Lucimar:
So, I want the players in my group to have some ideas about who the movers and shakers are in The Whispering Way by part 6. I think its a lot cooler when players exclaim, "Oh crap, it's the Lich Wolf!" rather than "So he's some kind of undead werewolf spellcaster...neat." I always love recurring villains and NPCs, and have already had Adivion Adrissant, Alpon Caromarc, Abraum Chalest (in attendance at funeral)and Ramoska Arkminos make appearances up to where we are now, which in in the middle of Schloss Caromarc.
When I look at part 6, (which I can't wait to run) I can't help but notice that there's a variety of near legendary foes that the party faces, yet I wish there was a way to harry the party with them or at least foreshadow them. I can see some of these guys being hinted at in legends, like Marrowgarth, The Grey Friar, and the Nightwalker Sey'Lok. Lucimar is strange enough to not be unknown, yet by his description, he seems secretive and powerful enough to leave no witnesses to his activities, besides other WW members. I guess my issue is that I feel that he's cool enough to have some pre-SoG appearance, and since I'm getting ready to run 'Broken Moon' that might be the place to do it. Hear me out here...
The trap in Schloss Carmomarc can't technically have been placed by Auren Vrood, at least not if you take into account his CL reduction from Agent of the Grave. Some players may notice this, some may not, but it leaves sort of a tiny plot hole nonetheless, which I feel can be filled by the Lich Wolf. I plan on having him do the following sometime after their victory at the Schloss (assuming they're victorious, but they just got past the huge AE without anyone dying.)
1) Begin scrying them from afar, first daily. As they get closer to the Shudderwood, I may increase this to twice a day. This will be due to the fact that the group is becoming a threat to the machinations of the WW.
2)Silently observe them from afar with Invisibility while they investigate the woods and The Stairs.
3)If fights are ever extremely easy for PCs, have him make an appearance. He'll introduce himself or mock the PCs, or something equally villainous, before dropping a Summon Monster V or VI and disappearing.
4)Anytime he's appeared, have him refer to his master being close to succeeding. When the PCs kill Vrood, have Lucimar appear and mock their efforts, and inform them that they've only killed a soldier.
When I look at part 6, (which I can't wait to run) I can't help but notice that there's a variety of near legendary foes that the party faces, yet I wish there was a way to harry the party with them or at least foreshadow them. I can see some of these guys being hinted at in legends, like Marrowgarth, The Grey Friar, and the Nightwalker Sey'Lok. Lucimar is strange enough to not be unknown, yet by his description, he seems secretive and powerful enough to leave no witnesses to his activities, besides other WW members. I guess my issue is that I feel that he's cool enough to have some pre-SoG appearance, and since I'm getting ready to run 'Broken Moon' that might be the place to do it. Hear me out here...
The trap in Schloss Carmomarc can't technically have been placed by Auren Vrood, at least not if you take into account his CL reduction from Agent of the Grave. Some players may notice this, some may not, but it leaves sort of a tiny plot hole nonetheless, which I feel can be filled by the Lich Wolf. I plan on having him do the following sometime after their victory at the Schloss (assuming they're victorious, but they just got past the huge AE without anyone dying.)
1) Begin scrying them from afar, first daily. As they get closer to the Shudderwood, I may increase this to twice a day. This will be due to the fact that the group is becoming a threat to the machinations of the WW.
2)Silently observe them from afar with Invisibility while they investigate the woods and The Stairs.
3)If fights are ever extremely easy for PCs, have him make an appearance. He'll introduce himself or mock the PCs, or something equally villainous, before dropping a Summon Monster V or VI and disappearing.
4)Anytime he's appeared, have him refer to his master being close to succeeding. When the PCs kill Vrood, have Lucimar appear and mock their efforts, and inform them that they've only killed a soldier.
Has anyone else had him make an appearance before the end and what have they done with him?
|
Good ideas. I am expanding the time frame on my campaign to several months, to account for travel, exploration, etc.
Spoiler:
I am also changing the Whispering Way plot line somewhat, so it is less about playing follow the leader and more about uncovering a wide-spread plot. I will have 6-12 important Lieutenants who make up the core of the Way, and who each hope to control a part of Ustalav after the "Rebirth of UnDeath" set to occur in the spring. While they are all assisting in creating the Carrion Crown ritual, after they have done their part they will be busy preparing their local forces for a mass uprising.
Lucimar would make a great lieutenant for the Shudder Wood. Perhaps I will have him in and out of the wood while the players are there. I may replace the final showdown at the stairs of the moon with the Werewolf captains being sworn to loyalty to Lucimar, who sets the Demon Wolves and their leader as his proxies before heading out to complete some sinister business. Dunno. I'll keep thinking.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Well, what I did was
Spoiler:
When the party killed Vrood and got the visions from his head, I made the Gray Friar the one who found Vrood and brought him to Renchurch, and I made Lucimar Vrood's teacher. And I've been changing references to AA to references to Lucimar, because AA is too clever to do things directly and risk getting scryed or otherwise caught.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I came up with something that gives Lucimar ties the Shudderwood and its werewolves. My group already encountered him along the road (he asked them a bunch of questions, invited them to join the WW, then dropped a Baykok on them when they didn't and disappeared. They've been wondering about this guy, so I had to come up with some backstory. I don't have the module where he first appears, so don't know if that contradicts any of what is below. Anyways..
History of Lucimar:
...Rhakis also relegates the tail of Lucimar, the Lich Wolf, a former pack leader of a forgotten sixth tribe of werewolves. Comprised of Varisians who held deep fascination with the runes in the Shudderwood, the Varlith were a proud tribe of wanderers who became infected with Lycanthropy during their long journeys through a dark forest to the west (Darkmoon Vale). Having heard of the Shudderwood, the group came to settle among the others of their kind there and became nestled within its boughs. Storytellers and practitioners of ancient magic, the tribe, while small compared to others, quickly became intermingled with their shapeshifting cousins, and grew in size over the decades. Yet as they became embroiled in the politics of the packs, ambition grew in their ranks.
Seeking a way to claim lands for their own and cease their wandering, their tribal leader Lucimar, somewhat of a runt but said to be exceedingly clever, learned the stories of all of the tribes and eventually came to a revelation. Each of the tribes possessed a power that gave them advantages over the others except for his; the Dorzenhavs possessed strong ties to the natural world, the Mordinachts possessed the backing of wealth and nobility, the Prince's Wolves held numerous allies amongst the human population, the Jezelden's held the greatest in numbers and the means to increase them, while the Vollensag had their sheer size and primal ferocity. Digging deeper, Lucimar realized that his tribe's wanderings and stories would have to be the strength that carried them, and to this end, he scoured the collected treasures that they had amassed over the centuries of travel. No one knows where the item came from, but Lucimar supposably found a thing of great power that had been carried for decades unknowingly, an ancient Thassilonian spellbook of potent arcane might. This tome, said to be related to a Runelord Zutha of ancient times, was laced with spells of necromantic power, powers related specifically to the raising of undead. Utilizing the tome, Lucimar quickly solidified the power of his tribe and staked out an area of the forest for his people. This created a schism within his tribe as many reviled the leader's use of an ancient, unknowable power while others believed that as Varisians, they were bound to wander as part of their blood. Refusing to accept the rejection of his plan and the sacrifices he had made to achieve it, Lucimar turned on his own people. Somehow, the spellbook had changed him, to the point that he saw his own tribe as a means to become Packlord. As each dissentor was killed and then re-animated to serve his cause without complaint, his tribe broke. A final stand was made by the tribe elders against him, where he in turn killed everyone with his unstoppable necromantic powers. Those that didn't attempt to make a final stand against him scattered to the far eaves of the forest, joining with other tribes and forgetting their own.
As Lucimar slaughtered the final elder of his tribe, it breathed a Varisian curse upon him, "You, who have killed your own people to further yourself, will forever be cursed by us, your blood. I Spite you Lucimar, may you forever be seen as the beast that you are, forever wander without ever resting, forever be seen as en enemy of your people" Supposably, his Thassilonian Tome burst into flames but the runes that ensorcelled it became burned upon his skin. Hindered but unrepentent, Lucimar set his sights on Packlord and marched his undead pack to HighThrone. Unfortunately, the five other tribes were ready for him. Silverhide blademasters joined fang with Primal tooth and claw while Broken One Druids wove powerful natural magics amidst the songs of The Prince's Wolves Even the Demon Wolves were said to wade in , conjuring abyssal horrors to counter the undead menaces of Lucimar. Though powerful, Lucimar stood no match against the collective might of the five tribes, especially without the ancient spellbook that had fueld his rise to power. Overwhelmed, he was executed within moments of his last zombie minion falling, his still beating heart cut out of his chest and devoured. Yet, he did not die. As the werewolves moved to destroy his body, he supoosably woke up and fled into the woods, where he disappeared for years. The legend has stuck with every werewolf in the Shudderwood over the years since its one of the few times in history that all five tribes worked together. As a result, a werewolf covered in Thassiloian runes has become akin to a Bogeyman to them, an enemy of all werewolves who was killed but did not die, someone who lurks in the forest waiting to snatch up lone children. This legend is about 500 years old.
...Rhakis also relegates the tail of Lucimar, the Lich Wolf, a former pack leader of a forgotten sixth tribe of werewolves. Comprised of Varisians who held deep fascination with the runes in the Shudderwood, the Varlith were a proud tribe of wanderers who became infected with Lycanthropy during their long journeys through a dark forest to the west (Darkmoon Vale). Having heard of the Shudderwood, the group came to settle among the others of their kind there and became nestled within its boughs. Storytellers and practitioners of ancient magic, the tribe, while small compared to others, quickly became intermingled with their shapeshifting cousins, and grew in size over the decades. Yet as they became embroiled in the politics of the packs, ambition grew in their ranks.
Seeking a way to claim lands for their own and cease their wandering, their tribal leader Lucimar, somewhat of a runt but said to be exceedingly clever, learned the stories of all of the tribes and eventually came to a revelation. Each of the tribes possessed a power that gave them advantages over the others except for his; the Dorzenhavs possessed strong ties to the natural world, the Mordinachts possessed the backing of wealth and nobility, the Prince's Wolves held numerous allies amongst the human population, the Jezelden's held the greatest in numbers and the means to increase them, while the Vollensag had their sheer size and primal ferocity. Digging deeper, Lucimar realized that his tribe's wanderings and stories would have to be the strength that carried them, and to this end, he scoured the collected treasures that they had amassed over the centuries of travel. No one knows where the item came from, but Lucimar supposably found a thing of great power that had been carried for decades unknowingly, an ancient Thassilonian spellbook of potent arcane might. This tome, said to be related to a Runelord Zutha of ancient times, was laced with spells of necromantic power, powers related specifically to the raising of undead. Utilizing the tome, Lucimar quickly solidified the power of his tribe and staked out an area of the forest for his people. This created a schism within his tribe as many reviled the leader's use of an ancient, unknowable power while others believed that as Varisians, they were bound to wander as part of their blood. Refusing to accept the rejection of his plan and the sacrifices he had made to achieve it, Lucimar turned on his own people. Somehow, the spellbook had changed him, to the point that he saw his own tribe as a means to become Packlord. As each dissentor was killed and then re-animated to serve his cause without complaint, his tribe broke. A final stand was made by the tribe elders against him, where he in turn killed everyone with his unstoppable necromantic powers. Those that didn't attempt to make a final stand against him scattered to the far eaves of the forest, joining with other tribes and forgetting their own.
As Lucimar slaughtered the final elder of his tribe, it breathed a Varisian curse upon him, "You, who have killed your own people to further yourself, will forever be cursed by us, your blood. I Spite you Lucimar, may you forever be seen as the beast that you are, forever wander without ever resting, forever be seen as en enemy of your people" Supposably, his Thassilonian Tome burst into flames but the runes that ensorcelled it became burned upon his skin. Hindered but unrepentent, Lucimar set his sights on Packlord and marched his undead pack to HighThrone. Unfortunately, the five other tribes were ready for him. Silverhide blademasters joined fang with Primal tooth and claw while Broken One Druids wove powerful natural magics amidst the songs of The Prince's Wolves Even the Demon Wolves were said to wade in , conjuring abyssal horrors to counter the undead menaces of Lucimar. Though powerful, Lucimar stood no match against the collective might of the five tribes, especially without the ancient spellbook that had fueld his rise to power. Overwhelmed, he was executed within moments of his last zombie minion falling, his still beating heart cut out of his chest and devoured. Yet, he did not die. As the werewolves moved to destroy his body, he supoosably woke up and fled into the woods, where he disappeared for years. The legend has stuck with every werewolf in the Shudderwood over the years since its one of the few times in history that all five tribes worked together. As a result, a werewolf covered in Thassiloian runes has become akin to a Bogeyman to them, an enemy of all werewolves who was killed but did not die, someone who lurks in the forest waiting to snatch up lone children. This legend is about 500 years old.
Oh man these are putting new ideas in my head. Especially since I lost my current finale because of a player's retcon.