I dont have the HC with me right now so this is probably available in there, but it occurs to me that I have no real idea what happens in the later parts of this campaign.
I've started running it (still on Chapter One at present) having read up to and including Chapter Three. But I dont have a clue what happens after that.
Could someone please post a one/two line description of what is supposed to occur in each Chapter?
Thanks
Blakey
I have seen this post before and the most common response is, "it's all in the hardcover." While I understand this response, I happen to think a brief synopsis by chapter is a great idea! Anyone? All I've read up to is Chapter 4 (so bad of me), but here is the beginnings of my synopsis.
[MAJOR SPOILER ALERT BELOW -- DO NOT EVER READ IF YOU'RE PLAYING]
I'll take a turn, I suppose. Since I like the format, I'll stick with it as well. Here's chapters 5-7.
I also second the mega spoiler warning. If you're a player in this campaign, and ESPECIALLY if you're one of my players, reading this is BAD. Don't do it. Or else. You have been warned.
Flow: So, your party gets back after getting their ass handed to them six ways to sunday in Chapter 4, only to find the city swarming with corrupt half-orc mercenaries and tax collectors - hard to say which is worse! Cauldron's government is obviously growing more and more corrupt, but the party doesn't yet have much more than suspicions so far. Local millionaire playboy Bruce Way... er... Maavu Arlintal decides that enough is enough, and manages to accidentally provoke a riot right outside of town hall (with a little help from the Last Laugh) when he announces that the town's resident knight in shining armor, Sir Alek Tercival, has challenged the Captain of the Guard for his position. This is followed by Fire Elementals attacking the Half Orc mercenaries. Needless to say, Maavu becomes persona non grata in Cauldron, but as the city musters to march against him and his allies in Redgorge, the party must race to find the missing knight to prevent an unnecessary and costly war between Cauldron and Redgorge. Along the way, they meet an angel, smack around a lot of giants, have a drink with three sisters, and wander through the looking glass. In all liklihood, they will be confused by the puzzle that follows for quite some time. Eventually, they find Alek, just in time for local demonic boogeyman Nabtoothsomethingorother to arbitrarily kill him off so he can utter a prophecy with his dying breath.
Background: Magnificent Bastard that he is, "Orbius" is manipulating events to remove several possible threats to his power from the region. Nabbadabbadoo, on the other hand, just likes killing Paladins for s$**s and giggles - he's a dick like that. Oh yeah, and if Redgorge gets burned down, he gets to go home to the Abyss, so I suppose he DOES have a reason after all. The Cagewrights, however, are too busy either playing with their new toy Zenith if your group was successful in Chapter 4, or locating a replacement if they were not, to do much this chapter.
Chapter Six: Test of the Smoking Eye
Flow: Somehow Sir Tercival dying at the gigantic pointy pincers of Nabthorotten convinces Cauldron not to invade Redgorge after all. Breathing a sigh of relief, the PCs meet a half-fiend sorcerer, and decide that it's TOTALLY a brilliant idea to go galivanting off to the abyss in hopes of becoming Demon Lords with him. There they face three trials, the first of which they will succeed in without understanding why, the second of which will annoy them for hours, and the last of which is super awesome and I won't spoil here. Well, except to say that, in a totally unexpected plot twist, the half-fiend sorcerer betrays the party and tries to become Demon Lord himself!
Background: Once upon a time, there was this angel named Adimarchus. He fell, went a little crazy, and turned into a demon lord with a weakness for male celestials. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course! Some of my best friends have a weakness for male celestials... but I digress. One of these celestials talked him into setting up a test to designate a successor with a loophole allowing a good person to succeed, and another seduced Adimarchus, got captured by Graz'zt, and took advantage of Big A's redemption fetish to trick him into taking his place in Graz'zt's clutches. Big mistake, because said second celestial was actually Graz'zt's son in disguise! Oops! I bet Adimarchus sure felt silly after that one! Oh, and all this was a long time ago, and Adimarchus is apparently driving insane people to undertake seemingly unconnected plots in a bid for freedom. Oh, and back home, "Orbius" offs the Lord Mayor and takes over Cauldron.
Chapter Seven: Secret of the Soul Pillars
Flow: The PCs come back to Cauldron, possibly with possession of a shiny new template. They have only a little time to get settled in when a bunch of assassins launch a surprisingly well planned attack against the PCs. Unfortunately, the PCs are able to discover that the Cathedral of Wee Jas is responsible, and they rush off to kill everyone there. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the PCs), the High Priestess is unavailable to take their invasion and delegates it to her toadie Ike Iverson. After offing Ike, the party discovers that some guy with the wonderfully evil name of Fetor is studying "Soul Pillars" and trying to unlock "Secrets" from them. So they explore some spooky ice caves, fight Fetor, and take down a nasty Dracolich. Fun is had by all, with the possible exception of Fetor and said Dracolich.
Background: Fetor has apparently been gaining ancient Spellweaver knowledge from the Soul Pillars, and this has been instrumental in the design of the Cagewrights' wacky World Domination Tree. Which is almost ready now! Embril is unavailable for whacking by PCs because she is busy assembling a large army of Demodands to invade Cauldron once the World Domination Tree activates the volcano. "Orbius" starts to get paranoid that the Cagewrights are ignoring him, and all but dissappears from the public eye while planning a ritual of his own to make himself more disgusting and/or powerful. By now, the party should be getting a pretty clear picture of what's going on, but they should be looking for one or two last leads to pinpoint the location of the Cagewrights' Secret Volcano Base and the exact details of how their inevitable World Domination plan is supposed to work.
I think that'll do for now. It's getting late.
Eric "Critic of the Dawn"
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I'll cover Chapters Eight, Nine, and Ten. Ten is a good endgame if your group is getting tired of the campaign, or if you're at the end of a deployment about to go home and not able to play together due to families. ^_^
Once again, peer not into these pages if you intend to adventure through the Shackled City, lest you turn this knowledge into unfair advantage and risk being smote from the heavens by your DM.
Flow: Getting back to town after the creepy creepy spellweaver tomb, the gang gets hit up by Red 1 about Red 2's (as we called them in our game) capture and torture. Or whoever the party likes most, probably el hot half-drow. After dismantling the theives hideout from the ground up, our friendly NPCs point the group to the next slaughterhouse. Walking into House Rhiavadi, they might get the whole Cagewright plan spilled all over them, or they might get themselves right into the pot with a roomful of baddies. Finishing that up, they might decide to head over to House Vhalantru and kick the door in. A group of dead half-orcs and some dungeon delving, and they finally get to find out who 'Orbius' really is. Hope they manage to free Celeste, cause they're in for a world of hurtin'.
Background: So the preparations for the party are ready, and the Cagewrights are resting up for the big day. Some of them jump planes to send out the invites to the demodand hordes. They don't really notice Orbius and company aren't returning calls, but at this point, they don't care. The party should have the 411, but getting where they need to be to stop it all is frustrating them. Luckily, perusing the captured enemy intel should tell them some things, just in time for all hell to break loose.
Chapter Nine: Foundation of Flame
Flow: So the city is leaderless now, and the important people gather up to figure out who gets stuck cleaning the mess up. Great roleplaying opportunity for the gang, right up until some crazy dwarf butts in and tries to kill everyone. With maybe a few less cantidates to choose from, the meeting is adjourned, just in time to the volcano to wake up. Suddenly it doesn't seem like such a good idea to have a city in a volcano. Much panic and mayhem ensues with falling fiends, quakes, volcanic activity, and plenty of nasty monster attacks, like someone turned on all the disaster settings in Sim City. The party gets run ragged trying to save as many people as they can with only so much resources available.
Background: Whoops, someone let the crazy sorceror out, guess plans have to step up! Activating the ritual, the timer is set, now they just have to wait and guard against any pesky hero types coming to save the world. Oh yeah, there are some around, but they're too busy saving what they can to worry about coming a stopping things. Once they get done doing what FEMA should have been doing, they can put together a meeting of the mindless and figure out where to go next.
Chapter Ten: Thirteen Cages
Flow: Alright, time to storm the gates! Or, well, go spelunking into an active volcano. Same thing, right? However they manage to get there, it's a race to find the Doomsday Christmas Tree, and plenty of cannon fodder to stand in the way. And some baddies looking for cannon fodder of their own. All the way up until they find the end boss, and get to choose between an enslaved Cauldron, destroyed Cauldron, or really disfigured Cauldron.
Background: Not much to say here. The Cagewrights pretty much stand behind doors waiting for the party to come kill them. This is a good time to bring any main NPC baddies back to get killed off for good. The party could learn some interesting background points and motivations about their enemies, but they most likely mow them down heroically. Then they get to try and rebuild their lovely little city.
Wow, that was more work than I wanted to do. Hope that helps, and I apologize for the last chapter being kind of brief. Still playing through that one.
I suppose I might as well finish things off.
Spoilers abound as usual.
Flow: After successfully foiling the Cagewrights scheme to bring an army of demodands into the world and hopefully saving Cauldron, the PCs learn that a few of the Cagewrights were not present in the Secret Volcano Base, and after a bit of research track them to a ruined Yuan-Ti temple deep in the jungle called Shatterhorn. An unfortunately rather pedestrian high level dungeon crawl follows - this entire chapter is probably the weakest in the adventure path by far, although some of the fights and one of the traps look potentially interesting. The party smashes its way through Shatterhorn and lays the smack down on the remaining Cagewrights, although there is a chance that sneaky sneaky Embril may pull off a surprising escape.
Backstory: Their plans foiled, the Cagewrights fall back to Shatterhorn in desperate hope of finding another way to free Adimarchus. Embril gets the crazy idea that if she sacrifices a PC to Nerull, the god of death will release the demon lord of madness. Even if she manages to escape and pull off the sacrifice, however, she will fail because only Adimarchus' designated successor can release him.
Chapter Twelve: Asylum
Flow: Before the party can relax to enjoy their new status as living legends, old buddy "Orbius" returns from the grave to menace them once again! This time, he has a disturbing smoking eye which should be very familiar if the party acquired a certain useful template in Chapter Six. The PCs thus discover that even without his minions, Adimarchus is still trying to manipulate events so that he is freed. The PCs will thus come to the perfectly logical conclusion that the only thing to be done is to... get this... spring Adimarchus from Graz'zt's Psych Ward Gulag and then kill him, or else Adimarchus will continue to send smoking eye goons after them and kill lots of innocents in the process. He's a dick like that. The Party goes plane-hopping once again, fights a number of cool villains, and finally springs Big A for the final battle.
Backstory: See, the whole Cagewright Thing was just a massive Xanatos Gambait by Adimarchus to provoke the PCs into smashing up Graz'zt's prison and freeing him themselves. Sound crazy? Well, he IS the Demon Prince of Madness. Assuming the party is victorious, anyone with the shiny template from Chapter Six will find themselves the winners of... A BRAND NEW PLANE! As epic characters, they should be powerful enough to either control it as part of the Abyss, gradually shepherd it back to the upper planes, or to seperate it from both. But that is beyond the scope of the campaign.
And that's the end. Lots of good stuff there.
Eric "Critic of the Dawn"
<applause>
What a fabulous thread. This would be sensational for a GM just starting this adventure. In fact, the hardcover would've done well to have such a index/guide.
Bravo, one and all.
Cheers all!
That is exactly what I was looking for.
Blakey
Great summaries!
I laughed a bunch of times.
I did an outline for my own reference back when I was first prepping this campaign. It's not nearly as entertaining to read and is tied to my homebrew world but I figured I'd post it anyway. I ended up changing a few things here and there but this is, mostly, as it reads from the Dungeon articles.
Cheating is bad, m'kay.
~World of Brandes~
The Shackled City
Introduction
In the Alliance Region the party comes to the city of Cauldron in search of adventure and excitement. They have been hearing rumors of kidnappings and have come to help.
Part 1: Life’s Bazaar [1-3]
In the city of Cauldron the party sets themselves up with a base of operations.
They are then dragged into the plot after encountering an assault on a local priest. This leads to an alliance with a large, good aligned church in the city.
The path of the kidnappings leads them to a local locksmith. The locksmith points them to an abandoned goblin stronghold beneath the streets of the city.
Clues gleaned from the ruins brings the party to a dockside slave auction. Upon confronting the slave masters the party is confronted by the secret master of Cauldron, the demon Vhalantru.
Returning to the church with the orphans heralds the party as heroes but they know that more sinister plots are afoot in Cauldron.
Part 2: Flood Season [4-5]
The party is sent out of Cauldron to a nearby roadhouse by their contact within the church. She is concerned about the safety of her high priest.
Once they arrive at the roadhouse the party discovers they are too late and the priest has been killed, however they still have to drive off the bandits, lead by a werebaboon named, Tongueater, who is secretly an errand boy for a larger villain. While there the party also meets a mysterious stranger that will later become an ally within the group the Striders of Shrelana.
Returning to Cauldron and speaking with the dead priest reveals that magic wands, integral to the city’s survival have been stolen and taken to some secret ruins.
The party launches an attack on the caverns and discovers that the villains have uncovered and removed something from the flooded ruins. Ultimately they recover the magic wands and return to Cauldron.
The city’s clerics use the wands and save the city from flooding in the winter rains. The party is again herald as heroes for their brave deeds.
Part 3: Zenith Trajectory [6-7]
The party begins by confronting a rampaging umber hulk in the streets of the city. Their defeat of the creature brings them to the attention of the city’s nobility and they receive an invitation to a prestigious party.
When they attend the party they are haired to track down a dwarven noble’s renegade son, Zenith Splintershield.
The party strikes out for the northern mountains and soon delves into the Underdark after Zenith. They soon come upon a kuo-toan temple and it becomes clear that Zenith is not a dwarf but the high priest of the kuo-toa. The party will then be forced to fight their way out.
Part 4: The Demonskar Legacy [8-9]
Returning to Cauldron the party is met with civil unrest at raised taxes and abuses of power. The citizens and the merchants are demonstrating and the church is behind them. The party is soon sent out of the town to attend a meeting in a nearby town.
Arriving at the town the party learns of the disappearance of an influential paladin and they soon strike off after him. To accomplish this they must piece together clues and decipher an antique map.
The party finds the paladin in the fabled Demonskar and battle to free him from the mind control that has taken him over. In the end they discover that the creatures sought to turn the paladin into a demon. In the end the paladin dies with a message to “seek the sign of the Smoking Eye”.
Part 5: Test of the Smoking Eye [10-11]
With the dead paladin at their feet and the strange words he uttered upon his death the party is met by a mage ally. The mage encourages them to join him in one of the lower planes in hopes of saving Cauldron.
The mage convinces them to undergo the Test of the Smoking Eye in the ruins of a celestial palace. The test takes them to a giant skull and there they meet a celestial being that reveals the final test and then the secret agenda of the mage and ultimately decide the fate of the entire plane.
Part 6: Secrets of the Soul Pillars [12]
The party returns to Cauldron to discover that Lord Vhalantru has taken control and now rules with an iron fist. Before long the party is beset by assassins.
Investigating the attack leads the party to the clerical order of an evil god. When they assault the temple they discover a strange artifact that reveals a far deeper conspiracy.
Further investigation leads the party to some ancient ruins that are inhabited by powerful adversaries. Once the guardians are defeated the party learns the truth behind the villains plan to open a gate to the lower planes.
Part 7: Lords of Oblivion [13-14]
Back in Cauldron the party is contacted by their contact in the Striders of Shrelana and asked to rescue an agent that has been captured by a local thieves guild.
The party assault’s the Last laugh’s stronghold and confront an old adversary inside named Jil. In exchange for he life Jil gives up information on a gathering of Cagewrights at a local nobles house.
The party infiltrates the gathering at the noble’s house and must contend with an array of villainous guests. Soon they will confront the evil Lady Thifirane. However, she escapes to a secret stronghold.
Chasing the villain to the secret stronghold the party battles their way to the center and learn the awful truth that Lord Vhalantru is the demon they encountered in the slave market and he is undergoing a ritual to make himself more powerful. They join him in combat and eliminate the secret master of Cauldron.
Part 8: Foundation of Flame [15]
The party meets with their church friends and are invited to a meeting that will discuss the future leadership of Cauldron.
The meeting goes well until it is attacked by evil dwarves. The party is central to driving off the attackers.
Only a short time later the volcano rumbles and earthquakes begin. The party must assist in evacuating the entire city but before they can complete such a monumental task an awakened evil force descends on the city and begins to lay waste to the area. The party joins the battle and kills the beast. With the beast vanquished the evacuation can continue.
Part 9: Thirteen Cages [16-17]
Outside the city the party is given some vital intelligence from their church contact. She has gleaned the location of the Cagewrights finally and that the party has mere hours before the plan comes to fruition and the gate to the lower planes is opened.
The party descends into the volcano to uncover the secret masterminds of the demonic conspiracy. They uncover the stronghold and battle the remaining masters of the Cagewrights. Finally they slay the leader Dyr’ryd and struggle to deactivate the artifact central to the demonic gate, the Tree of Shackled Souls.
Part 10: Strike on Shatterhorn [18]
Back in the surface world the party aids in settling the refugees of Cauldron, which has been partially destroyed by the volcanic eruption.
The party’s church contact informs them that the remaining Cagewright villains have fled to the stronghold of Shatterhorn.
The party gathers their supplies and heads out for the ruins of Shatterhorn. Once there they find the insane remains of the Cagewrights. The party finally confronts a crazy cleric seeking to free a disfigured and imprisoned fallen angel.
Part 11: Asylum [19-20]
The party travels to the lower planes to find the source of the Cagewright’s designs, the fallen angel Adimarchus. They come across his prison of Skullrot and penetrate deep inside and finally join his deranged form in battle.
Conclusion
Returning to Cauldron the party has a long road to recovery. The city is all but destroyed and the refugees are beginning to strain the economy of the surrounding areas. The long road to recovery is ahead of the city and the citizens all look to the party to lead them in rebuilding and recovery. The nobles are scattered or dead and the party are the closest think to knights the area has now.
Enjoy.
This is a great thread, for those of us who dont feel like flipping through the HC to find that little bit of info we need.
Can I suggest we add Chapter Based Overviews of the specific efforts of various factions in and around Cauldron? I'm currently DMing the AP, and am about to launch into Zenith Trajectory. At this point, the Chisel/Maavau faction is getting into things, but will the Striders of Farlanglhan actually come back into play after their debut in part 1 and a minor revist with Shensen in part 3?
Factions could be:
Striders of Farlanglahn
Stormblades (My PCs moved into Jarzidrune, so finding out in Zenith Trajectory that the Stormblades had somehow collapsed the underdark tunnels beneath it took a lot of modifications to pull off.)
Chisel/Maavau the Merchant
Vhalantru
Cagewrights
It would kind of be nice to be able to come to this thread with the question "What are the Striders up to in chapter 5" and actually get a solid answer.
Anyone else?
That's a very good idea. I'll think about it, and see what I can come up with. I'd like to strongly encourage the rest of the community to pitch in as well, as this could be a very valuable resource. Perhapse if/when this whole thing is put together, a file can be compiled and uploaded to RPGenius.
Eric "Critic of the Dawn"
I second that as being a great idea. I am running from the magazine articles where information is not as concise. I think that sort of thing should come from the hardcover.
Anyone get anywhere with this?
Blakey
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The problem with putting out a synopsis of the factions activities is, the path doesn't really tell you. It's up to you to decide what they're all doing. And someone else telling you might not mesh with what has happened in your campaign. Being the inexperienced DM that I am, I didn't use a lot of the NPCs they provided anywhere near their full potential. I plan on correcting that next time I run it.