Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Rekko 06-06-07, 03:19 PM	I always wandered who (or what) was lock up in Dreadhold. I know there is that one special important guy from Karrnath, but who is he? Above him, who else could be laying there? Could there also be dangerous magic items stored there? Well, my point with this thread is for all of us to let flow our imagination around this topic. I'll wait a bit before posting my ideas. Rekko
korcheck 06-06-07, 03:35 PM	The one from Karrnath is I believe the real King Kiaus III (think man in the iron mask).
Syltorian 06-06-07, 03:39 PM	I always wandered who (or what) was lock up in Dreadhold. Some of the prisoners are described in the excellent Dragon Magazine article (#344) about the prison. You'll find a free online supplement with two more prisoners here (http://paizo.com/dragonissues/344/DR344_Supplement.pdf) (link opens pdf). Many of them are highly interesting, and could cause some havoc were they to break free. I know there is that one special important guy from Karrnath, but who is he? Above him, who else could be laying there? There has been no official statement about this... but, at the risk of being unimaginative with my solution: Rumour has it that the man behind the iron mask is none other than Kaius III. Given how the man currently on the throne in Karrnath is not Kaius III, after all, and he must have done something to the 'rightful' king. Of course, should you be from the Dark Cabinet, I have never said the above. This conversation never happened. Could there also be dangerous magic items stored there? Possible, but I doubt it. Having powerful dangerous magic items lying around in a prison, next to people who, should they somehow (however implausible that is) break out, would have no qualms using them... that just spells disaster. Or a campaign, but I'd like Kundarak to explain themselves for that. I do hope that Kundarak has a vault somewhere else where they can hide such potentially dangerous items that they cannot or do not want dispelled.
gensuke626 06-06-07, 09:36 PM	Hmm...a Kundarak "Area 51" Of sorts....that could be very interesting... As for that special someone in Dreadhold...so far alot of people have chimed in and have had the same oppinion that I have... Now I'm considering a plot for the Emerald Claw to trick PCs into 'Freeing' that man and returning him to power...which would mean he'd owe the Inner Circle of the BoV some serious debts....
Balseraph 06-06-07, 10:18 PM	The real Kaius III is the obvious choice, I agree. Still it can be fun to mess with expectations. The less said the better, my players don't usually read these boards, but one can't be too careful. :D
mhacdebhandia 06-07-07, 12:52 AM	I always wandered who (or what) was lock up in Dreadhold. I know there is that one special important guy from Karrnath, but who is he? Above him, who else could be laying there? Alongside Prisoner Deep Fourteen, the important Karrnathi prisoner, one of my favourite inmates is Melysse Miron. In fact, the whole "Stone Ward" is downright genius.
From_Khyber 06-07-07, 10:53 AM	Could there also be dangerous magic items stored there? Rumours whisper of dragonshards being located in the dark, ominous caves deep under Dreadhold, so I suppose that a few magic items could be found somewhere around that island.
Melvin the Mediocre 06-07-07, 01:57 PM	one of my favourite inmates is Melysse Miron. Who is that? I only recognize the last name.
From_Khyber 06-07-07, 02:04 PM	Who is that? I only recognize the last name. Isn't he that bard from the Eldeen Reaches, who stirred up quite a bit of trouble through his rebellious activities?
Kamikaze Chicken 06-07-07, 03:11 PM	So long as no one named irenicus shows up i think were all ok. KAMIKAZE! :chicken: out.
Hanuman47 06-07-07, 04:06 PM	I have it on good authority that the mystery prisoner is a strange sage of unknown origin named Elminster...
Syltorian 06-07-07, 04:24 PM	Isn't he that bard from the Eldeen Reaches, who stirred up quite a bit of trouble through his rebellious activities? Nope; that one is called Briar, I believe. Melysse Miron is (I'll spoiler mark this if people want not to spoil the susprise): ... , ... an alledged descendent of Tira Miron (the Voice of the Flame, that's why the name is familiar), and the Chosen of the Darkness in the Flame. The anti-keeper. She was imprisoned (as opposed to executed) because as long as she lives, nobody else will be chosen by the demon in the Flame. Better to keep an eye on her in Dreadhold. And hope nobody kills her...
eehamburg 06-07-07, 04:24 PM	I have it on good authority that the mystery prisoner is a strange sage of unknown origin named Elminster... I heard that it was a drow from Xen'Drik with a funny name of Drizz't or something like that and that anyone who got too close to him became munchkinized hence why he had to be locked up. Of course, there is the rumor that they gotten eaten by his kitty-cat ... but that is just a rumor ... right?
OgreBane99 06-07-07, 04:35 PM	In fact, the whole "Stone Ward" is downright genius. Agreed. I'm starting my Cyre campaign in Dreadhold. The premise is that people that knew the truth of what happened in Cyre were imprisoned in Dreadhold to keep the truth from coming out. The PCs will begin in the Stoneward and will be freed by Cyran patriots. Then, as the campaign advances, they will slowly figure out that they are somehow related to the Day of Mourning and they in fact knowwhat happened, but the memory has been stolen from them for some reason. The entire campaign will focus on figuring out the truth. But, like I said, the start of the campaign is all in Dreadhold. I'm looking rather forward to it actually. Escaping Dreadhold should be rather difficult and should provide some good encounters. Now would House Kundarak go after escapees themselves or would they hire people? Like the Sentinel Marshals?
Syltorian 06-07-07, 05:10 PM	Now would House Kundarak go after escapees themselves or would they hire people? Like the Sentinel Marshals? That would depend on whether they can expect the escapess to cause trouble any time soon, and who else has found out about the escape. If they are going to be fairly harmless, need some time to recover their memories, and are not going to be recognised, Kundarak will probably try to recover them before anyone finds out there has been a mass-break in their evasion-proof, high-security prison. Wouldn't do their business a lot of good, if that became known. They might also be asked to refund money. In this case, Kundarak also do not want people to find out because there might be unexpected allies out there. Cannith, unless they were involved themselves, will be highly interested to know what has happened. And Kundarak will not want to have to explain to them why they helped keep that secret. They also do not want to lose the custom of Oargev, whom all the Houses seem to be courting at the moment. The Sentinel Marshals... the problem there is they need a legal reason to go after these escapees. Who ordered the imprisonment of these Cyrans? On what grounds? The Sentinel Marshals are bound by the Law of Galifar, and there is probably a clause in there preventing people from being arrested simply because other people do not like them. Another reason Kundarak might not want the escape to become known: because the imprisonment itself may have been illegal. Best not involve anyone else. In Kundarak's place, I would ask Thuranni or Phiarlan. They probably know anyway, as they probably have sleepers and moles in Dreadhold. And they will be able to get rid of these escapees in a more discrete manner. Sivis, who are close allies with Kundarak and probably have people in Dreadhold for the administrative duties and communication, could also be involved. They could also bribe random bandits or corrupt soldiers to kill the PCs without giving any more reason than "because we're paying you to." Ideally, though, they won't involve anyone, and simply sent their own agents. They got some good fighters, and some rogues in the Manticore's Sting, I believe. Then, when that fails, work your way up to becoming more and more public.
Shady314 06-08-07, 10:37 PM	I always wandered who (or what) was lock up in Dreadhold. Anything or anyone you want alive but out of your hair. The key is to figure out why they're there and not just dead. Either because it's better their imprisoned but not dead or because someone important/rich wants them away but isn't evil enough to kill them. Political prisoners, family members of nobles that get locked up for life instead of executed because their father can't bear to see his son executed even if he is a murderer, liches whose phylactery you can't find, powerful prisoners that could escape from a regular prison but aren't sentenced to death so you can't just kill them because they can cast teleport etc. I know there is that one special important guy from Karrnath, but who is he? Above him, who else could be laying there? Smart money is on the real Kaius III. Could there also be dangerous magic items stored there? Dreadhold would be the worst place to store such items. As others have said Kundarak probably has a separate vault for such things. The only magical items like that I could see would be perhaps personal items of some prisoners and any magical items that have something to do with imprisonment. Perhaps a box containing an evil spirit is also there in case it escapes from the box it still has to escape from Dreadhold. Well, my point with this thread is for all of us to let flow our imagination around this topic. I'll wait a bit before posting my ideas. Rekko No reason to wait.
Shady314 06-08-07, 10:49 PM	I'm starting my Cyre campaign in Dreadhold. The premise is that people that knew the truth of what happened in Cyre were imprisoned in Dreadhold to keep the truth from coming out. Wouldn't killing them be easier? The PCs will begin in the Stoneward and will be freed by Cyran patriots. Those are some impressive Cyrans. Then, as the campaign advances, they will slowly figure out that they are somehow related to the Day of Mourning and they in fact knowwhat happened, but the memory has been stolen from them for some reason. The entire campaign will focus on figuring out the truth. The question then is why did they erase their memories, petrify them and then NOT kill them. If you want to cover up something like the DoM I think you'd take even more extreme steps than that? But, like I said, the start of the campaign is all in Dreadhold. I'm looking rather forward to it actually. Escaping Dreadhold should be rather difficult and should provide some good encounters. Now would House Kundarak go after escapees themselves or would they hire people? Like the Sentinel Marshals? The way I see it it's not like every single member of the Dragonmarked houses or whatever can be in on the DoM. So to the Kundarak guards they'll be very dangerous prisoners that have escaped. Maybe the first ever. And if their memories were erased you don't have to worry about anyone finding them learning the truth so the important thing is just that they get caught. there must be some cover story for why they are there so you just tell anyone looking for them they're dissidents or whatever. Yeah an escape is embarrassing but more embarrassing is if escaped criminals are running around evading capture. You can minimize the fallout with a swift capture and return to the prison. So they should be calling out all the stops. Tharashk should be used to locate them and Phiarlan/Thurranni to bring them in. The Sentinel Marshals would definitely be alerted. Hunting fugitives is what they do and you've escapess from the Stone Ward. That's got to be a code red. This is probably too much for the PC's to handle. The might of the D Houses coming down on them at once. So there's a simple solution to it. Just say there are some special instructions in the event of their escape. I'll assume the PCs aren't world infamous killers or anything. They're not obvious huge threats like liches and such. Prisoners are held in Dreadhold on contract. Just say whatever the contract is with Kundarak it says not to pursue them but to contact the BBEG and they'll capture them themselves. Perhaps their memory loss should just be a side effect of their petrification. Or perhaps the DoM. Maybe it's just so traumatizing they've blocked it for now. So the fact they don't know is a surprise to the BBEGs that are acting in horror that the PCs are going to blab. Hence they're keeping it hush hush and hunting them on their own.
Nived 06-09-07, 01:22 AM	The Inevitable wing. Not really sure what these guys did but Inevitables show up and inform House Kundarak that they'll be holding these people for a designated period of time. House Kundarak chooses not to argue with the extraplanar embodiments of the laws of the universe. Its better for their health. That's just an idea.
yrogerg 06-09-07, 09:02 AM	Alongside Prisoner Deep Fourteen, the important Karrnathi prisoner, one of my favourite inmates is Melysse Miron. In fact, the whole "Stone Ward" is downright genius. The only problem with the Stone Ward is that it makes it hard to check up on the prisoners, and make sure they're still there :schemes:
Lord_Madrigan 06-09-07, 11:59 AM	Ok dumb question time. Where do I find the info on Dreadhold? Heres a prisoner for you guys Walter: This mute giant of a man is in dreadhold for various war crimes. They would have just executed Walter if not for the fact that he won't stay dead. This guy rips through warforged with his barehands, Gods help us if this unstopable killing machine gets out.
From_Khyber 06-09-07, 12:16 PM	Nope; that one is called Briar, I believe. Melysse Miron is (I'll spoiler mark this if people want not to spoil the susprise): ... , ... an alledged descendent of Tira Miron (the Voice of the Flame, that's why the name is familiar), and the Chosen of the Darkness in the Flame. The anti-keeper. She was imprisoned (as opposed to executed) because as long as she lives, nobody else will be chosen by the demon in the Flame. Better to keep an eye on her in Dreadhold. And hope nobody kills her... Ah, yes, you are right. How utterly stupid of me to assume someone named "Melysse" for being a male. Gah, I blame it on my grave lack of sleep
From_Khyber 06-09-07, 12:18 PM	Ok dumb question time. Where do I find the info on Dreadhold? Heres a prisoner for you guys Walter: This mute giant of a man is in dreadhold for various war crimes. They would have just executed Walter if not for the fact that he won't stay dead. This guy rips through warforged with his barehands, Gods help us if this unstopable killing machine gets out. Dragon issued an excellent article once about Dreadhold. Written by Hellcow even ;)
Teron Gorefiend 06-09-07, 06:06 PM	Regarding magic items, House Kundarak is actually so confident in Dreadhold's security that they've placed their most important and secretive workshops and laboratories within the complex. If a prisoner did break out and try to reach them, he'd have to make it through a series of forbiddance effects keyed to LN (the only alignment allowed to work on the island), glyphs of warding on pretty much every surface, slaughterstone behemoths with martial and magical guard support, and whatever else the best of Kundarak (and the DM) can dream up. The walls are magically hardened and spell-proofed and block teleportation, so there's no cheating that way. That's all straight from the Dragon article.
gaerfindel 06-09-07, 11:52 PM	I always wandered who (or what) was lock up in Dreadhold There are...rumours. Fragments of faerie tales, really, but there are those who say that somewhere in the depths of Dreadhold, the House of Warding delved too deeply. They unearthed a rakshasa overlord. A raja. The name varies depending on the teller. Some say it's Harajanka, Dread Lord of Beetles; others claim it's Veo'rashna, the Pale Queen; still others Xulqolotle, the Vile. The particulars matter less than this: the dwarves stole a vital piece of the daemon, and have it held it secretly in Dreadhold ever since.
From_Khyber 06-10-07, 09:02 AM	There are...rumours. Fragments of faerie tales, really, but there are those who say that somewhere in the depths of Dreadhold, the House of Warding delved too deeply. They unearthed a rakshasa overlord. A raja. The name varies depending on the teller. Some say it's Harajanka, Dread Lord of Beetles; others claim it's Veo'rashna, the Pale Queen; still others Xulqolotle, the Vile. The particulars matter less than this: the dwarves stole a vital piece of the daemon, and have it held it secretly in Dreadhold ever since. A questionable theory, don't you think?
gaerfindel 06-10-07, 11:45 AM	A questionable theory, don't you think? Well, it's only true if the DM wants it to be so. And unless the PCs investigate, how will anyone really know for sure?:incog:
mhacdebhandia 06-10-07, 09:41 PM	Ok dumb question time. Where do I find the info on Dreadhold? Dragon #344, the June 2006 30th Anniversary issue.
Neutronium_Dragon 06-11-07, 01:39 AM	> I'm starting my Cyre campaign in Dreadhold. The premise is that people that > knew the truth of what happened in Cyre were imprisoned in Dreadhold to > keep the truth from coming out. In thinking about this, I wonder - suppose that this is simply the story that has been fed to the Cyran patriots? The PCs are actually agents for Kundarak who were specifically trained (and mindwiped) for the role; Kundarak knew about the plans all along and allowed and even perhaps encouraged this "rescue" to be staged because in the process it would compromise this group of patriots - who might have other secrets that Kundarak is interested in. Only things go a bit wrong when the PCs prove a bit too adept at eluding the house's attempts to bring them in after the breakin (and roundup of the Cyrans) is complete - any contingencies which they placed on the PCs don't work (for whatever reason). Now they really do want to bring the PCs back, but not for the reason that the PCs think they do. On the other hand, it also explains why they don't want to bring in every other organization on the continent to hunt the PCs down...
Lord_Madrigan 06-11-07, 01:45 AM	Dragon #344, the June 2006 30th Anniversary issue. Thank you.
Shady314 06-11-07, 04:05 AM	> I'm starting my Cyre campaign in Dreadhold. The premise is that people that > knew the truth of what happened in Cyre were imprisoned in Dreadhold to > keep the truth from coming out. In thinking about this, I wonder - suppose that this is simply the story that has been fed to the Cyran patriots? The PCs are actually agents for Kundarak who were specifically trained (and mindwiped) for the role; Kundarak knew about the plans all along and allowed and even perhaps encouraged this "rescue" to be staged because in the process it would compromise this group of patriots - who might have other secrets that Kundarak is interested in. Only things go a bit wrong when the PCs prove a bit too adept at eluding the house's attempts to bring them in after the breakin (and roundup of the Cyrans) is complete - any contingencies which they placed on the PCs don't work (for whatever reason). Now they really do want to bring the PCs back, but not for the reason that the PCs think they do. On the other hand, it also explains why they don't want to bring in every other organization on the continent to hunt the PCs down... Total Recall?
Golbez57 06-11-07, 01:53 PM	> I'm starting my Cyre campaign in Dreadhold. The premise is that people that > knew the truth of what happened in Cyre were imprisoned in Dreadhold to > keep the truth from coming out. In thinking about this, I wonder - suppose that this is simply the story that has been fed to the Cyran patriots? The PCs are actually agents for Kundarak who were specifically trained (and mindwiped) for the role; Kundarak knew about the plans all along and allowed and even perhaps encouraged this "rescue" to be staged because in the process it would compromise this group of patriots - who might have other secrets that Kundarak is interested in. Only things go a bit wrong when the PCs prove a bit too adept at eluding the house's attempts to bring them in after the breakin (and roundup of the Cyrans) is complete - any contingencies which they placed on the PCs don't work (for whatever reason). Now they really do want to bring the PCs back, but not for the reason that the PCs think they do. On the other hand, it also explains why they don't want to bring in every other organization on the continent to hunt the PCs down... Kudos to you and Ogre; that's sweet stuff! I don't see the "Total Recall" similarities other than brainwashing and an agent gone rogue, which is an iconic thriller plot. My first thought was a general comparison to the "Slave Lords" adventure, which I know only by reputation and bare-bones story beginning, but always thought sounded cool.
mhacdebhandia 06-12-07, 02:20 AM	The only problem with the Stone Ward is that it makes it hard to check up on the prisoners, and make sure they're still there :schemes: Because you could replace them with actual statues replicating their petrified forms, you mean?
yrogerg 06-12-07, 01:57 PM	Because you could replace them with actual statues replicating their petrified forms, you mean? Pretty much. Sure, the issue of *how* that happened would be a complete mystery, but it certainly makes for a set of interesting campaign hooks... -A sensitive prisoner needs to be revived and interrogated. They are returned to flesh, revealing... a corpse. Kundarak is stuck scratching their heads over what happened. The PCs investigate. -Kundarak is a bit smarter, and knows that the restoration process carries some risks with it. They bring this "corpse" back using some spell or eldritch machine or the like, only, a malign intelligence is now inhabiting this empty shell, which is now posing as the prisoner. -The PCs, after sneaking into Dreadhold and trying to revive an important prisoner to question them, get a corpse. House Kundarak is obviously going to blame them for this character's death: are the PC's going to be able to elude an angry House Kundarak, figure out why they revived a dead body, and stop whatever nefarious plan the prisoner is being used for/currently hatching?
Rekko 06-18-07, 11:53 PM	At some point in their lives, the Gatekeepers that have proved their valor times and time again are thought the secrets of the Gates that maintain Xoriat far from Eberron and how the Daelkyrs are held within Khyber. This secret is thought only to the most worthy, and the most trustfull, because if the secret fell into the wrong hands, who knoes what terrors could be unleashed on Eberron. However, it seems that the secrets of the Gates slipped into hands unworthy of the Gatekeepers' trust. Such creature can't simply be killed. It safer to lock them up in Dreadhold so they are forgottened. Any creature between Gatekeeper traitors to high Aberrations and those unlucky ears that snooped to know the secrets of the Gates could be good Dreadhold prisonners with this storyline. Rekko
LugWrench 06-19-07, 04:12 PM	The cool part about Dreadhold, and the masked prisoner in specific, is that it doesnt matter who or what is there until you need them to be there. If the prisoner is the real Kaius III in your setting, then thats who it is. Or maybe in another game, its the one person who KNOWS what started the Day of Mourning. Perhaps its the rightful heir to the throne of the Five Nations, and the other nations want him out of the way so THEY can eventually rule. What if its someone who knows the Draconic Prophesy inside and out...or hes the Prophesy incarnate? Or maybe it really is Elminster, and hes been locked away so he wont louse up Eberron. :P
Lord_Madrigan 06-20-07, 02:20 AM	Aaren D'Cannith Might Be another "Guest" of Dreadhold as well.
Rekko 06-20-07, 11:22 PM	Why would he be there? I would like to hear the story. Rekko
Lord_Madrigan 06-21-07, 12:39 AM	Why would he be there? I would like to hear the story. Rekko who can say. The father of the Modern Warforged would be of value to people other than Cannith. He also might have other Knowledge of cannith secret projects. so lock him up in dreadhold to keep him from getting underfoot.
Rekko 06-22-07, 12:21 PM	Moreover than who's in Dreadhold, how many inhabitants are there, and how many prisonners are locked up there?
Golbez57 06-22-07, 04:08 PM	Moreover than who's in Dreadhold, how many inhabitants are there, and how many prisonners are locked up there? I'm pretty sure those details are explicitly given in the aforementioned Dragon magazine article.
Gatekeeper 06-25-07, 12:22 AM	Smart money is on the real Kaius III.But isn't the first rule of Eberron that smart money is rarely a winning bet?
Darth Syntax 06-25-07, 03:00 AM	But isn't the first rule of Eberron that smart money is rarely a winning bet? Indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if Kaius put some dangerous criminal in the mask and sent him off to Dreadhold so as to create the appearance that something untoward was happening with the Throne and the Prison. If anyone actually manages to uncover the identity of Deep 14 they will find that he has nothing to do with the Karrnathi throne and thus all the rumors, speculations, and the like will come to naught and those who insist that Kaius III is not who he says he is will be seen as conspiracy nuts. Nothing like a little misdirection.