Post by StoryTeller on Apr 10, 2006 22:06:57 GMT
This plot can be used to get the party together.
During the last few weeks, the characters have been hearing rumors of bandit raids on caravans travelling the <insert appropriate direction here> road. These raids are carried out against fairly large and well protected caravans, indicating a well prepared and large group of bandits. Regular travellers are almost never bothered. (Note: In my
campaign, this is set in a largely agricultural area. Locals aren't worth it).
In addition to the caravan raids, several minor officials and merchants have been kidnapped and ransomed. The bandits are well informed, leading the local authorities to believe they may have an informant in their midst. Also a local minor cleric of the temple of <insert local good deity here> has vanished without a trace.
Some member of the party is contacted by the local government's intelligence organization (preferably one that makes sense. I have a rogue/spy/courier in my group). They are tasked with gathering a group of adventurers to scout out the bandits and locate their lair. They are not to engage the bandits, as the city government is planning a full
scale attack. They are also given some appropriate amount of money to give the characters incentive. The group gathered is not to know they are working for the local government. Let the player devise a cover story.
At the same time, a cleric/paladin character (hopefully of the same temple as the one above) is contacted by the head of their order, and instructed to find out what happened to the vanished cleric.
For a more twisted plot, have a party thief in the group be contacted by the local guild, and told about a supposed government expedition to find the bandits. Instruct the player to join the party and sidetrack/stop them if possible.
Behind the scenes, the bandits are actually not as powerful as it seems. It just so happens that the band's wizard has developed/found a more powerful version of the sleep spell, which allows the bandits to gain a great initial advantage. Furthermore, they are working with the local thieves' guild to plan their attacks and are sharing the profits
with the guild. In return, the guild provides information and fences goods for the bandits. The thieves' guild would be most upset if their safe and profitable arrangement is disturbed.
(This is played as semi-serious comedy and is a good way to lighten PC's of extra equipment, normal and magic e.g. armour, swords, potions, etc)
The PC's hear rumours of a Dragon down the coast, not far (30 miles) from the village through which they are currently passing. The local council can't afford to pay anyone to get rid of it but it's been a pest to all the local fishermen for years. (It used to be worse but has been a bit quieter for the last 15 years). The PC's will be heros and a small reward may be found. The Dragon is actually Puff the Magic Dragon (from the song for anyone who knows it) and was drawn into this realm from the dimension of Dreams by a young boy's imagination (young Jacky Papers).
They always used to play together terrorising pirate ships (fishing boats) etc until Jacky outgrew his boyhood "imaginary" friend. Puff has become broken hearted with the loss of Jacky and just mopes around all day in his cave (hidden in the mists of the coast). He is also a compulsive coward, and the only valuables he possesses are those things he and Jacky collected when Jacky was younger (balls of string, used pirate's flags, blocks of sealing wax etc).
Puff is a green dragon (nonstandard) with a sonic breath weapon (his cry/wail) which shatters/disintegrates metal/crystal etc within 40'-70' (save applies) and does appropriate damage to people as suits the scenario. He can wail every 2nd round with NO limits and will usually do so (he really is depressed). (This makes it hard for fighters to do much to him unless they are lucky with their magical armour, magical swords etc).
At any time the PC's approach him he will be sobbing gently. He is a huge Ancient Dragon of green color (NOT a Monster Manual 1 Green dragon), hit only by magic weapons and the tears he is crying (every round) are
actually large drops of acid (splash all within 20' for damage as appropriate). If they hurt him much at all, he will try to escape, still sobbing and wailing. Even when escaped, he will try to stay close to his cave (Jacky's toys are there) unless it is too dangerous. He will NEVER try to seriously hurt anyone! Any damage is incidental and caused by
crying. If the PC's try to talk to him, he will check to see if Jacky is with them, then stop communicating, breaking into even more heart-rending sobs (tears in all directions - splashing out to 40' for 3 rounds).
The preferred solution to all this, if they bother to actually find out what's going on (the local sages/mages know and will explain for a fee), is to either send Puff back to the realm of dreams (extra adventure) or find Jacky Papers and reunite them (he is probably that madman wandering the kingdom having lost his memory with a great feeling of unease about dragons).
"Artifact Search"
(This is based in a world where some great despotic Wizard-kings used to rule before the free races allied against them and collapsed their rule, some time in the distant past.)
Recently, a farmer in a rural area fell into an underground cavern while hunting. Within the cavern are remnants of a vanished culture with gleaming buildings and strange creatures moving about on unknown errands.
The farmer fled the scene immediately but his stories soon spread, prompting several expeditions by locals and greedy adventurers. The only person to return from these was found dead outside a village in the area, clutching an object fashioned of a strange crystal form. The area is now treated with caution and fear.
The mage who acquired the crystal form is now hiring a capable group with the intentions of exploring further in search of greater treasures.
Options:
1) The item was actually an artifact from the Wizard Kings and where there is one there should be others (Greed inspired).
2) The item was a portion of an unknown artifact, the rest is desired (Interest and fascination inspired).
3) The item is now known to have been the key holding a major servant of the Wizard-Kings imprisoned. He/She/It is now free and the PC's are required to capture/track/kill it. (Fear and caution inspired). Maybe the servant knows where some of the Wizard-kings are still alive, hiding in suspended animation or with their souls held in a magical gem, waiting their moment of rebirth.
4) The item is actually a map to a hitherto hidden realm (in a magically shielded valley or alternate
dimension) where the cavern's inhabitants have come from. They have been preparing themselves for a looting/slaving expedition into this realm and must be stopped before they have a chance to expand out of their cavern. (This sets up a possible major campaign: first clean out the cavern area, then gain access to the hidden and unknown realm and scout it, then find those who intend the raiding expeditions etc and stop them).
5) The item is the key to time-travel. The mage who has it wants to travel back to the time of the Wizard-Kings, alter history so that the Wizard-Kings win and rule with them over one of the realms. He intends to trick the PC's to act as his advance guards and protectors and take them with him to spoil the plans of the allied free people. (This would involve lots of trickery and be sneaky to manage, as the players can't find out what's going on until too late - at which point they will probably want to stop him and go home again).
6) The object has given its new master some great abilities and he now wants to use the powers of the PC's to slowly build his personal power until he is able to rule as the great Wizard-Kings ruled. (See 5).
In the far west, under a permanent cloud, sits the Obsidian Castle. Twice it has protected some powerful beings bid of domination of the world, twice is has been foiled. But the Castle is patient, and is already nuturing the third, who has already begun his march.
The Castle is made of jet black obsidian, each block is exactly the same size, mortared to the next with a dull brown film, the blood of the victims sacrificed to build it. Enchantment runs through the entire structure, oridinary weapons can make no mark upon the walls. The castle is black - gloomy, and horrific. Light cannot travel far within it - absorbed by the walls. The floors within are pure black ebony, with no trace of light or color. It's hard to breathe in the castle, though character never seem to run out of air.
The castle actively protects the Dark Lord. It has a nearly infinite supply of glassy obsidian or ebony or black granite guardians. Gargoyles guard the upper heights, razor-winged obsidian bats range the great halls, the moat has no water but is filled with delicately balanced sheets of razor-sharp glass that would instantly shred anyone who fell
within, even in armor, for the points would find every gap and pierce the body within.
The Castle is the home and last redoubt of the Dark Lord. Your characters must raise an army to defeat his orcs, ogres and trolls. They must forge a treaty with the beings of the light and air - the eagles, the ki-rin - to provide protection and cover against the Dark Lord's leather-winged reptilian flyers. But the army is mere diversion - to get
the players into the Castle.
Deep inside the bowels of the Castle is a room perhaps 100 feet wide and nearly as high, and paved with gold. The walls are bright polished marble, hung with cloth-of-gold and studded with endless tiny gems. The
ceiling has an enormous crystal chandelier, whose bright glow is nearly eclipsed by the six-foot-diameter gem on a low dais in the middle of the room. The gem is a composite, made of thousands of smaller gems, from fist-sized to tiny grains, of every shape and kind. They are packed into a great sphere, facet-to-facet, edge-to-edge, and the sphere is alive with light of every color in the spectrum. Bolts of light flash from point to point within - tiny dots in many colors swirl about inside. The evil spirit of the Castle - its "brain" - dwells within. No living being has ever entered this room - or even knows it exists, but until the gem is destroyed, the Obsidian Castle will always rise again, and new Dark
Lords will threaten the world...
Of course, you'll need to work out a lot of details, but this idea should be good for three or four campaigns before they figure out that is isn't "just another Dark Lord" but the Castle itself that is the real enemy, and that destroying it is merely a temporary setback. You'll need to decide who built it, and why, and when. You'll need more monsters in the "broken glass" idiom - many people are afraid of broken glass, it's a powerful symbol. Perhaps the Castle is lit with black light torches - you can see, though all is black and dark, and the flames rime the walls
with frost and burn like frostbite...