Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 illcom94 Oct 15, 2010 14:33:51	I'm working on a campaign idea that I've been working though my head for the past few weeks and I am looking for input from whoever to help fleshing it out. Here is the basic overview of the campaign. In this version of Dark Sun there were gods but they were defeated by the Primordials long ago. These were the default gods from the player's handbook and DMG. All of the gods were defeated except one, because he was trapped so long ago that he was forgotten. The only god remaining, still trapped is Tharizdun (The Elder Elemental Eye or The Chained God). Dregoth has found evidence that there used to be gods on Athas, and has found a ritual to obtain godhood. The only problem is that the ritual requires one to kill a god and "steal" his godhood. His next step was to find evidence of an sill living god. He eventually finds the stories of Tharizdun and his current state. He sets out on a plan to release Tharizdun and kill him to complete the ritual and ascend to god hood. This involves a lot of themes from the original dark sun timeline and stories, but it has a kind of 4e cosmological twist. The old setting tells of a portal that Dregoth has that is the only way to travel to other planes of existence. This will start at Heroic Tier and move all the way along to epic with a final fight against Dregoth who has ascended to godhood. Heroic Tier  Introduction adventure, group PCs to a cohesive group.   PCs are hired to track down artifacts for a wealthy client of Mar Juk-Adan.  Towards the end, the PCs are introduced to the client and they begin working directly with him. Paragon Tier  The PCs are let in on the secret that these artifacts are ancient religious items that will unlock a good deity that has been hidden before the last stand of the Gods vs the Immortals. This god could repair Athas.  The PCs continue to gather artifacts.  Once all the items are collected, the PCs must use the artifacts to release the God.  They find out that the client was a head member of the broken builders, wanting to release the Elder Elemental Eye to finish the destruction of Athas. They find this out too late, and they have already released Tharizdun.  A city state is destroyed. Epic Tier  The Players battle Tharizdun with the help of a dragon king, and defeat him.  This completes the ritual for Dregoth, and the undead dragon king becomes a god.  Another City State is destroyed  The Players then are tracked down by Borys and a large council takes place with the remaining dragon kings.  A final battle vs the now god Dregoth with the aid of Borys.  Dregoth is killed, however so is Borys, leaving no one capable of containing Rijat once the prison needs to be resealed. This is where the campaign would end, and perhaps start a new campaign after the events of this one. Let me know what you guys think. I'm having a little trouble filling in the Heroic Tier and getting the first adventure started. I'm thinking of starting in the Salt Mines of the Ivory Triangle, and gathering the players there first. I'd like to have an encounter with an Id Fiend during the first adventure, using the other miners as support.  I would also like to get the Broken Builders established as an evil cult organization in the first adventure so it would tie back. At some point the players would find out that the Broken Builders was started by Dregoth as a way to help release The Chained God for his own purposes.
#2 therion666 Oct 15, 2010 15:45:00	I'll break this down into Levels'Roughtly'. Level 1 You could start with a classic 'Gladiator slaves' from Uric who are in a caravan that is attacked by Elves and all killed and the slaves left in the wilderness to fend for themselves( elves are inclined to do this). The group must stay together to survive( this is Dark Sun and seriously staying together is a damn good idea) they need to find food and more especially water. A Wilderness trekk to find food, good skill challenge opportunity with a brief couple of fights against local creatures. At the end they could find an ancient ruin (an old keep) and adventure. This leads to an adventure in the ruins. Level 2 A suviving NPC could suggest Tyr 'the free city' which leads to a second wilderness trekk to tyr. At tyr they could get drawn into a merchant house conflict and are hired to raid the caravan of a merchant house. They could discover a message to investigate an ancient tower 'Of the champions of Rajaat' with a Map which leads to the next adventure to the tower. The tower of the Champion of Rajaat, an adventure where the group learns of the genocidal champions and their attempt to wipe out certain races( Lots of History revelations) but then return to claim their pay for the caravan raid. Level 3 The merchant's could hire them some more times to go against the enemy merchant house where they learn the merchant's are looking into 'the god in chains' and trying to bring him under their control. Level 6 The allied merchant house may ( of told by the group) ask the group to further investigate 'the god in chains' and new information about him that could lead back to Uric and a contact of the enemy merchant house. In Uric the group could be approached by the Veiled Alliance who know something of 'the god in chains' where they try to get the groups help in investigating further. At this point the group need to choose an allegence either to the allied merchant house or the Veiled Alliance. Level 7 The Alliance(or merchant house) wants to stop the King of Uric from freeing 'the god in chains' so the group must infiltrate the Citadel of Urics ruler and steal his information on the god (the house and the Veiled Alliance wants the info). Level 8 Forced to flee the group heads into the desert to where the Veiled Alliance(or merchant house) have allies that will help them but the Allies are under attack by Gith and the group must aid them to get the water and food they need to survive. Level 10 With a few filler advenure with the merchant house( or Veiled Alliance) the group could reach a paragon adventure when the group they have allied to sends the group to a final investigation of the City of Shadows, a ruin of one of the Dragon Kings from the lost age. The City is half buried and the group have to compete with an expedition from Uric( and others) to enter the Vault of the Dragon King( XXXenter nameXXX). This is an adventure where the group are plagued by Minions and Templars of the Dragon Kng. The vault items leads to the Paragon Teir adventures and a weak Avangion who is defending an Oasis of the Life Tree who implores the group to aid them stop the release of the Dark God and help them free the Radiant One( Good god). Then onto the Paragon Teir and onwards. Hope this helps  bud.
#3 BRJN Oct 18, 2010 21:18:33	Mph, my DS character is going to BE the caravan master so I must be starting as a merchant employee instead of a gladiator slave. If any of the PCs have the equivalent of Detect Evil, they should figure out that there is something WRONG when you mess with Tharizdun's stuff.  This should put a monkey wrench into Dregoth's plan.  It also provides the PCs with an option which does not involve destroying the world further.  But it doesn't allow them to become a force for positive good (yet, anyways). Somewhere after realizing there is a problem, the PCs should find / be shown a way to let the other sorcerer-kings in on Dregoth's plans (to the extent the PCs know them).  Let the other guys put sand in his gears, too.