One of my players is playing an Aasimar Hexblade, and we've decided that her angelic guide will also be her patron. We've also agreed that she is looking for three ancient tomes that will lead her to find the legendary sun blade. I'm trying to decide what it is that her patron wants. Is she really an angel, or is she something more sinister in disguise? Why does she want this person to find the sun blade in the first place?
Any ideas, suggestions, or stray thoughts would be appreciated.
is this 'lowly' angel something even more potent, perhaps even god level? I would think they are either trying to destroy this holy item so that it can't be used against the undead if it is a hidden evil, or it is to bring an item that can cleanse the undead from the land perhaps a specific one (lich, powerful vampire). The other idea i could think of would be some sort of keeper of death, that needs to bring the undead to their final end because they are an abomination of the natural order. Grim Reaper sending out its own personal mini reaper to deal with some things on the physical plane.
For hidden evil type maybe rather than destroy the item they want to corrupt it, did an item like blackrazor start as a holy item that was corrupted and made into a mockery of the magic that once powered it? This could be a way to bring a more potent weapon into being.
The same concept can be tooled to the holy side where it can be further empowered (maybe into sentient) and made into Durandal or Excalibur level item. After it has removed enough undead (or specific one) it can become something more, something that will bring balance to the world that is currently out of whack. Have there been more lichs popping up lately? Maybe the Necronomicon (Book of Vile Darkness) has found its way back into the hands of mortals again. This sword will be integral in removing this horrible threat to existence.
Anything trigger some creative juices? I think I personally like the idea of a death god bringing balance back into the world.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I'm starting to think that the patron is going to literally be the sun. Maybe in this world the sun is actually a solar. But yeah, lots of good ideas. I hadn't looked at Dawnbringer before, but I can work with that.
Do you want the patron and the quest to lead straight to a goal (acquire the weapon, fight for X)? Otherwise, you could have the patron being duped by an evil entity that will try to corrupt the blade. Due to the tomes being holy items, the evil entity and its minions cannot get tot them. They need the Solar (patron) to act on their behalf.
You could have the PCs finally acquire the blade, meet the Solar and then - at the moment of triumph- the entity strikes with overwhelming odds and takes the blade. It will corrupt it through a great ritual, creating (as suggested by HeroZero) a sentinent evil artifact. The PCs can fight against the clock to stop the ritual and take the blade back. As they we’re defeated before, some condition might be needed to aid the PCs. For example the entity could be weakened during the ritual, as it pours part of itself into the item to corrupt it.
I like where you're going with this. I think the ultimate goal might be to cause the solar to fall. If the sun blade/Dawnbringer is a conduit of the solar's power, then by corrupting it so that its power could be used for evil they would, by extension, corrupt the solar. All the beings driven underground by by their weakness in sunlight could emerge to wreak havoc upon the surface.
The day the sun went dark. The prophecy of a never ending night became reality and an eclipse began that never seemed to end.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I like where you're going with this. I think the ultimate goal might be to cause the solar to fall. If the sun blade/Dawnbringer is a conduit of the solar's power, then by corrupting it so that its power could be used for evil they would, by extension, corrupt the solar. All the beings driven underground by by their weakness in sunlight could emerge to wreak havoc upon the surface.
That’s cool. The suggested ritual could have the Solar weaken as it progresses. However, the corruption that spreads link the Solar to the entity, guiding it (and the PCs) towards where the ritual is. Thus you can raoilroad the PCs towards the final fight with good reason.
Depending on how ...japanese you want to go with it, the party could be bringing the final piece that completes the ritual thinking it will stop it. They get there just in time to save the day only to find out they have made it worse.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Maybe the ritual doesn't just take the blade, I submit the ritual of Blade, Book, and Blood. This is a ritual that combines three elements, an element of the divine, an element of mortality, and an element of the fiend. Its an apocalyptic ritual that destroys the sun (or Solar) and maybe the Solar is trying to prevent it from happening but has been duped all along by the fiend into thinking the mortals can't be entrusted with such power as the books can only be sought after and found by a mortal soul, and given freely to either side (basically a binding token of giving up their free will to either the Celestials or the fiends), the blade is celestial in origin, and it's location has been locked away inside the books, and the blood is that of the fiend who is going to bring about the end. It's their blood, specifically prepared, that soils the connection between the book and the blade and ultimately destroys the sun (solar).
Fiend waits to be killed in a particular location, having made previous preparations? Mad Clergy has an excellent idea.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
@HeroZero @Madclergy Sweet twist! Either the finalization of the ritual brings about the next step of the campaign or, it’s intended to be the final chapter for the campaign and the PCs, offer the solution of saving the Solar by having a PC voluntarily sacrifice it’s life instead. Depends on what the plan is. Personally I think it sets the stage well for a second chapter in a long campaign where the outlook from the start is bleak.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Aramis of Mirrah, look away now.
One of my players is playing an Aasimar Hexblade, and we've decided that her angelic guide will also be her patron. We've also agreed that she is looking for three ancient tomes that will lead her to find the legendary sun blade. I'm trying to decide what it is that her patron wants. Is she really an angel, or is she something more sinister in disguise? Why does she want this person to find the sun blade in the first place?
Any ideas, suggestions, or stray thoughts would be appreciated.
is this 'lowly' angel something even more potent, perhaps even god level? I would think they are either trying to destroy this holy item so that it can't be used against the undead if it is a hidden evil, or it is to bring an item that can cleanse the undead from the land perhaps a specific one (lich, powerful vampire). The other idea i could think of would be some sort of keeper of death, that needs to bring the undead to their final end because they are an abomination of the natural order. Grim Reaper sending out its own personal mini reaper to deal with some things on the physical plane.
For hidden evil type maybe rather than destroy the item they want to corrupt it, did an item like blackrazor start as a holy item that was corrupted and made into a mockery of the magic that once powered it? This could be a way to bring a more potent weapon into being.
The same concept can be tooled to the holy side where it can be further empowered (maybe into sentient) and made into Durandal or Excalibur level item. After it has removed enough undead (or specific one) it can become something more, something that will bring balance to the world that is currently out of whack. Have there been more lichs popping up lately? Maybe the Necronomicon (Book of Vile Darkness) has found its way back into the hands of mortals again. This sword will be integral in removing this horrible threat to existence.
Anything trigger some creative juices? I think I personally like the idea of a death god bringing balance back into the world.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
I'm starting to think that the patron is going to literally be the sun. Maybe in this world the sun is actually a solar. But yeah, lots of good ideas. I hadn't looked at Dawnbringer before, but I can work with that.
Do you want the patron and the quest to lead straight to a goal (acquire the weapon, fight for X)? Otherwise, you could have the patron being duped by an evil entity that will try to corrupt the blade. Due to the tomes being holy items, the evil entity and its minions cannot get tot them. They need the Solar (patron) to act on their behalf.
You could have the PCs finally acquire the blade, meet the Solar and then - at the moment of triumph- the entity strikes with overwhelming odds and takes the blade. It will corrupt it through a great ritual, creating (as suggested by HeroZero) a sentinent evil artifact. The PCs can fight against the clock to stop the ritual and take the blade back. As they we’re defeated before, some condition might be needed to aid the PCs. For example the entity could be weakened during the ritual, as it pours part of itself into the item to corrupt it.
I like where you're going with this. I think the ultimate goal might be to cause the solar to fall. If the sun blade/Dawnbringer is a conduit of the solar's power, then by corrupting it so that its power could be used for evil they would, by extension, corrupt the solar. All the beings driven underground by by their weakness in sunlight could emerge to wreak havoc upon the surface.
The day the sun went dark. The prophecy of a never ending night became reality and an eclipse began that never seemed to end.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
That’s cool. The suggested ritual could have the Solar weaken as it progresses. However, the corruption that spreads link the Solar to the entity, guiding it (and the PCs) towards where the ritual is. Thus you can raoilroad the PCs towards the final fight with good reason.
Depending on how ...japanese you want to go with it, the party could be bringing the final piece that completes the ritual thinking it will stop it. They get there just in time to save the day only to find out they have made it worse.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
Maybe the ritual doesn't just take the blade, I submit the ritual of Blade, Book, and Blood. This is a ritual that combines three elements, an element of the divine, an element of mortality, and an element of the fiend. Its an apocalyptic ritual that destroys the sun (or Solar) and maybe the Solar is trying to prevent it from happening but has been duped all along by the fiend into thinking the mortals can't be entrusted with such power as the books can only be sought after and found by a mortal soul, and given freely to either side (basically a binding token of giving up their free will to either the Celestials or the fiends), the blade is celestial in origin, and it's location has been locked away inside the books, and the blood is that of the fiend who is going to bring about the end. It's their blood, specifically prepared, that soils the connection between the book and the blade and ultimately destroys the sun (solar).
#2cents
Fiend waits to be killed in a particular location, having made previous preparations? Mad Clergy has an excellent idea.
"Where words fail, swords prevail. Where blood is spilled, my cup is filled" -Cartaphilus
"I have found the answer to the meaning of life. You ask me what the answer is? You already know what the answer to life is. You fear it more than the strike of a viper, the ravages of disease, the ire of a lover. The answer is always death. But death is a gentle mistress with a sweet embrace, and you owe her a debt of restitution. Life is not a gift, it is a loan."
@HeroZero @Madclergy Sweet twist! Either the finalization of the ritual brings about the next step of the campaign or, it’s intended to be the final chapter for the campaign and the PCs, offer the solution of saving the Solar by having a PC voluntarily sacrifice it’s life instead. Depends on what the plan is. Personally I think it sets the stage well for a second chapter in a long campaign where the outlook from the start is bleak.