The Darkenfel Adventure

[Agrabaeus]

I will be placing background information for my future campaign on this thread. Please do not post comments here. I welcome all comments, recommendations/suggestions through PM or email at groqx@verizon.net

You can send me a text message at 410-370-1137

We will be using the Dice Server: http://dice.evildm.net/index.php where you can email me your rolls. Be sure to include the results of your rolls in your posts in Parenthesis (.....).

[Agrabaeus]

The Darkenfel is said to contain a menagerie of beasts and is the legendary home to an ancient cult of Dragonborn Warlocks. Though this cult’s existence has been passed down through legend among the Dragonborn, not much is known by their most learned scholars. Most believe that this ancient cult serves as guardian to some powerful artifact or secret. Something that is so powerful or important that the cult members have dedicated their lives and the lives of their descendants to protect it.

As civilization has encroached upon the Darkenfel over the last fifty years, more and more adventurers have attempted to plumb its depths. Some have returned with magical items of power and treasures of great wealth, but those are the very few and lucky survivors. Most never return. Those that have returned with their lives and perhaps with wealth have spread the stories of the horrors that lie within. Great and deadly aberrations, magical monsters, and lethal traps of every sort are the common fare of these stories.

No one has reported contact with this cult though descriptions of the environment would lead one to assume some prior civilization was living there in the past. Hallways carved from the rock with walls carved in beautiful heavy relief have been described along with walls of clear, thick liquid that move along those byways, burning everything with its acidic embrace.

An ancient and impenetrable tower has appeared on the cliffs near The Darkenfel. This gigantic tower has no doors, but up high, parapets can be seen under the overhang of a steeply slanted conical roof. First sighting of this tower was reported to have been a mere two years ago. All attempts to enter the tower have met with failure. No one has been able to fly up to the parapets due to sudden high winds. There is a rumor of a powerful Wizard who was struck dead by lighting from the sky as a horrific storm suddenly arose as he came near those openings in the crenelation at the top.

But perhaps there is another way into the tower. The base appears to have penetrated the mountain rock itself. The Darkenfel may be the answer, though the depths of these caverns pose their own dangers and risks.

[Agrabaeus]

This post has been moved to the main board for the adventure under Oakreach

[Agrabaeus]

This post has been moved to the main board for the adventure under Oakreach

[Agrabaeus]

This post has been moved to the main board for the adventure under Oakreach

[Agrabaeus]

I will be using Photobucket for this game. It seems to work wonderfully.

I will also be using a grid coordinate system with letters and numbers in that order. Players will tell me where they are on the map using this system, i.e. "Darrius moves from A5 to A9 and faces south. He casts Thunderweave at the Hobgoblin in B9"

check to be sure you can view these photos and maps by clicking on the following link:

http://i424.photobucket.com/albums/pp32 ... tical2.jpg

This is just an example though you can expect to be using this map in the game at least once.

[Agrabaeus]

This is a combat intensive game but at its core it is all about Role-Playing. With that in mind understand that experience from combat should be the smallest portion of the experience each character obtains throughout the course of the adventure.

Opportunities for EXP:


1) Role-Playing. Post often and be descriptive. If there are incompatibilities with my idea of what is going on in the game I will edit the posts accordingly and PM the player as to the reason for the change.

Spam posting will be punished through a deduction in EXP so make them count and make them meaningful. Share your character’s perceptions, ideas, thoughts, emotions, fears and hopes.

This includes descriptions of your character in combat about the wounds he receives, his fears and thoughts, descriptions of his actions and tactical situation or otherwise. Descriptions of spells cast can help.

Descriptions can add to campaign development by providing background on characters, places, people, and events.

For example:
Rather than simply stating: Kelor Miggle moves forward three squares and casts a magic missile at the closest enemy.

Say instead: Kelor Miggle’s concern for his fallen companion is pushed aside as he concentrates on the swarm of Three-Toed Snoots approaching from his front. Pete’s impending death may be prevented if Kelor can stop the tide long enough for the groups’ cleric, High Priest Tribble Corrick, to reach him. Kelor rushes forward to the maximum range of his Magic Missile (OOC: 3 squares forward, 20 square maximum range) and his left hand rises in front of him. No word of power is needed for this simple spell. With a twist of his wrist and a mere thought a sparkling, glowing whirl of power forms instantly about the tip of his wand and jets off towards the nearest of the dreadful Snoots. It arches through the air, does a half loop and crashes into the creature’s chest with a terrible sound of impact and a brief explosion of arcane power (OOC: Roll: Intelligence roll of 22 vs. Reflex defense of 15). Through experience he knows that a single bolt of power will not stop a Snoot. But hopefully the attack will draw their attention away from Tribble and Pete.

Kelor forms an evil smile as he imagines them closing within range of his wall of fire for it is fire that the Snoots fear the most. (OOC: Knowledge gained via Arcane Knowledge check from the GM in a PM).

2) Character Development. I am talking about the development of your characters’ “Persona” within the game. Consistency of speaking style and mannerisms are important. Moral and emotional development or gradual changes through the experiences and stresses of combat might help with this development. Interactions with NPCs and other player characters is very important here.

3) Game Development bonus.

Players can submit maps, pictures of monsters that we can add to the game. Anything that adds to the general feeling of the game. This includes providing me with ideas or stories for legends from the known past. I can create adventures based on these legends that can keep the game going. An outline of what has taken place in the world has been provided by Nik and the general background of the local area by me. But each player can help by providing tid-bits of story line and legends. I highly encourage all players to indulge themselves in this avenue of experience accumulation as it helps all players and GM alike. Players can even create their own historical/legendary figures adding more depth and substance to the fantasy world.

4) The Correction Bonus

I like to be right all the time, ego thing with me you see...well, probably just because I like to be a perfectionist since my ego does not get bruised. And because I am often wrong about many things I can't get all worked up about it: Hypertension, Hair loss, Ulcers...those sorts of things shorten lives! Well, maybe not the hair loss, but I think you get my point.

But I do like to keep things by the rules and consistent. So, whenever a player can find something inconsistent within the game, or can point out a mistake I made in the rules, or when I ask a general question about the rules (such as the recent question about Healing Surges being free actions) players can gain experience points by helping me correct those errors in the game, or addressing the issue. A PM or email will do and I can make the corrections. Or for general questions about the rules (such as the one mentioned above) an OOC will do even better since everyone can benefit. The first player to speak up gets the EXP.

Each incident is worth 50 EXP for the player's character.

5) Experience gained via combat and monsters killed. This exp will be divided among all characters participating in the encounter.

Penalties: Using knowledge that your character does not have. Such as using Kelor’s knowledge of the monster’s weakness to fire without being provided that information by the GM via a Knowledge Check or by word of mouth from another character. If one character merely thinks about something there is no connection to that information with knowledge of another character.

I will keep track of character experience points on a table, providing you with the new numbers as they become relevant. Be sure to note that I will try and calculate experience at the end of each game day. This means that characters will start new game days with the new experience. Also note that only one experience level can be gained at one game day but that I will still add all experience points up regardless of this limitation on my chart. Thus the experience chart may show a higher level of experience than the character actually has during any given point in the game.

6) Character Creation Bonus. When submitting a character history I may award 1000 exp for truly outstanding work. Things I look for are: a) Does the character history provide true background information on your character: where is he from, how did they make the choice to become what they are...stuff like that. b) Something about your character's history I can use later on for an adventure hook, or a sub-plot. c) An insight into your character's personality and motivations. and finally d) Just simple entertainment value with creative story telling.

Two examples of character histories that warrant this bonus include Losamur from The Darkenfel Campaign, and Rise of Agrabaeus from Questions to the Lady Saharel campaign. Of course I am rather biased for the latter since I wrote it myself.

[Agrabaeus]

This page was transferred to the main game thread under The Local Word

[Agrabaeus]

Starting characters in The Darkenfel campaign
The game began with Promiscus Onyxblade at 5th level. He and others have progressed to 10th level so until further notice all new characters start at 10th level. All new characters in the game will start at the lowest PC level in the game. Use method 2 on page 17 of the PHB except you start with 26 points. These points include the points normally gained at level 4 so only use the 26 points. Then, be sure to add any racial modifiers, then the ability score points for 8th level after. No character can have higher than 19 in any ability score even after racial adjustments and the 8th level ability score adjustment. Of course when characters reach level 11 within the game this limit will no longer apply. All attributes must be 10 or higher.

All classes and races in the PHB, PHB2, Arcane Powers, MM, MM2, and Forgotten Realms, and Eborron guides are available. If there is something else you want to play, please let me know and we can discuss it but at the moment those are the reference books I have.

All characters start with 625gold (you must spend most of your gold). You cannot start the game with more than 125 gold in cash on your character. You can spend your extra cash on additional magical items not listed below.

Magical items: one of each level (12, 10. 9. 8, 7, 6, 3). This equipment is set for characters starting the game at 10th level.

You can substitute for a lower level but not a higher level and you cannot combine levels:

For example: Instead of a 7th level you can take one item of any lower level if you choose. You cannot take a 4th and a 3rd instead of a 7th.
Furthermore you cannot combine the levels of items to obtain a higher level item, such as combining a 3rd and 6th level item to obtain a 9th level item.

The Adventurer's vault is available as a resource as is the Forgotten Realms book. You can also use D&D insider for a resource for magical items. I just need to be able to find the item myself so include tags on your character sheet.

The Alchemy skill is available as are the Feats in the Forgotten Realms book

Familiars are now a component of the Warlock and Wizard classes as Class Features. See House Rules for more details on this.

[Agrabaeus]

The First Race

Legend tells of a race of beings that occupied the cosmos even before the gods. Though no name has ever been officially attributed to this race of beings they have been called many things over the years: The Ancestors, The Old Ones, The Ancients, The First Born, The Old Gods and many others.

The legend has this race creating world after world and plane after plane throughout the universe using a level of magical power impossible to imagine. However, there was some great event that erased this race from the planes and no one knows that that event was. Perhaps they grew so powerful or evolved to such a supreme level of existence that they became pure energy and escaped to a different reality to continue their pursuit of perfection.

But one thing is certain: this race left traces of their existence on every world, in every plane in the multi-verse. Mysterious ruins and artifacts are everywhere and future races have often built the foundation of their civilizations around such places of power.

Some have speculated that this race of beings created the more powerful gods or are in fact the very gods worshipped today. Others say that this first race was one single being that divided itself and spread itself throughout reality for the sole purpose of creation and to experience life. This would explain the sudden disappearance of the race as the race of beings coalesced into a single entity. Perhaps it is that one being that created and oversees the gods as we know them today. But these are only legends.


Legend of Xymox, and Morgai’s Tomb

Some say that a single survivor of that first race continued to live among the planes of existence seeking perfection of mind, body, and spirit. This person was known only as Xymox and was said to be immortal in that he never aged.

Legend says that Xymox traveled the planes at will, spreading his teachings and wisdom to all who would listen. At the height of his cultural influence he created a civilization of beings that may have looked exactly like humans. These beings strove to be perfect in every way, hoping to attain powers as seemingly divine as Xymox himself. Through study, hard work, and with the assistance of Xymox this civilization is said to have lasted a thousand years. Near the end of this time Xymox once again traveled the planes, though this time he spread his people and their influence far and wide. They established themselves in the long-forgotten ruins of Xymox’s ancestors. These people rebuilt the cities and established centers of culture and learning in the hopes of rivaling the original inhabitants and attaining the perfection that allowed them to ascend or pass from this reality to the next, greater state of being.

Then came Morgai. Some claim that Morgai returned from that higher state of being and regained his mortal shape to do battle with Xymox for some great misdeed. Some claim he was a god created by the old race and was sent to rebuild the civilizations only to find Xymox meddling with mortal affairs. Others say he was simply a powerful mortal who nearly attained perfection himself and because of greed or envy sought to replace Xymox as the cultural and spiritual leader of the people. But regardless of his origins, Morgai raised massive armies and traveled the planes destroying all of Xymox’s work, slaughtering his people, and leveling his cities.

In time Xymox raised his own armies and battled Morgai in a plane known now only as Deslolation. Here it is said the souls of millions, perhaps billions of souls still battle for domination, though this dead world contains no living being or creature. In the end, however, Xymox is said to have surrendered rather than have all of his people killed to a man. His undying body was placed into a tomb on some unknown world, forever lost to mortals.

But Morgai could not replace Xymox. Whether he was originally mortal or suffered from never-ending wounds he received by Xymox’s own hands, his body began to age and whither away with time. But before he died he erected a tomb of his own, directly over the one he built and designed for Xymox. Creating his own guardians to forever keep his own soul at rest and to prevent anyone from re-awakening Xymox from his long slumber, Morgai finally died leaving barely a faint memory of his vile and evil greatness.

But the memory of Xymox, as powerful as the man himself, has lived forever. On nearly every plane of existence there are those who claim to be “Followers of Xymox” or “The People of Xymox” or “The Trueblood” who claim to be direct descendents of this mighty being. The main tenant of his teachings involves the single-minded pursuit of perfection. Different sects take this to different extremes and some even practice Eugenics, killing all among their number who show deformities of mind or body and selectively breed and train their people to achieve perfection.

Almost all of these sects seek to locate the tomb of Xymox where they believe their progenitor and god-king still lives, though entombed and helpless. They believe that Xymox will one day return to lead and to teach. Xymox will help them to achieve perfection that will allow them to escape this reality and enter into another, more divine state of being.

The Weapon of Peace

This story is so old there is even a legend that it was told by word of mouth from generation to generation during The Desperate Age when the written word was forgotten. This legend tells of a weapon created by one of the Sons of Creation, long before the gods created their worshipers. The youngest of the Sons of Creation was said to be the wisest of them all and had perfect knowledge of everything that would come to pass throughout all of time. He knew of wars and of death, of the rise and fall of civilizations, of the creation of The Old Gods and their usurpation by their children. He knew of the creation of the races and the planes and the ultimate death of all life at the end of time. But the driving force of all of this change and growth was war and death. Although he could circumvent death for himself, he was wise enough to realize he could not interfere with the death of everything and everyone else in creation. But he could do something to direct the path of the civilizations, their growth, their inevitable fall and rebirth. He sought to prolong the life of everything in existence. For this purpose he created what he hoped would be the ultimate weapon. Whatever being held the weapon would not only be unbeatable in battle, untouchable and invulnerable, but would be able to lead armies to victory quickly and decisively.

But it is said that the weapon itself cannot kill. The weapon passes through all armor and flesh, leaving both unharmed but forcing the target into a slumber from which he or she cannot awake for many hours. Holding the weapon in battle allows all other weapons, no matter how powerful, to pass harmlessly through the body of the wielder. The wielder would be ageless.

But only those pure of heart and purpose would be able to wield the weapon. Only the just, the kind, the selfless. As power corrupts the wielder over time as it inevitably will, the weapon would become useless to him or her. The weapon could then be picked up again by the right person who held those highest qualities of character and virtue.

In this way the youngest of the Sons hoped to allow a great nation to rise and unite all of the disparate races to come and to create the greatest empire ever known. It would last thousands of years. But after creating The Weapon of Peace he immediately recognized his folly. He knew the future of everything. He knew that there would be no one capable of wielding his perfect weapon. No being is that pure, that noble, not even himself. So he searched through the future long and hard, like doing research in the largest library in creation, until he found the perfect hero. He then cast the weapon into the future, trusting in his perfect sight to guide its path and lead it to its ultimate goal.

What the legend does not say is when or where that weapon will appear, or what form it will take. Who will be that hero?