The short of it is that the players are trapped in dreams by the Dreaming Dark, without realizing it though. The Quori are using them as a sort of sport. They are put through "adventures" for the entertainment of the Quori and, as I decided to add, a source of nutrition for the dream spirits. The "adventures" seem to flow together with downtime kind of blurring together. Now, the living forms of the victims, (PCs) are kept alive in an elaborate Eldritch Machine that, you know does this. (I love eldritch machines.) There are a few minor quori spirits bound to the machine so that it can transport the minds of the non-dreaming races into Dal Quor for the Quori entertainment.
As the game progresses and the PCs, being exceptional and all, begin to aggrevate the Quori by not dying, the "adventures" begin to get disjointed and lose context allowing for realization that something is terribly, terribly wrong. Eventually battling, sneaking, whatever, out of Dal Quor and reconnecting with their bodies. Then fighting/sneaking/whatever the Dreaming Dark agents and escaping back into the world.
I am going to let them have the knowledge that they gained as the Dreaming Dark will be using the dreams of the people of Eberron to craft the "adventures" so regardless of how long they were trapped, they do know the major stuff that has happened. Making it seem like they had been away for awhile, but still heard the big news.
So, what do you all think?
Also, perhaps in between their forced adventures and when they escape, they should be able to experience the -real- Dal Quor. Maybe be able to interact with contacts in the waking world, so they can organise aid for their eventual escape.
The only thing I find odd about this is why the Quori would go to so much trouble for a little sport or nourishment, perhaps you could these characters know something that the Quori want - some sort of secret locked in their memory that they hope to bring out through controlled scenarios?
The only thing I find odd about this is why the Quori would go to so much trouble for a little sport or nourishment, perhaps you could these characters know something that the Quori want - some sort of secret locked in their memory that they hope to bring out through controlled scenarios?
Good input is good, mmmm. Anyways.
I was going to do some Matrix like revelation, even thought about the "escape from Dal Quor" actually being another of these "adventures" just to mess with them. But not putting them through Matrix Revelations.
I hadn't thought to hard on the why yet. I'm kind of leaving that to the inexplicable nature of the Quori Spirits. Needless to say though, the PCs aren't the only ones they have done this to or are doing this too. However, an important secret of maybe just scenario training (not sure if thats the word I want to use) for understanding the minds of the people of Khorvaire to speed up the planned take-over by the Inspired by a couple hundred years. (800 years instead of 1000 years like on Sarlona)
It might be more satisfying for the players if they uncover the conspiracy on their own rather than having it revealed to them. Maybe they were already fighting against the Quor in the real world and were too effective to be overcome by the agents of the Dreaming Dark, so they were lured into this machine to keep them contained. As to why they aren't killed while trapped there, the power of the Eldritch Machine just prevents that kind of interference or something. Letting the PCs escape the dream world themselves, then taunting them with the possibility that they still haven't escaped or that world may actually be replacing the real world could be fun. Maybe the Eldritch Machine was more powerful than the Quori realized and it is begining to shape reality, interfering with both their plans and the lives of the PCs who find their past be re-written. Or something.
Plus its just a great episode of a great show.
Watch the episode of Batman: The Animated Series "Perchance to Dream". Batman is trapped in a dream world by the Mad Hatter where his parents never died and he never became the Batman. There could be ideas to use there, and maybe the PCs could discover the truth of the world on their own by noticing the inconsistencies of the dream they exist in.
It might be more satisfying for the players if they uncover the conspiracy on their own rather than having it revealed to them. Maybe they were already fighting against the Quor in the real world and were too effective to be overcome by the agents of the Dreaming Dark, so they were lured into this machine to keep them contained. As to why they aren't killed while trapped there, the power of the Eldritch Machine just prevents that kind of interference or something. Letting the PCs escape the dream world themselves, then taunting them with the possibility that they still haven't escaped or that world may actually be replacing the real world could be fun. Maybe the Eldritch Machine was more powerful than the Quori realized and it is begining to shape reality, interfering with both their plans and the lives of the PCs who find their past be re-written. Or something.
Plus its just a great episode of a great show.
I remember that episode. Now to go dig out my Batman: The Animated Series DVDs and watch it again.
But your idea on the Eldritch Machine being more powerful than the Quori realized, that I like. Don't know about rewriting the past but definately going to have it be doing something they didn't foresee. Not sure how exactly, but breaking the Quori hold in various minds may be part of it. Have to see how things would progress.
The only thing I find odd about this is why the Quori would go to so much trouble for a little sport or nourishment, perhaps you could these characters know something that the Quori want - some sort of secret locked in their memory that they hope to bring out through controlled scenarios?
Maybe it's not for sport/nourishment.
Maybe the Quori have gained interest in the prophecy, have somehow determined that the PCs are involved, and are are trying to run "simulations" to see how events would play out. When they're satisfied with the information they've gleaned, the idea would be to kill the PCs.
Or maybe the PCs are involved but, for whatever reasons, cannot be killed or imprisoned in the more traditional sense in order for the prophecy to come to pass. The Quori could have built this dream world as a work around- a way to keep the PCs occupied and prevent them from running around freely- without hurting/binding them.
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Or maybe the prophecy isn't involved, and this is an experiment the Quori are undertaking in pursuit of another means by which they can control the populace. They already have monoliths that can introduce visions into the minds of sleeping people, but they have to rely on other forms of manipulation once they're actually awake- like pretending to be gods and other such lies.
With this experimental device, they hope to have created a way to make people "dream" even while awake and conscious- giving them near total control of their perceptions and their lives. The PCs are just part of a trial run, and are some rare idividuals immune to the machines' effects (an indication that it is a flawed prototype that will need tweaking).
Nah, thats to easy, Mr. Anderson.
Or maybe the Dreaming Dark won? Eh?
Nah, thats to easy, Mr. Anderson.
So, you're saying the adventurers would be trapped in a world filled only with lawyers?