Hello fellow Kingmaker fans. So my group is just starting Rivers Run Red and we are working on the kingdom building rules for about a year before jumping back into the game. During this year of settling their land, there are hints that I want to slowly drop on my players to build evidence towards
1. Zuddiger's Picnic and its importance
2. and the idea that there are powerful fae working behind the scenes.
My hints in this case are coming in the forms of dreams for two of my characters so far. While I plan to eventually give dreams to all of my PCs only two have shown themselves to be easy to write for so far.
But before I get to that, the reason for the title of this thread. I like the idea of Zuddiger's Picnic. And I really have found the fan art of the book that has been created to be a wonderful instrument for furthering the story. I intend to use both versions of the story - the light fully colored children's book version (and I apologize for not looking up the creators names before starting this thread) for when the players discover the old book in its publicated form, and the dark creepy wood block prints of the *original* version of the book from Karn Zuddiger himself if they track down his old publisher.
So to create this scenario I wanted to add a bit of background to Karn Zuddiger and the Zuddiger family. While my current game assumes the world of Eberron which has a somewhat more advanced civilization than standard Golarion, I hope that this can be edited rather easily to fit anyone elses version of Kingmaker.
The Story of Zuddiger Publishing
Talented children’s book author and painter, Karn Zuddiger (gnome) is from a long line of storytellers of the Zuddiger family. Every book of the family line begins with the ominous or playful line “All of what follows is true”
The secret to the Zuddiger family’s inspiration is their bloodline dates back to a connection with the First World, and they would often have dreams or inspirational bouts of madness that would allow stories or creatures to be captured with words and pictures. This was never discussed publicly or openly even among the eldest of the family, though a reason for the secrecy was never given.
Famous titles of the Zuddiger family include…
“Through the Looking Glass” – contains information on The Tane, the weapons of destruction of the First World
“Grimm Fables” – contains many of the classic fairytales (with a twist if one so desires to account for the races of the fantasy world)
As well as a slew of other children’s books – feel free to use the titles of childrens books like the works of Dr. Suess to give your players an immediate idea of the kind of books these are. Here are a few suggestions…
“Oh the Planes you will go”
“The Avorial in Boots”
“Blink Dogs with Hats”
“Dorton Hears a Fae”
“The Treax”
Karn Zuddiger, unfortunately the last of his line as he had no surviving descendants, passed away nearly 40 years ago. Two years before his death, Karn was exploring Xen’drik with a hired expedition looking for inspiration for a new children’s story – trying to get away from the onslaught of war propaganda that had filled the newspapers and libraries to justify the ongoing war for succession in Khorvaire. The message changed by country but the players all remained the same. In one book the heroic Aundairian Legion of Dragonhawk Riders would foil the plot of the evil Cyran Nobility. In another the Aundairian Wizards were attempting to destroy the Cathedral of the Silver Flame, only to be thwarted by a small squad of Silver Flame faithful.
All of it was about death. About murder. Karn hoped to find something beautiful and primal in Xen’drik – and he found it. A rare convergence of the planes created a gateway that Karn slipped through by accident…finding himself in the realm of Thousandbreaths. There he met the exiled queen Nyrissa. Days later Karn re-emerged unharmed from the fae realm…but the man was possessed of a passion once back on the material plane.
Karn returned to Khorvaire and spent the next three years working on his next bestseller while ignoring any and all other projects that he was charged with writing. The business was going bankrupt, everything hinged on the last Zuddiger’s “Story to end all Stories”.
A week after the final extended due date, Karn’s friend and publisher went looking for him…and found his home in tatters as if a storm had hit it. It’s said that only Karn’s closest friend and publisher ever saw the room where the original wood block prints were created. The contents found within were never revealed to the public.
Karn Zuddiger was found later that day at the site of a murder, captured, deemed insane and sentenced to death. There were several murders committed by Karn that day with nonsensical images painted on nearby surfaces with his victim's blood. (In the original text in Book 6 it mentions a murder was performed each week until he was caught, either timeframe is viable. This change was largely to show that the events while horrible, were swallowed up and forgotten by the ongoing events of the war being more important. While the murders were scandalous for weeks, perhaps even months, by the end of the year people had moved on through necessity.)
The murders were largely covered up, the scandal of a beloved book author becoming a mass murderer was moved to the back pages of local papers as the news of the ongoing war consumed the daily lives of the people of Khorvaire. Karn was quickly forgotten.
The publisher performed one last act for his friend, to leave a small drop of light on the blotted end of Karn’s legacy. The business’ accounts were settled, the employees laid off, and one final book given a limited run to appease the investors of the company.
One last children’s book – changed drastically from the original woodblock prints found in the dark soot stained room within Karn’s home – was released in a limited run. “Zuddiger’s Picnic”
The prophetic images within have gone unknown in the world for over four decades.
That's what I have so far. Thoughts?
Now to the dreams I have for my PCs so far.
The first dream is for the Ruler of the Kingdom. It's meant to be a part of Nyrissa's story before she became increasingly involved with Ranalc and before her punishment by the rest of the Eldest. It's intended to have kind of a 'cinderella' twist to its feel. Right now it's simply a description of experiences and thoughts and I would really appreciate any assistance in bringing it more to life.
The reason the Ruler got this dream is because of some similarities she has had in her own life so far. While she is the ruler of the kingdom, she recently revealed to the rest of the players that she contains an Aberrant Dragonmark (an Eberron thing that is a social stigma and can be likened to having a mutant power from X-Men. Some go nuts, some are okay, it really depends on who's telling the story.) If it is ever revealed that she has an Aberrant mark, it could cause an uproar of drastic levels (oh I'm looking at a nice increase in Unrest when this eventually happens - though my players will already have issues with declaring that Intelligent Undead and Warforged will be considered citizens with full rights)
The Ruler has also been a disappointment to her parents, a failure to her Dragonmarked House (Lyrandar) and been harassed by an evil stepsister for most of her life.
Here is what I have so far for the dream...
Sometime during your first few months of building your kingdom…you dream. You have another name but you can’t recall it. You are ‘you’ and yet not ‘you’ at the same time. The people around you dress in fine clothes though yours are often ratty and in need of repair. Most of your days are spent toiling thanklessly for your family. But you know that time will soon come to an end. Your beloved, a noble who has begun courting you, has promised to take you away from all of this. Ranalc. He has eyes of purest midnight and a spirit that loves adventure and spontaneity, but you know that you are the one constant in his life. Once you are joined you will be one forever and finally take your rightful place among the first.
Simple and short, but providing a few hints that something weird is going on.
The other dream I have written so far is for the Bard and Investigator in the party. She's distant from her family and often found meaning in reading up on ancient civilizations (attempting to discover what happened to the ancient Giant civiliazation of Xen'drik is one of the reasons she's here).
Here is what I have so far...
Sometime during your first few months of building your kingdom…you dream. You fall asleep at your desk as you do sometimes, and you have a sensation of falling…falling…becoming smaller and smaller until you slip between the very pages of your books. Time has no true meaning in the land of your dreams and so you have no true sense of how long you’re here…but this ever changing landscape resembles old folksy towns, then suddenly vast untamable forests. You travel through the lairs of evil witches with houses suspiciously made of baked goods, and raid a house against your better judgment to eat porridge of varying temperatures. And then there are even stranger scenarios. Colors are more vibrant and alive. Emotions feel more intense than you thought possible. At one point you are a dog that stands on two legs greeting another atop a hill, comparing elaborate hats before passing each other by. You continually try to outdo one another with your elaborate hats. The night continues like this – living or visiting a dizzying number of scenarios where you change form and gender repeatedly. As Auchs wakes you with a gentle shaking of your shoulder in the morning there is only one thing you remember as a single constant of the whirlwind of experiences you lived through the night. One phrase kept repeating in every place, every time, every area. Painted on the walls or spoken by yourself or another – in some way it appeared in every dream.
All Of What Follows Is True.
So! Please let me know what people think. To heavy handed? To vague?