Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Kensan_Oni Feb 01, 2009 21:01:18	The Story So Far: Having decided they didn't like FR1, the party relayed their desire to go fight a dragon. So giving them a map, I moved the party north from where I placed them in the Alamir mountains, where they had an encounter today with the Brown Dragon that I plan on them encountering... Well, not the dragon, actually, but the Dragon's siblings. Expostion: The current adventure revolves around Takram'ori, a Brown Dragon that hatched sometime shortly after the Spellplauge. Part of a clutch of six eggs, it hatched slightly before the Spellplauge washed over Calimshan. The remaining eggs were destroyed, but the souls of the dragons were not. They rose up as Wyrm-Wisps, and have been haunting Takram'ori ever since. Takram'ori has taken up following their suggestions on subjugating the local populations under his will. Takram'ori would rather not bother, and just stay hidden and eat the occasional goat, but he likes his hatchlings ideas, and the local villages have been providing opals and shinies for a horde. So, today, the party ran into an encounter with two of the five siblings, and their summoned shades. After such an encounter, they felt that they needed an edge, so they asked if there was anything that could put a dragon to sleep. They got a descent roll for a 2nd level party, so I said, yeah... there might be something, but it was found in Spider Swamp... which no longer is there. The plant might still be, though. However, the Plain of Stone Spiders is over 300 miles away, and you have bands of escaped slaves, Slavehunters, and the Armies of the Djinn running around. To which the party went "Great! We can raise a mercenary army!". This might not end well... However, I figured I would tap into you people. This is going to give me a chance to use a monster I conceived of months ago, so I've been wanting to find a way to get them out into the Plain of Stone Spiders. The questions I have are. 1) Should I let them raise a Mercenary Company? If so, what type of people should they find? What would the need to do to earn those people's trust to go on a suicide hunt for a dragon? 2) I really am thinking I should make the herb run a wild goose chase, a mistaken lore, or at best, a truth that has past since the plague. However, I like the possibility that it still might a druid or a primal person out hiding in the dried areas trying to keep the plant life alive, and has done so for a couple of decades. What kind of order do you think might be willing to do so? 3) The Wyrm-Wisps are reborn every midnight after their death, due to their souls being bound to the eggs that were warped by the spell-plague. Destroying them will prevent their reforming, but should I include a possibility for a ritual that will remove the taint, and reverse their polarity from being shadow to being more light type beings? 4) I was thinking about having the Takram'ori's lair being hidden away in a Giant Geode that is reachable by a Earth Node network that is hidden in a cave, which is why a lot of people never have found the lair. Would you find this a frustrating situation, or do you find this a clever reason to insert an isolated dungeon? I welcome input on this matter, especially stuff that might bring things more in line with more realmsian feelings.
#2 Mr_Miscellany Feb 05, 2009 19:34:33	What sort of numbers on the mercenary company? 10 men? 100? I'm sort of thinking on it from a rules perspective in terms of how you adjudicate all those dudes attacking during play.
#3 Kensan_Oni Feb 06, 2009 2:12:33	That is a very good question, really. Currently my thoughts is that they won't be able to find very many mercenaries that aren't already on contract with either the last Human City in Calimshan or in one of the two Skyfire armies. You will basically either have 1) An elite adventuring Party that hires itself out, or 2) the Deserters of one of the contesting Gensai armies that refuse to participate anymore in the conflict. Say, a platoon of 50 soldiers at most. The real thing is convincing either of them to go on a dragon hunt. The Adventures will want a even share, and are probably not the most trustworthy adventuring group, considering the southern realms. The Army will demand less of a share, but they are more numerous, less endurable (Made up of many minions), and are more then likely going to bolt if the danger is too high without some skill checks from the Warlord. While it will be easier to find the deserters, it will be harder to find the adventuring company. In either case, they won't find either without having to do a favor for someone in return. This will probably be dealing with a vizier at some point, asking the party to take care of this or that problem, which I haven't completely decided upon yet.