Cuddly
2008-02-18, 12:19 PM
Does anyone have any beta on Hextor? I've included a nation of his followers as a Major Plot device.
I've decided that they hate arcane magic of all types, are xenophobic, love gladiatorial combat, and fortresses.
For the sake of cosmological simplicity, I want to roll him up in to Baator, perhaps giving him his own divine realm therein (or does he dwell on Acheron or that plate of metal cubes?) or making him an actual Lord of the Nine (replace Dis, perhaps?).
However, that doesn't really work out too well with the rest of my storyline, and as I have limited time, would like to know if there's any good sources of fluff/crunch on the guy.
For the sake of thoroughness, the (convoluted) storyline, thus far:
Players are on a world that is the seat of Vecna worship, as he actually dwelled for sometime, aeons ago, in the south lands. They have come to learn of Asmodeous attmepting to release Tenebris from his imprisonment in the Void, where he will then reform with Orcus.
Asmodeous plans to do this by tricking his imprisoned Lord of the Nine (the one in the ice) into sacrificing himself at orcus' feet or something. Not all worked out, but I'd like to include Asmodeous' daughter and some horrid deeds too foul to contemplate.
Of course, Tenebris can only be released when the stars are right; namely, when the Dead Eye of Orcus rises- a moon of death and decay (portal to the plane of negative energy) that is only mentioned in apocryphal texts of rising every 1,001 years. When this happens the dead are foretold to rise and walk the earth on the 11 month of the 11 day of the 11 hour. Of course, the fact that Tenebris will be release on that very day means Atropus arrives to consume the world (there's a thing on wizards about elder evils that I'm totally going to rip my mechanics off).
The Vecna cultists have set up an Engima (major cult, essentially) in the lands of the Pelorites, and operate therein covertly, as a supposed order of paladins called the Left Hand of God. As an paramilitary force, they basically use the Church to monitor the forces of Good and Evil, while trying to figure out how to stop the Orcus Cultists.
Asmodeous benefits by all this because it means he will be allied with the Abyss, or at least most of it once Tenebris is released, and he can then turn his full attention on the forces of Good.
What I'm trying to figure out how to integrate into all this is:
The invading forces of Hextor. How much does Hextor know of this?
The imprisoned Dracolich beneath the fertile soils of Wellinken, and the essence of the Copper Dragon that inhabits the fighter's intelligent greataxe.
I'd like the Dracolich (formerly a Green) to be related to Hextor in someway, but am having some difficulty- the Green was an evil tyrant before the less monstrous humanoids arrived on the continent, who had become a lich. Rather than slay the Green outright, since the true phylactery couldn't be found, the Copper imprisoned the Green in an epic ritual involving man kobolds. The quest for the phylactery was subsequently interrupted by invading humans.
I was planning on having Hextor as a human deity, his idols crossing the sea with men, which would put the dracolich at odds with him and his followers. Which doesn't work- I need a reason for the agents of the Hextorites to pursue the party, since they'll need the sword to open the dracolich's tomb because they want to free him.
Also, the as yet unknown orcs(no orcs in the campaign setting, yet) are beginning a western push into the undiscovered Hobgoblin empire, as well as disrupting monster tribes far and wide, pushing them into more civilized land.
Any ideas?
I've decided that they hate arcane magic of all types, are xenophobic, love gladiatorial combat, and fortresses.
For the sake of cosmological simplicity, I want to roll him up in to Baator, perhaps giving him his own divine realm therein (or does he dwell on Acheron or that plate of metal cubes?) or making him an actual Lord of the Nine (replace Dis, perhaps?).
However, that doesn't really work out too well with the rest of my storyline, and as I have limited time, would like to know if there's any good sources of fluff/crunch on the guy.
For the sake of thoroughness, the (convoluted) storyline, thus far:
Players are on a world that is the seat of Vecna worship, as he actually dwelled for sometime, aeons ago, in the south lands. They have come to learn of Asmodeous attmepting to release Tenebris from his imprisonment in the Void, where he will then reform with Orcus.
Asmodeous plans to do this by tricking his imprisoned Lord of the Nine (the one in the ice) into sacrificing himself at orcus' feet or something. Not all worked out, but I'd like to include Asmodeous' daughter and some horrid deeds too foul to contemplate.
Of course, Tenebris can only be released when the stars are right; namely, when the Dead Eye of Orcus rises- a moon of death and decay (portal to the plane of negative energy) that is only mentioned in apocryphal texts of rising every 1,001 years. When this happens the dead are foretold to rise and walk the earth on the 11 month of the 11 day of the 11 hour. Of course, the fact that Tenebris will be release on that very day means Atropus arrives to consume the world (there's a thing on wizards about elder evils that I'm totally going to rip my mechanics off).
The Vecna cultists have set up an Engima (major cult, essentially) in the lands of the Pelorites, and operate therein covertly, as a supposed order of paladins called the Left Hand of God. As an paramilitary force, they basically use the Church to monitor the forces of Good and Evil, while trying to figure out how to stop the Orcus Cultists.
Asmodeous benefits by all this because it means he will be allied with the Abyss, or at least most of it once Tenebris is released, and he can then turn his full attention on the forces of Good.
What I'm trying to figure out how to integrate into all this is:
The invading forces of Hextor. How much does Hextor know of this?
The imprisoned Dracolich beneath the fertile soils of Wellinken, and the essence of the Copper Dragon that inhabits the fighter's intelligent greataxe.
I'd like the Dracolich (formerly a Green) to be related to Hextor in someway, but am having some difficulty- the Green was an evil tyrant before the less monstrous humanoids arrived on the continent, who had become a lich. Rather than slay the Green outright, since the true phylactery couldn't be found, the Copper imprisoned the Green in an epic ritual involving man kobolds. The quest for the phylactery was subsequently interrupted by invading humans.
I was planning on having Hextor as a human deity, his idols crossing the sea with men, which would put the dracolich at odds with him and his followers. Which doesn't work- I need a reason for the agents of the Hextorites to pursue the party, since they'll need the sword to open the dracolich's tomb because they want to free him.
Also, the as yet unknown orcs(no orcs in the campaign setting, yet) are beginning a western push into the undiscovered Hobgoblin empire, as well as disrupting monster tribes far and wide, pushing them into more civilized land.
Any ideas?