Just some ideas off the top of my head.
1: A PC water cleric or druid is contacted by an elemental lord with a vital mission. Harness the power of the Cerulean storm for elemental water.
2: Mind Lord Thesik succedes in his experiments, developing a complete understanding of psionics and the brain. He then begins to build an army of epic psions for the purpose of exterminating the sorcerer-kings, along with every practitioner of magic on Athas.
3: Thinking it will finally allow him saftey from his (imaginary) enemies, Daskinor attempts to become a full dragon.
4: The spirit curtain around the dead lands is breached, and legions of the undead pour out of the southern tablelands towards the seven cities.
5: A powerful crimson, working through necromant agents, is about to complete a ritual that will draw the entire material plan into the grey.
6: The sun begins to sputter and die, dooming all of Athas unless a solution can be found.
7: The surviving members of the order have rebuilt the Psionatrix, and they plan to pick up exactly where they left off. The PCs must find their new stronghold, and destroy the order once and for all.
Any thoughts or additions?
The dragon is dead, but so what? There are still plenty of challanges for epic PCs on Athas.
Just some ideas off the top of my head.
1: A PC water cleric or druid is contacted by an elemental lord with a vital mission. Harness the power of the Cerulean storm for elemental water.
2: Mind Lord Thesik succedes in his experiments, developing a complete understanding of psionics and the brain. He then begins to build an army of epic psions for the purpose of exterminating the sorcerer-kings, along with every practitioner of magic on Athas.
3: Thinking it will finally allow him saftey from his (imaginary) enemies, Daskinor attempts to become a full dragon.
4: The spirit curtain around the dead lands is breached, and legions of the undead pour out of the southern tablelands towards the seven cities.
5: A powerful crimson, working through necromant agents, is about to complete a ritual that will draw the entire material plan into the grey.
6: The sun begins to sputter and die, dooming all of Athas unless a solution can be found.
7: The surviving members of the order have rebuilt the Psionatrix, and they plan to pick up exactly where they left off. The PCs must find their new stronghold, and destroy the order once and for all.
Any thoughts or additions?
I've had, in past threads, a number of "Epic" ideas. I'm going to either have to search for them, or think about them again. These are interesting ideas you have, that's for sure.
9: The Cerulean Storm begins to expand, first by yards, then by miles every day.
10: An epic silt cleric developes a spell that will turn all of athas' water to silt.
Rajaat has been preparing for his new return, having learned from the mistakes of his last return, he has solidified his alliance with all four Paraelemental planes, and has a paraelemental body forged for him, with obsidian bones forged from the cooled lava flows from the former Valley of the Cerulean Storm combined with the Dark Lens -- foolishly thrown into the lava by Sadira is unwittingly manipulated pawn -- to draw power from the sun, the cerulean storm combined with silt to form a shifting, mud-like layer of "flesh" over the obsidian. His purpose, to force the return of the Blue Age by scouring the world of Athas with the powers he has inherited from the paraelements.
Leaving the dark lens buried in lava might have seemed a good idea at the time, though what could have possessed Rikus to leave the scourge there is beyond me.
Great idea though.
Now to continue with my count...
11: Templars baring the standard of Kalid-Ma and able to cast spells begin to appear in the tablelands. (If you know about the orbs of Kalid-Ma you know what this means.)
12) This is a tad complicated. The Kreen Empire is indeed invading the tablelands en masse, and investigation into the motivations of the invasion turn up logical fallacies and lies within lies. After some time, a careful observer can determine that the Kreen Empire is failing to properly occupy its own conquered territory, and seems to be conducting a total war style invasion more than anything.
Further, the some Kreen find themselves joining the invasion, while others seem to be having nightmares, and still others are becoming sick or even insane. A rare few Kreen even go into a beserking frenzy of a purely psychotic nature.
A powerful enough psionic can eventually determine that there is a latent hypnotic suggestion that is being broadcast at a mental level that only the Kreen (And certain slightly more intelligent insects) can pick up. Further investigation reveals that it's coming from the heart of the Cerulean Storm... in Ur Draxa.
The truth in the end is that a few dozen surviving Kaisharga have been ruling what's left of Ur Draxa, mostly in safely sealed caverns, and have persued glorious bloody vengeance on the mongrel foreigners of the tablelands. Over the course of several years, they recovered what was left of the Psionitrax and rebuilt what they could, and instead modified it to produce a weak psionic signal to call forth every Kreen and to destroy everything on the way.
To put all the political intrigues very short, the Kaisharga placed several of their own agents into various Kreen cities and used other means to subtly influence their psyche, eventually pushing for an all out invasion into the Tablelands. Over time, the Kaisharga have slowly increased the power on the "Neo Psionatrix" and by the time the city states lie in ruin, the Kreen will near-mindlessly wander into the Silt Sea, leaving the Kaisharga to wage a simple war on the rubble that remains, wiping the last of the mongrels from Athas, and creating a new Ur Draxa far from the apocalyptic Cerulean Storm.
Unless of course, somebody investigates and stops this.
13) Sorta ties with my other one, but it's going to be a seperate adventure. The Kaisharga's plot is eventually foiled, and the Kreen invasion soon comes to a halt. The territory that was conquered most likely remains occupied, and there might be all kinds of adventure there to be had, as the Kreen might now decide that they have a good foothold for a true invasion...
Either way, the Kaisharga had been quarrelling amongst themselves since Ur Draxa's destruction and Borys' death... but had somehow come together to nearly wipe out the Tyr Region and the Kreen Empire...
Investigations reveal a powerful player hidden far from Ur Draxa... The Dragon!? It seems that Borys has indeed returned from oblivion and has been preparing for a full scale armed conflict with the city states... an army culled from not only the remnants of Ur Draxa, but from the Deadlands as well.... and from somewhere else, too.
To make matters worse, the remaining Sorcerer Kings seem only to want to consolidate their own power and protect their own borders, while the various "free" city states are hard pressed and unable to work together... and it's almost as if no one can even find Saragar...
Only if the City States can be made to work together would they have even a marginal chance to strike back... and keeping that story short, most of them eventually do, and depending on a few factors, the enemy force might be pushed back, allowing a small group to infiltrate the enemy and cut off its head.
In the end, the Dragon is revealed an imposter... though some would have preferred the alternative, for the Dragon is in truth a Demon-Prince that had found his way to Athas some time before (in one of my earlier, not-so epic adventures, as a sorta background piece).
Cue the dramatic final battle at a location that I haven't determined yet (I was thinking the city beneath Tyr, but it seemed too much like Baldur's Gate. Now I'm thinking somewhere in the Deadlands, but I'm waiting for SotDL before I decide). The demon brings forth all its guns to bear. Success would mean that the Dark Sun rises another day... while failure would bring an unending hell to an already hellish world.
Still have a few finer points to map out, but I've got time before my game gets to that point.
1. The Lich Queen Vlakith of the Githyanki opened gates and began an all out invasion of Athas. With her Sceptor of Ephelomon she has the ability to control Red Dragons; the Dragons and Githyanki begin to overrun Athas. The Campaign objective is to first stop the advancing armies by destroying the gates. Then eventually taking out the Lich Queen themselves.
2. The Black Brothers return, and from what we know from history it took all the Sorceror Kings to subdue them. Campaign objective is to find a way to stop them from continuing there expansion of shadows... even if this means allying with the Sorceror Kings themselves.
3. Something managed to find a Time Rift and travel back in time to bring the Psionitrix back. As well as dead Sorceror Kings. With the Psionitrix activated the Thri-kreen empire goes into a frenzy and begins an all out invasion everywhere. Campaign Objective is to find out who or why someone would start this?
4. Upon research, your party discovers that in fact there is a way to revive Oronis the Avangion. Campaign objective is to obtain Oronis' Harp, Banner, and Staff as they are the keys to bringing Oronis back.
5. Dregoth returns with an unbelievably massive army, one of which Athas has never seen before. The Sorceror Kings are forced to ally together in hopes of repelling the invader. His army is equipped with Iron weapons and armor. (Assuming your group in the world of Athas has become somewhat of a force to be reckoned with). An odd looking creature (Drizzt Do'Urden) meets with your party and explains that he came from a city called Water Deep in Fearun and that numerous cities to the South (ex: Boulders Gate) of Water Deep have fallen to an undead dragon (Dregoth). He informs your party that he knows of a way to Fearun and that with their combined efforts they could defeat him. Campaign Objectives is to free the cities of Faerun from Dregoths Armies and destroy all the gates from athas to Faerun.
Our DM used a few of those but some of them we just talked about.
Enjoy!
4. Upon research, your party discovers that in fact there is a way to revive Oronis the Avangion. Campaign objective is to obtain Oronis' Harp, Banner, and Staff as they are the keys to bringing Oronis back.
Oronis? Or Korgunard?
Nanda Shatri, leader of the veiled alliance of Raam, is finally ready to begin avangion metemorphisis. She asks the PCs to help her with the material components by killing several high-level enemies of life (defilers, clerics of magma, silt, and sun, and undead) and bringing her their remains.
Then, after numerous other adventures, the sun begins to die. Nanda knows what has to be done and prepares an epic spell to restore it, at the cost of her life. She doesn't tell the PCs this, instead sending them on quests for rare materials for the spell. But before she dies she leaves the PCs a copy of the preserver metamorphosis spell. This could lead to a PC becoming an avangion, or better yet, spreading the knowledge to each of the veiled alliances.
How's this. Actually it's more of a high-level campaign arc, but it could progress to epic levels.
Nanda Shatri, leader of the veiled alliance of Raam, is finally ready to begin avangion metemorphisis. She asks the PCs to help her with the material components by killing several high-level enemies of life (defilers, clerics of magma, silt, and sun, and undead) and bringing her their remains.
Then, after numerous other adventures, the sun begins to die. Nanda knows what has to be done and prepares an epic spell to restore it, at the cost of her life. She doesn't tell the PCs this, instead sending them on quests for rare materials for the spell. But before she dies she leaves the PCs a copy of the preserver metamorphosis spell. This could lead to a PC becoming an avangion, or better yet, spreading the knowledge to each of the veiled alliances.
This sounds very good.
Then, after numerous other adventures, the sun begins to die.
Nice. Now why would the sun begin to die?
Could there be something on Athas happening that is linked to its fate?
Now, we all know that the PT was used to steal energy from the sun before - both during the end of the Blue Age to stop the Brown Tide, then again to make the Champions, and then to power their first stage of the DM (the last I am not 100% on) - but because of this connection to the sun, the back lash of energy from the epic spells Dregoth was using went unused, and they maybe backlashed and severed some kind of containment or link to the sun that was tied off at the PT, thereby causing the sun to leek energy.
When I hear "Epic", I think starting players out as 21st level Dragon/Avangion/Element with a city-state of their own to rule. The goal of the game is to reach 30th level and eliminate the other players.
interesting. I like that.
Nice. Now why would the sun begin to die?
Could there be something on Athas happening that is linked to its fate?
Most defilers take energy from plant life.
Powerful defilers can take energy from sentient beings.
What if there was a magical artifact that allowed defilement of the sun?
Most defilers take energy from plant life.
Powerful defilers can take energy from sentient beings.
What if there was a magical artifact that allowed defilement of the sun?
Sadira, Hamanu, and the Shadow People, probably Rajaat too all get magic energy from the sun. Sadira has no clue how much she is using, Hamanu is careful about it (at least in RaFoaDK) and the Shadow People are able to do it by using the negative of shadow that is created by the sunlight. Sadira taking too much energy by casting an epic spell and just sucking like theirs no tomorrow could very well make it so... there is no tomorrow.
The amount of matter that would have to be released would be able to create several millions of Athas type planets.
The poor little halflings vaporized Athas!
The Brown Tide never had a chance!
The poor little halflings vaporized Athas!
The Brown Tide never had a chance!
See - there is a reason WHY I hate those runts!!!!
Let the Runt Hunt begin!
Now, we all know that the PT was used to steal energy from the sun before - both during the end of the Blue Age to stop the Brown Tide, then again to make the Champions, and then to power their first stage of the DM (the last I am not 100% on) - but because of this connection to the sun, the back lash of energy from the epic spells Dregoth was using went unused, and they maybe backlashed and severed some kind of containment or link to the sun that was tied off at the PT, thereby causing the sun to leek energy.
Interesting stuff!
I wanted to see what ideas that provoked.
I was thinking myself along the lines of an existing champion progressing further towards a 10th level dragon. Though I guess most DMs would not consider that on its own right, meriting a worsening of the sun's condition.
On the other hand, the creation of new champions would fit easily with such an event. At the end of Rise and Fall... Nibenay and the Oba are convinced of the need for another dragon to rise to keep Rajaat in his prison. Slowly, they come to be convinced that the tablelands also need to replace the slain SKs...
My campaign getting close to epic.
Dark Sun is perfect for epic play.
The mindlords are aware of her whereabouts and begin to hire mercenary psions to destroy her.
Rikus and Neeva find out and try to form an army to stop the mindlords.
Sadira finds out the mindlords are after her and creates a new site similar to the Pristine Tower to hide and begins teaching some high level wizards of the veiled alliance how to become a sun wizard to have an army to stop the mindlords.
I havent read all the new material yet so if there is anything wrong about the mindlords or Rikus or Neeva, please let me know.
14. Sadira, Sun wizard has spent most of her time studying the way to return Athas to the green age.
The mindlords are aware of her whereabouts and begin to hire mercenary psions to destroy her.
Rikus and Neeva find out and try to form an army to stop the mindlords.
Sadira finds out the mindlords are after her and creates a new site similar to the Pristine Tower to hide and begins teaching some high level wizards of the veiled alliance how to become a sun wizard to have an army to stop the mindlords.
I havent read all the new material yet so if there is anything wrong about the mindlords or Rikus or Neeva, please let me know.
I actually like that idea. I hadn't even thought of Sadira making a new structure.