Forgotton Summer
You awake in a strange city, with no knowledge of how you got there, only to find that you are not the only one with amnesia
You awake. Quickly, you realize that the room you are now in is not the same as the one you were when you went to bed. Looking around, you see all of your compatriots, yet they look different. Where did the fighter get that fancy sword? That suit of chain mail the ranger is wearing looks magical as well! But wait, where did I get this wand, and what does it do? And who is that half-elf over there?
As everyone else tries to make sense of things, you open the window, which looks out over an unknown city. A chill enters the room as snowflakes blow in on the cold morning air. 'But it is summer!' you think to yourself.
Across the city, fires blaze as the people in the near-deserted streets hurry along, frightened and confused. Leaving the inn, the party finds that all of the townspeople are similarly effected with some sort of amnesia. The royal astrologers have determined that nearly six months have passed, yet no one can remember those months. Plumes of smoke pour from the city archives, the sage's storehouses, and the main temple, erasing all records from the period. Most disturbing is the desecration of the cemeteries and tombs in the District Of Privilege. All of the fresh bodies taken, but for what nefarious purpose?
All shops are closed as merchants desperately check their inventories, the temple and city hall are swamped as people try to find loved ones they fear have died or try to learn the names of their babies or whether they are married or not.
Was it a disease, or some deliberate act of powerful magic? If the latter, who would do such a thing and why?
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This was developed because I haven't GM'd for nearly a year and some new players have joined the group. I decided I would push things from the old campain along a little, yet think up a new way to introduce new PCs.
The idea is that knowledge of great evil was stumbled upon that someone powerful (and good) wanted forgotten. Rather than killing everyone, the power erased the memories of anyone who could have possibly have learned of the secret. The bodies were removed to prevent Speak With Dead, naturally.
Maybe they could learn of an unknown adventurer that the PCs knew during the six months who died outside of town where his body can be recovered to reveal clues the horrible truth...
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? Responses (8)
Big O done fantasy. Still it makes a good campaign story arc.
Meh.
Seems to be missing something to me.
3/5.
I will give it a 4 since it takes the the PC amnesia to whole other level. Never thought of taking it that far, and somebody with that kind of power.....could be a campaign of constantly being mind-wiped forcing a new genre of protection magic and items.
The best thing I thought about was that from the point of view of the people who were in the group last year, they really DON'T know who the new players are, nor do they know what happened to the PCs of the people that left - good role playing opportunity.
It is Kind of Interesting yet it needs some more detail.
I am with the cap'n It does sem to be missing something. Maybe the character has dreams or flashbacks and the others in the community now look up to that person to try and understand this plot could have potential twists in it such as the Main character trying to find out what has trespassed and why only he can remember snatches of what happend may even end in the fact that He himself caused the amnesia if he were the 'powerful magic' and something had gone wrong in his final spell. Perhaps that is why he is the only one that remembers anything, because the magic was his own. As for the dead disapearing that is a little morbid, however maybe they were part of teh reason the spell was cast? Just a few suggestions take them as you see their worth.
I agree with Adel and CP here. Something is missing, but Adel hit a few good ideas to make it more interesting to me. I like this idea if it was detailed out a littl more. I realize the players know nothing, but a hint at what this evil was would be helpful in determining how best to use it. Granted I could alter it personally, but I require more info.
I don't think there is anything missing here at all. This is an admirable one-time tool to do what he suggested. As for who would have such power, a god is an easy answer for that.
As for the secret, well, that would be telling, no? :)