MicHag
2013-10-21, 06:28 AM
A quick story about the setting and what has already happened.
The party started out in a valley with several cities and towns.
The valley is the only area that withstood an apocalypse because a powerful wizard (now called the Shepherd) put a protective spell around the valley and then he left. The protective barrier is a mist that surrounds the valley mostly over mountains and was impenetrable. The apocalypse was hundreds of years ago and all inhabitants of the valley now worship the Shepherd as a god. They have never seen the outside world.
The party is part of a group called "the Protectors" who patrol the outlines of the mist, mostly from bears and wolves that come out of the forests surrounding the valley (still within the mist).
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Now the campaign started.
During their patrol they encounter a strange fearsome creature, which they defeat. Worried about this, they return back to the council to report this. A (very) small army is sent to find and kill any other creatures. They find nothing.
When the army sets up camp and the party takes a night-stroll, they encounter a mysterious man, called Dweller, who claims to be a descendant in a long line of "real protectors" of the valley. A few days before he had singlehandedly fought of two of those fiercesome creatures, he killed one and the other had fled. The stranger had tracked the creature and found it dead, killed by the party. The stranger also claims the creatures come from the outside world, through the mist. He says he will try to go to the outside world to find out what is happening there.
The party is sceptical about this man, but as the army tracks the creatures path, they do indeed find this other fearsome creature lying dead. After some debate, they set up a defense line near the mist, where there was gap between two mountains, probably the place where the creatures entered the valley.
The party and eventually the general of the army took a look on the other side. They could say it was a deserted, dry area, but they could also see a bird flying, so there was indeed still life.
A day later the party ventured out into the outside world to take a look, while the general went back to the council to report. They saw the smoke of a fire and went there, they were ambushed by a group of barbarians that had set up the fire as a decoy. They managed to defeat the barbarians and went back.
The next day they went out again and where confronted by a barbarian. The wild clan of barbarians (of the same group they defeated before) had captured a mysterious man, who turned out to be Dweller. He says he is from a different clan, but was given to this aggresive clan as tribute. He recognized the white staff of the mysterious man and once read that a group of white staff bearers had protected the chosen ones in a protective valley. He says his clan worships those white staff bearers, and he therefor tried to rescue Dweller, but failed. He went to the place where Dweller had been captured and now ran into the party. The party decided to blindfold him and take him back to the valley, hoping to create a rescue party from there.
Back in the valley the party is told the General had died in his sleep. The party goes to the council and the Barbarian is arrested (in a civil way) because he is from the outside world and cannot be trusted. The (religious) council believes the general had died because he has been outside of the valley, which was not allowed by the Shepherd. So the party is to be monitored for 2 days to see if they too will have problems.
The first night things happen that the party did not know of, the second night a group of assassins attacks the party, but fails, the assassins escape.
The party is now on its toes, but is ordered to resume the normal patrols at the border.
This is where i am at now, some truths:
- The barbarian is not who he says he is. He does know about the "chosen ones", but instead of worshipping them, the clan hates them. He has been set out to investigate and will try to get information. Funny enough the party has given him books about the valley to read (yes he can read) in his captivity (i would have asked for it, but they already did so themselves).
Currently he is however trapped and the party would have like to free him, but did not out of respect for the council.
- The General did not simply die in his bed, but was murdered by assassins. They are sent by the religious leader who fears he will lose his power because being able to go outside the valley should not be possible according to the religion. He fears the people will lose their religion so he wants everyone who went outside the valley to die mysteriously, so people will still believe going outside the valley is not possible (without dying).
- Dweller was captured by barbarians, but he allowed it, when he got enough information about the barbarians, he escaped on his own. That is also the time when the Barbarian was sent to investigate.
I made this campaign completely open ended. I based some parts on a book i read, but a lot of things happening are because of what the party decided to do. I am now at a point where i need to take action, because the party will simply resume their duties.
My plan is to have Dweller return to the valley and let the party realise (most likely) that they have let an intruder into the valley.
Questions:
1. Can i find a way to let the Barbarian still escape on its own? i see no realistic options.
2. I want the party to have the option to venture outside. The best way to do this is to let Dweller give them an possible assignment, what would that be? A ancient artifact he needs to get possession of to seal of the protective barrier again? Why would he not try to get it himself?
3. Why is Dweller back? probably to get the Elves (who also live in the valley, but are a separate community) to help defend the valley. Dweller has much more chance to convince the elves than the humans.
Mostly i would like help with number 2, if you think of anything, please let me know :D
The party started out in a valley with several cities and towns.
The valley is the only area that withstood an apocalypse because a powerful wizard (now called the Shepherd) put a protective spell around the valley and then he left. The protective barrier is a mist that surrounds the valley mostly over mountains and was impenetrable. The apocalypse was hundreds of years ago and all inhabitants of the valley now worship the Shepherd as a god. They have never seen the outside world.
The party is part of a group called "the Protectors" who patrol the outlines of the mist, mostly from bears and wolves that come out of the forests surrounding the valley (still within the mist).
------------------------------------
Now the campaign started.
During their patrol they encounter a strange fearsome creature, which they defeat. Worried about this, they return back to the council to report this. A (very) small army is sent to find and kill any other creatures. They find nothing.
When the army sets up camp and the party takes a night-stroll, they encounter a mysterious man, called Dweller, who claims to be a descendant in a long line of "real protectors" of the valley. A few days before he had singlehandedly fought of two of those fiercesome creatures, he killed one and the other had fled. The stranger had tracked the creature and found it dead, killed by the party. The stranger also claims the creatures come from the outside world, through the mist. He says he will try to go to the outside world to find out what is happening there.
The party is sceptical about this man, but as the army tracks the creatures path, they do indeed find this other fearsome creature lying dead. After some debate, they set up a defense line near the mist, where there was gap between two mountains, probably the place where the creatures entered the valley.
The party and eventually the general of the army took a look on the other side. They could say it was a deserted, dry area, but they could also see a bird flying, so there was indeed still life.
A day later the party ventured out into the outside world to take a look, while the general went back to the council to report. They saw the smoke of a fire and went there, they were ambushed by a group of barbarians that had set up the fire as a decoy. They managed to defeat the barbarians and went back.
The next day they went out again and where confronted by a barbarian. The wild clan of barbarians (of the same group they defeated before) had captured a mysterious man, who turned out to be Dweller. He says he is from a different clan, but was given to this aggresive clan as tribute. He recognized the white staff of the mysterious man and once read that a group of white staff bearers had protected the chosen ones in a protective valley. He says his clan worships those white staff bearers, and he therefor tried to rescue Dweller, but failed. He went to the place where Dweller had been captured and now ran into the party. The party decided to blindfold him and take him back to the valley, hoping to create a rescue party from there.
Back in the valley the party is told the General had died in his sleep. The party goes to the council and the Barbarian is arrested (in a civil way) because he is from the outside world and cannot be trusted. The (religious) council believes the general had died because he has been outside of the valley, which was not allowed by the Shepherd. So the party is to be monitored for 2 days to see if they too will have problems.
The first night things happen that the party did not know of, the second night a group of assassins attacks the party, but fails, the assassins escape.
The party is now on its toes, but is ordered to resume the normal patrols at the border.
This is where i am at now, some truths:
- The barbarian is not who he says he is. He does know about the "chosen ones", but instead of worshipping them, the clan hates them. He has been set out to investigate and will try to get information. Funny enough the party has given him books about the valley to read (yes he can read) in his captivity (i would have asked for it, but they already did so themselves).
Currently he is however trapped and the party would have like to free him, but did not out of respect for the council.
- The General did not simply die in his bed, but was murdered by assassins. They are sent by the religious leader who fears he will lose his power because being able to go outside the valley should not be possible according to the religion. He fears the people will lose their religion so he wants everyone who went outside the valley to die mysteriously, so people will still believe going outside the valley is not possible (without dying).
- Dweller was captured by barbarians, but he allowed it, when he got enough information about the barbarians, he escaped on his own. That is also the time when the Barbarian was sent to investigate.
I made this campaign completely open ended. I based some parts on a book i read, but a lot of things happening are because of what the party decided to do. I am now at a point where i need to take action, because the party will simply resume their duties.
My plan is to have Dweller return to the valley and let the party realise (most likely) that they have let an intruder into the valley.
Questions:
1. Can i find a way to let the Barbarian still escape on its own? i see no realistic options.
2. I want the party to have the option to venture outside. The best way to do this is to let Dweller give them an possible assignment, what would that be? A ancient artifact he needs to get possession of to seal of the protective barrier again? Why would he not try to get it himself?
3. Why is Dweller back? probably to get the Elves (who also live in the valley, but are a separate community) to help defend the valley. Dweller has much more chance to convince the elves than the humans.
Mostly i would like help with number 2, if you think of anything, please let me know :D