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Slaygrim
Learned Scribe
111 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Jan 2008 : 17:59:14
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I'll give you a brief rundown on the campaign I am running right now to catch you up to speed before I get into this mess that is in my head regarding the next campaign, which I intend to be very big and very fun.
The first Campaign revolves around a mysterious wizard from Halruaa named Magnimar Indrid (NE, H, M, Wiz 19th). Magnimar is from an old wizarding family known as "Indrid" dating back many thousands of years to Netheril. Magnimar is the head of a small cult he calls his "Cabal". With him is his childhood friend, the eccentric Gnome Wizard Mephisto Brittlestick (CN, G, M, Wiz 14th), a half human/half Iron Golem Thanatos (NE, M, H-IG, Ftr 18th), a Shadovar Wizard Maximel Mortis (LE, S, M, Wiz 15th), a fey'ri sorcerer named Braxis Dlardrageth (CE, F, M, Sor 16th), a mysterious fighter/rogue/assassin known as the "Widowspur" Erezan Severhart (NE E, M, Ftr/Rog/Asn 17th), and a greedy merchant called Gedion Belluth (N, H, M, Expert 13th).
To cut a long story short, Magnimar's motivation is to search for his long lost ancestor Halicron Indrid, a extremely powerful Netherese Arcanist whom was trapped in a Stasis Prison by his peers and locked away deep beneath the earth to be forgotton. His existence was erased from most history books. Halicron had been dealing too closely with Abyssal Lords and Arch Devils with his magical research and crossed acceptable lines.
Magnimar knows the existence of his ancestor through information passed through the family, but does not know the location. He wants to free Halicron and then learn from him to further his own power.
The campaign begins for 4 or 5 PC's at 6th level when they stumble across Magnimar's trail while the wizard was excavating old netherese ruins and showing little regard for any commoner or individual that crossed his path. The PC's do not uncover the true motivation behind Magnimar's actions until near the end of the campaign when they witness the Cabal defeat Saharel at Saharelgard (aka Spellguard) and pull the information from her, as she was one of those who trapped Halicron 2000 years before. It all leads to a climactic conclusion deep within the underground prison in which Magnimar succeeds in freeing Halicron and gating him out, but is ultimately killed himself while fending off the PC's.
Now onto the Campaign in question:
My idea's of course will center around Epic Magic and Halicron Indrid. The PC's did not learn where he was gated to, and neither could they track him down. After the previous campaign another DM is taking over for his own before I come back to this one.
My idea's include a series of "Labors" set forth to the PC's by a mysterious character who contacts them through telepathy. I'm thinking of having this character a Spellweaver trapped in Chult as a monolith, although the PC's do not know what he is until they free him. Once (or before) he is freed, he will direct the PC's to complete 10 quests, or "Labors". Perhaps to collect a series of artifacts that were hidden long ago.
The Spellweaver will direct them (or take them) to a ancient "Gateway" beneath the ground that has 10 open portals within. Each portal would take the PC's within 10 or so miles of the lost artifact in question. They will be told by the Spellweaver (Called "Ornikali") the description of the artifact and possibly the means to locate it, either by the effects of it's usage or by another means. Not sure.
Each time an artifact is recovered the PCs could return to the location of the portal that brought them there, and go back to the Gateway in Chult.
I was thinking of tying these ancient artifacts to the Sarrukh's. As for what they do or how they tie into Halicron Indrid, I am not yet sure. The plan was that once the 10 artifacts are together Ornikali will be able to do something with them, either activate them or use them in some manner that will aid the PC's in either defeating Halicron, or perhaps beating Halicron to his goal.
I was thinking of having the artifacts be in several locations in which an adventure to take place. 1 perhaps with illithids, another with phaerimm beneath the Anauroch, another in Mulhorand/Unther, another in the ruins of a ancient Sarrukh city, another with the Yuan-Ti, etc.
For Halicron's ultimate goal, I was thinking of several possibilities. Perhaps having him trying to gain access to 10th, 11th, and 12th level spells once again (which seems to be a dead end unless he can do this through the Shadow Weave), perhaps having him trying to travel back in time to Netheril itself, but this too has it's limitations per Mystra's Time Loop rules, or maybe having something to do with Abyssal Lords and Arch Devil's gaining entrance to Faerun through him, tying him in with his original plot that cause his peers to imprison him to begin with.
Anyway, I think you get the gist of what I am trying to put together. The original campaign started at 6th level for the PC's and ended at 10th. We will begin this one after the other DM runs his, and I believe the PC's will have reached around 14th Level (give or take one) by the time I start this. I want this campaign to run around 12-14 adventures and 70-100 gaming hours) with the PC's ending near 20th level.
I want this campaign to have it all. Riddles, twists, intriguing NPC's, incredible battles, Indiana Jones/Allan Quartermain and King Solomon's mines-like exploration, etc.
i was also thinking of having Ornikali direct the PC's to collecting an old childrens book that has hidden clues in plain sight to most people regarding the quest.
It's putting all the pieces and ties together that's giving me a headache...
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Slaygrim
Learned Scribe
111 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2008 : 19:57:37
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Some notes:
I came up with Ornikali as a name for the Spellweavers and not necessarily the one in which the PCs are dealing with, although he may refer to himself as Ornikali. I created this name by doing a little research. Spellweavers are barely medium sized monstrous humanoids that have bird-like features and six arms. Ornithology is the study of birds, and Kali is a 6 armed deity from India. How this ties into the Realms... I don't know, I just wanted the name I gave them to have some meaning. Thus ornithology and Kali became Ornikali.
The ideas that are forming in my mind are to have this particular Spellweaver as an upgraded version of the ones you find in MM II. I want him to be able to access spells of 9th level at least. I hear that a Spellweaver has a Level Adjustment of +7 which will mean I will have to put him into Epic Levels in order to access that.
This Spellweaver I planned on having a story regarding him being trapped or transformed into a monolith in one of the cities or tribal area's of Chult. The locals will believe his voice (since he can communicate telepathically) is that of Ubtao.
I want there to be story upon story regarding nearly everything I do here. Even with the Labors. Whoever is holding the artifact, be it a Thayan Archmage or a beholder, I want a backstory explaining how they came upon these artifacts.
Such as if the phaerimm of the Anauroch have one, it can be tied back to Chult through the Sarrukh. The Sarrukh had major cities in Chult and Isstosseffifil was located where modern day Anauroch lies. In fact it was the phaerimm themselves that instigated the downfail of Isstosseffifil, thus the artifact could have remained in their possession for over 30,000 years.
The same could be said if the Yuan-ti have one, as they were created by the Sarrukh.
My biggest problem in putting all of this together is to understand what Halicron is doing now that he is returned, why the Spellweaver is involved, and how it all ties to these artifacts of the Sarrukh. |
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dirtywick
Seeker
69 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2008 : 21:37:25
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Alright, here's my idea:
The 10 artifacts are a part of a six armed, two legged golem, a sort of ultimate war machine made by the Sarrukh; each part is powerful on it's own (as you can "wear" the golem parts, like arms as gauntlets, feet as boots, armor, helmet, etc. probably tailored to the needs of the group), but when gathered together each becomes more powerful as more pieces are added. It resembles a yuan-ti abomination, but is passable as the body for a spellweaver...
It was nearly completed when the Sarrukh fell, and when the various Sarrukh retreated to all parts of the Realms and the various planes, they took a part or two with them, where they were eventually lost as the Sarrukh were defeated or hidden with them.
Pretty obvious why all of these guys want it; Magnimar and Halicron because it's magically powerful, the demons and devils for the blood war, and the spellweaver for a much better body and a way out of the monolith. Magnimar found some information hinting at it, but through the pacts with the devils and demons (who would each possess one piece) Halicron, perhaps possessing one or two later finding their way to somewhere else as Netheril fell, pieced together the signifigance and made promises to each he had no intention of keeping to get his hands on theirs, and the devils and demons wanting to do the same to each other and Halicron. Perhaps another piece is in the monolith itself tied to the spellweaver and it's had centuries to ponder it's signifigance.
Of course, there should be a reason why it's a bad idea to put it together and I haven't really thought about what it actually does (maybe it can break the stasis and Halicron has figured out a way to make it do something else? The PCs would then be unwittingly serving Magnimar), but what it is and why would be a mystery until enough pieces are gathered to where it's beginning to vaguely look like a golem and not just loosely related artifacts that sorta resemble each other.
I don't know. |
Subtlety of Thay Ch 1 and Ch 2 NWN2 Module |
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Slaygrim
Learned Scribe
111 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2008 : 04:10:33
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| If anyone has any good ideas, I'm all open. :) |
Watch my gorgeous wife sing at:
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dirtywick
Seeker
69 Posts |
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Kuje
Great Reader
USA
7915 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2008 : 04:24:39
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The only thing I could think of while skimming what you wrote was that it would have made more sense if Halicron left Netheril and went to Narfell and continued his research into fiends during the wars between Narfell and Raumathar......
Maybe the golem is a relic from Raumathar that was taken during one of the battles and put into play by Halicron for Narfell.....
Beyond that, I don't have any other ideas. |
For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet and excite you... Books are full of the things that you don't get in real life - wonderful, lyrical language, for instance, right off the bat. - Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium |
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Slaygrim
Learned Scribe
111 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jan 2008 : 15:30:38
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quote:
Originally posted by Kuje
The only thing I could think of while skimming what you wrote was that it would have made more sense if Halicron left Netheril and went to Narfell and continued his research into fiends during the wars between Narfell and Raumathar......
Maybe the golem is a relic from Raumathar that was taken during one of the battles and put into play by Halicron for Narfell.....
Beyond that, I don't have any other ideas.
Thanks for the post!
I cannot have Halicron Indrid do that because the entire plot of the campaign that we are just now completing was based upon Halicron's ancestor Magnimar trying to free him from his Stasis Prison. So Halicron couldn't have left to Narfell as the PC's are fighting to stop Magnimar from freeing him.
The PCs know he was imprisoned as they have heard that information from Saharel of Spellguard herself, as she was one of those who imprisioned him. And now the PCs are at the location of the prision and will attempt to stop Magnimar from freeing him. (In which they will fail.)
I do appreciate the thoughts though. |
Watch my gorgeous wife sing at:
www.youtube.com/Airicx |
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My Next Big Campaign... is a mess in my mind....
