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View Full Version : [4e] An encounter with Genasi



DiscipleofBob
2010-03-09, 02:54 PM
The Party: Level 9 including a human fullblade fighter, a tiefling warlock who, due to storyline stuff, has access to both infernal and fey pact bonuses and can switch between the two at will, a half-elf bard with emphasis on forced movement for everyone, a shifter swarm druid, and a human aerialist rogue. DMPC's include a brain in a jar that can't perceive anything without the PC's telling it telepathically, but on orders it can attempt to dominate someone. Also, there's a souped-up fire sorcerer that may attempt to join them on this little adventure.

The Setup: The PC's have just finished trekking through one of the BBEG's lieutenant's hideouts, where said lieutenant was trying to open a portal. Said portal would lead to a miniature demiplane that consists of the following: A sealed primordial (and the goal of the BBEG), A small settlement of fire genasi whose sole purpose in life as directed by their god is to guard said portal and said primordial from intruders. The PC's know a little about the sealed primordial, but not much, and they certainly don't know about the genasi.

The Goal: The PC's want to get to said sealed primordial and find a way to ensure that the BBEG can't get access to it. This might mean either finding a way to seal it up even more or teleporting it back to their HQ (the rogue's mansion). I'm not even sure what they plan to do once they get to it.

The BBEG needs to get to said primordial and enact a ritual to teleport it back to his lair, as he's collecting multiple of these sealed primordials

The Obstacles: Said fire genasi might be reasonable with the PC's if they knew their intentions, that is, if the fire genasi spoke or knew any language the PC's had access to (they don't). So the genasi and whatever other buddies they might have aren't going to be friendly and will probably try to come en masse to kill the intruders. The PC's do have access to Comprehend Languages, but I'm pretty sure that Comprehend Languages needs a sample of said language before it can be used.

Not long after the PC's get through the portal, another of the BBEG's lieutenants, a near-invulnerable magic knight that the PC's don't know how to damage yet, will come through the portal. Said magic knight will slowly advance forward and pay no mind to the PC's or the genasi (since the numerous ancient magic runes on him currently make him untouchable) but make a beeline for the sealed primordial.

To make matters worse, said fire sorcerer DMPC, who might come in shortly after the other lieutenant, is actually the BBEG in disguise hoping to infiltrate the party. At this point, said BBEG will act completely on the party's side. To him, if the party somehow seals away the primordial more or teleports it to their mansion, he can always come back here once the PC's have left or go to the PC's mansion and take it by force later.

Also, the sealed primordial currently takes the form of a giant, house-sized ruby with a vague silhouette inside.

What I'm Looking For Here: The main thing is the fire genasi settlement, which I'm looking for tips on how to run. Said demiplane consists of a small town-sized network of lava-soaked volcanic caves that the genasi have lived in for thousands of years, and that's it. This isn't the full plane of fire, just something created by the gods to house the sealed primordial as well as the fire genasi as eternal guardians. Any suggestions on encounters, other creatures that might inhabit the small area, or even flavor tips for the settlement itself.

Also needed are suggestions on ways to (a) let the party feel they stand a chance at accomplishing their goal despite overwhelming opposition and (b) ways for the BBEG to secure sealed primordial without arousing suspicion. After all, there are more sealed primordials to get, and the BBEG wants the advantage of the PC's trust while in disguise.