Hi all,
I am running a campaign (Reign of Asmodeus) currently with this premise:
10 years ago, Asmodeus orchestrates a secret alliance between the demons and devils and the evil gods of Faerun to attack Faerun with their combined forces. Once the combined forces of evil have the upper-hand, he makes a deal with the good gods that he will help stop the rampaging evil gods and their forces by helping them cut the planar ties of Faerun. This also cuts off the gods from Faerun for a short time, but desperate, the good gods agree.
Just as the spell is completed, Asmodeus transfers all of his godhood into an aspect on Faerun. He activates beacons he created on Faerun to shield the plane from the gods and a large portion of his power to move the plane, currently free of planar ties. Cut-off from the plane, the good and evil gods are unable to stop it in time, and now cannot reconnect to the plane as it is shielded from them and they are unaware to where it has been 'moved' because of the beacons.
Faerun is now filled with evil beings from the lower planes, and no good gods to help the mortals. Although in a very weakened state, Asmodeus is still the most powerful being on the plane, and he slowly conquers it. As he gains strength, he will soon be able to ascend to godhood once more.
The world is now run by evil despots, in effect, evil has won. Heroes must now find a way to destroy the beacons and allow the good (and evil) gods to return once more to instill a balance.
The players obviously don't know this whole back-story yet, they just know the good goods dissappeared years ago and Asmodeus rules the world. That being said, they have come into information on where a beacon is and that it might be connected to Asmodeus and are investigating. This first beacon is in Chult, and the adventure has a 'Indiana Jones' feel to it, with jungle encounters, horrible diseases, a zigguraut filled with traps, and of course snakes!
My question is, there will be more beacons and I would like ideas on where it would be cool to put them and build adventures around them, or, if there are pre-made adventures that might be cool for this.
I think an Underdark one (goign to do this next I think) and an 'Arctic' winter adventure would be cool. Any thoughts on some keen locales or ideas? They will be level 11 after their current adventure.
Another in the desolate wastes - a harsh desert area crawling with all manner of collosal vermin. The beacon is attached to / inside of the largest of the scorpions, moving about and forcing the heroes to track it before they can defeat it.
Also, one should be placed in the ultimate villain spot, in the bowels of an active volcano, surrounded (immersed in?) liquid hot magma! Red dragons, fire giants, old school all the way.
As far as the Midnight campaign (which you are right, is very good), that premise gave me the basic idea, but I wanted to put my own spin on it and also make it FR. I feared some of my players to be too familiar with it as well.
Just a question, why would Asmodeus make the beacons accessable at all? Why not just put them under ten feet of solid earth or an active volcanoe or something? And if they're destroyed, is there any reason he can't just fix/replace them? Are they somehow connected to his power so that when one is destroyed he is weakened? Do they require people to maintain them in order to function? Just some food for thought there.
As for interesting locations:
1. Volcanoe (either the PCs have to enter one or one erupts and the now displaced beacon lands somewhere and can actually be destroyed before it is hauled back to the volcanoe) Yes I know it was suggested already, but volcanoes are cool.
2. Crypt (Liches, undead, ect.)
3. Labyrinth (Traps, minotaurs, mimics, ect.)
4. His throne room (You can always find some excuse for him to leave his palace/fortress)
5. A dragon's belly (Chasing said dragon down/luring it would be interesting)
6. Earth Mote (Floating hunk of earth)
7. Giant (They're using it as a mace head possibly? How big are these beacons?)
8. Elemental made from the beacon (It defends itself, how much more secure can Asmodeus make the thing? Aside from number 4 of course.)
I'll mention anything else I think of later.
I am playing with the idea other groups of resistance might be taking out other beacons as well, setting up the plausibility Asmodeus can't protect every where at once until it culminates into the final showdown. The beacons are somewhat redundant, but the more there are are the more 'hidden' it is.
I am open for feedback on this as well!
(And thanks for more ideas)
But, as a twist stemming from your question, it could be that partway through the campaign he seeks to rectify the error. This raises the stakes, causes the players to solve new problems (find out wher,e when, and how he will make them immune to interference), etc etc.
EDIT: He cut off planar ties, right? What if one of these pylons are hidden within the well of energy that is denying planar connection? It is and isn't there at the same time, right in the open but out of reach since it exists on another plane, but other planes don't exist with Faerun right now. (Lost yet)? Time for some heavy-duty magical research... and maybe a Lovecraftian author to boot!
How are you handling gods that lived in the plane of faerun...I'm thinking of say Torog, I think he's still in the Underdark...maybe the group needs to ally with him to destroy another beacon. He doesn't care what goes on in the surface so he wouldn't be a threat to asmod's power
Lots of good ideas here, I'm glad I tapped into this forum!
FF: You are right, the divine power source doesn't 'work', with one exception, one of the PCs. (I had 10 character hooks available to the PCs when the campaign started, one of them was the prophet character hook. In a world where noone can channel divine power, he can.) So he is seen as a force of hope, and he has no knowledge of why he can do what he can do, but he can. It's great because the PC hates the burden and hasn't fully accepted it.
It worked out well because in his background, he was having a 'vision quest out-of-body experience meditation' when the attack came. So, unbeknowest to him Kelemvor still had a connection with him before sending him back to his body in the physical world and shunted just a piece of his power (what the PC could handle) before losing ties which has transferred itself to his weapon. As the group destroys beacons, his weapon will get stronger (get abilities, like a mini-artifact magic weapon) as Kelemvor is able to get closer and closer to reconnecting to Faerun. The best part is he is an Avenger, so very poetic that he is on a mission to avenge the gods if you will. Of course, the Avenger is discovering this as we go.
Also, I am with you on him 'rectifying' his mistake, and hence why it will get tougher and tougher for the PCs. Luckily, they are leveling up as they go. ;)
Drorain: The glacier idea sounds fun, I like the idea of having a 'time limit' on an adventure.