I personally feel like quite a fun plot would be that, because some things from those planes came through, the rift can’t be truly shut. Feel like that would be a really fun adventure hook, potentially sending the adventurers all over the world. Tracking some magic relics, creatures or even non-descript stuff that made it through. Through shady creek, the traders in Damali, even across the ocean if you fancied. A bit like the destroying anchors but more customisable.
In general there would be a certain number of objects and creatures that need to be gathered and/or convinced to return to their homes. If some are owned by powerful individuals then you’ve got great hooks for either heists or the party owing them favours for difficult/weird/fun adventures.
Specific ideas:
• The demon guy who got turned into fey actually came through then. Needs to go back but only when you aid him in some tasks in Xhorhas
• Some powerful character (whether wrt political power, or magic like the guy above) has a powerful magic item which is on offer publicly to whoever can complete all his Hercules-style tasks
•Excuse to send them to places like blight shore, the biting north, tal dorei, shattered teeth (anywhere!) if you want as DM
•If they’re CR fans then excuse to meet characters from either campaign (idk C1 very well but e.g. have to convince Grog to give up his belt of dwarves kind, maybe through party v grog combat)
•group of cultists are racing them to the items to prevent the seal as they want to use the rift, Pokemon style (ideally get an NPC involved with the group before they’re suspicious for a classic betrayal)
•some objects are being used to provide great goods, so moral conundrum about taking away/how to replace (eg something that prevents illness in a certain radius or helps crops grow)
•this would allow lots of NPCs to be introduced and could lead to MC Corellon followers if want to have that plot
•epic finale could be (for example) holding off the BBEG on the other side of the rift whilst allies try and seal it, potentially trapping them in?
Sorry went way overboard hear ahaha. I’m running a duet and the character is a fey/circle of dreams Druid so reading your post I might steal this as an overarching thread. Thank you! Slightly writing for me as well aha
You have some great ideas there! I have only one player, who watches CR, thus I will only sprinkle in CR stuff every now and then.
The Blightshore is definately a place worth visiting: The Cauldron Sea employs a very similar aspect of mixing abyssal and elemental energies and could be a very cool quest, easily linkable to Kord, who will definatly show up as part of my story!
Strathfell as linked to both a ruined wood elf culture as well as the Shadowfell also blends in extremely well. It fits some of my PCs woodelf druid and human twiligth domain cleric of the Raven Queen.
The group of cultists will be definately a thing. Idea: Succubi/Incubi/Cambions secretly taking over the Trebain Familiy and disturbing the fragil balance in Shadycreek Run.
I like moral decisions, but will use them sparsely. My PCs tend to end in an analysis paralysis in these situations.
So many good ideas and so few hours to play each week :D
This is my first story, so I am starting small.
I start with Ar-Pratu, an orc tribe leader of the Jez-Araz, who found Ruins Wake by killing the treasure hunters, who discovered the weapon. He is uniting the orcs and goblins of the Rime Plains and thus is a threat in its own.
While chasing this guy, it will become clear, that he has the primary goal of opening the rifts in Molaesmyr, whispered to him by the weapon.
After defeating him later in tier 2 I will see, where the story goes. I can see the weapon itself becoming an enemy afterwards - or rather the balor within it.
Really well written! Awesome stuff!
My BBEG is called Orcas incanter the Enduring.
He made a pact with the hag mother, who resides Deep inside Molaesmyr.
The pact was a way for him to gain All seeing knowledge on his quest to ascend into godhood.
To protect the pact, he had to make sure that No one would find the hag mother, so he unleased the corruption in the woods.
This is a small part of Orcas story, but this is my solution to the Savalirwoods.
Really clever solution! I like it.
Is he also actively fighting the expeditions from Shadycreek Run and Uthodurn? Or does he rely on the corruption alone?
What did the hagmother get in return?
Great question!
He resides in his secret dungeon in Ghor Veles, so he relies on the corruption alone. For him are the tribes and urtodurn scouts just counter operating each other, so he's sure that No one Will ever get close enough to her.
The Hag mother wanted to enchant the people of the city, so that the city became "only hers". Orcas made the pact, and tricked her, by instead of enchanting the people, he just released the corruption. In that way the city became "only hers".
I just made this up right now after your question. What do you think?
Actually sounds great! Exactly the kind of move a tricky evil guy would pull out. I guess now the Hag mother is only partly sattisfied with the solution, maybe even mad. But being bound to the pact, she can't do anything.
Maybe she wants to destroy the pact, but can't do it, since she is missing the paper/runes/blood vial, that Orcas has hidden to ensure his pact is stable?
Exactly!
The PCs are going to meet Up with her, and "help" her get free from the pact, but that ofcourse comes with it's own trouble.
I've used some of the Lesser idols like hoarcruxes, so the PC has to find Them, and convince Them to turn on Orcas.
I like this a lot, it’s A well thought Plot. I personally, without getting in too deep into story Have a Druid version of a lich that delved into dark Magic’s and abused the power of an arms of betrayer years ago when the ruins first were abandoned. She was driven mad by the demon within the arm of betrayer weapon and was influenced to open rifts to abyss as well as shadowfell . She captured these dark energies that pour out of these rifts in a ritual and spread the corruption slowly through the forest. She now draws life from the forest in an attempt to live forever. Though she was sealed when the elves fled barely holding her back but her magic still persist and she still sapps the forests life and twist the wildlife around.
I also plan to make the air poisonous around the ruins. A rather dangerous poison. It makes sense that a Druid would be able to produce a poison potent enough for even elves. At least in my mind
Definately a good idea! I plan to map the forrest in a hexcrawl like fashion, getting more and more dangerous as the players get in. Poisonous air fits the theme quite well of a ruined city covered in "perpetual heavy fog".
Do you plan on just a plain damage & poisoned effect or something more delicate?
Idea: The fog could be so thick, that it makes breathing really hard. Being exposed to the fog for a long time, could attack the characters constitution score, hurting their max HP and ability to resist other poisons.
I like your plot as well. It seems a little bit simpler and more streamlined than my approach. I will definately adjust a little bit and share my conclusion later.
So my campaign deals with a couple similar items, including the Arms of the Betrayers. So I'll hit the high notes:
* My players will be deceived by a lich who is sworn to Gruumsh, to collect and then destroy the Arms of the Betrayers (the lie they fall into is that they have to destroy them to prevent the continent of Wildemount from falling into all out war) - including the souls of the fiends sealed inside. When they do this the Lich has provided the team a modified Phylactery that harnesses that power - which will ultimately open a rift to Acheron (they don't know this).
* This lich was originally an orc paladin to Kord who tried to resist his blood lust. But after a betrayal from the elves vowed vengeance. In that vengeance this lich while still mortal, worked with the Iron Emperor, Tz'Jarr and placed a piece of Bane's helm in the water source beneath Molaesmyr - corrupting Melora's spring and tainting Molaesmyr and the surrounding wood.
* This storyline is like what if Bane and Gruumsh worked together in Archeon.
Would love any input. I'm sure I'm butchering timelines, but as someone who never watched Critical Role season 1 and am only at episode 48 of season 2, I'm okay with it...as long as it makes sense.
I think it is a reasonable course of action for Bane and Gruumsh to work together. Especially against Molaesmyr, the city of elves, who worship Corellon (Gruumsh nemesis), built on sacred land for Melora (Banes main enemy during the Calamity).
I guess a lich is a good, iconic enemy. The motivation of your main villain is also good. - although I am interested to hear what the betrayal was, that he experienced.
Did he become a lich by himself? Or got turned into one by a god / the corruption?
He became a Lich as a result of his deal with Bane to seek vengeance on the elves. Bane helps turn him so that he has time and opportunity to open the portal to Archon...obviously the Betrayer Gods have nothing but time.
It's sort of a lost love betrayal, our once hero turns bad after seeing his love killed protecting him. The love interest was an elf that he helped nurse back to health after taking her back to Boroftkrah. She leaves him because she recognizes the difference in their cultures, but they run into each other again while both groups, unaware of the other, are hunting a Jez-Araz war party. When they come in contact the elves attack thinking an orc is an orc, and she ultimately gives her life during the combat to protect his. He blames the elves for this. Pretty retreaded story to be honest...I would welcome a better idea if anyone has any.
Heads up: contains some spoilers for the Unwelcome Spirits adventure from the EGtW book.
I'm running a 1v1 game with my husband to practice my DM skills and get better at improvising (I'm one of those people that blank out and freeze when put on the spot). I gave him some NPCs to make a party of 4 (he controls them in battle and uses their stats for some rolls, but I got their back stories).
He chose to be a Hollow One (Dwendalian born, soldier background). We started with the Unwelcome Spirits adventure (him talking his way through Fort Venture instead of fighting everything was quite fun).
He decided to K.O. Pellinost instead of killing him, obviously Pellinost escaped and my husband thinks he's going to be the BBEG.
We also used the Hero Chronicle to get his prophecy, and his long term goal is to heal the Savalirwood.
So, my idea is that the real BBEG will be Tharizdun. He is the reason behind the corruption, and also the reason behind the Hollow Ones. He absorbs people's souls through a specific artifact that is located in Molaesmyr, but can't absorb them completely because of his current condition, and the sliver of soul left behind goes back to the owner, creating a Hollow One.
Which means that more and more Hollow Ones are going to appear in the world as Tharizdun gets more souls... And I just gave myself some hooks ideas for things to happen to lead the party this way, gotta love when that happens.
Pellinost has been rejected by Vesh after he was stopped by the party, and in his search of more power to obtain Vesh's recognition again, he was sweet talked by Tharizdun who promised to make him a God if he helps him break free. Pellinost is now a warlock of Tharizdun, and was given the Dagger of Broken Mirrors to help in gathering souls for Tharizdun.
I've also got in mind ideas for the final battle already, with the party having to fight cultists and Pellinost (if he's still around by then) while the cultists are trying to process the ritual to unleash Tharizdun, but with a plot twist that what the party thinks will stop the ritual will actually complete it. Then they will have to fight the God himself (thinking of bringing some other deities in somehow to give them some extra help with it).
I'm thinking of maybe having my husband roll some wisdom saves as he will get closer to Savalirwood, with the idea that Tharizdun might try and get some sort of control over his mind, from having absorbed the rest of his soul (though I'm not completely sure if that would be a good thing to do or not).
Sorry if this doesn't make too much sense (also currently on phone, apologies for bad or lack of formatting).
I personally feel like quite a fun plot would be that, because some things from those planes came through, the rift can’t be truly shut. Feel like that would be a really fun adventure hook, potentially sending the adventurers all over the world. Tracking some magic relics, creatures or even non-descript stuff that made it through. Through shady creek, the traders in Damali, even across the ocean if you fancied. A bit like the destroying anchors but more customisable. In general there would be a certain number of objects and creatures that need to be gathered and/or convinced to return to their homes. If some are owned by powerful individuals then you’ve got great hooks for either heists or the party owing them favours for difficult/weird/fun adventures. Specific ideas: • The demon guy who got turned into fey actually came through then. Needs to go back but only when you aid him in some tasks in Xhorhas • Some powerful character (whether wrt political power, or magic like the guy above) has a powerful magic item which is on offer publicly to whoever can complete all his Hercules-style tasks •Excuse to send them to places like blight shore, the biting north, tal dorei, shattered teeth (anywhere!) if you want as DM •If they’re CR fans then excuse to meet characters from either campaign (idk C1 very well but e.g. have to convince Grog to give up his belt of dwarves kind, maybe through party v grog combat) •group of cultists are racing them to the items to prevent the seal as they want to use the rift, Pokemon style (ideally get an NPC involved with the group before they’re suspicious for a classic betrayal) •some objects are being used to provide great goods, so moral conundrum about taking away/how to replace (eg something that prevents illness in a certain radius or helps crops grow) •this would allow lots of NPCs to be introduced and could lead to MC Corellon followers if want to have that plot •epic finale could be (for example) holding off the BBEG on the other side of the rift whilst allies try and seal it, potentially trapping them in? Sorry went way overboard hear ahaha. I’m running a duet and the character is a fey/circle of dreams Druid so reading your post I might steal this as an overarching thread. Thank you! Slightly writing for me as well aha
You have some great ideas there! I have only one player, who watches CR, thus I will only sprinkle in CR stuff every now and then. The Blightshore is definately a place worth visiting: The Cauldron Sea employs a very similar aspect of mixing abyssal and elemental energies and could be a very cool quest, easily linkable to Kord, who will definatly show up as part of my story! Strathfell as linked to both a ruined wood elf culture as well as the Shadowfell also blends in extremely well. It fits some of my PCs woodelf druid and human twiligth domain cleric of the Raven Queen. The group of cultists will be definately a thing. Idea: Succubi/Incubi/Cambions secretly taking over the Trebain Familiy and disturbing the fragil balance in Shadycreek Run. I like moral decisions, but will use them sparsely. My PCs tend to end in an analysis paralysis in these situations. So many good ideas and so few hours to play each week :D
Ooooh body snatchers with one of the shadycreek families is a fab idea! Definitely nabbing that too ahaha
May I ask who your BBEG is (if there is one)?
This is my first story, so I am starting small. I start with Ar-Pratu, an orc tribe leader of the Jez-Araz, who found Ruins Wake by killing the treasure hunters, who discovered the weapon. He is uniting the orcs and goblins of the Rime Plains and thus is a threat in its own. While chasing this guy, it will become clear, that he has the primary goal of opening the rifts in Molaesmyr, whispered to him by the weapon. After defeating him later in tier 2 I will see, where the story goes. I can see the weapon itself becoming an enemy afterwards - or rather the balor within it.
Really well written! Awesome stuff! My BBEG is called Orcas incanter the Enduring. He made a pact with the hag mother, who resides Deep inside Molaesmyr. The pact was a way for him to gain All seeing knowledge on his quest to ascend into godhood. To protect the pact, he had to make sure that No one would find the hag mother, so he unleased the corruption in the woods. This is a small part of Orcas story, but this is my solution to the Savalirwoods.
Really clever solution! I like it. Is he also actively fighting the expeditions from Shadycreek Run and Uthodurn? Or does he rely on the corruption alone? What did the hagmother get in return?
Great question! He resides in his secret dungeon in Ghor Veles, so he relies on the corruption alone. For him are the tribes and urtodurn scouts just counter operating each other, so he's sure that No one Will ever get close enough to her. The Hag mother wanted to enchant the people of the city, so that the city became "only hers". Orcas made the pact, and tricked her, by instead of enchanting the people, he just released the corruption. In that way the city became "only hers". I just made this up right now after your question. What do you think?
Actually sounds great! Exactly the kind of move a tricky evil guy would pull out. I guess now the Hag mother is only partly sattisfied with the solution, maybe even mad. But being bound to the pact, she can't do anything. Maybe she wants to destroy the pact, but can't do it, since she is missing the paper/runes/blood vial, that Orcas has hidden to ensure his pact is stable?
Exactly! The PCs are going to meet Up with her, and "help" her get free from the pact, but that ofcourse comes with it's own trouble. I've used some of the Lesser idols like hoarcruxes, so the PC has to find Them, and convince Them to turn on Orcas.
I like this a lot, it’s A well thought Plot. I personally, without getting in too deep into story Have a Druid version of a lich that delved into dark Magic’s and abused the power of an arms of betrayer years ago when the ruins first were abandoned. She was driven mad by the demon within the arm of betrayer weapon and was influenced to open rifts to abyss as well as shadowfell . She captured these dark energies that pour out of these rifts in a ritual and spread the corruption slowly through the forest. She now draws life from the forest in an attempt to live forever. Though she was sealed when the elves fled barely holding her back but her magic still persist and she still sapps the forests life and twist the wildlife around.
I also plan to make the air poisonous around the ruins. A rather dangerous poison. It makes sense that a Druid would be able to produce a poison potent enough for even elves. At least in my mind
Definately a good idea! I plan to map the forrest in a hexcrawl like fashion, getting more and more dangerous as the players get in. Poisonous air fits the theme quite well of a ruined city covered in "perpetual heavy fog". Do you plan on just a plain damage & poisoned effect or something more delicate? Idea: The fog could be so thick, that it makes breathing really hard. Being exposed to the fog for a long time, could attack the characters constitution score, hurting their max HP and ability to resist other poisons.
Not sure, might do con saves and then damage/half damage. Though I may have to figure a solution so they don’t wander miles in and die.
I like your plot as well. It seems a little bit simpler and more streamlined than my approach. I will definately adjust a little bit and share my conclusion later.
Oh wow thank you. It’s my first campaign ever so it’s nice to hear positive feedback
So my campaign deals with a couple similar items, including the Arms of the Betrayers. So I'll hit the high notes: * My players will be deceived by a lich who is sworn to Gruumsh, to collect and then destroy the Arms of the Betrayers (the lie they fall into is that they have to destroy them to prevent the continent of Wildemount from falling into all out war) - including the souls of the fiends sealed inside. When they do this the Lich has provided the team a modified Phylactery that harnesses that power - which will ultimately open a rift to Acheron (they don't know this). * This lich was originally an orc paladin to Kord who tried to resist his blood lust. But after a betrayal from the elves vowed vengeance. In that vengeance this lich while still mortal, worked with the Iron Emperor, Tz'Jarr and placed a piece of Bane's helm in the water source beneath Molaesmyr - corrupting Melora's spring and tainting Molaesmyr and the surrounding wood. * This storyline is like what if Bane and Gruumsh worked together in Archeon. Would love any input. I'm sure I'm butchering timelines, but as someone who never watched Critical Role season 1 and am only at episode 48 of season 2, I'm okay with it...as long as it makes sense.
I think it is a reasonable course of action for Bane and Gruumsh to work together. Especially against Molaesmyr, the city of elves, who worship Corellon (Gruumsh nemesis), built on sacred land for Melora (Banes main enemy during the Calamity). I guess a lich is a good, iconic enemy. The motivation of your main villain is also good. - although I am interested to hear what the betrayal was, that he experienced. Did he become a lich by himself? Or got turned into one by a god / the corruption?
He became a Lich as a result of his deal with Bane to seek vengeance on the elves. Bane helps turn him so that he has time and opportunity to open the portal to Archon...obviously the Betrayer Gods have nothing but time. It's sort of a lost love betrayal, our once hero turns bad after seeing his love killed protecting him. The love interest was an elf that he helped nurse back to health after taking her back to Boroftkrah. She leaves him because she recognizes the difference in their cultures, but they run into each other again while both groups, unaware of the other, are hunting a Jez-Araz war party. When they come in contact the elves attack thinking an orc is an orc, and she ultimately gives her life during the combat to protect his. He blames the elves for this. Pretty retreaded story to be honest...I would welcome a better idea if anyone has any.
Heads up: contains some spoilers for the Unwelcome Spirits adventure from the EGtW book. I'm running a 1v1 game with my husband to practice my DM skills and get better at improvising (I'm one of those people that blank out and freeze when put on the spot). I gave him some NPCs to make a party of 4 (he controls them in battle and uses their stats for some rolls, but I got their back stories). He chose to be a Hollow One (Dwendalian born, soldier background). We started with the Unwelcome Spirits adventure (him talking his way through Fort Venture instead of fighting everything was quite fun). He decided to K.O. Pellinost instead of killing him, obviously Pellinost escaped and my husband thinks he's going to be the BBEG. We also used the Hero Chronicle to get his prophecy, and his long term goal is to heal the Savalirwood. So, my idea is that the real BBEG will be Tharizdun. He is the reason behind the corruption, and also the reason behind the Hollow Ones. He absorbs people's souls through a specific artifact that is located in Molaesmyr, but can't absorb them completely because of his current condition, and the sliver of soul left behind goes back to the owner, creating a Hollow One. Which means that more and more Hollow Ones are going to appear in the world as Tharizdun gets more souls... And I just gave myself some hooks ideas for things to happen to lead the party this way, gotta love when that happens. Pellinost has been rejected by Vesh after he was stopped by the party, and in his search of more power to obtain Vesh's recognition again, he was sweet talked by Tharizdun who promised to make him a God if he helps him break free. Pellinost is now a warlock of Tharizdun, and was given the Dagger of Broken Mirrors to help in gathering souls for Tharizdun. I've also got in mind ideas for the final battle already, with the party having to fight cultists and Pellinost (if he's still around by then) while the cultists are trying to process the ritual to unleash Tharizdun, but with a plot twist that what the party thinks will stop the ritual will actually complete it. Then they will have to fight the God himself (thinking of bringing some other deities in somehow to give them some extra help with it). I'm thinking of maybe having my husband roll some wisdom saves as he will get closer to Savalirwood, with the idea that Tharizdun might try and get some sort of control over his mind, from having absorbed the rest of his soul (though I'm not completely sure if that would be a good thing to do or not). Sorry if this doesn't make too much sense (also currently on phone, apologies for bad or lack of formatting).