Are you looking to run a Tolkien-esque Ravenloft campaign? Or are you bothered that Ravenloft is not Tolkien?
Trying to understand your dillemma here.
Rucht Lilavivat
Here is the idea I have come up with so far: The Engines of Doom are very real. On some Island or Domain there is a massive fortress-sized motor that churns out a virulent plague with each piston-stroke. This Blood Purge penetrates most domain borders and affects all the denizens of Ravenloft - even vampiric undead. It is controlled by a mad lich or something. Sort of a Gothic Wizard of Oz.
Die Vecna Die! Do they flow together nicely as one quest or is it piecemeal? I don't want piecemeal.
Add into that the fact that VL takes place on Oerth, Vecna Reborn takes place completely in RL and DVD starts in Greyhawk, goes to Ravenloft and finishes in Planecape. It doesn't sound like what your looking for, but they might be pluderable.
I suggest getting the Shadow Rift and plundering that for ideas. Gwidyon is much like Saron, a huge, undescribable evil wanting to take form. His power and situation might make him a suitable nemisis, and the Rift itself is so different from the Core realms and the Islands and Clusters that it makes a good comparison to Mordor.
Just a thought.
What if there is some way to use the Apparatus on everyone within a domain? Or what if Malken made plans to use the apparatus to free himself of his "better half" forever? Stopping Malken from becoming an entity of pure evil might make for an epic storry, albeit one that takes place in dark alleys.
Ideas of a bigger variation on the Rift Spanner come to mind as well. Multiply the number of "levels' needed to charge the machine so it takes a "city" to operate it. Expand its ability to "suck people dry". Leave it in blueprint phase as the start of the campaign and have the PCs becoem aware of it as forces begin to gather components to construct it.
One of the problems you may run into is the fact that the villians of RL ought to have some redeeming/sympathetic value. "Sauron" has lacks these. I'd recomend focusing on the middlemen. In LotR these were primarily the Ringwraiths (who were once mortal men who were seduced/tricked by the power offered to them by Sauron) which were not IMO beyond a pity.
-Eric Gorman
This ginormous version of "The Apparatus" transposes the minds of all living people or creatures in a 200+ mile-radius. It does not require glass tubes, but the evil twins are formed within a huge dungeon connected with the device.
Sans the "Great Dark Evil of Indiscriminate Power" it could very well be Sir Tristen H./Malken with his castle being "modified" to house this contraption. As Tristen he struggles to use the device to dispell his other half. As Malken he uses it to remove Tristen and change the people in his domain.
I am unfamiliar with the Rift Spanner so you'll have to let me know roughly what it does. Blueprint phase.. heh heh... "Join me and together we can rule the Galaxy!"
Or at least epic-ably dangerous.FYI the rift spanner is a device being built/has been built by a Night Hag in Matira bay. It's basically a pyramid shapped junglegym with three chairs and an irridium orb. The orb powers it with something like 100 levels of characters. You charge it by strapping someone in and killing them (suck out their life energies). Given her own need to feed and the fact that the orb looses levels over time she hasn't used it to escape yet since its not fully charged. As written it would work. Each level gives a 1% chance of success...at 100 levels its a done deal. Won't work for DLs. In fact one of the complications is that the Night Hag has a beef with Azalin and wants him to learn of the Rift Spanner and also learn that he can never escape that way (as a torment to him).
As another FYI its been speculated that if the Irrdium Orb was overpowered to the point of explotion it would negate the shroud over Necropolis.
-Eric Gorman
Any ideas who might want to construct this giant Riftspanner? Other than Azalin, I mean. The adventure should include both him, Death and Styrix, IMHO, as they are inevitably tied together.
On the Fraternity of Shadows, we discussed the possibility of sending PCs in to extract the shards of the Doomsday device from Necropolis. These pieces could very well be an important element in the construction of the Giant Spanner. But hopefully the effects will not be the same as the Doomsday Device, IE Necropolis....
My original thought for something along these lines was actually for Paridon several years back when I first read the League of Extrordinary Gentlemen. I wanted an adenture with wacky victorian science, fought in libraries, dark alleys and featuring a conspiracy of villians who weren't out to do evil for its own sake. I was thinking of the Brotherhood of Man, or a splinter of same, attempting to rejoin Paridon to the Core..or any other viable farmland. The planar energies involved would have required...a really big rift spanner and a whole lot of deaths.
Azalin, of course continues to make a great arch villian. Dealing with Death and Necropolis seems the obvious motivation to build a bigger rift spanner.
Dark horse candisates I've thought about: If Mordenheim ever became aware that the DPs were blocking his attempts to ressurect his wife he might attempt to do something riftspanner esque to escape and try again elsewhere. Hard to see him dragging plane wracking effects along with him though. I have often considered having him kidnapped by other powers - though as not-quite DL of Lamordia this is also problematic. Malochio might have cause to try using the rift spanner's energies to free himself but doesn't have the magical or technological know how yet to build one without assistance. Eassan is a great candidate for tinkering with souls...never thought of an end result he would be working toward though.
-Eric Gorman
Just had a thought. Fits your corner of the world. Rift spanner technology might make a great doomsday weapon against Falkovnia. Dominic or Ivan seem to be the most likely progenitors of the project but neither could develop it by themselves.
-E
This would, of course, be especially interesting if the PCs have been led to believe that the alliance of states against Drakov is an indisputably *good* thing....
Gelugon, if you do decide to use Azalin, remember he no longer seems to desire to leave Ravenloft, so the Night Hag's belief that she can torture him by revealing to him that he can't use the Rift Spanner to escape is incorrect. Azalin's current goal is apperantly to gain power over the Dark Powers. He might be very interested in using the Spanner technology against Death, to restore Il Aluk, which is a goal your heroes might also be interested in. If so, you might even consider encouraging an alliance between your PC's and Azalin. They are probably going to need some help from *someone*, if you decide to use Rotipher's idea, and pit them against an alliance of 5 Darklords.
The PCs' goal is to somehow ally with Azalin in order to restore the domain of Il Aluk. Defeating Death using Spanner technology is the method here. Right?
As for the adversaries for the PCs to confront, they are all minions of Godefroy, Dominic, Ivan, Jaqueline, and Drakov, because this is how they might obtain components for the device. Right?
So, adding the Night Hag, Strahd (because he has the Rod of Rastinon), and others, then it becomes a world tour of Ravenloft. Thus, epic.
Since this device seems to be a hybrid of preordained artifacts (Apparatus, Rift Spanner, Doomsday Device) and their components to make it work, let us call it the Shadow Forge (unless this name has been taken already).
Originally posted by Gelugon
Wow. Okay - is this all in the current timeline (3rd Edition set, not 3.5)? Also, let me get this straight so my brain doesn't explode:
The PCs' goal is to somehow ally with Azalin in order to restore the domain of Il Aluk. Defeating Death using Spanner technology is the method here. Right?
As for the adversaries for the PCs to confront, they are all minions of Godefroy, Dominic, Ivan, Jaqueline, and Drakov, because this is how they might obtain components for the device. Right?
So, adding the Night Hag, Strahd (because he has the Rod of Rastinon), and others, then it becomes a world tour of Ravenloft. Thus, epic.
Since this device seems to be a hybrid of preordained artifacts (Apparatus, Rift Spanner, Doomsday Device) and their components to make it work, let us call it the Shadow Forge (unless this name has been taken already).
Well I think some of these ideas were meant to stand apart, at least initially but I can see how to tie most of these threads together.
(1) Knowledge of the Rift Spanner gets out. At low levels PCs might become aware of Styrix as she leaves Matira Bay.
(2) Given the changes in Azalin he is far less dismayed than he might have been. He sees possibilities to eliminate Death with the irridium orb, and perhaps also to see how the DPs react to plans to eliminate a DL by another DL in a "controlled experiment".
(3) The Renaisance 4 come togther much as above with the purpose of using their "Shadow Forge" as a Doomsady device against Falkovnia in a pre-emptive strike. They use the knowledge of both the Rift Spanner and the Apparatus to create their hybrid.
(a) Godfrey really has no reason to help the others so would need to be coerced or tempted somehow.
(i) He might be willing to trade his knowledge for some magical item that he believes would mitigate his curse.
(ii) Malken's network acts as middlemen. His price are the blueprints of the apparatus and starts on his own side quest to acquire the Rod of Rastinon.
(b) Azalin becomes aware through the Kargat and start making his own plans.
(4) One built the Shadow Forge *must detonate* and cannot be disarmed. PCs get a chance to determine where it goes off. (No doubt Azalin helps them to this point). Necropolis is made an attractive option to the PCs somehow (to keep them from dropping it into the Shadow Rift or carrying it into the mist).
Some one could tighten that up more I'm sure. Its kind of a crazy idea for RL but as I look at it, I think it has some charm.
-Eric Gorman
Okay, so now all we need is a way to kick these events in motion. Hmmmm....
We've seen Azalin play the puppet-master sooooo many times, why not give *him* a chance to get set up by other darklords for a change...? Perhaps he's the one who concocted the idea of the composite mega-Spanner (I think Shadow Forge *was* taken, in some game setting or other), but the Foppish Four -- Dominic, Ivan, Jackie and Godfroy -- actually join up to hijack his scheme? Given how long he's been out of touch, their political alliance might well have grown stronger than he or S suspect, putting the lich's plotting at a disadvantage for once.
Using his standard cadre of middlemen and Kargat proxies, Azalin arranges for the allied Four to learn of the Rift Spanner, and he plants the notion that it might be combined with the Apparatus to make a powerful weapon. He can't just make the mega-Spanner himself, because he suspects his curse has erased some vital bit of information about the Apparatus and/or the planar fabric ... a bit that, he hopes, Godfroy may recall from events in I10. Since the ghost isn't corporeal enough to manipulate materials on such a scale, and has no corporeal minions to gather parts, Azalin has to get the whole "defense league" involved in building the thing.
However, thanks to connections that Dominic and Jackie had made among the Kargat during Azalin's absence -- he charmed a few of the non-undead; she arranged for some wererats to be "recruited" to replace losses many Kargat cells suffered in the post-Requiem years -- and whom the lich hasn't gotten around to rooting out yet, the Four learn that the lord of Darkon is planning to steal the device back out from under them. They launch their own counterplot to keep the mega-Spanner for themselves, and to smuggle it into Falkovnia.
Malken, in addition to helping with the Rod-acquiring mission, may be cutting side deals with the various local enemies of the Four -- the Brain, Ivana, the Renier males, maybe even the Weatherbys! -- to undermine the plot and/or ransom the needed components for a fortune. Working for Malken (in his Tristen guise) might be a good way for PCs to find out that the mega-Spanner is intended as a first-strike WMD, rather than just a detente equalizer for the defense league ... that is, unless it'd be more ironic to have *Strahd* annonymously employ the PCs, to investigate what the hairy heck all his screwy neighbors are up to *this* time, that he's been left out of the loop on! ;-D
Azalin Rex (lord of Darkon) is determined to restore the city of Necropolis as Il Aluk once again. By defeating Death and returning the city to his domain (as is proper), the Darklord would be able to flex his muscles and show the other Darklords that his power is great. To do this, he needs a powerful artifact, and it *just so happens* that someone (Styrix, of course) has been whispering in his ear about a device in its early stages of development (blueprints only). It requires A LOT of work to get all the pieces to Darkon. We should develop a specific list of everything needed to make it work (including the Apparatus, Rift Spanner, Rod of Rastinon, etc. and where EVERYTHING is). But first, the blueprints need to be "obtained" from Vechor. Easan the Mad does not guard his secrets lightly, however.
The Fabulous Four are actually given the opportunity to take part in the construction of this Engine of Doom and reap the rewards of its destructive power. Azalin does not reveal his motives, because he actually plans on keeping this weapon, as would nations of our world hoard nuclear bombs.
Odds are that the Fantastic Four will suspect Azalin has other motives and will only agree to this because they too, are secretly planning on keeping the device when it’s constructed! What would be the reason for taking it into Vlad Drakov’s realm? Also, as the Fantastic Four realize the ultimate power of this machine, they too would begin quibbling and secretly covet it for themselves.
I think Malken might want to just sabotage the plans and hold any items he acquires for a giant ransom. He’s too petty and quirky to want such a powerful device. Of course, if word gets out about its capabilities, he will certainly throw his lots in to protect his own interests. As would any other Darklord who gets wind of this plot.
The PCs, who start in Nova Vaasa, learn of Malken’s interest in a certain magical “Rod” (the one in Strahd’s castle), and ultimately hires them to retrieve it. Strahd is too smart and even “lets down his guard” to allow them into his lair. He then offers the PCs an even better deal if they would work for him as secret agents in finding out what all this is about. He would definitely want the device for himself…
Ah heck, EVERYBODY just wants a piece of this action!
One problem still remains. The components of the device are going to be floating around: if Person A has it it’s here, but if Person B gets it, then it’s somewhere else. Maybe working on the list will help organize it a bit. Here is the start of the list:
1) Blueprints (Vechor). Azalin will already have these be the time the adventure starts. An evil party of adventurers working for him got the blueprints already. Eason was p****d! They’re acting as Azalin’s secret agents, making sure his plans are going well. Great rival NPCs to fight.
2) The Apparatus (Darkon). This was already obtained by Azalin, and now he has the wizards and engineers of the Fantastic Four already making modifications to it.
3) The Rod of Rastinon (Barovia). Strahd has it, but only epic-level characters could ever hope to get it from him. Instead, he offers the PCs the chance to smuggle the other pieces to him if they report back correctly.
4) The Rift Spanner (in transit). Minions of the Fantastic Four are carting this thing secretly across the Core into Darkon (through Falkovnia by the time the PCs encounter them). Unless they are powerful enough to take it to Strahd, it should be allowed to escape their grasp. For now...
5) The Irridium Orb (???)
Again, THANKS for your ingenious ideas!!!
Still trying to flesh out the Darklords (and other things as well)
Hope you like it:
http://spiders.ironsource.org/spiders/index.php?board=42;action=display;threadid=977