I am curious how you fellow DMs began your AoW campaign. Did you start off with your players in the mining shop ready to head out to the Whispering Cairn, or did you do some story to lead up to all of this?
I am curious how you fellow DMs began your AoW campaign. Did you start off with your players in the mining shop ready to head out to the Whispering Cairn, or did you do some story to lead up to all of this?
I had 4 characters starting the game and another joining later on.
I had the Changeling Rogue, who was Masquerading as a Halfling Cook with the Able Carter Coaching Inn, overhear the NPC adventurers chatting about the Cairn they were going to raid. He knew about the Whispering Cairn from two of the other PC's, who had gathered herbs near there, so he hatched a plan to raid the Whispering Cairn since very few people knew about it. He left the two PC's he knew notes to meet him outside the city and then explained his plan. I gave him the setup but made the Player roleplay it out with the other 2. The 4th character, a monk from the Twilight Monastery, was actually booted out of the monastery when they found out he was having visions about the coming Age of Worms after looking through the telescope there. He was hanging out near the mine office when he ran into the other PC's and decided to join them.
I had two characters, a druid and a cleric of Obad-Hai, from the Bronzewood Lodge who instigated a lot. They showed up in DL after having been asked by Nogwier to investigate rumors of unkillable undead and green worms. They showed up in town, started asking questions, and the other PCs sort of bumped into them at various points. The wizard was the one with the big idea about going to the cairn. Allustan, his master, felt it was time his apprenticeship ended and suggested he see if anyone knew anything about a cairn outside of town where it was rumored that young folk liked to hang out. Allustan had heard of the Free City adventurers planning to investigate the Stirgenest Cairn and thought if they expected to profit from that venture, there was no reason the PCs couldn't expect to gain from investigating another similarly "empty" cairn. The priests decided to join the group, thinking that it would be a good way to learn the lay of the land and help fund their expedition and the rest of the PCs just wanted to get out of DL.
I was going to have some story leading up to AoW, but one player was getting on the nerves of everyone else. So I had them head right out to the cairn.
Things have settled and there has been plenty of interaction in Diamond Lake.
Peace and smiles :)
j.
I am staring mine off a little different, 3 of the 5 PC (wizard, cleric, and monk) will meet in the traven, and talk with the NPCS. A bar fight breaks out and every one gets hauled to jail. The Judge declares they have to 100 hours of mine work to pay for the damages, but while in jail waiting to go to work the Mine owner (the bad one can't remeber his name) comes in and offers to make them a deal, go though the whispering Carin for him and find some item he heard was there (which isn't), he will send the two of his men with them (the other 2 PC (fighter and Theif) to make sure they do the right thing, but once things get rolling the 2 "thug" PCs will have a change for heart after they find out what is going on, and fight for the "good" guys. Its a little different start but I think will be fun to roleplay.
Jon
I am going to begin my Age of Worms campaign by using a hook that I came up with to bridge Mad God’s Key (which I already ran the party through) to the Whispering Cairn utilizing the abandoned mine office detailed in Dragon 333.
The hook goes like this (Warning its long):
SPOILER ALERT
[The following adventure hook contains plot details and spoilers from Mad God’s Key; since I am using this as a prequel to The Whispering Cairn]
Mad God’s Key Summary:
(So that you can make sense of my Whispering Cairn hook)
In Mad God’s Key an evil cleric of Vecna named Veltargo instigated the theft of a magical key that he would use to open a mysterious tomb that was stolen from the Great Library of Greyhawk. The tomb was locked with a magical lock that had defied all other attempts to open it. Veltargo had the magical key stolen so that he could use it to open the book.
Veltargo’s cult was based out of a cairn called the Tomb of Blood Everflowing (TOBE). Access to the depths of this tomb was gained via a small trinket called a CAIRN CHARM that was specific to this cairn.
The PCs are hired by the merchant the key was stolen from to find it. This leads them eventually to the TOBE where they face Veltargo and recover the key & the book.
My Hook:
Veltargo is a member of the Ebon Triad and was contacted by The Faceless One, his superior, to locate an ancient book called the Grimoire of Maskeleon, which was mentioned in the Nethertome of Trask as containing a ritual designed to awaken a physical manifestation of the combined might of the unholy trinity (Vecna, Hextor, Erythnul).
When Veltargo opened the book he removed the pages detailing the ritual, used his scroll of whispering wind to notify the Faceless One of his success, and setup a rendezvous with the Faceless One to deliver the ritual.
The rendezvous was to be an abandoned mine office located outside of Diamond Lake. The Faceless One would have one of his agents (a kenku) meet Veltargo’s agent to retrieve the pages in four days.
The day after Veltargo’s agent (a wizard named Reskwren) left the TOBE to deliver the pages the PCs raid the TOBE capturing Veltargo, the Key, and the Book.
They return to Greyhawk, hand Veltargo—who has been threatening the PCs with vengeance at the hands of his mysterious master, The Faceless One—over to the authorities. They also return the Key, and return the Book to the Library where they learn that several pages have been removed from the book. Since the book was not returned in one piece they do not receive a monetary reward; the library does want to show its appreciation however and the PCs are given a map to an ancient cairn several days east of the city in the hills as a modest payment, “This cairn likely contains much more wealth than we could have provided if the book was returned in one piece anyway.”
Being adventurous types they head out to explore the cairn stopping in Diamond Lake along the way to setup lodging etc. On the way to the WC they come across the abandoned mine office.
The Abandoned Mine Office:
Unknown to the Faceless One the mine office was not abandoned. Several years ago the owner was seeded by a yellow musk creeper summoned by a druid he had crossed. Shortly thereafter he turned into a yellow musk creeper.
When the Faceless One’s kenku agent arrived at the office he was attacked by stirges roosting in the attic. After bypassing these, the kenku entered the office where it was attacked by the yellow musk creeper and transformed into a yellow musk zombie.
When Reskwren (Veltargo’s agent) reaches the office he is captured and turned into a yellow musk zombie as well.
After the kenku fails to return within the next two days the Faceless One sends a party of three kenku to investigate. These kenku are more wary and discover that the office is not abandoned. They manage to defeat the yellow musk Reskwren (with one casualty becoming a yellow musk zombie) and they quickly locate and make off with the pages he was delivering.
So, when the PCs reach the abandoned mine office they will be attacked by the stirges as they approach. Then when they investigate the interior they will need to defeat the kenku yellow musk zombies and the yellow musk creeper (I am using a reduced starving yellow musk creeper). After defeating the creatures if the PCs search the office they will discover on the corpse of Veltargo’s agent a cairn charm to the TOBE linking events in the office to Veltargo and the theft of the book.
Hopefully this will keep the Party interested in investigating Diamond Lake in an attempt to find links with Veltargo. What they will discover instead (in Three Faces of Evil) are a murder of kenku—tying events at the office to Three Faces of Evil—and the pages that were removed from the Grimoire of Maskleon (stored in the Faceless Ones laboratory).
Anyway, that’s how I will begin my Age of Worms.
Just posted this in another thread or two, but it works here too.
I think I'd just make them all drinking buddies who had grown up together. As youth, they are not so much interested in having to actually go through any effort to find better work. Diamond Lake is all they know, and while they loath the place, it is home, and they've slipped into jobs that give them some spending cash. Take a look at the kids in any real life small town.. Lots are there because it is simply to much effort to leave...now if they could just get rich quick...
Sitting in the bar one night they hear the other adventurers talking about the Stirgenest Cairn.
In a drunken stuper one mumbles,
"Dath wud we aaad'u do ::belch::...We cud be adven...advent...heroes... 'Member dat plathe we use'ta ::hick:: go on da dareth? I bet ith full'o trea..tre..treasu...gold. Leth go get it ::Thud of head hitting table::".
The next morning they all find themselves decked out as best the could in the midst of the night in their drunken stupor...why is the fighter's armor on backwards?... lying in the grass infront of the Whispering Cairn with the taste of vomit still in their mouths.
"What the hell we doing here?...Is your armor on backwards?..." "Hell since we are here we might as well check it out, 'sides, my Pa's gunn'a beat me if I go home and he finds I blew all my pay last night."
This could also explain why they are being accompanied by escaped circus midgets, hookers, or any other character outside their cilque.
ASEO out
|
I am starting Whispering Cairn tonight. My plan is this:
1 - Start: in media res. The PCs are fighting a pair of hobgoblins outside the old mining office. The PCs were extended a reward of equipement by Commander Trask if they would deal with an infestation of stirges up in the hills.
The PCs have tracked the stirges back to the environs of old mining office.
2- When the house is cleared, the PCs will return to Trask and get the reward of their equipment for clearing off the stirges. Surprised but pleased that there were some humanoids which have been run off, Trask rewards the PCs for this as well. Not having a budget to give extra coin, Trask has Dietrek Cicaeda look at the land records and the old mining office is deeded over to the PCs. It's the best Trask can do under the circumstances.
3- There will be some equipment recovered from the hobgoblins that the PCs will sell to Tyrol Ebberly. Ebberly is such a gossip - he'll get the details of their fight and will in turn share with the PCs the rumour of the recently arrived Rival Adventurers and their announced plans to investigate some cairn for loot.
4- The PCs will then be approached by a trio of young boys who are very upset. They dared a friend to sleep overnight in the Whispering Cairn and he hasn't come back for two days. Hearing of the PCs exploits at the mining office, knowing the PCs are still relatively young and "townies" - the boys approach the PCs to find their friend so he can be returned and so they will NOT get in trouble for daring the missing (and now wolf food)boy. They'll go with the PCs to the Cairn wo show them where it is (and bolt at the sound of the whispers as the wind picks up).
One last thing. I have added a cave in to the tunnel of the Whispering Cairn. A tree root from up top has worked its way in over time and with some luck and weather, has exposed a small path through the top of the cave in to the rest of the cairn - long thought buried. (The wolves discovered and use this passage now).
The whole idea of an unlooted tomb in Diamond Lake which was otherwise just standing open for all-comers was unsatisfactory to me.
Dak, the elvish transmuter, has been under the employee of Moonmeadow. During standard administrative tasks, he came across the deed to the house, now owned by Moonmeadow from some dept repayment program. Upon investigating further into the deed of the house, the cairn was discovered to be located on the propery of the mine itself, a short walk from the mine office. Brother Gabriel, Paladin, was a squire with the church, sent with the placement high priest. He along, with Van-ro, an elven druid of the Lodge, were of the small handful of people Dak would even consider conversing with in Diamond Lake. The campagin started with them meeting at the house to discuss going with the cairn. Gabriel is investigating undead sightings, and wants to ensure the souls of the cairn are resting peacefully.
A chance encouter with a small group of orcs is when they picked up the newest member, Marg, a goblin with a grudge against Orcs. He was an ecscaped slave, and had been captured to be returned to his master for punishment. Gabriel and the others dispatched the orcs and Gabriel spared his life. He is now trieng to convert the goblin to his relegion.
4- The PCs will then be approached by a trio of young boys who are very upset. They dared a friend to sleep overnight in the Whispering Cairn and he hasn't come back for two days.
Aha! Do you mind if I stea- err plagiarise this idea? I've been having trouble coming up with a reason that the rather self-centred fighter might want to join the party. Singlehandedly rescuing the son of someone important to him sounds good, and since he just 'happens' to be approaching the cairn at the same time as the rest of the party...
I am curious how you fellow DMs began your AoW campaign. Did you start off with your players in the mining shop ready to head out to the Whispering Cairn, or did you do some story to lead up to all of this?
We did background story ahead of time linking all the PCs to some establishment or NPC, then making sure all were linked by knowing at least one other PC. We did a bit of "getting to know DL" roleplaying before getting into the actual story.... One PC in a paid fight match at the Feral Dog that others were betting on, etc...
When it came time for the actual hook, I had a little difficulty coming up with a believable reason why the PCs would suddenly decide to go Cairn hunting, and why they would pick this one in particular, given that they've all been in DL for some time. So here's what I came up with:
One of the PCs is apprenticed to Allustan. Allustan has spent the last couple of weeks holed up in his study, pouring over the latest batch of scrolls and tomes he's received from Bright Moon (my "Free City" replacement). He bursts out all excited because he's found hints that there may be an undiscovered Wind Duke Cairn at the location commonly known as the Whispering Cairn. He knows his apprentice hangs out with an able bunch, so he asks her if they would be willing to scout it out... heavy emphasis on the "an unplundered Wind Duke Cairn could be worth a fortune..." part.
|
|
4- The PCs will then be approached by a trio of young boys who are very upset. They dared a friend to sleep overnight in the Whispering Cairn and he hasn't come back for two days.Aha! Do you mind if I stea- err plagiarise this idea? I've been having trouble coming up with a reason that the rather self-centred fighter might want to join the party. Singlehandedly rescuing the son of someone important to him sounds good, and since he just 'happens' to be approaching the cairn at the same time as the rest of the party...
By all means...
I used it on Saturday night. Worked well. Young Davin was recovered - or his remains were - from the wolf's den.
I added a serious ancient cave in just after the first set back. It has periodically become free as tree roots have shifted from time to time - allowing the Seeker and Land to wriggle in.
A storm last year cause a tree to topple and the wrenched out roots left a gap at the top large enogh for the wolves - and a determined PC - to wriggle through.
You might want to use the Mining Office encounter set-up as a lead in. I had the heroes approached by the boys after news of their exploits at the mining office against the goblins hit the town. The heroes recovered a masterwork scimitar and predictably sold it to Tyrol Ebberly at the Captian's Blade for a pretty penny. Tyrol had to have the tale, and he is such a gossip you see...
I started the game over the weekend, going toward WC with the rumor of unkillable zombies, but why tell when you can show? *evil grin*
My intro strategy: the horror approach
alright, my only player my husband, his character is a human female rog 1 named Lia. Her boyfriend Davin (male human drd 1, commutes from the wilderness for the menhirs) offers to take her someplace special.
They get all the way there unmolested, we roleplay suff along the way. I play the lovey-dovey sweet and innocent shtick to the hilt. Hubby thinks I'm just establishing their relationship. (oh yeah, that too)
The place is very special. Pretty, privacy, presented with all the fairy dust I can muster. There's even a huge clear pond in the middle! sweet! Lia had been complaining about not many good places to swim arround Diamond Lake...(you do NOT want to swim in the lake!) I continue to play it toothache sweet...
So she strips down to what she can swim well in (and that means taking off the leather armor and then some, but hey, Davin sure seems to feel it's safe here, and he would know, right?) and enters the pond... Davin, however, is too busy "not looking" like a nice young gentleman who wants to keep his girlfriend to see the hand reach out of the bottom of the pond and snag her by the ankle! roll for initiative!
Spawn of Kyuss, of course, with stat's I've provisionaly thrown together just from the descriptions, not realizing there were any, and a few modifications: first, we're on druid sacred ground (hence the "fairy dust" treatment of the "special place") and second, the right time has not yet come for it to break free of it's prison (but close enough, it's just a little weak is all)
Still, they found it quite unkillable and barely managed to flee with their lives, beat up, mucky, soaking wet, scared senseless, with a garuntee for nightmares about zombies and worms for quite some time to come. What WAS that thing?!
The final combat actualy competed with a baseball game on tv, so I'd say it worked. He's also been searching every monster book in the house trying to find out what the "zombie" realy was...
I am curious how you fellow DMs began your AoW campaign. Did you start off with your players in the mining shop ready to head out to the Whispering Cairn, or did you do some story to lead up to all of this?
EBERR0N SETTING.
Having recently returned from a massive dungeon crawl, the playing characters wandered into Diamond Lake seeking some solace and to sell some loot. They were planning to hit Diamond Lake, and then head out towards Sharn. They witnessed the murder of a professor of ancient history from Morgrave University who was in Diamond Lake investigating the possibiliity of the surfacing of a new Wind Duke tomb. Having witnessed the murder, the PCs were instructed not the leave Diamond Lake for a few days until the finer details could be figured out by the Law. Not long after, a represenative of Morgrave University hired the PCs to raid the tomb that had recently been discovered by the murdered professor. Recent discoveries revealed that although the tomb had been looted of many of its valuable contents in the past, that there may be a section of the tomb that was never actually explored. They were paid a reasonable fee, and they hurried off to the cairn.