The Demon Wastes - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Demon Wastes

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
dark_necro
Nov 18, 2009 4:38:23 I'm going to start a campaign soon that will take place in the Demon Wastes. I want to run a campaign that has almost a western feel to it and I know the Demon Wastes are very similar to the old west. Tribes wandering the land>Native Americans. Horrible place to live but people do it for Kyber Shards>Gold. I just felt like it would have a great feel to it and seeing as the whole place is packed so tight with evil I can't imagine ever having trouble finding something to throw at the PC's.

Now my question is this, how do I actually do this? I was thinking about running it out of Blood Creasant but I noticed that only guild members live there and that seems more like a base that a community to base the campain out of. Though Festering holt doesn't really seem to have anything to offer the PC's.

So I could use the communities input. Where do you think this would be best based out of? Also what do you think I could do with the Demon Wastes especially at early levels. I've already got quite a bit of idea's but I'm not sure they fit as well after I read a bit more. Would it be ok for some Cannith mages to be stationed in Blood Creasant or would Tharashk be too oposed to that?
#2
noneedforaname
Nov 18, 2009 14:00:24 That sounds like a really cool idea, I've never thought of the Demon Wastes as being old west but now that you mention it, it reminds me a lot of Stephen King's Gunslinger series. As far as coming from B.C. it says they welcome adventurers so its not like you have to be in House Tharashk, perhaps you could set them up as minor adversaries, like the corrupt mining company squeezing out the little guys. You have a point about F.H., it doesn't seem like the kind of place anyone would want to stay in for very long, but maybe that's about to change. Remember alot of the settlers of the old west were veterans of the civil war, perhaps a number of Cyran refugees are looking for a place to call their own and have somehow washed up in Festering Holt. Towns also popped up almost overnight in the old west when there was a discovery so I can see a lot of opportunity for a Magnificent Seven type of scenario. It's too bad there's no lightning rails going out that far, but hey even that could change. The only negative thing I will say is that I dont really see this as being a level 1 adventure, it's far too dangerous, but if the PCs are okay with a high mortality rate (maybe you could use the old Dark Sun method of keeping same level alts around) then why not.

Man, you've really got my brain going, I might have to steal this here idea for myself, pilgrim.
#3
dark_necro
Nov 19, 2009 0:44:51 I really like where your going with Festering Holt! I'd love to have it being built into a more stable community by the other guilds as a way to squeeze out some profit. It works perfectly as an explanation as to why the town is a little more progressed then as is stated in the books. I'm not too worried as to the danger of the wastes because my party will only run into what I throw at them. There are plenty of low level barbarians and demons running around in the world. If this Festering Holt is growing so quickly maybe it flies under the radar for some time and the only Carrion Tribes that the PC's run into are small time, it's not till Festering Holt really gains some permanence that the real demonic taint begins to show it's face. I feel like a heroic tier climax set up similar to the Magnificent Seven would be perfect. The PC's have to defend the town a final time as all the forces of the Wastes bear down upon them, one last chance to shed blood and make it known that the Holt is off limits!

It's funny that you mention the Gunslinger series....I'm finishing the 7th book as we speak and it was my inspiration for starting this campaign.
#4
ellorin
Nov 19, 2009 8:19:23 The Demon Wastes as an old west area? Interesting choice-it defintely has potential. Personally I'd have picked Darguun, but this is a great choice as well. I'd like to point out the city of Desolate and the plan of Aundair to send Cyran refugees there to rebuild. I think you should consider it-a young frontier town certainly works with the western feel you're looking for. Furthermore, 'd like to ask how are you going to y=use the Gaash'kala.
#5
dark_necro
Nov 19, 2009 15:24:51 All these wonderful ideas! It would be cool to use Desolate but I don't think I'm as in love with it as a starting town. Maybe a great quest to help keep the town and refugees safe would be suitable though.

I have been tossing around ideas about things that may happen down the line if the campaign goes well and continues on. One of the ideas I had was the adventures eventually wanting to leave through the labyrinth and encountering the Ghaash'Kala and the challenge of gaining their trust or pushing through with violence. I don't want to get too far ahead because I want the story to evolve naturally but I do want a feel of things that COULD happen if the PCs wander in certain directions. One big idea that's been pressing on the tingly creative bits of my mind has been eventually revealing a part of the prophecy to the adventurers, a part that labels them not as great heroes but the catalyst for horrible destruction. I can see the Lords of Dust trying to use them in this way to herald in a new age of Demons or something along those lines but like I said I don't want to get to far ahead of myself.
#6
MrCelsius
Nov 20, 2009 12:30:03 I like it! I'm running the Demon Wastes as the Shadowlands from Legend of the Five Rings, but old west frontier fits equally well. Just goes to show how far a stroke of the narrative brush can go in changing the flavour of a setting. I really like the imagery and conflict present in the idea of Orien trying to bridge the canyons of the Labyrinth in order to build the lightning rail right over the top of the Carrion Tribes' territory. Ambushes on the mesa, attempts to destroy the bridge, stranding passengers on the high ground between canyons, etc.

     There are two setting dynamics I see being possible here, as represented in various western stories: either the settlers and prospectors of the Demon Wastes are virtually alone, or they're part of a new wave of exploration and settlement. In the case of the former you get a much more spaghetti western gritty feel, where everyone knows that they're basically stuck living in the worst part of the world, and either greed or desperation drove them to this hell. The land is utterly lawless and the biggest town you'll find is probably mostly abandoned, the remains of some hopeful effort to tame the frontier. The best way to get this setting is to leave the Demon Wastes just as they are; desolate, isolated, and dangerous.

     In the case of the latter there are enough settlers and prospectors and people along for the ride that people can't help but feel optimistic, that we're all in this together. We're not in the middle of nowhere, we're at the edge of civilization and pushing that edge forward with the strength of our Khorvairan spirit! There are plenty of towns and even a couple of cities at the edge of the Wastes. Military forts secure some territory and only the most desperate or foolhardy settle ahead of the general press of settlement (this would leave room for the option above deeper into the Wastes). Military escorts secure coach routes through the untamed reaches, and the lightning rail has already reached the most outlying of cities. The best way to get this result is to have a shard rush. Someone finds a motherlode of dragonshards, someone (falsely?) publishes a geological survey effectively suggesting that the whole of the Wastes is a thin layer of dirt over miles and miles of dragonshards, and virtually everyone rushes to get a piece of it.

     The two aren't mutually exclusive, of course, and there are certainly middle-grounds in the spectrum between. These are just the two dynamics I've seen most in the westerns I've watched. Whatever you go with, I wish you luck and can't wait to hear how it pans out.
#7
el_shawno
Dec 19, 2009 23:38:06 I could see this being an Old West tale that borrows a lot from King's Gunslinger series. The Roland of the group could be an Avenger or a Paladin. Sussanah could be a Rogue. Eddie cold be a Bard (he could run his mouth quite well), and Jake could be a Ranger (I'm spitballing with that one but Oy could be his beast companion). You could even throw in Father Callahan as a Cleric.

What would Black 13 look in 4E? How did it wind up in the Demon Wastes?

Just throwin' it out there.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 dark_necro Nov 18, 2009 4:38:23	I'm going to start a campaign soon that will take place in the Demon Wastes. I want to run a campaign that has almost a western feel to it and I know the Demon Wastes are very similar to the old west. Tribes wandering the land>Native Americans. Horrible place to live but people do it for Kyber Shards>Gold. I just felt like it would have a great feel to it and seeing as the whole place is packed so tight with evil I can't imagine ever having trouble finding something to throw at the PC's. Now my question is this, how do I actually do this? I was thinking about running it out of Blood Creasant but I noticed that only guild members live there and that seems more like a base that a community to base the campain out of. Though Festering holt doesn't really seem to have anything to offer the PC's. So I could use the communities input. Where do you think this would be best based out of? Also what do you think I could do with the Demon Wastes especially at early levels. I've already got quite a bit of idea's but I'm not sure they fit as well after I read a bit more. Would it be ok for some Cannith mages to be stationed in Blood Creasant or would Tharashk be too oposed to that?
#2 noneedforaname Nov 18, 2009 14:00:24	That sounds like a really cool idea, I've never thought of the Demon Wastes as being old west but now that you mention it, it reminds me a lot of Stephen King's Gunslinger series. As far as coming from B.C. it says they welcome adventurers so its not like you have to be in House Tharashk, perhaps you could set them up as minor adversaries, like the corrupt mining company squeezing out the little guys. You have a point about F.H., it doesn't seem like the kind of place anyone would want to stay in for very long, but maybe that's about to change. Remember alot of the settlers of the old west were veterans of the civil war, perhaps a number of Cyran refugees are looking for a place to call their own and have somehow washed up in Festering Holt. Towns also popped up almost overnight in the old west when there was a discovery so I can see a lot of opportunity for a Magnificent Seven type of scenario. It's too bad there's no lightning rails going out that far, but hey even that could change. The only negative thing I will say is that I dont really see this as being a level 1 adventure, it's far too dangerous, but if the PCs are okay with a high mortality rate (maybe you could use the old Dark Sun method of keeping same level alts around) then why not. Man, you've really got my brain going, I might have to steal this here idea for myself, pilgrim.
#3 dark_necro Nov 19, 2009 0:44:51	I really like where your going with Festering Holt! I'd love to have it being built into a more stable community by the other guilds as a way to squeeze out some profit. It works perfectly as an explanation as to why the town is a little more progressed then as is stated in the books. I'm not too worried as to the danger of the wastes because my party will only run into what I throw at them. There are plenty of low level barbarians and demons running around in the world. If this Festering Holt is growing so quickly maybe it flies under the radar for some time and the only Carrion Tribes that the PC's run into are small time, it's not till Festering Holt really gains some permanence that the real demonic taint begins to show it's face. I feel like a heroic tier climax set up similar to the Magnificent Seven would be perfect. The PC's have to defend the town a final time as all the forces of the Wastes bear down upon them, one last chance to shed blood and make it known that the Holt is off limits! It's funny that you mention the Gunslinger series....I'm finishing the 7th book as we speak and it was my inspiration for starting this campaign.
#4 ellorin Nov 19, 2009 8:19:23	The Demon Wastes as an old west area? Interesting choice-it defintely has potential. Personally I'd have picked Darguun, but this is a great choice as well. I'd like to point out the city of Desolate and the plan of Aundair to send Cyran refugees there to rebuild. I think you should consider it-a young frontier town certainly works with the western feel you're looking for. Furthermore, 'd like to ask how are you going to y=use the Gaash'kala.
#5 dark_necro Nov 19, 2009 15:24:51	All these wonderful ideas! It would be cool to use Desolate but I don't think I'm as in love with it as a starting town. Maybe a great quest to help keep the town and refugees safe would be suitable though. I have been tossing around ideas about things that may happen down the line if the campaign goes well and continues on. One of the ideas I had was the adventures eventually wanting to leave through the labyrinth and encountering the Ghaash'Kala and the challenge of gaining their trust or pushing through with violence. I don't want to get too far ahead because I want the story to evolve naturally but I do want a feel of things that COULD happen if the PCs wander in certain directions. One big idea that's been pressing on the tingly creative bits of my mind has been eventually revealing a part of the prophecy to the adventurers, a part that labels them not as great heroes but the catalyst for horrible destruction. I can see the Lords of Dust trying to use them in this way to herald in a new age of Demons or something along those lines but like I said I don't want to get to far ahead of myself.
#6 MrCelsius Nov 20, 2009 12:30:03	I like it! I'm running the Demon Wastes as the Shadowlands from Legend of the Five Rings, but old west frontier fits equally well. Just goes to show how far a stroke of the narrative brush can go in changing the flavour of a setting. I really like the imagery and conflict present in the idea of Orien trying to bridge the canyons of the Labyrinth in order to build the lightning rail right over the top of the Carrion Tribes' territory. Ambushes on the mesa, attempts to destroy the bridge, stranding passengers on the high ground between canyons, etc. There are two setting dynamics I see being possible here, as represented in various western stories: either the settlers and prospectors of the Demon Wastes are virtually alone, or they're part of a new wave of exploration and settlement. In the case of the former you get a much more spaghetti western gritty feel, where everyone knows that they're basically stuck living in the worst part of the world, and either greed or desperation drove them to this hell. The land is utterly lawless and the biggest town you'll find is probably mostly abandoned, the remains of some hopeful effort to tame the frontier. The best way to get this setting is to leave the Demon Wastes just as they are; desolate, isolated, and dangerous. In the case of the latter there are enough settlers and prospectors and people along for the ride that people can't help but feel optimistic, that we're all in this together. We're not in the middle of nowhere, we're at the edge of civilization and pushing that edge forward with the strength of our Khorvairan spirit! There are plenty of towns and even a couple of cities at the edge of the Wastes. Military forts secure some territory and only the most desperate or foolhardy settle ahead of the general press of settlement (this would leave room for the option above deeper into the Wastes). Military escorts secure coach routes through the untamed reaches, and the lightning rail has already reached the most outlying of cities. The best way to get this result is to have a shard rush. Someone finds a motherlode of dragonshards, someone (falsely?) publishes a geological survey effectively suggesting that the whole of the Wastes is a thin layer of dirt over miles and miles of dragonshards, and virtually everyone rushes to get a piece of it. The two aren't mutually exclusive, of course, and there are certainly middle-grounds in the spectrum between. These are just the two dynamics I've seen most in the westerns I've watched. Whatever you go with, I wish you luck and can't wait to hear how it pans out.
#7 el_shawno Dec 19, 2009 23:38:06	I could see this being an Old West tale that borrows a lot from King's Gunslinger series. The Roland of the group could be an Avenger or a Paladin. Sussanah could be a Rogue. Eddie cold be a Bard (he could run his mouth quite well), and Jake could be a Ranger (I'm spitballing with that one but Oy could be his beast companion). You could even throw in Father Callahan as a Cleric. What would Black 13 look in 4E? How did it wind up in the Demon Wastes? Just throwin' it out there.