The Coffers of Galifar - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Coffers of Galifar

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ChronosCrow
Jun 12, 2009 2:06:44 So, this is something I thought up & if my players desire to go for it, it may become the focus of their campaign from lvl 2-lvl 11.

The coffers of Galifar are just sitting there in Thronehold. In this scenario each country funded their war through their own ecomony, the economic standards of Galifar shattered, but when the kingdom was still together it had to have a common supply on hand.

The royalty at Thronehold probably had access to it at the time, but now that Thronehold is independent ground, who would be allowed access to it? In this scenario no one, the gold belongs to a ruler of Galifar & there is none, so it's just sitting there, waiting. My loop hole is a dismantled royal heirloom, a broken facial mask of Galifar, that when pieced together allows the owner to by pass the House Kundarak seals placed on the doors to the mother of hoards & an ambiguous or forgotten rite/law that gives the owner of the full mask, ownership / co-ownership of the coffers.

Five pieces equals one for each country spread amongst them. This leads to a continent sprawling adventure arc that can take the PCs through all kinds of intrigue, power struggles, enemies & eventual stardom. From that point, lvl 11, it's all about how they choose to influence Khorvaire. Give Cyrans a land to call home? Start your own mega corporation to rival the houses? Fund your fav country to gain control of all of Galifar? It could a veritable tipping point once all the countries realize what just happened.

Getting from LvL 2 to LvL 11 with dungeons, fighting, diplomacy & social interactions ( we like a good balanced mix ) is easy. Though, I'm afraid it may become too social or political after LvL 11. How do they still adventure in Eberron after gaining that kind of status?
#2
rauric
Jun 12, 2009 7:44:01 Take it all away. Yup, have some BBEG come along and take all they gained through guile, politics and all of that. The BBEG could be anyone from a royal, to politician to a merchant to someone the pcs ticked off at some point.

I suggest this option just because 11-20 sounds to be Chapter Two of your campaign and the middle part of many stories are often downers or try to break down the pcs just to build them back up again. The pcs should worry less about political power at this point and focus on revenge/justice and to learn about what the BBEG is really up to. This does not happen right when they become 11th, you should do a "One Year Later" segway(sp?) and ask the pcs what they want to do with their power. Boom, it happens but a year later it all gets pretty hairy, very quickly.

If you choose to go the other route just because the pcs may be higher levels than other rulers, politicians and merchants this does make them untouchable. They may have political and financial power to go on top of their physical power but so do other people in Eberron. Those other factions have been in buisnesss for alot longer than the pcs and have alot of contacts and friends, probably more than the pcs. Corporate spies and whatnot may be rampant and there are high level mercs and bad guys still around (this is 4E) so the pc's rivals could just hire them to attack the pcs, their holdings or the pieces of the mask they found (this goes back to my "Take everything away from them" bit).

Just my two cents. My players were known heroes and had an airship by
10th level in my 3E game. By 11th level (six months later) they were on the run for a murder they did not commit (regicide of the Prince of Cyre), their skyship was stolen and their hero status was on hold. They had to flee Khorvaire just to escape capture. Anyway, the players were intent on taking their stuff backand nailing the guys who did it. Every group and game is different. It worked for me (so far) but it may not work for your game. Good luck.;)
#3
el_shawno
Jun 12, 2009 9:35:49 Actually, one BBEG may get his/her hands on the mask, but that doesn't mean he/she is the only one out there. As news of the reassembled mask spreads throughout Khorvaire (and beyond), the number of factions competing for that prize would likely skyrocket. You'd have a HUGE number of potential hooks opening up as everyone starts sending agents out to retrieve this artifact. Your party could suddenly be caught up in a shadow war between the Blood of Vol and the Church of the Silver Flame, for example. An ambitious Warforged leader could see the riches and prestige offered from possessing the mask as a launching point for a Warforged kingdom that has him on the throne. And so on and so forth...

In fact, a good point of inspiration for this kind of story could be taken from the "Season of Mists" storyline from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic. Go read it for its own sake if you haven't already but also look at as good example of a story where many factions jockey for a powerful artifact.
#4
Rhoan01
Jun 13, 2009 0:31:37 Another potential hook is something within the hoard itself; an art piece or item that seems innocuous, but has greater ramifications down the line. Here's a few examples:

Da Vinci What? - An ancient scroll, so thick it takes two men or a stout warforged to carry, that follows the ancient history and bloodline of the Wynarn family line all the way back to Sarlona and is written in its ancient script. It takes a long time to decipher (at least a year, if the players give it to someone like the Library of Korranberg to translate), but when finished reveals a startling secret about the royal family of Korranberg, such as a lost bastard line or evidence the Wynarns died out and were replaced by a rival family that took their name. Whether the secret is made public or not, the players must work to either protect themselves, or those now made into targets, from attacks and assassins.

The Jaws of Obliv... I mean, Xoriat - A dragonshard glowing with faint energy, nearly extinguished. While in the players possession, its glow disappears entirely and some calamity comes to pass. The players now have to re-energize the shard into either a weapon or a source of power to protect Khorvaire and Eberron again.

Mad World - Jarot ir'Wynarn, the last king of Galifar was crazy, in a plan-my-own-death-and-resurrection kind of crazy. Hidden inside the mask that opened the vault is Wynarn's ghost, and once the vault is open he begins to make the player's lives a living hell; sabotaging their political plans, turning his descendants against them, eventually becoming a major villain they must defeat later in the paragon tier.
#5
archangel62
Jun 17, 2009 6:03:19 Well, if there is a completed mask it can become a game where multiple groups try to court the PCs or to attack them. Are any of them aligned with the dragonmarked houses, did any of them have big ambitions they wanted? Not to mention the fact that the party could also become targets for theft, assassination, or people trying to turn public opinion against them. Maybe they have the wealth but some shadowy group is working to keep them from becoming a new free power, so they do things to keep them from being able to succeed, focus various groups against them, make public opinion turn against them to the point where they can't get even a neutral reception wherever they go.
#6
archangel62
Jun 17, 2009 6:05:49
Mad World - Jarot ir'Wynarn, the last king of Galifar was crazy, in a plan-my-own-death-and-resurrection kind of crazy. Hidden inside the mask that opened the vault is Wynarn's ghost, and once the vault is open he begins to make the player's lives a living hell; sabotaging their political plans, turning his descendants against them, eventually becoming a major villain they must defeat later in the paragon tier.

Ooh, or maybe each main monarch was actually possessed by the ghost of Karn the conqueror or whoever the first true king is considered to be, their minds melded into a sort of unified being. Whoever enters will be taken over by the intellect that has formed.
#7
Alas
Jun 17, 2009 12:43:50 Don't forget that in a Thronehold scenario like the one you're outlining you can also throw in the Thronewardens, the House Deneith special group charged with keeping the palace secure. In early adventures you can use them as antagonists, fighting off the PCs and blocking their access. Later, as the PCs get more pieces of the "rightful owner" puzzle, the Thronewardens can morph into allies and (eventually) servitors.

(Just make sure the PCs don't burn too many bridges in the early stages!)
#8
el_shawno
Jun 20, 2009 19:00:59 Here's an idea: Have another DM run an adventuring group that's also seeking the various pieces of the mask. Eventually, they cross paths and have to figure out if they're going to cooperate or fight with one another. After that would be largely up to the parites.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ChronosCrow Jun 12, 2009 2:06:44	So, this is something I thought up & if my players desire to go for it, it may become the focus of their campaign from lvl 2-lvl 11. The coffers of Galifar are just sitting there in Thronehold. In this scenario each country funded their war through their own ecomony, the economic standards of Galifar shattered, but when the kingdom was still together it had to have a common supply on hand. The royalty at Thronehold probably had access to it at the time, but now that Thronehold is independent ground, who would be allowed access to it? In this scenario no one, the gold belongs to a ruler of Galifar & there is none, so it's just sitting there, waiting. My loop hole is a dismantled royal heirloom, a broken facial mask of Galifar, that when pieced together allows the owner to by pass the House Kundarak seals placed on the doors to the mother of hoards & an ambiguous or forgotten rite/law that gives the owner of the full mask, ownership / co-ownership of the coffers. Five pieces equals one for each country spread amongst them. This leads to a continent sprawling adventure arc that can take the PCs through all kinds of intrigue, power struggles, enemies & eventual stardom. From that point, lvl 11, it's all about how they choose to influence Khorvaire. Give Cyrans a land to call home? Start your own mega corporation to rival the houses? Fund your fav country to gain control of all of Galifar? It could a veritable tipping point once all the countries realize what just happened. Getting from LvL 2 to LvL 11 with dungeons, fighting, diplomacy & social interactions ( we like a good balanced mix ) is easy. Though, I'm afraid it may become too social or political after LvL 11. How do they still adventure in Eberron after gaining that kind of status?
#2 rauric Jun 12, 2009 7:44:01	Take it all away. Yup, have some BBEG come along and take all they gained through guile, politics and all of that. The BBEG could be anyone from a royal, to politician to a merchant to someone the pcs ticked off at some point. I suggest this option just because 11-20 sounds to be Chapter Two of your campaign and the middle part of many stories are often downers or try to break down the pcs just to build them back up again. The pcs should worry less about political power at this point and focus on revenge/justice and to learn about what the BBEG is really up to. This does not happen right when they become 11th, you should do a "One Year Later" segway(sp?) and ask the pcs what they want to do with their power. Boom, it happens but a year later it all gets pretty hairy, very quickly. If you choose to go the other route just because the pcs may be higher levels than other rulers, politicians and merchants this does make them untouchable. They may have political and financial power to go on top of their physical power but so do other people in Eberron. Those other factions have been in buisnesss for alot longer than the pcs and have alot of contacts and friends, probably more than the pcs. Corporate spies and whatnot may be rampant and there are high level mercs and bad guys still around (this is 4E) so the pc's rivals could just hire them to attack the pcs, their holdings or the pieces of the mask they found (this goes back to my "Take everything away from them" bit). Just my two cents. My players were known heroes and had an airship by 10th level in my 3E game. By 11th level (six months later) they were on the run for a murder they did not commit (regicide of the Prince of Cyre), their skyship was stolen and their hero status was on hold. They had to flee Khorvaire just to escape capture. Anyway, the players were intent on taking their stuff backand nailing the guys who did it. Every group and game is different. It worked for me (so far) but it may not work for your game. Good luck.;)
#3 el_shawno Jun 12, 2009 9:35:49	Actually, one BBEG may get his/her hands on the mask, but that doesn't mean he/she is the only one out there. As news of the reassembled mask spreads throughout Khorvaire (and beyond), the number of factions competing for that prize would likely skyrocket. You'd have a HUGE number of potential hooks opening up as everyone starts sending agents out to retrieve this artifact. Your party could suddenly be caught up in a shadow war between the Blood of Vol and the Church of the Silver Flame, for example. An ambitious Warforged leader could see the riches and prestige offered from possessing the mask as a launching point for a Warforged kingdom that has him on the throne. And so on and so forth... In fact, a good point of inspiration for this kind of story could be taken from the "Season of Mists" storyline from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic. Go read it for its own sake if you haven't already but also look at as good example of a story where many factions jockey for a powerful artifact.
#4 Rhoan01 Jun 13, 2009 0:31:37	Another potential hook is something within the hoard itself; an art piece or item that seems innocuous, but has greater ramifications down the line. Here's a few examples: Da Vinci What? - An ancient scroll, so thick it takes two men or a stout warforged to carry, that follows the ancient history and bloodline of the Wynarn family line all the way back to Sarlona and is written in its ancient script. It takes a long time to decipher (at least a year, if the players give it to someone like the Library of Korranberg to translate), but when finished reveals a startling secret about the royal family of Korranberg, such as a lost bastard line or evidence the Wynarns died out and were replaced by a rival family that took their name. Whether the secret is made public or not, the players must work to either protect themselves, or those now made into targets, from attacks and assassins. The Jaws of Obliv... I mean, Xoriat - A dragonshard glowing with faint energy, nearly extinguished. While in the players possession, its glow disappears entirely and some calamity comes to pass. The players now have to re-energize the shard into either a weapon or a source of power to protect Khorvaire and Eberron again. Mad World - Jarot ir'Wynarn, the last king of Galifar was crazy, in a plan-my-own-death-and-resurrection kind of crazy. Hidden inside the mask that opened the vault is Wynarn's ghost, and once the vault is open he begins to make the player's lives a living hell; sabotaging their political plans, turning his descendants against them, eventually becoming a major villain they must defeat later in the paragon tier.
#5 archangel62 Jun 17, 2009 6:03:19	Well, if there is a completed mask it can become a game where multiple groups try to court the PCs or to attack them. Are any of them aligned with the dragonmarked houses, did any of them have big ambitions they wanted? Not to mention the fact that the party could also become targets for theft, assassination, or people trying to turn public opinion against them. Maybe they have the wealth but some shadowy group is working to keep them from becoming a new free power, so they do things to keep them from being able to succeed, focus various groups against them, make public opinion turn against them to the point where they can't get even a neutral reception wherever they go.
#6 archangel62 Jun 17, 2009 6:05:49	Mad World - Jarot ir'Wynarn, the last king of Galifar was crazy, in a plan-my-own-death-and-resurrection kind of crazy. Hidden inside the mask that opened the vault is Wynarn's ghost, and once the vault is open he begins to make the player's lives a living hell; sabotaging their political plans, turning his descendants against them, eventually becoming a major villain they must defeat later in the paragon tier. Ooh, or maybe each main monarch was actually possessed by the ghost of Karn the conqueror or whoever the first true king is considered to be, their minds melded into a sort of unified being. Whoever enters will be taken over by the intellect that has formed.
#7 Alas Jun 17, 2009 12:43:50	Don't forget that in a Thronehold scenario like the one you're outlining you can also throw in the Thronewardens, the House Deneith special group charged with keeping the palace secure. In early adventures you can use them as antagonists, fighting off the PCs and blocking their access. Later, as the PCs get more pieces of the "rightful owner" puzzle, the Thronewardens can morph into allies and (eventually) servitors. (Just make sure the PCs don't burn too many bridges in the early stages!)
#8 el_shawno Jun 20, 2009 19:00:59	Here's an idea: Have another DM run an adventuring group that's also seeking the various pieces of the mask. Eventually, they cross paths and have to figure out if they're going to cooperate or fight with one another. After that would be largely up to the parites.