Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Ambiguous Dec 09, 2008 20:50:00	Well as a background I've never played D&D before and the most experience I've had with Forgotten Realms is casually having playing Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games. I'm now DMing a 4e game with a bunch of brand new players. One of my players is a big Baldur's Gate fan and he convinced me to use the Forgotten Realms setting rather than the Points of Light setting. So we're off and we've started adventuring doing KotS with a FR twist I've put on it. I think of myself as quite a creative writer/ storyteller so I'm wanting to have quite an in-depth storyline even if it is my first game. I've done a lot of research about FR already and thankfully the 4e "reset" makes it a bit easier to jump on board. But I still want to make sure that my storyline 1) fits in FR and 2) sounds like a good idea. I decided from the start that I didn't want to be a cliche first DM. So I transplanted KotS to being near a Janessar camp in the Marching Mountains in northern Calimshan. Two PCs are former slaves/ gladiators freed by the Janessar rebels, one is an Eladrin investigating the Drow/ Calimshan slave trade and one is from Amn on a mission from his organisation (a non-approved guild affiliated with the Emerald Cabal). Recently the Janessar have been faced with attacks by the undead. While not a real threat these attacks have proved to be quite a distraction from the main task of freeing slaves and fighting against the genasi armies. The PCs are tasked with investigating the cause of the attacks. On investigation they find that the Twisted Rune is working in concert with the Cult of the Dragon to bring to life an ancient dragon buried beneath an abandoned keep in the area. Karelel, a Wearer of Purple has been tapping into the resources of the Janessar camp to help him excavate the dragon corpse and complete the necromantic ritual. I haven't planned the rest of the heroic or paragon tiers but for Epic I am essentially thinking that an alliance of necromantic forces including the Cult of the Dragon and the Twisted Rune and lead by Szass Tam planning the death of Kelemvor and having Szass Tam seize his portfolio as the god of death and undeath. Since the deaths of Mystra, Azuth and Velsharoon Kelemvor's power has grown and necromancers have found their powers waning or less predictable than before the spellplague. Szass Tam hopes that by seizing the death portfolio he will be able to revoke the promise he made to Bane for his soul. I was considering having the Church of Cyric and Zhentarim as allies of convenience with the undead alliance- Cyric loathes Kelemvor and Bane both and the undead alliance is opposed to both. It also allows me to tie in the Emerald Cabal and Amn (possibly during paragon) who are fighting against the Church of Cyric. Cyric, of course, hopes that he will be able to use Szass Tam to kill Kelemvor and then seize the death portfolio for himself. So how does that sound as a first, rough draft storyline? Epic enough? Are there any big inconsistencies of things that fly in the face of canon? Any other suggestions of things that could be added? I want to ensure that my players' first game is one they really remember...
#2 lord_karsus Dec 09, 2008 23:31:57	-Online DRAGON magazine had an "official" Forgotten Realms conversion for Keep on the Shadowfell. Not playing 4e, I've never bothered looking at it, but you might as well check it out, and see if there's anything you might want to take from it. It can be found HERE.
#3 Ambiguous Dec 10, 2008 2:01:02	Actually I was partially inspired by some of the ideas in it. It's set in Cormyr and I'm in Calimshan, but I found the storyline more in-depth and interesting than the adventure as it appears in the book.
#4 lord_karsus Dec 10, 2008 10:03:37	-If you've mined something decent from it, then it's worth every free cent you spent on it. ;)
#5 serphet Dec 10, 2008 10:52:13	Also I believe Azuth is dead. Killed by Asmodeus (or I may be confusing him)
#6 lord_karsus Dec 10, 2008 10:54:47	-Right. Sucked him dry.