This Was possibly the best adventure I've ever run.
Seriously.
It started out average. This was where the players started really getting in to their characters. Coming to their own.
I made Bozal an old man. I had just watched silence of the lambs the day before, and so I gave him a necklace of twitching, moving, hands. I made him incredibly creepy, giving him no pupils. I played him as almost Hannibal Lecter. Incredibly intelligent, he does things for reasons, getting inside the players head's. When He began to attack... as the players did not attack him on sight, I casually clicked a remote control, turning on Sephiroth's theme. This song terrified the players. When the Half giant killed him with a cursed blade, I began having some ideas.
I had convinced one of my players that this was the last adventure. I played that up as much as I could.
The players had lots of fun playing with the "Magic Spoon." I thought they'd be disappointed by the lack of treasure... but when the beguiler tried to activate it blindly, well "Oatmeal explodes all over the walls."
The apostic scrolls fascinated the players. At first, like usual, they kind of glanced at the poem which I got from the forums. I drew pictures from the campaign in the margins, Dragotha, and lots of Kyuss worms. It was pretty bad pictures, but it added to the feeling of insanity.
Speaking of the Apostic Scrolls, the players didn't even think of trying to take it down. I couldn't have planned the final fight better myself. "Big Worm" at the end burst out of the floor in the middle of the fight. Literally the middle. Auric was standing on the worm, and barely avoided it's teeth.
The half giant activated his black blade. I made Bozal appear behind him. I put a miniature on the table. Because of the angle, the other players "couldn't see him." Of course, the blade was beginning to drive the player mad. Wasting valuble attacks on the apparition, the Half Giant first impaled and then decapitated the tiefling. The tiefling picked up his head and continued watching the half giant. This really freaked him out. So much that he threw his sword away.
It was at this point that the ritual was complete. The black energy rolled out over the arena, killing the spectators. Loris made his transformation to a Death knight.
The players ran. The Wight army spread through the necropolis. This was an interesting course of events. All undead in the Necropolis are automatically treated as bourgeois. It turned their world upside down. The mortal population was turned into hostile undead, giving power to the brewing revolution.
The players do not, of course, see the effects. They managed to escape from the tide of the dead by setting sail on a ship of Earth and Sea. It has the ability to sail over... um... earth and sea. I can't wait to hear them talk about it.
Yup. That was the point. I made a reason for the player finding a black blade adamantine blade. It was a sword wielded by a Giant king. Yeah. His father. He's probably going to discover this when he fights the giants and they recognize his magic blade.
I plan on having mobs of maimed people following Cole. I want to make sure that he never is absolutely sure if he's just seeing things. Possibly have the dead people show up in mirrors and kill his reflection.
It was pretty epic. Some of my players described it to me that way.
Khellic the wizard is now traveling along with them. He may just teleport himself off the Ship of Earth and Sea. Any other suggestions are welcome.
The sword and it's effects both in game and on character/player sound quite intriguing. Are you able to provide info/stats relating to this as I know very little about Elric or the Soul-Stealing sword (other than what I have just found out on wikipedia)?
Sure.
Um... actually it's not to complex currently. I used the possession power from the fiendish Codex I to create a "Demon Sword." Housed inside the black blade is Nalgreshic, Balor of Blackfire (A 25 hit die Balor). Captured by the giants of Kulth-Mar and beaten into submission, Nalgreshic was forced into the Adamantine greatsword. The Demon was furious with it's treatment. However, it realized it still had some measure of power over the wielder. Every sentient creature that Nalgreshic killed, he absorbed the essence of the creature. This is different than the soul. A creature can still be resurrected without his essence. The essence is the appearance, demeanor, and basic habits of the person. Nalgreshic used these images to confound his wielders, driving the king mad. The sword was lost. Nalgreshic slept for some time.
Now it is in the hands of the giant's own son. The irony! Nalgreshic would reconquer Kulth-Mar himself.
The sword is a +2 flaming Large Adamantine Greatsword. Whenever the flaming ability is activated, Nalgreshic has a greater influence on the outside world. If someone is killed while the sword is activated, their essence is taken. When the flaming ability is on, the essences stand around the wielder.
Currently, Nalgreshic is asleep. The +3 flaming ability is caused by his latent magic. However, with the recent essence which he has recieved in the form of Bozal, he is becoming reinvigorated.
Nalgreshic will use any means necessary to escape from his prison. Once the tally of essence reaches Ninety Nine, he will escape from his prison.
Bozal will be the main conduit between the sword and the Half-Giant. "If you kill this child, your power will increase."
Then it will.
I can hear his voice now. "Dude... killing children makes my sword more powerful?"