Finding the Runeforge - integrating WotR Midnight Isles into Runelords


Rise of the Runelords


I've been thinking of integrating a couple elements of WotR into my Runelords game (which has the players with 2 Mythic Tiers at this juncture) and I've been thinking of ways I could expand Runelords to let the players reach level 20. Originally I'd thought of continuing the adventure afterward to include the second half of WotR, but it would require a significant rework of that series.

However, seeing my group will be at close to the level of "Midnight Isles" (a couple Tiers under, mind you, but that's not exactly a bad thing given Mythic started going off the rails at this point from all accounts, so having a couple fewer Tiers should make things more challenging). I figure that the group should be able to handle things.

I figure the place to start is with The Scribbler... who Karzoug has been seeking. Seeing he's already touched the world a couple of times, I figure when the PCs fight and defeat the Scribbler, Karzoug could intervene again and destroy most of the evidence of where the Runeforge is located. He could even taunt the PCs by stating "you will never find the Runeforge... every tome on Golarion which hinted at its location has been destroyed."

I'm not quite sure, however, how to encourage the PCs to head to the Midnight Isles to seek that information, which Noctikula may very well possess in her own extensive libraries. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to encourage the PCs to head to the Midnight Isles and start that series of adventures? I figure once the PCs have managed to secure a meeting with Noctikula and then done something to earn her favor (destroying Deskani's mining facility in her realm), they can find out where the Runeforge is located, and then I can send them back to Golarion to continue the adventure (with encounters beefed up after that point to cope with players being two levels higher (and also probably three or four Mythic Tiers) at this point).

tl;dr - any suggestions on plot hooks to get the heroes to head to the Midnight Isles to seek information on the Runeforge?


Adventure Path Charter Subscriber

Elyrium perhaps?

Elyrium may know things that no longer exist in a book, having been sent back to the Abyss, perhaps Elyrim is stuck there herself?


I'm starting to think maybe having crystallized succubi and other demons in the lower levels - the library having been attacked during the Fall of Thassilon. This could help explain the damage to the facility - demons caused a bit of destruction.

Perhaps I could have a Haunt in the area show an echo of the demonic assault as one of the demons invokes Noctikula and demands a stolen tome be returned to her? Hmm...

Shadow Lodge

If you put them in (even as a detour) the Ivory Labyrinth, they could ask the deposed Runelord for directions. Would that work?


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Post probably should have been in the Sins of the Saviors GM thread and probably should have had spoiler tags.

Spoiler:

What if Lamashtu suggests a trip to the Midnight Isles? What if Karzoug's "intervention" is to send assassins (Ice Devil from Xin Shalast?) to kill the Scribbler and the pc's? The pc's survive but the Scribbler doesn't. They're in a temple of Lamashtu - she could easily give them a message suggesting a trip to the Midnight Isles - she's tired of Karzoug's machinations getting her minions and worshippers killed. She bears no love for the pc's either so if they get killed while dealing with other Demon Lords, well, she'll shed no tears. If you want to get creepy, the spirit of Nualia or Elyrium can be her messenger. Lamashtu is angry - angry at the pc's but angrier at Karzoug. You don't assassinate high level worshippers of a diety and just walk away. And this is the 2nd time Karzoug has caused the Scribbler's death!

"You wretched insects, I should crush you where you stand for defiling my temple with your mere presence. And you brought the attention of that miserable worm, Karzoug with you. His treachery cannot be allowed to stand. Seek you Noctikula of the Midnight Isles - she has the knowledge you seek. Pay her price and you may find the strength to defeat him. If not I'll enjoy your suffering. Now leave my sanctuary before I flay your flesh and rend your souls." Or something like that.


I don't think having lamashtu be helpful is a good idea, since in the first book they stopped a servant or her and since they attaccked a sorta of herald of her in book 3!

I also oppose the idea of "cancelling the runeforge". The pcs have, after all, access to Jorgenfist library. i doubt there is no knowledge of runeforge in it. Also, for story reasons,
Runeforge is not so much important. all is done to get a neat set of weapons that can counter karzoug strongest assetts, but it hardly seems a goal worth an entire book - unless you make karzoug perma regenerate unless killed by those weapons.

A trip to outside golarion could be worth only if it's plot relevant. So, let us find a motive.
Wny not having karzoug head-divine lady, most high cleopta, be send to the abyss to "commerce" with the demon lords of greed for the "greed energy" necessary to finally awake karzoug. The demon lords involved may send envoys in a "neutral" place, that will be nocticula city. if the pcs do not stop this, Karzoug will not only awake before they reach xin shalast, but also awoke tons and tons of giants and other rune-related things, ready to spread greed and demon worshipping.


It's a brainstorming process not necessarily a debate but I'll bite...

Spoiler:

As I said Lamashtu has plenty of reasons to dislike the pc's but she has just as much if not more reason to dislike Karzoug - he or his minions bound Malfeshnekor for 10000 years; his minions stopped the Kreegs from worshiping her, put other of her worshipers (the Gruals) in harms way and as regards Black Magga, she couldn't have been attacked by the pc's if Karzoug's agents hadn't put her in that position in the first place. And now he's slain her high priest and defiled her temple (at least in the plot suggested by Tangent101.) That's why sending the pc's to the Abyss is a win/win. PC's go to Abyss and die = win; pc's go to Abyss, learn about Runeforge and thwart Karzoug = win.

As regards cancelling runeforge, a few points:
- the premise of Book 5 is explicitly that information about it does not exist in the Jorgenfist library - such knowledge was deliberately erased/blocked when Runeforge was established. The core idea (whether you accept it or not) is that the only way on Golarion to find the answer is with the Scribbler. If the pc's can't get it from him, there is no way to get there without recourse to resources off-Golarion. Contact other plane or Commune are simpler alternatives to point them to Noctikula.
- don't undersell the value of dominant weapons - being able to shrug off transmutation spells when going up against the world's greatest transmuter has real advantages.
- Runeforge has a narrative motivation advantage as well - it shows the kind of dysfunctional society the Runelords had built in Thassilon and very likely what Karzoug will attempt to re-establish if he rises to power again.

Scarab Sages

Thinking a bit more broadly in story terms, what if they follow agents of Karzoug into a portal to the Midnight Isles. Those agents were specifically sent there in order to make their way to the Ivory Labyrinth in an attempt to free the Runelord (Alderpesh I think) who is imprisoned there. That's a direct story reason that connects the two stories. And it might cleave into Book 5 of WotR (which is where you meet Alderpesh), but it's a neat way to directly hook the two stories since you've got an actual Runelord sitting right there in the next book.

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