I've hinted that I might be open to running this at some point in the future when the party needs a one shot. I have no plans to do so in the immediate future, and depending on how the OGL situation resolves, I might be doing this in Pathfinder or something else, but storywise it'd be indistinguishable from D&D. The mechanics of this are in no way made out, I just have a vague story outline. I call this particular two shot Sharn: the Nights of Long Shadows. For context, read up on the city of Sharn in Eberron, as well as the plane of Mabar. The Nights of Long Shadows are the three nights each year (close to the winter solstice) when the plane of Mabar is coterminous with Eberron, and the world takes on Mabar's Necrotic Power universal property. For the background of this two shot, a Warforged magewright who lost many of his comrades during the Last War was able to use his knowledge to strike a pact with the Dark Powers of Mabar and use his power to advance quickly through the ranks of the Lord of Blades. The newfound warlock dubbed himself Moonseeker, rejecting his previous life.
The first half begins with the party resting at an outdoor tavern in the upper levels of Sharn, prior to the first day of the Nights of Long Shadows. In the background, an illusion is playing of (take your pick). Suddenly, the illusion is disabled, and another one featuring the Lord of Blades appears in its place. The LoB delivers a threat to the city, announcing that Sharn will be the stage of a major strike against those of flesh within a few days. The party is drawn into an investigation of the threat, which starts with a riot in the lower levels. Following a standoff between Daask and the Boromar Clan, the party will learn that one of the gangs has learned that Zorlan d'Cannith, a prominent weapons maker, is in town, and that a group of heavily armed warforged were on their way to see him. Visiting Zorlan will reveal these warforged to be Blades, with the LoB leading them. While investigating Zorlan's offices for a way to access the locked down parts, the party will learn that Zorlan built an eldritch machine designed to create a temporary Mabaran manifest zone for a man that he believed to be a Karnnathi warlord, but had recently become suspicious of the warlord's true identity (yes, it's Moonseeker using a magical alias). The first half culminates in a battle against the LoB. When he is at half health (preferably with some of the party down or near down), he will leave, as Moonseeker has stolen the device they are after.
Around this time, the first night will have passed. The party will have time to do a long rest and research. Through various means, they will learn that a temple built to the Undying Court contains a small Irian manifest zone, which could be used as a focal point to counteract the superweapon used by the Blades. As night falls and preparations are made, the party will be attacked by shadows and a few summoned yugoloths. The LoB will approach the party and offer a truce. He explains that Moonseeker seems to be losing control of his ritual, and that he is not certain the shadows will ignore warforged, as they had originally intended. Should the party accept the alliance, the LoB will direct the way to the skycoach which holds the superweapon. The first half of the final fight will be against Moonseeker (the LoB will be fighting yugoloths in the background). His primary tactics will be using spells like Suggestion and Dominate Person to turn the party against each other, screaming "Yes, kill each other, you fleshformed are good at that!" When his health is almost depleted, a shadowy limb will appear and seem to drag him away. When the party goes to examine the crashed skycoach where the weapon is still running, the final boss will appear. I haven't decided on a name yet, but the working name is the Herald of Mabar. Throughout the fight, he'll disappear and the party will have to survive a complex trap for a few rounds in order to make him reappear. The Herald's attacks don't deal much damage, it's just the challenge of attacking him. After he is beaten, all will seem to be well, until the party is questioned by the King's Citadel for negotiating with a known terrorist.
So, thoughts?
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I've hinted that I might be open to running this at some point in the future when the party needs a one shot. I have no plans to do so in the immediate future, and depending on how the OGL situation resolves, I might be doing this in Pathfinder or something else, but storywise it'd be indistinguishable from D&D. The mechanics of this are in no way made out, I just have a vague story outline. I call this particular two shot Sharn: the Nights of Long Shadows. For context, read up on the city of Sharn in Eberron, as well as the plane of Mabar. The Nights of Long Shadows are the three nights each year (close to the winter solstice) when the plane of Mabar is coterminous with Eberron, and the world takes on Mabar's Necrotic Power universal property. For the background of this two shot, a Warforged magewright who lost many of his comrades during the Last War was able to use his knowledge to strike a pact with the Dark Powers of Mabar and use his power to advance quickly through the ranks of the Lord of Blades. The newfound warlock dubbed himself Moonseeker, rejecting his previous life.
The first half begins with the party resting at an outdoor tavern in the upper levels of Sharn, prior to the first day of the Nights of Long Shadows. In the background, an illusion is playing of (take your pick). Suddenly, the illusion is disabled, and another one featuring the Lord of Blades appears in its place. The LoB delivers a threat to the city, announcing that Sharn will be the stage of a major strike against those of flesh within a few days. The party is drawn into an investigation of the threat, which starts with a riot in the lower levels. Following a standoff between Daask and the Boromar Clan, the party will learn that one of the gangs has learned that Zorlan d'Cannith, a prominent weapons maker, is in town, and that a group of heavily armed warforged were on their way to see him. Visiting Zorlan will reveal these warforged to be Blades, with the LoB leading them. While investigating Zorlan's offices for a way to access the locked down parts, the party will learn that Zorlan built an eldritch machine designed to create a temporary Mabaran manifest zone for a man that he believed to be a Karnnathi warlord, but had recently become suspicious of the warlord's true identity (yes, it's Moonseeker using a magical alias). The first half culminates in a battle against the LoB. When he is at half health (preferably with some of the party down or near down), he will leave, as Moonseeker has stolen the device they are after.
Around this time, the first night will have passed. The party will have time to do a long rest and research. Through various means, they will learn that a temple built to the Undying Court contains a small Irian manifest zone, which could be used as a focal point to counteract the superweapon used by the Blades. As night falls and preparations are made, the party will be attacked by shadows and a few summoned yugoloths. The LoB will approach the party and offer a truce. He explains that Moonseeker seems to be losing control of his ritual, and that he is not certain the shadows will ignore warforged, as they had originally intended. Should the party accept the alliance, the LoB will direct the way to the skycoach which holds the superweapon. The first half of the final fight will be against Moonseeker (the LoB will be fighting yugoloths in the background). His primary tactics will be using spells like Suggestion and Dominate Person to turn the party against each other, screaming "Yes, kill each other, you fleshformed are good at that!" When his health is almost depleted, a shadowy limb will appear and seem to drag him away. When the party goes to examine the crashed skycoach where the weapon is still running, the final boss will appear. I haven't decided on a name yet, but the working name is the Herald of Mabar. Throughout the fight, he'll disappear and the party will have to survive a complex trap for a few rounds in order to make him reappear. The Herald's attacks don't deal much damage, it's just the challenge of attacking him. After he is beaten, all will seem to be well, until the party is questioned by the King's Citadel for negotiating with a known terrorist.
So, thoughts?