November 5th –
(The Frontier) Finrod hires half-elfin woman named Marith to assist Stephanie and hires a full elf named Jalen to assist him. Kit hires a man named Fallon to assist her. (TF#142-144)
GM Notes: Stephanie didn't particularly want to have an assistant, but she indulged Finrod. This was long before Skills and Powers and at this time it was a standard ability that warriors would gain followers. This was Fin's way of incorporating it into the game. When I did make Stephanie using S&P she did not take that talent, which shows you what she thought of the whole thing!
(New Frontiers) Silvarn transports the Guardians to the isolated Ice Palace in an attempt to end the threat of Auril in this part of Cynalon. The Guardians are left on the top of the tallest tower of the Ice Palace. No one is around, but the cold is brutal and cold resistant spells are required. The Ice Palace truly is made of ice and the windows are wide open allowing no relief from the cold and the wind. The Guardians cautiously make their way down the tower stairs, but find no guards are any inhabitants. Several levels down the Guardians can hear the sound of children playing; laughing and giggle. Daring to get closer and look, they find a pair of teenagers dressed in the traditional robes of Auril. However, they are not fully human, as their skin is bluish in color and their hair is dark blue. The skin of one of them looks tougher, more leathery and she has wings, while the other girl has horns coming out of her head. It is that the two are tieflings, beings who have an infernal parent. The two are quickly subdued for questioning. Lyonessa casts charm on the one with horns to question her.
The girl wakes and asks if Lyonessa is here to serve the Frostmaiden. The girl's name is Anja, and her sister is Nina. Their mother is the high priestess here and she is named Mina. The only other follower is an ice sorceress named Kalandor. The Ice Palace was created by an artifact called the Heart of Winter. Anja lays out the basics of the Auril faith that they want to cover the world in ice and snow. It's clear to the Guardians that Anja doesn't know what it is like to be cold or what a perpetual winter would do to the various races of Arret. Anja then spots her unconscious sister and starts to question what is going on. At Sir Rowan's direction, Yusef knocks her out.
The Guardians continue down the tower in search of Kalandor and Mina. Aria slips on the icy stairs and tumbles down them making a racket that would raise the dead. Argent flies after Aria, and Ivy follows as well. Yusef uses his Wings of the Bat to reach Aria and stop her descent. Aria and Yusef find themselves on the landing leading into Kalandor's quarters and the Ice Sorceress is not pleased to see them. Using her Staff of Winter, Kalandor starts to form ice warriors from the Ice Palace itself. Yusef rushes the Ice Sorceress and crashes into her. More of the Guardians reach Kalandor and Sherra settles the issue with a knife thrown into the Ice Sorceress' throat. The magic items of the Ice Sorceress are quickly looted as Sir Rowan directs the Guardians down to the temples below where the Heart of Winter is located. He does not want to get into a major battle on icy stairs.
Reaching the ground floor of the Ice Palace, they spot who they believe to be Mina and the Heart of Winter at a distant altar. A quick battle plan is formulated and the Guardians attack. Argent casts a circular Wall of Fire right in the middle of the enemy, melting any ice warrior close to it. More spells are cast the the front-line fighters advance. As they get closer, they realize that the priestess by the altar is just an illusion! A Wall of Ice appears over the back rank of the group and falls on them. Mina appears hovering overhead. Ivy hits her with a Dispel Magic in an attempt to bring her down to the ground. While it does just that, it also causes Mina to revert to her true form! She's really a Gelugan, an Ice Devil and the infernal parent of the girls encountered earlier up stairs. The Guardians attack, but only some of them can harm Mina. Enough damage is done and the devilish priestess is forced to teleport away.
The Guardians do a quick search and discover that a Wall of Ice covers an exit and that this areas was only a quarter of the whole Grand Temple to Auril! In the center of this vast area is a snowflake shaped altar and over it hovers the real Heart of Winter. As the Guardians advance, Mina appears at the altar along with Anja and Nina. Lyonessa and Yusef try to convince Anja that they are not her enemies. Chareos casts Fire Shield on himself and Mina strikes him. The Ice Devil's attack rebounds and forces Mina from this plane. The sisters are easily overpowered and surrender after seeing their mother banished. The Guardians priests speak with Anja and she starts to realize what Auril truly is. Anja's holy symbol burns her and she is cast out of the Auril Faith. For the first time in her young life, Anja knows what it means to be cold. Argent casts a Leomund's Tiny Hut to provide a place of warmth in this otherwise frozen place. Sherra and Yusef go forth to explore and find some minor treasure and a few books and papers. Numerous magic items are found on the main altar. The Heart of Winter was transforming them into special items of Auril. Once away from the Heart the items start to revert back to their normal form.
Much later in the day, Silvarn returns and Lord Rowan reports what transpired at the Ice Palace. Silvarn reports that the rescue to New Keln was a success. The Guardians will return to Fort Fletcher for a short stopover to collect their belongings and mounts. Then Silvarn will move them to Karn's Keep so that Yusef can see the King about his family. Silvarn says that her people can help the sisters and will take the Auril artifacts with her as well. Silvarn sets down the Stone House and Oran Firehammer emerges and offers his service to Lady Aria Stonehand. The Guardians return to Fort Fletcher and then are taken to Karn's Keep to meet up with their comrades. (NF#79-88)
GM Notes: A priests holy symbol is a direct connection between the priest and the power that they serve. It a sense it is a type of magic item. A priest needs to use it to cast some spells and make use of granted powers, such as turning/destroying undead. When a priest is excommunicated by their patron, the holy symbol might burn them if the deity in question is a baneful one such as with Auril here. This same thing also happened to Kharyna. A priest holy symbol might actually do minor damage to an opposing enemy. For instance, the holy symbol for Azrella will burn any undead it touches. Likewise, a Priest of Heironeous would be burned if he touched the holy symbol of a Priest of Hextor, and vice versa. This all depends on the power in followed and who is touching it. For instance, the holy symbol for a follower of Eldath probably wouldn't harm anyone.
CR 571 November 5th - 8th
CR 571 November 5th - 8th
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 November 5th - 8th
(Cynalon Knights) The next morning, Lady Sallavarian teleports everyone going on the Hextor raid to Karn's Keep using the Stone House. There Lord Sharadin and his daughters are waiting. Blod is on hand to help, as is a new face, Serena an Inquisitor in the service of Mystra from Alphatia. Selinda came across Lord Sharadin in Gateway. Silvarn arrives at Karn's Keep after dropping off the Guardians at the remote Ice Palace.
Late that afternoon, the attack on the Hextor Temple in New Keln begins. Silvarn flies the Stone House to the front door of the temple itself. It stands above a huge gladiatorial arena. Moving inside the group is attacked by Abishai, a race of devils, who are quickly defeated. After destroying the altar in the entry temple, the group splits up after coming to multiple pathways. The group with Lord Vanarkus comes across a room being guarded by Battle Golems, six armed constructs common to the Hextor faith. As the group battles the constructs, the door behind them opens and four men come forth. Lord Vanarkus recognizes two of them as former Seekers, Araduin and Dar Thaltus! The battle golems are defeated after a long battle and the spell the former Seekers are under is removed. Both men are understandable confused. The last thing they remember was traveling back to Gateway with the refugees from Mesilva. The room they emerged from is a potion making facility and they are using zonga fruit to make them. Serena of Mystra recognizes the fruit and explains that it numbs the mind and is most effective on mages. The more intelligent the user of the zonga fruit, the greater the affect it has. It is suspected that this is how the mind numbing potions used in the Siege of Gateway were created. Lord Sharadin destroys the laboratory with an Acid Cloud spell. Past the door the golems were guarding is found a large egg placed on a fire pit. Lord Sharadin goes pale when he realizes that the egg holds a clone of Ember. The Archmage explains that he found the spell to Clone oneself in Ember's books that were taken from the Crystal Fortress. The egg is quickly destroyed and everyone has to wonder if there are any more eggs out in the world just waiting to be hatched.
A large ventilation shaft is found in the middle of the large room. The group believes this to be the Hellpit down below them, the place where the sacrifice is supposed to be taking place. The cover to the shaft is removed and a door is removed from its hinges and used as a platform to get everyone down below under cover of Invisibility. As the crude elevator clears the ventilation shaft, the group can see the expansive Hellpit. There is huge fire pit and further along is a small pyramid. Standing on top of this pyramid is Xanathom, the six armed High Priestess of Hextor! Many other priests are in the area, some also on the pyramid, others on the ground before it. Behind the pyramid and against the far wall is a series of cells holding the nobility of Corunglain. Standing on top of these cells is a giant statue of Hextor. As the platform starts to move closer to the enemy and to clear the huge fire pit below them, a group of Fire Giants enter along with a pack of hell hounds. One of the hell hounds howls at something it cannot see. The first prisoner is brought forth and the raiders prepare for battle. The floating platform is moved closer to the top of the pyramid.
The attack begins with three Fireballs being cast on the different sides of the pyramid, leaving the one side the prisoner is being brought up unscathed. Oran Firehammer and Crysania move to attack those back by the cells. Sir Kalindor leaps from the platform and lands on Xanathom sending both tumbling down the pyramid. Sir Kalindor cuts off one of Xanathom's many arms while she attacks with multiple swords. Crysania rushes to assist Sir Kalindor, while a Hextorite who dared to try and help Xanathom is killed for his efforts. The stern glance from the enemy priestess sends the Battle Golems away from Sir Kalindor. The two continue to fight with blood flowing freely on both sides. Finally, near death himself, Sir Kalindor slays Xanathom! Crysania heals Sir Kalindor.
As she falls, Xanathom cries out, “Father! Why have you forsaken me?” In seeming response to that, a loud noise is heard in the chest of the Hextor statue and a Pit Fiend breaks out of it. The eyes of the Battle Golems start to glow and all of them move towards Sir Kalindor. The Pit Fiend sends a Fireball towards Sir Kalindor, but his magic resistance hedges it out. In response to this, Sir Kalindor struggles across the battlefield towards the fire pit. Words whispered in his ear from his father while hovering near death are driving him onward. The heroes try to slow down the Battle Golems, but they are too resistant to their attacks. Crysania heals Sir Kalindor once more, but takes heavy damage in the process. Lord Sharadin calls out that there is another Pit Fiend! One of the Pit Fiends takes control of Gorso, and the half-ogre strangles Drakkimor while flying both into the Fire Pit. A Wall of Fire springs up around Sir Kalindor, burning all inside it. Serena of Mystra dispels the Wall of Fire, just as several Cornugons fly in and attack Sir Kalindor. They are quickly defeated. Back at the Hextor statue more Pit Fiends are arriving. There are five of them now! Sir Kalindor continues on towards the fire pit, but finds three Pit Fiends blocking his path. Crysania unleashes a Holy Word and destroys all the demons.
Sir Kalindor reaches the fire pit with Baron Vanarkus' help and calls out for his father. In response, a miniature volcano erupts in the fire and a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire is opened. Hasverion rises from the portal in his angelic form followed by a squad of Monadic Devas. The angels go forth to battle the Pit Fiends while Hasverion lands before his son. He heals Sir Kalindor with a wave of his hand and the magic is transmitted to all in the area thanks to the Shield of Justice. Hasverion tells the heroes that as long as Hextor's statue stands, more Pit Fiends will arrive. The prisoners must be freed so that the statue can be destroyed.
Crysania recognizes Hasverion as he is the one who grants her spells when she prays. Once the prisoners are freed and moved away, the angels destroy the statues legs and it falls and shatters. The Temple to Hextor has fallen! The king and the others in his group arrive, having fought off the Fire Giants on the other side of the vast chamber. The captives are transferred into the Stone House. Dame Harlena recognizes Hasverion as well. The magic items the Hextorites were using for the sacrifice is put into a Portable Hole for the time being. After chatting with Hasverion for a little bit, everyone goes into the Stone House and Lord Sharadin flies it back up to the chamber above. Those above are led into the Stone House and Lord Sharadin teleports back to Karn's Keep. Hasverion has fire and lava flow in from the portal to the Plane of Elemental Fire. When is done, all that remains of the Hextor Temple is a bubbling pool of lava in the heart of New Keln.
Back at Karn's Keep the Stone House is opened up and everyone comes out. Elspeth and others are on hand heal the wounded. Once the Stone House is emptied, Silvarn takes it with her to recover the Guardians of Light from the Ice Palace. The heroes relax and debrief after the raid. Many conversations are held. Araduin starts to rebuild his spellbook using the books in the Mage Guild at Karn's Keep. He and Dar Thaltus regain their missing gear. With Drakkimor gone, and Oran Firehammer joining his own people to recover Hammerfall, Crysania asks to join the Guardians of Light in the recovery of Elcadan. Serena of Mystra joins as well. Zynara agrees to move to Pyris to become the local magist. Bernice returns and joins the New Seekers.
Late that evening, Silvarn arrives bearing the Guardians of Light in the Stone House. There are reunions and tales are told. Yusef has an audience with the king and is given the opportunity to earn his freedom by assisting the Guardians in their battle against the DeVilles. (CK#2-9)
Roster of the Guardians of Light: Lord Vanarkus (PL), Argent, Chareos, Crysania, Ivy, Lord Kalindor, Lyonessa, Lord Rowan, Serena, Sherra and Yusef.
Roster of the New Seekers: Arocken (PL), Araduin, Bernice, Blod, and Dar Thaltus.
Roster of Hammerfall group: Lady Aria Stonehand (PL), Farain, Grondar, Oran Firehammer and Rat.
Late that afternoon, the attack on the Hextor Temple in New Keln begins. Silvarn flies the Stone House to the front door of the temple itself. It stands above a huge gladiatorial arena. Moving inside the group is attacked by Abishai, a race of devils, who are quickly defeated. After destroying the altar in the entry temple, the group splits up after coming to multiple pathways. The group with Lord Vanarkus comes across a room being guarded by Battle Golems, six armed constructs common to the Hextor faith. As the group battles the constructs, the door behind them opens and four men come forth. Lord Vanarkus recognizes two of them as former Seekers, Araduin and Dar Thaltus! The battle golems are defeated after a long battle and the spell the former Seekers are under is removed. Both men are understandable confused. The last thing they remember was traveling back to Gateway with the refugees from Mesilva. The room they emerged from is a potion making facility and they are using zonga fruit to make them. Serena of Mystra recognizes the fruit and explains that it numbs the mind and is most effective on mages. The more intelligent the user of the zonga fruit, the greater the affect it has. It is suspected that this is how the mind numbing potions used in the Siege of Gateway were created. Lord Sharadin destroys the laboratory with an Acid Cloud spell. Past the door the golems were guarding is found a large egg placed on a fire pit. Lord Sharadin goes pale when he realizes that the egg holds a clone of Ember. The Archmage explains that he found the spell to Clone oneself in Ember's books that were taken from the Crystal Fortress. The egg is quickly destroyed and everyone has to wonder if there are any more eggs out in the world just waiting to be hatched.
A large ventilation shaft is found in the middle of the large room. The group believes this to be the Hellpit down below them, the place where the sacrifice is supposed to be taking place. The cover to the shaft is removed and a door is removed from its hinges and used as a platform to get everyone down below under cover of Invisibility. As the crude elevator clears the ventilation shaft, the group can see the expansive Hellpit. There is huge fire pit and further along is a small pyramid. Standing on top of this pyramid is Xanathom, the six armed High Priestess of Hextor! Many other priests are in the area, some also on the pyramid, others on the ground before it. Behind the pyramid and against the far wall is a series of cells holding the nobility of Corunglain. Standing on top of these cells is a giant statue of Hextor. As the platform starts to move closer to the enemy and to clear the huge fire pit below them, a group of Fire Giants enter along with a pack of hell hounds. One of the hell hounds howls at something it cannot see. The first prisoner is brought forth and the raiders prepare for battle. The floating platform is moved closer to the top of the pyramid.
The attack begins with three Fireballs being cast on the different sides of the pyramid, leaving the one side the prisoner is being brought up unscathed. Oran Firehammer and Crysania move to attack those back by the cells. Sir Kalindor leaps from the platform and lands on Xanathom sending both tumbling down the pyramid. Sir Kalindor cuts off one of Xanathom's many arms while she attacks with multiple swords. Crysania rushes to assist Sir Kalindor, while a Hextorite who dared to try and help Xanathom is killed for his efforts. The stern glance from the enemy priestess sends the Battle Golems away from Sir Kalindor. The two continue to fight with blood flowing freely on both sides. Finally, near death himself, Sir Kalindor slays Xanathom! Crysania heals Sir Kalindor.
As she falls, Xanathom cries out, “Father! Why have you forsaken me?” In seeming response to that, a loud noise is heard in the chest of the Hextor statue and a Pit Fiend breaks out of it. The eyes of the Battle Golems start to glow and all of them move towards Sir Kalindor. The Pit Fiend sends a Fireball towards Sir Kalindor, but his magic resistance hedges it out. In response to this, Sir Kalindor struggles across the battlefield towards the fire pit. Words whispered in his ear from his father while hovering near death are driving him onward. The heroes try to slow down the Battle Golems, but they are too resistant to their attacks. Crysania heals Sir Kalindor once more, but takes heavy damage in the process. Lord Sharadin calls out that there is another Pit Fiend! One of the Pit Fiends takes control of Gorso, and the half-ogre strangles Drakkimor while flying both into the Fire Pit. A Wall of Fire springs up around Sir Kalindor, burning all inside it. Serena of Mystra dispels the Wall of Fire, just as several Cornugons fly in and attack Sir Kalindor. They are quickly defeated. Back at the Hextor statue more Pit Fiends are arriving. There are five of them now! Sir Kalindor continues on towards the fire pit, but finds three Pit Fiends blocking his path. Crysania unleashes a Holy Word and destroys all the demons.
Sir Kalindor reaches the fire pit with Baron Vanarkus' help and calls out for his father. In response, a miniature volcano erupts in the fire and a portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire is opened. Hasverion rises from the portal in his angelic form followed by a squad of Monadic Devas. The angels go forth to battle the Pit Fiends while Hasverion lands before his son. He heals Sir Kalindor with a wave of his hand and the magic is transmitted to all in the area thanks to the Shield of Justice. Hasverion tells the heroes that as long as Hextor's statue stands, more Pit Fiends will arrive. The prisoners must be freed so that the statue can be destroyed.
Crysania recognizes Hasverion as he is the one who grants her spells when she prays. Once the prisoners are freed and moved away, the angels destroy the statues legs and it falls and shatters. The Temple to Hextor has fallen! The king and the others in his group arrive, having fought off the Fire Giants on the other side of the vast chamber. The captives are transferred into the Stone House. Dame Harlena recognizes Hasverion as well. The magic items the Hextorites were using for the sacrifice is put into a Portable Hole for the time being. After chatting with Hasverion for a little bit, everyone goes into the Stone House and Lord Sharadin flies it back up to the chamber above. Those above are led into the Stone House and Lord Sharadin teleports back to Karn's Keep. Hasverion has fire and lava flow in from the portal to the Plane of Elemental Fire. When is done, all that remains of the Hextor Temple is a bubbling pool of lava in the heart of New Keln.
Back at Karn's Keep the Stone House is opened up and everyone comes out. Elspeth and others are on hand heal the wounded. Once the Stone House is emptied, Silvarn takes it with her to recover the Guardians of Light from the Ice Palace. The heroes relax and debrief after the raid. Many conversations are held. Araduin starts to rebuild his spellbook using the books in the Mage Guild at Karn's Keep. He and Dar Thaltus regain their missing gear. With Drakkimor gone, and Oran Firehammer joining his own people to recover Hammerfall, Crysania asks to join the Guardians of Light in the recovery of Elcadan. Serena of Mystra joins as well. Zynara agrees to move to Pyris to become the local magist. Bernice returns and joins the New Seekers.
Late that evening, Silvarn arrives bearing the Guardians of Light in the Stone House. There are reunions and tales are told. Yusef has an audience with the king and is given the opportunity to earn his freedom by assisting the Guardians in their battle against the DeVilles. (CK#2-9)
Roster of the Guardians of Light: Lord Vanarkus (PL), Argent, Chareos, Crysania, Ivy, Lord Kalindor, Lyonessa, Lord Rowan, Serena, Sherra and Yusef.
Roster of the New Seekers: Arocken (PL), Araduin, Bernice, Blod, and Dar Thaltus.
Roster of Hammerfall group: Lady Aria Stonehand (PL), Farain, Grondar, Oran Firehammer and Rat.
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 November 5th - 8th
GM Notes: The raid on the Hextor Temple was a long time coming, dating back to the early 90's in The Frontier Game. Lots of old faces return from that era as well. Xanathom's name and appearance was based on the D&D trading cards that came out in the early 90's. Those cards were great for coming up with NPC's on the spot! There are many characters that players have encountered that came from those cards. Xanathom unique appearance was due to her being a child of Hextor, much like Jylsera is a child of Mystra. More than human, less than god.
In a game like this there are rules and then there are the unwritten rules. What are unwritten rules? These are things that the GM has figured out behind the scenes on how his world works. This covers a wide range of things, such as potent is magic in his world. This can be anywhere from magic is rare to ridiculously common. Is time travel possible? How did the gods come into being? Things of that nature.
With all these unwritten rules in hand, the GM can then rule the outcomes of unusual situations that can arise in game. Basically its a tool GM's use to keep things consistent. And, for the most part, the players are completely unaware of them as they rarely come into play. I would be lying if I said all of my unwritten rules were in place when the game was started. More and more have been added as time goes by. As long as a new unwritten rule doesn't contradict something that happened before, then it's not an issue. After all, in the majority of cases I'm the only one who knows about these things.
How I deal with the various deities is one such unwritten rule. When the gods did act directly, their might could shatter worlds, which pretty much defeats the purpose. So instead they act through intermediates like priests and followers. Because of this, players will virtually never fight an enemy god, just his followers or some lesser extension of his power. However, some gods realized that priests and followers were just not powerful enough for their tastes, so they started to have mortal children. Beings that could be far more powerful then other mortals, but still far less powerful then even the least deity.
The 'gentleman's agreement' among the gods basically goes that if one does it, then they all can. So when the idea of the gods having mortal children came along, they all could do it and many do. These children of the gods are not very common, but a few have appeared in game. Obviously, Xanathom and Jylsera are ones, and Elspeth is as well, but she's not aware of her divine status at this point in the game. There was a mortal child in the Sculley family at some point in the past. That's why the family is so good at magic, part of their bloodline comes form Mystra herself. Likewise, the Sallavarian family too. That's why back in the Beleme Swamp that when Mystra spoke to the group, Sherwood referred to her as 'grandmother'.
Anyway, getting back to the point I was attempting to make, when Xanathom called out for aid, Hextor gave it and the pit fiends started to arrive. Because that happened, Heironeous was able to send aid was well, so his angels arrived to balance the scales of the encounter. Once Hextor sent aid, Heironeous was able to do so as well.
The battle golems were nasty critters. They only had 50 hit points, but they only take damage from the plus of magical weapons. So if you have a longsword +1, it would do 1 point of damage to the golem when it connected. That's why Acerion's Holy Weapon was so potent, as it was +10 vs Hextor followers. So he did 10 pts of damage with every strike.
Another unwritten rule is just how priestly magic works. Priests gain their first and second level spells on the strength of their faith alone. Spells from 3rd level on are delivered by intermediaries of the power themselves. Think of deities as being vast, galaxy spanning corporations. They have offices everywhere and the managers of these offices handle the spell assigning chores. For Priests of Heironeous in Cynalon, Hasverion is this intermediary. He grants spells to the various priests and paladins. Once the follower becomes powerful enough, they can converse with the intermediary while praying. Eventually, when the priest is powerful enough, they will be able to converse with the power them self. That's how Crysania and Dame Sharl knew who Hasverion was. They've talked to him before, but never actually met him.
It's always a good idea to destroy the altar in an enemy temple. I my world, they act like a version of Spell Engines. They gather devotional energy that the High Priest can then use to create various magical effects around the temple. For instance, a Priest of Heironeous could have the temple protected by a Protection of Evil spell. An Azrellan temple could have an effect that promotes healing, such as gaining 1 hit point every ten minutes or so. Destroying the altar removes any affects that may be present.
It was after these events that the groups ended up being switched up a bit as players and NPC's moved around. It's at this point that the Hammerfall game starts.
In a game like this there are rules and then there are the unwritten rules. What are unwritten rules? These are things that the GM has figured out behind the scenes on how his world works. This covers a wide range of things, such as potent is magic in his world. This can be anywhere from magic is rare to ridiculously common. Is time travel possible? How did the gods come into being? Things of that nature.
With all these unwritten rules in hand, the GM can then rule the outcomes of unusual situations that can arise in game. Basically its a tool GM's use to keep things consistent. And, for the most part, the players are completely unaware of them as they rarely come into play. I would be lying if I said all of my unwritten rules were in place when the game was started. More and more have been added as time goes by. As long as a new unwritten rule doesn't contradict something that happened before, then it's not an issue. After all, in the majority of cases I'm the only one who knows about these things.
How I deal with the various deities is one such unwritten rule. When the gods did act directly, their might could shatter worlds, which pretty much defeats the purpose. So instead they act through intermediates like priests and followers. Because of this, players will virtually never fight an enemy god, just his followers or some lesser extension of his power. However, some gods realized that priests and followers were just not powerful enough for their tastes, so they started to have mortal children. Beings that could be far more powerful then other mortals, but still far less powerful then even the least deity.
The 'gentleman's agreement' among the gods basically goes that if one does it, then they all can. So when the idea of the gods having mortal children came along, they all could do it and many do. These children of the gods are not very common, but a few have appeared in game. Obviously, Xanathom and Jylsera are ones, and Elspeth is as well, but she's not aware of her divine status at this point in the game. There was a mortal child in the Sculley family at some point in the past. That's why the family is so good at magic, part of their bloodline comes form Mystra herself. Likewise, the Sallavarian family too. That's why back in the Beleme Swamp that when Mystra spoke to the group, Sherwood referred to her as 'grandmother'.
Anyway, getting back to the point I was attempting to make, when Xanathom called out for aid, Hextor gave it and the pit fiends started to arrive. Because that happened, Heironeous was able to send aid was well, so his angels arrived to balance the scales of the encounter. Once Hextor sent aid, Heironeous was able to do so as well.
The battle golems were nasty critters. They only had 50 hit points, but they only take damage from the plus of magical weapons. So if you have a longsword +1, it would do 1 point of damage to the golem when it connected. That's why Acerion's Holy Weapon was so potent, as it was +10 vs Hextor followers. So he did 10 pts of damage with every strike.
Another unwritten rule is just how priestly magic works. Priests gain their first and second level spells on the strength of their faith alone. Spells from 3rd level on are delivered by intermediaries of the power themselves. Think of deities as being vast, galaxy spanning corporations. They have offices everywhere and the managers of these offices handle the spell assigning chores. For Priests of Heironeous in Cynalon, Hasverion is this intermediary. He grants spells to the various priests and paladins. Once the follower becomes powerful enough, they can converse with the intermediary while praying. Eventually, when the priest is powerful enough, they will be able to converse with the power them self. That's how Crysania and Dame Sharl knew who Hasverion was. They've talked to him before, but never actually met him.
It's always a good idea to destroy the altar in an enemy temple. I my world, they act like a version of Spell Engines. They gather devotional energy that the High Priest can then use to create various magical effects around the temple. For instance, a Priest of Heironeous could have the temple protected by a Protection of Evil spell. An Azrellan temple could have an effect that promotes healing, such as gaining 1 hit point every ten minutes or so. Destroying the altar removes any affects that may be present.
It was after these events that the groups ended up being switched up a bit as players and NPC's moved around. It's at this point that the Hammerfall game starts.
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 November 5th - 8th
November 6th –
(The Frontier) The Seekers of the Sword set sail from Kingsport towards the Port of Tanaroa in the Anegoth Archipelago. Claudius shows up at the last moment with a new pet, a fierce looking war dog. The group divides up among the two ships and are forced to share cabins for the journey. Perrel, Schar and Dani share one cabin on the Endeavor, while Claudius, Mercy and Padraig the other. On the Intrepid Finrod, Stephanie, Marith and Jalen share the first cabin, while Kit, Fiben, Tania, and Fallon occupy the final cabin.
(TF#144)
(Elfquest) With nothing else to do during the long voyage, attention turns to the regular book in the chest. Many Comprehend Language spells are needed to translate the book. It turns out to be a diary and the writing is one that the group cannot read, but one that they encountered before. It is the same as the writing on the strange chest found on Lothar's barge back in Twin Forks! It is guessed that the silver key opens the chest, as up until now that chest has yet to be opened. The diary belonged to an elf maiden by the name of Lady Marianita Lucia de Leon y Valdez who was a member of Clan Belcadiz. No one here has ever heard of a Clan Belcadiz, nor of a place called Glantri. The diary reveals a very disturbing tale. Long ago Alphatia was in the grips of a civil war. Emperor Alphaks had succumbed to the power of a magic item called the "Crown of Eternal Night" and became a lich. Admiral Nylsara of the Alphatian Navy was actively opposing him. The contents of the chest were being delivered into her hands for use during the war. The Star Crown is described as a powerful magic item that only a mage could make full use of. It has the same powers as a Crown of the Stars, but many more in addition to that. The Crown also bestows the powers of a Necklace of Adaptation, a Ring of Protection, a Talisman of Memorization, and a Ring of Wizardry. It also enhances the senses and intelligence of the wearer and provides some measure of magic resistance. Lady Marianita describes the Crown as being a collection of eight star sapphires that whirls about the mages head much like Ioun Stones would do. Lady Marianita's vessel sailed from Glantri to Arret in order to deliver the Star Crown to Admiral Nylsara. It is clear from the wreckage that the delivery was never made. The magical chest that held the Star Crown was thrown clear from the wreckage and tumbled all the way down the mountains where it was eventually found. Years later in ended up in Lothar's hands in Twin Forks where the Guardians came across it.
With that particular mystery solved, Sherwood teleports to Karn's Keep to retrieve the chest. When he returns bearing the chest and news. The situation in Elcadan is revealed and that Duke Relon has been named the new ruler of that realm. The key works the chest opens to reveal 8 large star sapphires. When a mage touches them they rise up and take a position over the mages head much like an Ioun Stone would. Sherwood tries out the crown but decides that he looks ridiculous in it. Since it was made by ancient elves and many of his own magic items duplicate the effects of the Crown, Sherwood gives it to Lilia to use. (EQ#6-7)
GM Notes: The maps of the world that I use were originally called the Known World. This was the setting for the basic D&D game, back when there were separate D&D and AD&D games. While the map stayed the same, for the most part, some of the nations in that world were not used. For instance, the Keln lands replaced the Emirates of Ylaruam and the Empire of Thyatis. Thyatis I moved to a different continent entirely. Likewise there was a place past the Broken Lands called Glantri that was a magical kingdom. I moved it to an entirely different planet and had it start out as an Alphatian Colony that broke away during the civil war. So, Lady Marianita and Glantri are essentially magically advanced space elves!
Getting back to the unwritten rules thing, when I posted the campaign history I only posted part of it. The parts that the players may of heard of and been familiar with from the games. So there was stuff that I left out. The basics are that when the current gods came into being, they seeded life in their image. Not just on Arret, but across the galaxy. So there are other humans, elves, dwarves, and so on everywhere and on these other worlds thing may have unfolded in a different manner.
(The Frontier) The Seekers of the Sword set sail from Kingsport towards the Port of Tanaroa in the Anegoth Archipelago. Claudius shows up at the last moment with a new pet, a fierce looking war dog. The group divides up among the two ships and are forced to share cabins for the journey. Perrel, Schar and Dani share one cabin on the Endeavor, while Claudius, Mercy and Padraig the other. On the Intrepid Finrod, Stephanie, Marith and Jalen share the first cabin, while Kit, Fiben, Tania, and Fallon occupy the final cabin.
(TF#144)
(Elfquest) With nothing else to do during the long voyage, attention turns to the regular book in the chest. Many Comprehend Language spells are needed to translate the book. It turns out to be a diary and the writing is one that the group cannot read, but one that they encountered before. It is the same as the writing on the strange chest found on Lothar's barge back in Twin Forks! It is guessed that the silver key opens the chest, as up until now that chest has yet to be opened. The diary belonged to an elf maiden by the name of Lady Marianita Lucia de Leon y Valdez who was a member of Clan Belcadiz. No one here has ever heard of a Clan Belcadiz, nor of a place called Glantri. The diary reveals a very disturbing tale. Long ago Alphatia was in the grips of a civil war. Emperor Alphaks had succumbed to the power of a magic item called the "Crown of Eternal Night" and became a lich. Admiral Nylsara of the Alphatian Navy was actively opposing him. The contents of the chest were being delivered into her hands for use during the war. The Star Crown is described as a powerful magic item that only a mage could make full use of. It has the same powers as a Crown of the Stars, but many more in addition to that. The Crown also bestows the powers of a Necklace of Adaptation, a Ring of Protection, a Talisman of Memorization, and a Ring of Wizardry. It also enhances the senses and intelligence of the wearer and provides some measure of magic resistance. Lady Marianita describes the Crown as being a collection of eight star sapphires that whirls about the mages head much like Ioun Stones would do. Lady Marianita's vessel sailed from Glantri to Arret in order to deliver the Star Crown to Admiral Nylsara. It is clear from the wreckage that the delivery was never made. The magical chest that held the Star Crown was thrown clear from the wreckage and tumbled all the way down the mountains where it was eventually found. Years later in ended up in Lothar's hands in Twin Forks where the Guardians came across it.
With that particular mystery solved, Sherwood teleports to Karn's Keep to retrieve the chest. When he returns bearing the chest and news. The situation in Elcadan is revealed and that Duke Relon has been named the new ruler of that realm. The key works the chest opens to reveal 8 large star sapphires. When a mage touches them they rise up and take a position over the mages head much like an Ioun Stone would. Sherwood tries out the crown but decides that he looks ridiculous in it. Since it was made by ancient elves and many of his own magic items duplicate the effects of the Crown, Sherwood gives it to Lilia to use. (EQ#6-7)
GM Notes: The maps of the world that I use were originally called the Known World. This was the setting for the basic D&D game, back when there were separate D&D and AD&D games. While the map stayed the same, for the most part, some of the nations in that world were not used. For instance, the Keln lands replaced the Emirates of Ylaruam and the Empire of Thyatis. Thyatis I moved to a different continent entirely. Likewise there was a place past the Broken Lands called Glantri that was a magical kingdom. I moved it to an entirely different planet and had it start out as an Alphatian Colony that broke away during the civil war. So, Lady Marianita and Glantri are essentially magically advanced space elves!
Getting back to the unwritten rules thing, when I posted the campaign history I only posted part of it. The parts that the players may of heard of and been familiar with from the games. So there was stuff that I left out. The basics are that when the current gods came into being, they seeded life in their image. Not just on Arret, but across the galaxy. So there are other humans, elves, dwarves, and so on everywhere and on these other worlds thing may have unfolded in a different manner.
Try it and find out!
Re: CR 571 November 5th - 8th
November 7th -
(The Frontier) Padraig detects that the Seekers are being scryed by Har again. (TF#144)
(Cynalon Knights) Silvarn teleports Ivy, Lyonessa and Yusef along with Anja and Nina to Hyperion, a distant planet in another solar system entirely populated by Silver Dragons. They are all shocked to see that this world has two suns-- a red giant and a blue dwarf. A center dedicated to converting Aurilites from that foul goddess is there and the sisters stay behind.
A demon strategy session is held at Karn's Keep. Dame Harlena, Crysania of Heironeous and Lord Sharadin speak to the Guardians and New Seekers. What information that is known about the DeVilles is shared, but Yusef adds nothing to the conversation. The King and Dame Sharl depart for Athenos. The rest of the Council of Lords depart for various destinations. (CK#9-11)
GM Notes: Time for more unwritten rules and things that players basically would never find out! The way I set this game up was that the older, more powerful races came from other worlds. When the galaxy containing Arret was created, it worked from the center out towards the edges. At its center is the Pit of Despair that ties into He Who Shall Not Be Named. It works like a Black Hole, so it sucks in matter to close to it, but things too far away actually get pushed further away from the black hole. So the earliest life in this galaxy came into being close to the center. These were the first generation of races. Among this races are the dragons, the beholders, the arcane, and the mind-flayers to name a few.
So dragons are an insanely old race, who quite possibly existed before Arret was even a planet! Given the magical prowess of some dragons, they quickly expanded to many worlds that suited their needs. Silvers, being naturally immune to cold, didn't mind using frozen planets. Hyperion is a home for Silver Dragons. They are highly cultured and have access to magic far beyond what even the Alphatians can do. The good dragons, silver, gold, especially the ones who can shape change at will tend to keep an eye on their more aggressive cousins. For the most part, they try to help good beings and protect them from evil dragons. That's why Silvarn has basically only actually acted when other dragons were involved, such as the red dragon the Seekers battled and then later on against Ember.
And here's another unwritten rule. Teleport spells and those like them transport the caster and his passengers to their destination at the speed of light. D&D Teleport spells are unusual in that distance is not a factor, but your knowledge of your arrival point is. So what does this mean? For instance, we can see the moon in the sky and since distance is not a factor, so a mage could teleport to the moon! If he could survive there is another story. So great distances can be covered using a teleport spell.
But sometimes a spell can be too powerful. In this case, Teleport is. So by saying that it travels at the speed of light, it still makes travel on Arret very fast, but makes it dangerous to travel not only between worlds, but between solar systems! My galaxy is essentially laid out like our galaxy, so the closest star is around 4.2 light years away. So anyone who tries to teleport to a planet there would take 4.2 years to arrive.
So how did Silvarn do what she did instantaneously? She cast a higher level version of Teleport. The spells in question are Hyper Teleport and Hyper Teleport Without Error. They are 7th level and 9th level respectively. Teleporting this way essentially creates a wormhole between you and your target, so travel is instant. Silvarn cast the 9 level version of the spell. Twice. Silvarn is at least 20th level as a mage!
Out past the first generation worlds, the second generation worlds sprang up. Its in this area where humans, elves, and all the other races came into being. Basically, the galaxy started at center point and the first generation worlds are large circle around it. The second generation worlds are an even bigger circle around the first one. That is a Lot of space. Wonder what the third generate worlds and races will look like...
November 8th –
(The Frontier) The Endeavor and the Intrepid reach the Port of Minothad City, the last major port before sailing into the open waters of the Great Southern Sea towards the Anegoth Archipelago. Har scries the Seekers again and this time Padraig tags him with a Warp Missile. (TF#144)
(The Frontier) Padraig detects that the Seekers are being scryed by Har again. (TF#144)
(Cynalon Knights) Silvarn teleports Ivy, Lyonessa and Yusef along with Anja and Nina to Hyperion, a distant planet in another solar system entirely populated by Silver Dragons. They are all shocked to see that this world has two suns-- a red giant and a blue dwarf. A center dedicated to converting Aurilites from that foul goddess is there and the sisters stay behind.
A demon strategy session is held at Karn's Keep. Dame Harlena, Crysania of Heironeous and Lord Sharadin speak to the Guardians and New Seekers. What information that is known about the DeVilles is shared, but Yusef adds nothing to the conversation. The King and Dame Sharl depart for Athenos. The rest of the Council of Lords depart for various destinations. (CK#9-11)
GM Notes: Time for more unwritten rules and things that players basically would never find out! The way I set this game up was that the older, more powerful races came from other worlds. When the galaxy containing Arret was created, it worked from the center out towards the edges. At its center is the Pit of Despair that ties into He Who Shall Not Be Named. It works like a Black Hole, so it sucks in matter to close to it, but things too far away actually get pushed further away from the black hole. So the earliest life in this galaxy came into being close to the center. These were the first generation of races. Among this races are the dragons, the beholders, the arcane, and the mind-flayers to name a few.
So dragons are an insanely old race, who quite possibly existed before Arret was even a planet! Given the magical prowess of some dragons, they quickly expanded to many worlds that suited their needs. Silvers, being naturally immune to cold, didn't mind using frozen planets. Hyperion is a home for Silver Dragons. They are highly cultured and have access to magic far beyond what even the Alphatians can do. The good dragons, silver, gold, especially the ones who can shape change at will tend to keep an eye on their more aggressive cousins. For the most part, they try to help good beings and protect them from evil dragons. That's why Silvarn has basically only actually acted when other dragons were involved, such as the red dragon the Seekers battled and then later on against Ember.
And here's another unwritten rule. Teleport spells and those like them transport the caster and his passengers to their destination at the speed of light. D&D Teleport spells are unusual in that distance is not a factor, but your knowledge of your arrival point is. So what does this mean? For instance, we can see the moon in the sky and since distance is not a factor, so a mage could teleport to the moon! If he could survive there is another story. So great distances can be covered using a teleport spell.
But sometimes a spell can be too powerful. In this case, Teleport is. So by saying that it travels at the speed of light, it still makes travel on Arret very fast, but makes it dangerous to travel not only between worlds, but between solar systems! My galaxy is essentially laid out like our galaxy, so the closest star is around 4.2 light years away. So anyone who tries to teleport to a planet there would take 4.2 years to arrive.
So how did Silvarn do what she did instantaneously? She cast a higher level version of Teleport. The spells in question are Hyper Teleport and Hyper Teleport Without Error. They are 7th level and 9th level respectively. Teleporting this way essentially creates a wormhole between you and your target, so travel is instant. Silvarn cast the 9 level version of the spell. Twice. Silvarn is at least 20th level as a mage!
Out past the first generation worlds, the second generation worlds sprang up. Its in this area where humans, elves, and all the other races came into being. Basically, the galaxy started at center point and the first generation worlds are large circle around it. The second generation worlds are an even bigger circle around the first one. That is a Lot of space. Wonder what the third generate worlds and races will look like...
November 8th –
(The Frontier) The Endeavor and the Intrepid reach the Port of Minothad City, the last major port before sailing into the open waters of the Great Southern Sea towards the Anegoth Archipelago. Har scries the Seekers again and this time Padraig tags him with a Warp Missile. (TF#144)
Try it and find out!