"Return of the Fae" campaign thread - would love suggestions

[delchrys]

Hello all. This is my first post after a few years of lurking. Been a DM for 30 years and i run a highly-customized/modified 2E campaign setting that i have developed over the decades.

Anyway, i tend to like multiple major plot threads in each campaign, as opposed to one main enemy that keeps reappearing. for this campaign, i'm stealing an idea from silverclawshift (LOVE her recounting of her adventures; sadface that they're no longer updated) for one of the major threads. for another, the group awakened an almost godlike ancient vampire who is bent on bad things. for the third--and this is where i would love some input above all--i am bringing the fae "back".

why back? i ran a stone age campaign last with this group, set 100,000 years in the past. i have enough original material that i'm actually developing a full-blown campaign setting that we intend to self-publish and distribute since i don't see much out there for late-neolithic settings that are still "D&D". anyway, back then, the fae were one of three major presences in the massive forest that covered about 2/3 of the Pangaea that existed. the party helped defeat the last vestiges of power of on of the three races (basically giant, moderately-intelligent apes that were resistant to magic) and the elves wiped the rest of the ape-men out. (elves then were bronze age fellows who lived and acted like spartans. they had not yet bonded with the Wild like 'modern' elves and they had only just started to see the emergence of Weavers (mages).) with the ape men gone, the only threat to elven dominion of the forest was the fae, a race born of pure magic and Wild (the magical force that is the life energy of nature) and veritably immune to non-magical stuff.

the party finished with the ape-men and moved on, but well after that campaign's timeline the elves' Weavers rose to prominence and with their might, "eliminated the fae" (the official understanding of what happened). what REALLY happened is that the fae, sensing their impending doom if they remained, fled into Shadow, a dark imitation plane of the dnd realm. only five fae remained behind, and became non-interfering DM tools to move storylines along, provide prophecies, and act as a game-changer if needed.

now the fae, having lived in Shadow for millenia, and having been changed/warped by Shadow to become something darker, have begun to push to reenter the PCs' world. The group discovered a portal to Shadow that isn't current active--it's in the mansion they inherited. one of the players is an illusionist, and in my setting illusionists draw their magic from Shadow and shape it into what forms they want. his father is actually a "permanency" version of a high-level demi-shadow magic illusion of a now-dead gnome illusionist who was a serial killer and was put down by this same group two campaigns ago. so that PC will have a special interest in Shadow.

I'm looking for any ideas or suggestions regarding the coming of the shadowfae--ways to introduce the situation first as a mystery that won't be easily figured out (and designed for lower-level characters), and later, events and ideas that will start to point the group toward the realization that the fae are still out there and they want to come home.

one board member posted his idea for a campaign with fae being darker than normal and there was talk of zones being controlled by fae--if the group fails to stop the fae, the campaign world down the road will definitely have zones of demi-shadow controlled by fae. i'm looking for the stuff in-between now and then, including ideas for HOW the fae are trying to get home, motivations, ways to stop them that reach epic heights but don't necessarily require the lists of textbook powers that later dnd editions give (i make customized analogues for my players). just any suggestions--as many of you know, just reading others' suggestions kick-starts a person's own creative juices.

thanks in advance. :)

[Xeratos]

I'm looking for any ideas or suggestions regarding the coming of the shadowfae--ways to introduce the situation first as a mystery that won't be easily figured out (and designed for lower-level characters), and later, events and ideas that will start to point the group toward the realization that the fae are still out there and they want to come home.

You could use some of the classic fey mythology- stepping into rings of flowers at night in the forest, going to sleep outdoors and waking up somewhere else, or making deals with creatures that if you were smart you'd walk away from. Some fey are notorious for word games. They'll obey the contract to the letter while simultaneously wringing everything they can get out of you.

In fact, I rather like that last one. The party is on irrelevant starter quest, they get help from some wizened old man in the forest in exchange for promising to help him obtain a special item to cultivate a grove of trees. The grove ends up being one of these shadow portals that allows only a few fey to get through. Those fey in turn start working to open more portals, and the situation escalates from there. That's got potential to run at least a handful of sessions before the word fey ever even pops up.

You could go the other way around too. If it's possible for the fey to get into this world, then it should be possible for people to go into their shadow world. What happens to them? Are they killed, or are they sent back? In some stories, people who visit the fey realms come back deranged or mad. It's possible the fey have been instilling some sort of magic into them and shipping them back home to work on reopening these shadow portals from the other side.

My question is this though: if the fey could retreat into this shadow world on their own, why is it that they can't simply return of their own power whenever they want? Without knowing what it is exactly that's keeping them trapped there, the best I can offer are some vague suggestions as to what to do.

[Mephibosheth]

If you're haven't read it already, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell has a really interesting shadowy fae world. You might look there for some inspiration. In the book's world, entire areas of England (mostly in the north) were strongly associated with a long-absent fae empire. Fae could be summoned by spells, appear at certain locations, and travel through mirrors. Even if it doesn't help with this specific project, it's still a great read!

[delchrys]

You could use some of the classic fey mythology- stepping into rings of flowers at night in the forest, going to sleep outdoors and waking up somewhere else, or making deals with creatures that if you were smart you'd walk away from. Some fey are notorious for word games. They'll obey the contract to the letter while simultaneously wringing everything they can get out of you.

In fact, I rather like that last one. The party is on irrelevant starter quest, they get help from some wizened old man in the forest in exchange for promising to help him obtain a special item to cultivate a grove of trees. The grove ends up being one of these shadow portals that allows only a few fey to get through. Those fey in turn start working to open more portals, and the situation escalates from there. That's got potential to run at least a handful of sessions before the word fey ever even pops up.

You could go the other way around too. If it's possible for the fey to get into this world, then it should be possible for people to go into their shadow world. What happens to them? Are they killed, or are they sent back? In some stories, people who visit the fey realms come back deranged or mad. It's possible the fey have been instilling some sort of magic into them and shipping them back home to work on reopening these shadow portals from the other side.

My question is this though: if the fey could retreat into this shadow world on their own, why is it that they can't simply return of their own power whenever they want? Without knowing what it is exactly that's keeping them trapped there, the best I can offer are some vague suggestions as to what to do.

thanks so much! great stuff! i would normally jump all over the fae/contract thing, but as this campaign is also going to have a heavy element of angels and demons, with the latter abusing my real-life lawyer skills to trick the players into contracts, i don't want to "overdo" that by having the fae do it as well.

as to your questions (or the questions your suggestions raised in my mind, at any rate, lol)--the fae left to avoid inevitable defeat. they found a plane similar to ours, yet Shadow is suffused with a form of shadow magic that slowly, subtly influences living things that are there. getting there required a significant sacrifice of fae life essence, and it turns out that to get BACK to the regular dnd world, one requires an 'anchor' of some kind on the regular side. the fae didn't know this--their early forays into Shadow were fine because the fae community on this side acted itself as the anchor (again, fae are beings of pure "life magic energy", so the group's collective mental effort could create magical effects such as...an anchor on this side to allow return trips to shadow, even without being aware the anchor was being created). once the surviving population moved the Shadow, though, there was no anchor on the other side to allow a return.

additionally, they had not felt the need to return (a few individuals may have, but in terms of the popular opinion, shadow was a fine place for the fae) until relatively recently--some power or force (i haven't figured out what, yet; maybe even a powerful, insane fae) has emerged that threatens the fae and what better place to escape to than the place they consider their home. (and they're kind of right--they existed before any bipedal humanoids, aside from dwarves, but that's another story...)

in order to return, they need anchors. the group discovering the shadow portal is one piece of the puzzle the fae need to return full scale. i'm unsure about what other "pieces" should be woven into this campaign. i think it's critical that some get through first, and i like your "wizened old man" disguised shadowfae idea for that.

also, at least three of the five fae that remained here are not only sensing their brethren's imminent attempt to return, but they don't want it to happen. these particular fae are, as i indicated, more a force for balance than "good," although they are far from evil. (my campaign plays a lot on moral subjectivity anyway.) so these select fae have begun taking steps to help prevent the shadowfae returning, including teaching an order of desert-human Magi-type folks certain eldritch magics that can unmake fae magic and even unmake fae (plus stuff to ward them against the fae and whatnot). unfortunately, no one realizes just HOW much shadow has changed the fae, and much of the old methods are ineffective. there IS some good news, though--shadow as altered the fae such that they are now susceptible to certain physical attacks and less-potent-than-previously-required magical items. they've become less like tiny pagan godlings and more like mean shapeshifting spritey things. so, easier to kill in some respects but the old methods aren't as good, so it's a mixed bag.

so, why couldn't they come back any time they wanted? lack of an anchor (or perhaps, lack of a STABLE anchor, which is how i can explain small numbers of shadowfae running around) and lack of desire. now they have the desire and a stable anchor seems more viable. i envision the group getting info and eventually missions from the groups the old-school fae have been teaching, and then moving up to dealing with the actual old-school fae directly, with missions to 'obtain this item before xyz gate is opened' and 'destroy this thing in this location, else the Xth gate is opened.'

can we go to shadow? yes. the intent behind giving the group that shadow portal is to hand them a double-edged sword--it will be a focal point of the shadowfae invasion, yet it will also allow the group to go to shadow, eventually.

what's 'going to shadow' like for the players? not sure yet, although i see shadow as being a 'through a glass darkly' image of our world (i mean that just in the sense of the imagery the phrase conjures, not the literary reference)--physicality, air, animals, communities, trade, conflict, etc. yet darker, literally and metaphorically. instead of a sun, the "day" cycle basically goes from just before the gloaming to night to predawn, then repeats. there's never the crescendo of full day, just those in-between hours where shadows stretch long and night is always a few breaths away. horrors stalk the night, from undead to once-sentient beings that Shadow has worn away into mindless creatures. i hope to have the party go there, and i plan to just develop the concept as their entry into shadow grows imminent.

anyway, a friend just showed up (one of my players, actually, lol) so i need to run. THANKS SO MUCH!!!

[delchrys]

If you're haven't read it already, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell has a really interesting shadowy fae world. You might look there for some inspiration. In the book's world, entire areas of England (mostly in the north) were strongly associated with a long-absent fae empire. Fae could be summoned by spells, appear at certain locations, and travel through mirrors. Even if it doesn't help with this specific project, it's still a great read!

love the mirrors idea! i'll add the the book to my list but it is LONG--more time working and writing dnd and my own fiction and less time to read than i used to make. but it's on the list now!

[Xeratos]

so, why couldn't they come back any time they wanted? lack of an anchor (or perhaps, lack of a STABLE anchor, which is how i can explain small numbers of shadowfae running around) and lack of desire. now they have the desire and a stable anchor seems more viable. i envision the group getting info and eventually missions from the groups the old-school fae have been teaching, and then moving up to dealing with the actual old-school fae directly, with missions to 'obtain this item before xyz gate is opened' and 'destroy this thing in this location, else the Xth gate is opened.'

So the fae population acted as a magical anchor to allow them to return to, what I'll call for lack of better term, the light world. With all of them moved over, and becoming shadowfae, they're now seeking to replace that anchor. Ok, got it. Next question: what defines an anchor? Does it have to be some source of great magical power? Can it be a physical location, or several? What gates are we specifically talking about here? This seems like it would be much more complicated than simply "open the Gate of Dusk and the minions of the Shadow pour forth."

I'm envisioning a ley-line system where they create reservoirs of magical energy at specific nodes- perhaps these gates? And the more the gates are used, the more the energy is diminished, thus forcing the shadowfae to balance between sending agents through and pooling resources for the long game. Ley-lines connect the nodes to create some sort of matrix that acts as a gateway, allowing them to planeshift en-masse.



can we go to shadow? yes. the intent behind giving the group that shadow portal is to hand them a double-edged sword--it will be a focal point of the shadowfae invasion, yet it will also allow the group to go to shadow, eventually.

If the shadowfae can't get back without an anchor, how are your players going to do it? With a much smaller group, I suppose they wouldn't need a large one, just something to think about. My first thought was some sort of magical item (a mirror does seem appropriate here) that is imprinted to each of them individually, allowing them to pass back into the light world.

[Debihuman]

This is reminiscent of Ravenloft's Shadow Fey. I highly recommend you look for Van Richten's Guide to the Shadow Fey, published by Sword and Sorcery (an imprint from White Wolf). It's a source book for the fabulous Ravenloft setting based on WotC's original Ravenloft material. Denizens of Dread has 3 more Shadow Fey as well. Both books are for 3.5.

Debby

[delchrys]

This is reminiscent of Ravenloft's Shadow Fey. I highly recommend you look for Van Richten's Guide to the Shadow Fey, published by Sword and Sorcery (an imprint from White Wolf). It's a source book for the fabulous Ravenloft setting based on WotC's original Ravenloft material. Denizens of Dread has 3 more Shadow Fey as well. Both books are for 3.5.

Debby

Awesome! Your suggestion is proving VERY helpful as a source for information (referring here to Van Richten's Guide to the Shadow Fay). You rock!

[delchrys]

So the fae population acted as a magical anchor to allow them to return to, what I'll call for lack of better term, the light world. With all of them moved over, and becoming shadowfae, they're now seeking to replace that anchor. Ok, got it. Next question: what defines an anchor? Does it have to be some source of great magical power? Can it be a physical location, or several? What gates are we specifically talking about here? This seems like it would be much more complicated than simply "open the Gate of Dusk and the minions of the Shadow pour forth."

I'm envisioning a ley-line system where they create reservoirs of magical energy at specific nodes- perhaps these gates? And the more the gates are used, the more the energy is diminished, thus forcing the shadowfae to balance between sending agents through and pooling resources for the long game. Ley-lines connect the nodes to create some sort of matrix that acts as a gateway, allowing them to planeshift en-masse.

If the shadowfae can't get back without an anchor, how are your players going to do it? With a much smaller group, I suppose they wouldn't need a large one, just something to think about. My first thought was some sort of magical item (a mirror does seem appropriate here) that is imprinted to each of them individually, allowing them to pass back into the light world.

The shadow portal the players inherited along with their house, once activated (by the touch of a servant of heaven, which will happen when their friend, a half-angel NPC, enters the pocket dimension containing the portal and triggers the portal without realizing what it is or that she is capable of triggering it), allows two-directional travel. it is a "true anchor" (i.e., semi-permanent, barring some interference with it's operation or integrity).

otherwise, anchors are, in a general sense, some concentration of magical energy on the light side that allows a tendril of shadow to affix itself temporarily to the light side. every once in a great while, some foolish mage or wannabe summoner creates such an anchor, although they are generally short-lived things that only allow a few shadowfae to get through.

in key geographic locations (think of them as being intersections for numerous ley lines) there are ancient, dormant gateway devices (not Stargates, but loosely analogous). a totally different major plot thread enemy is trying to locate and activate these, so he can [insert four-billion word explanation], thereby destroying all of creation and allowing himself to the be one and only being left. as these get activated, they begin to form the biggest anchor in existence. with the first activated gateway, a portal between the light and shadow sides opens up, and with each subsequent gateway, the crack gets bigger. with that first gateway, the arrival of the fae will be a trickle. as the guy keeps activating more of them, the trickle will become a rush and then a flat-out deluge.

in other words, the shadowfae (and other denizens of Shadow) squeeze through to our side periodically, but once the gateways start to get activated, the shadowfae marshal their forces and prepare to come through en masse.

(once they get through--if they do--they will find themselves confronted with a massive army of vampires raised by a 5,000 year-old vamp who the groups inadvertently freed in their second session. the nations in the area will find themselves caught between two massive, magical forces. meanwhile, the gateway-activating antagonist's plan proceeds and he intends to consume both armies and the rest of all things all at once before moving on to heaven and hell and doing the same via the final gateway. God (traditional pantheistic campaign setup with the added twist of a judeo-christianesque god who is unknown to all but one culture, complete with angels and demons, heaven and hell) finds the obliteration of All Things on earth, heaven, and hell distasteful, as it will nullify God's Plan that involves souls born on earth and making choices and being sorted after life via those choices. so God decides the better option is to begin the apocalypse and just do a final tally of souls that way--God would prefer to have waited until way later, but the gateway-activating antagonist requires that God cut losses and wrap up the "game."

it's the group's job to stop the apocalypse, stop the gateway-activating antagonist before he finishes his plans, and contain the damage from any shadowfae/vampire war that may result (if the group doesn't stop the shadowfae from getting to the light side first).

i know, TMI, but hey, it's not like i can share this stuff with my players, lol...

[Debihuman]

Awesome! Your suggestion is proving VERY helpful as a source for information (referring here to Van Richten's Guide to the Shadow Fay). You rock!

Glad it's working for you.

Debby