Well, after looking around the internet and finding nothing, I decided to write my own conversion notes. I have posted the full document on therpgenius.com, but I'll also post it here to get some feedback.
I have already started to run this campaign once, getting through the first 2 chapters from the HC. I am also planning to run it with only 4 PCs, so am aiming to have the characters be one level higher than that suggested for each adventure. So to that end I have had to completely rewrite the first few adventures to get my PCs up to 5th level before starting Chapter 3 – Flood Season. I have included my notes for these early levels; do with them what you will.
Background
Adimarchus
9,000 years ago the Daelkyr invaded the nation of Khorvaire. Eventually the Gatekeeper Druids were able to sever the connection with Xoriat and seal the remaining Daelkyr deep within Khyber. Tradition holds that there are 6 such Daelkyr Lords imprisoned in the depths of Khyber. What very few people (perhaps only a handful of Dragon Below Cultists) know, is that there are also a number of other “lesser” Daelkyr bound in massive Khyber Dragonshards throughout the depths of Khyber.
Of these “lesser” Daelkyr, Adimarchus is the most Powerful, only a few steps below the power of the Daelkyr Lords. He knows that one day, the Daelkyr Lords will break free of their imprisonment to once again wreck havoc upon Khorvaire. His hope is that when they do, he will have grown in power enough to stand along side them. As such, ever since his imprisonment, more so than perhaps any other Daelkyr, he has exerted all his efforts and influence towards any way of breaking free from his Khyber shard prison.
Over the millennia he has been imprisoned, he has pursued (with the assistance of Dragon Below Cultists) innumerable plans to secure his release. All of them have so far failed, but his latest plan, after centuries of scheming, may just succeed in releasing this malevolent force from his prison in the depths of Khyber.
The Cagewrights
There are a number of significant changes to the Cagewrights to make them “fit” in Eberron. The first is to make them a Cult of the Dragon Below working to free Adimarchus from his Khyber Dragonshard Prison. They plan to accomplish this through harnessing the power of the Draconic Prophecy and Combining it with the power of the planes. It is stilled called “The Ritual of Planar Junction,” but instead of harnessing the power of the Shackleborn, it harnesses the power of the Draconic Prophecy through Dragonmarked individuals. But not just any individual bearing a Dragonmark will do, they need to each have been born in a manifest zone linked to a different plane. There are 13 Dragonmarks (including the Mark of Death), and 13 Planes (Assume [contrary to the ECS], there is a manifest zone to Dal Quor somewhere on Khorvaire). It has taken centuries of scheming to produce, and kidnap the required 13 dragonmarked heirs without arousing suspicion.
This has most significantly involved a LOT of manipulation and scheming to reawaken the long lost mark of Death through locating long lost heirs of House Vol, and closely watching the offspring to locate any heirs manifesting the mark of Death. They have finally located one such heir – Terrem Karatys (who of course is now an elven child).
The other major change is following the suggestion of delvesdeep to reduce the total number of the Cagewrights to a total of 13. Check out his document at the rpgenius.com, or his thread here.
The changes for Eberron are to change Ike and Embril to the Blood of Vol, Change Dry’ryd to a Mindflayer Sorcerer, and he is now the leader of the cult of the Dragon Below. (He retains his 2nd Head, which is an Aberration Symbiont Adimarchus has developed sometime over the last 9,000 years, that Adimarchus controls.)
Within the “Birdcage” pendant of each apprentice, is a small Khyber Dragonshard engraved with the symbol of the Dragon Below. Each Master wears a Byeshk ring (the Ring of Thirteen), set with a Khyber Dragonshard, overlaid with the Symbol of Adimarchus in Targath.
The last minor change is that instead of contracting out the construction of the Soulcages to the Ebon Triad, they instead have contracted the Sacred Spark (a small sect that worships both Onatar and the Fury). (For more information see Faiths of Eberron, page 49).
Cauldron
Cauldron is the real star of the entire Adventure Path. As such it changes very little, instead changing Eberron around it so that it fits. Place Cauldron in the Southern reaches of the Howling Peaks. This means that Sasserine becomes Wroat, the capital of Breland.
History
There are a number of changes to the timeline as presented in the HC. The first change is to remove all reference to Kyuss and the Spellweavers.
Replace the timeline in the HC with this timeline below (All dates are according to the Eberron Calender).
• - 822 years: A Massive Earthquake rocks the region, opening a massive Gateway to Khyber in the mountains. This is the last time the Volcano of Cauldron erupted. This Gateway eventually became known as the Demonskar. Due to the isolation of this Gateway, both on the surface, and within Khyber, it takes a number of years until the Fiends within Khyber notice it and move in. Eventually it is claimed by the Glabrezu Nabthatoron as his lair. He consolidates the Fiendish presence in the region, and they begin to become a potent force.
• 288 YK: The Ancient Blue Dragon XXXX, a member of the Chamber, and one with the greatest interest in the Draconic Peophecy, chooses one of the greatest wizards of Galifar, Surabar Spellmason, as her champion to rid the region of it’s fiendish infestation. Members of the Chamber seldom need a reason to interfere with the schemes of the Lords of Dust, but in this case, she also was prompted into action by her research into the Draconic Prophecy. She gifts him the powerful magic weapon Alakast to aid him in his efforts to drive the demons from the region.
• 298 YK: Surabar leads a small army inland from Wroat, on the pretense of founding a new city of his own. He founds Redgorge in the shadow of a great volcano, and raises the Basalt Bastions to protect his men from attack while they begin building.
• 303 YK: Kozomagon Lidu, one of Surabar’s friends and competitors arrives in the region and founds the village of Liduuton, intending to horn in on what ever action had enticed her friend into the region.
• 308 YK: Surabar defeats Nabthatoron in combat and breaks the back of the demon host from the Demonskar. Nabthatoron seethes with deep seated hatred of the Blue Dragon XXXX. The destruction of XXXX becomes Nabthatoron’s sole goal, and he spends the next two hundred years rebuilding his shattered forces to launch an assault against XXXX. During the battle against Nabthatoron, Kozomagon tries to draw upon the power of an ancient Hobgoblin necropolis she discovered on the nearby lakebed, but loses control over the necromantic energy and destroys the village of Liduton instead. The village becomes known as the Haunted Village, and is shunned from this point on.
• 318 YK: Discovery of numerous profitable mines in the region attracts hundreds of prospectors and adventurers. Redgorge quickly outgrows its walls. Surabar determines that the nearby volcano is extinct, and that its cauldron would make an excellent natural defense against attack from Nabthatoron’s armies. Many of Redgorge’s inhabitant’s relocate to the region-Cauldron is founded.
• 348 YK: Surabar dies of natural causes. He is entombed in an undisclosed location. With the passing of its founder, the glory of Cauldron begins to fade.
• 398 YK: Kingfisher Hollow and Hollowsky founded by Gnomes from Zilargo looking to trade with Cauldron, but avoiding the mountains. Over the last 400 years, these have come to be more and more dominated by Humans, such that there original gnomish founders are but a memory.
• 445 YK: With Cauldron only a shadow of its former glory, it soon become home to thieves and bandits, as they thrive in the absence of any great Law and Order presence from Breland.
• 512 YK: Nabthatoron finally defeats the Ancient Blue Dragon XXXX in battle. But his victory comes at great cost, with most of his fiendish army slain in the conflict. Nabthatoron himself only barely escapes the Dragon’s wrath. This brush with destruction instils in Nabthatoron the need to pursue more “subtle” methods to accomplish his goals, and from this point forwards he aims to work through proxies. He still harbours a desire to see Cauldron and Redgorge levelled, but no longer does he desire to march in open warfare against them.
• 598 YK: Remove Shatterhorn completely. There is no Yuan-ti prescence in th region. As seen later, I am replacing this entire chapter, so the ruins don’t play any part in the campaign. If you would like some ruins for the Cagewrights / Dragon Below Cultists to use as a base outside of Cauldron, then simply replace them with some Hobgoblin ruins.
• 678 YK: Adimarchus senses that his attempts to reawaken to Lost Mark of Death are beginning to bear fruit. He sends his most trusted lieutenant, the Mind Flayer Dry’ryd to take control of one of the many cults of the dragon below dedicated to Adimarchus. Dry’ryd is tasked with tracking down the Dragonborn, and manipulating events to ensure on bearing the Mark of Death is born in a manifest zone.
• 798 YK: The red dragon Hookface arrives in the region. His attacks on merchants and cities of the region continue intermittently for a century – no heroes are able to defeat the dragon.
• 898 YK: With the start of the last war, Hookface retreats to his lair north of Cauldron with his mate, Taliraxia. The two dragons emerge rarely, usually during great upheaval (earthquakes, war, ect.). Most red dragons encountered in the region are believed to be the couple’s offspring. The population of Cauldron swells as those with ties to the other five nations rush to Cauldron to escape prejudice in the wake of the Last War.
• 966 YK: The rainiest winter in centuries results in massive flood damage to the lower reaches of Cauldron. The Flood Festival is founded the next year, and for the next several years the freakishly wet winters continue before the weather finally returns to normal.
• 967 YK: Fetor Abradius Discovers the Soul Pillars in and Ancient Giant ruin on Xen’drik. The Cagewrights relocate to Cauldron, settling in ancient Hobgoblin ruins until they can complete construction of the Fiery Sanctum under Cauldron.
• 968 YK: The Cagewrights begin construction of the Tree of Shackled Souls, and hire the Sacred Spark to aid in the construction of the soulcages.
• 983 YK: Cauldron’s newest noble, a generous lord named Vhalantru, is welcomed into the city’s aristocracy after he donates huge sums of money to fund the rebuilding of the Town Hall and several other ancient structures that were starting to fall apart. In light of his generosity, no one pries into the mysterious noble’s background.
• 986 YK: After uncovering some deep seeded corruption in the town guard, a young Sargent returned from the Last War named Terseon Skellerang enthusiastically (and some say viciously) help bring to justice those who are involved. With the support of lord Vhalantru, Skellerang is quickly promoted to the new Captain of the guard, where he quickly earns a reputation for ruthless efficiency.
• 988 YK: Zenith d’Kundarak falls under the influence of Adimarchus’s deams and disappears into Khyber on a mad crusade to cleanse it of evil.
• 989 YK: A young guard named Triel murders several of her fellow guards – her motive is never discovered. She eludes capture and becomes one of Cauldron’s most wanted criminals, although over the years her capture grows less of a concern as she remains in hiding.
• 991 YK: a plague of filth fever strikes Cauldron. Several hundred die before the city’s clerics can get the plague under control. The dead include both of Sable’s parents. (See “Urban Decay” in chapter 1)
• 996 YK: Just as the Last War is settling into its current uneasy truce, the three highest ranking clerics of Dol Arrah accidentally discover Ebril Aloustinai’s involvement with the Cagewrights. Ebril murders them before they can report the discovery and disposes of their bodies with a plane shift spell.
In the years before the last war, Cauldron was a small settlement, never quite recovering from the death of it’s founder, stuck in the middle of the mountains. Breland never gave it much thought, and it was often dominated by brigands and bandits. This all changed with the beginning of the Last War. Due to the lack of oversight from Breland, it became a haven for those living in Breland but who had ties to the any of the other of the 5 Nations. In a few years it quickly grew from a tiny outpost to the small city it is at the start of the campaign.
Because it is home to a number of people from all the nations of Khorvaire, a number of religions you would not expect to see in Breland have sprung up to cater for their people. The church of Wee Jass becomes the Blood of Vol, the Church of St Cuthbert becomes the Silver Flame, The Church of Kord become Dol Dorn, and Pelor becomes Dol Arrah.
Just as Breland has a very little control over Cauldron, likewise the dragonmarked houses have very little presence. It’s small size before the Last War meant it was ignored by most of the Dragonmarked houses, and they had more important things on their minds during the war. Since the end of the War this is starting to change.
With the power vacuum, the real leaders of Cauldron are the Cagewrights. And they are working hard to maintain their control over the city, by using all their tricks to keep both Breland and the Dragon Marked houses out. However, there are a number of Dragonmarked presences in the City. It’s proximity to Zilargo means there is a House Sivis message station, and where Sivis goes, Kundarak of course follows. But this suits the Cagewrights fine, as it smooths their business operations. House Tharask also is slowly establishing a presence in the, aided by Zarn Kyass’s position amongst the Cagewrights. There is a small House Orien outpost as well. However, all the Dragonmarked houses are working hard behind the scenes to negotiate a presence in Cauldron, and those with a presence are working to increase their influence.
Exploring Cauldron
41. Half-Orc Mercenary Camp:-
The Blue Duke is a member of House Tharask, and the House is using his influence with the Cagewrights to establish a firm foothold in the Mercenary Market with their Monstrous Humanoid Mercenaries from Droam. Replace the level four Half-Orc fighters with CR4 Monstrous Humanoids (Mostly Ogre Barbarian 1, with a few Minatours and Gargoyles to mix things up a bit). And replace the level 8 Half-Orc fighters, with equivalent Monstrous Humanoids (Stone Giants, and Hill Giant Fighter 1s etc)
The Striders of Fharlanghn
Change the Striders to the Gatekeepers. This is a particularly “urban” branch of the Gatekeepers. While there are still Rangers and Barbarians and Druids, there is still room for Wizards and Rogues as well. The Gatekeepers know there is a significant cult of the Dragon Below in Cauldron, and know they are up to no good, which is why Meerthan has bought his Cell to Cauldron with him. (See ECS, Players Guide to Eberron or Faiths of Eberron for more detailed information about the Gatekeepers.)
The “roster” of the Striders is as follows
Meerthan remain as is. (Although you could consider changing him to an Arcane Hierophant (RoW))
Fario Ellegoth becomes a Human Rogue (Half Elves not really being a part of the Gatekeepers)
Fellian Shard becomes Fellian d’Tharask, a Half-Orc Ranger/Duraak’ash (PGtE)
Shensen becomes a (Dreamsight) Shifter Druid / Moonspeaker (RoE)
The Chisel
Leave this as is, but consider changing it to a branch of the Aurum.
The Cauldron Region
The Demonskar
This terrible Crater in the middle of the Jungle is actually a gateway to Khyber formed during a massive earthquake 1820 years ago. Named the Demonskar, it is infested with Fiends from Khyber.
Nabthathoron, (on of the Lords of Dust), enjoys sowing discord and malice amongst the peoples of Khorvaire, and this is a great base for him to work from. Since the intervention of the Ancient Blue Dragon XXXX over 700 years ago, and Nabthatoron’s revenge assault against him 200 years later, Nabthatoron has employed more “subtle” machinations (more in keeping with the traditional view of the Lords of Dust) to accomplish his of seeing the new settlements in the region razed to the ground. He has spent the last 500 years working through proxies to accomplish this, as well working hard to rebuild his support base amongst the Fiends of Khyber after the extremely heavy loses he suffered in his assault on XXXX.
Haunted Village
The great discoveries and power of the ancient Giant civilisation are well known across Khorvaire. What is less well known is that the Hobgoblin empire also made great advances in many areas. Powerful spellcasters were not as common amongst the Hobgoblin empires as amongst the Giants, but the most powerful of these approached the Giants in Power. (There was just a LOT less of them, typically only 1 or 2 per generation, and so they gained a lot less from collaborative efforts.) Nevertheless, one such necromancer built the city that Kozomagon would later discover and found the village of Liduton on.
Jarl Khurok’s Keep
Instead of an old Giant Keep, this is an old Hobgoblin ruin from the time of there great empire.
Shatterhorn
Replace with Hobgoblin Ruins
I have more detailed conversion notes for the individual adventures, I can post them if people want them, but they are generally the easiest to convert I reckon.
What i am really after is feedback on what I have already posted about the background and history. Is there anyhting that jumps out at you as not "fitting" in Eberron, or ways it could be improved.
I'll take note of any and all suggestions, and then update my conversion notes before posting the final version at therpgenius.com.
I know there is a lot there to read and take in, but I would really appreciate any feedback anyone can give. With everyone who is running it in Eberron, we should be able to get a pretty good set of conversion notes together.
Mark
Mark, I too am an Eberron DM and I greatly enjoyed reading your conversion notes. The change to make Adimarchus a Daelkyr was an intriguing twist to say the least. Dyr'rd could make an awesome illithid and Vhaluntru fits perfectly in the whole theme of this Eberronized AP.
I also noticed that you incorporated Delvesdeep's changes into the overall AP. I am curious though, if I decided to follow your conversion and I wanted to foreshadow Adimarchus to the players beforehand, what should I do? Also, what have you done with Nidrama, Celeste and the other celestials? I really enjoyed Delvesdeep's dream sequences, but it might be a little difficult to incorporate them in this new twist.
Anyways, thanks for the writeup!
Cesare
Mark, I too am an Eberron DM and I greatly enjoyed reading your conversion notes. The change to make Adimarchus a Daelkyr was an intriguing twist to say the least. Dyr'rd could make an awesome illithid and Vhaluntru fits perfectly in the whole theme of this Eberronized AP.
I also noticed that you incorporated Delvesdeep's changes into the overall AP. I am curious though, if I decided to follow your conversion and I wanted to foreshadow Adimarchus to the players beforehand, what should I do? Also, what have you done with Nidrama, Celeste and the other celestials? I really enjoyed Delvesdeep's dream sequences, but it might be a little difficult to incorporate them in this new twist.
Anyways, thanks for the writeup!
I have also been thinking about foreshadowing of Adimarchus, as it is important to get it right. I haven't really come up with anyhting, although one thought I had kicking around in the back of my head was to have teh Gatekeepers tell the party about him, and then the party can do some more research.
Also, since the Cagewrights are encountered early, and some of them are killed before Foundation of Flame, yo ucould even have all of them impart dying words about Adimarchus. Cliched I know, but I am not very creative. It is a shame that this means missing out on a good chunk of Delvesdeep's great work.
As for the Celestials, I was going to make them various Dragons fo the Chamber, hence there desire to not be so obvious in their assistance to the party. This means Nidrama is a young convert, who is continuing the work of an older dragon who helped Surabar defeat the demons of the DemonSkar, but was then killed in a retalitory strike by Nabthatoron (sp?)
My Eberron knowledge is limited to the campaign setting book, and I can’t confess to having a full comprehension yet of everything in there. With that in mind, I make these half-informed comments.
I like how you’ve tied the SCAP into the Gatekeepers, Daelkyr invasion and the Draconic Prophecies. Right from the start you’ve made this Path Eberron-centric. Let me ask, though, why is Adimarchus NOT one of the six Daelkyr Lords? I don’t know much about them, really, but is it really beyond belief that a group of 20th-level pseudo-epic characters couldn’t defeat him in the end if he were a full Lord?
One of the things you’re losing here is the duality of Adimarchus and his domain of Occipitus. I’m not 100% sure how it’d work out in Eberron, but the story of Adimarchus being a fallen angel is the most interesting thing about him. The way Occipitus shows its past as a fallen portion of Heaven and how Adi himself shifts from angel to demon during the final fight are elements worth keeping if you can find a way.
Otherwise, if I understand you correctly, Khyber itself is taking the place of Carceri? I’m having trouble visualizing your resolution. When the group goes to confront Adimarchus, do they find him a prisoner? Who are his guards?
The idea of using the dragonmarks as the Shackleborn is really sharp, and the extra element of manufacturing an heir to the Mark of Death really gives the feel of an epic plot unfolding over time.
However, with such a cool use of the Marks, I’m a little glum about how you’ve just assumed there’s a manifest zone with Dal Quor somewhere. If I understand right, that plane is specifically locked away from Eberron and doesn’t manifest anywhere. Such a critical plot element should be involved in your story somehow. The only idea that leaps at me at the moment is to have a dragon marked person dating back to the time of the Quori invasion of Xen’drik. With someone that old and powerful, I think it might be fun to have him be one of the Cagewrights who plans on sacrificing himself as one of the Shackleborn when the ritual starts.
I also squinted a bit when you said Ike and Embril would be of the Blood of Vol. I have this vague idea that that’s a wicked cult, so if it’s not, ignore me here. However, one of the plot points about Ike and Embril is that the party learns that they’re working with the villains. It should be a “Gasp! One of the most powerful churches in Cauldron is really evil!!” not “Hunh. The wicked cult is really working WITH the Cagewrights…weird.” One of the most intriguing elements of Eberron is how members of good churches can be corrupted and still use their powers. This is a great opportunity to show that.
I like the idea of Dyr’ryd being a Mindflayer, because that really does fit the backstory you’ve made. Plus, encountering him at the Tree of Shackled Souls will be a lot more intimidating than the original “What’s this now?” creature. I’m not sold on the need for a second head, but it sounds like you have plans for it, so go for it.
Moving Cauldron to Breland is to your own taste. I personally am okay with the idea of putting it in Q’bara, but I can understand the desire to place it centrally. One idea I had waaaaay back in the day when I first considered the SCAP in Eberron was to make Cauldron be Sharn. I’ve seen some mention of the city descending down into the magma-filled foundries or something and thought that would be as good a source of the volcanic eruption as anything else (and the players won’t see it coming as easily as in a city built intentionally inside the cauldera of a volcano). Plus, there will be a lot more emotional attachment to it when it starts turning wicked.
Having said that, I’m down with your history for the city. I have to confess, I like the way the Paths build on each other, so seeing the Spire of Long Shadows used in the next path was a real treat for me. I only have the original Dungeon releases of this Path, so I’m not sure what references to Kyuss there are in the hard cover, but I do know that I’d hate to see the Spellweavers go away in this path because they become so important the next time out.
I’m unsure why you had a number of years pass between the opening of the demonskar and the arrival of the demons in it. What am I missing?
I think it’s brilliant how you’ve made the dragons the sponsor of Surabar (and made Nidrama a dragon instead of a celestial). That’s a pretty sharp adaptation. I did mention how I wished you could keep the celestial origins of Adimarchus and Occipitus, but I can’t complain about this here. You say the Chamber has no reason to interfere with the Lords of Dust, but I would say that a perversion of the Draconic Prophecies to be a pretty good reason. Because Surabar and the Chisel group have such strong earthy-stony concepts, I wonder if the dragon would be a more earth-related breed of dragon than blue.
What’s the story with Kozomagon Lidu? The name’s so similar to Kazmogen, that I had to wonder what the connection was. In the end it seems like you’ve made the life and death of Liduton a key element in your history and I’m wondering if you had any plans for it that aren’t in the Path proper.
Likewise, the subplot of Nabthatoron making war with your blue dragon seems an unnecessary story element. If Surabar’s army breaks the demon host, is there a need for this war with the dragon to break the demon host again?
In any case, I like how you’ve made the local ruins hobgoblin ruins. That’s a nice way to emphasize the history of the goblin empire, something pretty unique to Eberron.
When I first read Life’s Bazaar, I was wondering why anyone would build a city in the caldera of a volcano, even an extinct one. The story I made up was that it was initially a gnomish settlement (‘cause I can think you can get away with a lot by having the gnomes do it first) that welcomed settlers to it. It was the gnomish enclave below that gave me that idea.
The Soul Pillars are in Xen’drik? That’s pretty clever. It’s a nice way to get the group to travel in what is otherwise a completely static campaign setting (barring the Star Mirror trip to the desert and Occipitus). It’s a shame the Demonskar can’t reasonably be placed there too because the presence of the giant smiths crafting the Cages really speaks of the history of the giants on Xen’drik.
At first I was all “why does Zenith have to be a member of the House of Kundarak?” and then I thought “duh!” The Dragonmark…right. A great first clue to the goals of the Cagewrights. Still, I wonder if it’s going to seem odd to anyone that a banker is suddenly so intent on a mad crusade. There should be a backstory or something to put this together.
I dig how you’ve tied Cauldron’s growth to expatriates fleeing the war. The name Cauldron suddenly means a big mixing pot rather than a hot cooking pot.
I love the change to the mercenary camp. I don’t know if it would have occurred to me, but in Eberron, the idea of half-orc mercenaries isn’t as wicked as it was originally intended to be. Making them actual monsters really brings back the feel of the city turning evil that would have been lost with just half-orcs in an otherwise very accepting society.
Making the Striders into Gatekeepers is pretty slick and really ties them into the history and goals of the campaign. Plus it explains how they know so much about what’s going on. I honestly feel there’s no need to make it an urban branch, though. The Gatekeepers have an obvious interest in Cauldron and would send representatives regardless. That means you don’t have to make excuses to keep Meerthan a wizard and can convert him to a druid. It just seems to me like that would strengthen the Eberron flavor by having the druid organization remain a druid organization (and rangers). In that vein, I think it’d be worth making one or two of them half-orcs, ‘cause I believe the Gatekeepers started off as an orcan organization.
I only think Adimarchus needs foreshadowing if he’s not something the players already know about. If, as the campaign progresses, they discover the Cagewrights are a Cult of the Dragon Below and are working to free a Daelkyr Lord, I think they’ll get the point. I’ve never been in favor of the foreshadowing suggestions because I believe they take away the feeling of a growing threat. But that may just be me.
Very, very well said Fletch.
Like you, I also wanted to keep the whole Test of the Smoking Eye adventure and I was thinking: perhaps we can place it in the Mournlands? While having the Test of the Smoking Eye take place under Khyber might be a bit of a stretch, it makes perfect sense to place this adventure in the warped and twisted land that used to be Cyre.
Maybe instead of taking a test for the ruler of Cyre, the PCs will have to delve into the Mournlands to retrieve something or find something out. Perhaps Adimarchus is partially responsible for the Day of Mourning? Maybe a Cannith doomsday device is a necessary component for his freedom? There are many reasons why the PCs could be going in there, but I know one thing for sure: for an epic Eberron adventure like this, a journey into the Mournlands is an absolute must.
If anyone has any further ideas/comments, we can definitely start piecing together a plausible reason to keep the whole Occipitus/Adimarchus thing.
Thanks for the extensive feedback Fletch, it was great. I'll try to answer your questions.
Let me ask, though, why is Adimarchus NOT one of the six Daelkyr Lords? I don’t know much about them, really, but is it really beyond belief that a group of 20th-level pseudo-epic characters couldn’t defeat him in the end if he were a full Lord?
You hinted at the answer to your own question. My understanding is that the Six Daelkyr Lords are much higher level that CR20 (I would suggest in the CR 30 - 40 Range or higher). The Daelkyr presented in the ECS is a "normal" specimen, not one of the high powered Daelkyr Lords. This is why they are only imprisoned in Khyber, and were not destroyed.
One of the things you’re losing here is the duality of Adimarchus and his domain of Occipitus. I’m not 100% sure how it’d work out in Eberron, but the story of Adimarchus being a fallen angel is the most interesting thing about him. The way Occipitus shows its past as a fallen portion of Heaven and how Adi himself shifts from angel to demon during the final fight are elements worth keeping if you can find a way.
Otherwise, if I understand you correctly, Khyber itself is taking the place of Carceri? I’m having trouble visualizing your resolution. When the group goes to confront Adimarchus, do they find him a prisoner? Who are his guards?
It is indeed a shame to lose the fallen angel aspect, but you can still have him shift between angel and demon, he is a Daelkyr afterall, they can basically do aything you want them too.
As for Khyber and Carceri, Adimarchus is not so much imprisoned within Kyber, as trapped within a Giant Khyber Dragonshard. In the previous 9,000 years, he has attracted a large following of Khyber denziens, who have fashioned a cathedral around him to worship him. Therfore the PCs will come in and smashthis alst remaining stronghold, before freeing Adimarchus to do battle with him and defeat him once and for all. The will not just be able to leave him, as even though they stopped the ritual to free him earlier in the Campaign, the ritual still weakened his "prison" and so it is only a matter of time before he beaks free.
However, with such a cool use of the Marks, I’m a little glum about how you’ve just assumed there’s a manifest zone with Dal Quor somewhere. If I understand right, that plane is specifically locked away from Eberron and doesn’t manifest anywhere. Such a critical plot element should be involved in your story somehow. The only idea that leaps at me at the moment is to have a dragon marked person dating back to the time of the Quori invasion of Xen’drik. With someone that old and powerful, I think it might be fun to have him be one of the Cagewrights who plans on sacrificing himself as one of the Shackleborn when the ritual starts.
There is not really any reason given for the lack of a manifest zone to Dal Quor. Xoriat is also locked away from Eberron, but there are still Xoriat manifestzones within Khorvaire. However I do like you idea about one of the Cagewrights sacrficing themselves, I'll add that to my campaign. Thanks.
I also squinted a bit when you said Ike and Embril would be of the Blood of Vol. I have this vague idea that that’s a wicked cult, so if it’s not, ignore me here. However, one of the plot points about Ike and Embril is that the party learns that they’re working with the villains. It should be a “Gasp! One of the most powerful churches in Cauldron is really evil!!” not “Hunh. The wicked cult is really working WITH the Cagewrights…weird.” One of the most intriguing elements of Eberron is how members of good churches can be corrupted and still use their powers. This is a great opportunity to show that.
The blood of vol is not neccesarily an evil religion, as most of Karnnath used to follow it (and most still do). The shock is not so much that they are involved in evil plans, but that they are actually alligned with the Crazy Cults of the Dragon Below, and not the Emerald Claw. Don't worry, there will still be plenty of opportunity for the "good" churches to be corrupted.
I’m unsure why you had a number of years pass between the opening of the demonskar and the arrival of the demons in it. What am I missing?
Likewise, the subplot of Nabthatoron making war with your blue dragon seems an unnecessary story element. If Surabar’s army breaks the demon host, is there a need for this war with the dragon to break the demon host again?
The main reason was to explain the lack of Fiend sin the region with a direct pasage to Khyber, and also to felsh out the long timeframe, and why there are still demons in the area, but not as a unified force.
I only think Adimarchus needs foreshadowing if he’s not something the players already know about. If, as the campaign progresses, they discover the Cagewrights are a Cult of the Dragon Below and are working to free a Daelkyr Lord, I think they’ll get the point. I’ve never been in favor of the foreshadowing suggestions because I believe they take away the feeling of a growing threat. But that may just be me.
I think I like this. The players finally destroy all the cagewrights, only to then findout they were only the lackeys operating for Adimarchus, who they then neeed to hunt down and destroy. I think I'll go this way. The other advantage is that, with Adimarchus not having such a complicated background, he doesn't need to be foreshadowed as much. When they find out he is an imrisoned Daelkyr Lord, it should explain quite a bit.
Very, very well said Fletch.
Like you, I also wanted to keep the whole Test of the Smoking Eye adventure and I was thinking: perhaps we can place it in the Mournlands? While having the Test of the Smoking Eye take place under Khyber might be a bit of a stretch, it makes perfect sense to place this adventure in the warped and twisted land that used to be Cyre.
Maybe instead of taking a test for the ruler of Cyre, the PCs will have to delve into the Mournlands to retrieve something or find something out. Perhaps Adimarchus is partially responsible for the Day of Mourning? Maybe a Cannith doomsday device is a necessary component for his freedom? There are many reasons why the PCs could be going in there, but I know one thing for sure: for an epic Eberron adventure like this, a journey into the Mournlands is an absolute must.
If anyone has any further ideas/comments, we can definitely start piecing together a plausible reason to keep the whole Occipitus/Adimarchus thing.
A trip to the mournland would be excellent. In my campaign I am replacing the Test of the Smoking eye with and adventure to recover an ancient Gatekeeper artifact that Kaurophon (who is one of the Lords of Dust) then steals. The party eventually recover the artifact, which they then need to use to destroy the Khyber Dragonshard that Adimarchus is trapped within. There is no reason that this aventure can not be into the mournland.
I just downloaded your conversion notes from RPGenius. Outstanding work mevers!
My only real gripe is the fact that there is too little involvement from the Emerald Claw. If Vol discovers the existence of someone else with a mark of death, I would assume that she would go to any lengths necessary to retrieve said individual. Considering how much influence that Vol has, a veritable army would be after Terrem. I have been debating converting the Ebon Triad into the Emerald Claw for this purpose - perhaps Vol and the Thirteen had a deal worked out beforehand when they began constructing the Soul Cages? Of course, not everything went according to plan... >:)
Additionally, while it is true that the Blood of Vol is not necessarily an evil cult, I still have a hard time envisioning it as a mainstream religion outside of Karnath. Moreover if Embril and Ike belonged to a benevolent church (such as a cathedral dedicated to the Sovereign Host), their corruption would seem all the more appalling to the players.
Oh, and once again, good job!
Thanks for the kind words regarding my conversion notes. I was able to spend a significant amount of time on them during the holidays. Alas with classes starting agin, I now am flat out having enough time to prepare for my fortnightly game, let alone work on such a big task.
As for the (sometimes quite large) holes in my conversion notes, I will be the first to admit that plot is not my strong point. As such, I hadn't really noticed the holes in the plot you outlined above (even though yo ucan drive a truck through some of them)
If you want to explain why an army isn't after Terrem, simply have the Cagewrights stash him to keep him away from Vol. Their conflict can go on in the backgrund that way, and the PCs need not really hear about it. Looking back, this is what I should have done, instead of having Terrem returned to the orphanage. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now, just hope the players don't really notice.
Of course, converting the Ebon triad to the Emerald Claw also works, and I can see the advantages of having Ike and Embril as Cleric of the host.
Have you had any more thoughts on the adventure to the mournlands to replace the test of the smoking eye?
Come to think of it, the smoking eye fire spout thing in TotSE feels a lot like the Silver Flame. I wonder if you could turn it into an opposite/parallel artifact thingy. Something about how when the Silver Flame errupted in...Thrane(?) the Smoking Eye errupted in...Cyre? The Demon Wastes?
That is a very intriguing idea Fletch. My question is though: how would such a fire spout relate with or foreshadow Adimarchus? I am still bothered by the fact that he would just be a vanilla Daelkyr lord wannabe. Perhaps we should pool our considerable intellects and come up with an interesting backstory for our ultimate villain. What do you say?
Found a neat new post on the official Eberron boards. It details all of the six daelkyr trapped within Khyber. I've decided to substitute the 'Stained One' for Adimarchus. :D
Link is here: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=11982417&posted=1#post11982 417