Surface Elves, Drow, and High Magic -- help me brainstorm for my epic level campaign - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Surface Elves, Drow, and High Magic -- help me brainstorm for my epic level campaign

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
paulstrait
Mar 17, 2011 4:36:19 I've been running a campaign for the last 2.5 years that just hit the epic tier, and I've got big parts of the plot worked out, but some of the ideas I have are a little vague. I'm hoping that some of the super FR knowledgeable people could weigh in on some things, as well as just any ideas from anyone about how to develop some of these issues into interesting adventures.

One pc, a drow wizard, just took the 'demigod' epic destiny, and he hopes to become the new god of magic. Some of the sub-plot arcs have involved promoting cooperation between drow and surface elves -- there is an elven champion in the party (who wields the famed Warblade), and the two of them get along fairly well. The drow PC is also the head of a house in a small drow community that lives in harmony with a small elven community-- the two communities together have a council of elders with 5 drow and 5 surface elves, and he is on this council.

Anyhow, one of the plot points for the epic tier is going to involve him learning Elven High Magic, and I wanted to deal with the drow side of things... so if anyone has any knowledge about this, I'd love to hear it, but also if you just could help me brainstorm a little bit, that would be much appreciated.

Beyond the High Magic question, one of the themes we have been exploring in this campaign is the potential for some measure of reconciliation between drow and surface elves. Are there any groups or NPCs (past or present) that would potentially relevant to this? I can imagine that the majority of surface elves as well as drow would oppose any sort of reconciliation, but there has to be a few on each side that yearn for elven unity.

One of my thoughts driving this question is that elven magic in general, and particularly High Magic, is always described as this sort of communion with all of elven kind. So I could imagine with the drow being driven under ground that they were cut off from this... or, on the other hand, perhaps they have a similar situation, a communion with all drow... though the fact that they are so evil and nasty to each other makes me think that maybe their behavior and ethics are a consequence of being cut off from High Magic. If this is the case, I wonder if they have no equivalent at all, or if they retained some sort of vile shadowy and degenerate form of High Magic (sort of like dark side of the force in star wars maybe?) I mean, drow arcanists often seem pretty powerful when they are described. This is more or less how the situation is described in the 2e cormanthyr arcane age supplement, but it is a little vague and speculative.

In any event, I'd love to turn this idea into a plot point for the PCs, some sort of adventure. Any and all ideas on how to do that would be most welcome.

Perhaps some measure of unity would allow them to access an even more powerful and sacred form of High Magic (since it is based on communion, it seems plausible to me that restoring the communion that used to exist might enable a richer form of High Magic). The PCs are going to need extremely powerful magic to foil the plot of the campaign's main antagonists, so perhaps this could be it. I think it would be neat if the PCs had to facilitate some measure of reconciliation, but I'm not sure exactly how to translate that into interesting epic level adventures (it shouldn't be too hard to do so, but any help with the brainstorming process would be fantastic).

Also, could anyone give me a basic synopsis of the Crown Wars? I know that the split between surface elves and drow happened during the Crown Wars, but I have no idea what they were about, why they happened, who fought in them, etc. I'd like to know the specific circumstances of the split, especially b/c this campaign involves time travel (the PCs spent the second half of the paragon tier in ancient Netheril around the time of Karsus's folly)... if possible, I'd love it if the party had reason to briefly go back in time to some point in the Crown Wars...

Seriously, any and all ideas, big or small, are welcome. I've never had a campaign run this long, and I really want the last year or so of it to be awesome, worthy of the long time everyone has been playing, so I've been trying to brainstorm as much as possible before locking in to a particular plot direction. And, of course, there is some unpredictability b/c I can't control where the PCs go, what they do, etc... I can just create opportunities for the story to move ever forward.
#2
paulstrait
Mar 17, 2011 4:46:21 One other thought-- in addition to High Magic, some elven wizards practiced dualism. I know the following about dualism:

   -- four types of dualist -- Alurakar (abjuration & alteration), Dijakkar (conjuration & divination)
   Encikkar (enchantment & invocation), Nelluonkkar (illusion & necromancy)

   -- magic is a dynamic, cyclical force, where each magic has equal and opposite magic
   -- wizardry is about manipulating one force against its opposite to achieve the desired reaction
   -Alurakar -- magic is the application of motion or form to the Weave, or the cessation of the same
   -Dijakkar -- the Weave is a Great Tunnel connecting Toril to all other worlds, and they draw things through the tunnel
   -Encikkar -- the Weave is a living force or pair of forces, and that force can be subtly (or forcefully) pushed or pulled within a being or object;
   -Nelluonkkar -- the Weave is no more than a veil. Veil between life and death is an illusion; both are equal states of matter and space. The shape and energy within the veil is the source of magic.

#3
Zireael
Mar 17, 2011 5:04:29 I've done a conversion of the dualists for 3.5, the mechanical part could use some improvement, but the philosophy is OK. The downside? It's in Polish...
#4
paulstrait
Mar 17, 2011 5:13:59 that sounds really cool, though I don't speak Polish and we play 4E. But, their mechanics aren't so much important to me. I'm more interested in how to craft a story/plot/adventure around them.

Since you did this conversion, I presume you played in or ran a campaign involving dualists... Do you have any lore from your campaign that might be interesting for me to incorporate or build off of?
#5
paulstrait
Mar 17, 2011 5:17:21 regarding the dualists, I had one other line of thought -- perhaps the dualism could be related to the dualism between elven and drow magic, as well as between shadow weave vs. weave magic (I realize these are pre-spellplague concepts but I've retained them for my campaign for various story reasons). I dunno, I feel like I'm rubbing up against something that could be really cool but I'm not sure how to bring it to fruition.
#6
gomeztoo
Mar 24, 2011 10:47:14 Supportes for the cause? Ther are of course the drow from the Lady Penitent series, who became dark elves by using high magic, which was imbued to them through kiira (drow made ones!), that were found under the High Moor. These migth still be around.

From that series, you can also deduce that the Sharn (the ones that did not go - more - insane) migth be in support (at least, I recall the Sharn's involvement at some point...).

The remnants of the Eilistraee drow could also be allies. The only known Maiden so far is the drow Yellira Am'benuinyl, the manager of the Fall of Stars, but there are likely more.

Gomez

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 paulstrait Mar 17, 2011 4:36:19	I've been running a campaign for the last 2.5 years that just hit the epic tier, and I've got big parts of the plot worked out, but some of the ideas I have are a little vague. I'm hoping that some of the super FR knowledgeable people could weigh in on some things, as well as just any ideas from anyone about how to develop some of these issues into interesting adventures. One pc, a drow wizard, just took the 'demigod' epic destiny, and he hopes to become the new god of magic. Some of the sub-plot arcs have involved promoting cooperation between drow and surface elves -- there is an elven champion in the party (who wields the famed Warblade), and the two of them get along fairly well. The drow PC is also the head of a house in a small drow community that lives in harmony with a small elven community-- the two communities together have a council of elders with 5 drow and 5 surface elves, and he is on this council. Anyhow, one of the plot points for the epic tier is going to involve him learning Elven High Magic, and I wanted to deal with the drow side of things... so if anyone has any knowledge about this, I'd love to hear it, but also if you just could help me brainstorm a little bit, that would be much appreciated. Beyond the High Magic question, one of the themes we have been exploring in this campaign is the potential for some measure of reconciliation between drow and surface elves. Are there any groups or NPCs (past or present) that would potentially relevant to this? I can imagine that the majority of surface elves as well as drow would oppose any sort of reconciliation, but there has to be a few on each side that yearn for elven unity. One of my thoughts driving this question is that elven magic in general, and particularly High Magic, is always described as this sort of communion with all of elven kind. So I could imagine with the drow being driven under ground that they were cut off from this... or, on the other hand, perhaps they have a similar situation, a communion with all drow... though the fact that they are so evil and nasty to each other makes me think that maybe their behavior and ethics are a consequence of being cut off from High Magic. If this is the case, I wonder if they have no equivalent at all, or if they retained some sort of vile shadowy and degenerate form of High Magic (sort of like dark side of the force in star wars maybe?) I mean, drow arcanists often seem pretty powerful when they are described. This is more or less how the situation is described in the 2e cormanthyr arcane age supplement, but it is a little vague and speculative. In any event, I'd love to turn this idea into a plot point for the PCs, some sort of adventure. Any and all ideas on how to do that would be most welcome. Perhaps some measure of unity would allow them to access an even more powerful and sacred form of High Magic (since it is based on communion, it seems plausible to me that restoring the communion that used to exist might enable a richer form of High Magic). The PCs are going to need extremely powerful magic to foil the plot of the campaign's main antagonists, so perhaps this could be it. I think it would be neat if the PCs had to facilitate some measure of reconciliation, but I'm not sure exactly how to translate that into interesting epic level adventures (it shouldn't be too hard to do so, but any help with the brainstorming process would be fantastic). Also, could anyone give me a basic synopsis of the Crown Wars? I know that the split between surface elves and drow happened during the Crown Wars, but I have no idea what they were about, why they happened, who fought in them, etc. I'd like to know the specific circumstances of the split, especially b/c this campaign involves time travel (the PCs spent the second half of the paragon tier in ancient Netheril around the time of Karsus's folly)... if possible, I'd love it if the party had reason to briefly go back in time to some point in the Crown Wars... Seriously, any and all ideas, big or small, are welcome. I've never had a campaign run this long, and I really want the last year or so of it to be awesome, worthy of the long time everyone has been playing, so I've been trying to brainstorm as much as possible before locking in to a particular plot direction. And, of course, there is some unpredictability b/c I can't control where the PCs go, what they do, etc... I can just create opportunities for the story to move ever forward.
#2 paulstrait Mar 17, 2011 4:46:21	One other thought-- in addition to High Magic, some elven wizards practiced dualism. I know the following about dualism: -- four types of dualist -- Alurakar (abjuration & alteration), Dijakkar (conjuration & divination) Encikkar (enchantment & invocation), Nelluonkkar (illusion & necromancy) -- magic is a dynamic, cyclical force, where each magic has equal and opposite magic -- wizardry is about manipulating one force against its opposite to achieve the desired reaction -Alurakar -- magic is the application of motion or form to the Weave, or the cessation of the same -Dijakkar -- the Weave is a Great Tunnel connecting Toril to all other worlds, and they draw things through the tunnel -Encikkar -- the Weave is a living force or pair of forces, and that force can be subtly (or forcefully) pushed or pulled within a being or object; -Nelluonkkar -- the Weave is no more than a veil. Veil between life and death is an illusion; both are equal states of matter and space. The shape and energy within the veil is the source of magic.
#3 Zireael Mar 17, 2011 5:04:29	I've done a conversion of the dualists for 3.5, the mechanical part could use some improvement, but the philosophy is OK. The downside? It's in Polish...
#4 paulstrait Mar 17, 2011 5:13:59	that sounds really cool, though I don't speak Polish and we play 4E. But, their mechanics aren't so much important to me. I'm more interested in how to craft a story/plot/adventure around them. Since you did this conversion, I presume you played in or ran a campaign involving dualists... Do you have any lore from your campaign that might be interesting for me to incorporate or build off of?
#5 paulstrait Mar 17, 2011 5:17:21	regarding the dualists, I had one other line of thought -- perhaps the dualism could be related to the dualism between elven and drow magic, as well as between shadow weave vs. weave magic (I realize these are pre-spellplague concepts but I've retained them for my campaign for various story reasons). I dunno, I feel like I'm rubbing up against something that could be really cool but I'm not sure how to bring it to fruition.
#6 gomeztoo Mar 24, 2011 10:47:14	Supportes for the cause? Ther are of course the drow from the Lady Penitent series, who became dark elves by using high magic, which was imbued to them through kiira (drow made ones!), that were found under the High Moor. These migth still be around. From that series, you can also deduce that the Sharn (the ones that did not go - more - insane) migth be in support (at least, I recall the Sharn's involvement at some point...). The remnants of the Eilistraee drow could also be allies. The only known Maiden so far is the drow Yellira Am'benuinyl, the manager of the Fall of Stars, but there are likely more. Gomez