Writing a prophecy

[SadisticFishing]

Is hard.

Alright, so I'm trying to right something simple, there are some key words that need to be in it, and an idea I need to get accross, but this is FAR harder than I first imagined.

Any pointers?

[Mewtarthio]

What are the key words? How obvious do you want to be?

[SadisticFishing]

Haha, fine, hopefully no one in the campaign reads this :@

"Sundered Kingdom" "Ash Prince" "Grey King" are all some of the key words. I need to get accross the point that there are artifacts spread all over the sundered kingdom (which, by the way, isn't actually sundered yet), that the Ash Prince wants. Seeing as no one knows who he is, that doesn't have to be all that hidden, but the fact that he'll become the Grey King when he finds them all should be very vaguely hinted at, as should be the fact that he plans on abusing Truename and Pact magic to turn himself into something invincible. Yay.

[Telonius]

Keys to a good prophecy:

1. Ambiguous language
2. Poetic descriptions
3. Obscure references

Rhyming is optional.

Say your prophecy is that a chicken will cross the road next Thursday.

"On the day of Thunder, when dark is set against light, a perilous crossing shall meet your sight. The spirit of Fear shall make her transit, and grant knowledge to the unknown."

[Jasdoif]

"And when the foreseen time comes, it shall be made apparent that the Prince of Ash desires a new crown. For this crown, he shall seek out gray jewels from across the Sundered Kingdom. With these, and the power of his own words, shall he start a new kingdom with his new crown."

[YPU]

I think some wizards book actually has something on good prophecies, but those are for making vague ones that will eventually come true anyway. I think it was something like use words that people will assume to be symbolic, things like birth and stuff work well, second let those words very specifically refer to something, which can serve as a very wide symbol. Things like “the lions of the red horizon” that way it can mean anything but sounds like it at some point will al come together. also, I think it said something about never using real names, give it some fluffy nickname, or a group of them, that way it will sound more mystical. Ash prince could be something like “son of king fires fuel.”

[SadisticFishing]

Nah, I need the Ash Prince as "the Ash Prince", as there will be 3-4 characters that all seem like they could represent him.

Really, the campaign is just going to be a simple Artifact gathering campaign, where everyone's looking for the Nine Swords, as well as the other artifacts (custom made), and the prophecy isn't going to say anything about what will happen, just what's happening at the moment.

[Jasdoif]

I think some wizards book actually has something on good prophecies, but those are for making vague ones that will eventually come true anyway. I think it was something like use words that people will assume to be symbolic, things like birth and stuff work well, second let those words very specifically refer to something, which can serve as a very wide symbol. Things like “the lions of the red horizon” that way it can mean anything but sounds like it at some point will al come together. also, I think it said something about never using real names, give it some fluffy nickname, or a group of them, that way it will sound more mystical. Ash prince could be something like “son of king fires fuel.”It was a sidebar in PHBII for one of the cleric personalities, if I remember right....

[YPU]

Ah, there might be something there. The one I remember was in savage species, with some riddler like monster class, I think.

[Telonius]

Ash prince. Ash is what remains after a fire. Smoke is grey, King is also Grey. Scattered artifacts, scattered princes... okay, here goes.

"The time of calling will draw nigh, when the Burned One seeks to gather the branches that were scattered. The Burned One's fire will give birth to new smoke, and his dominion will hold sway. Words said, deals made, names named, souls paid. If the grey smoke rises tall, by heroes' deeds alone he falls."

[Randel]

In Dragons of Eberron, it explains the draconic prophesy which does not so much fortell an inescapable future, but provides different 'paths' that can be taken if events come to pass. In eberron, some of the major powers try to study the Prophesy and manipulate events in order to make favorable prophesies come to pass.

So, you could have something like:

"If the Ash Prince gathers his due, he shall rise as a Grey King, and a Shattered Kingdom shall be his to rule. But if the Army of Four should steal his crown, even his name shall be stripped away and the Daughter of Stone shall live again."

Or something like that, include a clause that allows for the heros to defeat him, this kind provides two paths that they can take. The daughter of stone bit could be replaced with any event that could take place after the Ash prince is foiled.

[Mewtarthio]

I had a dark vision last night. I walked through the flames of the sundered kingdom, hand in hand with the Ash Prince. The smoke grew so thick that I could see nothing. Suddenly, my companion relinquished his grip on me. I heard a deep voice cry out, "Come, my friend, do not abandon me now. We must find the gifts: The spoils of war, one for every lord of Hell." And then the smoke cleared, and I saw before me a man dressed in kingly ornaments, all in grey. Behind him, I saw shapes and shadows: Creatures that seemed born of nothingness. He spoke, and though it was not a language I knew, it was a language I could understand. He spoke of all the lands bowing before him, he spoke of gods falling from their seats, and he spoke of himself rising to take their place. Then he turned to me, and spoke of this vision, of how it would be known throughout the earth, and then I awoke.

[SadisticFishing]

Maybe it's the italics, but that last one was super awesome.

Alrighty... Though I won't be using any of these (so far :P), thanks, they really helped get the prophecy wheels turning.

[cupkeyk]

The most helpful thing from wizards for writing prophesies was the sidebar for sybil PRC in the savage species splatbook.

Kudos! Mewthartio's prophesy sounds like something from the book of revelations.

[AslanCross]

PHB2 also has a little sidebar on prophecies. Ambiguity and metaphorical language is the key.

"Shadows shall take the father of Roses before his fathers."
"The winds shall shear the standard from the herald's hands."