Adding More to "Dead By Dawn" - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 FearOfTheDark Jul 19, 2011 20:50:17	Hi everybody, I plan on playing Dead by Dawn in my campaign once they hit level 2. For level 1, they will be exploring the catacombs beneath the cathedral to retrieve the Necroshard. Once they do and return above, the zombie siege starts. However, there is more that needs to be worked on. The city the cathedral is ruled by Tieflings who worship devils. They were the ones that overrun the cathedral (so no Orcus). The last survivor to oppose them tried to stay in the cathedral and is now a vampire. I need some help. 1. What should the new murals depict in the cathedral. Orcus isn't appropriate anymore. 2. How did this person become a vampire? I want it to be linked to something that happend in the cathedral (or the catacombs). This will give some hints and stuff for later on in the campaign. Any help/ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!
#2 pruano Jul 20, 2011 13:07:56	Its unclear (to me at least) who were the original occupants of the city and who invade.... If you are looking for a devil reference, then Asmodeus, ruler of the Nine Hells, seems the most obvious choice; however, any of the 9 Archdukes of Hell is a possibility.
#3 FearOfTheDark Jul 20, 2011 14:14:47	My apologies. Let me try to explain again. The cathedral was originally part of City A (just a random name). The rebels (devil worshippers), invaded and took over City A. Four survivors from City A tried to repel the rebels, but knew they were going to fall. I want the last survivor of City A to have turned into a vampire who now seeks to destroy the rebels. My questions, again: 1. Which deity best fits for the original worshipper of the Cathedral? 2. How did the last survivor become a vampire? MM1 states that you can use a ritual to Orcus, but since the cathedral will have been overrun by devils, Orcus doesn't seem to be a good choice. The only other option seems to be the Raven Queen, but I don't know if it's approrpiate for her to grant powers of undeath in the form of vampires (Revenants are, IMO, a little different). Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!
#4 pruano Jul 21, 2011 11:15:39	My questions, again: 1. Which deity best fits for the original worshipper of the Cathedral? Again, what race were the original worshipers? If Tiefling, a different devil from another level of Hell is a possibility (see link to Nine Hells in previous post), the dukes of Hell are always fighting for supremacy. Also note that in "Dead by Dawn", the temple was originally to Erathis (an important detail as well for that adventure), and only after defiled by Orcus worshipers. And consider that devils (fallen servants of the gods) hate all gods and their followers, anyway. Ultimately it depends on where city A was in your campaign and who its inhabitants were; you have a wide selection of gods from there, not sure what the problem is exactly. 2. How did the last survivor become a vampire? MM1 states that you can use a ritual to Orcus, but since the cathedral will have been overrun by devils, Orcus doesn't seem to be a good choice. The only other option seems to be the Raven Queen, but I don't know if it's approrpiate for her to grant powers of undeath in the form of vampires (Revenants are, IMO, a little different). Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks! Open Grave has a possibility, but can be a little too "Twilighty" or rosy for some tastes: it has an interesting entry, the Vampire Muse. This creature (a mixture of vampire/succubus/lich) is an undead from the Feywild that "has an eladrinlike guise of such stunning beauty that most mortals do not suspect it is undead". It gets close to a mortal (although some have lackeys that serve it in hope of being chosen) and grants him creative inspiration (thus the Muse name) while sucking him dry and putting that blood in an hidden container, which acts as a lich’s phylactery for the Muse. The book also states that it cares for the mortal it links to (even if it ultimately kills him); you could use that: the Muse, seeing that his companion was getting an untimely demise, turns him into a vampire. Another possibility is that it was already a vampire at the time of the attack, and you can come with a totally unrelated background for how he has been turned. Also remember that demons and devils do not get along well, so the original worshiped deity COULD be Orcus anyway.
#5 FearOfTheDark Jul 21, 2011 13:17:48	Since the last survivor was in a cathedral, I was hoping for a better way to explain how they became a vampire. I was going to use the idea that their god granted them that power, but I wasn't sure what god would deem that appropriate. My only other idea is that the last survivor was going to try and use a ritual to grant themself immortality and invincibility, but the god intervened, upset by what was attempted, and turned them into a vampire instead. The last story points of the Raven Queen being most likely.
#6 pruano Jul 21, 2011 14:48:50	Since the last survivor was in a cathedral, I was hoping for a better way to explain how they became a vampire. I was going to use the idea that their god granted them that power, but I wasn't sure what god would deem that appropriate. My only other idea is that the last survivor was going to try and use a ritual to grant themself immortality and invincibility, but the god intervened, upset by what was attempted, and turned them into a vampire instead. The cathedral could have been their last stand to the attack, and not necessarily have any relation with the NPC. I question your reasoning: since his temple was under attack, the god would most likely grant him extra powers to protect the temple, or remove him from danger if he was that worthy. If you go with your idea, choose your god carefully, as most wouldnt do that (they would just kill him; cant even think of one who would do it); even then, a lich would be more in tune with said scenario. Another possibility is that he may be asking for help from his god, no response, and in anger he curses him/her, and Orcus responds, granting him vampiric powers in return for his soul, which he agrees to; he then works out of revenge, not to reclaim the land for his god. The last story points of the Raven Queen being most likely. The Raven Queen is antagonic with undead (see pg.22 of the PHB1 and pg.120 of the "Heroes of Shadow") outside her domain; revenants, like you said, are an exception because they are special agents of hers, and she has several ways of controlling them (as described in "Heroes of Shadows").
#7 DaBugbear Jul 27, 2011 11:33:43	My questions, again: 1. Which deity best fits for the original worshipper of the Cathedral? 2. How did the last survivor become a vampire? MM1 states that you can use a ritual to Orcus, but since the cathedral will have been overrun by devils, Orcus doesn't seem to be a good choice. The only other option seems to be the Raven Queen, but I don't know if it's approrpiate for her to grant powers of undeath in the form of vampires (Revenants are, IMO, a little different). Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks! 1. You could stay with Erathis, since she is the goddess of civilization. It would be pretty standard issue for City A to have a temple to Erathis. 2. As for the last survivor becoming a vampire, the Raven Queen probably doesn't make story sense, since she is anit-undead. However, steal a page from a master writer... Brahm Stoker. As the last defenders pulled into the temple, the high priest (the cinematic last survivor) prayed to Erathis, sure she would deliver him. When she failed to respond, he cursed her name and defiled her temple, knocking over religious icons and finally defacing the statue of the Goddess herself. SHE cursed him with undeath, as a punishment.
#8 FearOfTheDark Jul 27, 2011 11:51:02	Hi everybody, We played last week, and I have yet to update this page. Basically, here is what officially occured. There are still some things to figure out. 1. The cathedral is farther away from the city, so I made it a large temple dedicated to the Raven Queen, though it was a much higher focus on Fate, since it's one of the things the Raven Queen is godess over. Regardless, the cathedral was invaded by the devil worshiping rebels, who ransacked it and defaced it with devils and Asmodeus statues. 2. Four survivors fled to the temple: a knight, the baron's son, the baron's bride to be, and a servant girl. They went to hide in the catacombs. The players learned what happened here by finding scraps of journals and diaries as they explored the catacombs. The knight was killed by trying to defend the first floor. The baron's son and his bride to be were killed when the bride rushed up to be saved (she was the one who had betrayed the city, as she didn't want to marry the son). The son was killed following her. This left the servant girl in the catacombs. The party has yet to figure out what happened to her (which is fine, I'm not going to give away all the secrets at the beginning). We know that in the last entry the party found from her, she is cursing her fate. I was thinking that cursing her fate causes the Raven Queen to forsake her, which would cause Orcus to bring some attention to her. He sees this helpless person who can strike against TWO of his enemies (the devils and the Raven Queen), and so he bestows the undeath of vampirism upon her. Now, I'm not sure if the vampire knows that is was Orcus that caused everything, but regardless, she is not a Orcus follower. She has her own plans and her own goals. Perhaps there is a bit of regret for what she has become.... What does everybody think? I know that Erathis was the one to use, and the person that everybody talked about, but ultimately, I wanted to go a different way and do something different for my campaign. I was keeping the players in mind as well. Thanks for the suggestions though. I appreciate it. Any more feedback would be helpful.
#9 pruano Jul 27, 2011 12:40:41	Thanks for the update, as well. I was thinking that cursing her fate causes the Raven Queen to forsake her, which would cause Orcus to bring some attention to her. He sees this helpless person who can strike against TWO of his enemies (the devils and the Raven Queen), and so he bestows the undeath of vampirism upon her. Now, I'm not sure if the vampire knows that is was Orcus that caused everything, but regardless, she is not a Orcus follower. She has her own plans and her own goals. Perhaps there is a bit of regret for what she has become.... What does everybody think? I know that Erathis was the one to use, and the person that everybody talked about, but ultimately, I wanted to go a different way and do something different for my campaign. I was keeping the players in mind as well. Thanks for the suggestions though. I appreciate it. Any more feedback would be helpful. That works too, i think. If you want to play the fate card a little more, you may wanna make the servant girl a bastard child of the baron, thus giving her a proper reason to want to defend and reclaim the city: she sees it as her stolen (in more ways than one) inheritance. Either way, she needs a reason to want to stay and reclaim the city, i think. And her not being an Orcus follower does not mean he wont collect on his "boon" later on.
#10 FearOfTheDark Jul 27, 2011 16:07:46	If you want to play the fate card a little more, you may wanna make the servant girl a bastard child of the baron, thus giving her a proper reason to want to defend and reclaim the city: she sees it as her stolen (in more ways than one) inheritance. Either way, she needs a reason to want to stay and reclaim the city, i think. And her not being an Orcus follower does not mean he wont collect on his "boon" later on. Wow. Just wow. That turns everything into something huge, which would be amazing. I've already started showing the history of the rebellion of the city through the journal entries, and the players were very interested and really liked how the campaign started off. This would give so much more to explore, which is what I was looking to do. Here's some more background information about the four characters that were introduced. These four were the last survivors of the city and who fled to the Fallen Cathedral (as it is so called now by the locals). Zanarth- the baron's son. He is pledged to be married to Peleva. Peleva- The daughter of another minor noble. We learn that she does not wish to marry the son, and so has betrayed the city to the rebels, who promise to protect her and send her back home. As the devils and army assaults the cathedral, she tries to flee to them for protection, but is killed instead. Zanarth dies when he follows her. Peleva also reveals (in her journal), that the leader of the rebels is somebody known as "Bloodrose", though she has never met this person face to face. The Knight- As of right now, he has no name. He was the first to die while trying to hold the cathedral. He fled the burning city, trying to save it's last survivors. Taloa- the servant girl. She was the last to survive, and ultimately becomes the vampire after she cursed her fate. I like the idea of making her the bastard child of the baron. I also think that the arranged marriage was to cover this up. That gives everything a more interesting edge too. Taloa will probably end up changing her name at some point, and will be delving into how to free herself from Orcus, and also learn of her heiritage (she had plenty of time). While doing all this, she founded her group that is seeking to overthrow Bloodrose, who now rules the city as the Blood Queen (see Vor Rukoth). The party was sent to retrieve the Necroshard. Taloa wants this for some reason, but I'm trying to figure out why. Yes, it is powerful enough to give her an army of undead, but conquering the city means nothing unless she can free herself from Orcus. However, maybe the army is the first step of the plan....
#11 pruano Jul 27, 2011 18:24:12	Taloa- the servant girl. She was the last to survive, and ultimately becomes the vampire after she cursed her fate. I like the idea of making her the bastard child of the baron. I also think that the arranged marriage was to cover this up. That gives everything a more interesting edge too. Nice. The question then is, why the cover up; Zanarth was still the lawful heir, right? Was he not the baron true son? Was there another faction that knew Taloas origin and prefered Taloa on the throne, for their own gain? While doing all this, she founded her group that is seeking to overthrow Bloodrose, who now rules the city as the Blood Queen (see Vor Rukoth). Could not find any reference to the Blood Queen in Vor Rukoth; did you mean Lady Najala, Queen of Roses? (for the record, also prefer Blood Queen). The party was sent to retrieve the Necroshard. Taloa wants this for some reason, but I'm trying to figure out why. Yes, it is powerful enough to give her an army of undead, but conquering the city means nothing unless she can free herself from Orcus. However, maybe the army is the first step of the plan.... You never said who sent the party, though, i believe. In Vor Rukoth, you have two options: - its a piece of the Shard of Decay (pg.17) - its a shard from Najalas Gate, Najalas phylactery; if the Blood Queen is also a lich, having a piece of it can be a powerfull weapon against her. You never said who sent the party, though, i believe. In Vor Rukoth, you have two options: - its a piece of the Shard of Decay (pg.17) - its a shard from Najalas Gate, Najalas phylactery; if the Blood Queen is also a lich, having a piece of it can be a powerfull weapon against her. Vor Rukoth
#12 FearOfTheDark Jul 27, 2011 20:04:58	Nice. The question then is, why the cover up; Zanarth was still the lawful heir, right? Was he not the baron true son? Was there another faction that knew Taloas origin and prefered Taloa on the throne, for their own gain? Zanarth is still the lawful heir. My point was that somebody (probably Peleva's father) knew about Taloa, and was blackmailing/doing something that could make the baron lose favor/disgrace him. The marriage was arranged to give Peleva's father more power/prestige, at the cost of his daughter's freedom. Could not find any reference to the Blood Queen in Vor Rukoth; did you mean Lady Najala, Queen of Roses? (for the record, also prefer Blood Queen). Yeah, that's who I meant. I just assumed the word "Queen" would kind of point you in that direction. I should've explained more, but I just was getting excited. Thanks for liking the name! Najala (or Kallista, I'm not sure what I want her name to be) was originally "Bloodrose". Once the city was taken as hers, she became the Blood Queen. This whole story will be fairly easy to guess/put together, but as it's already known that the city's current ruler took it by force, the real question becomes how she's survived for so long (or, if the party automatically suspects a lich, where the phylactery is). You never said who sent the party, though, i believe. In Vor Rukoth, you have two options: - its a piece of the Shard of Decay (pg.17) - its a shard from Najalas Gate, Najalas phylactery; if the Blood Queen is also a lich, having a piece of it can be a powerfull weapon against her. The party was sent by Taloa, but through a chain of messenger,s so they don't know they are specifically working for her, or that Taloa even exists. The messenger that gave them the assignment is actually known by one of the party members. However, they still have no idea why the Necroshard is important, and the session left off with the zombie hoard awakening. I believe our Pirate (Rogue class), uttered the words to the Wizard Gladiator "I THOUGHT you said it was ok to touch it!". Great moment. I need to revist the Shard of Decay to see if I want to use it. The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans. On one last side note, the party was also instructed to retrieve dirt from the catacombs, which was basically where Taloa's original coffin/grave was. Nobody in the party made the connection about this to vampires. My idea was that Taloa is trying to set up many new bases around the city. The party is mostly unaligned/mercenary bunch, so I'm not sure if they will eventually seek to free Taloa from her curse. In any case, right now, I kind of visualize her as a PC with a vampire class. She's not entirely evil, her fate has just been twisted and could go either way right now. I also have to come up with Taloa's new name/title. You never said who sent the party, though, i believe. In Vor Rukoth, you have two options: - its a piece of the Shard of Decay (pg.17) - its a shard from Najalas Gate, Najalas phylactery; if the Blood Queen is also a lich, having a piece of it can be a powerfull weapon against her. Vor Rukoth
#13 pruano Jul 28, 2011 10:27:30	Zanarth is still the lawful heir. My point was that somebody (probably Peleva's father) knew about Taloa, and was blackmailing/doing something that could make the baron lose favor/disgrace him. The marriage was arranged to give Peleva's father more power/prestige, at the cost of his daughter's freedom. Got it, very nice. The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans. Unless she has some traitor in her group and didnt want to alert the Blood Queen? The undead horde could be a shards defense mechanism? The phylactery will always be a magical container; if it has other magical properties and wards (like Najalas Gate), even better IMHO. On one last side note, the party was also instructed to retrieve dirt from the catacombs, which was basically where Taloa's original coffin/grave was. Nobody in the party made the connection about this to vampires. My idea was that Taloa is trying to set up many new bases around the city. Nice. The party is mostly unaligned/mercenary bunch, so I'm not sure if they will eventually seek to free Taloa from her curse. In any case, right now, I kind of visualize her as a PC with a vampire class. She's not entirely evil, her fate has just been twisted and could go either way right now. All the more fun for you, let the campaign and your players actions dictate her course.
#14 pruano Jul 28, 2011 13:47:45	The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans. Unless she has some traitor in her group and didnt want to alert the Blood Queen? The undead horde could be a shards defense mechanism? The phylactery will always be a magical container; if it has other magical properties and wards (like Najalas Gate), even better IMHO. Another thing you can use with the shard as a phylactery part is that it can work as Tolkiens Ring, with the Blood Queen being able to see through and affect the bearer.
#15 FearOfTheDark Jul 28, 2011 20:04:09	The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans. Unless she has some traitor in her group and didnt want to alert the Blood Queen? The undead horde could be a shards defense mechanism? The phylactery will always be a magical container; if it has other magical properties and wards (like Najalas Gate), even better IMHO. Another thing you can use with the shard as a phylactery part is that it can work as Tolkiens Ring, with the Blood Queen being able to see through and affect the bearer. This makes things really interesting, since the party can turn the Necroshard into a weapon if they want (though nobody asked). I planned on that being an option, but I think I might have to nix it if it becomes more powerful.

Post/Author/DateTime

Post

FearOfTheDark

Jul 19, 2011 20:50:17

Hi everybody,

I plan on playing Dead by Dawn in my campaign once they hit level 2. For level 1, they will be exploring the catacombs beneath the cathedral to retrieve the Necroshard. Once they do and return above, the zombie siege starts. However, there is more that needs to be worked on.

The city the cathedral is ruled by Tieflings who worship devils. They were the ones that overrun the cathedral (so no Orcus). The last survivor to oppose them tried to stay in the cathedral and is now a vampire.

I need some help.

1. What should the new murals depict in the cathedral. Orcus isn't appropriate anymore.
2. How did this person become a vampire? I want it to be linked to something that happend in the cathedral (or the catacombs). This will give some hints and stuff for later on in the campaign.

Any help/ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!

pruano

Jul 20, 2011 13:07:56

Its unclear (to me at least) who were the original occupants of the city and who invade....

If you are looking for a devil reference, then Asmodeus, ruler of the Nine Hells, seems the most obvious choice; however, any of the 9 Archdukes of Hell is a possibility.

FearOfTheDark

Jul 20, 2011 14:14:47

My apologies. Let me try to explain again.

The cathedral was originally part of City A (just a random name). The rebels (devil worshippers), invaded and took over City A.

Four survivors from City A tried to repel the rebels, but knew they were going to fall. I want the last survivor of City A to have turned into a vampire who now seeks to destroy the rebels.

My questions, again:

1. Which deity best fits for the original worshipper of the Cathedral?
2. How did the last survivor become a vampire? MM1 states that you can use a ritual to Orcus, but since the cathedral will have been overrun by devils, Orcus doesn't seem to be a good choice. The only other option seems to be the Raven Queen, but I don't know if it's approrpiate for her to grant powers of undeath in the form of vampires (Revenants are, IMO, a little different).

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

pruano

Jul 21, 2011 11:15:39

My questions, again:

1. Which deity best fits for the original worshipper of the Cathedral?

Again, what race were the original worshipers? If Tiefling, a different devil from another level of Hell is a possibility (see link to Nine Hells in previous post), the dukes of Hell are always fighting for supremacy.

Also note that in "Dead by Dawn", the temple was originally to Erathis (an important detail as well for that adventure), and only after defiled by Orcus worshipers.

And consider that devils (fallen servants of the gods) hate all gods and their followers, anyway.

Ultimately it depends on where city A was in your campaign and who its inhabitants were; you have a wide selection of gods from there, not sure what the problem is exactly.

2. How did the last survivor become a vampire? MM1 states that you can use a ritual to Orcus, but since the cathedral will have been overrun by devils, Orcus doesn't seem to be a good choice. The only other option seems to be the Raven Queen, but I don't know if it's approrpiate for her to grant powers of undeath in the form of vampires (Revenants are, IMO, a little different).

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

Open Grave has a possibility, but can be a little too "Twilighty" or rosy for some tastes: it has an interesting entry, the Vampire Muse.

This creature (a mixture of vampire/succubus/lich) is an undead from the Feywild that "has an eladrinlike guise of such stunning beauty that most mortals do not suspect it is undead". It gets close to a mortal (although some have lackeys that serve it in hope of being chosen) and grants him creative inspiration (thus the Muse name) while sucking him dry and putting that blood in an hidden container, which acts as a lich’s phylactery for the Muse.

The book also states that it cares for the mortal it links to (even if it ultimately kills him); you could use that: the Muse, seeing that his companion was getting an untimely demise, turns him into a vampire.

Another possibility is that it was already a vampire at the time of the attack, and you can come with a totally unrelated background for how he has been turned.

Also remember that demons and devils do not get along well, so the original worshiped deity COULD be Orcus anyway.

FearOfTheDark

Jul 21, 2011 13:17:48

Since the last survivor was in a cathedral, I was hoping for a better way to explain how they became a vampire. I was going to use the idea that their god granted them that power, but I wasn't sure what god would deem that appropriate. My only other idea is that the last survivor was going to try and use a ritual to grant themself immortality and invincibility, but the god intervened, upset by what was attempted, and turned them into a vampire instead.

The last story points of the Raven Queen being most likely.

pruano

Jul 21, 2011 14:48:50

Since the last survivor was in a cathedral, I was hoping for a better way to explain how they became a vampire. I was going to use the idea that their god granted them that power, but I wasn't sure what god would deem that appropriate. My only other idea is that the last survivor was going to try and use a ritual to grant themself immortality and invincibility, but the god intervened, upset by what was attempted, and turned them into a vampire instead.

The cathedral could have been their last stand to the attack, and not necessarily have any relation with the NPC.

I question your reasoning: since his temple was under attack, the god would most likely grant him extra powers to protect the temple, or remove him from danger if he was that worthy.

If you go with your idea, choose your god carefully, as most wouldnt do that (they would just kill him; cant even think of one who would do it); even then, a lich would be more in tune with said scenario.

Another possibility is that he may be asking for help from his god, no response, and in anger he curses him/her, and Orcus responds, granting him vampiric powers in return for his soul, which he agrees to; he then works out of revenge, not to reclaim the land for his god.

The last story points of the Raven Queen being most likely.

The Raven Queen is antagonic with undead (see pg.22 of the PHB1 and pg.120 of the "Heroes of Shadow") outside her domain; revenants, like you said, are an exception because they are special agents of hers, and she has several ways of controlling them (as described in "Heroes of Shadows").

DaBugbear

Jul 27, 2011 11:33:43

My questions, again:

1. Which deity best fits for the original worshipper of the Cathedral?
2. How did the last survivor become a vampire? MM1 states that you can use a ritual to Orcus, but since the cathedral will have been overrun by devils, Orcus doesn't seem to be a good choice. The only other option seems to be the Raven Queen, but I don't know if it's approrpiate for her to grant powers of undeath in the form of vampires (Revenants are, IMO, a little different).

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

1. You could stay with Erathis, since she is the goddess of civilization. It would be pretty standard issue for City A to have a temple to Erathis.

2. As for the last survivor becoming a vampire, the Raven Queen probably doesn't make story sense, since she is anit-undead. However, steal a page from a master writer... Brahm Stoker. As the last defenders pulled into the temple, the high priest (the cinematic last survivor) prayed to Erathis, sure she would deliver him. When she failed to respond, he cursed her name and defiled her temple, knocking over religious icons and finally defacing the statue of the Goddess herself. SHE cursed him with undeath, as a punishment.

FearOfTheDark

Jul 27, 2011 11:51:02

Hi everybody,

We played last week, and I have yet to update this page. Basically, here is what officially occured. There are still some things to figure out.

1. The cathedral is farther away from the city, so I made it a large temple dedicated to the Raven Queen, though it was a much higher focus on Fate, since it's one of the things the Raven Queen is godess over. Regardless, the cathedral was invaded by the devil worshiping rebels, who ransacked it and defaced it with devils and Asmodeus statues.

2. Four survivors fled to the temple: a knight, the baron's son, the baron's bride to be, and a servant girl. They went to hide in the catacombs. The players learned what happened here by finding scraps of journals and diaries as they explored the catacombs. The knight was killed by trying to defend the first floor. The baron's son and his bride to be were killed when the bride rushed up to be saved (she was the one who had betrayed the city, as she didn't want to marry the son). The son was killed following her. This left the servant girl in the catacombs. The party has yet to figure out what happened to her (which is fine, I'm not going to give away all the secrets at the beginning). We know that in the last entry the party found from her, she is cursing her fate.

I was thinking that cursing her fate causes the Raven Queen to forsake her, which would cause Orcus to bring some attention to her. He sees this helpless person who can strike against TWO of his enemies (the devils and the Raven Queen), and so he bestows the undeath of vampirism upon her.

Now, I'm not sure if the vampire knows that is was Orcus that caused everything, but regardless, she is not a Orcus follower. She has her own plans and her own goals. Perhaps there is a bit of regret for what she has become....

What does everybody think? I know that Erathis was the one to use, and the person that everybody talked about, but ultimately, I wanted to go a different way and do something different for my campaign. I was keeping the players in mind as well. Thanks for the suggestions though. I appreciate it. Any more feedback would be helpful.

pruano

Jul 27, 2011 12:40:41

Thanks for the update, as well.

I was thinking that cursing her fate causes the Raven Queen to forsake her, which would cause Orcus to bring some attention to her. He sees this helpless person who can strike against TWO of his enemies (the devils and the Raven Queen), and so he bestows the undeath of vampirism upon her.

Now, I'm not sure if the vampire knows that is was Orcus that caused everything, but regardless, she is not a Orcus follower. She has her own plans and her own goals. Perhaps there is a bit of regret for what she has become....

What does everybody think? I know that Erathis was the one to use, and the person that everybody talked about, but ultimately, I wanted to go a different way and do something different for my campaign. I was keeping the players in mind as well. Thanks for the suggestions though. I appreciate it. Any more feedback would be helpful.

That works too, i think.

If you want to play the fate card a little more, you may wanna make the servant girl a bastard child of the baron, thus giving her a proper reason to want to defend and reclaim the city: she sees it as her stolen (in more ways than one) inheritance.

Either way, she needs a reason to want to stay and reclaim the city, i think.

And her not being an Orcus follower does not mean he wont collect on his "boon" later on.

#10

FearOfTheDark

Jul 27, 2011 16:07:46

If you want to play the fate card a little more, you may wanna make the servant girl a bastard child of the baron, thus giving her a proper reason to want to defend and reclaim the city: she sees it as her stolen (in more ways than one) inheritance.

Either way, she needs a reason to want to stay and reclaim the city, i think.

And her not being an Orcus follower does not mean he wont collect on his "boon" later on.

Wow. Just wow. That turns everything into something huge, which would be amazing. I've already started showing the history of the rebellion of the city through the journal entries, and the players were very interested and really liked how the campaign started off. This would give so much more to explore, which is what I was looking to do.

Here's some more background information about the four characters that were introduced. These four were the last survivors of the city and who fled to the Fallen Cathedral (as it is so called now by the locals).

Zanarth- the baron's son. He is pledged to be married to Peleva.

Peleva- The daughter of another minor noble. We learn that she does not wish to marry the son, and so has betrayed the city to the rebels, who promise to protect her and send her back home. As the devils and army assaults the cathedral, she tries to flee to them for protection, but is killed instead. Zanarth dies when he follows her. Peleva also reveals (in her journal), that the leader of the rebels is somebody known as "Bloodrose", though she has never met this person face to face.

The Knight- As of right now, he has no name. He was the first to die while trying to hold the cathedral. He fled the burning city, trying to save it's last survivors.

Taloa- the servant girl. She was the last to survive, and ultimately becomes the vampire after she cursed her fate.

I like the idea of making her the bastard child of the baron. I also think that the arranged marriage was to cover this up. That gives everything a more interesting edge too.

Taloa will probably end up changing her name at some point, and will be delving into how to free herself from Orcus, and also learn of her heiritage (she had plenty of time). While doing all this, she founded her group that is seeking to overthrow Bloodrose, who now rules the city as the Blood Queen (see Vor Rukoth).

The party was sent to retrieve the Necroshard. Taloa wants this for some reason, but I'm trying to figure out why. Yes, it is powerful enough to give her an army of undead, but conquering the city means nothing unless she can free herself from Orcus. However, maybe the army is the first step of the plan....

#11

pruano

Jul 27, 2011 18:24:12

Taloa- the servant girl. She was the last to survive, and ultimately becomes the vampire after she cursed her fate.

I like the idea of making her the bastard child of the baron. I also think that the arranged marriage was to cover this up. That gives everything a more interesting edge too.

Nice.

The question then is, why the cover up; Zanarth was still the lawful heir, right?

Was he not the baron true son? Was there another faction that knew Taloas origin and prefered Taloa on the throne, for their own gain?

While doing all this, she founded her group that is seeking to overthrow Bloodrose, who now rules the city as the Blood Queen (see Vor Rukoth).

Could not find any reference to the Blood Queen in Vor Rukoth; did you mean Lady Najala, Queen of Roses? (for the record, also prefer Blood Queen).

The party was sent to retrieve the Necroshard. Taloa wants this for some reason, but I'm trying to figure out why. Yes, it is powerful enough to give her an army of undead, but conquering the city means nothing unless she can free herself from Orcus. However, maybe the army is the first step of the plan....

You never said who sent the party, though, i believe.

In Vor Rukoth, you have two options:

- its a piece of the Shard of Decay (pg.17)

- its a shard from Najalas Gate, Najalas phylactery; if the Blood Queen is also a lich, having a piece of it can be a powerfull weapon against her.

Vor Rukoth

#12

FearOfTheDark

Jul 27, 2011 20:04:58

Nice.

The question then is, why the cover up; Zanarth was still the lawful heir, right?

Was he not the baron true son? Was there another faction that knew Taloas origin and prefered Taloa on the throne, for their own gain?

Zanarth is still the lawful heir. My point was that somebody (probably Peleva's father) knew about Taloa, and was blackmailing/doing something that could make the baron lose favor/disgrace him. The marriage was arranged to give Peleva's father more power/prestige, at the cost of his daughter's freedom.

Could not find any reference to the Blood Queen in Vor Rukoth; did you mean Lady Najala, Queen of Roses? (for the record, also prefer Blood Queen).

Yeah, that's who I meant. I just assumed the word "Queen" would kind of point you in that direction. I should've explained more, but I just was getting excited. Thanks for liking the name! Najala (or Kallista, I'm not sure what I want her name to be) was originally "Bloodrose". Once the city was taken as hers, she became the Blood Queen. This whole story will be fairly easy to guess/put together, but as it's already known that the city's current ruler took it by force, the real question becomes how she's survived for so long (or, if the party automatically suspects a lich, where the phylactery is).

You never said who sent the party, though, i believe.

In Vor Rukoth, you have two options:

- its a piece of the Shard of Decay (pg.17)

- its a shard from Najalas Gate, Najalas phylactery; if the Blood Queen is also a lich, having a piece of it can be a powerfull weapon against her.

The party was sent by Taloa, but through a chain of messenger,s so they don't know they are specifically working for her, or that Taloa even exists. The messenger that gave them the assignment is actually known by one of the party members. However, they still have no idea why the Necroshard is important, and the session left off with the zombie hoard awakening. I believe our Pirate (Rogue class), uttered the words to the Wizard Gladiator "I THOUGHT you said it was ok to touch it!". Great moment.

I need to revist the Shard of Decay to see if I want to use it.

The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans.

On one last side note, the party was also instructed to retrieve dirt from the catacombs, which was basically where Taloa's original coffin/grave was. Nobody in the party made the connection about this to vampires. My idea was that Taloa is trying to set up many new bases around the city.

The party is mostly unaligned/mercenary bunch, so I'm not sure if they will eventually seek to free Taloa from her curse. In any case, right now, I kind of visualize her as a PC with a vampire class. She's not entirely evil, her fate has just been twisted and could go either way right now.

I also have to come up with Taloa's new name/title.

Vor Rukoth

#13

pruano

Jul 28, 2011 10:27:30

Zanarth is still the lawful heir. My point was that somebody (probably Peleva's father) knew about Taloa, and was blackmailing/doing something that could make the baron lose favor/disgrace him. The marriage was arranged to give Peleva's father more power/prestige, at the cost of his daughter's freedom.

Got it, very nice.

The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans.

Unless she has some traitor in her group and didnt want to alert the Blood Queen?

The undead horde could be a shards defense mechanism?

The phylactery will always be a magical container; if it has other magical properties and wards (like Najalas Gate), even better IMHO.

On one last side note, the party was also instructed to retrieve dirt from the catacombs, which was basically where Taloa's original coffin/grave was. Nobody in the party made the connection about this to vampires. My idea was that Taloa is trying to set up many new bases around the city.

Nice.

The party is mostly unaligned/mercenary bunch, so I'm not sure if they will eventually seek to free Taloa from her curse. In any case, right now, I kind of visualize her as a PC with a vampire class. She's not entirely evil, her fate has just been twisted and could go either way right now.

All the more fun for you, let the campaign and your players actions dictate her course.

#14

pruano

Jul 28, 2011 13:47:45

The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans.

Unless she has some traitor in her group and didnt want to alert the Blood Queen?

The undead horde could be a shards defense mechanism?

The phylactery will always be a magical container; if it has other magical properties and wards (like Najalas Gate), even better IMHO.

Another thing you can use with the shard as a phylactery part is that it can work as Tolkiens Ring, with the Blood Queen being able to see through and affect the bearer.

#15

FearOfTheDark

Jul 28, 2011 20:04:09

The Blood Queen is a lich, and she does use the gate. My biggest question is what does the undead part of the shard have to do with a phylactery that revolves around the Nine Hells? In my opinion, I think that the Necroshard has something to do with Taloa's vampirism. This explains why she hires "unknowns" to retrieve it for her, it is something that's not extremely vital to her plans.

Unless she has some traitor in her group and didnt want to alert the Blood Queen?

The undead horde could be a shards defense mechanism?

The phylactery will always be a magical container; if it has other magical properties and wards (like Najalas Gate), even better IMHO.

Another thing you can use with the shard as a phylactery part is that it can work as Tolkiens Ring, with the Blood Queen being able to see through and affect the bearer.

This makes things really interesting, since the party can turn the Necroshard into a weapon if they want (though nobody asked). I planned on that being an option, but I think I might have to nix it if it becomes more powerful.