Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 skelekon Aug 12, 2015 4:49:44	I’ve just started running a new 4E Eberron campaign with The Mark of Prophecy (ECG introductory) adventure, and am hoping to crowd-source some backstory ideas.
#2 Beoric Aug 14, 2015 21:05:28	It seems to me that, since Dalannan Tower houses Morgrave University, someone involved with the plot either has a beef against the University ("They said I was mad to try to create an aberrant mark!") , or wants to destroy some person/thing associated with it.  If it was the dragonmarked houses he hated, the machine would have been in a spire in Dragon Towers.    It could be that the power source that powered the Dragon's Eye was a bound prophecy mark.  There are plenty of suggestions that dragonmarks are power sources (for instance, the spells that can be cast from, or involving, them), and dragonmarks seem to me to a a specialized form of prophecy mark.  If a prophecy mark was bound to a dragon shard - similar to what happened in the third book of the Draconic Prophesies - you could use that as the power source instead of the Star Orb.  So it could be that what the Claw is interested in is the technology to bind, and create, dragonmarks.  Perhaps Blacktree based his theory on obtaining a mark on research surrounding the Altar of the Dragon's Eye.   I imagine that Vol would be very interested in processes to create dragonmarks, given that hers is dried up and useless.  One of her ultimate plans (I expect she has several) may be to try to recreate a living mark of death on her dead flesh.  Once it became known that Blacktree caused a mark to come into existence, they would be very interested in his research (tying in Morgrave again).  I mgith follow up Mark of Prophecy with some clues pointing to his resarch at Morgrave (the new occupant of his office hasn't gotten around to clearing it out, and has just piled Blacktrees stuff in a corner).  Then have that stuff lead them off in an entirely different direction, maybe a Tarkannan plot, before you swing things back to EotLQ.   Note that, as an academic with an interest in aberrant dragonmarks, Sur’Kil would also be interested in Blacktree's mark, so it would make sense for Vol to monitor his efforts.  I would have to read the adventure again to know how I would tie it all together, but I expect it would not change things too much if you (at least initially) change Sur'kil's motivation to research.  He might actually ask to interview them soon after the Mark of Prophecy adventure ends, and come back with questions from time to time, so you can build him up as an NPC instead of introducing him cold at the beginning of EotLQ.    BTW, I would change the boss-dragon from blue to green, since it is supposedly a descendant of those that allied with House Vol.  Put the emerald back in Emerald Claw, y'know?
#3 skelekon Aug 15, 2015 21:42:14	Thanks for responding – I find that seeing other ideas and just putting my ideas down helps greatly to get them in order.   I think I’ll make Sur’kil the intended target of the Eldritch Machine – that could be his cover identity in Sharn as he might still be researching aberrant Dragonmarks and may not be aware of the connection to the Dragon’s Eye yet.   So Sur’Kil finds out about the Prophecy Mark during his research as a Chamber agent, then Khurystas finds out by spying on Sur’Kil and tells the BoV.   The Blacktree merchant family was mainly involved in trade with Karrnath. The Last War gradually wrecked their business as cross-continent transportation was impaired.   Then the BoV manipulate Blacktree into both gaining the aberrant mark and when the party returns him to Sharn, into (attempting to) take out Sur’Kil with the Eldritch Machine.   That explains the EC troops at the Prophecy Mark – they were there to collect Blacktree for the BoV and the Major for military intelligence. Using aberrants at various times to do their dirty work where the EC would be unable to operate freely.   It has a sort of circularity to it which fits in with a Draconic Prophecy: the party foils the BoV plan that was set in motion by Sur’Kil’s discovery, that leads to Sur’Kil finding out about the Dragon’s Eye, that leads the party to work for Sur’Kil against the BoV, that leads to a final confrontation with the Chamber spy who set the whole thing in motion.   The main flaw now is as you stated – why would someone that hates the Houses attack Morgrave U instead of Dragon Towers? Maybe Dragonmarked Viceroys (and Sur’Kil) were attending a function at Morgrave U for the anniversary of the Day of Mourning? The Dragonmarked seem like the target, but are a decoy for the actual target Sur’Kil.   Otherwise I can ret-con the target to be in Dragon Towers and make up a reason for Sur’Kil to be there – one of the characters is a Dragonmarked heir, so that should help them to not get arrested if the Watch find them at the Eldritch Machine site (they basically just kicked in the door and murdered everyone).   If the party returns to the Prophecy Mark in Darguun, there can be a BoV/EC research station there now that continues to study the Prophecy Mark. (Or maybe something came out of the Mourning only a few hundred yards away and killed them all – I’ll worry about that if they ever go back.)   I’ll drop a few clues to the backstory in Blacktree’s stuff at the Eldritch Machine site (he expected it all to be destroyed).   I’m planning to have the party receive some item rewards from Morgrave U at the end of the intro adventure, and then run Seekers of the Ashen Crown, so I can work in some cameos for Sur’Kil (Gydd Nephret is the main contact there – they already met her at the Mourning memorial).
#4 Beoric Aug 16, 2015 11:03:37	If Sur'kil is researching in Sharn, the libarary at Morgrave is a logical place for him to do it.  He could also be speaking with Flamewind.   The aberrants in MoP may just have been drawn by the energies of the (aberrant?) prophesy mark.  You could use that as a recurring clue whenever the party gets close to such energies.  Or Blacktree could belong to a cult of the Dragon Below, and already be in leaue with them.   I really wanted to like SotAC, but I think it needs a lot of work if it is going to be anything other than a railroady grind.  If it was me, and you wanted to use specifically Eberron content, I might give hooks for SotAC, The Forgotten Forge, Murder in Oakbridge and/or Fallen Angel, and let the players decide which thread to pull.
#5 skelekon Aug 17, 2015 2:54:09	Yeah I'll have Sur'Kil as a visiting professor or something - he can interact with the party at the Uni to try and get information about the nature of Prophecy Mark and Blacktree & his Aberrant Mark. That can in turn plant the seeds in them for EotLQ and/or the Forbidden Forge.   'Shadows of the Last War’ and ‘Grasp of the Emerald Claw’ both look excellent (I think Shadows has some design flaws that would need fixing). I think going to the Mournland at level 2 or 3 kind of devalues it a bit – it should be scarier.   ‘Whispers of the Vampire’s Blade’ looks pretty terrible as an adventure, but you could steal the set-pieces from it (and it has nothing to do with the Forgotten Forge main plot, anyway).   I do like ‘Fallen Angels’, I’ll probably save that for a Sharn sidetrek at some point – doesn’t look too hard to rescale. Also ‘The Aundarian Job’ – some players have already expressed an interest in robbing a House Kundarak vault.   Any suggestions for SotAC, or did you never get that far?
#6 Beoric Aug 18, 2015 2:19:15	For starters, I would replace the whole Captain Kaeles/Brelish Intelligence angle.  If they aren't interested in biting the hook, this bit of railroading isn't going to help anything.  They have already been introduced to some goblins in the opening bit with the kruthiks, so I would expand on that, have a couple of other little incidents that make them heros to the Sharn goblins, and use that as an introduction to the Kech Volaar.  This gives you an opportunity to showcase Malleon's Gate, city goblin culture, and break the stereotype of goblins as comic relief.  Make them really care about working class goblins, their pride in their history, and their hopes for the future.  Six Kings will be a bigger deal if they know about one or two of the kings before they get there, so if you are feeling ambitioous, make something up and sprinkle references in conversatiosn they have with goblinoids (maybe a goblin holiday or two).    This section of the adventure can also make the player's care about Sharn, which will make a difference if you ever run Fallen Angel.  Throw in a Crystalfall reference or two, and let them have an "aha" moment several levels later.   You can probably take the introduction to the Kech Volaar and move it into Sharn with a bit of modification.  You may have to modify the bit with the changeling, I can't remember quite how that goes.   Go through the adventure and get rid of any encounters that don't really add anything and are just there to provide XPs.  That, and/or weaken some of the encounters, but build in a tactic where monsters run for reinforcements so you end up with two or three wave battles:  this only works if the monsters are the sort that would reinfore each other, of course.  This gets rid of some of the grindiness of the adventure and may allow fo rsome interesting running battles.   It also gives you room to expand the Malleon's Gate piece, as well as room for adventure in Graywall.  I mean, you're in Graywall in Droaam, and in the published adventure you see none of it?  I can't remember quite what they do there (something about a sewer in a marketplace), but making them gather information before jumping back into the dungeon gives you a chance to showcase that city.    If you play your cards right, you can make the adventure about Sharn, city goblin culture, Dhakaani culture, and Droaamish culture.  Four things which are entirely unique to Eberron.  And then those Dhakaani artifacts will actually mean sometihng.  And they are faced with an interesting choice at the end:  keep the artifacts power to themselves, and lose the friendships they have made with the goblins, or give them back and be heroes to them.    Suddenly I think I cwant to run this adventure.
#7 skelekon Aug 27, 2015 7:32:23	Thanks again for the considered reply – I’ll be sure to prep some interactions in Malleon’s Gate to play up the goblin culture angle.   It’s hard to predict what my party will do, so I’ll keep the Citadel angle in reserve.   I’d probably still have the Word Bearers go on ahead, and have the hobgoblin cleric tell the party he vouched for them to retain the Blade until the time comes to combine the parts. Helps skirt the issue of why the Word Bearers don’t: a) attack the party and take the Blade (as they can track it with the Circlet) b) confront the party for the Blade, likely provoking a counterattack Also puts a sympathetic NPC on the hook for the party’s actions.   One of the party is a Lyrandar Heir, so transport to Ardev won’t be a problem. The changeling could just be a straight agent for Demise, instead of the double agent, but without the Citadel they won’t know he’s a changeling until near the end.   Can definitely expand on the Graywall portion – make it a tour of the various wards trying to find the correct location using the Circlet. Plus any personal sidequests that develop for the characters in the meantime. The main set piece in Graywall is running a stall at the night market to cover up the excavation, which by all reports is one of the highlights of the module as the party can get as creative as they want. Followed by a couple of battles in said marketplace.   I’ll have a look for encounters I can skip or combine – like dropping the kruthik attack that happens if you solve the puzzle in the first dungeon, just so you still get some combat XP.
#8 Beoric Aug 27, 2015 8:59:03	If you know anyone with an insider account you can acess the Backdrop:  Greaywall articles here:  http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drback/20081001
#9 skelekon Aug 28, 2015 7:07:59	Yes I have that article, thanks.   I'll use that as the basis for a tour of Graywall, plus anything useful I can find in Mark of Heroes 11 - The Graywall Incident, and elsewhere..