Building a 1-30 Campaign

[Kevka Palazzo]

When I first picked up my copy of the 4E PHB, way back in ye olde 2008, I excitedly thumbed through it and came out the other side with a solid starting point for a campaign: retrieve Melora's Pearl from the clutches of a Cult of Zehir. Around that idea I figured out what Melora's Pearl was (a divine, sea-controlling artifact gifted to an ancient sea-faring civilization) what happened to it (stolen by servants of Zehir resulting in the civilization's mighty floating cities being consumed by the waves) and what the modern day was like (lots of coastal nations living in the ruins of the former civilization beset by outside forces).

I figured things would start off low-key: take care of some bandits, check out some encroaching monstrous race lairs, crawl into some ruin dungeons to learn a little about the ancient civilization, that sort of thing. Eventually some sort of catalyst gets everybody's attention: maybe some barbarian attack takes out a nearby settlement, or maybe they even break into one of the main port cities that the PCs are staying in. Or during the dungeon delving, they meet a dragon or other long-lived creature that remembers the days of the Great Seafaring Civilzation and they get a little exposition dump, or in the loot they find a library with the relevant details.

At any rate, the secret behind the civilization gets revealed to the players: Melora's Pearl, an artifact capable of controlling the sea itself, given to Melora's chosen people long ago.

By itself this information is useless. However, a Cult of Zehir viciously guards this Pearl and its secret location, a far-off monastery dedicated to the snake god. This Cult has operatives in any city where they believe information or artifacts related to the Pearl may be found. They approach the PCs either with a deal to either join the cult and become world-hopping, artifact-stealing mercenaries (or even full-on cultists themselves) or attempt to kill them to silence things!

At the same time, there were always remnants of the once-great civilization kicking around, looking for the stolen Pearl. They also discover that the PCs have discovered something important, and make basically the same deal but in reverse, though this is less a job offer and more of a plea for help.

Regardless, the stage is set but the stakes haven't been raised. So introduce the Big Threat. The Cult of Zehir has what it wants already, and the PCs might think that the Chosen of Melora are good guys. We need an evil mastermind looking for the Pearl to use it for their own evil ends. Enter The Big Bad. Maybe they're a fiendish warlock, or a wizard mastermind, or a divine servant of an even worse god than Zehir, or a truly terrifying monster like an ancient Beholder or some sort of aberration. Regardless, they want the Pearl and they heard the PCs know where it is. So they come after the PCs. Maybe they capture the PCs, maybe they don't, regardless, in good story fashion, they need to find out at least where the PCs learned what they learned so they can get the information independently, but attacking the PCs is a good way to show them that these are the Real Bad Guys and introduce some stakes.

At this point, hopefully the PCs are invested enough to pursue the Pearl themselves. They do and have the usual random encounter-filled journey, personal side quests, and general RPG fun. They arrive at the Pearl's location and fight its guardians (or if they're loyal members of the cult, they help the guardians rebuff the invaders). At this point things could go sideways, but I figure it's a good cap to one phase of adventuring, either the last levels of Heroic or the first couple of Paragon levels.

[Yakk]

I like industrial revolutions. They are fun.

What if Melora's Pearl let you create True Water from water?

True water can behave like a solid (this isn't ice, but solid True Water). Water can be forced to flow through it in a direction of your choice using some technique. It can even turn water into air and vice versa.

The ancient cities where built on true water. Water could pass from top to bottom, but not bottom to top; any flooding would just leak out.

Propulsion is easy: a True Water fin can force water to flow in a particular direction, pushing the craft along.

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Material made from True Water would be exotic and magical. You'd have True Water Swords and Armor prised as artifacts from a bygone era.

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The cultists stole the pearl, and corrupted it. All true water *changed direction*; the floating cities went from unsinkable to unfloatable in seconds. Dams that where built of true water to keep some regions dry and others wet changed into torrents in seconds (think the opening of Pillars of Hercules).

Their corruption is used to create Zehir's Venom; a potion that creates Avengers and Paladin and Clerics of Zehir. Those who do not embrace Zehir are killed by drinking the potion; those who embrace her are granted her divine power.

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As a backdrop, the Gods are barred from access to the Middle Realm. This was part of their ancient deal with the Primal Spirits. Artifacts like Melora's Pearl are rare, and fought over by the servants of the Gods, because they let Divine Grace pass into the Middle Realm and bless the Gods' servants.

If one of the players is a Divine class, the backstory that they got their powers by being blessed by a holy artifact should be stressed.

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Phase 1: Backstory about Divine artifacts.

Phave 2: Exposure to True Water items. Maybe someone trying to steal them.

Phase 3a: Lore about where they come from. Maybe the generally secret information that True Water items where created by Melora's Pearl.

Phase 3b: Someone has a True Water craft that uses the same material as a form of propulsion. It moves much faster than anyone else's boat, but it small. A smuggler.

You bring up the "Gyre", which is a continuous storm in the center of this inland sea (caused by the large amount of corrupted True Water still churning where the ancient civilization fell).

Phase 4: Cult of Zehir. Offering them jobs initially anonymously. Conflict (initially anonymously) with Chosen of Melora, who are after much the same stuff and don't trust the PCs.

Phase 5: Betrayal -- either the PCs betray the Cult of Zehir, or the Cult of Zehir betrays the PCs. Nothing raises hackles like betrayal.

Phase 6: BBEG. I like the idea of something more evil than both. Maybe the first thing that happens is that the BBEG steals the Pearl from the Cult, and now both the Cult and Chosen of Melora are trying to get it back. An Abherration works; these divine artifacts might be useful to them in order to open gates to the far realm.

---

With the conclusion, either the Cult or Chosen or the PCs have the Pearl. Maybe the PCs give the Pearl to their temple to strengthen it.

But the idea of Divine Artifacts has now been brought into play. A great paragon-tier game is now to play "whack the divine artifact". Because I just love him, Vecna comes into play as being the mastermind behind everything going on (manipulating both the Cult and Chosen and the Aberration as part of an experitment). Needless to say, Vecna (thorugh his hand/eye) gets away with something of extreme value (another divine artifact).

The Church of Ioun maybe arrives in the plot and starts hiring the players? Or asks for the heros help?

Naturally the Church of Ioun has a Heresy problem; Vecna has infiltrated much of the Church, forcing the Iounites to keep secrets from each other, which strengthens Vecna.

So a paragon tier game where you are looking for divine artifacts to play a game of chess. In the background, possibly the Chosen are rebuilding an ocean-faring civilization (or the Cult takes over more cities and creates a dark empire pushing back the night). Or the Pearl is being used by the Temple the players are allied with to expand the an empire of Light. Whatever.

At paragon, you want the players actions to have changed the world significantly. Even if people don't know. These background details are not the player's *problem* as much as they are the *reward* for having done something awesome.

In any case, a game of artifacts -- maybe inspired by the Book of Swords -- where the divine artifacts are used and abused to warp the politics of the world. And the players are in the game.

Possible endings can vary from the Primal Spirits expelling these artifacts (but Gods gaining the ability to create Divine characters without them) through to the Gods breaking their treaty with the Primal Spirits; or maybe one God in particular does it, and gets away with it.

Epic then consists of dealing with the rearranged cosmic map, as the rules that have kept the Middle Realm safe from the meddling of Gods has broken down. The players can take the battle to the meddling Gods themselves, or defeat them on the mortal's home turf.

That work?

[Kevka Palazzo]

Holy heck, guy. This is fantastic stuff! The Venom of Zehir is downright inspired. You've really helped a guy out.

I'm especially fond of using Vecna as a bad guy because I love the Raven Queen and Ioun both, so they'd make good allies/patrons for the PCs.

[Excession]

Holy heck, guy. This is fantastic stuff! The Venom of Zehir is downright inspired. You've really helped a guy out.

I'm especially fond of using Vecna as a bad guy because I love the Raven Queen and Ioun both, so they'd make good allies/patrons for the PCs.

I am reminded of this little bit of lore from PHB3, around the Living Gate that divided the planes from the Far Realm:

An often-forgotten legend describes how three gods came to the Living Gate. Pelor, who shined light into all the shadows, first found the gate, though he later wished he had not. Ioun, whose mind hungered to understand all things, awoke the sleeping gate. And a third, nameless god, who feared no danger and doubted all authority, distracted the guardian so that all three gods could catch a glimpse through the Living Gate. The three gods left, changed by the knowledge they had gained and linked by a terrible secret, and swore never to seek the gate again or share what they had seen.

It seems to me that keeping secrets is incompatible with what Ioun is. Perhaps trying to keep it is what created Vecna in the first place. Ioun partitioned off that part of herself, and it became a new god of secrets. That means that only Vecna, Pelor, and a third god (maybe Zehir) know what lies beyond. The Living Gate being pivotal provides a way to bring aberrations into the plot if you want them. With Zehir as the third god you have male, female, and serpent figures in that legend if you like the reference.

You don't need an excuse to bring the Raven Queen into it. She is exactly the type to poke into anything that might provide a new source of power, or upset the status quo. She tends to pop up a lot in my stories too, though I prefer Erathis to Ioun.

[Yakk]

Erathis is great, but the throwaway line about many Avengers worshipping Ioun means god blessed killer librarian assassins.

And Erathis has got nothing on that.

Still, Erathis and Melora are enemies/rivals, and the Pearl was used to prop up civilization. There is something there to work with; maybe the civilization was a corrupting of Melora's gift by Erathis. So Erathians want the Pearl to rebuild it; Melorians to do something else with it.

Heck, maybe Melorians allied with the Zehir to get the Pearl back from the Erathians, which led to betrayal and the collapse.

What more, this can all be true and just pointless background texture. On the other hand, the Melorians might not want to rebuild civilization if they get the Pearl. But maybe the Melorians are infiltrated/corrupted by Erathians.

[Duff]

If you wanted to make it 1-30, your natural changeover points would be:
1-10 - getting to know the area, the culture and rumors of the item

11-20 - A - Dealing with the BBEG (beholder/outsider/etc)
or - B - dealing with the cult of Zehire and the Chosen of Melora

21-30 - Dealing with the conflict between the gods, using whichever wasn't used out of a and b above, with possible other gods joining in as desired

I'd want the party to have the pearl after level 20, with the rest being keeping it while working out what to do with it, though making epic about getting it and doing (x) with it also would work.

[Excession]

Erathis is great, but the throwaway line about many Avengers worshipping Ioun means god blessed killer librarian assassins.

And Erathis has got nothing on that.

Yeah, you've got me there.

Though I import Lliira from Forgotten Realms so I can have divine clown assassins too.

[RedMage125]

I am reminded of this little bit of lore from PHB3, around the Living Gate that divided the planes from the Far Realm:



It seems to me that keeping secrets is incompatible with what Ioun is. Perhaps trying to keep it is what created Vecna in the first place. Ioun partitioned off that part of herself, and it became a new god of secrets. That means that only Vecna, Pelor, and a third god (maybe Zehir) know what lies beyond. The Living Gate being pivotal provides a way to bring aberrations into the plot if you want them. With Zehir as the third god you have male, female, and serpent figures in that legend if you like the reference.

Default 4e lore ends up being clear that the third god was Tharizdun. The Abyssal Plague novels are especially specific.

Erathis is great, but the throwaway line about many Avengers worshipping Ioun means god blessed killer librarian assassins.

And Erathis has got nothing on that.

Still, Erathis and Melora are enemies/rivals, and the Pearl was used to prop up civilization. There is something there to work with; maybe the civilization was a corrupting of Melora's gift by Erathis. So Erathians want the Pearl to rebuild it; Melorians to do something else with it.

Heck, maybe Melorians allied with the Zehir to get the Pearl back from the Erathians, which led to betrayal and the collapse.

What more, this can all be true and just pointless background texture. On the other hand, the Melorians might not want to rebuild civilization if they get the Pearl. But maybe the Melorians are infiltrated/corrupted by Erathians.

Ok, as someone who LOVES the flavor of Avengers, and the goddess Erathis, I must protest. Avengers of Erathis seek out threats to civilization and civilized life. Threats from the Far Realm certainly qualify. Their organization could be EXTREMELY well-organized, and is even more likely than Ioun's to be a "brotherhood of assassins" kind of group. And I see them targeting not only what is wild, chaotic, and savage, but also those threats which threaten civilization from within or underneath. The ultimate agents of Big Brother.

But to build on something and add a constructive element, what if Melora and Erathis weren't always at each others' throats? What if the Pearl and the civilization that ensued from it was the ultimate example of cooperation between the two? The perfect hybrid of civilization and raw, elemental nature. And when that civilization collapsed, each god's side blamed the other. This is what caused the rift between them to grow so large. Erathians blamed the Melorans for wanting to tear down the civilization to return to wild nature, and the Melorans blame the Erathians for attempting to overreach civilization's grasp. Both sides feel betrayed by the other, and now both deities (neither of them Evil) want the Pearl back for themselves, and view the other as an adversary. Neither side actually knows that the cult of Zehir was responsible. So the civilization's fall caused a permanent rift between the goddesses, while Zehir and his followers got away scot-free. Best of all, to build on the Vecna influence, it was Vecna who helped keep the secret of Zehir's involvement from Melora and Erathis. But even Zehir doesn't know that, he thinks he was just more clever than the other two gods. All as part of a long-term scheme on Vecna's part aimed several hundred years down the line (time of current campaign), to keep the other gods squabbling amongst themselves.

[ScrivenerofDoom]

Yeah, you've got me there.

Though I import Lliira from Forgotten Realms so I can have divine clown assassins too.

The Scarlet Mummers definitely aren't clowns....

[ScrivenerofDoom]

(snip) That work?

That's one of the best campaign arc write-ups I've read! It ties in so well with the 4E lore, especially when you add in the Living Gate stuff as well.

Well done!

BTW, if you're not familiar with Pemerton over at ENWorld, I recommend searching for his actual play posts for the Paragon and Epic tiers of his campaign. He also uses the 4E lore in a way that WotC simply failed to do during the course of their mishandling of a such a story-rich edition.

[Excession]

The Scarlet Mummers definitely aren't clowns....

Some of them are. Worse, some of them are mimes. The ultimate silent killers.

[ScrivenerofDoom]

Some of them are. Worse, some of them are mimes. The ultimate silent killers.

But they're no match for Michael Flatley-style dancing monks.... ;)