frp

• Dyanaî (d.YAH-na-ee) = Name for the natives that live near the resort
• Honovi (ho-NO-vee) = Goblin tribe to the south
• Luyu (LOO-yoo) = Dyanaî name for the resort
• Hubert = The Regent (known by almost everyone simply as “The Regent”)
• Ogun (o-GOON) = The Regent's wizard and advisor
• Cahil (kah-HIL) = Leader of the resort's rangers
• Lise (LEE-se) = Main river in Dyanaî territory

Kurt ran two sessions already, but let everyone introduce their PC's again. What's special about each one? How can I focus on each one's special traits during the future games?

Race will be important to the characters' personalities. Most will be “pure” Telemi, but some may have some Ourai blood mixed in (which is not uncommon). People should decide what they are.

Some will have magic items - introduce these and get the players to explain what they do and how they work. (Most will be useless when the magic changes - but they could provide story fodder later). Roll TWO random MINOR magic items (using the table on page 179 of the DMG).

Show the map of the resort. It's native name is “Luyu”, but it is known to most as simply "The Resort".

1. Describe the layout and function of the buildings:
   1. Tower (portal) (Residence for the Regent and Ogun)
   2. Great hall
   3. Residence hall (Currently holds 60 guests)
   4. Staff hall (Currently houses 84)
   5. Private bungalows (Out of 20, 15 are occupied with 34 guests total)
   6. Maintenance / Smithy (4 people: Smith, Wife, Baby Daughter, Apprentice)
   7. Gift shop / Provisioner (1 person)
   8. Farm (small) / Livestock area
   9. Off site locations (Ranger camps, Snow lodge, Native village)
2. Describe the mighty magics present throughout the resort:
   1. Tower is made of a single, smooth rock - unnatural in appearance
   2. Portal operated only by the resort personnel
   3. No natural water - but a magically generated river flows through
   4. Kitchens powered by magical fire (not common knowledge)
   5. The wards - to keep the goblins out
3. The people
   1. Hubert, the Regent - 5th level Aristocrat
   2. Ogun - 6th level Earth Wizard
   3. Cahil - 6th level Ranger
   4. The cook - Barry
   5. The smith - Bron
   6. The mercantyler (gift shop) - Audrey

The pre-dawn sky is clear and cold on January 31, 1108. To the casual observer, nothing is out of the ordinary. However, all PC's may make either a Listen or Spot skill check (whichever is best) against DC15 to find out if they become aware of the magic change early. If they make, they will awaken just before dawn and feel a non-specific sense of dread.

Sunrise is at 7:10am. The magic will begin to change about a half hour before that. The first noticeable effects will be the river slowing to a trickle. Also, the cooks preparing breakfast will have a harder time than usual keeping the stoves warm. They may start trolling the grounds for firewood - which is highly unusual!

By sunrise, those PC's that are up will be able to see the tower fall! Just as the sunlight hits the tower, a low rumble will wake everyone up. The tower's stone surface will melt into gravel in an instant and the entire structure will collapse on itself. All those caught inside will be killed instantly. This will include the regent and Ogun (both of whom are unmarried).

Once the tower comes down, everyone will be up! The scared guests and staff will panic initially, but soon organize a meek rescue effort at the tower. It will quickly be seen as futile, though, and the senior staff will begin shepherding people into the great hall. The staff will be quite professional about the crisis and try hard to reassure the guests.

Reassurance will not be easy, though! The regent was very well liked and his death will be tough to swallow. Breakfast will be served, but it is clearly not up to the resort's usual standards. In fact, individual meals will be abandoned in place of a buffet-style meal.

During (and after) breakfast, a discussion will commence about the future. It will quickly become obvious that something very bad has happened. Magic will either not work or will be unreliable. Many people are likely to assume that the problem is isolated to the resort and will suggest a trek to a “safer” locale.

Another prevailing idea is that this will only affect the wizards. However, all will quickly realize that the portal is GONE. There is no easy way home. Worse, the entire resort will quickly become unlivable as there is no natural water. The native servants will quickly flee home to their village - and the remaining people will likely have no other option but to follow.

Throughout the crisis, one overriding concern is the threat from the orc hunting parties - not to mention the ubiquitous goblin raiders. The wards kept the goblins out quite effectively and would have kept the orcs out as well. Now, however, the wards are gone and the resort is vulnerable. Worse, the resort served as a shield to protect the nearby village of Chesmu.

The provisions and equipment at the resort are noteworthy. Anything the party can reasonably expect will be available - though some items will require time and effort to produce (such as armor that actually fits). * Need rules on the smithy's skills *

There are over 100 non-native peoples that have been stranded here. Those people will eventually fall into one of three groups (based on what they decide to do): 1. Those who will stay at or near the resort, hoping for rescue from home; 2. Those who “go native” and move into the nearby villages with the Dyanaî; 3. Those who head out on foot to return to civilization.

Naturally, the first two groups do not make for an exciting campaign. The third group, though, must be small (to keep the campaign from being bogged down by NPC's). In addition to the player characters, there will be Bigby (my own character and token wizard) and perhaps six others.

Those who remain behind will expect (or at least hope) that the PC's will be able to reach safety and send rescue. However, if rescue arrives while the PC's are in the wilds, it would be nice to be able to locate them. To that end, someone will suggest that amulets be constructed out of stones from the collapsed tower and given to each of the PC's. These will have no magical ability, but it is hoped they will be able to be used as focal objects for future scrying attempts.

As for where they're headed: By traveling along the southern coast, the party will traverse the continent fairly safely and arrive at the southern baronies of Rota in a reasonable amount of time. However, this course will take them into the heart of goblin territory - which is suicide! This will force them north through the main Dyanaî villages, to cross the mountains at the pass near the Lise river. Once across the mountains, they should be forced across central N'Galt to the Lake of the Serpents.

Final question: How long will the party stay in this area before heading out? Since it is still winter, it might be desirable to postpone travel until spring. This will provide an opportunity to explain what happens with the goblins (and Kurt's orc group). What is going to happen?

II.B. The location of the resort was chosen because it was on a mana peak. However, it is not a practical location geographically - there is no natural water source and the field is difficult to defend from the goblins. The Dyanaî think the Telemi were insane to build where they did, but once the wards were demonstrated to work, the Dyanaî were won over and became loyal servants - thus winning the term “friendly natives”.

II.B.1. A majestic tower at the resort was constructed by a pair of earth wizards and is VERY impressive - there's a plaque and everything. Sadly, it will collapse when the magic changes as the earth reinforcement changes to shadow. Several important people (including the regent and Ogun) will be killed. This will contribute to the chaos of the magic change, as it leaves the resort leaderless.

II.B.5. The wards are projected from a trio of “ward stones” that are placed from one to five miles from the center of the resort. The spell uses these stones to project a field of protection nearly thirty miles long. The spell needs to be recast once per month (which is one of Ogun's primary responsibilities). The primary effect is similar to a protection from evil spell, however it does not physically stop summoned or enchanted evil creatures from entering. It does provide a -2 to the attack rolls from evil creatures (especially goblins). In addition, it gives goblins a sense of unease (*** effect on Morale?)

A secondary effect of the ward is to block the ever-present winds. Instead of blustery, uncomfortable winds on the cliffs, the resort enjoys a light breeze nearly all the time. (This will be the first noticeable effect to signal the failure of the wards).

II.C.1. Hubert, The Regent is a 5th level Aristocrat and has the following items: Chain Shirt (100gp), Potion of Cure Light Wounds, and a Potion of Endurance.

II.C.2. Ogun is a 6th level wizard who specializes in Earth magic. He was not involved in the construction of the resort, but studied briefly with one of the mages responsible. His main responsibility is to refresh the wards. Ogun has the following items: 2 Thunderstones (30gp each), Branded mail (250gp), Mighty Composite Longbow, +1 (200gp), Potion of Sneaking, and a Ring of Wizardry (III). Note: this last item *might* be worth digging through the rubble of the tower - if the party finds out about it!

II.C.3. Cahil - 6th level Ranger. He carries the following items: A masterwork dagger, a Mighty Composite Longbow, +1 (200gp), 4 flasks of Alchemist's Fire, Scroll (Arcane/3) with Identify, Mirror Image, and Summon Swarm, and a Scroll (Arcane/3) with Fireball, Dispel Magic, and Mirror Image.

III. The magic change could endanger people who relied on magic to stay alive. But, at the same time, it could cause a long-suffered curse to vanish as well!

Note: This entire table was ignored during the session. It's just another example of the kind of useless preparation I sometimes pursue prior to a game.

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