| Regalia Gambit |
Campaign Plotline
This is the Expedition to Shael plotline. It is briefly detailed yet long so please don't criticize it.
The PC's begin in the town of Clutterhill, where they are hired by a concerned noble to protect his manor from robberies. During a soirée organized by the noble, the house is attacked by a band of rogues and cutthroats known as the Two Coins. Defending the manor and preventing the robberies, the PC's are joined by the town guard. A captured rogue tells of the thieves base of operation and another robbery that will be taking place. While the guards go to stop the second robbery, the PC's inflitrate the Clutterhill Sewers and enter the Two Coins hideout. Reaching their leader, a self-centered half-elf rogue and trapsmith by the name of Senn they fight him in his trapped filled sanctum. After this rickety duel has ended, the players either hand in Senn alive or dead, they claim a bounty that was on his head. As well, the lord of Clutterhill, a certain aristocrat Hild d'Klutteril, grants them a gift and a mission at the same time. He promises them a manorhouse about a day's walk from here. The problem being, is that it is rumoured to be haunted. Before the player's leave, the guards inform the PC's that they've discovered papers from Senn's personal belongings talking about the manorhouse they've just “inherited”. Travelling to their new home, the PC's are waylaid by another group of travelling adventurers who call themselves the Nightflowers. Claiming they are on a quest to recover an ancient artifact they leave the “neophytes” to their buisness. Arriving at the manorhouse they do indeed find the place haunted, as well as the local hamlet of Springmill. The previous owner of the manor has risen from the grave and his undead have killed everyone in town. Ridding the manorhouse of these undead, freeing the few survivors from Springmill and killing the members of the Bloody Skin Cult they achieve victory. The nercomancer's were carrying documents that lead the players to the trading city of Farlan. Travelling there they investigate on the necromancer and any link to the Two Coins. Soon after, the PC's hear a rumour of robberies involving artwork around the city. Realizing that artwork was stolen from Clutterhill the PC's pursue this lead. What they uncover is far more sinister than just local thieves. An insane painter is at the heart of Two Coins and the Bloody Skin Cult. The painter, Avlin, has begun “reacquiring” his works of art as they posess nightmare spirits bound within their canvases. Avlin has reacquired his artwork except for two last ones. One is in an old decrepit library in the outskirts of the town while the other was purchased not long ago by the king of the city. After having stormed the library while fending off attacks from insane enemies they destroy one of the two paintings. They must then find a way to enter the castle, by diplomacy preferably, so as to destroy the second one. Hearing that the king will hold an open feast for the coming Harvest Day, the PC's must make contacts within the castle, obtain an invitation, survive a few more assasination attempts before Harvest Day finally arrives. On Harvest Day, the PC's will have few opportunities to search for the painting, while at the same time, Avlin's cohorts have also infiltrated the castle. Playing a dire game of infiltration against the other side, the PC's must become thieves themselves. At the end, they manage to defeat Avlin's side and destroy the final painting. In a fit of deranged anger, Avlin attacks the castle personally. Finding the castle's residents succumbing to Avlin's reflected insanity, the contacts and people they talked to and made friends with earlier will be more likely to resist Avlin's taint with the PC's nearby. The final showdown goes on as the PC's must fight not only Avlin but even King Alexander who has succumber to the taint. The PC's might have won the battle but seeing as regicide was commited and is a traitorous act, the PC's are imprisoned. Sent to the far off dismal prison of Talon's Hold, they must fend for themselves among the other inmates. There they meet Carver Arbalesta, a vampire shadowdancer who is on the PC's side. Breaking free of the prison while fighting off guards and convicts the PC's make it to the dark forests of Nachtwald, the realm of the vampires. Carver reveals to the PC's that he had other motives for freeing the player's. The vampires regent has become a bloodthristy tyrant and he wants the PC's to aid him in “removing” him. Carver and his Ragamuffins make preparations as the PC's perform minor side-quests to weaken the enemy vampires and strengthen themselves. A week later, Carver alerts the PC's that he has gathered what he belivies is sufficient troops for the battle ahead. Open war then occurs as the human rebellion led by the Ragamuffins assault Kerrick's dominion.During the course of the wat, the PC's will be able to control where the troops will be stationed. After having defeated the majority of the undead troops, the player's besiege Kerrick's keep. They then meet Kerrick on the battleground as well as his chosen elite guard and their captain, Leorik Nachtwasser. Aftter Kerrick is burnt and his heart pierced by a religious stake, Carver thanks the players. The sword that Kerrick wielded, he warns them, appears to possess strange powers and could be extrenely dangerous. He thinks he might know someone who could help the players answer their questions. At this point the adventure provides some much needed downtime for the PC's. When the PC's are ready, Carver sends out a message. A few days later, a gnome controlled airship lands in Nachtwald. Aboard, Captain Jackiel Dannson, a boisterous and happy go-lucky “pirate”, tells them that he's charged with bringing them to the dwarven city of Mithralforge where their contact awaits. Landing in the city though, they find it in a state of disaster. Their contact, the dwarf savant Hureldnen, agrees to find out what he can about the sword and any other questions the PC's might have. He has one request though. The city was ransacked by a group of fiendish dwarves a few days ago. He believes the vampire's plight and the dwarve's might be somehow related. He wants the PC's to penetrate deep within the Furnace Mountains and retrieve anything that could provide some clues or information. He also asks that the PC”s kill any fiendish dwarf that crosses their path and especially their lord, Grommdal the Demon, a powerful fiendish dwarf fighter. The PC's enter the boiling realm of the mountain and descend into the heart of Shael. Encountering battles like fiendish dwarf encampments, ravenous dire bat colonies and even a small myconid colony that aids the players in their quest. After having accomplished their objectives with the option of slaying Grommdal, the PC's make their way back up to the surface. With the recovered items, specifically a statuette with the same markings as on the blade, notes on a fiendish mutation chamber uncovered when in the mountain and the skull of a demon they battled as well. With all these key components, Hureldnen delves into books of forgotten history and pulls out the Archivus Nefaste, a sinister tome detailing the deity Mar, a fiendish god of decpetion and nightmares. He comprehends that Mar's realm must have begun an invasion on Shael. He offers the PC's some powerful magic items to aid them in their quest. He tells the PC's that if Mar truly is coming then an important ally might be able to help prevent his invasion. Deep underneath the sea of Shael lies a ruined temple. There, Hureldnen believes the PC's will be able to find powerful weapons and remnants of the heroes who defeated Mar long ago. Using the ancient submersible, The Kraken Notch the PC's dive deep within the freezing waters of Shael's Sea. They enter the ruins and fight it airtight and safe to explore. As they explore the empty ruins they finally come across the altar chamber where the weapons reside. When the players near the arms, the remnants of the ancient heroes rise up and confront the PC's. The PC's will have to present their case to safely make it out with their lives and the weapons. Minutes later though, the ruins are attacked by enemies. Fighting their way out and engaging an enemy submersible at 15,000 ft, the PC's defeat another key villain, a strange tiefling by the name of Half-Tongue who possesses a strange gemstone capable of travelling to Mar's realm. Reunited with Hureldnen for the last time, he grants the PC's a generous parting gif of powerful magical objects before the PC's enter the plane. There, the PC's find themselves alone amongst a world of darkness, fire and deception. Overcoming madness, taint, fiendishly grafted creatures, a cabal of deranged cultists and travelling more than a month in the dark realms, they reach Mar's Citadel, the Landtainter. The PC's attack the stronghold, slaying old and new opponents, uncovering dark secrets and revelations as well as making a final sacrifice and selling their souls for the power to defeat Mar, they affront him personally. A final battle erupts, with the plane imploding upon itself in the aftermath. The heroes awaken in Ilumius, the realm of the high heavens as saviours and the goddess Ilua herself grants the PC's a choice of either ressurection among old friends, or ascenscion as a deity.
I know it's long, sorry.
Gambit