Help me find a Princess! - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Help me find a Princess!

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
Kensan_Oni
Jul 09, 2008 10:02:52 Background: My gaming group is a bit unusual from a lot, as I have two young players, ages 8 and 10 in the group, and the littlest one is a girl who has fallen in love with the Spiderwick cronicles. While I don't really know anything about the series outside that it's done by a kick-tushie artist, I do feel that it is fair to favor requests from the kids now and then.

She has asked me to do a rescue the princess scenario in a woods. Very specificly. So... now that you know a bit about my group, let's move on.

Party Background: Currently the party is on a Treasure Hunt tracking down the missing shards of the Staff of Storms, a powerful artifact that the Princes of the Principality used during the Lazzamar/Gilfar war (I hope I got those names right). Currently, the party holds two of the 12, and are about to steal the next shard from the Museum of Thronehold. The players have the backing of House Kundarack, which has caused all sorts of interesting conflicts between the Guilds, as Lythander believes that it should be in possession of the Staff, which is exactly why Kundarack wants the staff, so that the balance of power between Orion and Lythander does not shift out of whack. Also, for reasons unknown, the Ambasadors of Argonessen, a family of silver dragons that make their home in Zilargo, has a interest in what happens to the party, due to the abberent mark one of the players carries.

Direction: There are several ways I can go about this. Part of me doesn't want to send the Campaign into Thrane, because I don't want to have to deal with the religious and the generally dark feel that I feel Thrane should have (I've always seen playing in Thrane a cross between Diablo and Ladyhawk). So Aundaria (Sp?) or the Eldereen Reaches tends to be the way I want to move the party towards.

I'm more then willing to make our princess either a gnome, Halfling, or elf, but my issue is giving a motivation to the kidnapping. I COULD tilt towards a dumb monster that just likes pretty things, like a Giant, but that feels like I am cheating the adult players out of a interesting story line.

I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions I might use.
#2
JohnLynch
Jul 09, 2008 10:23:37 Wow, 8 year olds with adults? That's amazing.

One choice would be to have a princess that Breland sent to Karrnath in an exchange to see that the other keep the treaty with each other, was kidnapped by the leader of Aundair. The reason for this is Aundair's queen wants war to start between Karrnath and Breland so after they've beaten themselves down Aundair can expand its territory into Breland.

Somehow the players learn of this (probably through spies) and so try to recapture the princess. The princess can either be headed to Fairhaven and hasn't reached there yet, OR she's being moved to another more remote city because there's fear Karrnath or Breland's spies will find her.

Another option is to have Aundair's princess rebel against her mother and attempt to flee to the Eldeen Reaches. However learning of this perfect opportunity, another group (possibly Droaam, Valenar, the Lhazaar Principalities, an ambitious dwarven clean leader from Mror Holds, someone within the politics of Aundair) kidnaps the princess in order to hold her hostage and make demands from Aundair's queen.
#3
Nived
Jul 09, 2008 11:52:04 I agree with John, Princess Bornia ir'Wynarn is a perfect princess for this situation. Daughter of King Boranel ir'Wynarn of Breland, she and her brother Halix were exchanged with the brother and sister of King Kaius ir'Wynarn the Third of Karrnath as part of the Treaty of Thronehold.

She doesn't need to be rescued from the exchange of course. She is doing her duty, her presence in her 'cousins' court is helping to keep the entire continent from erupting into war again. Which is why if she is abducted from Kaius' Court that is a VERY BAD THING!

I would disagree with John on having Aundair be the perpetrators, if they were there's no reason not to go to war even after you save the princess... no have it be a non-governmental third party, but have everyone blaming each other so that if she isn't saved war will likely be the result.

Karrnath is also the perfect setting for this. This cold and harsh land often evokes an Eastern European vibe, which makes it an ideal setting for say a Grimm's Fairy Tale type story. I mean the REAL Grimm's Fairy Tales, not the Disney versions, were there are cannibals in candy houses in the woods, where Cinderella's sisters have their eyes pecked out by crows, that kinda Fairy Tale.

Now you mentioned rescuing the princess from the woods... like haunted woods? There are two really good locations for this in Karrnath. The Night Wood, while its outer edges are like any other forest, the interior is dark and full of ancient trees and monsters where few dare to tread, legend speaks that in the center of the wood is a foul pit that stretches all the way to Khyber! A classic 'dark woods' type setting.

The other location would be the Ice Wood, which by its name conjures images of a forest with skeletal trees covered in ice, with wolves stalking in the shadows. Perhaps tall evergreens create a thick canopy with bare lower bows leaving an eerie frozen hall beneath. Whatever the case this frozen wood offers a nice fantastical location. Also in its heart lies the Madstone, a huge Dragonshard that is said to call out to people drive them mad and if one touches it it draws them inside, and the shard grows bigger.

Both of these locations are detailed in the Eberron Campaign Setting Karrnath section.

Now even after you rescue her and return her to Kaius' court you could continue her story. After all she is living with a centuries old vampire masquerading as his own grandson.
#4
mystrich
Jul 09, 2008 21:19:06 She doesn't (unless this girl is really determined) have to be a princess, IMO. It could be a heir to a Dragonmarked house, or to a noble house, rather than one of the descendants of Galifar.
#5
Kensan_Oni
Jul 10, 2008 10:39:21 First of, I would like to thank everyone for their ideas. Some of them have been really interesting and are reflections of things I wouldn't have thought of at first.

I just wanted to make a comment...

She doesn't (unless this girl is really determined) have to be a princess, IMO. It could be a heir to a Dragonmarked house, or to a noble house, rather than one of the descendants of Galifar.

Well, if we broaden the definition of Princess (Like I usually do) to include any daughter of a Noble House, then there are a lot of 'princesses' that we can choose from. Part of me really thinks that this party would avoid descendants of Galifar like the plague (We just stole from their museum, we're putting together an artifact they never got a chance to own during the unification wars, ect.).

With my desire to keep this game continuing along the lines of Guild House Conflict, I think that House Vadlis is going to be our most likely kidnap victim here. Vadilis has the ancestral ties that make family important, and they're one of the people on the 'Kundarack side' of the three way split in the Council of 12 at the moment.
#6
mystictheurge
Jul 10, 2008 11:03:05 You could potentially play off the Fairy Princess idea instead, and maybe make her some sort of Eladrin Noble who's been sucked into Eberron from Thelanis, and then captured by monsters in the nearby forest. You could even play up the traditional Seelie/Dark Seelie conflict by playing whatever monsters you choose as more twisted fairies.

The goal could be to free her and get her back to the Fairy Court. You could even tie it in to the main story by having the PCs rewarded with another part of the Staff which was in the possession of the Fairy King and Queen.

That hits the major plot points, I think, while still leaving plenty of room to adjust who, exactly, the PCs are up against.

Definitely read through the Wikipedia entry on the series. There are some obvious points of inspiration there. (Goblins, hobgoblins, ogres and trolls. Elves, boggarts, brownies. Dwarves with mechanical dogs. And, of course, dragons.)
#7
missekat
Jul 15, 2008 13:28:04 I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I only had time to skim your first post and no more than that. I hope this hasn't been suggested:

How about The karrn princess Haydith, currently reciding in Breland, (a kind of friendly hostage situation between the rulers of Karnnath and Breland).. She could be lost in the Kings Forest for any number of reasons.

And I can't help but think that it could be nice to give the plot a bit of a twist.. as I have a hard time seeing a Karrn princess as a soft little pink flutterbrain. I'm thinking spiky personality and kick-buttocks with a sword. Plus she can't be stupid.. as fars as I've read she and King Borenal likes to have long conversations over that Chess-like game. Conqueror I think it was called.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Kensan_Oni Jul 09, 2008 10:02:52	Background: My gaming group is a bit unusual from a lot, as I have two young players, ages 8 and 10 in the group, and the littlest one is a girl who has fallen in love with the Spiderwick cronicles. While I don't really know anything about the series outside that it's done by a kick-tushie artist, I do feel that it is fair to favor requests from the kids now and then. She has asked me to do a rescue the princess scenario in a woods. Very specificly. So... now that you know a bit about my group, let's move on. Party Background: Currently the party is on a Treasure Hunt tracking down the missing shards of the Staff of Storms, a powerful artifact that the Princes of the Principality used during the Lazzamar/Gilfar war (I hope I got those names right). Currently, the party holds two of the 12, and are about to steal the next shard from the Museum of Thronehold. The players have the backing of House Kundarack, which has caused all sorts of interesting conflicts between the Guilds, as Lythander believes that it should be in possession of the Staff, which is exactly why Kundarack wants the staff, so that the balance of power between Orion and Lythander does not shift out of whack. Also, for reasons unknown, the Ambasadors of Argonessen, a family of silver dragons that make their home in Zilargo, has a interest in what happens to the party, due to the abberent mark one of the players carries. Direction: There are several ways I can go about this. Part of me doesn't want to send the Campaign into Thrane, because I don't want to have to deal with the religious and the generally dark feel that I feel Thrane should have (I've always seen playing in Thrane a cross between Diablo and Ladyhawk). So Aundaria (Sp?) or the Eldereen Reaches tends to be the way I want to move the party towards. I'm more then willing to make our princess either a gnome, Halfling, or elf, but my issue is giving a motivation to the kidnapping. I COULD tilt towards a dumb monster that just likes pretty things, like a Giant, but that feels like I am cheating the adult players out of a interesting story line. I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions I might use.
#2 JohnLynch Jul 09, 2008 10:23:37	Wow, 8 year olds with adults? That's amazing. One choice would be to have a princess that Breland sent to Karrnath in an exchange to see that the other keep the treaty with each other, was kidnapped by the leader of Aundair. The reason for this is Aundair's queen wants war to start between Karrnath and Breland so after they've beaten themselves down Aundair can expand its territory into Breland. Somehow the players learn of this (probably through spies) and so try to recapture the princess. The princess can either be headed to Fairhaven and hasn't reached there yet, OR she's being moved to another more remote city because there's fear Karrnath or Breland's spies will find her. Another option is to have Aundair's princess rebel against her mother and attempt to flee to the Eldeen Reaches. However learning of this perfect opportunity, another group (possibly Droaam, Valenar, the Lhazaar Principalities, an ambitious dwarven clean leader from Mror Holds, someone within the politics of Aundair) kidnaps the princess in order to hold her hostage and make demands from Aundair's queen.
#3 Nived Jul 09, 2008 11:52:04	I agree with John, Princess Bornia ir'Wynarn is a perfect princess for this situation. Daughter of King Boranel ir'Wynarn of Breland, she and her brother Halix were exchanged with the brother and sister of King Kaius ir'Wynarn the Third of Karrnath as part of the Treaty of Thronehold. She doesn't need to be rescued from the exchange of course. She is doing her duty, her presence in her 'cousins' court is helping to keep the entire continent from erupting into war again. Which is why if she is abducted from Kaius' Court that is a VERY BAD THING! I would disagree with John on having Aundair be the perpetrators, if they were there's no reason not to go to war even after you save the princess... no have it be a non-governmental third party, but have everyone blaming each other so that if she isn't saved war will likely be the result. Karrnath is also the perfect setting for this. This cold and harsh land often evokes an Eastern European vibe, which makes it an ideal setting for say a Grimm's Fairy Tale type story. I mean the REAL Grimm's Fairy Tales, not the Disney versions, were there are cannibals in candy houses in the woods, where Cinderella's sisters have their eyes pecked out by crows, that kinda Fairy Tale. Now you mentioned rescuing the princess from the woods... like haunted woods? There are two really good locations for this in Karrnath. The Night Wood, while its outer edges are like any other forest, the interior is dark and full of ancient trees and monsters where few dare to tread, legend speaks that in the center of the wood is a foul pit that stretches all the way to Khyber! A classic 'dark woods' type setting. The other location would be the Ice Wood, which by its name conjures images of a forest with skeletal trees covered in ice, with wolves stalking in the shadows. Perhaps tall evergreens create a thick canopy with bare lower bows leaving an eerie frozen hall beneath. Whatever the case this frozen wood offers a nice fantastical location. Also in its heart lies the Madstone, a huge Dragonshard that is said to call out to people drive them mad and if one touches it it draws them inside, and the shard grows bigger. Both of these locations are detailed in the Eberron Campaign Setting Karrnath section. Now even after you rescue her and return her to Kaius' court you could continue her story. After all she is living with a centuries old vampire masquerading as his own grandson.
#4 mystrich Jul 09, 2008 21:19:06	She doesn't (unless this girl is really determined) have to be a princess, IMO. It could be a heir to a Dragonmarked house, or to a noble house, rather than one of the descendants of Galifar.
#5 Kensan_Oni Jul 10, 2008 10:39:21	First of, I would like to thank everyone for their ideas. Some of them have been really interesting and are reflections of things I wouldn't have thought of at first. I just wanted to make a comment... She doesn't (unless this girl is really determined) have to be a princess, IMO. It could be a heir to a Dragonmarked house, or to a noble house, rather than one of the descendants of Galifar. Well, if we broaden the definition of Princess (Like I usually do) to include any daughter of a Noble House, then there are a lot of 'princesses' that we can choose from. Part of me really thinks that this party would avoid descendants of Galifar like the plague (We just stole from their museum, we're putting together an artifact they never got a chance to own during the unification wars, ect.). With my desire to keep this game continuing along the lines of Guild House Conflict, I think that House Vadlis is going to be our most likely kidnap victim here. Vadilis has the ancestral ties that make family important, and they're one of the people on the 'Kundarack side' of the three way split in the Council of 12 at the moment.
#6 mystictheurge Jul 10, 2008 11:03:05	You could potentially play off the Fairy Princess idea instead, and maybe make her some sort of Eladrin Noble who's been sucked into Eberron from Thelanis, and then captured by monsters in the nearby forest. You could even play up the traditional Seelie/Dark Seelie conflict by playing whatever monsters you choose as more twisted fairies. The goal could be to free her and get her back to the Fairy Court. You could even tie it in to the main story by having the PCs rewarded with another part of the Staff which was in the possession of the Fairy King and Queen. That hits the major plot points, I think, while still leaving plenty of room to adjust who, exactly, the PCs are up against. Definitely read through the Wikipedia entry on the series. There are some obvious points of inspiration there. (Goblins, hobgoblins, ogres and trolls. Elves, boggarts, brownies. Dwarves with mechanical dogs. And, of course, dragons.)
#7 missekat Jul 15, 2008 13:28:04	I'm in a bit of a hurry, so I only had time to skim your first post and no more than that. I hope this hasn't been suggested: How about The karrn princess Haydith, currently reciding in Breland, (a kind of friendly hostage situation between the rulers of Karnnath and Breland).. She could be lost in the Kings Forest for any number of reasons. And I can't help but think that it could be nice to give the plot a bit of a twist.. as I have a hard time seeing a Karrn princess as a soft little pink flutterbrain. I'm thinking spiky personality and kick-buttocks with a sword. Plus she can't be stupid.. as fars as I've read she and King Borenal likes to have long conversations over that Chess-like game. Conqueror I think it was called.