Another nice inclusion. Go for it.
I am currently compiling the ideas found in the 'New Cagewrights' and 'Linking Adimarchus to the Cagewrights' threads so I should have them up on the RPGenius site any month now ;)
Delvesdeep
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I just might have an opportunity to bring Shebeleth into the picture a wee bit earlier than anticipated. See, the party has no idea what actually causes the Vanishing. They're speculating on dust right now. So they brought a wand they found up to the surface, touched by the rogue and sorcerer (only the latter made his save). They also brought a bag of tricks, but the paladin made his save. They gave the wand to Kristof for safekeeping until they have time to identify it themselves...
Now they've found a couple of scrolls and the paladin didn't make his save this time. So naturally they'll be heading back up within the next day or so. Imagine their icky feeling when they find out Kristof also contracted the disease, and refuses to seek help from the Wee Jas temple. If the Kordian priest can't help (and Jenya already tried and failed to cure it), and if the party can't find a way to save him, this might leave the party cleric as the only Pelorian cleric in the city. Naturally he isn't going to be able to handle things himself, forcing him to request assistance from Sasserine. And one of his instructors, the head of the Order of Pure Light, shall answer the call...
Of course, this will give them a pretty big clue as to what actually causes the Vanishing...but you can't win them all.
As an aside Borealis, my players (just finished second session of Flood Season) haven't yet figured out what caused the vanishing, but one character who kept the bag of tricks keeps contracting it. I make the save for him in secret, and since there is an onset time of about a day if I remember correctly, he hasn't yet put it together with his use of the bag of tricks.
They believe that he has permenantly caught the condition, and the healing that the temples can provide only stops things for a while, doesnt cure it all together .... quite funny.
Of course, this will give them a pretty big clue as to what actually causes the Vanishing...but you can't win them all.
As an aside Borealis... I make the save for him in secret, and since there is an onset time of about a day if I remember correctly, he hasn't yet put it together with his use of the bag of tricks.
They believe that he has permenantly caught the condition, and the healing that the temples can provide only stops things for a while, doesnt cure it all together .... quite funny.
Unfortunately I have no more opportunity with my current parties - which have fixed the Vanishing threat - to test a strange idea I had when brainstorming on Delvesdeep "Linkink A. with Dry'rd" thread.
...We came at a point where a Dream(Nightmare)Plan should be of some interrest...
I think appealing that the final effect of the Vanishing is not a simple vanishing ! The victim is indeed driven in the Dream Plan. Before this final effect we can also imagine that the fading victim of the Vanishing is experiencing more strange dreams / nightmares inspired by Adimarchus. In life Bazaar it gives more interrest in the roleplay of Yuatyb (Creepers'boss) by the DM.
Two opportunity then:
- Foreshadowing very early the Adimarchus story (and some Cagewrights too - see again the appropriate thread given above) thanks to the dreams of people infected by The Vanishing,
- Keep the opportunity of having the victim of The Vanishing being rescued, or finding an escape, from the Dream Plan.
Just a thought
Be creative.
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So when they "Vanish" they are fading into the Plane of Dreams. I like that .... might use it.
Im playing from the magazines, not the hard cover, so I didnt have access to the Dream Haunted trait. This might be a way for one of the characters to pick up something like that trait.
I might find a way to work it in...
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Ive thought about delvesdeep’s suggestion for the new Cagewrights, and have decided to go in a similar direction in my campaign. Ive incorporated many of delvesdeep’s ideas, but changed things a little.
One thing I decided on was to keep 13 Cagewrights (although not the same 13 as in the official product), but basically forgo the idea of apprentices. Some of the former apprentices have replaced Cagewrights, others have been dropped, or may show up as minor flunkies.
My 13 are:
Dyr’ryd – not exactly forshadowed, but his existence will be hinted at by Meerthan and perhaps Kaurophon. I’m considering making him Kaurophon’s father.
Vhalantru – as suggested by delvesdeep, and encountered by the PCs in one guise or another at various points throughout the path.
Shebeleth Regidin – to be forshadowed as suggested by delvesdeep, posing as a high ranking member of the church of Pelor (one of the PCs is a cleric of Pelor).
Embril Aloustinai – I’ll be mentioning her a little more in the AP, and if the PCs choose to investigate the dead Pelorian clerics mentioned in Flood Season they may suspect Embril was involved. The PCs will have an opportunity to meet her at the Demonskar ball.
Nulin Wiejeran – the secret leader of the Last Laugh, his presence may be hinted at to the rogue PC who has joined the Last Laugh. Also mentioned in Scaven’s journal.
Ardeth Webb – described to the PCs by Meerthan. I intend her to be one of the more secret / mysterious Cagewrights. Known as the Tattooed Lady.
Thearynn Louvel – described to the PCs by Meerthan. I intend that he is the Cagewright who summons the Breathdrinker at the tax riot, perhaps the PCs can somehow uncover this fact.
Alurid Sorizan – to be forshadowed in a similar manner to that suggested by delvesdeep and Qualidar. I won’t be making Khyron his apprentice, but he has hired the Necrocants to slay adventurers on the road to Sasserine
Grehlia Cairnis – Im foreshadowing her as having joined the Cagewrights in a journal kept by Scaven in Flood Season.
Fetor – he may be foreshadowed by Skye, as detailed in delvesdeep’s Skyes Treasury article.
Kaurophon – I might give the PCs a chance to notice his scrying prior to the beginning of Smoking Eye. I might make him Dyr’ryds son.
Thifirane – she can be encountered at the Demonskar ball, and/or the Cusp of Sunrise. She is also the mother of one of the characters in the group (although he does not as yet know his mother’s identity).
Xokek – well, not sure about this one …. I think I’ll make him another “mysterious” Cagewright. He might take it upon himself to follow the PCs from time to time, and may be glimpsed at a distance in “crowd scenes” (generally in Cauldron), but disappearing before the PCs can get close to him.
Mothman wote - Kaurophon – I might give the PCs a chance to notice his scrying prior to the beginning of Smoking Eye. I might make him Dyr’ryds son.
I reread your last post and picked up on your idea about Kaurophan. I really like this idea Mothman. I think you could use Kaurophan to not only foreshadow the Cagewrights but his distant 'father' Dry'yrd too. There are few opportunities in the SCAP to foreshadow the Cagewright leader and this tie in would be an excellent way to create one.
Another thing you could do is to give both villians a rare feature that clearly identifies them as related somehow. Perhaps in his true/unveiled form Kaurophan has two heads like Dry'yrd but his head is lifeless.
Anyway I think I'll pinch this idea Mothman if you don't mind.
Thanks
Delvesdeep
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This thinktank already has seen many opinions about the how and when of foreshadowing important members of the Cagewrights, but , it seems, that a special lady always gets overlooked.
Poor little Ardeth Webb, almost 150 years old, at least 90 of them in the service of Dyr´ryd and now being degraded to a mere footnote in the history of the SCAP?
That´s naughty, because this lady is more important than anybody has realized yet …
Longlived, as she is, she is one of the longest serving cagewrights, constantly advancing in ranks and being smart, she surely knows a tad or two about the real purpose of the whole shackleborn business
Being a Tiefling, means that the outsider blood is strong within her, making her a prime candidate for being shackleborn herself – but much too valuable just to be put into a cage and sacrificed
As dyr´ryds right hand girl she has been in charge of of protecting the obese demodand and his cause, which surely involved a good deal of violence, ruthlessness, and other, even more sinister things …
As it is put in the introduction of the SCAP hardcover edition, some of the Cagewrights began to to fear that the shackleborn would die off completely before the ritual could be perfected – there is one solution for this problem, which is quite simple, at least to a twisted mind like Dyr´ryds, and that is
Why not try to infuse an old, tainted bloodline with fresh blood …
In the about ninety years of service, Ardeth had to do this “job” on several occasions, using different aliases, and therefore left “footprints” in some genealogical trees of the shackleborn families in Cauldron, tying her directly to the noble family Hatil (whose members, with only two excemptions, were executed for treason by an young henchman for hire, spotting strange, red, tattoos on his face) and the not so noble families Veskar (more about the Veskars in the Fleshing out Cauldron Thread) and Kharatys (more about that in the upcoming Who ist Terrem K. Thread) – although she preferred the name of Ardeth Vaine, a quite common name in the cauldron area, at that time.
Cunning genealogist will see that Ardeth is Terrems greatgrandmother, counting both bloodlines.
An other of the Cagewrights is already quite prominent in the foreshadowing business, but there are still some things left to tell …
Alurad Sorizan, a tall, dark and loathsome paladin, honouring the ways of the god of slaughter, who, as research by Dhelvesdeep uncovered, already had an unpleasant encounter with the Striders of Fharlaghn, which claimed the life of Meerthans former master.
Although there are some rumors about his past, connecting him with numerous acts of seemingly random violence and murder in the countryside, even less is known about his role in the afore mentioned Sasserine incident, but we can safely assume, that the young henchman for hire, who executed single-handedly nearly the whole family Hatil, after being tried for treason, in an especially gruesome, stomachturning way – even the Cauldron Herald refused to give a detailed description of the ongoings, and the public was excluded – for reasons still unknown – was the same redfaced madman of now.
Cicling rumors about the morbid artsy, choreographed and almost ritualistic way the remaining 13 family members were slaughtered, sprung up shortly after it was generally known what little fee the henchman demanded.
The whole business left a vile, bitter taste, and was, of course, orchestrated by the Cagewrights.
At the moment, we cannot be shure, if this was done to get rid of an unwanted competitor, or just one especially vile field test to perfest the ritual of releasing shackleborn energy … further research will be necessary, to uncover the truth.
Yours truly, Claremont the elder, lord Buckley