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Adventure Ideas for the Obsidian Order Campaigns involving the Obsidian Order are dark and mysterious, keeping the heroes from knowing what is really going on until the heart-wrenching end, where all is revealed. By Eric Jwo The basic ideas and concepts of the Obsidian Order were already laid out in previous works. However, I neglected to show how to integrate this clandestine order of mages into a campaign. Although any good Narrator could easily find a way to integrate the Obsidian Order into an Adventure, I decided to introduce some Adventure Ideas to stimulate a few ideas. Who knows, perhaps these ideas could blossom into an entire campaign. One of the hard things about running an Obsidian Order campaign is the level of secrecy that must be maintained. A good Narrator should try to keep the existence of the Order hidden from the heroes, while giving them the sense that they are being manipulated by a powerful, unseen force. And when the Order is finally discovered, the heroes should not know much about it. Perhaps they learn of the secret society, but they might not know their plans, their abilities, or even the fact that they are sorcerers. And the leader of the Obsidian Order, the Shadow dragon, should be a well guarded secret. One of the hardest things in an Obsidian Order campaign is to have a hero be a Shadowmage. In my own campaign, one of the players (Jay Yao) plays a Shadowmage named Will. Everyone in the game thought that Will is just an ordinary Academy Student. However, it does cause tension in the game when I throw in the Obsidian Order, because Will has a moral crisis. Once, Will had to violate a direct order to save his companions from certain doom. However, other shadowmages need not have moral issues. Another shadowmage hero might obey all orders, and leave the other heroes to die if they are ordered to. However, this isn't going to make that player all too popular with the other players, so watch out. Campaigns involving the Obsidian Order are dark and mysterious, keeping the heroes from knowing what is really going on until the heart-wrenching end, where all is revealed. The heroes should not have a clue what is going on. However, subtley, over the course of the adventure, a clever Narrator can supply the heroes with enough clues to keep them going. If the heroes discover the existence of the Order, they should still be wary. After all, the heroes shouldn't know whether they should stop or help the Order. And in some cases, the position of the Order is entirely ambiguous. However, at the end of the campaign, the heroes should finally have a sense of who to fight. Their knowledge of the Obsidian Order should still be incredibly limited, however, but they should still know whether to fight or help them. Below, are a few scenarios that I have developed. I would have written them in the standard Fifth Age Adventure format, but 1) I figured that Narrators could just take the basic ideas presented here, and re-work them to suit their needs; and 2) I'm too lazy. So here are some Adventure ideas to help get your Obsidian Order Campaigns off and running! The Circle of the Silver Stair The Legend In the Age of Might, when Istar stood tall and mighty in land, and the Knights of Solamnia championed the cause of Good with a righteous blade, there was a clandestine sect within the Knights of Paladine. To protect against the threat of Takhisis and her minions from escaping the Abyss and returning to Krynn, the Kingpriest of Istar ordered four Rose Knights to band together. He gave them swords forged of dragonmetal, that could send them to the stars and back, and charged them with the duty of guarding the planes. These four Knights formed the Circle of the Silver Stair. Together, these valiant paladins could open a gateway to other planes, and battle the forces of darkness. Thusly was Takhisis kept at bay. They were led by Argetimus Dargeth, a valiant knight of powerful convictions. He led the Knights wisely, and under his leadership, the Circle kept Krynn safe from the claws of Takhisis. Sir Dargeth possessed a special star sword. Without his sword, none of the other star swords could travel across the planes. His sword, called StarFall, was the key to the powers held by the Knights of the Silver Stair. However, another coveted Sir Dargeth's position and his sword. Krogunard uth Matar he was called. This knight longed for the chance to lead the Circle. Takhisis had found the chance she had been waiting for, and she whispered dark words into his ear, until his heart was blackened with rage and hate. Secretly, Krogunard began to plot against his leader. He corrupted another Knight, and they began to move on Sir Dargeth. And then the Kingpriest made a tragic mistake. In his arrogance, the Kingpriest called upon the gods of Good for divine power. He ordered them to help him. And because of his arrogance, the gods smote the world with a fiery mountain. However, the Circle was charged with stopping the Kingpriest. Their mission was to protect Krynn, and they reacted immediantly. However, filled with dark intent, Krogunard and his Knights attacked Sir Dargeth before the Knights could save Krynn. As the two sides fought, the fiery mountain hit Krynn. Instantly, all four knights were killed, their essences destroyed. However, their swords all vanished. Some believe that the swords were lost forver, sent into random planes because of their planar abilties. Others believe that they were destroyed along with the Circle of the Silver Stair. And some believe that the swords were scattered throughout Ansalon. No one knew what really happened to the four swords. Until now. The Plan A few weeks ago (before to the start of the adventure), the Obsidian Order discovered one of the star swords. The sword they discovered was not StarFall, so they could not activate its power. Also, they discovered that one sword could only transport a human-sized organism. The Order needs all four swords in order to send Shade back to the demiplane of Shadow. Now the Obsidian Order has sent nearly all of its resources to search for the remaining three swords. Once all three swords are found, then Shade will activate them, and teleport back to his native plane. There, he can direct the activities of the Obsidian Order, and even grant his minions more power. The Heroes The heroes can get involved in many different ways. If any hero is part of the Outer Rim, or is a shadowmage, then he/she can compel his/her comrades to help in the search for the swords. The Order also hires mercenaries to help search for the swords. If this is the case, then the heroes are only told that they are searching for magical swords for a rich baron in Palanthas. Other ways can be if the heroes accidently stumble onto one of the swords (this way is my favorite!). After that, agents from the Obsidian Order try to kill the heroes and recover the star sword. Additional Information At every site where a sword rests, there is a clue to the next sword. For every Narrator who doesn't want to make up all that stuff, below is key to where all the swords rest. Feel free to have Obsidian Order agents pop up whenever. StarJewel: This sword was already recovered by the Obsidian Order. It was found in teh Blood Sea of Istar. It is a Longsword of Legend, doing +17 dmg. normally, and +34 damage against a dragon or extraplanar creature. In addition, in conjunction with StarFall, this sword can transport a human-sized creature through the planes. Also, this sword has a -4 Def. aura, and can fire a lightning bolt (Range melee, Dmg. 10) 3/day. The clue to the next sword was, Look for trees firm and tall, heroes here are born and bred, the next blade lies among the sacred homes of the honored dead. StarBlaze: This sword lies within the Tomb of the Last Heroes in Solace. For the heroes to get in, have a vision of Tanis Half-elven, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, or Steel Brightblade beckon them. This is a great way to have the heroes stumble upon one of the swords. Starblaze is a Longsword of Legend, doing +17 dmg. normally, and +34 dmg. to dragons and extraplanar creatures. In addition, in conjunction with StarFall, this sword can transport a human-sized creature through the planes. Also, this sword can create a circle of protection 1/day. This circle can absorb 50 dmg. points before it shatters. The clue to the next sword is, Look within the Tower's of Old, hiding within the forest of green. StarBird: This sword lies within vaults of the Tower of Wayreth. Heroes must persuade the Master of the Tower to let them take the sword. StarBird is a Longsword of Legend, doing +17 dmg. normally, and +34 dmg. to dragons and to extraplanar creatures. In addition, in conjunction with StarFall, this sword can transport a human-sized creature through the planes. Also, this sword can heal 10 dmg. 4/day. The clue to the next sword is, Look for the next blade where fire flows like water, and runs down the very streets in cleansing waves. On the mouth of the fiery river, and on the highest summit, will you find the ultimate prize. StarFall: This sword lies near the Lair of the Obsidian Order! In fact, the sword is only a few miles from the Dwelling, the residence of the Obsidian Order. The sword lies on one of the famous Lords of Doom mountains near Sanction. It lies near the peak of the tallest mountain. Once the heroes find the location of the sword. Through a lot of obstacles in their way, and set up a final, climactic battle on the peaks. StarFall is a Longsword of Legend, doing +17 dmg. normally, and +34 dmg. to dragons and extrplanar creatures. In addition, StarFall can transport any one human-sized creature through the planes, and cause the other star swords to do the same. Also, this sword can transform its wielder (if the wielder's Nature derives from a card of 3 or less) into a silver dragon of young adult age. There is one drawback to using the blades. Without the gods to stabilize the crystal sphere surrounding Krynn, any attempt to bypass it will result in a total collapse. This means that any one seeking to exit Krynnspace and enter other planes will cause Krynn and its neighboring planets to implode. Space will fold in on itself until Krynnspace is no more. It is vital that the heroes realize this. A way to suck the players into the story, is to have a mysterious informant. A shadowmage who realizes what's going on can help them after the heroes have stumbled onto a star sword (this is the method I used). He can urge the heroes to find the remaining swords, and serve to keep the heroes on track. He should appear and disappear whenever prudent (he may have the school of Summoning), and serve as a helper in some cases. When the heroes are trapped by Kargayat shock troops, he suddenly appears and helps them through a secret door. However, he should keep the heroes in the dark as soon as possible. Think of theose informant guys on the X-Files. Finally though, he should let slip that a powerful force is searching for the blades. He can later tell the heroes the Legend of the star swords, and what will happen once they are activated. After that, of course, he should die. While he is alive, the heroes should still be wary of him, and not trust him too much. For those who don't wish to make up their own informant, here's the one I used. By the way, my guy never mentions his name, and he keeps his cool the entire time. Even when his fellow shadowmages caught up with him, he just said, "So, you found me out. Checkmate." Then of course, the heroes got to watch him die. And just when they were about to learn about the Obsidian Order too! Informant Description: Male middle-aged human (civilized) Role: Shadowmage Demeanor: Enigmatic (5 of moons) Nature: Mysterious (7 of moons) Reputation: Hero Wealth: Aristocrat Agility: 4D Dexterity: 7C Endurance: 4X Strength: 5C Reason: 8A Perception: 8B Spirit: 7B Presence: 7B Melee Weapon: None Missile Weapon: none Armor: None Shield: None The informant should be enigmatic, and seem to always know a lot more than the heroes. While it is advisable that he dies and that he doesn't give out too much info, Narrators can customize him to suit their purposes. He should however, show up periodically to give them a helping hand, and to tell them about the star swords and their danger. He knows the schools of Summoning, Enchantment, and Electromancy. He also knows the sphere of Mentalism. He has keen hearing. It should also be noted that Shade doesn't care what happens to Krynn. Getting home is the most important thing to him, and if he has to sacrifice the Order and Krynnspace to do it, he will. Outcome In the end, the heroes should find some way to recover StarFall. They can destroy it like they would destroy anything else. Creative ways such as tossing StarFall into the Lords of Doom, should be rewarded by Narrators. For the final fight, the heroes should face must opposition. A few angry, spell-hurling, high-ranking shadowmages, as well as a few members from each of the factions of the Outer Rim should start things off. Then perhaps, increase the amount of Kargayats and shadowmages. A successful challenging Reason action allows a hero to read the incrisption on the blade. If no one seems to examine the blade, then the Narrator should make a point of mentioning the inscription. Whoever reads the inscription transorms into a silver dragon of young adult age. This lasts for 24 hours, regardless of whether the sword is destroyed. This should even the odds for a while. Using this approach, a group of heroes can toss the sword into some lava, and then fly away on the dragon's back. The heroes should not face Shade, or even learn that much about the Obsidian Order. They should come out of the adventure with a sense that there is something out there, watching them. The Genesis Project The Plan After years of trying, the Obsidian Order has managed to alter life. Years of working with the Brahumman in order to combine mysticism and sorcery have paid off. With the ability to create permanent sorcerous effects, as well as mysticism's ability to affect living creatures, the Obsidian Order has created a new life form. They call it, "Genesis." Genesis is a small, black puddle of oil-like material. A genesis creature is about the size of someone's fist. It has no organs or anything of the sort. In fact, it should be classified as an ooze or a slime. However, a genesis does only three things, it eats, it reproduces, and it syphons off magical energy. The purpose of the genesis creature is evident. The Order releases these creatures across Ansalon, and they attach themselves to hosts. They then begin to feed off of a host. In about a year, the host will die. However, during that time, the genesis creature gathers all of its host's sorcerous potential, and releases it. Then, it reproduces. These new genesis creatures then find new hosts, and begin the process anew. The released sorcerous energy is collected by a magical artifact called the Shadow Gate. Once the Shadow Gate has absorbed enough energy, it will open a stable gateway to the demiplane of Shadows. The Heroes To get the heroes involved in this adventure, I recommend that they observe a man who dies from the genesis creature. Then they can get a glimpse of the creature. Later, have a mysterious informant contact them. Use the same stats as the last adventure, but make sure to let the heroes know that the informant is not the same guy. However, he is also a shadowmage who is disgruntled with the Order's policies. He should let the heroes know that the creature is dangerous, and hint that something larger is taking place. For every day that the adventure takes place, flip over a card from the Fate Deck for every member of the party. If a dragons card comes up, then that person has contracted a genesis creature. That hero loses 2 magic points each day until he runs out and dies (if the hero does not have a sorcery pool, give him the amount he would have if he couls cast spells). On a successful challenging Perception action, a hero can tell if another person has a genesis creature. By the way, this is the stats for the genesis creature: Genesis Co 4 Ph 2 In 0 Es 0 Dmg +0 Def -0 SA Syphon magic The Story Continues The informant will instruct the heroes to take the genesis creature to Palin Majere. From there, any good Narrator can take over and decide what goes on. Eventually, the informant will tell the heroes that they should go to Palanthas to find the source of these creatures. He will lead them to an abandoned warehouse on the docks. Click here for the map. It's up to the heroes to decided whether they want to go in, or even how to get in. Any creative ways that they can think of could work. A good Narrator shoud be fair, and evaluate all of their plans according. On the map, several things should be noted. The table in the Southeast room contains several documents. These scrolls talk about the Genesis project, as well as mentioning the Shadow Gate and the anti-Genesis creatures. Heroes should get a good look at this. This room, as well as the room that houses the Mutant Genesis creature are protected by an anti-magic enchantment. Obsidian was embedded into the rock to achieve this feat. That means that no one can teleport into or out of these two rooms. Once it becomes clear that the heroes are winning, the people in the warehouse will release the Mutant Genesis creature, and flee. The creature will fight until dead. All secret doors require a successful challenging Perception actionto find. Note: Once the heroes have escaped the warehouse with the information, it should be set on fire and burned down via a pyromancy spell. The heroes should not see who cast the spell. The stats for Kargayat Guards, Novices, and Shadowmages are further below. Mutant Genesis Creature Co 4 Ph 20 In 2 Es 2 Dmg +10 Def -8 SA Regenerate From there, Kargayat assasins will be sent after the heroes, so have them dodge assasination attempts for a while. Then, the informant should once again meet up with the heroes, preferably in a tense moment. Ideally, the informant should tell the heroes to destroy the Shadow Gate to get back everyone's magic, and to release the anti-genesis creatures. He will give them a magical wand, tipped with an obsidian stone. He uses it to transport the heroes into an underground lab. Where the lab is, the heroes don't know. To learn how to use the wand, one of the heroes needs to succeed in a challenging Reason action. After that, the heroes can teleport at will. However, the walls of the lab are laced with the same enchanted obsidian as the warehouse trap. Therefore, they cannot use the teleportation wand. Only Room J doesn't have this enchantment. In case some Narrator doesn't want to make a map, one is provided here. If the heroes make it to Room J, there mission is to destroy the Shadow Gate, and release the anti-Genesis creatures. Even just breaking the container will do, because the anti-Genesis creatures are air-borne viruses that only affect genesis creatures. Ideally, a hero should have learned what to do with the wand, and then teleport the heroes out of the lab. Where they go is up to the heroes. In the next few weeks to come, the heroes should notice the populace feeling better. Also, the Narrator should continue to send a few assasins out periodically. All heroes or characters lost magic points regain them. Here's the key to the Underground Lab: Room A: This is where the heroes arrive when they teleport. The wand spent all of its magic breaking through the anti-magic barrier embedded in the walls. it only has enough magic for one more teleportation. This room is cold, and paved, yet neat and orderly. There is no furniture, the room is completely bare. If the heroes search the southern areas, they can find a secret door with a successful challenging Perception action. Room B: This room holds two Kargayat guards. They will attack intruders on sight. There is a small table in the Southeast corner. On it, is a pouch containing 15 steel pieces and a ruby worth 50 steel. Room C: In this room are three Kargayat guards. One will flee through the Eastern door into passage K to warn the others should the heroes charge in. If the heroes don't stop him, he will draw the forces from Room K and H into Room C. There is nothing else of intrest in this room. Room D: This room contains a Novice and a Kargayat guard. The guard will protect the Novice at all costs. The Novice will hang back and try to enchant the guards sword for him. The Novice will fight hand to hand if necessary. The Novice carries a dagger of renown with him, and will use that in attack. Room E: This room serves as the Kargayat's armory. In it, are three longswords of renown, two broadwords of fame, four spears of distinction, one battle ax of glory, and three kite shields of fame. All have obsidian buried somewhere in the weapon. The two Kargayat guards will fight to the death, and even arm themselves with the magical weapons. Room F: In this room there are three Kargayat guards, and one Novice. The guards will all try to protect the Novice. The Novice will try to enchant the weapons of the guards. In the Southeast corner, there is a secret door. Any hero who searches for one, and succeeds in a challenging Perception action will find it. Room G: In this room, there is a shadowmage and a Kargayat guard. The guard will try to keep the heroes from reaching the shadowmage, while the shadowmage will hurl spells at the heroes. In the Northern wll, there is a secret door. Any hero who searches that area and succeeds in a challenging Perception action will find the door. The shadowmage carries a staff of fame that hurls a lightning bolt (melee range, 8 dmg.) 3/day. The staff is topped with an obsidian orb. Room H: In this room is a lone Kargayat guard. He will try to retreat and alert others of the heroes presence. Room I: This is the private lab of the overseer of the lab. His name is Azrael, and he is working on a new spell. His Reason score is an 8, giving him 64 magic points. He will attack the hereos with all of his spells. Azrael also carries a wand of fireballs (near missile range, 12 dmg.) 2/day. Room J: This is the room where both the Shadow Gate and the anti-Genesis creatures are called. The gate rests in teh Southeast corner. It is a made of metal, and arches. It looks like a wide mirror. The anti-genesis creatures are being stored in a metal container. "Anti-Genesis" is printed on the side. Dealing 8 dmg. to the container will rupture it, releasing the creatures. Dealing 20 dmg. to the Shadow Gate will destroy it. However, the room is filled with adversaries. The Kargayat guards will defend the Anti-Genesis creatures, while the shadowmage and the Novice protect the Shadow Gate. This is the only room that is not protected against magic. Therefore, once the heroes job is done, they can use the teleportation wand to get out of the lab. Room K: This id a side passage. Nothing much here. The Kargayat guard will fight the heroes, instructing the Novice to flee. Then, the shadowmage and the Novice will fight the heroes with spells. Room L: This is the treasury for the Underground Lab. Three Kargayat guards protect it. Inside, there is a total of 2000 steel pieces, and several gems worth at least 100 steel apiece. There are also numerous magical items, which the Narrator can make up. Take care however, to not let the heroes get away with too much, as no hero can carry 2000 steel and still fight normally! Shadowmages Co 5 Ph 6 In 7 Es 6 Dmg +2 Def -2 SA Sorcery (Enchantment, Electromancy, Spectramancy) Novices Co 5 Ph 5 In 6 Es 6 Dmg +0 Def -0 SA Sorcery (Enchantment) Kargayat Guards Co 6 Ph 7 In 5 Es 5 Dmg +6 Def -4 SA also missile weapons (crossbow/+5)