Pretty cool. Like a good backstory for a magic item that can be very useful to a group...or to a village.
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You had me at "You can feel the grip pulse".
I was then fully yours when the wounds bled sand momentarily and, if severed, shatters as sand. Great details and those sold me on it. The stats and such, while distracting, were easy to flow right through to see the beauty (ugliness?) of the ideas.
Awesome first sub!!
Honestly, Haukagaron was my favorite part of this. I would have been willing to learn much more about him! I feel similar about the difficulty of the location but it is easy enough to pull out of the abyss and use it as is in some other random location. Enjoyable location. Would be willing to visit but wouldn't spend the night.
There is still something to be said about aged meat, but this will definitely do...oh, yes, it will do.
Quick added scenerio thoughts:
- The characters do end up freeing some innocents causing the overall count to go down below 2024 number and nobody really noticed. Usually they have more than that so it isn't an issue but the years of peace have slowly limited the crimes that call for death.
- The King, after years of slowly gaining support for ending this barbaric custom, finally succeeds in canceling it for the year. Instead they pardon 2024 of the lesser criminals or simply don't kill them.
For either of those, what is the outcome of not meeting the requirement? Loss of all the battles that year? The return of Tyragorn to complete his attack? Does the king survive the year as proof that the tradition is foul or is the kingdom ruined?
- Those that believe in the curse to the depth of their bones go out and assassinate or kill 2024 people anyway regardless of the king's intention. So even if they king protects his subject from that fate, those that believe and fear the curse will simply go on a killing spree to fulfill the need.
Now he has to decide to I continue the custom and spare the innocent citizens or fight those that would defy his decision.
Awesome. I like it because there is so much you can do with it. You have a benevolent ruler that does it as a matter of course or you can get a bastard (in the attitude sense, not the offspring) that brings the torture and defilement into the main city.
Then there are so many little plots and twists you can throw around that could have as wide reaching reprecussions as you want. If they don't sacrifice then anything that happens in the world against the kingdom can be tagged part of the curse.
(can't stop)
- Because the king stopped the killings, many small villages that are deeply superstitious start blaming any misfortune on the lack of sacrifice. This leads to an almost religous zeal backing the belief. Slowly, through self-induced hysteria they may start killing their own criminals or lynching those that are only accused of crimes in order to alleviate their own personal misfortune. All it takes is a drought "cured" by a killing to provide "proof" that it works and soon the entire countryside is deep in their own version of 2024.
-- King decides that following the decision is better than this outcome and follows through with the sacrifice. Now he needs to get word through the kingdaom. Will the believe it? Will it be enough to stop what has already begun?
--PCs could have witnessed the fixed sacrifice and be charged with bringing this word, or carry it as they adventure because they want to stop the killing. Each time they come to a village would bring possible conflict. They villages might believe their word or call them liars. A new tension and moral dilemna for the players to have decide whenever they see an injustice based on the sacrifices.
I like it, but I too want more. As soon as you throw dragons into the mix (and other uber strong monsters) we want, nay...need more background. Even if your intention is just a vague story to be adapted and absorbed into other campaigns, we want to hear your take on it. Gives the idea that much more creedance and understanding on your intentions.
For this, I am begging the question....why? With that alone I would be satisfied I think! Why is he being chased, why do they find him anywhere they go, why isn't there TONS of rumors about the path of dragon destruction that always happens after this dude shows up. Dude would be lynched upon arriving at any town way before the dragons get there...and there might be a reason he isn't.
This is on the edge of greatness...push it over the edge!
Systems (Artistic/Performance) (General)
I have no idea what to do with this. Just makes me think of the CSI episode where they were all dressed in furry costumes and were dry humping all over the place....and then I got more confused. Avatar? Go to Comment