Deadwood in Eberron
I'm designing a Deadwood inspired campaign set in Eberron and I decided to post all my information here as to hopefully get feedback and reaction. This thread will start as an encylopedia of the city at first and will then move to adventure write ups. If/when I ever get a chance to run this game I'll post game session notes as well.This game will be designed with the help of the Masterplan program that I love very dearly. This will be my first real attemp at writing my own adventures.
The campaign will surround a small mining town called Khyber's Nose in the Ironroot Mountains near Gordana's Gap. Nominally a territory of the Talenta Planes the halflings don't much use the mountainous area. A Miner Discovers dragonshards there and a camp is raised. Eventually both the Mror Holds and Karnnath attempt to annex the area. The Dragonmarked Houses will send a Robber Baron to take the mine from local control. Likely something very evil will lay at the bottom of the mine as well...
I would like to take this time to say that I'm terrible at formatting on this forum and will need some help.
I give thanks to this thread for inspiring this idea:
community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...
Discover of Khybershards
Miner Discovers Khybershards. Not sure who the miner is or what his significance might be. Just that he found Dragonshards and started getting rich.
The Town's Formation and Early History
Miner starts what become's Homestake Mine. Businesses follow along with quick prospecters. More mines start along. The early businesses that started form what loosely begins the town elders. The region is a safehaven for criminals because while it is on Talentan land, none of the tribes truly claim the area as thier own.
The Town's Recent History and Current Politics
Certain Businessmen take over influence of the town, either by smarter business or ruthless tactis. The town elders are formed.
The Mine continues as a bonanza; bringing in larger mines, more money, and a bigger population, More powerful outside influences. Both Karnnath and the Mror Holds begin taking interest in annexing the Region of Gordana's Gap.
Cannith has begun secretly sending in prospecters to allay the mines and buy them.
House Cannith
Organization that funds Cannith Robber Baron. Unkown Source is pushing for Khyber's Nose to be mined.
House Deneith
Will work similarly to the Pinkerton Agency.
Karnnath
Gov't understands that Talenta Plains are a loose organization and believes it has the necessary money and will to annex Khyber's nose and the whole northern portion of the Goradra Gap territory.
Mror Holds
New nation, excellent at mining seeks to claim actual sovreignty of Khyber's nose.
The Town Elders
Businesmen of Kbyber's Nose who influence the primary functions of the town. A loose organization.
Half Elf Fortune Teller
Female, Possibly Medani Exorciate, Possibly not marked, who knows. Will commit some fraud of hoopleheads.
Khyber's Nose Examiner Publisher
Male Gnome Journalist talented but a drunk. Town Elder
Mayor
Don't really have much of a thought process on this one yet, I don't want to copy exactly what Deadwood did, want someone a little more potent than farnum. Maybe very old but with Incredible insight. Town Elder
Owner of Red Eye Saloon
Thuranni Elf, connected to main bad guy? maybe comes in after first adventure? Town Elder.
Postman
Works for the Courier's guild of House Orien, Not very involved in house activities.
Robber Baron Leland D'Cannith
M, Human,Artificer type... smart busiman... Will come in after the first adventure or 2.
Robber Baron- businessman and banker. The term may now relate to any businessman or banker who used questionable business practices to become powerful or wealthy.
Sheriff
Don't have much of a feel on this character either... Dont want to copy Seth Bullock exactly... an area I'd like to deviate at hopefully the players will take the "tough good guy role" town Elder.
The Blacksmith
Some kind of Female Artificer, not sure if connected to cannith. Town Elder
The Doctor
Jorasco halfling curmudgeon. Last war veteran. Town Elder
The Owner of Syberis Saloon
Al Swearingen type. Human rogue type. Reputation for brutality with an uncanny instinct for forging political alliances. A ruthless and highly intelligent mob boss with a natural affinity for political machinations. Despite his involvement in murder, prostitution, drug trafficking, and extortion, he is as a man who lives according to his own private moral code and who is even capable of genuine acts of kindness.
Don't care I straight rip Al from deadwood and make him a Rogue. This character is a little too good to screw with. Town Elder.
Mines of Khyber's Nose
Homestake mine is the main mine. There will be bad things that come up from the mines from time to time to be put down. I'd like to put in some kind of racism here... Maybe warforged are forced to work the mine and murdered?
The Town of Kyber's Nose
Mining town on Khorvaire, In the southern portion of the Ironroot mountains. Nominally in the Talenta Plains, both the Mror Holds and Karnnath are attempting to annex into thier territories.
Town itself isn't much bigger than a few streets. with campsites surrounding it.
What is in Khyber?
Is it a Daelkyr or Demon? What put it there and how? How is it released?
(ok kids post away.)
I friggin' loved Deadwood and this forum's gettin' bookmarked. One thing you might want to check out is Thunderspire Labyrinth. The guy over at 11 Foot Pole said
"The place feels like a frontier town. There's grizzled prospectors, unscrupulous entrepreneurs, friendly innkeepers, and brutish enforcers. All it needs is Al Swearengen delivering racial epithets for it to be the fantasy equivalent of HBO's Deadwood."
Yeah this is cool.
Also remember to show growth, from a patchwork of tents to buildings with glass windows. And you might want to replace Deneith and Cannith with Medani and Tharashk respectively. I would almost go the Dark Sun route in establishing how dangerous the area surrounding the town is, teeming with halflings upset at the big folk encroaching on their land.
History
Just because it's Eberron doens't mean you must do Dragonshards. Gold and Silver deposits would bring just as much interest from the Dragonmarked and the 5 Nations. Or do both, who cares? Either way, the town is new, not more than a year old. Not long enough to have even the frail stability even elders would provide.
Culture
Channel Dark Sun. At least when this all starts, every single person is on their own. At least to some extent - When you rent from Swearengen you can feel a little safer as he has the biggest baddest goons in town. But he is a capricious crime lord in it for #1.
Culture is where you ask yourself, "Why Eberron?" Why is this campaign best suited to Eberron? How does it change this from being in any other setting. Well for starters, they both occur after a war. The scars of the Civil War were still fresh, and Q'barra, like The West, is a land with the promise of a clean slate, nothing else.
Al Swearengen
Khyber's Nose doesn't really have a leader, so much as people you don't screw with and people you can rent that privilege from. He provides (at a fair market rate) a semi-enforceable guarantee that claims will be respected. He also has connections back east which make him the best person to bring what you mine. Where else were you going to spend it anyways?
Dragonmarked
House Ghallanda - This town is on Halfling land. Wouldn't they have something to say about a town that revolves around mining and hospitality on their ancestor's land? They could be a recurring villain.
House Kundarak/Sivis - This is more a measure of progress. As the town grows under the PCs protection, these agents will arrive to provide their services. Especially if gold is found the Kundarak could take place of the robber barons perhaps making the town a piggy bank for the Aurum.
Adventures
It would be easy to have the PCs clearing out monsters from Khyber mines, killing raiders. But doing so puts the emphasis outside the camp. But doing that woud lead to direct confrontation too soon. Also under no circumstance should their be a kidney stone skill challenge.
Sheriff Don't have much of a feel on this character either... Dont want to copy Seth Bullock exactly... an area I'd like to deviate at hopefully the players will take the "tough good guy role" town Eld...
How about replacing Seth Bullock with Raylan d'Deneith character from Justified (same actor
): "Old-school Sentinel Marshal Raylan d'Deneith is reassigned from Sharn to his childhood home in the poor, rural coal-mining towns in eastern Karrnath."
Try to strike a balance where the players know that without them, Swearengen and the Dragonmarked would rip Khyber's Nose apart. Without them, Swearengen would turn the place into a Fiddler's Green where he runs the place like a prison while the Dragonmarked basically the same thing for their own benefit. In both cases, the common people lose the freedom and opportunity for private fortune which brought them to Khyber's Nose in the first place.
Also remember to show growth, from a patchwork of tents to buildings with glass windows. And you might want to replace Deneith and Cannith with Medani and Tharashk respectively. I would almost go the Dark Sun route in establishing how dangerous the area surrounding the town is, teeming with halflings upset at the big folk encroaching on their land.
History
Just because it's Eberron doens't mean you must do Dragonshards. Gold and Silver deposits would bring just as much interest from the Dragonmarked and the 5 Nations. Or do both, who cares? Either way, the town is new, not more than a year old. Not long enough to have even the frail stability even elders would provide.
Culture
Channel Dark Sun. At least when this all starts, every single person is on their own. At least to some extent - When you rent from Swearengen you can feel a little safer as he has the biggest baddest goons in town. But he is a capricious crime lord in it for #1.
Al Swearengen
Khyber's Nose doesn't really have a leader, so much as people you don't screw with and people you can rent that privilege from. He provides (at a fair market rate) a semi-enforceable guarantee that claims will be respected. He also has connections back east which make him the best person to bring what you mine. Where else were you going to spend it anyways?
Dragonmarked
House Ghallanda - This town is on Halfling land. Wouldn't they have something to say about a town that revolves around mining and hospitality on their ancestor's land? They could be a recurring villain.
House Kundarak/Sivis - This is more a measure of progress. As the town grows under the PCs protection, these agents will arrive to provide their services. Especially if gold is found the Kundarak could take place of the robber barons perhaps making the town a piggy bank for the Aurum.
Thanks I appreciate all the feedback, I work more than I used to so I dont get to update this like I would prefer. I'm doing some work on it tonight with a friend and I'll post the progress later.
I'll reply to a few of your points.
I'm not sure about tharask, I understand that they're probably a little more appropriate but in the end they are orcs and and half orcs and it will be hard for me to dress them up, not that hearst was all that dressed up but I guess. Plus Cannith is the richest house (even if divided) and I want the feeling that a lot of money is getting thrown into the acquisition of this mine. There will be a goblin alley. Thinking about calling them slick tops as an insult, don't know what the D&D equivilent of celestial will be (nor do i even understand that original reference) but I think i'll have another term for them and their alley. Xu the Hobgoblin boss?
House Medani may make better pinkerton agents, more devious and sly.
You do have a good feeling about where I'm going on the age of the camp. Control is not something one has in this camp. The Al character is absolutely a guy who offers"protection" for a fee.
As the halflings being opposed to the camp, I'm definitly going for that plus the possibility of a valenar attack, (ghost rider legends). The road to riches is fraught with peril
I want arrival of the houses on the camp to be the turning point of the story where they sink their teeth into the town and the robber baron really kicks into gear trying to take over the town.
I'm even not opposed to the robber baron winning and the conflict is a matter of how badly.
How about replacing Seth Bullock with Raylan d'Deneith character from Justified (same actor ):
"Old-school Sentinel Marshal Raylan d'Deneith is reassigned from Sharn to his childhood home in the poor, rural coal-mining towns in eastern Karrnath."
I haven't watched that show but I have my means of obtaining it so I'll check that out. It'd be pretty fun to see if anyone caught on to the reference.