Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Gemstone 05-24-07, 09:34 AM	Okay, so my group had just cleared out a dungeon and found out that the amulet they sought had been brought north and sold there. They took the quickest route possible, through the Anarouch desert and decided to wander as fast as possible. On their way north (about three days march from Spellguard), they suddenly ran into an old forgotten and abandoned city. After having fought a massive battle with ogres there, utilizing the city's crumbling walls to their defence, they decided to actually keep the entire city and start it up again. I was so completly taken out of wack that I'm not sure what to do! The city is located just to the border of the Anarouch desert and the NPC efret they have in the party quickly thought out how to get water and how to dig a channel that can provide the desert with the water they need to create a lush oasis. So I need some help with ideas for stuff that can happen when they build the city, shape it after their own needs and finaly setting up the kingdom. I've already stated that they will have problems with the Shade and that they will have problems bringing people there. they responded with saying that they will have diplomatic discussions with the shade if problems arise and they will try to open tradelanes and try to open mines in the area. If they can't find a mine, they will make the city a haven for dwarves, humans and efreetis. The ideas I've come up with this far is: They'll have to cleanse the ruins from any Yuan-ti who has currently infested the lower levels of the town There are a lot of ogres in the mountains that is to the west of the city. They'll have to defend themselves from regular raids they must construct a reliable source of water and a channel that leads the water out in the desert if they wanna create a country trade routes will probably be raided quite often, so they will have oppertunities to lead their party out of town and to destroy the bandits if their troops can't handle it If they manage to keep the city alive, a clan of ogres will come there in peace and ask if they can live in the city. If so, there will be tensions among the ogres and the others A minor force of drow will try to sabotage the city as a drow city iis located all to near the city (altough below)
ShadezofDis 05-24-07, 10:36 AM	Keep in mind that the Zhents have wanted a trade route across the Anarouch for. . . decades at the very least. It's likely they'd try and take control if they can manage to get a force to the city (and at the very least they'd likely try to ambush what trade caravans they could).
Gemstone 05-24-07, 10:41 AM	Keep in mind that the Zhents have wanted a trade route across the Anarouch for. . . decades at the very least. It's likely they'd try and take control if they can manage to get a force to the city (and at the very least they'd likely try to ambush what trade caravans they could). Ah, interesting... I haven't actually read much about the Zhents, but this will surely add something very interesting if they join forces with the drow and can pull out some ogres to do their dirty work... This far, they haven't actually planned any big trade routes across the desert, just back west :)
ShadezofDis 05-24-07, 11:05 AM	The Zhents can be great foes, especially if you ignore the "stupid Zhent" portrayal in some books ;) I'm pretty sure there's a western branch of the Zhents that are cyricists rather than banites (but I'm pretty foggy on the details of the Zhent split) Anyhow, the Zhents are perfectly willing to work with Ogres and Orcs and Hobgoblins, etc but I'm not so sure they've worked with Drow much, it might be an interesting gambit to have a sort of Zhents vs PCs vs Drow thing going on and have a battle between the PCs and one of them (drow or zhents) that the other group stumbles upon and attacks both sides. ::shrugs::
ShadezofDis 05-24-07, 11:07 AM	Also, there are some blue dragons in the Anarouch and where there are dragons there's generally some agents from the Cult of the Dragon trying to woo them into dracoliches. Might be fun to have the PCs take out a dragon that's been raiding outlying areas of the city only to have the dragon come back a little while down the road as a dracolich with Cult of the Dragon support. :)
Alediran 05-24-07, 11:10 AM	There are also some scattered Phaerimm in the area.
Gemstone 05-24-07, 11:20 AM	The Zhents can be great foes, especially if you ignore the "stupid Zhent" portrayal in some books ;) I'm pretty sure there's a western branch of the Zhents that are cyricists rather than banites (but I'm pretty foggy on the details of the Zhent split) Anyhow, the Zhents are perfectly willing to work with Ogres and Orcs and Hobgoblins, etc but I'm not so sure they've worked with Drow much, it might be an interesting gambit to have a sort of Zhents vs PCs vs Drow thing going on and have a battle between the PCs and one of them (drow or zhents) that the other group stumbles upon and attacks both sides. ::shrugs:: I haven't actually read any books that portray the Zhents as stupid, so that will almost be impossible :) But these are good solid ideas that I will utilize. I can actually see the Zhents and drow both planning to betray the other down the road, which will end with the climatic battle inside the palace cellar, where the PC's will battle Zhents and Drow, who will in turn battle each other and vie for supremacy. As the players will leave their cities for days at a time, I think I will cast an interesting illusion of them over a drow so that he can take command in their name... Also, there are some blue dragons in the Anarouch and where there are dragons there's generally some agents from the Cult of the Dragon trying to woo them into dracoliches. Might be fun to have the PCs take out a dragon that's been raiding outlying areas of the city only to have the dragon come back a little while down the road as a dracolich with Cult of the Dragon support This is also a great idea! I mean, having to dragons team up and try to take the riches of the city is a great idea. They can start out as raiders against a caravan and when the players kill that dragon, its two sons are suddenly interested in revenge... There are also some scattered Phaerimm in the area Ah... the Phaerimm is always nice to use, but I think they will sit this one out. There's no reason for them to attack the city, since they won't focus on magic. They will focus on trade and the goods that their city can produce. I will probably let them have a few silvermines in the area though, that needs to be defended from constant ogre attacks. There are also some giants roaming around that will either try to bargain for protection money, or attack outlying villages.
ShadezofDis 05-24-07, 12:07 PM	This is also a great idea! I mean, having to dragons team up and try to take the riches of the city is a great idea. They can start out as raiders against a caravan and when the players kill that dragon, its two sons are suddenly interested in revenge... Well, you're a little off in your interpretation of my idea, but that's a-ok :) If you don't know who the Cult of the Dragon are here's a quick little synopsis; The Cult of the Dragon are a group of spellcasters who believe that undead dragons will rule FR and are working towards that day with a vengeance. The Cult of the Dragon 2nd ed source book is available for download here; http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads And it's got a wealth of information on them. They're a pretty interesting group. They key part of my idea for the plot is that the Dragon is that the Dragon in question would be in the process of being woo'd by the Cult and deciding not to be transformed, but when the PCs kill the dragon the Cult turns the corpse into a dracolich, which then decides it wants revenge on the PCs for killing it. :)
Gemstone 05-24-07, 01:21 PM	Well, you're a little off in your interpretation of my idea, but that's a-ok :) If you don't know who the Cult of the Dragon are here's a quick little synopsis; The Cult of the Dragon are a group of spellcasters who believe that undead dragons will rule FR and are working towards that day with a vengeance. The Cult of the Dragon 2nd ed source book is available for download here; http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads And it's got a wealth of information on them. They're a pretty interesting group. They key part of my idea for the plot is that the Dragon is that the Dragon in question would be in the process of being woo'd by the Cult and deciding not to be transformed, but when the PCs kill the dragon the Cult turns the corpse into a dracolich, which then decides it wants revenge on the PCs for killing it. :) Ah indeed, but I was meerly stating what could happen in between. The two dragons are also a bit caught of guard when they realize that their father is back. Ah... "I AM your father!" moments...
ShadezofDis 05-24-07, 01:33 PM	Ah indeed, but I was meerly stating what could happen in between. The two dragons are also a bit caught of guard when they realize that their father is back. Ah... "I AM your father!" moments... Very cool :) And that might lead to a two young dragons team with the PCs to defeat their father. Which is all sorts of fun really (I love when the PCs have to team up with bad guys in order to stop a greater threat :))
GothicDan 05-24-07, 01:56 PM	Note also that the Blue Dragons of the Anauroch are at least somewhat unified, under the 'Suzerain' blue dragon patriarch. That makes them more dangerous.
ShadezofDis 05-24-07, 02:20 PM	Note also that the Blue Dragons of the Anauroch are at least somewhat unified, under the 'Suzerain' blue dragon patriarch. That makes them more dangerous. Ohhhhh, all the more reason why a disgruntled "subject" of Suzerain would entertain the Cult. :) But yeah, that'd take some working on to make it flow correctly.
Alediran 05-24-07, 02:27 PM	Very cool :) And that might lead to a two young dragons team with the PCs to defeat their father. Which is all sorts of fun really (I love when the PCs have to team up with bad guys in order to stop a greater threat :)) After that they could strike a deal with the blue dragons. An example that comes to my mind right now is that in exchange for help against the Cult of the Dragon, the dragons leave caravans who carry some sort of magical item that can be identified from far away (caravans that are benefitial for the kingdom) and those who don't are free to be attacked. That could reap benefits also, caravans paying for protection against the dragons would feel more secure in crossing the Anauroch knowing that dragons will not attack them.
MarkusTay63 05-24-07, 05:33 PM	I don't think Shade will like another city in Anauroch. You will probably have to work with the Zhents to forestall the Shades, and the Zhents will probably be willing since the Shades most likely have disrupted their southern trade route through the region. The Phaerimms, might not come a'callin', but if you bring too much magic into the region the Thaluds (Tomb-tappers) might show up to take it. They live in this region, you know. Also, if there are already Yuan-ti in the ruins, then I would link them to the Sarrukh of Oreme (also in Anauroch). If your PCs start wiping them out, then some Asabis might show up to help them. This is the part where your PCs 'may' feel inclined to except the Ogre's proposal. This way you have both the Zhents and Ogres helping you against two other factions, until the Drow show up. The nearest Drow city is Maerimydra, but that city is not doing so hot itself. The Lolth-worshippers were recently kicked out, and much of the city is in ruins (as per the events in City of the Spider Queen). There is an up-and-coming group living in Szith Morcane beneath the Dagger Hills though. Since most of the Lolth worshippers fled Maerimydra, those could be the ones attacking the city, because they are desperate for a new base of operations. You may even be able to get the Wizard-Drow of Szith Morcane or the Vhaerun worshippers in Cormanthor to help against them, or even the folowers of Eillistrae also living in Cormanthor. You also have the Drow city of Sshindylryn beneath Cormyr, where the Vhaerunites and Eilistaeeans are itching to kill off the Lolth worshippers. Lots of fun to be had there, playing Drow factions off against each other. :devil:
Gemstone 05-24-07, 08:00 PM	Hmm... I may have accidently given you the wrong location of the city. It's located on the northwestern stretch of the desert, not the eastern stretch :( Sorry for the error in that case. The closest Drow city would be Yathchol. If that IS a drow city :D
Old Sage 05-24-07, 08:28 PM	Note also that the Blue Dragons of the Anauroch are at least somewhat unified, under the 'Suzerain' blue dragon patriarch. That makes them more dangerous.See the entry for "Malygris" on pg. 54 of the Cult of the Dragon tome.
Karsus the Mad 05-27-07, 01:13 AM	Note also that the Blue Dragons of the Anauroch are at least somewhat unified, under the 'Suzerain' blue dragon patriarch. That makes them more dangerous. It's also under the control of Telemont.
ancalimohtar 05-29-07, 05:52 AM	Hmm... I may have accidently given you the wrong location of the city. It's located on the northwestern stretch of the desert, not the eastern stretch :( Sorry for the error in that case. The closest Drow city would be Yathchol. If that IS a drow city :D Yathchol is not drow. It's a bunch of chitines, four-armed former slaves of the drow who rebelled and started their own city. It's also not really a city, but a group of very poor villages. 3.5 Underdark has more on it.
Charybdis 05-30-07, 03:08 AM	Any city requires hundreds, if not thousands of Citizens to run properly. Setting up at some established ruins in the desert isn't actually taking over a city, per se. As it is, any abondoned ruins of significant size could just have hordes of minor nuisances (Goblins, Kobolds) making life difficult indefinately. Even a large party of eight or more adventurers can't be everywhere at once, and so to repair the walls, empty the sand out of the buildings, combat duststorms, build water channels and irrigation, farm food etc is going to take a lot of peasant/experts/commoners to work. Also, a city needs people and trade to come to it. What do they have to offer? Even if it's just a trade-route fortress, they'll need trustworthy allies (and I don't count the Zhents here ;) ) to defend against the very powerful NPC's lairing in and around the Aunaroch. If you're high-level PC's with the leadsership feat, a hundred commoners/experts/warriors can really make a difference here, and kick-starting the city back to life is muich more possible. But the short fact is that the PC's are going to need a lot of manpower to help. Ignoring the Suzerain blue dragons, if Imryth (the Great Wyrm blue dragon +more, and considers most of the Aunaroch her personal domain) doesn't want them there, they can expect a visit from a few hundred Construct Gargoyles to teach them a lesson, and that's if she's in a GOOD mood....
Faraer 05-30-07, 06:58 AM	Gemstone, Power of Faerūn is all about the kind of thing your PCs want to do.
ShadezofDis 05-30-07, 10:24 AM	If you're high-level PC's with the leadsership feat, a hundred commoners/experts/warriors can really make a difference here, and kick-starting the city back to life is muich more possible. Or if they're rich. Paying craftspeople and laborers to come to your city works quite well. :) Of course you still have the other problems but those are more up a PC groups alley.
Charybdis 05-30-07, 09:40 PM	Indeed...money makes the world go round :D Would certainly work short term to get the place repaired and pretty-looking. Long term, what PC wants to be paying for a few hundred commoners to just hang around? The you have foremen, gangs, guilds blah blah blah work work work. What sort of life is that for an adventurer? Give me sword, steel and sorcery!
zerodeviere 05-31-07, 02:34 AM	If it is on the west side then might have them start trade agreements with the nearby dwarves there is a few near there and they might even be willing to help rebuild the city for the right group and the right amount of coin. also if you still want to use the zents keep in mind that to my knowledge they are more about manipulating than open warefare and might try to aid the players with magic and funding maybe even an offer of added security and such to buy there way in and try to take over that way before joining with the drow and such.
zerodeviere 05-31-07, 02:38 AM	Also like to add that a decanter of endless water or 2 would make the place have a huge oasis in no time and water in the desert is a valuable commodity for trading and what not. just dont let an enemy get their hands on those if attacked =-)
TKolhoff 06-02-07, 12:18 AM	I think that if you wanted to mess with the PC's then have the Zhents put a man inside... gain the confidence of the group.. and be a possible head figure for them as the stomp around doing good. While they are away the zhent are using the resources for their own purposes. Then, when every thing gets set up and running smoothly they will simply take it over and leave the PC's empty handed.
The_Shaman 06-02-07, 01:19 PM	I would think that finding people to populate a city in such a region would be a challenge in itself. Still, if the party is willing, they could turn it into a base of operations, then maybe a caravan route stop - if they are willing to bother, and eventually see it gather a few more businesses, a few more people, etc. I think a lot of settlements sprang around inns, forts, or road/rail/waterway routes. In general, seeing how important the Zhent are for commerce in the region, I would not antagonize them. They can be a useful ally or a dangerous enemy, and chances are there may be enemies enough. If the PCs aren't on very bad term with the Network (which happens to have good intelligence in the region iirc), I might have an agent approach them with a business proposal when they get under way. The problem then will be how to retain enough influence not to have them take over... Ah, the wonders of politics. But remember: a settlement must offer a balance of livelyhood and security, and Anauroch is a hard place to find either. The Zhents can help with - or hinder - both. So can ogres, or bands of whatever other humanoids live around. Or, if you want to make it easier, the Bedine might be camping nearby (I don't have a lot of info on the region), and with a lot of luck, skill or feats of daring (read: quests) the party might convince some of the tribes to gather around and possibly use the walls for defense. If it so happens that the town used to be frequented by some tribe or another before the monsters came, it will be so much the easier. And, of course, there's the matter whether the city will be independent or a vassal of another state - at least at first. The PCs need followers, protection, administration, even some form of law... My first reaction to a statement like "I will rule city X" is "you and whose army?"
Drew1369r 06-02-07, 04:45 PM	Decanters of endless water... I have a keep with one of my NPC's and had 10 of those made... one for MY castle... 4 for feasthalls and 5 for the fire department :)
Lord_Madrigan 06-02-07, 07:14 PM	You city sounds like it will be in an Ideal position to open a trade route through Anarouch If your worried about the Zhents and the shades then you might want to think about cutting a deal with Thay. If you city does become a major trade route the Red wizards would be happy to assist in the construction with your city in exchange for the rights to set up an enclave. you get the magical backup to keep the Shades and Zhents in line and thay gets a source of wealth and a Listening Post to the Silver marches and Shade. A devils bargin for sure but one that could payoff well. Another idea is to get the local desert tribes and the Silver marches in on the deal.