The Monarch Region is a large ocean with several different islands scattered around. An almighty kraken (unnamed, but I will call him the kraken for now until I come up with something) lays underwater in a colossal temple as his sahuagin warriors train in order to storm and conquer the islands in order to get revenge on an empire which drove him underwater those many years ago. In the city of Embershire, one of the kraken's mighty servants, a kraken priest known as Zeldor, runs an underground organisation of cultists underneath a tavern which he runs, attempting to get into some form of power so that he can lower the city's security in order to make the sahuagin armies easily infiltrate the city.
The kraken's lair is underneath one of the islands, a large jungle filled with innocent men and women living their lives and serving their god of life. Embershire is run by busy, boring politicians, however above them all is the charismatic and influencer, Noryehn the Empyrean Warlord, the face of the people and the true leader of the city. When he finds out about the kraken's plans, he declares war against the island where the kraken lives, and so all of the innocents on the island would also be punished and killed by the soldiers, but because Noryehn is always right in the eyes of the city, everyone who lives there is ready to join into a war.
Long story short, I'm trying to tie all of these sides together in front of the players. If Noryehn is stopped but the kraken isn't, then the entire region would fall to pieces and the sahuagin armies would take over and begin to live in a chaotic harmony as their slaves do their bidding. If Noryehn isn't stopped, then the kraken dies, but also the innocents of the island die at the hands of the truly savage city. Any ways to improve this?
First, how does Noryehn know where the Kraken lives? And if he does, why would he attack the island top? What is his plan for attacking the undersea army? How did he find out the plan?
Once the Kraken takes the islands, how will he rule them? Sahaugin need to be submerged every four hours to avoid suffocating, and while you can do it with a bathtub, that's a lot of tubs to keep a ruling class from dying, and even between those 4 hourly dunkings, they wouldn't be particularly comfortable.
I think you need to have a bit more of a think about these intricacies. And also think about your players. Would they think twice about all the islanders being killed if it comes to that? A chaotic good character would definitely be able to rationalise that for the greater good. Or would they just ignore everything and take off to kill the Kraken themselves and bring the head back on a stick for good old Nory. Maybe that's the way to run it. If they don't kill the Kraken in X amount of time, Noryehn will launch his offensive and thousands will die needleslly.
It does sound like you're setting yourself up for the classic "Just give us 24 hours!" scene. Which is fine, but if there's no magic kraken-killing artifact or conspicuous self-destruct button in the kraken's lair, you might be priming your players for failure, which isn't fair. So think about how they would actually manage to kill it or what other conditions would satisfy Noryehn. Maybe they can take out Zeldor and find out the kraken's timetable, or use his secret communication device to send disinformation to the kraken and manipulate it into making a mistake.
First, how does Noryehn know where the Kraken lives? And if he does, why would he attack the island top? What is his plan for attacking the undersea army? How did he find out the plan?
Once the Kraken takes the islands, how will he rule them? Sahaugin need to be submerged every four hours to avoid suffocating, and while you can do it with a bathtub, that's a lot of tubs to keep a ruling class from dying, and even between those 4 hourly dunkings, they wouldn't be particularly comfortable.
I think you need to have a bit more of a think about these intricacies. And also think about your players. Would they think twice about all the islanders being killed if it comes to that? A chaotic good character would definitely be able to rationalise that for the greater good. Or would they just ignore everything and take off to kill the Kraken themselves and bring the head back on a stick for good old Nory. Maybe that's the way to run it. If they don't kill the Kraken in X amount of time, Noryehn will launch his offensive and thousands will die needleslly.
Not going to lie, I haven’t thought these questions through before you replied to this, and so I will think about them to ensure that the plan isn’t going to completely fall apart. You’re completely correct about me needing to think more about the intricacies of the plan and the players too. The sahuagin situation is tricky however I will maybe give it a think in order for their attacks to make sense. Thank you for your feedback 👍
It does sound like you're setting yourself up for the classic "Just give us 24 hours!" scene. Which is fine, but if there's no magic kraken-killing artifact or conspicuous self-destruct button in the kraken's lair, you might be priming your players for failure, which isn't fair. So think about how they would actually manage to kill it or what other conditions would satisfy Noryehn. Maybe they can take out Zeldor and find out the kraken's timetable, or use his secret communication device to send disinformation to the kraken and manipulate it into making a mistake.
Yeah, your point about the kraken’s difficulty to being destroyed is completely true, and I do need to think about the players in the situation. I will remember these and note them down to ensure that I will not forget these points, and thank you 🙏
Maybe Noryehn has a crystal ball? Or one of the kraken's followers betrayed him. Also, I don't know how you'd incorporate this, but Aboleth can control minds, so maybe an Aboleth could control the minds of the most influential occupants of Embershire (Noryehn) without most people even knowing.
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All stars fade. Some stars forever fall. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homebrew (Mostly Outdated):Magic Items,Monsters,Spells,Subclasses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Mmm... I think the Kraken would be quite invested in having the Embershire Forces try an amphibious invasion of the Kraken Island... what a fantastic opportunity for an aquatic power to annihilate the surface power of Embershire while it is in transit to island. so don't dismiss the idea that agents of the Kraken are pushing Noryehn to invade the Kraken Island...
Edit - And say some Embershire forces manage to land cut off from supply and reinforcement do start brutalizing and stealing food from the surface dwellers of Kraken Island what a perfect moment for the cult of the Krakens forces to appear generously lending aid to the poor innocent oppressed indigenous surface peoples of Kraken island... some would probably start worshipping there aquatic saviour
edit - now what on earth could have nudged me down that line of thinking @jinzojar ;)
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Maybe Noryehn has a crystal ball? Or one of the kraken's followers betrayed him. Also, I don't know how you'd incorporate this, but Aboleth can control minds, so maybe an Aboleth could control the minds of the most influential occupants of Embershire (Noryehn) without most people even knowing.
That’d be a cool way to make Noryehn aware of the kraken, plus the aboleth idea sounds great too. Thanks for sharing 👍
Mmm... I think the Kraken would be quite invested in having the Embershire Forces try an amphibious invasion of the Kraken Island... what a fantastic opportunity for an aquatic power to annihilate the surface power of Embershire while it is in transit to island. so don't dismiss the idea that agents of the Kraken are pushing Noryehn to invade the Kraken Island...
Edit - And say some Embershire forces manage to land cut off from supply and reinforcement do start brutalizing and stealing food from the surface dwellers of Kraken Island what a perfect moment for the cult of the Krakens forces to appear generously lending aid to the poor innocent oppressed indigenous surface peoples of Kraken island... some would probably start worshipping there aquatic saviour
edit - now what on earth could have nudged me down that line of thinking @jinzojar ;)
Now that I think about it, that sounds really cool, how the Kraken could manipulate everything and everyone to do his own bidding. Thanks for sharing the idea!
So does the Charismatic leader really Care that innocent people are standing between him and his mission of conquest? How will they react when they are attacked? Will they flee or will they mount a defense despite not understanding why they're being targeted?
Will there be room for his army to turn on him? I can see the PC's finding themselves trying to turn the army of Embershire against that leader. Probably because the Kraken is manipulating them.
Here would be my "general outline"
PC's help plan general attack on island
PC's get seperated in early fighting because while the natives are "savages" they are scrappy and putting up a good resistance against the more traditional armies of Embershire
PC's are captured by the Kraken's minions and have to escape
PC's find their way to realize that the "natives" have no clue why they are being targeted but instinctively they are fighting back because they've learned to not trust outsiders. History of slavers perhaps?
PC's find support in the Embershire army to resist the leader.
PC's leader is defeated/ deposed.
PC's learn that an agent of the Kraken has taken the holy artifact of Embershire and now has the last component to open a wirlpool to the nether realm and begin to devour the world into a watery void realm. The charismatic leader of Embershire was carrying it with him unknowingly.
PC's have to unite the army of Embershire, the people of the island and even the Kraken's minions to stop the end of the world.
Maybe noryhen is secretly working for the kraken. That’s why he’s willing to put his army on boats and send it out on the water where the kraken is strongest. The kraken has promised to allow noryhen to rule the islands in his name, providing he supplies a tribute. Then he can rule by virtue of the fear of an invasion by his saughin allies
If not noryhen, someone else, like a top advisor feeding him bad ideas. The kraken may want revenge against the people, but it probably doesn’t care about holding on to a land-based kingdom. Or maybe the kraken and saughin are mad because the people are overfishing and just want to cut down the number of people to preserve their own food supply. That could give you a possible non-combat solution: they sign some kind of treaty about how much fish the islanders can catch. The party doesn’t have to use it, but it’s nice for there to be an option.
So does the Charismatic leader really Care that innocent people are standing between him and his mission of conquest? How will they react when they are attacked? Will they flee or will they mount a defense despite not understanding why they're being targeted?
Will there be room for his army to turn on him? I can see the PC's finding themselves trying to turn the army of Embershire against that leader. Probably because the Kraken is manipulating them.
Here would be my "general outline"
PC's help plan general attack on island
PC's get seperated in early fighting because while the natives are "savages" they are scrappy and putting up a good resistance against the more traditional armies of Embershire
PC's are captured by the Kraken's minions and have to escape
PC's find their way to realize that the "natives" have no clue why they are being targeted but instinctively they are fighting back because they've learned to not trust outsiders. History of slavers perhaps?
PC's find support in the Embershire army to resist the leader.
PC's leader is defeated/ deposed.
PC's learn that an agent of the Kraken has taken the holy artifact of Embershire and now has the last component to open a wirlpool to the nether realm and begin to devour the world into a watery void realm. The charismatic leader of Embershire was carrying it with him unknowingly.
PC's have to unite the army of Embershire, the people of the island and even the Kraken's minions to stop the end of the world.
...?
Profit.
That actually sounds really cool, and I especially like your idea on expanding upon the islanders' history. Thanks for the suggestion :)
Maybe noryhen is secretly working for the kraken. That’s why he’s willing to put his army on boats and send it out on the water where the kraken is strongest. The kraken has promised to allow noryhen to rule the islands in his name, providing he supplies a tribute. Then he can rule by virtue of the fear of an invasion by his saughin allies
If not noryhen, someone else, like a top advisor feeding him bad ideas. The kraken may want revenge against the people, but it probably doesn’t care about holding on to a land-based kingdom. Or maybe the kraken and saughin are mad because the people are overfishing and just want to cut down the number of people to preserve their own food supply. That could give you a possible non-combat solution: they sign some kind of treaty about how much fish the islanders can catch. The party doesn’t have to use it, but it’s nice for there to be an option.
Your idea on a character working for the kraken is actually really interesting, but I don't think that I would use Noryehn as that character, merely because he is devoted to his city and the protection of the people who he owns - he cares so much that he'd massacre thousands just to keep his own men safe. Perhaps a trusted recurring character, such as a sage who has noticed the players as being a threat. Thanks for the feedback man, really appreciate it :)
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The Monarch Region is a large ocean with several different islands scattered around. An almighty kraken (unnamed, but I will call him the kraken for now until I come up with something) lays underwater in a colossal temple as his sahuagin warriors train in order to storm and conquer the islands in order to get revenge on an empire which drove him underwater those many years ago. In the city of Embershire, one of the kraken's mighty servants, a kraken priest known as Zeldor, runs an underground organisation of cultists underneath a tavern which he runs, attempting to get into some form of power so that he can lower the city's security in order to make the sahuagin armies easily infiltrate the city.
The kraken's lair is underneath one of the islands, a large jungle filled with innocent men and women living their lives and serving their god of life. Embershire is run by busy, boring politicians, however above them all is the charismatic and influencer, Noryehn the Empyrean Warlord, the face of the people and the true leader of the city. When he finds out about the kraken's plans, he declares war against the island where the kraken lives, and so all of the innocents on the island would also be punished and killed by the soldiers, but because Noryehn is always right in the eyes of the city, everyone who lives there is ready to join into a war.
Long story short, I'm trying to tie all of these sides together in front of the players. If Noryehn is stopped but the kraken isn't, then the entire region would fall to pieces and the sahuagin armies would take over and begin to live in a chaotic harmony as their slaves do their bidding. If Noryehn isn't stopped, then the kraken dies, but also the innocents of the island die at the hands of the truly savage city. Any ways to improve this?
First, how does Noryehn know where the Kraken lives? And if he does, why would he attack the island top? What is his plan for attacking the undersea army? How did he find out the plan?
Once the Kraken takes the islands, how will he rule them? Sahaugin need to be submerged every four hours to avoid suffocating, and while you can do it with a bathtub, that's a lot of tubs to keep a ruling class from dying, and even between those 4 hourly dunkings, they wouldn't be particularly comfortable.
I think you need to have a bit more of a think about these intricacies. And also think about your players. Would they think twice about all the islanders being killed if it comes to that? A chaotic good character would definitely be able to rationalise that for the greater good. Or would they just ignore everything and take off to kill the Kraken themselves and bring the head back on a stick for good old Nory. Maybe that's the way to run it. If they don't kill the Kraken in X amount of time, Noryehn will launch his offensive and thousands will die needleslly.
It does sound like you're setting yourself up for the classic "Just give us 24 hours!" scene. Which is fine, but if there's no magic kraken-killing artifact or conspicuous self-destruct button in the kraken's lair, you might be priming your players for failure, which isn't fair. So think about how they would actually manage to kill it or what other conditions would satisfy Noryehn. Maybe they can take out Zeldor and find out the kraken's timetable, or use his secret communication device to send disinformation to the kraken and manipulate it into making a mistake.
Not going to lie, I haven’t thought these questions through before you replied to this, and so I will think about them to ensure that the plan isn’t going to completely fall apart. You’re completely correct about me needing to think more about the intricacies of the plan and the players too. The sahuagin situation is tricky however I will maybe give it a think in order for their attacks to make sense. Thank you for your feedback 👍
Yeah, your point about the kraken’s difficulty to being destroyed is completely true, and I do need to think about the players in the situation. I will remember these and note them down to ensure that I will not forget these points, and thank you 🙏
Maybe Noryehn has a crystal ball? Or one of the kraken's followers betrayed him. Also, I don't know how you'd incorporate this, but Aboleth can control minds, so maybe an Aboleth could control the minds of the most influential occupants of Embershire (Noryehn) without most people even knowing.
All stars fade. Some stars forever fall.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homebrew (Mostly Outdated): Magic Items, Monsters, Spells, Subclasses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If there was no light, people wouldn't fear the dark.
Mmm... I think the Kraken would be quite invested in having the Embershire Forces try an amphibious invasion of the Kraken Island... what a fantastic opportunity for an aquatic power to annihilate the surface power of Embershire while it is in transit to island. so don't dismiss the idea that agents of the Kraken are pushing Noryehn to invade the Kraken Island...

Edit - And say some Embershire forces manage to land cut off from supply and reinforcement do start brutalizing and stealing food from the surface dwellers of Kraken Island what a perfect moment for the cult of the Krakens forces to appear generously lending aid to the poor innocent oppressed indigenous surface peoples of Kraken island... some would probably start worshipping there aquatic saviour
edit - now what on earth could have nudged me down that line of thinking @jinzojar ;)
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
That’d be a cool way to make Noryehn aware of the kraken, plus the aboleth idea sounds great too. Thanks for sharing 👍
Now that I think about it, that sounds really cool, how the Kraken could manipulate everything and everyone to do his own bidding. Thanks for sharing the idea!
ps. It’s a trap!
So does the Charismatic leader really Care that innocent people are standing between him and his mission of conquest? How will they react when they are attacked? Will they flee or will they mount a defense despite not understanding why they're being targeted?
Will there be room for his army to turn on him? I can see the PC's finding themselves trying to turn the army of Embershire against that leader. Probably because the Kraken is manipulating them.
Here would be my "general outline"
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Maybe noryhen is secretly working for the kraken. That’s why he’s willing to put his army on boats and send it out on the water where the kraken is strongest. The kraken has promised to allow noryhen to rule the islands in his name, providing he supplies a tribute. Then he can rule by virtue of the fear of an invasion by his saughin allies
If not noryhen, someone else, like a top advisor feeding him bad ideas. The kraken may want revenge against the people, but it probably doesn’t care about holding on to a land-based kingdom.
Or maybe the kraken and saughin are mad because the people are overfishing and just want to cut down the number of people to preserve their own food supply. That could give you a possible non-combat solution: they sign some kind of treaty about how much fish the islanders can catch. The party doesn’t have to use it, but it’s nice for there to be an option.
That actually sounds really cool, and I especially like your idea on expanding upon the islanders' history. Thanks for the suggestion :)
Your idea on a character working for the kraken is actually really interesting, but I don't think that I would use Noryehn as that character, merely because he is devoted to his city and the protection of the people who he owns - he cares so much that he'd massacre thousands just to keep his own men safe. Perhaps a trusted recurring character, such as a sage who has noticed the players as being a threat. Thanks for the feedback man, really appreciate it :)