First off: I just want to thank everyone for all the great threads on this tasty little nugget of the Greenbelt. I've been reading as many as I can find and loving a lot of the ideas that people have had for it.
That said, my group is about to encounter Candlemere for the first time (technically they made landfall at the end of last session at which point I called the session due to time constraints). I am definitely wanting to expand on Candlemere as I think it is just too juicy not to expand. The question is trying to figure out how to expand it.
DM Dudemeister posted a map created by somebody else for underneath Candlemere Tower and I am definitely liking that idea. I'm a bit torn on how to inhabit the tower itself though. I like the idea of a Cthullu-esque approach to it with assorted abberrations, but am struggling on a story behind that. I know a lot of people have mentioned the use of elf gates here but I'll confess I'm a bit confused as to what constitutes an elf gate (probably just looking straight past it in the books I have and quick searches here give me references to the gates, but not explanations of them). This is an issue primarily because I specifically do not want Candlemere to be elven. On of the PCs jumped all over the hook from Lily about the elven ruin and so was adamant at checking out the ruined tower. I don't want to confuse the player by having it be an elven ruin but not THE elven ruin.
I also like the haunt idea posted elsewhere and may steal that. My only issue there is not really game/story related but rather that two of my players are currently going through RotRL in another group, so that might feel a bit monotonous.
So all that said, what I am currently thinking is that Candlemere sits upon a "thin" spot in the planes that allows for relatively easy access by the aberrations (what realm/plane would a Cthulluesque creature(s) be from?) I know D&D 4ed it was Far Realm, but not sure of the PF equivalent off the top of my head. Regardless, the Tower is home to a portal to that realm (elf gate works if it need not be specifically elven) and creatures have started to migrate over. This would explain in part the Will-O-Wisps. I would also like to add in some creepiness factor and so was thinking of having the insides of the tower morph as the party explores (i.e. when going back into the first room from the second room, the first room is completely different). Near the bottom of the Tower I plan to put a magically sealed door that references Skywatch as a hook to the Observatory (and as a reason for my PCs to come back to Candlemere at some point).
But all that said, it feels a bit . . . empty. I don't know, just struggling to wrap my head around the ideas. I'm also not sure if leaving the sealed door in the bottom of the Tower will just annoy the players rather than giving them something to look forward to. I'm all for throwing out a multitude of seeds and seeing where they want to go with it, but I also don't want anything to come off as just plain annoying.
Anyway, what am I missing? How can I improve on this fun little locale? How can I better wrap up a Cthullu-esque plot thread here? Help Me KM Forums, you're my only hope! :)
As always, thanks in advance for any help you can provide and feel free to ask questions since I know this was a rather rambling post. Stupid headache.
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In my Kingmaker, i used Candelmere as a sequence of little sidequests.
After the initial clearing, i had a priestess of Desna start a settlement there. (she also sponsored the party to clear it.) Her name was iola Kreigler. (founder of Ravenmoor, in the 'Feast of Ravenmoor' module. I ripped from that and converted into Kingdom event triggered sidequests once the PC's annexed the hex/settlement.
After it grew further, i had the module Carrion Hill also used as happening there.
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Most Cthulhu-esque critters come from the depths of space and thusly are often aberrations instead of outsiders.
I'd suggest how you want Candlemere connects to the rest of your campaign before delving any further...
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My own plan for Candlemere was to make it into a ruined wizard's tower situated on top of an ancient cyclops library. The upper areas would be mostly deserted aside from perhaps a haunt or a 'trap' (weak floor that gives way under the weight of an adventurer, stuck door that causes a cave-in if forced, etc) and would be clearly built for the comfort of human occupants. The lower floors, however, would be a maze of corridors filled with ancient tablets containing works of writing from thousands of years ago... and would contain the tortured ghost of the wizard who was studying them, who would need help in finally passing along to face Pharasma's judgement.
This would serve to introduce the idea that there was once a cyclopean empire in the region, and provide research material once the characters encounter Vordakai and want to find out more about him.
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Thinking on the OP further, do not have the portal just sitting there. Instead have it appear later when they're ready for the horrors beyond.
Now, if you're thinking of a more Cthulhu-esque Kingmaker - replacing the fell influence of the Outer Gods/Elder Mythos in your Stolen Lands instead of the First World/fey, then you might want to make Candlemere the nexus point.
Proceed to mash-up Kingmaker and Strange Aeons accordingly. ^___^
My own plan for Candlemere was to make it into a ruined wizard's tower situated on top of an ancient cyclops library. The upper areas would be mostly deserted aside from perhaps a haunt or a 'trap' (weak floor that gives way under the weight of an adventurer, stuck door that causes a cave-in if forced, etc) and would be clearly built for the comfort of human occupants. The lower floors, however, would be a maze of corridors filled with ancient tablets containing works of writing from thousands of years ago... and would contain the tortured ghost of the wizard who was studying them, who would need help in finally passing along to face Pharasma's judgement.
This would serve to introduce the idea that there was once a cyclopean empire in the region, and provide research material once the characters encounter Vordakai and want to find out more about him.
Oooh, I like this! I have to admit that while I really like VV as a module I was having a little difficulty seeing the fit with the rest of the campaign. Not that every adventure needs to flow along as part of the exact same story, but he Vordekai does seem to kind of come out of nowhere as written.
I can even tie this in with the aberrations as something obviously caused both the cyclopean library and the wizard's tower to fall.
@The Mad Comrade: Aye, I agree that I definitely need a plan as to how it ties together before going further (which was part of why I came here since I knew what I had just didn't feel right). I also like your idea of not having the portal just sitting there, but rather having it appear later. This even works with the wizard tower over the library as described by Indraea as the meddling of the party could start to "awaken" that which has been slumbering there.
I don't want to go full on Cthullu-esque for the AP, I actually like the fey influence aspect, and have certainly gone a fair ways down that road already, but I liked the idea of having something a little different and mysterious thrown in there. Especially something that could point to Skywatch since that was a cool little nugget they threw in there too. I don't know that the party will eventually tie up all the loose ends I throw at them, but I like giving them options to do so, makes it feel more like they are in control as opposed to just walking through my story if you know what I mean.
All in all thanks everyone for the replies! These are really helping and keep 'em coming! I'll try fleshing these out a bit and will post what I come up with.
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Regarding how Vordakai 'fits', the change I'm making on that front, aside from foreshadowing and stuff, is to have him worship Zon Kuthon instead of having a vague relationship with Abaddon. Your first reaction might be to wonder how that ties him more closely to the campaign, but remember that Nyrissa was in love with Count Ranalc, who like Nyrissa was banished from the First World, and vanished into the Plane of Shadow, which is home to Zon Kuthon.
Basically, the idea is that Count Ranalc fell prey in some way to Zon Kuthon, and Vordakai, as a powerful worshiper, was tasked with keeping an eye on Nyrissa, lest she recover Briar and come looking for her lost love. Except Vordakai has been slumbering and is much weaker than he once was, and is no longer quite a match for Nyrissa, so he needs to re-establish a kingdom of his own to even have a hope of keeping his ancient pledge.
Hey all, just wanted to again say thanks for all the tips! My players have finally finished running through Candlemere after a few attempts. I used the Haunted Candlemere adventure that was posted elsewhere on here that had haunts in a number of places. On top of that I had a clear connection to cultists of Yog-Sothoth present in the Tower who had inhabited it after the Cyclopes empire fell.
I left the body of a mage in the lower reaches of the tower who talked a bit about the history in his journal and essentially set up the back story as the Cyclopean Empire was engaged in an ancient struggle with Yog-Sothoth and that at some point Yog-Sothoth had gained a powerful ally (which may or may not be a certain notable fey creature). I threw in a link to Skywatch there and set it up as the tower was an old Cyclopean library wherein the history was carved into the walls. The PCs are suitably afraid of the tower but I imagine they will be back. :)
I didn't physically expand on Candlemere much, but I did make it the part of Hagrulka's kingdom expansion. The wisps there were talking to / involved with the BBEG and from there, went to the lizard folk, the trolls, and the Dancing Lady to spread the word of the Big Bad and how keeping the Stolen Lands wild was better than civilization. Hargrulka ate that up and started the rival monster kingdom that the PCs spent all of book 2 opposing. (all thanks to Dudemeister for creating that alternate kingdom)
There was a mini-bloom there in the ruined tower and killing wisps by it shut it down. The PCs aren't high enough level to pass the skill checks needed to figure out what exactly happened, but I'll toss some more small blooms their way as the books go on so when the big blooms come in book 6, they will be surprising in their strength, but not in their existence.