Post by dmcaleb on Aug 8, 2017 14:09:30 GMT
I was reading through the Monster Manual and got inspired. Eventually I will run the following campaign
Background
Long ago the kingdom was at peace and civility under the govern of a kind queen. The queen Elenora, was an avatar of the lawful god, and those laws brought prosperity. She was loved by all.
She married a powerful wizard, Kaj, whom she loved deeply. They were happy, for a few years at least. Kaj was always in his laboratory trying to unravel the mysteries of the world, and Elenora grew lonely.
Finally, Kaj came out of his study with a big grin. He had found a way to show her his undying love. He took her to the tallest chamber and performed a ritual that would intertwine their souls. However, the magic Kaj was using was some of the darkest magic in the land. He succeeded in intertwining his soul with her heart, but he had unknowingly turned her into a phylactery.
Elenora was furious and immediately left to seek counsel with the high priest. Kaj, ashamed by his mistake, escaped back to his laboratory in shame and grief.
The high priest, Othric, spent months with Elenora consoling and counseling her. And After years of Kaj hiding in solitude, and with their constant contact, the queen and the priest fell in love. Their love was forbidden by their lawful faith, so when a maidservant stumbled upon them, the news of the infidelity spread quickly.
Kaj was furious. He stormed from his chambers, and rained his wrath down upon the priest killing him. Elenora berated Kaj and took Othric's body to the priests.
The priests explained to Elenora that what Othric did broke his sacred vows, so when his heart is weighed in judgment he will be unfit for paradise. Elenora, being queen and exempt of the priests vows, knew her heart would be deemed fit so she took a knife and cut open her chest saying, 'I cannot allow my love to be damned take my heart in his stead.'
Her heart was enough to prevent damnation for Othric, but he can never reach paradise even with Elenora's aid. So he is doomed to remain in the world tied to Elenora's heart.
Also, since her heart was used in Othric's ritual, she did not have a heart for her own judgment. She is now fated to be reincarnated over and over again until she reclaims her heart.
The Heart of 3 Souls
Three immortals are now tied to the one heart.
Kaj- The Lich who offered his soul at the alter of Elenora's heart.
Othric- The Mummy who, with this surrogate heart,was saved from damnation.
Elenora- The reincarnating queen who cannot enter paradise because she gave her heart away.
The campaign
Janice is Elenora's current incarnation at 21 years old. She is trying to redeem the ashes of the once great land and save her people (she is unaware of her previous lives)
Kaj and Othric hate each other, but since their souls are both tied to the same object it is impossible to destroy the other without destroying themselves.
They both seek out Elenora with each incarnation, but are more than willing to backstab, frame, or reign destruction down on anyone if it would help them get Elenora's hand.
The adventure begins with Janice asking the players for aid in the aftermath of the immortals last big confrontation that ended about 20 years ago (when the previous incarnation of Elenora died).
Final Notes
It's a tragedy and a mystery story for the players. And once the figure everything out it really is up to the PCs to determine what to do. They may be willing to broker peace between the immortals. They may seek to destroy the heart at the cost of Janice's life. Who knows what would happen!
Anyhoo, i figured someone else may enjoy the concept.
Background
Long ago the kingdom was at peace and civility under the govern of a kind queen. The queen Elenora, was an avatar of the lawful god, and those laws brought prosperity. She was loved by all.
She married a powerful wizard, Kaj, whom she loved deeply. They were happy, for a few years at least. Kaj was always in his laboratory trying to unravel the mysteries of the world, and Elenora grew lonely.
Finally, Kaj came out of his study with a big grin. He had found a way to show her his undying love. He took her to the tallest chamber and performed a ritual that would intertwine their souls. However, the magic Kaj was using was some of the darkest magic in the land. He succeeded in intertwining his soul with her heart, but he had unknowingly turned her into a phylactery.
Elenora was furious and immediately left to seek counsel with the high priest. Kaj, ashamed by his mistake, escaped back to his laboratory in shame and grief.
The high priest, Othric, spent months with Elenora consoling and counseling her. And After years of Kaj hiding in solitude, and with their constant contact, the queen and the priest fell in love. Their love was forbidden by their lawful faith, so when a maidservant stumbled upon them, the news of the infidelity spread quickly.
Kaj was furious. He stormed from his chambers, and rained his wrath down upon the priest killing him. Elenora berated Kaj and took Othric's body to the priests.
The priests explained to Elenora that what Othric did broke his sacred vows, so when his heart is weighed in judgment he will be unfit for paradise. Elenora, being queen and exempt of the priests vows, knew her heart would be deemed fit so she took a knife and cut open her chest saying, 'I cannot allow my love to be damned take my heart in his stead.'
Her heart was enough to prevent damnation for Othric, but he can never reach paradise even with Elenora's aid. So he is doomed to remain in the world tied to Elenora's heart.
Also, since her heart was used in Othric's ritual, she did not have a heart for her own judgment. She is now fated to be reincarnated over and over again until she reclaims her heart.
The Heart of 3 Souls
Three immortals are now tied to the one heart.
Kaj- The Lich who offered his soul at the alter of Elenora's heart.
Othric- The Mummy who, with this surrogate heart,was saved from damnation.
Elenora- The reincarnating queen who cannot enter paradise because she gave her heart away.
The campaign
Janice is Elenora's current incarnation at 21 years old. She is trying to redeem the ashes of the once great land and save her people (she is unaware of her previous lives)
Kaj and Othric hate each other, but since their souls are both tied to the same object it is impossible to destroy the other without destroying themselves.
They both seek out Elenora with each incarnation, but are more than willing to backstab, frame, or reign destruction down on anyone if it would help them get Elenora's hand.
The adventure begins with Janice asking the players for aid in the aftermath of the immortals last big confrontation that ended about 20 years ago (when the previous incarnation of Elenora died).
Final Notes
It's a tragedy and a mystery story for the players. And once the figure everything out it really is up to the PCs to determine what to do. They may be willing to broker peace between the immortals. They may seek to destroy the heart at the cost of Janice's life. Who knows what would happen!
Anyhoo, i figured someone else may enjoy the concept.
