DM-Nastics #87: It's the Journey And The Destination
Mar 22, 2017 2:59:32 GMT
joatmoniac and drdoost like this
Post by Cassiopeia on Mar 22, 2017 2:59:32 GMT
I think I'll do number 1!
This is the long forgotten capital of the human kingdom Theolyra, built into a cavern system that was meant to protect it from attack, but in the end doomed the capital. The cavern collapsed around the midsection, leaving most of the denizens to die, and for the kingdom itself to wither. In the present, the capital is haunted by ghosts, who are unaware of the passing of their kingdom, and go about their day to day lives (un-lives?) The ghosts do not see the city in ruins, and instead see it as it was before they died. If the party had someone who could cast true seeing, I imagine they could show the ghosts what is actually going on. Prominent NPCs could be: the ghost of Queen Kala, who is holed up in the "castle" portion of the capital; the ghost of a mystic, Visha, who is semi-aware of his undeath, but doesn't want to cause a ruckus amongst the rest of the ghosts; one living child named Fínán who, after being separated from his parents, was raised by the ghosts in Theolyra's capital, and now believes that he's a ghost too; and the ghost of a baker named Divya, who would be welcoming to the party and show them around what she sees.
The players could have a few reasons for being there, depending on the party. They could be archaeologists trying to catalog the disaster. Maybe they don't believe the stories of the ruined city being haunted, and want to dispel those rumors, and maybe they're shocked by the actual appearance of ghosts. Any clerics or paladins in the party could see it as their religious mission to give the ghosts rest, if only the ghosts could see that they are, in fact, dead. This could also be a source of tension in the party - what if one character sees it as a "we should put them to rest" situation, while another notes that the people are happy, and unbothered by their undead state, thus the party should leave them alone. For a more evil party, they could see the cavern as a source of revenue (perhaps the rocks are rich with diamonds, or other high value gems,) and they see the spirits as a nuisance to their quest for gold.
I imagine getting to the capital is rather hard, given that it's half buried in rubble. If they found the spot where the cave in occurred, they could simply try and drop in, but that's just as dangerous as trying to get through the rubble. Finding the entrance likely wouldn't be easy either, because of people's tendencies to stay away from haunted places. Perhaps the exact location is lost knowledge, and the party stays lost for weeks trying to find this place, slowly running out of food and water, having to try and pick off food from the wild life. Once they get there, I believe they'd have to deal with "random" rocks falling due to the unstable nature of the cavern ceiling. Really seems like a place only ghosts can inhabit.
This is the long forgotten capital of the human kingdom Theolyra, built into a cavern system that was meant to protect it from attack, but in the end doomed the capital. The cavern collapsed around the midsection, leaving most of the denizens to die, and for the kingdom itself to wither. In the present, the capital is haunted by ghosts, who are unaware of the passing of their kingdom, and go about their day to day lives (un-lives?) The ghosts do not see the city in ruins, and instead see it as it was before they died. If the party had someone who could cast true seeing, I imagine they could show the ghosts what is actually going on. Prominent NPCs could be: the ghost of Queen Kala, who is holed up in the "castle" portion of the capital; the ghost of a mystic, Visha, who is semi-aware of his undeath, but doesn't want to cause a ruckus amongst the rest of the ghosts; one living child named Fínán who, after being separated from his parents, was raised by the ghosts in Theolyra's capital, and now believes that he's a ghost too; and the ghost of a baker named Divya, who would be welcoming to the party and show them around what she sees.
The players could have a few reasons for being there, depending on the party. They could be archaeologists trying to catalog the disaster. Maybe they don't believe the stories of the ruined city being haunted, and want to dispel those rumors, and maybe they're shocked by the actual appearance of ghosts. Any clerics or paladins in the party could see it as their religious mission to give the ghosts rest, if only the ghosts could see that they are, in fact, dead. This could also be a source of tension in the party - what if one character sees it as a "we should put them to rest" situation, while another notes that the people are happy, and unbothered by their undead state, thus the party should leave them alone. For a more evil party, they could see the cavern as a source of revenue (perhaps the rocks are rich with diamonds, or other high value gems,) and they see the spirits as a nuisance to their quest for gold.
I imagine getting to the capital is rather hard, given that it's half buried in rubble. If they found the spot where the cave in occurred, they could simply try and drop in, but that's just as dangerous as trying to get through the rubble. Finding the entrance likely wouldn't be easy either, because of people's tendencies to stay away from haunted places. Perhaps the exact location is lost knowledge, and the party stays lost for weeks trying to find this place, slowly running out of food and water, having to try and pick off food from the wild life. Once they get there, I believe they'd have to deal with "random" rocks falling due to the unstable nature of the cavern ceiling. Really seems like a place only ghosts can inhabit.
