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I plan on using the following "side treks" for Second Darkness...I plan on using the Freeport 'side treks' as well, might I ask what
Afternoon Outing, 2nd level (flashback), Holiday in the Sun, 2nd level, Thieves and Liars, 4-5th level, Dark Wings, 9th level, are ?
Thank you, and thanks to the 'padding out team'; The Paddies.
Yes Dark Wings is "over Freeport".
Afternoon Outing is an old Living Greyhawk adaptable. I plan on doing it as a flashback for the PCs.
Holiday in the Sun and Thieves and Liars are interlude adventures that come with the revised Freeport Trilogy.
CJ
you can get them on drivethrurpg.com.
Hmmm would you (or others) know if any of these are available for download ?Afternoon Outing is an old Living Greyhawk adaptable. I plan on doing it as a flashback for the PCs.
Holiday in the Sun and Thieves and Liars are interlude adventures that come with the revised Freeport Trilogy.
CJ
For me the one thing, I would change is the Shin'Rakorath, I never quite grasped the concept of them being elven mercenaries if they are to be traditionalists. I myself would change them to be a bit like the Eldreth Velthura from the Forgotten Realms. The difference is that the shin'rakorath, would be all about preserving Elven culture and keeping the status quo, a bit more secretive then they were detailed, but not as secretive as the EV were described. It does work to the adventage that both the Shin'rakorath and the Eldreth Velthura have a secret council leading their respective organizations, winter council for the Shin'Rakorath and the Vel'Nikeryma for the EV.
For me the one thing, I would change is the Shin'Rakorath, I never quite grasped the concept of them being elven mercenaries if they are to be traditionalists.
To me, they're described more like the elven CIA, keeping secrets from the masses for their own good and working against subversive elements that would upend their society.
That or Elves in Black. I could see agents of the Winter Council using modify memory, or whatever it's called.
Honestly, my first impression of them was McCarthyism and the Red Scare. The secrecy surrounding them works against my concept of a paranoid elven society, however.
Joana: Why do you feel that paranoia vs. secrecy doesn't work? After all, I would argue that a very powerful behind-the-scenes organization that is neither beholden to nor controlled by the government will breed paranoia within the society. Everyone will be on the lookout für "strange" things, but that doesn't mean they can't still be happening.
As a completely unrelated matter:
Why exactly do the Golarion Drow speak Undercommon?
Apart from that being a 3.5 holdover, wouldn't it make more sense for them to actually speak Elven, or at least a dialect of Elven? Undercommon, to me, has always been the UD/Darklands equivalent to Common, meaning 'you speak it when you absolutely have to communicate with other Darklands races, but not among your own kind'. Two Drow communicating in Undercommon feels as silly as, say, two Elves speaking Common amongst themselves.
Rules-wise, I think I'll handle it like this: Anybody who can speak/understand Elven, can also understand the Drow dialect. However, to actively speak it without attracting attention, I will require some kind of investment from the player. Maybe a rank in linguistics and some time spent among Drow?
Any thoughts on this or its implementation into Second Darkness?
- RIDDLEPORT: Sure, it is a drow-themed AP. Still, I feel that there is a lot of work being done setting up Riddleport as an adventure background, but the PCs only spend very little time there and (probably) don't return there over the course of the AP. I think something could be done to remedy this by padding out the whole first chapter, e.g.: giving the PCs more missions to accomplish before the betrayal by Vancaskerin. Also, the whole 'competing crime bosses' party could be played up. Any suggestions as to what adventures (from Dungeon magazine or otherwise) might come in handy here? What plots have you cooked up to make Riddleport more meaningful?
I agree with you. Here are some of the things I’ve done to flesh out Riddleport.
I merged St. Caspieran’s Salvation with the Orphanage from The Shackled City. The players investigate children who have been kidnapped from the Orphanage. They discover that the cyphermages are looking for children born with strange invisible markings on them, identical to those on the cyphergate. Markings that only show up when Detect Magic is cast upon them. The players travel down into the ruins of the lost Gnome District of Riddleport, named Geartown, to investigate this. To lure them in, one of the players is friends with one of the missing children. Another player is asked by High Publican Rolf to visit the Orphanage.
One player 15 years ago witnessed Boss Croat murder someone. Boss Croat later had the player attacked and his men pried one of the player’s eyes out of his socket. He now wears an eyepatch. When the game begins, Boss Croat, who is now a powerful crimelord, visits him, and shows him his own eye in a jar, as a reminder to never speak of what he saw. This of course launches the players into an investigation about who the person was and why Boss Croat didn’t just kill the player.
One player’s mother is the lover of a crimelord rival of Clegg Zincher. Against her mother’s wishes, the player takes a job for Zincher, but then betrays Zincher. The players mother goes to Zincher to make a deal with him, so he won’t kill her daughter. So, the mother ends up murdering her lover for Zincher. This kicks off a gang war. Plus the daughter of the dead crimelord wants revenge on the player and her mother Lots of crimelord intrigue.
One player’s father owes Clegg Zincher a large sum of gold and begs his son for help. More crimelord intrigue to get Zincher off his dad’s back.
One of the players was just released from Shoreleave. He used to work for a Lizardman crimelord. ( an oddity for Riddleport ) The crimelord has been killed, but the rival crimelord is after his children, so none of them will grow up to seek revenge. The players learn that his children are actually a straw-filled chest containing four lizardman eggs. They have to sneak the eggs out of Riddleport, while being chased by the rival crimelord’s men and without breaking any of the eggs.
Also, when I refer to cyphermages above, I mean a small secret faction within the Order of the Cyphers. Not every single cypermage.
Really nice, Kalandil :) That sounds like a great way to strenghten the connection between the PCs and Riddleport. I might even steal one of the backgrounds, if I may ;).
As a completely unrelated matter:
Why exactly do the Golarion Drow speak Undercommon?
Apart from that being a 3.5 holdover, wouldn't it make more sense for them to actually speak Elven, or at least a dialect of Elven?
According to Second Darkness #17 (A Memory of Darkness) the drow do indeed speak Elvish. Check out the sidebar on page 13. It says, 'the drow retain the elven language (albeit one with a strange and sinister accent)'
Rules-wise, I think I'll handle it like this: Anybody who can speak/understand Elven, can also understand the Drow dialect. However, to actively speak it without attracting attention, I will require some kind of investment from the player. Maybe a rank in linguistics and some time spent among Drow?
Agree with you there. Although since its just an accent, I can't see why a charismatic character couldn't 'fake it' with the appropriate skill check, such as disguise or bluff.
Ah, thanks for pointing that out - I'd missed it.
However, before that happened they had also been negotiating with Tammerhawk because one of the PCs belonged to the cyphermage lodge. Tammerhawk wanted to get them on his side and use them to help bring down Cromarcky. This never had a chance to happen due to the actions of the PCs, but I felt it had the potential to be a fun addition to the Riddleport part of the campaign. In the end, the heroes were basically banished from Riddleport with a bounty on their heads.
So I just had something similar happen - but it was prompted by the players themselves for the most part - seeking out assistance from Tammerhawk and other powers, as the PC of a former player was being held for attempted murder (of Zincher - Paladin caught him with Akatas).
Complicated action, ending with Tammerhawk and party taking down Cromarcky and installing him as the new Overlord.
This is all *after* Armageddon Echo - rather good timing, a struggle for them but they whipped up a *lot* of support and things worked in their favor - a lot of near death/capture.
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Hey everyone a ton of good suggestions here, I'm wondering if there are any more to do with Endless night, I Like House Vonarc and the whole idea of the PC's Getting into one of the larger houses, I just Dont like the reason they get into it Gaddak suggests them to the slavemother, It just feels too lucky What i might make happen is for him as he takes them to Zirnakaynin as a form of protection for himself really (as in my adventure I'm going to drop a few darklands encounters on them) He lets slip he's in house vonarcc and they have to try and convince him to Get them in as he also let's slip (as he is quite talkative) that house vonarc are quite close to the azinraes, what do you all think?
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Here's how I had it go down in my game. The heroes went in through the gate. They were interrogated by the guards. They were ordered to go to house Azrinae to file a report. Gadak escorted them but warned them against going, saying that the Azrinae's didn't tolerate failure and would likely have them killed. He instead encouraged to bring the news to his house instead. They didn't listen to him and paid their visit to house Azrinae. Gadak was right, but the Azrinae's showed them some mercy and they were allowed to leave after being flogged to within an inch of their lives. They then tried to seek out house Vonnarc, but didn't really know how to find them so they returned to city. After some interesting escapes in the city they managed to hire a guide to lead them back to house Vonnarc, and from there they were able to get on as retainers for the house.
Hey everyone a ton of good suggestions here, I'm wondering if there are any more to do with Endless night, I Like House Vonarc and the whole idea of the PC's Getting into one of the larger houses, I just Dont like the reason they get into it Gaddak suggests them to the slavemother, It just feels too lucky What i might make happen is for him as he takes them to Zirnakaynin as a form of protection for himself really (as in my adventure I'm going to drop a few darklands encounters on them) He lets slip he's in house vonarcc and they have to try and convince him to Get them in as he also let's slip (as he is quite talkative) that house vonarc are quite close to the azinraes, what do you all think?
My player's PCs captured Nolveniss' assassin Arkaxis and struck a deal with him; they are planning to use him as their entry point into drow society. This was made easier by the fact that Nolveniss seems to be a bad person to work for, even by drow standards; he keeps forgetting to get his people out when the Echo resets, and he sets them up to die (look at the layout of the Academy).
Arkaxis is likely to betray them at some point, of course, but they know that.
My quandary at this point is that the PCs are very goal-focused and will be determined to get information on Azrinae, but they know that a direct approach to Azrinae may be too dangerous. I could get them into Vonnarc but then I have no writeup for Azrinae when they investigate, and they will. Or I could substitute the Vonnarc writeup for Azrinae, with some difficulty, but then if they decide they need a power base in another House I've used up the module prep already. No matter what, I fear I'll have to do a drow House from scratch. I don't feel good about simply making investigation of Azrinae impossible.
My player and I were both worrying a lot about how the drow-city arc could be made to work; the capture of Arkaxis was a godsend. I'm still not sure it will work but the chances have gone up.
My player's PCs captured Nolveniss' assassin Arkaxis and struck a deal with him; they are planning to use him as their entry point into drow society. This was made easier by the fact that Nolveniss seems to be a bad person to work for, even by drow standards; he keeps forgetting to get his people out when the Echo resets, and he sets them up to die (look at the layout of the Academy).
Arkaxis is likely to betray them at some point, of course, but they know that.
My quandary at this point is that the PCs are very goal-focused and will be determined to get information on Azrinae, but they know that a direct approach to Azrinae may be too dangerous. I could get them into Vonnarc but then I have no writeup for Azrinae when they investigate, and they will. Or I could substitute the Vonnarc writeup for Azrinae, with some difficulty, but then if they decide they need a power base in another House I've used up the module prep already. No matter what, I fear I'll have to do a drow House from scratch. I don't feel good about simply making investigation of Azrinae impossible.
My player and I were both worrying a lot about how the drow-city arc could be made to work; the capture of Arkaxis was a godsend. I'm still not sure it will work but the chances have gone up.
You could try Dezzavold from Green Ronin for extra material.
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I can't speak to the later portions of the adventure as i am still GMing in Riddleport. Two months in we are at the Foamrunner.
I love the town of Riddleport. It is a vast blank slate to fill in my players wants and desires... they will be sad to leave. I will be sad to have them leave as Riddleport is full of fun interesting slimeballs who are just a joy to roleplay as a GM.
I concur. Of all the chapters, Chapter 1 was by far the longest and most labor intensive. It was primarily because there were oodles of opportunities for roleplaying. The next two chapters were much more plot-driven, and thus the roleplaying suffered.
Alas, Zirnakaynin didn't prove to be a good roleplaying ground for the group. It's alienness and the fact that the PCs didn't really know how to conduct their investigation stymied things.
Now we're starting Memory of Darkness. I see much opportunity to roleplay - especially in the first and last chapters ... so, fingers crossed.
My group just finished 'A shadow in the sky', and while I think several things didn't exactly work out as planned, by and large I'm happy with my 'modified' campaign. Maybe I'll get around to posting the session logs here one of these days.
Off topic @ baron arem heshvaun:
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Vendor - Fantasiapelit Tampere
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Ah. This AP really has potential of being one of the best.
I'm doing just minor changes, mostly at the Memory of Darkness.
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I found Memory of Darkness a good book overall but
Since I had 5 players, but only 2 elf PC's, I made the rule that The Winter Council would only allow Elven characters to sit in the meeting with them. It worked out quite well all in all.
Brilliant Neil !
Thanks! :)
I think I still have the info somewhere so if anyone wants to do the same thing, I'd be happy to post them in this thread.
+1
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Cool, thanks. It's a lot of info I should warn you, but here's the edited version. Note that these are generally written in the point of view of the character in question.
Arlindil:
Arlindil: Lawful Neutral - Male Elf, Druid
BACKGROUND:
You are Arlindil, High Druid at Thorn’s End and liaison with Golarion’s elven druids. You are the oldest member of the Winter of Council and the most ‘Hard-Line’ and traditional of the surviving councillors. You hold a philosophy that natural ‘cycles’ regulate the world and these include the humanoid races as well as the natural environment, which essentially mean that you ensure such cycles continue without impairment. You used to spend much of your time gathering information from your druidic/ranger contacts and formulating strategies to counter outside efforts to affect the natural order of things.
PERSONALITY: (Cynical, Morose, Proud)
The blow to the Winter Council has affected you more than many of the other councillors. You have lost a much from the betrayal of Allevrah, and you fear that your faith may be slipping also. During the chaos of Allevrah’s betrayal your beloved animal companion (a massive raven named Meraka) was slain in the combat, her body destroyed and you unable to bring her back to life. Furthermore, the corruption of the Tanglebriar forest by the demons constantly assaults your senses. Your mood has darkened as a result. The arrival of the PC’s has only confirmed to you that change is coming to the Elves of Kyonin, and that means the beginning of the end of Elvish society as you know it. Now depressed and despondent, you no longer believe that the Winter Council can (or perhaps even should) be saved. Your only source of comfort has been the company of Malindil, but that in itself is self-destructive, as such a relationship would not normally be acceptable by the rules of Thorns End, and thus a contradiction to your own faith in the traditions of the Winter Council.
RECENT EVENTS:
The decline of the Winter Council can be traced to one key event several years ago. General Allevrah had called a council meeting claiming she had found a solution to the ‘drow problem’. She claimed her studies had led her to the recreation of ancient Aboleth magic, and that she now had the power to call down a star to crush the drow capital city. Of course, this would mean having to smash through Golarion’s crust first, and that would mean uncontrollable collateral damage of an unprecedented scale. Most of the other councillors (including yourself) cried out in horror at the idea, and only Hialin and Auramesties remained silent. After a moment of contemplation, Auramesties denied the request. Angered by the refusal, Allevrah continued the argument until she had to be shouted down by Auramesties. Now possessed with rage, Allevrah cast ‘destruction’ against the First Speaker, slaying him outright, and in the ensuing chaos, released the Maleficus Spike before fleeing the tower. The demons saw the opportunity and caused major damage to the structure and the guards. Fortunately your animal companion retrieved the Maleficus Spike (at the cost of its life) but Allevrah herself escaped Thorns End. Order was restored with the Maleficus Spike back in place but the demons now surrounded Thorns End, and had already destroyed your personal chambers. Worst of all, your precious companion was gone. After a period of mourning, you attempted to bond with a new companion, but you discovered that the species had become extinct from the demonic incursion in the forest. Utterly depressed, you never found the spirit to bond with another animal.
RELATIONSHIPS:
GENERAL ALLEVRAH (Priestess of Nethys: Exiled): You were always indifferent to Allevrah. Although you did admire her dedication to the eradication of the drow menace you found her methods distasteful. Allevrah’s betrayal has enraged beyond reason and the idea of revenge upon her is one of the few things keeping you focused. Even so, with the benefit of hindsight you now believe that a betrayal of some kind within the Winter Council was inevitable, sooner or later.
ARMISTRAL (Captain of the Guard): As Armistral is merely a common guard you’ve generally ignored him in the past. Even so, you are aware that he has proved loyal.
AURAMESTIES (Wizard First Speaker: Deceased): Allevrah’s betrayal left the leader of the Winter Council dead, killed by a destruction spell that made resurrection impossible. Ironically, the only members of the Winter Council able to bring Aurimesties back to life were Allevrah or Auramesties himself. In life, he was a hard-line traditionalist in his role as First Speaker, and you held tremendous respect for him. His death was a blow to you.
PERELIR (Priestess of Calistria): You dislike Perelir. While the rest of the council (including yourself) typically values tradition, order and discipline, Perelir has proven to be a disruptive nuisance, even a liability, and you never wanted her in the council to begin with. Her efforts to forge relationships with others in Thorns End have annoyed you to no end and you have little interest for her religion. Nevertheless, she is a vital asset to the defence of Thorns End, as she is capable of crafting items to aid the defenders. Her role was to ensure the health (physically and spiritually) of the defenders but you believe she has done more harm than good. You suspect she has twisted Malindil in some way, and you now fear that Perelir has begun some plot to take over the Winter Council, maybe as an agent of the Queen.
HIALIN (Mage): You are indifferent to Hialin for the most part. More than any other councillors, Hialin has isolated himself in his chamber and laboratory, and has apparently turned to his arcane studies for comfort. Before Allevrah’s betrayal, Hialin was lined up as Auramesties replacement but he has failed to step up to the leadership after Auramesties murder. Exactly why this is you cannot say, but you believe that Hialin is as depressed and forlorn as you are and his self-imposed isolation is a symptom of this. He has been extremely tight lipped about his studies and stopped receiving visitors altogether over the last few months. You believe that he is working on some method to save the Council but you find his absence frustrating. You feel somewhat ashamed that Hialin is persevering in some endeavour while you waste time with Malindil, and you despise yourself even more for this fact. Being the only arcanist remaining in the Council, Hialin is the one who ‘charges’ the Maleficus Spike each morning, and thus is protecting Thorns End from the demons outside. Regardless of your opinion of him, you cannot deny that this act alone is ensuring the continued security of Thorns End.
MALINDIL (Ranger - Commander-in-Chief of Thorns End): You have always felt a platonic connection with Malindil, and have respected her dedication to tradition and her love of nature. After Allevrah’s betrayal you noticed a gradual change in her as she also descended into depression and, out of mutual desperation, you two formed a relationship. In hindsight you now see this was an act of weakness, more than likely orchestrated by Perelir. Even worse, Malindil seems to think that you could take leadership of Thorns End and, in your paranoia, are fearful of some conspiracy created by Perelir. In any case, you accepted long ago that you do not officially qualify as First Speaker. Malindil is kind and you are grateful to her for her support, but you sense her dedication to the principles of the Winter Council failing and have begun to see her more as a burden than a friend.
DURING THE MEETING:
You are despondent and cynical during the meeting. You are convinced that the Winter Council is effectively dead and the only sane choice left is to abandon Thorns End and throw yourselves at the mercy of the Queen. Depressed or not however, you want Thorns End destroyed (along with the records within) to preserve what little dignity remains and so that the demons outside never have the chance to use it for their own purposes. All records of the Winter Council must be eradicated.
Malindil:
Malindil: True Neutral, Female Elf, Ranger
BACKGROUND:
You are Malindil, commander-in-chief at Thorn’s End. As part of your duty, you are the point of contact between the Winter Council and the Shin’Rakorath. You are one of the finest hunter in Kyonin, specialising in slaying demons (and drow), and have taken great pride in foiling the plans of Treerazer on numerous occasions. Your slaying of one of Treerazer’s generals (A half-fiend hill giant) a few years ago was of particular note. You have been slain (and raised) three times thus far but you see that as simply part of the risks of your position. Next to Perelir, you are the youngest member of the order.
PERSONALITY: (Proud, Desperate, Enthusiastic)
Once ordered and regimented in lifestyle, recent turn of events have shaken your faith in yourself and those around you. Formerly fearlessly confident and disciplined, your demeanour has worsened dramatically with the betrayal of Allevrah, once your closest friend, while the continuous siege by Treerazer’s minions has made you even more depressed. You are in virtual denial over Allevrah, now convincing yourself that her betrayal was due to mind control or possession. In desperation over the worsening situation, you have formed a relationship with Arlindil and are becoming more emotional and less orderly in your thoughts. You have hidden this from Hialin as you doubt he would understand. The idea of taking control of the Winter Council has occurred to you, but such a move would be at against the principles of the order, and in any event you are no longer confident enough of yourself to make such a move.
RECENT EVENTS:
The decline of the Winter Council can be traced to one key event several years ago. General Allevrah called a council meeting claiming she had found a solution to the ‘drow problem’. She claimed her studies had led her to the recreation of ancient Aboleth magic, and that she now had the power to call down a star to crush the drow capital city. Of course, this would mean having to smash through Golarion’s crust first, and that would mean uncontrollable collateral damage of an unprecedented scale. The other councillors (including yourself) cried out in horror at the idea, and only Hialin and Auramesties remained silent. After a moment of contemplation, Auramesties denied the request. Angered by the refusal, Allevrah continued the argument until she had to be shouted down by Auramesties. Now possessed with rage, Allevrah cast ‘destruction’ against the First Speaker, slaying him outright, and in the ensuing chaos, released the Maleficus Spike before fleeing the tower. The demons saw the opportunity and caused major damage to the structure and the guards Fortunately, Armistral’s animal companion retrieved the Maleficus Spike (at the cost of its life) but Allevrah herself escaped Thorns End. Order was quickly restored with the Maleficus Spike back in pace and the demons routed. But alas, the damage had been done.
RELATIONSHIPS:
GENERAL ALLEVRAH (Priestess of Nethys: Exiled): You once considered yourself a close friends of Allevrah until her betrayal, and although the two of you often disagreed on methods against the drow/demons you never imagined she would abandon the Winter Council in such a way. Allevrah was a well-respected leader of the elves against the drow incursion, and she also distinguished herself against Treerazer’s minions on several occasions. She was extreme in her views, and advocated violent methods which would cause considerable collateral damage. This was likely due to her faith to Nethys, who was a deity who advocated such methods. Although initially enraged by her betrayal, you now sincerely hope that she returns someday to redeem herself, and you believe that she has been deceived or driven to her actions in some manner on that fateful day.
ARMISTRAL (Captain of the Guard): You have worked closely with Armistral in your duties of defender of Thorn’s End. You have a good working relationship with him but as of late have neglected his consul, preferring instead to spend your time with Arlindil. You noticed that Perelir has more to do with him these days but they seem to simply waste their time on pointless hit-and-run tactics on the demons.
AURAMESTIES (Wizard First Speaker: Deceased): Allevrah’s betrayal left the leader of the Winter Council dead, killed by a destruction spell that made resurrection impossible. Ironically, the only members of the Winter Council able to bring Aurimesties back to life were Allevrah or Auramesties himself. In life, he was a hard-line traditionalist in his role as First Speaker, and quite possibly the most powerful mage in Kyonin. His death has been concealed from most outsiders and Hialin has taken up most of his duties. His leadership was vital in the past and his loss has left a void in the council. You believe that the loss of his leadership is a major cause of the failing council.
ARLINDIL (High Druid): You have formed a romantic relationship with Arlindil following the betrayal of Allevrah. You currently have a flicker of hope that his traditionalist views can restore your faith in the Winter Council, and maybe he could even take the mantle as new leader of Thorns End. You have been disappointed to note however that his mood is even grimmer than yours, not terribly surprising since his connection to nature (and its perversion from demonic powers) in the Tanglebriar is even closer than your own. You have made it a personal goal to lift his depressed spirit and give him the confidence to reforge Thorns End, but are beginning to doubt that your efforts are making any impact at all. Nevertheless, he has proven to be the only source of comfort in these grim times.
HIALIN (Wizard 2nd Speaker): You are unsure of Hialin’s attitude. More than any other councillors, Hialin has isolated himself in his chamber and laboratory, and has apparently turned to his arcane studies for comfort. Before Allevrah’s betrayal, Hialin was lined up as Auramesties replacement but he has failed to step up to the leadership after Auramesties murder. Exactly why this is you cannot say, but you believe that Hialin is not yet psychologically ready for such a position as of yet and thus is trying ‘behind the scenes’ to orchestrate something to save the Winter Council, leaving little time for leadership. He has been extremely tight lipped about his studies and stopped receiving visitors altogether over the last few months. Being the only arcanist remaining in the Council, Hialin is the one who ‘charges’ the Maleficus Spike each morning, and thus is protecting Thorns End from the demons outside. For this act alone, you are extremely grateful.
PERELIR (Priestess of Calistria): You distrust Perelir as her attitude is so different to yourself and the others. While the council (including yourself) typically values tradition, order and discipline, Perelir is a troublesome ‘wildcard’ who disrupts the order of things. She has done her best to form relationships between council members and you suspect her influence might be connected to Allevrah’s betrayal, although there is no real evidence of that. Regardless, she is a vital asset to the defence of Thorns End, as she is capable of crafting weapons, armour, and wands. Her role was to ensure the comfort and health (physically and spiritually) of the defenders. Her regular attacks against the demons (typically using summoned minions) are frivolous and pointless however.
DURING THE MEETING:
The convening of a meeting has restored some hope in you that the Winter Council can be restored to strength. Your primary motivation is rescuing the Winter Council by uniting with the PC’s in an assault against the demons. A solid, swift blow to them and their Nalfeshnee leader will show them that the Winter Council remains strong. You are also intent on retaining your position and dignity in front of the other councillors, and take personal offense at any slight against you or Arlindil, especially in regards to your relationship. You are confident that the Winter Council does not need the aid of the Queen and should retain its sovereignty at all costs. The idea of toadying to the Queen is abhorrent to you, and you still believe that the Winter Council can recover without her aid.
Perelir:
Perelir: Chaotic Neutral - Female Elf, Priestess of Calistria
BACKGROUND:
You are Perelir, spiritual advisor at Thorn’s End. You are the youngest member of the Winter of Council and the most recent addition to Thorns End. Before the betrayal of Allevrah (see Recent Events) your duties were to the spiritual needs of the defenders, as well as to provide sustenance in the form of conjured food and some item creation. You also specialised in scrying and divinations. During the first few decades of your appointment you were disappointed to note that most of the inhabitants refused your efforts to forge relationships, and were/are afraid to ‘feel good about themselves’, as you would put it. You quickly learnt that Auramesties also regarded you as a counterbalance to Allevrah during the council meetings, since her aggressive attitude proved a complication to some of the meetings. After the betrayal you have done your best to rebuild the defenders morale, and have done your best to reforge relationships between them. You were pleased to discover that Malindil and Arlindil have recently formed a relationship, something you took great pride in orchestrating.
PERSONALITY: (Calm, Thoughtful, Diplomatic)
The blow to the Winter Council has affected you somewhat less than the others, thanks to your adaptable nature, but you are nevertheless finding yourself increasingly isolated and alone. Your usual passionate, emotional attitude has been subdued by recent events. You cannot help but feel a growing sense of failure at Allevrah's betrayal, since Auramesties had long considered you a counterbalance to her extreme viewpoints in the meetings. Your mood has worsened as a result, but you remain convinced that an answer to this dilemma exists, and that if you can continue tending to the faith and morale of the defenders, then maybe a chance to save the Winter Council will present itself. Unfortunately, you also fear that an 'opportunity' may involve adjusting the traditional thinking of the Winter Council, something which the other members would vehemently oppose. It is for this reason that you haven’t attempted to take command of Thorns End yourself, at least until you can change their outlook. In the meantime, you help organise guerrilla raids on the demonic horde outside, usually with summoned creatures and planar allies. You like to think that, while not terribly effective at wearing down the demons numbers, you nevertheless keep them on their toes and keep up general morale within Thorns End.
RECENT EVENTS:
The decline of the Winter Council can be traced to one key event several years ago. General Allevrah had called a council meeting claiming she had found a solution to the ‘drow problem’. She claimed her studies had led her to the recreation of ancient Aboleth magic, and that she now had the power to call down a star to crush the drow capital city. Of course, this would mean having to smash through Golarion’s crust first, and that would mean uncontrollable collateral damage of an unprecedented scale. The other councillors (including yourself) cried out in horror at the idea, and only Hialin and Auramesties remained silent. After a moment of contemplation, Auramesties denied the request. Angered by the refusal, Allevrah continued the argument until she had to be shouted down by Auramesties. Now possessed with rage, Allevrah cast ‘destruction’ against the First Speaker, slaying him outright, and in the ensuing chaos, released the Maleficus Spike before fleeing the tower. The demons saw the opportunity and caused major damage to the structure and the guards Fortunately, Armistral’s animal companion retrieved the Maleficus Spike (at the cost of its life) but Allevrah herself escaped Thorns End. Order was quickly restored with the Maleficus Spike back in pace and the demons routed. But alas, the damage had been done.
RELATIONSHIPS:
GENERAL ALLEVRAH (Priestess of Nethys: Exiled): You always had a considerable respect for Allevrah until her betrayal. Although the two of you often disagreed on aspects of faith and ideals of life, you still had a healthy friendship with Allevrah and never imagined she would abandon the Winter Council in such a way. Allevrah was a well-respected leader of the elves against the drow incursion, and she also distinguished herself against Treerazer’s minions on several occasions. She was extreme in her views, and advocated violent methods which would cause considerable collateral damage. You believe that Allevrah's denial of the elven need to experience pleasure and beauty, as part of the mandate of self-discipline within the Winter Council, created a sickness within her that led to her eventual betrayal. In a way then, the Winter Council is responsible for her fall.
ARMISTRAL (Captain of the Guard): You have worked closely with Armistral in your duties of defender of Thorn’s End. You have a good working relationship with him but he has proven uninterested in a relationship of a romantic nature. Even so, he has provided vital support in your attacks on the demonic horde outside and you believe he would stay loyal to the end.
AURAMESTIES (Wizard First Speaker: Deceased): Allevrah’s betrayal left the leader of the Winter Council dead, killed by a destruction spell that made resurrection impossible. Ironically, the only members of the Winter Council able to bring Aurimesties back to life were Allevrah or Auramesties himself. In life, he was a hard-line traditionalist in his role as First Speaker, and an overbearing and stuffy leader. His death was nevertheless a blow to you and the council. Hialin has taken up most of his duties, but he has yet to prove himself the leader that Auramesties once was.
ARLINDIL (High Druid): In spite of your best efforts to befriend Arlindil, he has spurned your every advance. Of all the councillors, Arlindil is the most traditional and the least friendly towards you, his cold indifference and stern demeanour your polar opposite. Even so, you respect his age and experience and do feel some sympathy that he has lost so much in defence of Thorns End. You recently realised that he is has spiralled into a deep depression, which drove him into a relationship with Arlindil. Pleased at this outcome, you also hope this is the first spark that will lead him to a freer and less rigid outlook on life.
HIALIN (2nd Speaker: Mage): You dislike Hialin’s for the most part. More than any other councillors, Hialin has isolated himself in his chamber and laboratory, and has apparently turned to his arcane studies for comfort. Before Allevrah’s betrayal, Hialin was lined up as Auramesties replacement but he has failed to step up to the leadership after Auramesties murder. Exactly why this is you cannot say, but you believe that Hialin's rigid mind has shattered under the pressures and expectations with the crippling to the Winter Council, and his self-imposed isolation is a symptom of this. He has been extremely tight lipped about his studies and stopped receiving visitors altogether over the last few months. Being the only arcanist remaining in the Council, Hialin is the one who ‘charges’ the Maleficus Spike each morning, and thus is protecting Thorns End from the demons outside. Regardless of your opinion of him, you cannot deny that this act alone is ensuring the continued security of Thorns End.
MALINDIL (Ranger - Commander-in-Chief of Thorns End): You and Malindil have rarely seen exactly eye to eye and you have taken advantage of her depression since Allevrah's departure and have helped disrupt her regimented lifestyle. You expect her to finally live free from her old disciplined life and become a 'true elf' in the near future. You have done this subtly, but your efforts have had some obvious success with Malindil and Arlindil forming a romantic relationship. Your ultimate desire here is to gently clear away the overbearing traditions that Malindil once followed and instil a new 'proper' path with the freedom loving ways of the Calistria the prominent goal. Malindil will then become a proper elf, and an example to the others.
DURING THE MEETING:
The convening of a meeting has restored some hope in you that the Winter Council can be restored to strength. Your primary motivation is to convince the other councillors (and the PC's) that the only sane choice is to contact the queen, to beg for help, and to engage the armies of Kyonin on a massive reclamation effort, starting here at Thorns End. You realise such a move might not sit well with some of the other councillors, but if ultimate victory means making a few concessions to the Queen, then surely the end result must be worth it.
Wow. Very nice work.
I'm considering asking one of the Paizo guys to make this tread a sticky, if goodness continues to accumulate at this rate :D.
I did something very similar Neil, except I actually brought in 4 outsiders to play all the parts (as a surprise). Your write-ups look a bit better than mine - though similar information :) Worked out great.
I did something very similar Neil, except I actually brought in 4 outsiders to play all the parts (as a surprise). Your write-ups look a bit better than mine - though similar information :) Worked out great.
I'm impressed, I didn't think it would be feasible to let the PC's play all 4 members of the Winter Council. I played Hialin because I wanted to control the conversation and, of course, orchestrate the big finish.
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In Endless night, the game shifts heavily to a RP based game, but to a certain degree in a very contrived/restricted manner. My Wizard is flabbergasted that with his demonstrated skill as a wizard he needs to either march up and down the square, or scrub pots to prove himself, instead of provide use as a wizard making items or scrolls for the magic manufacturing family. So when the players finally moved up to first tier and were sent to hunt the driders I decided to make it a bit more of a break then a one off battle.
So instead I had the "cave complex the dridres and taken off to" was a remote, very large cavern that was a underground mushroom forest complete with a thriving eatyoucosystem, a great big king beastie that rules the land, and a warren of subterranean cave trolls. It has made for an amusing and memorable break in the AP, and fit with the natural goals of the AP much more smoothly then the set piece that came with.
It also allowed me to salt some more clues in to the adventure. In Children of the Void the players failed to kill the drow druid. As an interlude between Armageddon Echo and Endless night the players stepped into the role of Drow on the surface hunting an elf messenger, upon slaying him, the provided the belongings of that Elf to the Druid who was their commander. The elf was Kwava, and the belongings included his message and miss givings about the mysterious Winter Council and even a hint to the connection between the Winter Council and Allevrah Azerine. At the time the players didn't see those documents, but fast forward to our jungle adventure in the mushroom forest, and the players found the drow druids underground home, currently unoccupied, but well trapped, with Kwava's more interesting possessions.
Galnörag, sweet!
I did something very similar...I'm impressed, I didn't think it would be feasible to let the PC's play all 4 members of the Winter Council. I played Hialin because I wanted to control the conversation and, of course, orchestrate the big finish.
Oh I quite agree - I brought in 4 people who weren't playing the game at all - two of which hadn't role-played before - to handle each of the council members. That way the PCs had no real clue who, if anyone, was the "bad guy". Played out quite nice, except some had to go before the council scene.
Galnörag, sweet!
I did something very similar...I'm impressed, I didn't think it would be feasible to let the PC's play all 4 members of the Winter Council. I played Hialin because I wanted to control the conversation and, of course, orchestrate the big finish.
Oh I quite agree! That's why I brought in four people who weren't playing at all, including two who hadn't role-played before. They handled all the council members, from introductions on, I worked everything else. Kept the PCs from having an easy clue about who the "bad guy" was.
Oh I quite agree! That's why I brought in four people who weren't playing at all, including two who hadn't role-played before. They handled all the council members, from introductions on, I worked everything else. Kept the PCs from having an easy clue about who the "bad guy" was.
Oh, now I see! Oops, I misread your previous post. :S
Nicely done, although I don't think I have enough friends to manage that one. :) lol!
I'm running the shadow in the sky currently. While I like the adventure, one thing that I didn't like was how it didn't put the players in the "driver's seat", so to speak.
So for the first session, I asked the players to work out a reason for their characters to distrust the new proprietor of the Gold Goblin, and we agreed on an element in their background that would give them a reason to start investigating him covertly.
For example
- one character is from Riddleport. Saul double-crossed his family on several occasions, foiling the character's father's attempts to become a minor crime lord.
- another character is curious about Saul's sudden rise to wealth, and is worried that he somehow has something to do with the shadow in the sky and Rovagug (he is concerned that the blot is a herald of a beast of Rovagug).
-another character is digging up information on Saul as a favor to Tromard Roldheim (this character is an alchemist, and hopes to trade information for alchemical components or arcane knowledge)
The encounters require a bit of modification, but the adventure has an entirely different tone: rather than being lieutenants and dupes for Saul Vancasserkin, they are actively investigating him. Since they are in on it from the beginning, the adventure becomes more of a police procedural / long-con, rather than a series of small time mafia jobs.
The real trick to it is that you have to be good at playing Saul as a really smooth, lying, cheating Bastard. That is half the fun, really. They keep trying to expose whatever plot he is up to, and he keeps foiling them.
So most of my game is padded out with extra investigation and RP as the players try to root out Saul's true motives, and the source of his sudden wealth. I haven't gotten to the other adventures yet, but I think I'll follow a similar strategy for the 2 others that look to me to be in need of fleshing out (#16 & #17).
First of all, thanks for this thread. There are already a number of seriously helpful posts on padding out Second Darkness on these forums – e.g. I love the one which talks about the Winter Council and the final battle in volume 17 – and as someone who is quite disappointed with 2D as well, these are incredibly helpful to me. With the purely personal negativity out of the way, here some of my comments.
You asked to identify the weak spots, i.e. the very points I as a DM would alter. Here they come. Spoilers beware – players should read no further!
Hole Bunch of Stuff Omited
If you hate the Adventure Paths driving the characters why do you even run APs they just dont sound like your cup of tea
I like some of you ways to increase player involvment but I have read the the first 2 and almost done with the third and I really enjoy them and dont see the flaws
I have not seen the flaws I do see some stuff that could be added and I will be taking some stuff from this thread
This is not an attack on you just how you talk about adventure you just dont seem to be an Adventure Paths tyoe DM
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If you hate the Adventure Paths driving the characters why do you even run APs they just dont sound like your cup of tea
Hi Joey,
Before Paizo switched to their own ruleset I bought every adventure path they ever produced, going back to Shackled City in 2003, and up to Legacy of Fire in 2009. I proudly own a nearly complete shelf of all the adventure paths (missing a bit from Second Darkness, but about to fill up the remaining volumes - which is why I'm looking onto the SD boards 8 months after I last touched them).
I love Paizo's Adventure Paths. They are chock full of great campaign material. I just prefer to look at the material as bits and pieces which leave me open to use them how I see fit. A DM need not run the modules exactly as they are written and still benefit greatly from the product he bought. At least that's my experience. I'd also refer you to Erik Mona discussing his own experience with the "Age of Worms" adventure path. He basically approached it with a very open mind set and let the players chase up extra missions around the starting location long after the official modules planned the PCs to abandon that location. But see, if Erik and his co-authors hadn't written up the starting location (and the first modules set right there) as brilliantly as he did, maybe he and his players may have never been that hugely inspired to keep playing their campaign there in the first place. See? It's quality material very much regardless of whether you adopt the meta-structure in the modules or not.
Hope you understand. Also, enjoy Second Darkness!
PS. And thanks to Neil Mansell for those NPC write-ups. Really awesome, very well done!
PPS. Yes, let's sticky the thread if possible. Like the DM reference threads it really contains helpful stuff to help run the campaign.
That was kinda what I thought you did with the Adventure Paths from what you said
I have to admit some of us use Adventure Paths because they are some what lazy with full time jobs and two kids. So the extra changes dont always work
During A Memory of Darkness I think The Snowcaster Sentry should be somthing more then what it is the book. I think it got cut for space does anyone have any idea what would be good here?
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So I'm sealing this with Spoilers against my own players, as this has only played out in part so far, and its up to them to spoil or not their own fun:
In the big fight at the end of AP 14 the evil druid wild shaped his but out the sea cave when the battle tide was turned. He has had two reoccurring indirect appearances to date. The first was in a vignette between AP 14-15 where the players played as a basic band of drow who were order to intercept a messenger bringing news to the Celwynvain. The messenger happened to be Kwava, and the players utterly destroyed him. They then reported back to their leader (the druid) who took the messages / gear Kwava had, and killed one of the pc's for being a little too CE.
His next appearance was in AP 16, when the player were out hunting driders they explored an underground forest. Their they found a lair that the druid had built. He wasn't home at the time, but they found recognizable evidence of him, and they found Kwava's property including the messages, which brought our first hints of the Winter Council.
So I've decided to bring him back one last time, this time to fight it out.
But there is one other loose end that I would like to tie up as well. We have a kobald in the group who is a dragon Disciple /bard. He decided to go Dragon Disciple basically at the exact same time as we were about to meet Razorhorn, so naturally Razorhorn provided the opportunity to get some bits of dragon required for the ritual.
Because I like interesting plots the Bard's player and I agreed that a part of Razorhorn's soul would 'haunt' the bard, so that as he grew in power as a Dragon Disciple, he would slowly take on some of the affectations and personality of the Dragon. I made it clear he was in charge and there was no game effect beyond what he wanted, and he has played it well. (okay once or twice I threw in some humour like he woke up to find he had emptied his bag of holding full of gold into a minihorde, and had one of the best nights sleep in his life.
But the evil part of the GM, had the other half of razorhorn soul invest itself into the sword of the PC who actually slew razorhorn. That PC of course didn't balk at his shiny new +2 Acid Burst Rapier.
It wasn't until the will saves came later, and the sword turned him against the bard. They haven't come to blows yet, but the RP is amazing.
So I figure that sword is probably past being level appropriate, and the players (never mind their characters) have finally sense motived their way out of a wet paper bag and realize the Rogue is acting funny.
So soon the players will be heading back to the forest to try and find some way of breaking Razorhorn's curse on the party. In his lair they will soon find Razorhorn returned as a blastshadow (since he was in the echo when he died) and the evil druid, and razorhorn's twice dead mother (She has been reported to have been slain twice, and hasn't been seen since the second slaying, but I enjoy the way it has all come to together both the threads of the AP and our parties own RP.)
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Just had our last session, we padded the end of it with a bit of a twist. Instead of ending in the master glyph chamber (where disarming the glyph after the battle feels a bit anti climactic) Instead the destruction of the last glyph removed a field of protection from the meteor, so the party and the elves assaulted the stone itself, building a great magic gate by assembling twelve magic pylons from gate stones (the elves dismantled the part of the gate network to build the pylons.)
The party had a final epic battle against an avatar of abraxus, and then returned to kyonin to watch as the stone itself was transported into the abyss into the heart of abraxas's domain. A big explosion and an ewok like celebration followed.
Just had our last session, we padded the end of it with a bit of a twist. Instead of ending in the master glyph chamber (where disarming the glyph after the battle feels a bit anti climactic) Instead the destruction of the last glyph removed a field of protection from the meteor, so the party and the elves assaulted the stone itself, building a great magic gate by assembling twelve magic pylons from gate stones (the elves dismantled the part of the gate network to build the pylons.)
The party had a final epic battle against an avatar of abraxus, and then returned to kyonin to watch as the stone itself was transported into the abyss into the heart of abraxas's domain. A big explosion and an ewok like celebration followed.
I really Like this as an ending if you could post an outline and your notes it would be great
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I really Like this as an ending if you could post an outline and your notes it would be greatJust had our last session, we padded the end of it with a bit of a twist. Instead of ending in the master glyph chamber (where disarming the glyph after the battle feels a bit anti climactic) Instead the destruction of the last glyph removed a field of protection from the meteor, so the party and the elves assaulted the stone itself, building a great magic gate by assembling twelve magic pylons from gate stones (the elves dismantled the part of the gate network to build the pylons.)
The party had a final epic battle against an avatar of abraxus, and then returned to kyonin to watch as the stone itself was transported into the abyss into the heart of abraxas's domain. A big explosion and an ewok like celebration followed.
notes ? :)
I will put something together, and post it later
I played this AP back when this game was still in beta testing.
I played a human fighter, something I hadn't done since 1st edition.
We had a blast.
Best AP yet, in my mind.
We also had issue with the "skins of Drow" thing and totally didnt like the whole "freebie" sneak in thing.
As such there is a whole part of the adventure we never did. I still know nothing about it.
Instead we actually inflitrated down there.
There was some sneaking, invisibility, disguise, bluff, bribery and a whole lotta Running at the end.
But in the end I think that was our favorite part and it was all totally improv. So as far as what parts are "weak" its all only 'skin deep' you make things weak if you dont roleplay them out and expect them to be pre-written destinies.