Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ganryu Apr 07, 2010 20:23:58	I'm going to run a one-shot adventure in Eberron in a couple of weeks and I'm preparing for it right now. I'm posting a rough summary here mainly for feedback and suggestions (and perhaps some discussion too!) This adventure isn't finished and it's still in the planning stages so most of it is open to change. It should be obvious from the summary that it's not intended to be taken too seriously (atleast not up until they get killed doing something blatantly idiotic) With this adventure I'm trying to A: Throw my players for a loop B: Curb some, at times excessive, metagaming C: Kill the PCs (admittedly in a fair fashion, but this isn't going to be a "soft" adventure) (no seriously I'm not going to go out of my way to do it, but I'm not going to hold back at all) (honestly) D: Cause some lols at the table Very Brief Summary The PCs (level 5 or 6) are all relatively established people within their different fields. All PCs are assumed to have some relatively high-standing job. All of them know someone who knows someone who knows Konstantin Sedov, a baron living in a castle in the woods of Karrnath. One day they get an invitation to his castle for "dinner" and to discuss "business". Either way, they end up at Castle Sedov. Baron Konstantin Sedov is a pale white haired man who shuns sunligt (!), his wife hides in her room never to be seen, people in the nearby village are mysteriously disappearing and most servants have fled the castle or disappeared. There are also wolves... And something seems to live at the bottom of the abandoned well. In addition, there are rumours that dark and evil magic of undeath has been traditionally practiced in the bowels of the castle... The castle itself is of course built in gothic style on the side of a smaller mountain. Surrounding it is a dark pine forest known for its wolves and werewolves... And general nastiness. There is a small village nearby most of whose population wants nothing else than to leave the place for good. Everything goes fine up until the dinner, when the Baron has to leave the table to speak to his wife... The Truth Of course, the purpose of the above rumours serve to throw the players off. You see, it's almost all true, but in a way that the rumours aren't hinting at. The baron IS a necromancer, but not a vampire. Can you think of something else that is pale, shuns the sun and has white hair? Yeah? Did I hear "albino?"... Years before this time during the last war his father, the Old Baron (also necromancer,) began to take an interest in Khyber Dragonshards. He realized that if he had one it would gain him power and perhaps influence with the King of Karrnath. In a craze he decided that he could perhaps mine these shards out of the mountain itself. The miners began digging while at the same time connecting the new mine (whose entrance was on the side of the mountain) to an underground tunnelsystem that was connected to the castle. After years of digging they stumble upon an underground lake that floods parts of the mine and drowns most of the miners... To make matters worse, the lake was the prison of an aboleth named Iskvour. Iskvour leaves the lake and makes his new home in the cavern beneath the castle well. Iskvour manages to dominate several servants, some become of which become dinner and some which will serve Iskvour's goal of bringing someone from the family down to him for domination. When the PCs get there they will find a castle in confusion a village in fear and a family in grave danger... While what it will LOOK like for the uninitiated is a bad case of vampire. It will all lead up to a confrontation with Iskvour and the crazed villagers who are preparing to stop the tyranny once and for all (they believe the Sedov family is guilty of killing their peers) The Baron knows that the mine is flooded, but he does not know of the aboleth. The aboleth meanwhile has dominated his wife and some lesser servants and are using them to bring him food from the nearby village. The whole situation was kept under lid for quite a long time and it was during this time that the Old Baron died and Sedov the younger took over after him, marrying Liliya Sedova. Things and People of Note Baron Konstantin Sedov (human wizard) Lawful evil. The man in the family. Has no children. Age around 30-40 years. Baroness Lilya Sedova (human) Lawful neutral. The wife of Konstantin. Age around 30-40 years. Iskvour The aboleth that haunts the well Ogrim the Weary A half-orc that serves the Sedov family. He carries a large hammer on his back. Slightly crazy. When he speaks of the... *lightning strikes*... castle there is always a dramatic pause. Yep. He's that kind of person. He takes the PCs so the adventure on his carriage (which is black (of course)). Ockham, the Butler (halfling rogue) No one knows how this guy ended up working for the Sedovs. He carries a VERY large knife and is quite skilled with sharp tools in general. Has a severe case of arachnophobia and refuses to go anywhere near the lower areas of the castle. Rixdor (Brain in a Jar) The Old Baron was a necromancer. He created Rixdor, a brain in a jar. Rixdor mostly likes violence. The Old Baron's Laboratory In the lower parts of the castle lies the old laboratory. It houses Rixdor and a mummy of unknown origin. There is also a collection of cursed books whose contents are best left unread. ( The Cemetary Outside the castle lies the cemetary which serves as a burial ground for both residents of the castle and the nearby village... Strange creatures abound both day and night. The Abandoned Well When the mine flooded the well water was tainted (a mild taste of aboleth slime, maybe?), so the Old Baron ordered another well to be dug outside the castle. The old well is now covered with a large lid made from wood. Deep down is the cavern that connects to the mine and the basement. I guess something that's missing right now is combat encounters. I can see them fighting the brain in the jar and the aboleth and maybe Ogrim or Ockham depending on what they do... Maybe ghouls in the graveyard? A ghost maybe? Giant spiders in the basement? (a classic)
#2 ganryu Apr 14, 2010 21:56:43	Right now I'm in the process of drawing maps. I've made some changes Konstantin Sedov He is no longer albino. That part was too silly. Or maybe... I can't decide. Anaroth The castle dungeons hold an old secret vault in which the lich Anaroth is imprisoned. Someone broke into the place where he stored his phylactery and removed the spellbook he left there. Ie: Anaroth is killed and revived by the phylactery, but has no way of teleporting back outside as the spellbook is gone. He's mighty pleased to be released, but he's not going to help the players. He's just going to not kill them. The Enslaved Wife The baron's wife Lilya is enslaved by the aboleth. She will provide false information to the players such as tips where to investigate. All clues are fake, however. She will mention the roof, (it has gargoyles) the dovecot, (which has the bats) the cemetary, (ghouls) and the forest (werewolves) The Village The village houses mostly scared villagers. At some point they will decide that attacking the castle is the only way to guarantee their own safety. It's angry mob time! The Monster On the top floor of the castle in a part of the old laboratory there is a flesh golem that will attack the players if they enter the room. Through this room one can reach the roof area with the gargoyles. The Mines and the Dungeon This place leads up to the final confrontation with the aboleth and has plenty of room for encounters. Self Playing Pipe Organ It resides in the room near the dining room. This animated object (modified, custom) doesn't appreciate non-family members approaching it and will attack. Of course doing so while playing ominous organ music (look up Leon Boellman Toccata on youtube) Monsters 1x Aboleth 1x Flesh Golem 3-5x Werewolf 10x Direwolf 5-10x Rot Grub 3x Chuul (i've depowered them slightly) 4x Gargoyle Subjects covered A: Vampire stereotypes The Sedov family. The names. The castle. B: Frankenstein's monster and forbidden research The monster in the laboratory. The laboratory itself. The brain in the jar. C: Cthulhu mythos monsters from the deep The chuuls. The aboleth. The well. The underground lake. I've been thinking of having some old and ancient rune circle as well to emphasise Point C, but I don't know where to cram it in.