels. It would make sense if each member of the organization had between one and, lets say, six levels. This makes sense, most of the higher up members will only be two levels behind the five (four?) captains. However, on the very same page, the example Dark Lantern shown is an outstanding level ten, and his name isn't captain Vorn, so he is obviously not one of the five Citadel captains. Ignore the example stat block and use agents between level two and six, the level sixes could be low ranking members of the prestige class. I hope things work out well. ~Kristen So if you'll forgive me, I have to point out an error of logic in this post. That high rank = high level. There is no reason for this to be the case. It would equivalent to saying that since George W Bush is commander in chief, he must be the most high-level individual in the US military.. whihc would clearly not be the case, as there are some terrifyingly efficient soldiers in the US arsenal - Navy SeALs, Delta Force, Rangers, the list goes on and on.... The important thing is that an elite agent would never rise to the level of Kor because he is too valuable in the field and is skilled at field ops - not management, politics, bureaucracy and politics. So, while Kor is a Aristiocrat3/Ftr3, there is no reason that the best and brightest agents of the Citadel wouldn't be 12th or 14th level individuals (every one of which would be a national treasure in their own right). The typical agent might be level 3 to 6 - but remember that this represents a level of competence equal to a highly skilled field operative in the real world on par with some of the best intel people out there.... a level 9 high level agent is approaching the realm of some of James Bond's top antagonists, an d above level 10 you're got basically Jack Bauer out there. So the take home lesson? Rank and level can be correlated but in no way have to be - and beyond a certain point, you become to valuable to be taken out of the field and wind up not going up in rank or position despite your abilities.
DarkangelUziel 06-17-07, 06:07 AM	Thanks again for all responses. It really helps a lot. The prophecy has been given to them and they're not yet under the attention of the dark lanterns. I've decided to take one of the five leaders, the LN-one in east Breland, to be the one that is sending his minions after them. That fits best in the picture of my story. It will take some time before this happens, but that's only good since that leaves me with lots of time to prepare stuff. I'm sure it will work out fine;)
From_Khyber 06-17-07, 08:53 AM	Thanks again for all responses. It really helps a lot. The prophecy has been given to them and they're not yet under the attention of the dark lanterns. I've decided to take one of the five leaders, the LN-one in east Breland, to be the one that is sending his minions after them. That fits best in the picture of my story. It will take some time before this happens, but that's only good since that leaves me with lots of time to prepare stuff. I'm sure it will work out fine;) Sounds good. Keep us updated on how it works out. Enjoy ;)
Lancer2010 06-18-07, 11:33 PM	Well, let's just remember the Dark Lantern's Oath: In brighest day, or darkest night, No evil shall escape my sight, Let all who worship evil's might, Beware my power, Dark Lantern's Light! This was of course coined by Hal ir'Jordan, one of the most fearsome Dark Lantern, he was succeeded by both John ir'Stewart, and Kyle ir'Rayner.
ChaoticGood 06-20-07, 09:29 PM	Well, let's just remember the Dark Lantern's Oath: In brighest day, or darkest night, No evil shall escape my sight, Let all who worship evil's might, Beware my power, Dark Lantern's Light! This was of course coined by Hal ir'Jordan, one of the most fearsome Dark Lantern, he was succeeded by both John ir'Stewart, and Kyle ir'Rayner. I want so badly to hate you, but cannot find it in me. :mage:
Fanatic66 06-27-07, 08:02 PM	Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..." Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..." Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.." Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..." Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!" :rofl: :heehee I totally want to make that character now.
Burningspear 07-01-07, 05:36 PM	:rofl: :heehee I totally want to make that character now. ehm, who is this Jack D'Bauer? i can only think of Bob D'Builder :), or am i wrong in my sense motive? lol.
Neutronium_Dragon 07-01-07, 11:45 PM	The response of the Dark Lanterns might vary with the circumstances, though. Okay, so the PCs made off with an item which is potentially harmful to the king, and which the Lanterns have kept safe for twenty years. What did the PCs do in order to break past the defenses - or what was wrong with the defenses that the PCs could bypass them? This is going to have a significant impact on their attitude. If the PCs slew a lot of Dark Lantern agents along the way then they can expect an outright hostile and violent response, whereas if they somehow made it undetected past a series of supposedly impregnable defenses then the Lanterns are going to be a lot more concerned with how this could have happened, which is going to call for a more considered and investigative approach to the PCs (especially since they'll want to know what connections might have made this possible). Likewise, if the PCs make off with the item but don't seem to be doing anything particularly threatening with it, the Lanterns are going to be more interested in figuring out what's going on and who might be involved and may even take a bit of a wait-and-see approach so that they can appraise the situation; they'll still want to capture the PCs, but those efforts won't have nearly the intensity (or lethality) compared to if the PCs are making a beeline for Boranel after absconding with the thing.
Romulus LoneWolf 07-02-07, 08:33 PM	Boranel: "Someone has stolen a powerful item that poses a direct threat to my ability to rule this nation..." Advisor: "we need to resolve this quickly and secretly... lest the other nations or Swords of liberty sieze the item before we get to it..." Boranel: "Yes... there's only one man to call.." Advisor: "You want the Dark Lanterns to send..." Boranel: "Yes.... get me... Jack D' Bauer!!" No, no, no... " D' " is for Dragonmarked Houses. Ordinary nobles use the " Ir' " prefix. So he'd be Jack Ir'Bauer. Edit: ...And yes, I realize I'm a bit strict about it.. :P
Burningspear 07-03-07, 06:21 PM	ehm, who is this Jack D'Bauer? i can only think of Bob D'Builder :), or am i wrong in my sense motive? lol. still no answer on this bit... :tie:
DarkangelUziel 07-04-07, 01:28 PM	Well, the PC's did nothing to break through teh defenses of the Dark Lanterns. The Tyrants where hired by a "certain high Aundairian politician" to obtain this object and they have gotten through the defenses by use of their shapeshifting methods. Unlucky enough for them they where ambushed by some villains when the Tyrants where bringing the object to the place they agreed upon not knowing what these people where carrying. The ambushing party was severly hurt, but managed to kill all tyrants but one. The party then (un)fortunately comes along the same path and finds the ambushing party scavenging the bodies and talking about dividing their new loot. When the party takes out this ambushing party, they find some small items and a noteworthy object which they will recognise from a prophecy that has been told to them about 2-3 months earlier. So in fact, they are coincidentally drawn in a plot between a lot of powergroups without them knowing of this at first. Normally they would probably bring the object to nearest House Kundarak enclave, since there's a seal on it from House Kundarak, but since it's mentioned to them personally in prophecy I'm hoping that they will get intrigued by it :D
Neutronium_Dragon 07-05-07, 08:15 AM	Okay, but that's going to influence the Dark Lanterns' reactions to the whole thing, once they find the remains of the double-ambush. To them it's going to seem apparent that there's a multi-faction struggle going on over this item, and they may or may not know who is involved on the various sides (and who they haven't found out about yet). Since the PCs presumably haven't gone on a Dark Lantern massacre, that's going to push the Lanterns towards the investigative approach. Yes, they want that item back and they definitely want to know what the PCs are up to, but they probably aren't going to be sending in the pre-emptive hit squads unless the PCs are very clearly heading for Boranel or otherwise threatening to do something with the item which is a direct danger to Breland. They will want to find out who has an interest in this thing and why, though (and if tailing the PCs as they face further challenges for possession of it gives the Lanterns that info, they might be content to just keep the PCs under observation for now). It might be a good time to bring other NPCs in indirectly. If the PCs have the thing, the Lanterns may question NPCs whom they know about them - and when the PCs later meet those contacts, they'll learn of this. Which might be responded to in any of several ways (especially if they're aware by that point that there are many groups who seem to be taking a sudden interest in them).
DarkangelUziel 07-05-07, 01:50 PM	Yeah, it will certainly influence the reaction of the Dark Lanterns towards them. Next to that there are multiple groups involved. Dark Lanters, Queen Aurala, Tyrants, King Boranel, The Chamber, Sisters of Sora Kel and these are just the initial involved groups. If the word would spread even more would come. The idea is to get them into something over their head without killing them.lol They'll be about 4th level. 5th max, when the adventure will start. They're 2nd now, nearing 3rd level at the moment.
Fanatic66 07-09-07, 09:28 PM	ehm, who is this Jack D'Bauer? i can only think of Bob D'Builder :), or am i wrong in my sense motive? lol. All I have to say is: Bob D'Builder, can we fix it! :D