Campaign concept: ”Special Ops” in the service of King Uther. Assignments will include diplomacy, assasinations, protection of important figures, retrieval of artifact, defeating of monsters, fighting enemy forces etc. All missions will have an underlaying political goal.
Central Themes: Development of Technomancy, Protecting a Blackmoor surrounded by enemies.
Important Enemies and Allies:
The Skandaharians:
Although barbaric, human-sacrificing and hostile, these norsemen can be brought in as allies or at least into a lasting truce with Blackmoor, should reasonable Jarls be brought into the leadership.
The Temple of the Frog:
The Cult of the Frog is small compared to Blackmoor’s other enemies and can be defeated. If it is allowed to grow however, it can become a great problem for Blackmoor and quickly find allies among Blackmoor’s enemies. Defeating the Cult of the Frog will likely bring Stephen Rocklin into the hands of Blackmoor’s enemies should he survive.
Valley of the Ancients
The Federation is not hostile to Blackmoor, but will be reluctant about getting themselves involved. They may be willing to offer some service should Blackmoor be able to deliver Stephen Rocklin or devices he may have sold off.
The Afridhi:
This is one of the most dangerous of Blackmoor’s enemies. Should they survive the coming Afridhi invasion, they are going to need all the allies they can get and cannot be at war with anyone else.
The Peshwa
This is an underestimated force. The Peshwa can become a highly valuable ally could they be convinced to help Blackmoor. They usually stay out of the affairs of others however. What do they want?
Marfeldt the Barbarian
An enemy of good, but a friend of Chaos, Marfeldt is a viable force of his own. For now he is an ally of Blackmoor, but he could join others. Should that happen, he is powerful enough to affect the outcome of entire battles...
The Grey King (aka The Egg of Coot)
The Grey King is a mysterious dark force in the Age of Blackmoor. Noone has come out of the Lands of the Grey King since the war with Blackmoor ten years ago, and one is hoping it will stay that way. The Grey King is actually in possession of great technomantic knowledge and could be responsible for supplying enemies of Blackmoor with technomantic weapons. A direct confrontation of the Grey King should be avoided at all cost, at least untill all other adversaries are defeated. The
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What changes is that the RC is approached by an agent of this opposition, who says that they are finally willing to work out an arrangement with the RC- if they can get the RC's support in a rebellion, the new regime will ally itself with the RC, which would help to forestall the Afridhi invasion for some more time. The RC sends the PCs to Starmorgan to meet with the leader of the opposition. Ultimately, it turns out to be a ruse- the "agent" is actually a mole working for the duchess, and his plan is to get the opposition leader and the PCs together so that the duchess' forces can catch them with their hand in the cookie jar, plotting against her rule. Then she will have them summarily executed. So, the PCs are either caught, or escape, but the opposition leader is caught. Now they have to rescue him before he is executed and the word of their failure is made public, darkening the name of the Regency Council and putting the Afridhi and Duchy of the Peaks closer as allies. If successful, the PCs could end up putting down the duchess permanently, and installing a new ruler who is more open to aiding the Kingdom of Blackmoor- or at least not allying with their enemies.
I had also planned to have an option for War Machine rules in there, depending on how the DM wanted to run things (like CM7).
DA6 was going to be a mission to assassinate the leader of the Skandaharians, and DA7, IIRC, was going to be a return to the City of the Gods for some reason- either to assist Riesling or another diplomatic mission or something, I forget.
Basically, the themes that I was exploring were the notion of the Kingdom of Blackmoor trying to solidify its position by gaining allies and/or neutralizing the opposition.
Geoff, interested in seeing more
Fascinating stuff here, Andrew! I don't know if you ever shared this with the MML at some point, but I'm certainly glad you did here! Incidentally, how far along did you get with DA5? Your description seems to indicate that you have at least a rough adventure outline...
I know I mentioned it there a couple of times, but probably didn't go into quite as much detail, because (at the time) I thought I was actually going to complete it. Now, the situation is much more... well, unclear.
I'll have to check my notes, but I had quite a bit of the outline done, I know that I had a couple of encounter tables (like the ones in the DA series) in various stages of completion. Several NPCs named, and, in some cases statted out, and an introductory scenario begun. Again, though, I'll have to double check to be sure.
Long ago, I had planned to continue the DA series with some modules, but never got too much further than the planning stages. The first, which I actually had the most extensive notes and even some preliminary work done on, was going to be DA5: Duchy of the Peaks. Basically, the gist of it would fit into what you are proposing, and be a continuation of the DA series: there are elements in the Duchy of the Peaks that oppose the new Duchess, and especially her alliance with the Afridhi (DA1 mentions the Afridhi are working on a deal with the duchess to procure for themselves heavy infantry in exchange for a non-aggression pact; DA5 assumes she finally capitulates). The chief faction of this opposition is led by a military commander who has been in sporadic contact with agents of the Regency Council, who find it in their best interests to have him on their side should rebellion break out. The anti-duchess contingent, so far, has not been open to the appeals of the Regency Council, however, preferring to work things out on their own. That is the "history" of the module.
Interesting. I remember you mentioning the continuation of the DA series in the past, but I guess I had forgotten most of the details.
The Duchy of the Peaks has been left out of my plans so far, but your ideas do indeed seem like they could fit very well. I'm not sure how useful this nation of libertines would be as an ally, but if Blackmoor could have them resist the Afridhi that would ofcourse help.
I had also planned to have an option for War Machine rules in there, depending on how the DM wanted to run things (like CM7).
Could be fun. I think I will just determine the outcome of wars based on PC actions and what fits the story best. In the case of the Duchy however, it seems like all results could be equally interesting so the War Machine may come in handy after all. I'm looking into using a similar system presented in the Black Company D20 sourcebook.
DA6 was going to be a mission to assassinate the leader of the Skandaharians, and DA7, IIRC, was going to be a return to the City of the Gods for some reason- either to assist Riesling or another diplomatic mission or something, I forget.
The Skandaharian situation will be part of my campaign, though I've been thinking about making that the first part of the campaign. DA1 doesnt really work that well since the PCs will not be from the Known World, but native Blackmoorians. My idea for a Skandaharian scenario would involve preventing an assasination of Thorsen Jarl since he would be a leader likely to stop hostilities against Blackmoor.
Basically, the themes that I was exploring were the notion of the Kingdom of Blackmoor trying to solidify its position by gaining allies and/or neutralizing the opposition.
This will also be one of the two main themes IMC. The other, which plays a smaller role in official material, but which I would like to emphasize as a Mystara fan is the development of Technomancy. This will allow the PCs to learn about the three sources of Technomancy in the region: Blackmoor, the Valley of the Ancients and the Egg of Coot.
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The Duchy of the Peaks has been left out of my plans so far, but your ideas do indeed seem like they could fit very well. I'm not sure how useful this nation of libertines would be as an ally, but if Blackmoor could have them resist the Afridhi that would ofcourse help.
The plan was largely to have them not assist the Afridhi (as DA1 states could happen); anything more would be a bonus. My reasoning was that the Afridhi invasion is the major threat to Blackmoor at the moment (which is, frankly, beset on all sides), and so their first course of action would be to counter the next Afridhi strike by stopping it before it happens. In the long term, if the DoP could be brought to bear as an ally or even just a mutual aid partner (if they hit us, you help, if they hit you, we'll help) would help to serve as a counterbalance against the Afridhi, who would then potentially be in Blackmoor's situation (ie, forced to fight on multiple fronts at once).
The Skandaharian situation will be part of my campaign, though I've been thinking about making that the first part of the campaign. DA1 doesnt really work that well since the PCs will not be from the Known World, but native Blackmoorians. My idea for a Skandaharian scenario would involve preventing an assasination of Thorsen Jarl since he would be a leader likely to stop hostilities against Blackmoor.
Hm- interesting. I assume he must still be licking his wounds from his last defeat and not want to attack immediately? I was just going with the DA1 scenario that said PCs might be sent to assassinate Thorsen to stop him from raiding this year, but it would be an interesting twist to have them need to save him instead. I kind of like that.
Plus, the other aspect that I liked about doing a Skandaharian mission (and DoP for that matter), was keeping with the other theme of the DA series, which was exploring new areas of the Blackmoor world; in DA1 you had a general overview, DA2 didn't really go into much about larger areas, but focused on detailing a small section (the Froggies), DA3 introduced the southern regions of the Hak and Valley of the Gods (among other places), DA4 detailed the Duchy of Ten and environs, etc.
This will also be one of the two main themes IMC. The other, which plays a smaller role in official material, but which I would like to emphasize as a Mystara fan is the development of Technomancy. This will allow the PCs to learn about the three sources of Technomancy in the region: Blackmoor, the Valley of the Ancients and the Egg of Coot.
Yeah, that was something I wanted to get more into with the return to the City of the Gods adventure; helping to set that up a bit. Another good adventure concept would also be to do something with the University of Blackmoor in that regards- as agents of the Fetch, PCs would be in a good position to do work for the Regency Council and the University.
The plan was largely to have them not assist the Afridhi (as DA1 states could happen); anything more would be a bonus. My reasoning was that the Afridhi invasion is the major threat to Blackmoor at the moment (which is, frankly, beset on all sides), and so their first course of action would be to counter the next Afridhi strike by stopping it before it happens. In the long term, if the DoP could be brought to bear as an ally or even just a mutual aid partner (if they hit us, you help, if they hit you, we'll help) would help to serve as a counterbalance against the Afridhi, who would then potentially be in Blackmoor's situation (ie, forced to fight on multiple fronts at once).
All good ideas here. If they do decide to stand agains the Afridhi, I see it possibly resulting in a great tragedy though. I don't think the "Peaksians" (is that a word?) have much of a military force? At the moment I'm thinking of staying with the impression the FFC gave me of a society endlessly decadent, filled with wine, prostitutes
Skandaharian Jarldoms
Hm- interesting. I assume he must still be licking his wounds from his last defeat and not want to attack immediately? I was just going with the DA1 scenario that said PCs might be sent to assassinate Thorsen to stop him from raiding this year, but it would be an interesting twist to have them need to save him instead. I kind of like that.
Well, I must admit I'm not sure how close this is to canon, but I see Thorsen as a more moderate leader than many of his rivals. So either the PCs or Uther himself could come to realize that Thorsen after his defeat can be reasoned with. Keeping a somewhat friendly Skandaharian in power might actually prevent more raids whereas his death might lead some more warlike Jarls to take his place.
I tend to stress the barbarism and cruelty of the Skandaharians to make them very different from the Known World norsemen.
Plus, the other aspect that I liked about doing a Skandaharian mission (and DoP for that matter), was keeping with the other theme of the DA series, which was exploring new areas of the Blackmoor world; in DA1 you had a general overview, DA2 didn't really go into much about larger areas, but focused on detailing a small section (the Froggies), DA3 introduced the southern regions of the Hak and Valley of the Gods (among other places), DA4 detailed the Duchy of Ten and environs, etc.
Yes, I think it is very much in like with the original DA series. For this campaign, I will try to keep with the feel of those and pay some attention to the political aspect of the setting. ie how Blackmoor relates to its neighbours, trying to prevent an all out war that likely will wipe out Blackmoor etc.
Yeah, that was something I wanted to get more into with the return to the City of the Gods adventure; helping to set that up a bit. Another good adventure concept would also be to do something with the University of Blackmoor in that regards- as agents of the Fetch, PCs would be in a good position to do work for the Regency Council and the University.
Yes, as a sort of nation building project, the University and the Regency Council have many of the same goals and work well together. I also have the dwarves working with the Alchemists at the University, which together champion Blackmoor's already amazing developments at Technomancy. The discovery of artifacts from the Valley of the Ancients will boost that even further.
I would also like to involve the conflict between Riesling and Rocklin more, since I know that this would be a good way for the PCs to be able to get some tech from Riesling, which he normally would not like to part with (Prime directive and all that). Any ideas for what Rocklin might be up to once the Cult of the Frog is defeated? Rebuild? Join the Afridhi? Go hang out with the Egg?
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Any ideas for what Rocklin might be up to once the Cult of the Frog is defeated? Rebuild? Join the Afridhi? Go hang out with the Egg?
Good question- I seem to recall possibly having plans for him, but darned if I can recall if/what they were for certain.
Let's look at what we know of him, though. Rocklin was the Security Chief onboard the Beagle, right? And his split with Riesling was over the fact that he feels as if they will never be able to make it back home (or at least not for a long time), so why not use their technology to dominate the natives and create a place for themselves on this new world.
To that end, he a) took over the Cult of the Frog, using his (and his companions') greater knowledge of technology and greenish appearance to pretend to be their messiah, and b) to raid the remains of the Beagle for more technology.
He has faced two setbacks on the behalf of Blackmoor's agents, and though he seemingly retains a measure of his stature among the Froggies, I would think that they would have begun to lose faith a bit. Certainly, there were already elements among the Froggies that were malcontent with the Rock and his people even as far back as DA2 (before they lost their temple to the agents of the Regency Council). So he may be looking for some new flunkies, or seeking a way to redeem himself.
At the same time, though, his raids into the City of the Gods have certainly met with degrees of success. The Beagle is too large to be able to effectively defend against such activities (hence, one reason why Riesling capitulated and made an alliance with the Sand Folk). Even just a smattering of the tech that Rocklin has recovered will help to make the forces that he does still have a pretty elite group. So he shouldn't have any trouble throwing his weight around, whatever he does.
I guess he would probably go back to his primary goal, then, which is to dominate the natives. With a small but technologically powerful elite force of loyal Froggies (who may or may not be conditioned to be loyal as well), he could probably make a new homebase for himself somewhere. I doubt he'd worry about going back to the Temple of the Frog, so maybe he'd try to dominate some other group, one that is weak, divided, and easily manipulated. Seems to me the Peshwah might be a good target for him- one tribe at a time. They are cut off from the bulk of their homeland (the western Hak) and harried by the Afridhi. They are currently being courted by the Iron Duke Marcovic, but he can only do so much for them, since the Empire of Thonia is unwilling to commit to war with the Afridhi. If Rocklin could demonstrate to the Peshwah that he is powerful and willing to assist them against their enemies, he could move in there and turn the southern Hak into a stronghold of his own. It would also place him in a position to move against the City of the Gods.
Blackmoor's Peshwan na Shepro and the Barony of Dragonia would be the closest thing standing in the way of such a move by the Rock- so maybe it would be in his best interests to take on the new barony- perhaps as a show to the Peshwah that he means business.
Other possibilities include raiding the Beagle to free some more of his crewmates- either to replace some of those lost in the Temple raid, or else to bolster his forces with people loyal to him, or who possess special knowledge that he might be able to use to help him out (I forget what the specialties of the crewmen he had in DA2 were, but some of their areas of knowledge seemed less than useful, IIRC. Maybe he could free a psychic- DA3 mentions the Beagle crew knew about psychic powers, that's how they knew magic was a different kind of beast.
Speaking of beasts, perhaps the Rock would seek to free some of the strange otherworldly beasts that the Beagle may have previously collected in its journeys? Strange creatures never seen on Mystara- or creatures that currently exist on Mystara whose origins we have never had explained previously? Can't think of any offhand- the Reflecter comes to mind, and possibly the Adaptor.)