| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| #1connortheconman93Feb 23, 2010 20:00:20 | Hello I'm about to start a new campaign in 3.5 edition Eberron. The campaign begins with the PCs being drafted into the Brelish army to fight in a war with Droaam. I'll have them doing a tour of Droaam, starting with Graywall, then heading south to Vralkek and Tzaryan Keep, then heading through the Forest of Flesh before sweeping through Cazhaak Draal and finally a massive assault on the Great Crag. I have the Graywall backdrop from Dragon magazine, but I need information on all of these other cities. I've read the Dragon Below trilogy and am currently reading the Queen of Stone and am going to draw heavily on these books, but any information you can give me would be great. |
| #2naturaxFeb 24, 2010 9:51:10 | Just out of curiousity, does this Brelish campaign against Droaam happen after the Last War has ended? Or is this an alternate history? |
| #3connortheconman93Feb 25, 2010 14:52:59 | Yes it starts after the Last War. Because of guerrilla attacks against western Brelish outposts, Breland sent delegates to the Great Crag to negotiate. The delegates were attacked shortly after entering Droaam and Breland declared war. |
| #4naturaxFeb 25, 2010 21:39:02 |
Thanks! That's a neat concept for a campaign! Wish I had more info for you, but I haven't seen anything on Vralkek. As for Tzaryan Keep, I could have sworn I saw it mentioned in a PDF or something somewhere, but I can't remember where or what. |
| #5connortheconman93Feb 26, 2010 19:53:12 | Thanks that would be good to have. I had originally planned on torching Tzaryan Keep completely, but if I had some detail to run that would be very nice. Also, any artwork would be greatly appreciated. I need artwork for all of the warlords of Droaam, plus the Daughters of Sora Kell and the PCs army squadmates. I've read some threads about Vralkek and and Cazhaak Draal, and I just got the Dragon articles about the Forest of Flesh and Dolurrh's Dawn, but I've been thinking about running an assault on Znir, the Gnoll city. I've been pretty busy but I've started to draw out maps of Cazhaak Draal and Blackroot, Mordain the Fleshweaver's tower. |
| #6HellcowFeb 27, 2010 7:50:21 |
I'm curious... who's actually responsible for the attack? Surely the Daughters would know that such an attack would lead to war; if simple common sense wouldn't call this out, they've got Sora Teraza. So in this scenario I'd assume that it's either a rash and unsanctioned action by a lesser warlord; a planned action by someone opposed to the Daughters; or a planned action by the Daughters, KNOWING it would lead to war, because through Teraza they already know that the war will have some sort of desired impact (which might not be victory; it's still unclear why the Daughters suddenly decided to found a nation, after all). I see lots of possibilities here. Perhaps the Lords of Dust are behind it. The battle at the Great Crag is the final step in the release of an Overlord, and it will burst first at the height of the battle, requiring both sides to focus on this new and far greater threat. Alternately, a Cult of the Dragon Below could be involved, with agents in both Droaam and Breland. QoS suggests that the daelkyr Orlassk struck the Great Crag in the past; perhaps he remains below the city still. Setting aside the impact of the war in Droaam, what's going to happen in Breland? Aurala to the north has dreams of conquest. The Swords of Liberty and other factions are interested in deposing the monarchy. A costly and unnecessary (their words) new war to the west could be the excuse any of them needs to act. All of these aside, you could certainly have Sora Teraza approach the PCs in some form informing them that the Daughters were not behind the attack, and that it might be in their interests to uncover the truth before more people die without cause. Do they continue the fight, or break off to search for the truth? Is the conspiracy purely in Droaam, or are their traitors in their own army? |
| #7connortheconman93Feb 27, 2010 16:58:10 | I've planned that the Daughters of Sora Kell have planned to incorporate themselves into Breland, but Sora Teraza has seen that the only way to make this happen is to be conquered. She has also seen that a rakshasa rajah is about to be released, and the only way to combat her (I'm planning on Sul Khatesh) is to reunite Galifar. She informs King Boranel of this, and after Droaam is conquered, Breland turns its eye to the Shadow Marches and Darguun, and eventually to the Eldeen Reaches and Thrane. After they accomplish this, Sul Khatesh is released, and the PCs have to counter offensives by the Lords of Dust into all of the territories that they have helped conquer. Once they reach epic levels, they learn of a spell that will bind her again, and once they accomplish this they gain the territory of the rest of Khorvaire. |
| #8connortheconman93Mar 16, 2010 16:30:28 | Hey guys I've gotten a lot of new material for my campaign and have created even more, but I need art. I need Xor'chyllic, Tzaryan Rraac, the Daughters of Sora Kell, Mordain, and Sheshka. If you guys could give me linksto any art you know of I would be appreciative. I plan on posting my homebrew in this thread soon. |
| #9connortheconman93Mar 17, 2010 15:53:42 | Here are some homebrew Droaam factions I plan on using, but feel free to incorporate them into your campaign. The Moonlords The Moonlords are a sect of rakshasas of various types that have given their service to the Daughters of Sora Kell in the Great Crag. They are led by Drulkalatar Atesh (Male zakya rakshasa fighter 12), the prakhutu, or Speaker, of Sul Khatesh. He has been searching Droaam for an artifact from the Daelkyr War that he believes was inspired by his mistress to aid in her release. They occupy an abandoned Dhakaani fort on the edge of the Great Crag, which they have recently begun renovating. They serve as elite infiltration teams, sneaking a guarded area and sabotaging important infrastructure. The Moonlords maintain three teams of four. The teams are described below. Viirdran Daraqor (Male naztharune rakshasa) leads a team consisting of himself and three other naztharunes. He specializes in political assassination, and has performed assassinations from Q’barra to the Eldeen Reaches. He is quite sadistic, and when time permits he slowly tortures his targets and leaves them alive but beyond aid. Xokek (Male ak’chazar rakshasa) leads a team consisting of himself and three zakyas. He specializes in long-term infiltration, gaining the trust of an important official before impersonating them and causing havoc. He was responsible for the betrayal of several Brelish officers during the war, and also did a stint in Karrnath as a necromancer of the Blood of Vol, using his spell-like abilities to make him appear to be a wizard. Sorkalath (Male rakshasa sorcerer 4) leads a team consisting of himself and three naztharunes. He has maintained a position of influence within Arcanix for twenty years, and has been feeding arcane information to the Moonlords for almost ten. His three naztharune bodyguards pose as his apprentices, and they have picked up a few arcane techniques (wizard 1). They also assassinate anyone who discovers Sorkalath’s true identity, as well as their own. The Stoneteeth The Stoneteeth is a gnoll Cult of the Dragon Below that reveres Orlassk, the Master of Stone. They operate out of the village of Znir in Droaam. They are led by Ghyrryn Stoneteeth, a gnoll cleric/barbarian. They are quite insane even by the high standards of the Cults of the Dragon Below. Most of the day-to-day activity of the cult consists of collecting items with patterns resembling aberrant dragonmarks and measuring doorways, but they are occasionally called on by the Daughters of Sora Kell to perform a task in exchange for symbionts and knowledge of the daelkyr. The initiation ceremony to become a priest of the Stoneteeth is to tear out every tooth in the mouth and to replace them with sharpened obsidian replacements. The gnolls ingest a substance known as Stone Bliss that temporarily renders every nerve in the body incapable of feeling pain, transforming that pain into pure bliss, allowing them to shrug off blows that would transform a normal creature into a screaming mess. The Stoneteeth is made up of about fifty gnolls, three of which are described below. Ghyrryn Stoneteeth (Male gnoll barbarian 4/cleric 6) was raised in the Shadow Marches, where he learned of the practices of the Dragon Below. After a time, he went insane and was driven from the Marches. He wandered through Droaam for weeks before being found by a wandering Stoneteeth priest. The priest brought him to Znir, where he was trained in the ways of Orlassk. He regularly leads hunting parties to track medusas, basilisks, and cockatrices, believing them to be holy to his sect. By eating the flesh of Orlassk’s creations, he believes that he brings himself one step closer to his god. Gharn Umbermead (Male gnoll cleric 5) was raised in Znir to serve as a healer. He went insane at a young age, and developed a severe phobia of elves. Whenever he sees an elf, he curls into a ball for 1d4+2 rounds. He prepares mostly cure light/moderate wounds spells, and as a result of this as well as his phobia he is next to useless in combat. He prefers to stay in his hut and count the same ten copper coins over and over again. Jharn Skellereng (Female gnoll barbarian 5/soulknife 1) was born in Graywall. Her mother and father were eaten by Xor’chyllic when she was a pup, and she was experimented on. It was discovered that she had an innate psionic talent, and was taught the ways of the soulknife. She was turned loose and joined the ranks of the Stoneteeth, where she learned the rage of the barbarian through madness. She is schizophrenic, and “the Thest” drives her to murder and unleash her rage on anyone who crosses her. She is afraid of the Thest, and follows its orders to the letter. |
| #10Neutronium_DragonMar 20, 2010 10:03:27 | If I may suggest a slightly different approach to the Sisters' plan: rather than letting themselves be conquered, the initial attacks were deliberately weak bait. Now they let the battle lines be drawn up and a few real engagements to take place, showing that Droaam's forces are strong enough that the Brelish army and crown will realize that they've committed themselves themselves to a war that, even though they will *probably* win in the end, will be so costly that it will amount to a phyrric victory, especially with so many other enemies waiting to take advantage of any weakness on the part of Breland. ...and then they propose that the whole matter could be settled by a treaty that incorporates Droaam into Breland as a full part of the nation rather than merely as a subject province. They're still in a position of strength (and Breland realizes that its position is precarious), so they can set many of the terms to suit themselves. There will certainly be many interests who would like to see things resolve differently (and probably much more negatively), and the PCs would likely end up tapped by agents of Breland or Droaam (or both!) to keep those outside interests from interfering with their plans. |
| #11connortheconman93Mar 28, 2010 18:27:18 | Thats a really good idea Neutronium_Dragon. It would add a whole new layer of depth to my plot, and I could add it in without changing much. My plan as it was is to make to make the siege of Graywall deceptively simple, with only a few hundred extra troops bolstering the city. After "negotiating"the surrender of Xor'chyllic, the PCs continue along the road to the Great Crag. Every night when the army camps for the night, gnoll scouts sneak in and kill dozens. After three days, several thousand troops break off from the main force to level Znir, including the PCs squad. After that, the force is sent to take Vralkek in order to stop shipping to Droaam as well as gaining the capability of shipping troops and supplies anywhere along the Scar River. They're then sent to negotiate with Tzaryan Rraac. The ogre mage is ecstatic to have the downfall of the hags at hand and sends an ogre soldier to join the PCs and assist in their negotiations. Then, it's off to Khresht'Rhyyl. The Forest of Flesh is home to Mordain the Fleshweaver, an elven mage of great skill and terror. He shaped the life in the forset in order to create a terrifying ecosystem of monstrosities. He also created Dolurrh's Dawn, a village composed of some of the greatest heroes ever to grace Eberron. After the PCs negotiation with Mordain, which I'm going to make a horrifying experience, they are insructed by Mordain to take the villagers in Dolurrh's Dawn and resettle them in Breland. After Mordain's realm, its time to head to the mountains. Ahead lies negotiations with harpies and medusas and pitched battles with giants and yakfolk. After the mountains, its time to head south again. I'm going to make the battle of Great Crag a moment to remember, and afterwards they are approached by the Daughters. They are given a sealed box that they are told to keep safe. When the time comes to open it, they'll know. After two years of peace and prosperity, a rajah is awakened. Sul Khatesh has been unbound, and now the great heroes of Breland must do battle with the loremaster of the rakshasas. After a pitched battle, a famous paladin binds Sul Khatesh within the Silver Flame, and peace is restored. But know, the PCs could do the same but instead of the monsters of Breland they will face the goblinoids of Darguun, the peaceful (and some not quite so) druids of the Eldeen Reaches, the monsters of the Mournland, and the vicious elves of Valenar before the climactic battle, and they will do so with a harpy bard, minotaur barbarian, and medusa ranger by their side. |
| #12connortheconman93Jul 10, 2010 20:44:41 | Bump. |