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So my CotCT campign is still in it's infancy, as my PCs are now in the thick of Edge of Anarchy, which means I am probably getting ahead of myself but, whatever.
So I see Edge of Anarchy as the module where you set the AP up, introduce most of the main characters and the city Korvosa. Following that line of thought I have added many encounters to the module that introduce both new faces and places.
And so it happens that the PCs already encounterd Pilts (destined to become the emperor of old korvosa one day in the still rather far future) and I have built a sort of museum/gallery of wierd stuff/bar of gruesom delights where Pilts entertines those among the rich people of Korvosa who are out for an exotic evening. When the PCs dropped by to take a look, they also found some very destrubing pictures by Salvador Scream.
I want to make the entire "possesed by Kazavon" thing a little more prominant in my AP. It is mentioned shortly in "Escape from Old Korvosa" that some creative people in Korvosa have, over the years, recieved desturbing nightmares and visions from Kazavon, who planted his seeds of evil and madness in them - for example that psycho toymaker from Seven Days to the Grave.
Salvator Scream, the artist, is one of those people. So I have an artist possesed by evil, and already introduced a creepy gallery owned by a friend of him (Pilts). adding those two makes... Gallery of Evil!
Gallery of Evil is one of the D&D 3.5 modules about an evil artist animating his pictures and using them to kill people. I want to import that adventure into Korvosa, using Pilts as the evil painter (who the PCs could eventualy chose to redeem instead of fighting). I can use many things in the original module as they are, but I want to add some AP specific paintings to the collection.
So what I am looking for are paintings relating to Kazavon's past, or maybe to his future plans. Thing that Scream, in his insanity, might have seen and painted on a canvas to ease the tention from his mind. If you have an idea of turning those paintings into encounters (either by having menaces from the painting animate and attack the PCs or by having the PCs teleported into a painting) that's even better!
help me make this really awesome!
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I don't know very much about Kazavon's past (except from the 6th opus of the AP)
4043 Kazavon drives the Belkzen orcs from western Ustalav. see Belkzen in the inner see world guide for details (about orc's invasion)
He built Scarwall In the crags of the Kodar Mountains.
He hide his blue dragon's nature under a human appearance until he was defeated.
-armie /orcs/ slaughtering / blood should be in the paintings.
Check out chapter 3: Escape from Old Korvosa. There are actually several paintings of Salvator's depicted in Pilts' Palace as well as the Arkona House. That should give you a few ideas.
The color Blue is a big theme in Salvator's art (blue dragon, go figure). Piercing blue eyes, scenes of gruesome depravity, etc.
Off the top of my head.
Most of what Kazavon is known for, he accomplished while in the form of a human.
As a human, Kazavon rallied the forces of Ustalav (I believe) and pushed out the Orcs of Belkzen and pursued them back into their territory.
Arrows and blows from weapons seemed to just bounce off Kazavon in battle.
Kazavon built the castle Scarwall.
Kazavon then became a tyrant ruling over the land he had conquered.
Kazavon defeated many armies sent to oust him from his new fortress.
When confronted by Mandravius, he revealed himself as a Blue Dragon, but was still defeated.
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As for paintings...
A figure kneeling before a gothic court, the figure himself is unrecognizable due to his Blue cloak, but he casts a shadow that vaguely looks like a dragon. The painting could have the shadow start moving, before moving out of the painting and the party must fight a greater shadow.
I would depict a human mercenary clad in Blue Scale Mail, cleaving through a hoard of orcs, seemingly invincible, with an army at his back. As for a danger, possibly an encounter of orcs spring from the painting to capture those who study it.
Depict a faceless tyrant with piercing blue eyes, lording over a throne room of people being tortured and killed. The eyes of the tyrant seem to be looking directly into anyone who observes the painting. If they observe long enough (your choice for how long), they must make a will save or be dominated for a short time, with the orders to capture any who try to leave.
A painting of a group of people fighting a Blue Dragon, surrounded by disturbing corpses of many people. The trap is that the Dragon arms reach out to grab the nearest person and drag them into the painting (use the grapple of a CR appropriate blue dragon). While a living person is in the painting, anyone can enter to free them, but they must slay the dragon.
So my CotCT campign is still in it's infancy, as my PCs are now in the thick of Edge of Anarchy, which means I am probably getting ahead of myself but, whatever.
So I see Edge of Anarchy as the module where you set the AP up, introduce most of the main characters and the city Korvosa. Following that line of thought I have added many encounters to the module that introduce both new faces and places.
And so it happens that the PCs already encounterd Pilts (destined to become the emperor of old korvosa one day in the still rather far future) and I have built a sort of museum/gallery of wierd stuff/bar of gruesom delights where Pilts entertines those among the rich people of Korvosa who are out for an exotic evening. When the PCs dropped by to take a look, they also found some very destrubing pictures by Salvador Scream.
I want to make the entire "possesed by Kazavon" thing a little more prominant in my AP. It is mentioned shortly in "Escape from Old Korvosa" that some creative people in Korvosa have, over the years, recieved desturbing nightmares and visions from Kazavon, who planted his seeds of evil and madness in them - for example that psycho toymaker from Seven Days to the Grave.
Salvator Scream, the artist, is one of those people. So I have an artist possesed by evil, and already introduced a creepy gallery owned by a friend of him (Pilts). adding those two makes... Gallery of Evil!
Gallery of Evil is one of the D&D 3.5 modules about an evil artist animating his pictures and using them to kill people. I want to import that adventure into Korvosa, using Pilts as the evil painter (who the PCs could eventualy chose to redeem instead of fighting). I can use many things in the original module as they are, but I want to add some AP specific paintings to the collection.
So what I am looking for are paintings relating to Kazavon's past, or maybe to his future plans. Thing that Scream, in his insanity, might have seen and painted on a canvas to ease the tention from his mind. If you have an idea...
This is an awesome idea! In my campaign, I used the tie in to the artists who committed suicide as background in my in game newsletter. That way when the party met Liori and she was talking to the skulls it brought that background information into the light. I suppose you could tie your Gallery of Evil idea into that part of the story somehow. One thing I did in giving a brief report on the suicide of each artist was reference the color blue. None of the PC picked up on this until Liori explained it to them and they all got a great laugh out of it.
Another art related theme I encluded was a collectible trek. In each chapter I included like framed paintings of each of the major cities themed in the other AP (xin-shalast, Korvosa, Celwynvian, City of Brass, etc). Each of these paintings were only worth a few GP, however when taken to the Jeggare Museum (cant rember his name darn it), PC's received a bit more GP, bonuses on knowledge checks, or some other boon. No player picked up on the theme lol!
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Off the top of my head.
Most of what Kazavon is known for, he accomplished while in the form of a human.
As a human, Kazavon rallied the forces of Ustalav (I believe) and pushed out the Orcs of Belkzen and pursued them back into their territory.
Arrows and blows from weapons seemed to just bounce off Kazavon in battle.
Kazavon built the castle Scarwall.
Kazavon then became a tyrant ruling over the land he had conquered.
Kazavon defeated many armies sent to oust him from his new fortress.
When confronted by Mandravius, he revealed himself as a Blue Dragon, but was still defeated.
========================
As for paintings...
A figure kneeling before a gothic court, the figure himself is unrecognizable due to his Blue cloak, but he casts a shadow that vaguely looks like a dragon. The painting could have the shadow start moving, before moving out of the painting and the party must fight a greater shadow.
I would depict a human mercenary clad in Blue Scale Mail, cleaving through a hoard of orcs, seemingly invincible, with an army at his back. As for a danger, possibly an encounter of orcs spring from the painting to capture those who study it.
Depict a faceless tyrant with piercing blue eyes, lording over a throne room of people being tortured and killed. The eyes of the tyrant seem to be looking directly into anyone who observes the painting. If they observe long enough (your choice for how long), they must make a will save or be dominated for a short time, with the orders to capture any who try to leave.
A painting of a group of people fighting a Blue Dragon, surrounded by disturbing corpses of many people. The trap is that the Dragon arms reach out to grab the nearest person and drag them into the painting (use the grapple of a CR appropriate blue dragon). While a living person is in the painting, anyone can enter to free them, but they must slay the dragon.
I really like some of the ideas, in particular the first you mentioned (the kneeling man with the casting the shadow of a dragon) makes for a creepy paintin and a good encounter.
Walter - thanks :) I think I'll use the "blue" theme, it's rather cool.
A little bit off topic, but in Tower of the Last Baron (LB1, a 5th level module for 3.5), there's a painting of the dread Cheliaxian intelligent warship (actually a special zombie dragon turtle) that is featured in The Treasure of Chimera Cove (LB2, Treasure of Chimera Cove, a 7th level module that is the sequel module for LB1). This picture was drawn by the artist featured in Gallery of Evil and is even signed by him. If you modified the modules a bit and their locations, you might be able to throw in LB1 and LB2 as precursors to Gallery of Evil.
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A little bit off topic, but in Tower of the Last Baron (LB1, a 5th level module for 3.5), there's a painting of the dread Cheliaxian intelligent warship (actually a special zombie dragon turtle) that is featured in The Treasure of Chimera Cove (LB2, Treasure of Chimera Cove, a 7th level module that is the sequel module for LB1). This picture was drawn by the artist featured in Gallery of Evil and is even signed by him. If you modified the modules a bit and their locations, you might be able to throw in LB1 and LB2 as precursors to Gallery of Evil.
Ha, that's a neat little easter egg I menaged to completley miss (I have Tower of the Last Baron), thanks for pointing that out. However I think running around the world toppling barons and finding treasure islands is wandering a bit *too* far from what Curse of the Crimson Throne is all about. The reason I wanted Gallery of Evil in the AP was that I consider it a really cool, unique way to foreshadow the villain.