[Eberron] How would the city of Sharn deal with a zombie outbreak

[supermonkeyjoe]

To kick off my next city based campaign I'm planning to have one/some of the lower districts of Sharn beset by an outbreak of zombies, massively depopulating some of the lower districts and kicking off the main drive of the plot.

The zombie plague I am using is from City of Stormreach:


Zombie Plague: The disease carried by an infectious zombie has an incubation period of 24 hours. After that time, a victim who failed its Fortitude save loses 1d6 points of Constitution. An additional save must be attempted every day thereafter until the victim either succeeds, negating the plague, or dies, rising as an infectious zombie.


The disease is also going to be present in a number of other locations in the lower districts due to plot, a couple of major water sources and a soup kitchen or similar will be infected so a lot of people are going to catch this in a short time. After people start coming back as zombies, a fairly major turf war will break out between most of the major criminal players creating plenty of corpses of infected people which will rise as more infected zombies. People might also start to kill off those that look ill, not realising that they will come back whether they dies of the disease or not.

The question is who/what would get involved with this. I can see the city watch initially until they realise Zombies are involved then it would escalate, when its discovered that it's disease borne then a quarantine would be put into effect, house Jorasco would probably get into it at this point to tackle the disease vector and it's pretty much the Silver Flame's MO to stop this from spreading so I can see them getting involved very early on.

After the initial fighting I can see the criminal element getting out as quickly as possible, infected or not.

Bear in mind that I'm running the low level nature of Eberron to the hilt, most people are between level 1 and 5, there are a handful of people that have reached the lofty heights of 10th level but they are in the low double digits. The average zombie will prove a formidable foe to your typical inhabitant of Sharn, let alone the fact that there will be a good number of goblin, hobgoblin and bugbear zombies as well. An adept or warrior might be able to get off a couple of cure light wounds or hits at a zombie but it's unlikely to take it down and very likely they will be infected with the disease if not killed outright.

If things get out of hand then military presence will probably be called in, regular checkpoints to try and find infected people aided by Jorasco healers. The wealthy will be able to pay for a cure disease, the poor not so much, they will de confined to the district, further adding fuel to the zombie fire. Warforged would be drafted in to help due to being competent fighters and being immune to the disease.

The issue is, how do I end this? The PCs (level 1 or 2 at this point) will obviously be involved (unless they decide to run and hide) so they won't be in a position to singlehandedly end the threat themselves, I can see them either working with the city to help as many people as possible, or against the city to get as many people free from the zombies as possible. They will have to be careful to avoid letting the infection spread but outside of the heavily infected districts it should be manageable. Ultimately I can see either the city getting desperate, calling in the Brelish army and wiping out the zombies once and for all, or the Silver flame calling a purge and rolling in with the Templars and wiping everything out (unlikely due to diplomatic relations between Breland and Thrane)

Have I missed any other angles in this? Bear in mind that getting help from outside Breland will be unlikely if not impossible, there are a lot of poor people turning into zombies all of a sudden and it's spreading.

[Worira]

Push them off.

[Fax Celestis]

Yeah, to start with, zombies don't fly.

Even in manifest zones.

So, frankly, everyone would just go upstairs and bar the doors until the magewrights and artificers could churn out a bunch of scrolls/schemas/eternal wands of undeath to death.

[supermonkeyjoe]

Push them off.

Nice Idea! Although this is going to start in the lower levels so they might not have far to fall.

[Big Fau]

The Cogs are still situated over a lava pool, IIRC, and it isn't like they can't pay for some outside help from Karnaath (provided the city's authorities clear it with Boranel, and Karnaathi Zombies/Skeletons would be efficient ways of controlling the outbreak).

There are also a lot of Clerics in Sharn capable of turning undead. And Warforged (who don't care about a plague).

[Spore]

I would see the purge of the Silver Flame as the last straw. Aka the "worst ending possible." Give your players a form to deal with the disease. Finding a cure with the aid of house Jorasco while the Silver Flame tries to push its diplomatic limits and wants to finish off the zombies. A medriocre ending could be that most of the slum's inhabitants survive and the Flame pushes the zombie problem into the sewers and keep them at bay there.

Eberron is also a place where social skills play a huge roll. If you can convince a Lord of House Jorasco to contribute to dealing with the problem, you have yourself a solution right there.

[shadow_archmagi]

Well, Sharn is the city of Towers, so you'll very quickly end up with a scenario where the zombies hold the ground level and the towers themselves are barricaded.

Warforged are probably the biggest asset that Breland will have here- they had the largest numbers of them during the war, and in the post-war environment the Brelish are by far the most liberal, so they probably attracted even more by not being awful to them the way other nations often are. Lots of disease-immune militia for Breland.

[supermonkeyjoe]

Well, Sharn is the city of Towers, so you'll very quickly end up with a scenario where the zombies hold the ground level and the towers themselves are barricaded.

Warforged are probably the biggest asset that Breland will have here- they had the largest numbers of them during the war, and in the post-war environment the Brelish are by far the most liberal, so they probably attracted even more by not being awful to them the way other nations often are. Lots of disease-immune militia for Breland.

I like the idea of Warforged being heavily involved, it will be good PR for the 'forged themselves, unless someone starts some rumours it was a warforged that started the plague :smallwink:

I'm under no illusions of zombies overrunning the whole of Sharn, it's just the very lowest levels, the cogs and the docks and their inhabitants that are really under threat, The fact that these are almost universally the slums of the city full of undesirables. It's also how to clear the zombies out as at those levels you're down to endless mazes of corridors, alleys and tunnels.

[RFLS]

Locate City Bomb.

Okay, being serious - assuming the initial outbreak is contained, most of the population will end up upstairs. They can attack zombies at will from there. After that, I'd suggest that zombies are really, really dumb - traps can be laid, and, if you're using group tactics, tower shields, and warforged, you don't need to lose anyone. Heavy use of artillery, crossbows, and fire is recommended. After that, be sure to have lots of clerics on hand - maybe a show of good faith on the part of Breland to the Silver Flame? A Silver Flame cleric for every dozen Brelish soldiers, turning and healing and curing, but not purging.

[GreenSerpent]

Just saying, but I believe there's an 18th level Magewright in the city... I'll need to rummage through my books.

[Big Fau]

Just saying, but I believe there's an 18th level Magewright in the city... I'll need to rummage through my books.

Not in Sharn. That Magewright is in Argonessen's metropolis.

Khorvaire's high-levels are all accounted for (Vol, Lolipope, tree, BFDragon, the Lords of Dust, about 6 Daelkyr, and a bunch of people around 10th-12th level).

[supermonkeyjoe]

Just saying, but I believe there's an 18th level Magewright in the city... I'll need to rummage through my books.

There is, I'm not sure how much they can help as making any relevant magic items wil take a good few days, and magewrights don't really get any good anti-zombie spells to craft with or cast do they?

[Big Fau]

There is, I'm not sure how much they can help as making any relevant magic items wil take a good few days, and magewrights don't really get any good anti-zombie spells to craft with or cast do they?

Wait, what book is this NPC in?

[RFLS]

Wait, what book is this NPC in?

Either ECS or Magic of Eberron. Either way, it's Eberron specific.

[Big Fau]

Either ECS or Magic of Eberron. Either way, it's Eberron specific.

Not in the ECS. MoE I'll have to check, but I do not remember there being a near-Epic character in Khorvaire outside of the list I mentioned earlier.

[Kol Korran]

Ok, a few thoughts. It has been awhile since I touched my Sharn Book, but I think that shouldn't much matter:
- As the outbreaks starts, people from the lower levels starts to alert the lower levels, but they are low class, and so they are not taken that seriously. All kind of things dwell in the lower levels, and some people say those people in the cogs get mad. Zombie rising? Pfft! wild tales more likely!

- When the zombie plague really starts, it spreads quickly. instead of rising in 24 hours, have the zombie rise in 1d6 hours. Later- in 1d6 minutes. Later- in 1d6 rounds. Have the plague change and evolve, not remain static. Not just in the time, but perhaps some zombies are a bit better (they can act normally) or show strange fiercenss, ("The red rage is upon us!") or so on. Make it something no one quite understands, and that people are afraid off, which leads us to:

- The high ups of Sharn order the City Watch to seal off and blockade the entire lower levels, sealing off zombies, but also low class citizens down below. Only research teams of the Dragon marked houses (A combination of Jorasco, Deneith and Medani perhaps?) may go to the lower levels. The party are either sealed outside, but have people they care for down below and need to make their way through there, OR they are sealed inside, and need to deal with the zombie outbreak, and try to find a desperate way out. (Or if you're nasty, have some be one this side, and others on the other, play both sides of the city dealing with the plague). In any case, the party needs to deal in a zombie plague infested zone, cut off from most amenities of the city.

- Once inside the barricaded zone (For whatever reason), the party might be called for to investigate some stuff, some possible clues (Depending on your "bigger picture" here) They may find remants of an ancient aberrant dragonmark at work, or perhaps workings of necromancers, or more. Perhaps they find that some high up was behind this in order to come as "saviour of the day", and gain some political power on the backs and bodies of the low class citizens? There are numerous options.

- Again, the key is to keep the plague changing. Once the party understand something about it, shake things up a little. Make it like a calamity ready to explode. The BIG danger to the party might be the zombies themselves, but it also might be the city- Sharn might decide to flood, or burn the entire lower levels to prevent the plague (By either mechanical means or magical ones, or mixed ones). Or they might indeed gather a substantial fighting force (Army, warforged, Denetith merceneries) In order to clear out the lower level of any dangers. And by Danger I also mean ANYONE who met a zombie since the outbreak began, with the policy of "Shoot first, ask questions later".

I hope this helps! Good luck, sounds like a fun idea!

[ArqArturo]

Blame it on thw Warforged/Lord of Blades.

[GreenSerpent]

Blame it on thw Warforged/Lord of Blades.

Considering the Warforged are probably immune to a zombie plague, they'd be best to deal with it.

AH. I remember. Maybe this zombie plague is the last remnants of the Lady of Pain's Dragonmark - so anyone dragonmarked and infected gains a warped and twisted version of their current mark.

[ArqArturo]

AH. I remember. Maybe this zombie plague is the last remnants of the Lady of Pain's Dragonmark - so anyone dragonmarked and infected gains a warped and twisted version of their current mark.

Wait, where does the Lady of Pain fit in Eberron?.

[123456789blaaa]

Wait, where does the Lady of Pain fit in Eberron?.

I think he meant the Lady of the Plague, a person who had an extremely strong aberrant dragonmark:


Although Tarkanan's efforts extended the conflict, the aberrants fell in the end. Tarkanan himself was trapped in the siege of Sharn, which had been his stronghold and base of operations. When it became clear that the aberrants were doomed, he and the Lady of Plague unleashed the full power of their marks - power sufficient to destroy the city. Terrible quakes caused the collapse of parts of the city, and rivers of lava flowed up from the fiery lakes below. Masses of pests and horrible plagues ravaged invaders and defenders alike. Some claim that the Lady of Plague's death-curse still lingers in the depths of Sharn.

[GreenSerpent]

Ooops, I meant Lady of Plague. One of the last wielders of a true aberrant dragonmark along with General Tarkanan - her mark was related to disease and plague.

As a rough gauge of how strong it was, General Tarkanan's earthquake-related mark razed Sharn to the ground.

[Forrestfire]

I think he meant the Lady of Plague.

EDIT: Not only did I get ninja'd, but it happened twice, one of which was the writer of the comment in question. :smalleek::smallamused:

[ArqArturo]

Oooooh, I see :). Then again, the Lady of Pain being in Planescape, could also fit in Eberron somehow XD.

[Spore]

I thought House Tarkanan was exclusive to the books of Baker. But it makes sense that he published it as another Dragonmark. You could make the heroes escort a Jorasco healer through the slums and if your group has had enough zombies you can bring up Tarkanan assassins.

[Big Fau]

I thought House Tarkanan was exclusive to the books of Baker. But it makes sense that he published it as another Dragonmark. You could make the heroes escort a Jorasco healer through the slums and if your group has had enough zombies you can bring up Tarkanan assassins.

Tarkanan was officially brought into Eberron canon in Dragonmarked, albeit not as one of the recognized houses.

[Spore]

Still, having them spread a disease to keep nosy people out seems like their style. And this may be a great plot hook for the following quests.

[Big Fau]

Oh, scary idea: The infected zombies? When destroyed, their skeletons get up and continue fighting. The skeletons shouldn't spread the disease, but have them act like they were created by someone with Destructive Retribution and watch your players squirm to stay out of range.

[Spore]

Oh, scary idea: The infected zombies? When destroyed, their skeletons get up and continue fighting. The skeletons shouldn't spread the disease, but have them act like they were created by someone with Destructive Retribution and watch your players squirm to stay out of range.

Let the dead zombie lie on the floor for dramatic effect. End of the encounter is beginning of the encounter :D

[Captnq]

Yes, there is a 18 level magewright in town. She's an independant and has no stats beyond, level 18 magewright. Near the Adventures guild. The upper one, not the one in deathsgate.

Neutral Cleric with Rebuke Undead.
"Hey, Zombie! Kill those other zombies. Thanks."

Mop up shouldn't be that hard. I think the head of the Silver flame is an evil cleric, anyways.

Now wouldn't that be a hoot? Clerics using the undead zombies to increase church attendance.

[Big Fau]

Mop up shouldn't be that hard. I think the head of the Silver flame is an evil cleric, anyways.

No, but her direct underling is.

[Spore]

Why is the Church of the Silver Flame LG and plays the ass hat with the highest intentions in most topics concerning evil creatures?

"We can heal them!" "No, slay the beast I say!"

[Big Fau]

Why is the Church of the Silver Flame LG and plays the ass hat with the highest intentions in most topics concerning evil creatures?

"We can heal them!" "No, slay the beast I say!"

This was hashed out weeks ago in a different thread, please don't bring it up here.

[123456789blaaa]

This was hashed out weeks ago in a different thread, please don't bring it up here.

This one (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=304333)if anyone is curious.

[supermonkeyjoe]

Great ideas people, I like the idea of the plague changing over time. My initial thoughts were it being an aberrant dragonmark, someone with the hide from undead ability, over time it became speak with dead, and then one day as he was asking a fresh corpse some questions it got up and started attacking people. If the PCs find this individual they might be able to do something about the undead, or possibly if he falls into the wrong hands he can be used to direct the zombies. Too many ideas!


I don't think the silver flame will really be an issue unless things get really out of hand, at least not the main forces from Thrane seeing as the church and state are pretty much one and the same.

Flamekeep: Oh hey, we were at war until a couple of years ago and things are still pretty tens but do you mind if we move a large amount of our military into one of your largest and most influential cities to kill a few zombies, no? OK then.

I can see the members of the Church from Breland mobilizing but I cannot imagine there will be a massive amount of Clerics or paladins, most church clergy are experts or adepts at best and a lot of them won't relish the idea of heading down into the lower levels to fight the undead, they just want to deliver sermons.

[Feint's End]

Why is the Church of the Silver Flame LG and plays the ass hat with the highest intentions in most topics concerning evil creatures?

"We can heal them!" "No, slay the beast I say!"

Yeah please don't bring up this *product of human digestive System* again. If there is another way to solve this crysis the Flame will gladly take it