So there are a number of areas in the campaign (described below) that I need to flesh out. I also feel like I am not immersing my ideas far enough into the Realms for my liking and I would like some ideas for help with that. I am also looking for any glaring contradictions to basic canon. For map information and locations, I have drawn and painted a detailed map that is in my profile. Thank you in advance for advice and ideas.
Filson
The Shard of Corellon Campaign
Heroic Tier: Scardale has very recently become the center of some kind of mining boom and the player characters are making their way across the sea of Fallen Stars to the rough and ready boomtown to make their fortune. The Heroic tier will involve freeing Scardale from an attempt to isolate it from the outside world and discovering an ancient door at the bottom of the mine. The isolation is a plot by Bane to get his evil, grubby hands on an item called the Shard of Corellon, a small fragment of Corellon's sword that carved the scar and is buried deep in the cliffs. Additionally, it is a way for Fzoul Chembryl to strike an avenging blow to the hated Netherese who now ostensibly control Scardale. Pirates in the employ of the Thayans (Szass Tam owing Bane a favor and looking to expand his empire) are controlling the sea approaches to Scardale. To the south, Bane loyal Zhent mercenaries and their thralls (goblins in particular since Bane absorbed the goblin pantheon) are raiding merchants and travelers. To the north, the Church of Bane is raising an undead army in the Cold Fields (which is now partly covered by an encroaching arm of Cormanthor Forest).
Level 1. The party is shipwrecked at the tip of the peninsula south of Scardale. I shamelessly stole some elements from a Level 1 adventure called "Wreck Ashore" that was published on the D&D website in 2004. The ship is wrecked intentionally through the use of a false lighthouse by pirates (who are in the employ of Thay). The goal for the first part is defeating the pirates and getting to some sort of civilization . . . Doran's Cove. The party in the process befriends a tribe of lizardfolk and finds the actual lighthouse put out of operation and its occupants slain.
Level 2. Some seeds are dropped to give the party a desire to make their way to Scardale. Specifically, they find information in the ruined lighthouse that a surviving member of that family is living in Scardale. Also, communication with Scardale has been interrupted by unknown forces (goblin bandits occupying an abandoned watchtower north of town). I was going to borrow from the 2nd Delve in Dungeon Delve.
Alternatively or even additionally, there could be an internecine war between factions of lizardfolk on the peninsula. Some of whom are attacking the town. I wanted more of dungeony feel for the second adventure in this campaign so I was more inclined to do the tower.
Level 3. Some kind of adventure in Feather Falls which I have yet to determine or write. Suffice it to say, there needs to be some force there or nearby cutting of contact to the east.
Level 4-6. Fighting the undead and the Church of Bane in the Cold Fields and what I have dubbed Chillwood. This level may also involve some sort of adventure around the ruins of Chandlercross.
Level 7-8. Some kind of urban adventures revolving around the lighthouse keeper's son who I have tentatively slated to be unwittingly sided with the pirates in the employ of Thay (basically he unknowingly causes his own family's death), so there may be some pirate themed element to all of this.
Level 9-10. The party delves the mine above the River Ashaba. The mine will be predominantly occupied by evil duergers and sundry beasties who have been seeking to find the Shard of Corellon. They have just recently discovered a huge door of Shield Dwarven creation that is utterly impassible, but requires three keys in the form of rings. I need to find a good villain for the ultimate battle at the heroic level and have him tied into the previous adventures.
Level 10? I also have a side quest I can throw in that would involve the party returning to Doran's Cove to rescue the comely, virginal tavern owner's daughter who is being sacrificed to a kraken. The town has fallen on hard times and the town priest is attempting to restore the village to the good graces (if there is such a thing) of Umberlee. Upon her rescue, the party is given information leading to a farmer's well that will contain a particularly powerful weapon (a delve I have written already that contains a berbalang).
Paragon Tier: The Paragon Tier will predominantly involve attempting to recover the three rings and will take the party to the Feywild, the Shadowfell and the Underdark. What I would like to do is have the party find out about the rings and then choose which one they go after first. I will plan to have a matrix for the three adventures that relate to the rings so no matter which one they do, they will be the right level.
Level 11. Seeking the information. The party must find out about the rings, so I need to send them on some kind of adventure that involves information retrieval. Candlekeep seems too far. Elminster seems a bit too clichéd. Any advice here would be welcome. They find out that the three rings were given to the three main races: dwarves, humans and eladrin.
Level 12-14. The party must go to the Feywild to acquire the elven ring. Much fighting ensues. This is probably the least fleshed out part of the Paragon tier. Any help here would be appreciated.
Level 15-17. The party must delve into the Underdark in search of Tethyamar, the lost realm of the dwarves. Any additional background (apart from what is written in the FRCG) on Tethyamar that exists would be great.
Level 18-20. The party must break a shadar-kai thief out of Wheloon prison to be able to find Mask's hidden tower in the Shadowfell using the Fane of Shadows to get there. Mask had stolen the ring that was given to men and it is in his pile 'o loot. This part will culminate in fighting the guardian of Shadow Keep (whatever that may be; haven't decided yet . . . shadow dragon maybe?).
Epic Tier: I have thought a lot less about this part of the campaign. But basically the first section will involve recovering the shard (probably two or three levels worth) in an ancient Dwarven vault with traps aplenty and ancient guardians. The second part will involve a quest to craft the shard into a level 30 artifact weapon, involving a trip to the Astral Sea. Bane followers could be pursuing the party throughout this time. And I was thinking of making Fzoul Chembryl and/or Szass Tam the final battle epic battle. I don't really have a desire to try and have the party kill Bane, though I suppose the crafted weapon could be a Banekiller.
Looks good. One thing that may help is the name of Corellons sword; its Sahandrian, so the Shard of Sahandrian is what they are searching for perhaps. It was forged from a piece of a star so this piece might take the form of a meteoric stone.
That's good information. Is there stat information for Corellon's sword from one of the previous FR guides or other publications? I might want to use that as a jumping off point for any sort of forged weapon from the shard.
Thanks!
Filson
I don't know if these are official stats for Sahandrian but I found this link (scroll down to Corellon). You might PM Nai Calus, who knows a lot about Corellon, elves and Eladrin.
Thanks Pamela!
I actually came across the same thing the other day when Googling Corellon's sword.
Filson
I know I just didn't see Boccob as a 117th level spellcaster.:omg:
Wonder where they have my boy Cyric in those forums.:thinking:
That was one bad *** sword Corellon wields. I had to spell his name out out of respect for that Death Stick.
Yeah, I bet Corellon could lay a pretty mean beat-down on Cyric with that thing. No wonder Gruumsh is missing an eye.
Filson
Thanks for posting- I like a lot of your ideas, particularly that a shard of Corellon's sword is somewhere in Scardale. That gives me a few ideas I will use in a future campaign involving the Warlock-Knights of Vaasa. Hmmm....
May I ask: what is the purpose of recovering the shard? Is it for a ritual? Is it to create a weapon against the elves? Is it to create something to control the orcs? This might also spark some ideas for the Epic tier of your campaign... and help me too. ;)
You know, I hadn't really thought of a specific purpose for the shard. In some ways it's just a McGuffin. I always assumed it was bad if Bane and Co. got a hold of it, but I have yet to flesh out why (maybe it saps Corellon's power or maybe Bane will use it against Gruumsh). When the party secures it, I may have them do a quest to forge an artifact weapon from it (I conveniently have a cleric of Corellon in my party who might like to have a Holy Avenger-ish type weapon further on down the road).
That's pretty much it. As the campaign progresses I am sure I will have more ideas about the artifact.
Filson
I'm wondering why Bane needs to isolate the region in order to get his hands on the Shard. Perhaps Bane knows that even if his followers managed to reach the shard they wouldn't be able to take it out right. The shard has a powerful Ward upon it that can be weakened if the people of the region turn their eyes from Correlon and instead choose War.
Knowing this Bane instructs his followers to cut off the region from it's native government causing all sorts of issues. The plan has been in work for a long time and the Lords of the realm aren't particularly concerned about the plight of the people. Bane's followers hope that eventually after being isolated and unsupported for so long a popular revolt will ensue.
So when the group goes to put down the goblins that are deterring caravans and other investors away from the region perhaps the players might discover that the goblins had been frequently paying off and bribing local patrols and other groups. The plot will thicken when they continuously discover that the authorities have no problems looking the other way.