Eberron; Xen'drik, Stormreach, the Flame and Lady Vol

[TheBrassDuke]

I'm running a campaign in Eberron, most notably in the locations: The Lhazaar Principalities, Mournland, Stormreach and the Continent of Xen'drik.

I've got ideas for Farlnen Island and what I want happening with Vol here, but I want to extend our journey to the Qabalrin ruins on the Dark Continent.

This is a long-term campaign and I want more than simply going after their legacy and running from OotEC jerks; I've had plenty of Drow and Giant encounters and we're growing bored of that. We've got a Tarrasque encounter building up for later and an idea for the Silver Flame going after the Scar that Abides. These are major plot points, and I'm afraid I have little capacity for side quest ideas where my party can just hang out, role play and level/acquire stuff and/or help out.

I'm feeling a block and would just like some input from anyone who's got some ideas. What would you do in Xen'drik? What have you done?

We've got: a Half-Djinn sorcerer (doesn't know a thing about his heritage), a Homunculus (essentially a Warforged with skin, looks completely human) Wu Jen, an Elven Hexblade and a Human Abyssal One (Homebrew). snip. We'll have a cleric (one of the Stormreach Guard--modified "By the Book"), but currently she's an enemy in Stormreach...because the party keeps getting into trouble and she hates the lawlessness.

I've got no clue how to make it fun for these guys in Xen'drik aside from following the main plot points...

The sorcerer wants to go into Samdshaper, for flavor and the new spells, so I was thinking expanding the City of the Dead from Sandstorm and fitting it for the Jungles of Xen'drik, but I haven't figured out how to go about it yet.

The Homunculus is just searching for her creator, and I'm not good with Warforged or her custom idea of being an artificial, arcane human. I really don't know what to do to make it fun for her.

The Hexblade and her guard the Abyssal One...they're even harder, as they don't have any motivation just yet. Although the Hexblade is immune to poison due to being raised by a sadistic father who used to poison and then vaccinate her daily. She's become adept at using toxins and generally they've become a part of her.

I'm a little lost, but I know we're all tired of the Drow and Giants atm. So please, if anyone's got ideas to kill this block, feel free to comment! @_@

[Fable Wright]

The sorcerer wants to go into Samdshaper, for flavor and the new spells, so I was thinking expanding the City of the Dead from Sandstorm and fitting it for the Jungles of Xen'drik, but I haven't figured out how to go about it yet.
Recall that the west half of the continent is the Menechtarun desert, home of the secretive Thri-Kreen and possibly the heart of their now-defunct empire. Hidden in the wastes are the ruins of the empire to succeed the giants, building on their magic and their secrets; an intrepid sorcerer might uncover some of their ancient traditions while traversing the desert. Unfortunately, there's little reason to head there, unless misdirected by the Traveller's Curse or they head out from Dar Qat, an interesting prospect on its own... they're no longer welcome in Stormreach, perhaps, and need another staging point to head to the Ring of Storms, no matter how strange or foreign the people are.


The Homunculus is just searching for her creator, and I'm not good with Warforged or her custom idea of being an artificial, arcane human. I really don't know what to do to make it fun for her.
Give hints about the nature of the Warforged. Recall that the technology that led to the warforged resides in Xen'drik; constructs made by the Quori to hold their minds as they sought to escape the Turn of the Age. Merrix d'Cannith (the man his grandson was named after), the creators of the first living constructs that preceded the warforged, studied their secrets to get his breakthrough. Aaren d'Cannith, the man who granted the warforged sentience and the likely creator of your homunculus, might have done research into the nature of warforged intelligence in Xen'drik, the next step into creating true, artificial people, exactly like your homunculus. Perhaps they find a lab, and notes for the creation of a construct remarkably similar to the homunculus, perhaps that might lead a trail to the very lab she was created in.


The Hexblade and her guard the Abyssal One...they're even harder, as they don't have any motivation just yet, on account of the player--singular, yeah--not saying a word. Although the Hexblade is immune to poison due to being raised by a sadistic father who used to poison and then vaccinate her daily. She's become adept at using toxins and generally they've become a part of her...blah blah blah. Not much to go on yet.
Why does the Hexblade need a guard, and why would she accept such a demonic presence? Answer that question, and we'll have something to work with.

[atemu1234]

For one idea, have other races around. For example, humans with vile feats giving them claws and bite attacks.

Also, can you post the Abyssal One's stats?

And finally, why is everything bolded?

[Kol Korran]

Some basic questions:
1. What levels are they?
2. Why do you think they won't like the existing plot? Why do you have to do side quests, especially when you say you have little capacity to them?
3. Some players don't give input for their characters, and are ok with just playing along, without needing a personal plot for them. If the player of the abyssal/ hexblade don't create something for their characters specifically, I suggest you don't either.
4. What IS the big plot, in broad strokes? It might give us some ideas on how to incorporate stuff for your players in it. What are they doing in Xen'dric? What are they supposed to do abroad? (Note: You refer to some places as if they are known by everyone, which is not the case. I have no idea what Qabalrin or Farlnen are. If you mention someplace, please give at least a one- tow sentences of what it's about).
5. What level are the characters? How long do you plan to stay there?
6. What sort of stuff do your PLAYERS like? Note I asked about players, not CHARACTERS. Do they like hack and slash? Intrigue? Mystery? Playing murder hobos? Heroes? Cool experts? Do they like ruins? Urban? Jungles? The planes? Do they like things being easy? Hard? And so on...
7. Any major themes you've built upon allready, or would like to introduce? Horror? Comedy? Religion? Steam punk and crazy science? Being hunted? Being super powerful?

All these said, I once had an adventure in Xen'dric, in the Obsidian City (I just saw the name and though it was cool, good enough motivation for me). I had the place be a giant crater, with massive obsidian pillars from it, and a net work of worn out bridges (Put on by giants). The place was long ago a research center and a massive psychic barrier researched around the early Quori invasion, but got destroyed (Mostly) With the end of Xen'dric. In my campaign the place was holy to a tribe of stone giants, but they have left it on their wanderings, living a few care takers and young, and... a tribe of half giants they were allied with. The PCs were looking for something in this place (A McGuffin if you will, but the place was under siege by a powerful bone knight, and his rag tag small army of Yuan Ti, Karrnathi soldiers and Some drow. The party found a way inside, but then had to help with the siege. The place had a crystal that enabled to create psychic barriers over the bridges, which the opposing forces tried to dismantle, so it was quite slow going. Put in some various "Prime targets" for surgical missions and the like, and you have a good time.

If you answer the above questions it might spark some creativity, I will try to help best I can.

[TheBrassDuke]

I had looked into the Menechtarun, and I suppose a Sandshaper empire could have been feasible; its fall will most likely be a result of the Du'Raksha Tul, a personal favorite. I like the idea the Dragons took away the power to forge great civilizations.

Do you think the Thri-Kreen would have been these Sandshaper "Pharaohs", though? Again, I want to stray from the Giants for a while, and I've already given them a lot of fluff to go with.

Thri-Kreen are mostly psionic, though, right?

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I like your ideas on where to go with Alchemia (the Homunculus)! I think that will make her very happy. And although she might not run into her creator, all the answers she seeks--or at least clues--can be found there and provide her some peace. Thank you!

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SNIP

[TheBrassDuke]

1. Level 6+

2. Frankly, I've got a party of great role players, but their one big flaw is that they try rushing right in to each confrontation after literally hours of planning how they'll do it. They just want to play it out as they've described and it usually ends the segment very quickly. As well, although I haven't the knack for them, they want a distraction--because they know they rush and can't really figure out how to slow down without side quests.

3. She's got info, just barely thought out yet. That, and she deviates a lot from her idea. One day it'll be a female, and the next it could be male. Or her mother becomes her sister, etc.

4. Kletian was stranded in Stormreach by his former Goblinoid masters of Darguun (the Goblin empire on Khorvaire), and he hasn't made enough money to charter a ride back to Khorvaire. Of course he was Cyran, so he's got no home to return to. Alchemia is also from Cyre, as far as she recalls, having been reprogrammed at one point (much like the Inevitables are); she is in Xen'drik because this is where clues led her. I haven't the faintest idea why Eiradi is there. Atropa is looking for the new Silver Flame.

Farlnen Island is home to Illmarrow Castle, in the Lhazaar Principalities. This is the island and throne of Lady Vol, Lich Queen and "patron" of the Blood of Vol cult.

The Qabalrin are elves from the Age of Giants--supposedly the greatest Necromancers in recorded history and who created a society based on the principles that would one day evolve into the foundation of the Blood of Vol religion. The Qabalrin are all dead, apparently, and so most of their history is lost.

The big plot here is going to be preventing the Thirteenth Mark from coming back, and in doing so they investigate further into the destruction of the Qabalrin. This will lead to revelations involving learning how to destroy Vol once and for all. Of course it'll lead to her actually succeeding in reviving the Mark. They'll soon learn it's not as bad as they imagined, because the Lich Queen's goals are more benevolent than initially conceived. She wants to master death in all forms, being the goddess of it her endgame.

5. 6, and we plan to remain in Xen'drik until at least 15th lv.

6. They don't care for hack and slash; intrigue, role play and mystery are their interests, with a lot of high fantasy in the mix. They want to be heroes in the end, but not necessarily the whole time. They love Stormreach, but they want to see more scary encounters in the jungles, mayan-esque ruins, Egyptian pyramids...you name it. They want some ruin to be connected to Thelanis, the Fey Realm, and another to the realm of the dead. But any planar travel will do. They live for challenges.

7. All of the Above! I've introduced Religion, Steampunk, Comedy and Science, but some others not too much. As for being powerful, only the sorcerer really wants that, honestly. He wants to erase his past as a goblin play-thing by climbing the social ladder and learning how better to destroy the goblins. He wishes to rule a small kingdom some day in the ruins of Xen'drik, and pay Darguun back for what they did.

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That sounds really cool, and well thought out! I always gave "Obsidian City" a more burnt and charred look, having been a major area sacced by the Dragons way back when. Giant and dragon bones litter the entirety of this place, and there is an endless fire raging where the dragons were killed.

[T.G. Oskar]

Of note: Xen'drik has more than just Giants and Drow, and even THOSE Giants and Drow can be radically different (Primordial Giants and Sulatar Drow/Umbragen, for example). Secrets of Xen'drik has a lot of new creatures you can use, and the Monster Manuals III & IV often have tidbits of information on how to adapt creatures into Eberron. Takes a read, but you can choose any of the creatures that are meant to be innate to Xen'drik. Also, as mentioned, a good amount of the Xen'drik landmass is comprised of the Menechtarun desert, so you can add Sandstorm creatures there.

Worried about the Abyssal One, if only because of the template AND that the class is Dandwiki homebrew (to which I, and probably most of the posters here, have severe allergies to). If you still have troubles adapting it, might as well consider banning the character - go and hunt for alternatives, though, that might fit.

Note exactly WHAT made the Giant empire fall - the Quori. You could have a side-quest dealing with Inspired, which would allow the use of Quorforged and Quorbred creatures. Dal Quor is barred, but perhaps you could have a group of Inspired find a way to create a temporary nexus into Dal Quor (bonus points if you can tell that to the Gatekeepers or the Kalashtar; they'll love the idea of moving there and protecting the nexus from being reactivated), thus allowing at least Plane Shift into the realm of dreams.

[Kol Korran]

Hmmmm... Some Ideas:
1) I had once tried to plan an interesting fey themed intrigue for my party. It was a pirate campaign, and took place on an island, but I'm sure you can adapt. Basically a couple of adventurers came to the island, and freed some Fey Called Discord or such, which then split into two parts, putting itself in the husband and wife, and then driving them apart, putting them into discord, and giving them some powers to start a futile battle against each other, while they distribute the Spirits "Seeds"- potatoes. (Less silly than it sounds).

I wrote two threads about this. In this one just scrolls down till you reach "The Scene Is Set Up" (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=14715372&postcount=20)
And this thread deals with the final location- a deadly fey garden, and it's special gardener Chi Ga Si! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?276177-Help-designing-the-deadly-mischevious-garden-of-the-trickster-Chi-ga-si!&highlight=Chi-Ga-Si)

I haven't actually used it yet (The party broke up before we played it), but from the sound of your party, it can be right up your alley, as a "Distraction".

2) Something that might tie up the Qablarin and planar "travel" perhaps- In some ruin there is a huge hovering shimmering black structure. (Looks like an utterly black d8 hovering in space, made out of blackness). Many tried to get inside, but no one ever has. The party finds/ is given soem means that actually do enable it, just to transport them into a sort of a pocket dimension inside an old Qablarin used as his private research and luxry place. It's much bigger inside than on the outside! And the place also draw power from other planes, perhaps mainly Mabar and Dolurrh, for experiments. The party must face the effects of such planes, as well as maybe their denzies, and find... somehow... a way out?

If the party has significant dead in their adventuring days (Allies or enemies), they might meet their ghosts here, drawn from Dollurh, for some interesting post-mortem roleplay. (If you've seen the last season of Babylon 5, than it's something like "Day of the dead")

These are the ideas I got so far, hopefully more will come after soem good sleep.

[TheBrassDuke]

I absolutely love the Fey, so thank you for discussing that with me! I'll definitely take a look at what you've got. Which reminds me, I have a jungle-modified "Rimefire Eidolon" somewhere in Xen'drik that was to contact our Cleric once she showed up--well not immediately after. I feel a big fey presence on the continent would be great. I'm sure Thelanis has some manifest zones about the place that've trapped or otherwise been used by them to make a home in Eberron.