Books found on bookshelf in Red Hand of Doom - integration and summary help

[SpamCreateWater]

So I've started using the What's on the Shelf thread to give out book titles that catch a PCs eye when they're looking around.

Obviously, because reasons, the PCs have decided that the plot is going to share a place of primary importance with these books. I can run with that.
They're running through Red Hand of Doom, so I'd like to integrate some of it into the adventure - perhaps one of the books could hold the key to restoring the Thornwastes, for example.

I would like to request some assistance with possible ideas (if you're generous a blurb, even) on what these books could contain and how they could connect to Elsir Vale.

Books found and taken:

• Stone Circles of Elsir Vale - Uraz Graabraz
• Fluffy Bunnies vol. I
• Fluffy Bunnies vol. III - Soooo Fluffy
• Elves, Time, and the World

And yes, the whole reason this obsession started is because Vol. II of Fluffy Bunnies is missing.

Fluffy Bunnies has been likened to a light-hearted, teenage fiction book. A guilty pleasure of the wizard they liberated it from. I'm thinking it to be along the lines of Adventure Time I haven't seen it, but I've heard people comment on how deep it is if you get into the subtle adult themes.

Stone Circles hasn't been looked at yet, but they have made a good impression on the local Druid circle (dude from Drellin's Ferry). I'd like that connection to be strengthened - unless other ideas pique my interest more.

Elves, Time, and the World... got nothing. Tiri Kitor are, in this setting, shorter-lived elves. More primitive and primal than their forest dwelling cousins. More... realistic and less given to art and the finer things in life. I'm of the opinion that the book wouldn't be on them, but perhaps speaks of a time prior to the Elves splintering off into multiple groups/races.

[smasher0404]

Warning: This answer if taken seriously and used could result in a very much less-than-serious adventure

Fluffy Bunnies is a series of volumes about a singular ritual created by a misguided druid. The ritual was supposed to summon a singular fluffy bunny, because bunnies are cute and having a ritual that summons cute bunnies is good for entertaining children, or just having something fluffy to play with. However, the druid failed to design the ritual properly, so instead of summoning just one fluffy bunny, it would exponentially summon more and more bunnies until the caster either collapsed from exhaustion or something breaks the caster's concentration. Fortunately, the first time it was cast, the druid got distracted enough by the cuteness of the fluffy bunnies they were summoning that it broke their concentration and the ritual ended. The druidic circle, realizing the ecological damage this ritual could cause, convinced the druid to split the ritual when writing it down into three volumes, to make it much more difficult for someone to learn how to cast it. The current location of volume II is currently unknown, but some sages say that the Red Hand (or remnants of) has somehow acquired it, and are seeking the other volumes.

[Uncle Pine]

When opened at pages 39, 96 and 63 and laid on a flat surface in a triangular fashion, the apparently incomprehensible symbols of arcane gibberish figuring on those very shape reveal a magical circle that can be used to perform a powerful evocation ritual that would yield the ritualist the power to summon powerful lagomorphs at will. The PCs can try to recreate the circle and enact the ritual.
I'll leave the details of the ritual up to you, but be sure to include a final Spellcraft check at the end: succeed and you get to summon a dire hare (refluffed dire badger) as per summon nature's ally II 1-2 times a day, fail and you get the Chicken Rabbit Infested flaw. Then the three books and the circle spontaneously combust.

[Fizban]

My first thought was that Uraz Graabraz sounds like an orc name, so the book could wind up providing unexpected insight into someone important in the horde. Excep the horde is mostly gobbos and you want more druid connection out of it.

In a shocking twist, it turns out that while Fluffy Bunnies 1 and 3 are quite pleasant, the series originally took a much darker turn in book 2, much to fans' displeasure. So much so that many of them gathered up any copies they could find and burned them. This makes Fluffy Bunnies 2 an incredibly rare collector's item, prized and jealously guarded, as the default assumption by any owner is that anyone who already knows *of* the book is seeking to destroy it. Some amusing NPC has a copy, and some amusing NPC will buy any copy the PCs find for an absurd sum.

Elves, Time, and the World, is a series of pontificates on the nature of beings with much greater lifespans by a common human. It speculates on their culture and psychology in much the same way 1st party WotC books do. How accurate or valuable that is directly corresponds to how well you like the given fluff.

[Troacctid]

Stone Circles could be related to the dolmen circles from Magic of Incarnum, or it could tie into the Standing Stone adventure.

[Saintheart]

Stone Circles of Elsir Vale is significant for two reasons:

(1) Every stone circle in Elsir Vale was the work of the Ghostlord, before he became a blighter. The guy is a good 150-300 years old. He keeps the book out of nostalgia.

(2) The stone circles of Elsir Vale are treaty markers - between the humans and elves of the Vale, to indicate the points beyond which human settlement was not meant to pass.

[SpamCreateWater]

Thanks for your replies so far everyone

Spoiler: smasher0404

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Warning: This answer if taken seriously and used could result in a very much less-than-serious adventure

Fluffy Bunnies is a series of volumes about a singular ritual created by a misguided druid. The ritual was supposed to summon a singular fluffy bunny, because bunnies are cute and having a ritual that summons cute bunnies is good for entertaining children, or just having something fluffy to play with. However, the druid failed to design the ritual properly, so instead of summoning just one fluffy bunny, it would exponentially summon more and more bunnies until the caster either collapsed from exhaustion or something breaks the caster's concentration. Fortunately, the first time it was cast, the druid got distracted enough by the cuteness of the fluffy bunnies they were summoning that it broke their concentration and the ritual ended. The druidic circle, realizing the ecological damage this ritual could cause, convinced the druid to split the ritual when writing it down into three volumes, to make it much more difficult for someone to learn how to cast it. The current location of volume II is currently unknown, but some sages say that the Red Hand (or remnants of) has somehow acquired it, and are seeking the other volumes.

I'm not too worried about sliding too far off the serious end. The people I've gathered are pretty good at switching gears and have a (generally) good instinct for when it's time to quit messing around.
I like it, but I may table your idea and use it for something else. I've added a second mini-campaign alongside the first, in which the players use ex-PCs and NPCs to harry and harass the Horde. This idea, as I'll probably run it as a series of one-shots in an X-COM styled format, may trigger an idea for more backstory/details for the players.

Spoiler: Uncle Pine

Show

When opened at pages 39, 96 and 63 and laid on a flat surface in a triangular fashion, the apparently incomprehensible symbols of arcane gibberish figuring on those very shape reveal a magical circle that can be used to perform a powerful evocation ritual that would yield the ritualist the power to summon powerful lagomorphs at will. The PCs can try to recreate the circle and enact the ritual.
I'll leave the details of the ritual up to you, but be sure to include a final Spellcraft check at the end: succeed and you get to summon a dire hare (refluffed dire badger) as per summon nature's ally II 1-2 times a day, fail and you get the Chicken Infested flaw. Then the three books and the circle spontaneously combust.

Looks like I learned a new word today
I like this. It works in really well with the expanded druidic role I've created in this run through; the person who has them is one of the two players who would run with this really well, and one of the two PCs who have strong nature ties.

Spoiler: Fizban

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My first thought was that Uraz Graabraz sounds like an orc name, so the book could wind up providing unexpected insight into someone important in the horde. Excep the horde is mostly gobbos and you want more druid connection out of it.

In a shocking twist, it turns out that while Fluffy Bunnies 1 and 3 are quite pleasant, the series originally took a much darker turn in book 2, much to fans' displeasure. So much so that many of them gathered up any copies they could find and burned them. This makes Fluffy Bunnies 2 an incredibly rare collector's item, prized and jealously guarded, as the default assumption by any owner is that anyone who already knows *of* the book is seeking to destroy it. Some amusing NPC has a copy, and some amusing NPC will buy any copy the PCs find for an absurd sum.

Elves, Time, and the World, is a series of pontificates on the nature of beings with much greater lifespans by a common human. It speculates on their culture and psychology in much the same way 1st party WotC books do. How accurate or valuable that is directly corresponds to how well you like the given fluff.

I'm not 100% sold on needing a druid connection out of it. If something else piques my interest, I'll be happy to swap focus.

Depending on how much time they spend in Brindol, and the other towns, I could see the "rabid fan" thing running its course. Especially as I can see it intersecting with the Skather crumbs I've begun to lay down - he has a drug/poison theme going on. Some hilarity could ensue if there was a blue-staining food/drink item in the Vale, as the Red Hand's minions having blue lips from Sannish will be a bread trail for Skather. But that feels like deliberately misleading the players for my own amusement as I've mentioned no such food/drink. Drats.
I may still use this, though. Combining it with the above idea of at will dire hare summoning for extremist Druids, not too far off losing neutrality, wanting to destroy the ability to summon nature's allies. That power should be reserved for the purists!

This is good. From the perspective of humans; the mouth of figurative babes, I guess. Very nice.

Spoiler: Troacctid

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Stone Circles could be related to the dolmen circles from Magic of Incarnum, or it could tie into the Standing Stone adventure.

I... must have completely skipped that part of MoI. Or read it so long ago I've forgotten. I'll look back over them, thanks.

I've heard of that AP, but not read through it. Quick Google search indicate 7th level, but I can definitely upgrade that to challenge them if they decide to investigate.

Spoiler: Saintheart

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Stone Circles of Elsir Vale is significant for two reasons:

(1) Every stone circle in Elsir Vale was the work of the Ghostlord, before he became a blighter. The guy is a good 150-300 years old. He keeps the book out of nostalgia.

(2) The stone circles of Elsir Vale are treaty markers - between the humans and elves of the Vale, to indicate the points beyond which human settlement was not meant to pass.

The man himself has graced me with his presence. Love the handbook!

I've, ah, taken liberties with some of the details in AP. Mostly due to me not reading it properly and making up stuff that is wildly inaccurate. So, the Ghostlord is 500+ years old; the sack of Rhest happened ~500 years ago; the Tiri Kitor appeared in the Vale ~450 years ago.

I like both of these ideas, though.

Spoiler: Now I'm just blabbering on

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I also added Cromar in (based heavily on this post), who met an unfortunate end due to magic, Skather, and becoming complacent in his defences - he had become senile and obsessed with the Ghostlord.
Another big change was the Ghostlord becoming my version of a Lich, an Undying. Pretty much a Lich, but not undead. S/he's now not going to die to Staff of Life, and there's another plot hook for players to follow - how to become a Lich without sacrificing children or whatever you have to do.
And I've added in a cabal of high ranking church officials that control/destroy the Undying - the Excommunication Project, a not-so-subtle reference to X-COM, a favoured game of one of my players. This is yet another way the players can interact with the Ghostlord. Either threaten to reveal him to the Excommunication Project, or somehow contact someone of sufficient power within the cabal and get them to mount a team to destroy the Ghostlord.
I've added ties between the Kaal family and the Ghostlord. The former quashes any concrete information about the latter because the latter saved the Kaal family line from dying in the fall of Rhest. Of course, this means that Lady Kaal has an heirloom - a map to the Ghostlord's lair.

[Efrate]

Standing stones adventure involves a ghost paladin, who was killed by the town sage and villagers who are essentially small forest critters permanently turned into people and halflings, by an old druidic spell inscribed on dolmens.

It's a part is the sunless citadel adventure path, and deals with the place where Ashardalon was slain by the druid Dydd, with help from said spell of turning critters to people.

The warlord that lead the army which the animals once converted were a part of is buried there. He was slain by his aides after the battle.

The local elves are at war with the not human villagers, there have been multiple ambushes and massacres, but the elves were victims first. They and the paladin kill anyone who tries to leave unless convinced otherwise.

That's from memory, some of that may be my own regulating from when I last ran that adventure.

And bunnies of arguable fluffiness were turned into people if you want to cobble a tale together.