Reviving Kalak- A How To - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Reviving Kalak- A How To

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
blackknight1239
Sep 10, 2011 21:14:33 So, I'm thinking my campaign's plot is going to hinge around the conflict between the True and the Vieled Alliance. One of the PCs is a member, and other forces are going to gently nudge the players into thinking that Kalak being alive is a poor idea. Anyways, I was just trying to come up with ideas on how to bring him back. Sure, a convoluted rituals involving an ancient item, some kind of magical power enhancer, 3 chickens and a goat SOUNDS good, but I'm not sure the players will buy into it. Plus, I need it to be the reason the players and the True come into conflict.
#2
Sveinn
Sep 11, 2011 5:13:26 Ressurecting him might invovle venturing into the grey and retrieving his soul. He could very well have his own domain of dread in there, perhaps a mirror version of Tyr. Another option for bringing him back might involve the True having to complete the ritual that was foiled by Tithian and the other slayers, transforming Kalak into a dragon with massive defiler magic and in the process most likely killing everyone in Tyr.
#3
tentagil
Sep 12, 2011 18:25:39 Perhaps instead f dieing Kalak escaped in the final moments before defeat. His body, twisted by the ritual, was destroyed by the slayers, but his mind and soul he managed to transfer into an obsidion sphere. One of the many that littered his ziggurat as part of the ritual to make him a dragon. The true swiped his body shortly after his death, but the orb has gone missing. Taken by a servant whom Kalak controlled through subtle mental impulses. Since then the orb has moved from person to person as Kalak has sought a way to return to a new body.

#4
BRJN
Sep 23, 2011 21:22:13
Well, Kalak was stabbed with ... umm ... no ordinary spear. Dying, he flees into his ziggurat, where he doubtless has 1000+ years' worth of backup plans hidden. I rather like having his vestige floating around near an arcane focus, wraithlike and unable to affect his surroundings. His body may have been destroyed in the defiling ritual he used to keep himself alive (or make himself undead?).

The PCs may be offered the tempation to aid him in finding a new body or resurrecting his old one in exchange for his eternal gratitude. He's actually going to use their life force to power the defiling ritual of unlife-to-life, but why tell them that? He may offer to tell the secrets of VAST power to any other magic-users who run into him; remember he's negotiating in bad faith.

In the Ashes of Athas campaign, the True is trying to locate Kalak (of course) but not to reinstall him as the master. They HAVE discovered some of the many traps inside the ziggurat; gee with friends like these... I like their take on events and recommend you play the Chapter 3 adventures; I did.

You could put a lot of undead in the ziggurat, most created with defiling magic but a few are the ghosts of the construction crew. If the PCs get stuck, one spirit appears and gives them a hint; this is the area he was bricked into - a la Fall of the House of Usher - after finishing building it.

For a totally different take on Kalak's possible emergency plan, read the psion's Thrallherd paragon path. I also recommend Golden Age of Hollywood horror and sci-fi movies (not so much modern horror movies) for cool / scary plot threads. Dr Frankenstein's Lab is under the ziggurat, maybe.
#5
khorne37
Sep 26, 2011 10:52:49 The AoA chapter 3 is not available yet. Do u know if there is resource for it. I was hoping to send my PC's into his ziggurat soon.
#6
Alphastream
Oct 04, 2011 18:34:46 Chapter 2 of Ashes of Athas has just been released. Chapter 3 will come out in January after D&DXP (and can be played there). In Chapter 3 we disclose what the True is doing.

There are also rumors that more information on the True might come out through DDI...
#7
DontEatRawHagis
Oct 04, 2011 19:35:15
Chapter 2 of Ashes of Athas has just been released. Chapter 3 will come out in January after D&DXP (and can be played there). In Chapter 3 we disclose what the True is doing.

There are also rumors that more information on the True might come out through DDI...

I might get a DDI subscript to see that article.

#8
Palladinae
Oct 11, 2011 5:17:34 I think I like idea where Kalak is dead and True are probing his secrets to revive him. If the succeed, he'd be more inhuman than ever.
#9
Kurmudgeon
Dec 09, 2011 1:10:42 I've always liked the idea that Kalak is hard at work in the Gray, exploring new possibilities and trying to find a way back into the world. After all, why should death stop his machinations? One could easily use Kalak as a means to introduce revenants into the campaign. They start appearing on Athas to do his bidding. What are they trying to accomplish? Simply revenge, or a way to breach the barrier and bring Kalak back into the world? Anywhere that there are the dead, Kalak can poke his pointy little finger into others business.

certainly lots of possibilities and some paranoia to let players run with.
#10
Alter_Boy
Dec 23, 2011 16:28:44 Say that Kalak was trying to become a demilich, and was using the Ziggurat as his phylactery. In an undetermined amount of time (because no-one has done something like this before), Kalak will return, more powerful than ever.

The Veiled Alliance want the Ziggurat taken down and utterly destroyed. The True want it to remain for their master's return. The Alliance and the True will play shadow games and politics to defame each other, and the True will stall with any number of gambits until Kalak is reborn.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 blackknight1239 Sep 10, 2011 21:14:33	So, I'm thinking my campaign's plot is going to hinge around the conflict between the True and the Vieled Alliance. One of the PCs is a member, and other forces are going to gently nudge the players into thinking that Kalak being alive is a poor idea. Anyways, I was just trying to come up with ideas on how to bring him back. Sure, a convoluted rituals involving an ancient item, some kind of magical power enhancer, 3 chickens and a goat SOUNDS good, but I'm not sure the players will buy into it. Plus, I need it to be the reason the players and the True come into conflict.
#2 Sveinn Sep 11, 2011 5:13:26	Ressurecting him might invovle venturing into the grey and retrieving his soul. He could very well have his own domain of dread in there, perhaps a mirror version of Tyr. Another option for bringing him back might involve the True having to complete the ritual that was foiled by Tithian and the other slayers, transforming Kalak into a dragon with massive defiler magic and in the process most likely killing everyone in Tyr.
#3 tentagil Sep 12, 2011 18:25:39	Perhaps instead f dieing Kalak escaped in the final moments before defeat. His body, twisted by the ritual, was destroyed by the slayers, but his mind and soul he managed to transfer into an obsidion sphere. One of the many that littered his ziggurat as part of the ritual to make him a dragon. The true swiped his body shortly after his death, but the orb has gone missing. Taken by a servant whom Kalak controlled through subtle mental impulses. Since then the orb has moved from person to person as Kalak has sought a way to return to a new body.
#4 BRJN Sep 23, 2011 21:22:13	Well, Kalak was stabbed with ... umm ... no ordinary spear. Dying, he flees into his ziggurat, where he doubtless has 1000+ years' worth of backup plans hidden. I rather like having his vestige floating around near an arcane focus, wraithlike and unable to affect his surroundings. His body may have been destroyed in the defiling ritual he used to keep himself alive (or make himself undead?). The PCs may be offered the tempation to aid him in finding a new body or resurrecting his old one in exchange for his eternal gratitude. He's actually going to use their life force to power the defiling ritual of unlife-to-life, but why tell them that? He may offer to tell the secrets of VAST power to any other magic-users who run into him; remember he's negotiating in bad faith. In the Ashes of Athas campaign, the True is trying to locate Kalak (of course) but not to reinstall him as the master. They HAVE discovered some of the many traps inside the ziggurat; gee with friends like these... I like their take on events and recommend you play the Chapter 3 adventures; I did. You could put a lot of undead in the ziggurat, most created with defiling magic but a few are the ghosts of the construction crew. If the PCs get stuck, one spirit appears and gives them a hint; this is the area he was bricked into - a la Fall of the House of Usher - after finishing building it. For a totally different take on Kalak's possible emergency plan, read the psion's Thrallherd paragon path. I also recommend Golden Age of Hollywood horror and sci-fi movies (not so much modern horror movies) for cool / scary plot threads. Dr Frankenstein's Lab is under the ziggurat, maybe.
#5 khorne37 Sep 26, 2011 10:52:49	The AoA chapter 3 is not available yet. Do u know if there is resource for it. I was hoping to send my PC's into his ziggurat soon.
#6 Alphastream Oct 04, 2011 18:34:46	Chapter 2 of Ashes of Athas has just been released. Chapter 3 will come out in January after D&DXP (and can be played there). In Chapter 3 we disclose what the True is doing. There are also rumors that more information on the True might come out through DDI...
#7 DontEatRawHagis Oct 04, 2011 19:35:15	Chapter 2 of Ashes of Athas has just been released. Chapter 3 will come out in January after D&DXP (and can be played there). In Chapter 3 we disclose what the True is doing. There are also rumors that more information on the True might come out through DDI... I might get a DDI subscript to see that article.
#8 Palladinae Oct 11, 2011 5:17:34	I think I like idea where Kalak is dead and True are probing his secrets to revive him. If the succeed, he'd be more inhuman than ever.
#9 Kurmudgeon Dec 09, 2011 1:10:42	I've always liked the idea that Kalak is hard at work in the Gray, exploring new possibilities and trying to find a way back into the world. After all, why should death stop his machinations? One could easily use Kalak as a means to introduce revenants into the campaign. They start appearing on Athas to do his bidding. What are they trying to accomplish? Simply revenge, or a way to breach the barrier and bring Kalak back into the world? Anywhere that there are the dead, Kalak can poke his pointy little finger into others business. certainly lots of possibilities and some paranoia to let players run with.
#10 Alter_Boy Dec 23, 2011 16:28:44	Say that Kalak was trying to become a demilich, and was using the Ziggurat as his phylactery. In an undetermined amount of time (because no-one has done something like this before), Kalak will return, more powerful than ever. The Veiled Alliance want the Ziggurat taken down and utterly destroyed. The True want it to remain for their master's return. The Alliance and the True will play shadow games and politics to defame each other, and the True will stall with any number of gambits until Kalak is reborn.