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Pluddon
Seeker
57 Posts |
 Posted - 19 Mar 2015 : 05:15:32
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Hello again all,
Finally back to running a game, this time in the unapproachable east. Specifically the Thayan city of Bezantur circa 1360. One player here is an apprentice red wizard, and I'm looking for tasks or hooks to draw such a fledgling fiend into adventure. What sort of jobs would he be sent on? And who should he be looking to avoid?
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SaMoCon
Senior Scribe
USA
403 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2015 : 11:22:27
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| If no one helps, you might want to look up Red Magic to get a ground eye view of Thay during that period of time. |
Make the best use of the system that's there, then modify the mechanics that don't allow you to have the fun you are looking for. |
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Artemas Entreri
Great Reader
USA
3131 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2015 : 13:29:47
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| Is the apprentice Red Wizard focusing on a single school of magic? If so, they could run errands for the appropriate Zulkir of that school. |
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Ilmarinnen
Acolyte
Ukraine
29 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2015 : 19:03:33
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Characters do not exist in a vacuum. Especially Thayan wizards.
They start their education already integrated into one of eight orders. Orders have their own academies, own armies, research and production facilities. Young Thayan wizard may still serve on a position in a legion, or aboard a galley, or in one of offices of Bezantur. He may continue his education serving an apprentice (often expendable) to a Red Wizard.
Order academies do not train wizards for nothing, but to produce future officers and rulers of Thay.
What is his specialization? Find what do you know about that guild. What interests may they have? Archeology? Foreign trade? Expansion?
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Ilmarinnen
Acolyte
Ukraine
29 Posts |
Posted - 24 Mar 2015 : 19:10:30
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Just remembered. One of my players used the following backstory for his character.
A young Thayan wizard had a job dealing with illegal gladiator fights in Bezantur. He employed a slave gnoll bodyguard (present from his parents) and a rashemi hexblade (graduate of Hexcidon) and a pack of soldiers from the legion.
It was where he found his third employee. |
Edited by - Ilmarinnen on 24 Mar 2015 19:13:00 |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2015 : 17:03:42
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So, 1360. Let me just spam some ideas
Your masters who tattoo'd you do not value your spellcasting in their own circle. Therefore, they encourage you to offer your services for hire to a local guild who serves to put young apprentices in contact with red wizards who can serve as circle leaders but cannot tattoo circle members. Your masters would like you to specifically get employed by a certain red wizard and spy upon them.
The church of Kossuth would like the party's services. Maybe they've heard that there are some remaining salamanders from the salamander war that are harrying merchants. They would like these rogue salamanders captured to face Kossuth's punishment as ritual sacrifices. Or, maybe the church needs them to find some children born as a result of rape during the recent salamander wars and take/buy these fledgling genasi them from their parent's. Or maybe they'd like your services to help some of their Black Flame zealots to assassinate a thorn in their side.
Also, it should be noted that there's multiple Zulkir's in this town (Zulkir Mythrellan of Illusion and Zulkir Aznar Thrul of Evocation are two) and therefore its likely that the main schools for these specializations are in these towns. Zulkir Lauzoril is also heavily involved in Bezantur.
I'd personally also include some political involvement with "guilds" of different kinds of magical specialization. For instance, my version of Thay includes a "war college of magic" for spellcasters who actually choose to not become red wizards and instead pursue becoming spellswords / eldritch knights / warmages / Raumathari Battlemages. Similarly someone also mentioned Hexcidon. For the nobles with a stronger personality than intelligence, there would be a school for dread necromancers that's tied to the school of necromancy. There is likely also a place allied to the schools of illusion AND enchantment that trains arcane tricksters and beguilers and bards. I'd also include a school of occult studies that teaches archivists and encourages theurgists. These various groups don't have the resources that the more powerful schools of magic have, and therefore they may rely on party members to acquire things for them. This may include things like new spells developed by the various schools of magic.
Then there's all the old classics... slave revolts... slave transfers from point a to point b... going into the sunrise mountains to hunt down/capture monster X.... pirates are a problem in the area and they want you to assist the navy... a Rashemi witch recently acquired a magic item from another red wizard and someone would like you to go and get it... etc..
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Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 26 Mar 2015 : 17:54:50
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some other ideas:
the school of necromancy has been outfitting low level apprentices and dread necromancers with magical items that enhance their number of controlled undead (but only 1 hit die or less undead). These apprentices then lead these teams to perform minor drudge work for hire while learning to control undead. Someone is hunting down these apprentices, thus leaving these undead uncontrolled and ravaging nearby civilians. You need to find out who is doing this.
The Thayan griffin riders had a scout patrol disappear. You need to go find them and rescue them. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2015 : 06:46:16
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I do not think an apprentice would be working for a Zulkir. They would be working for a mid level Red Wizard, not a "high up". Zulkirs are presumably primarily served by high up Red Wizards not apprentices. I always assumed that each school has multiple power bases and competing potential leaders (such as Gombdalla versus Lauzoril in the School of Enchantment) so Mythrell'aa being based in Bezantur does not mean there aren't chapters of the School of Illusion, and other major power bases, throughout Thay.
If the campaign is set in Bezantur I think rivalries between churches could be a major plot point. What about being hired on by a smaller church, or even a non-evil Church? What is the alignment of the party? Are they evil like the majority or a neutral/good minority? |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2015 : 15:56:38
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quote:
Originally posted by MrHedgehog
I do not think an apprentice would be working for a Zulkir. They would be working for a mid level Red Wizard, not a "high up". Zulkirs are presumably primarily served by high up Red Wizards not apprentices. I always assumed that each school has multiple power bases and competing potential leaders (such as Gombdalla versus Lauzoril in the School of Enchantment) so Mythrell'aa being based in Bezantur does not mean there aren't chapters of the School of Illusion, and other major power bases, throughout Thay.
If the campaign is set in Bezantur I think rivalries between churches could be a major plot point. What about being hired on by a smaller church, or even a non-evil Church? What is the alignment of the party? Are they evil like the majority or a neutral/good minority?
Yes, there are schools of each specialization throughout Thay. That's why I indicated it was likely that the main schools would be likely be found where the Zulkirs live. Therefore, those involved in the plots of these school's masters would likely be here.... and those involved in those plots may hand off tasks to lesser red wizards. I should have made it more clear where I was headed there.
As to whom apprentices serve, it should be noted that red wizards of 11th lvl (assuming 6 levels of wizard and 5 levels of red wizard) can run circles, but they can't scribe tattoos on even fledgling 1st lvl apprentices. It takes a red wizard of 13th lvl or higher to scribe said tattoos. Therefore, we have a bit of a conundrum. Those 13th lvl red wizards can scribe 1st lvl and up red wizards, but they don't want to train them. However, those 1st lvl and up red wizards are THEIR apprentices. In a land like Thay, scribing apprentices becomes a degree of power..... something that can be traded. They may be taught by lesser red wizards, but that doesn't mean their true master would give them permission to serve in another's circle. Maybe a red wizard who will become a circle leader soon agrees to perform a mission in return for being provided some apprentices to be tattooed... or maybe he simply agrees to take on the thankless job of training scores of fledgling mages rather than advancing his power in return for getting a few that serve in his circle. However, some enterprising red wizards or future red wizards may take it upon themselves to simply earn money by hiring themselves out to several circle leaders one day per week, and thereby not have to deal with annoying apprentices or missions. Thus, an enterprising 7th lvl red wizard could make some decent cash by performing in say 7 different red wizard circles once per week.... and his master who tattooed him may actually send him on this kind of "mission" in order to spy on other red wizards.
As an aside, from a game perspective, I really wish they would have put circle leader at 3rd lvl red wizard. It adds a whole lot more of this type of skullduggery if 9th lvl red wizards can lead circles but can't scribe tattoos until 13th lvl or higher, as there will likely then be 20-40 red wizards who can lead circles for every one who can scribe tattoos. It also makes even 1st lvl apprentices valuable to say a 9th lvl caster leading a circle. Personally, if I were to run a campaign here again, I'd make there be a simple circle leader ablility at 3rd lvl red wizard that allows them to have 3 apprentices in their circle as opposed to 5 apprentices that they get at 5th lvl red wizard. It could make that market for hiring a single moderately level red wizard to participate in a circle much more lucrative. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2015 : 18:38:59
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FR6, Dreams of the Red Wizards, had a mini-adventure involving the Red Wizards setting fire to the eastern North Coast Cities circa 1358 DR. This ties in easily with the Time of Troubles, since Kossuth's biggest temple is in Bezantur (F&A 89). It's very reasonable that Kossuth appeared in Bezantur during the TOT and his followers (including the Zulkir of Conjuration) used this inspiration to go on a rampage down the coast.
Fast forwarding into the 1360s, it's likely that the cities are still ruined; those east of Lapendrar are watched over by a mix of low-level Red Wizards and fire elemental creatures, and the three to the west are still being skirmished over. Thay may be building a new city of its own on the coast, perhaps for shipbuilding or maybe just to alleviate excess population. I suggest that maybe they didn't burn Escalant to the ground, and instead are planning to take over that city. This would offer them a shipbuilding port which is further removed from Kurrimal/Aleaxtis (sahuagin kingdom in the Alambar Sea) and additionally a better vantage point from which to harass/monitor shipping in the Wizards' Reach. Bezantur would of course remain Thay's primary port, since it already has the infrastructure and name recognition; the new city might not even have any docks open to the "public."
There are many jobs for a group of young pawns surrounding this project. They may be tasked with escorting an important quasielemental or efreet who has arrived in Bezantur and wants to see the current state of affairs along the coast -- the coast has been promised to the minions of Kossuth, as a place where fire elemental creatures will be free to roam forever. They may be sent to help with rebuilding parts of Escalant, and defending against saboteurs from the surviving western cities. Or they might be sent to "the front" (Tilbrand-Laothkund) to bolster Thay's forces in the ongoing skirmishes with the western Coaster Cities. Of course, there's also the occupants of the Yuirwood to deal with.
Edits: I misremembered several things. |
Edited by - xaeyruudh on 31 Mar 2015 19:07:41 |
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MrHedgehog
Senior Scribe
688 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2015 : 21:24:59
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Ah, I was not really thinking of game mechanics when I made my post (the topic seemed not specific to any edition of dungeons and dragons, I assume you are referring to third edition?). I meant high ups like social or political status.
I personally do not always apply game mechanics to NPCs. They can do whatever the GM desires. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11690 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2015 : 21:43:32
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| As long as we're mentioning the Salamander wars more, this is homebrew, but it is something I used in my games. I felt that Salamanders possibly used their spears/tridents/etc.... made from special materials so that the heat of the elemental plane of fire and their bodies would keep them hot but not pliant. In 2nd edition, salamanders needed to be hit by magic weapons, and therefore an invasion force of them would have been extraordinarily deadly for that mere fact. I had it back then that the Thayans were taking the salamander's weapons to use against them. I would change this fact for third edition. I would have it be that the metal of the salamander's weapons is simply made of fever iron (see magic of faerun). It may be that Thay has some of the largest collections of fever iron to be found in the realms now, and perhaps the party is being paid to transport some of this material to be re-forged into weapons and armor by the Church of Kossuth or the schools of Evocation or Conjuration, and members of an opposing faction would like to seize these lucrative materials for their own use. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Campaigning in Thay
