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It should be obvious that this thread will have spoilers but the meta plot stuff is getting placed under the tags. I'll italicize resources I'm actually going to read or hand out to my players.
For the record my campaign is trying to balance a few things: a fairy tale feel, political intrigue on the level of GoT, and light touches of horror.
If you're into politics check my politics from RRR on and my thread on the villain of book 5.
If you're into horror stay tuned on my yog-sothoth themed dungeon thread. I'm redoing it soon for higher level and its going to be positively sinister.
An account of strange events in the Forrest
By Percival Cobbler
I remember the report crossing my desk. It was the same day I purchased myself a ring of sustenance and resolved myself that sleep was not for ambitious men. The aftermath of the War of Trolls and Foxes created a veritable mountain of paper work and I was going to scale it. I had also acquired a pair of apprentice scribes, but they were still green and lacked the discipline I would eventually foster into them.
Lord Sootscale of the kobold tribe that bears his name had sent a courtesy request that a Druid inspect the old sycamore. Apparently the tree had suddenly flourished with new life unexpectedly and the kobolds were weary of such a change in fortune.
I placed it in the medium pile, as while likely a trivial concern, Meloney considers the kobolds important allies. Had I known what I know now I would have sent one of the rabbits to Meloney right away. Perhaps she'd have rode in force and burned the bloody thing. Instead she sent Lilly Softstrider and Tanoriel Greenwitch to investigate.
The ladies reported that the tree was radiating fey magic and discovered that some kobolds near the tree were amorous the night it bloomed. We'd later learn that the radius of such amorous feelings extended to the Sootscale mine and the hamlets of Nugget, River's crossing, and Nettles crossing. Lets just say the midwives were busy the following winter.
It was a few months later after the FellKnight Queen incident that the tree uprooted itself and moved to the Gnarlmarches. Since then the Gnarlmarches have been different, more sinister, somehow alive. Its like they called to creatures of the forest for thousands of mile for strange new forest creatures have been seen all of the sudden. Buildings long though lost seem to have risen again.
The tree awoke the forest and the forest seems angry. That's a crazy sentence to write but its true. Our lumber camps are becoming less productive, the axes dull more quickly within the forest, and it seems aware. Rumors persist of new witches and griffins have been spotted. There's going to be trouble we all know that.
What's going on is Briar awakens the tree as in my version King Hargulka and the Fellknight Queen are cursed products of Narissa's affair with the Summer Knight/Consort Oberon.
Briar being Narissa's love in sword form is wedged deep inside the tree wich has been withering with neglect. When the children dies the sword awakens and seeks Narissa's rage, and grief which are seeded in the gnarlmarches. Her love awakens the other emotions present in the forest creating effects from the Old Margreve.
That's Margreve introduced I'll get to the rest eventually.
I am so going to steal this. Hope you don't mind.
Most of your stuff is too specific to your campaign to ste..er, use, but this is just about perfect.
The Maiden's Song: a cautionary tale
Translated from slyvan and commentary added by Gregori the Bold, champion of the people.
Once upon a time, when the world was new, before dwarves and orcs crawled out of the earth and decided to live under the sky, there dwelt a special fey maiden deep in the gnarlmarches*. The veil between our world and the first was thin and fey frolicked back and forth in far greater numbers than seen today, and some few housed themselves in our world in a way idle rich humans might have a country home.
Hidden deep in the woods was an idealic meadow next to a hot spring that filled the air with a scent as sweet as rosewater. Next to the spring was the cottage home that housed a Nympth maid named Narissa. Narissa was not just an ordinary Nympth, for hers was a beauty that surpassed all others of her kind. It is said that she had such a pure heart that it radiated out from her in a way that personified the vitality of youth and the simple beauty of innocence.
Alas, such things never endure.
Titania while beautiful beyond comprehension, had become the personification of the Mother and Queen. Hers is the beauty of a woman bearing a new life, which is different then the beauty of a maid. Summer fey feel emotions stronger then those fo mere mortals, such that even a seed of jealousy can become a mighty redwood. Narissa had something Titania could no longer, the radiance of youth.
Niave of her effect on Titania, Narissa often danced skyclad so that the sun could kiss her skin. They say her meadow responded to her dance with a music so beautiful it would shatter the minds of mortal men. It was the music they say that brought the attention of Oberon, Knight of Summer and consort of Titania.
In the same gradual manner in which jealousy eroded Titania's compassion and reason, so did lust wear away at Oberon's resolve. As is the nature of Saytres lust overrode caution and he contrived a manner in which to secretly seduce Narissa.
There are times when the moon passes before the sun and for a short time darkness overtakes the day, humans call this a solar elclipse. For the Queens of Fairy this is signifigant as a moment in which Summer is momentarily blinded in the mortal realm. Oberon choose an eclispe to make his move appearing to Narissa as a handsome young elvish knight. The details are lost, and presumably elcipses were longer, all that is know for certain is that when the eclispe was ended the girl was no longer innocent and in fact pregnant with 3 children.
The tale might have ended there had Oberon been a true elf. With her innocence lost the aura of youth in NArissa faded. She still was beautiful but once again beneath Titania's concern. The meadows no longer sang for the girl as her belly became fattened with children.
After a month Titania decided to throw a ball to celebrate. All of the eldest and noble of fairee were invited, even winter. As was custom the Queen would dance with her consort to open the ball. As Titania took Oberon's hand and he began to move a song sweeter than any orchestra overwealmed the musicians of the court. The song was a familiar one to jealous Titania...
This is the first of a three part saga. Unfortunately the middle act has been lost even to Elves. The third act in which Titania punishes Narissa and Oberon has many versions. The oldest I could find mentioned stripping her of all emotions except for grief and ambition and banishing her to the mortal plane. Some versions have her emotions personified as objects others say they live in the tress of her woods.
Her children are supposedly suffered of a variety of curses and she is made to age die and be reborn again and again as a mortal only partially aware of her state. Oberon is banished from the first world and rarely given more punishment than this.
*The reference tot he gnarlmarches is actually different in a number of versions. Generally its a nearby forrest, this story seems to be a cautionary tale to young women about flaunting their charms.
I am so going to steal this. Hope you don't mind.
Most of your stuff is too specific to your campaign to ste..er, use, but this is just about perfect.
Steal away, I post this stuff to kind of pay back the boards as I rob them constantly for ideas :p Only fair people get to steal mine.
Depends on where you are in the game ect... I agree anything with the Ninja clan is way out there for most kingmaker games. I basically picked up another DMs loose thread on character plot.
More to come, I'll be adding adaptations of Margreve adventures built for some higher level characters. I like the fairytale feel, mechanics are always flexible when the stories are good enough.
I'm also focusing this thread a little on things that can be read to or handed out to players.