It has been a while since I've posted, but now that I was finally able to purchase my own computer...
Ok, here is an update... My next posting will be a request for help to prepare the next part of the story.
My group has been playing my D&D 3.5 campaign (this campaign is this setting forge actually) for over two years. They all started at level 1 and are now level 19.
The group of six players consisting of: a wizard, a barbarian, a cleric, a ranger, a rogue, and a fighter have completed the following sections of my campaign.
Kingdom of Orentia: (over eight months) Stopped Death's Queen, a true necromancer who was sending her undead minions and strangely clothed elves that seemed to be similar to monks, but more powerful. This point was offered as a closing to the campaign, since they chose to continue the story, they learned of the leaders of the hobgoblin nation. Since they decided to go on with the story they discovered that Death?s Queen was receiving orders from the two main leaders of the Hobgoblin nation. The group decided to seek information about what is going on and they eventually sought out a known see. Before they could speak with her they had to first complete a very complicated and difficult riddle of illusions before having to very carefully role play and use well worded diplomacy to earn her assistance. They learn that the hobgoblin nation is united under a single rule and that their army is already on its way to attack the Kingdom. She also tells them that things are being hidden from her and that she would need time to discover the truth of things. She bids them to return when she calls for them.
Peoples of Grom: (about three months) A great and powerful mystic ceremony was carried out to cause the hobgoblins, the giants, and many other races in the lands to the north of Orentia to commit their lives to Grom and the war he has called for. The party, now a part of the army as a strike team, fought a war where they would deal with a group of enemies while being described the greater war happening around them. At any one time they would fight a leader, a second, a specialist (like a cleric) and about six to twelve low level soldiers. At the end of the battle they were shown a battle board summarizing all of the missions they are either offered or that present themselves in the area they were currently at in the field. These missions were classified according to difficulty. After about three gaming sessions of intense and constant fighting, the war was going well for the Kingdom of Orentia partly due to the group's efforts. It was at this point that the group was confronted by a large black winged creature with the grotesque body of a half-black dragon/ogre mage: Grom had come to visit. After a very long and entertaining battle, Grom fell and the hobgoblin nation retreated. This was another point where the group had a choice of this being the end or they could continue to the next part of the story. They chose to continue, so Grom was actually a hollow construct filled with strange green magical fluid that looked and acted like his acidic green blood when they were fighting him. From the hollow form a sinister laugh emanated. From this they knew there was more going on and they chose to wait for the seer?s call. Because of their decisive action in the war, the group was rewarded the status of nobles in Orentia and were given the fief of Highwatch Keep which overlooked the pass leading from the Hobgoblins. This site was the ancient location of the northern most fortresses of the kingdom centuries ago, but was nearly abandoned due to cost. A small outpost has held watch here since then. The group was given money and resources to found a small city and to build a fortress of their own design (using pieces of paper cut out to represent each type of stronghold space). They spent about seven hours of game time putting their fortress and city together and had a great time. They also had the task of requesting the various people they have meet and learned to respect to come with them as freemen and women as landholders, merchants, servants, etc. Once this task was complete, they received a call from the seer.
The six elements: At the seer?s call the heroes teleported to her lair. There she, her cohort and servants are waiting for them. She is obviously agitated. The heroes learn that something is corrupting her sisters. The six elemental seers are in danger of being turned to serve a great unknown evil. She knows that at least two of her sisters are already corrupted and that this evil is heading this way to corrupt her. Her sight can tell her no more; the future is turning dark... The seers are immortals filled with the power of the elements intimately connected to all of creation, if all seers are turned evil unheard-of horror will result. They must find all of her sisters and remove their temporary form from where it was currently found. Their forms would arise uncorrupted at some place where their element was most pure. He sister of fire is below a city around an ancient volcano. Her sister of air resides high about the great dragon graveyard (she warns them to not venture in the graveyard any time soon, for they were not ready yet). Her sister of earth is held captive deep in the earth on the Isle of Loren, by strange being of a different time and place. Her sister of light hides among the ruins of the ancient hobgoblin capital beyond the barbarian lands somewhere within the great desert. And the last sister, the seer of dark and cold lies within a great iceberg that moves at a creature?s command. At this point her agitation grows and then she motioned her servants and cohorts to leave in preparation for the coming agents of evil and then makes a request/command of the heroes. She orders them to kill her, so that her essence will reappear safely in some other place after a certain amount of time just like they must do for her sisters. At their hesitation, she gathers arcane and mystical energy threatening them with her power unless they did as she has said. Her last words where, ?Remove yourselves from here or die! Great Evil comes...? After the deed was completed they began to complete their new quest.
The element of light: (about three months) The party was led to the barbarian lands by their group?s barbarian. A great session of meaningful role playing occurred where they befriended some and made enemies of others. The barbarian tribes were placed outside of the Kingdom both as a concession for their chaotic ways, but also for a purpose. At regular intervals undead come walking out the desert and it is their task to watch and guard the Kingdom from the undead hordes until one day their true King will come and stop the horde forever. After fighting two or three waves of shambling undead the group found the ruins of the ancient capital. They also were hit by a wave of black/purple energy coming from the east and behind this wave came more undead up from the ground. These undead were obviously hobgoblins from when the capital was destroyed or from the many wars that occurred in the area. Locating the center of the waves of energy they defeated a being of great and terrible power and then found the seer of light hiding within one of the ruined buildings.
The element of fire: (about three months) The group spent some time learning about the city of dwarves living around the dead volcano and soon discovered that things were not as they should be. They assisted the nobles and the rest of citizens in removing a false king from power and then discovered that there was a coven of those strangely dressed elves known as Vile Monks living below the city. Deciding to surprise them they use their powers of divination to find a room within their training facility, but too late discover it was a clever trap. Apparently the fire seer is also corrupted. They are captured and slated to be sacrificed in a ceremony to awaken the volcano killing thousands of innocent citizens. They are rescued by some of the new friends they made and protecting themselves in every way they know from divination magic proceed to defeat the leaders of the coven, and find and ?remove? the seer of fire. Having learned of the happenings below their city the dwarves send their army and remove the members of the coven permanently.
The element of dark and cold: (about four months) The group heads north in the lands used centuries ago as a penal colony. Six-Towns is just a lose association of six towns that trade and try to scratch a living in the hostile cold of the north. Once again getting to know people and helping the people solve some problems they make friends and are able to learn of a iceberg from which evil creatures raid all along the north coasts. Eventually they find the iceberg and venture in a direction that leads them to the cave of a white dragon. They almost die before finally taking down the great beast. (Unbeknownst to them the dragon was one of the leaders of the iceberg community.) They venture out of the cave and find a great city with two imposing structures. The streets are oddly empty... Despite everything I do suggesting caution cautionsly as not to lead them by the nose they abruptly announce that they want to teleport into the middle of a certain large building. At that very moment everyone (hence the empty streets) was at a town hall meeting to discuss what to do about one of their dead leaders?the dragon. So, they teleport into the middle of over 1000 creatures with about fifteen high level beings right around them. At that moment I tell my group to go get something to eat and come back in an hour. After that they returned and we fought for six hours of game time through ten rounds of ?real time?. They wisely choose their first targets and being nice giving them the surprise round are able to remove two very dangerous beings at the outset. This is followed by the barbarian rolling a natural 20 on an intimidate check, which I allow to scare everyone away that was level 5 or lower. When it was all said and done they were the last standing. Shortly thereafter they explore the island loot most of what was there and then ?remove? the seer of cold and dark.
The element of air: This encounter was rather simple. They found the location of the dragon graveyard (an island way out in the ocean). They then fly high above it and find the seer being protected by air elementals. She for some reason decides to fight them, but does not survive long.
The element of earth: The group is currently here. One last seer to take out. This is corrupted and being held by the first and only colony of mind flayers. They will also get involved with the elven nation of Loren who is currently under attack by apparently nature, but this is just a side event. The elf war is already worked out and ready to go. I need to work on the mind flayer part.
Please read my next post and help me out in preparing a challenging, but not impossible section of my campaign for a very committed, creative, and fun group of guys. They have kept me on my toes and have surprised me many times. I am having trouble keeping ahead of them.
