really unsure about plans for next session

[lytokk]

So, in the previous session, the PCs were able to liberate one of the 4 elemental pillars (earth) from demonic control, and in the process freed an entire subterranian city from the demonic corruption that covers about 80% of the continent. The overall plot of the game has been to stop a succubus from releasing some demons/devils (they worked together for a brief period of time) from their imprisonment in some items. I really have no clue what to do for the next session and was hoping someone might be able to give me some inspiration.

We have a new character joining the party in the next game. He was a veteran player, but after years off of the game has forgotten much of the rules. He's playing a halfling rogue with 2 levels in the ghost template class. Everyone got a free +2 template and this one seems to fit his character. That and he doesn't know if he'll be able to make it to every game and wanted something with a reason to fade out of existence.

One idea I did have for a session, which got thrown away as I felt it wasn't necessary to the story was hapenning on a few mile wide crater, the center of which was two large stone figures locked in a death battle with each other. I cut it because it wasn't necessary to the overall plot and I couldn't think of any decent encounters to make of it that were connected to the story. Part of the story of the setting was that there was an all out war in the heavens and all of the gods basically died, which caught the attention of the abyss and they realized if they were going to take over the material realm to do it now. Of course no one knows this, and it took nearly a millenia for the elder dragons to realize what was going on and to ascend to godhood in the place of some of the core gods. There's been hints at this the entire game but never been stated
Any inspiration at this point would be greatly appreciated, either with pulling that session idea into the game or by giving me something new.

[atemu1234]

In a Dragon Magazine article, there were Elemental Demons, and in another was Demon-Infused Elemental as a template. Either of those strike your fancy?

[lytokk]

Oh, forgot, party is level 9 with all templates counted in, and 6 members. Only one of which is optimized in any real way, so I always need something to keep him (psychic warrior) busy.

[lytokk]

In a Dragon Magazine article, there were Elemental Demons, and in another was Demon-Infused Elemental as a template. Either of those strike your fancy?

I could definitely do something with that, do you remember the issue number?

[atemu1234]

I could definitely do something with that, do you remember the issue number?

The demon-infused one was updated in Dragon Compendium and the elemental demons are... huh, also there. Originally sourced to #306 and #285, respectively.

[lytokk]

Thanks. I can probably do something with this, but I wouldn't turn down any other suggestions if anyone had any.

[Bronk]

Maybe... was the liberated city secret or unknown? Maybe they have some knowledge about the nearby statues.

To them, the statues are representations of two of their gods... in fact they are divine artifacts that show the relationship between the two, and they remember the statues as being happily arm in arm!

When they find out about the statues (maybe the players even bring it up) they are disturbed, and send the players to figure this out! Surely there is some kind of mistake!

Somehow (details) they find out that these two formerly friendly gods really are fighting, and look super angry (maybe with a sense motive). However, the divine connection was lost when the cataclysm (details of your campaign) happened and scuttled the city underground.

(at this point, the players might have had random encounters or run afoul of a faction from the city that doesn't want this looked into, or maybe the demons/devils don't want it looked into either, or heck, even the dragons you mentioned)

Now, the players might decide to fix them, or the city might want it.

Quest to figure it out! Maybe it's easy, maybe not.

But! Once they do, and fix the statues, instead of relenting and hugging it out, they finish the fight, once destroys the other, and the winner fights the players! (maybe with the stats of some kind of golem with the appropriate CR)

That way they get to deal with the city, have fights, plus get a major hint about the situation with the gods. If there were any NPCs left alive who were messing with the PCs during all this, they might clear a few things up under interrogation as well.

[WhamBamSam]

What's the political situation in the newly liberated city? Or was the corruption mostly environmental in nature?

Do the players themselves have any plans on how to proceed, or will they just wander about admiring their handiwork until you give them a new set of rails?

[lytokk]

political situation is unknown. Part of what has been hapenning while exploring these corrupted lands has been discovering old cities. The apocalypse was going on for an extended period of time, over 1000 years. Knowledge of the elemental pillars (actually extraplanar beings from their elemental planes, not stone pillars) was completely forgotten. The city by the pillar was either existing before the corruption, or came into existance as people were fleeing the apocalypse only to find that even a being as powerful as the pillar couldn't hold it back.

Right now, the party has really only one goal. Stopping the succubus from releasing the imprisoned demons and restarting the whole thing. The population of the material plane is still recovering from the whole deal. Now, removing the corruption from the pillars would prove necessary to remove the corruption from all of the land, but wasn't the main quest. But considering the extraplanar beings were being controlled by the demons, there's going to be some overlap.

I really don't know what the party plans to do at this point. They may want to spend the entire session exploring the city, or they may want to head out after a nights rest. I'm trying to make plans for what happens when they leave.

My plan for the statues was to use two gods who are constantly at odds with each other, both of them landing the killing blow. My plan was to use Correlon and Grummsh, as they are both recognizeable and they were both gods who the dragons replaced. These statues are the physical bodies of the gods after they killed each other. With gods killing gods, the Abbysians took it as their clue to put a pause to the blood war and attack. The gods that were left weren't strong enough or numerous enough to stop it, and then all hell, literally, broke loose.

[General Sajaru]

It sounds like you have a reasonably good grasp on your campaign world and the general plot of your campaign. A couple of thoughts just from what you've posted above:

-Exactly what's required to stop this succubus from releasing the demons and devils again?

-Could the liberation of these elemental pillars be one method of doing so?
-What's the political situation in the land in general?

-Could the PCs become some sort of rulers if they cleansed the land?
-Could the current rulers (or would-be rulers) try to make life difficult for the PCs?
-If the PCs get involved with the statues, could it change the outcome?

-Are the PCs followers of either of the gods you mentioned? (Or you could change the gods involved so that the PCs would have a more personal stake in the outcome of the battle)

Just some ideas.

[lytokk]

It sounds like you have a reasonably good grasp on your campaign world and the general plot of your campaign. A couple of thoughts just from what you've posted above:

-Exactly what's required to stop this succubus from releasing the demons and devils again?

-Could the liberation of these elemental pillars be one method of doing so?
-What's the political situation in the land in general?

-Could the PCs become some sort of rulers if they cleansed the land?
-Could the current rulers (or would-be rulers) try to make life difficult for the PCs?
-If the PCs get involved with the statues, could it change the outcome?

-Are the PCs followers of either of the gods you mentioned? (Or you could change the gods involved so that the PCs would have a more personal stake in the outcome of the battle)

Just some ideas.

1) killing her (or convincing her to not do this, which is almost impossible)
1A) It wouldn't hurt, and could very much activate easy mode in the endgame (yes I do have multiple possible outcomes of the campaign based upon choices the PCs make at plot points I determined)

2) There's really only 3 kingdoms left, and they've been working together in harmony since the apocalypse was stopped. Kingdom of elves, kingdom of dwarves, and a kingdom ruled by humans but pretty much every other intelligent race. The PCs have also discovered 2 separate civilizations ruled by fey creatures but populated by various races who were able to keep the corruption out of their borders, in addition to the underground town surrounding the earth pillar. There was an intention to get them into a 3rd fey town, only this one failed to hold back the corruption due to its unfortunate proximity into an ancient knight's castle where he was doing research on possible materials to use to bind demons. (old stories I've heard relating to lodestones and the nature of iron that kept fey away, and that the fey were originally demons who got trapped on the earth, basically a pick and chose, I really need to write all my thoughts on this down) Also, this knight had one of the items in which a bound demon exists, which is the parties next destination.
2A) the current rulers have the armies, the PCs do not. They're too far away for any current kingdom to offer aid or to declare war.

3) The statues in my head were meant to be no more than statues. While there might have been some raw diving power surrounding them, there was never any intention of them coming back to life, but there is a thought there, just not enough of one to form an idea.
3A) The players are, very religiously uninclined and none of them feel they could ever role-play a character who is devoted to a god, though one of them is currently working on helping an amethyst dragon ascend to godhood (of psionics) it just needs more believers.

And thank you, I try to think out as many eventualities and little tidbits about my campaign world as I can. This is the first official game to be ran in it, so even as I go I'm making up new things. Llike the elemental pillars. Every character had their own subplot, except the changeling druid, so I made her one up.

[daremetoidareyo]

The undercity is now free, but like 20% if the population is comprised of refugees from the above kingdom of blank. They want to go home now and retake their kingdom. They ask the PCs to lead them there and conduct a clearing sweep.

One of the refugees is an apprentice to Globetrotter - the bardic lich of sublime twangtwang. He's got a backup plan to retake the city that includes some buried magical artillery (called "the apparatus") that the city couldn't activate in time.

[lytokk]

The undercity is now free, but like 20% if the population is comprised of refugees from the above kingdom of blank. They want to go home now and retake their kingdom. They ask the PCs to lead them there and conduct a clearing sweep.

One of the refugees is an apprentice to Globetrotter - the bardic lich of sublime twangtwang. He's got a backup plan to retake the city that includes some buried magical artillery (called "the apparatus") that the city couldn't activate in time.

ideas spinning now... Close to the entrance to the undercity, there is an above city in the forest. Currently there is a half fiend young adult green dragon. Maybe juvenile, as young adult half fiend would push the CR to 14, and the party isn't greatly optimized. It makes sense to have a city near to this elemental being for pilgramages and such. Since everyone's level 9, its about time they actually faced a dragon. I could work with this. a crumbling city, a dragon hording all that was left behind. Could use a few smaller enoucounters though. hmm...

[General Sajaru]

Either have them face the dragon's minions in the ruins, or other scavengers/squatters before they reach the dragon. Maybe have them rescue some locals who've gone into the ruins to try to scavenge materials who can tell/hint to them about the dragon so the PCs are more prepared when they face it.