Sarah Darkmagic

Mike, from Mike's D&D Blog and a player in my weekly group, ran a great one-shot yesterday with an Arabian Nights theme. For the game, I created Nataya, commonly known as Shahmat. She is a changeling assassin, the subject of many legends, both true and untrue. Recently she broke free from the feared prison Ashkabar and her main motivation was to not return there.

I have to admit, I really liked playing this character, even if she was a bit dark. Being a changeling assassin and an escaped prisoner offered a lot of role play elements, even in a one-shot game, and I tried to take advantage of them as often as possible, without being a jerk about it. We started the game in a spice tent in the town's marketplace. The wife of the shah wanted to hire us to bring back her husband, a captive of a genie. While she offered riches to us in return for her husband's return, Nataya asked for one additional reward. She wanted a pardon for all that she has done and all that she was about to do. Basically, she desired a safe haven to ensure she would not return to the dreaded prison.

In the first combat encounter, we were ambushed in a marketplace by a number of bandits seeking to rob us. During the fight, Nataya noticed the leader of the bandits running behind a bunch of the stalls. Guessing he was going to come out of a particular alley way, she thought it would be best to get on top of one of the stalls at the end of the alley. The DM gave me the chance to try an acrobatic stunt to get on top of the tent, 10 feet from the ground. Using a nearby food cart, Nataya was able to springboard her way up on top of the tent. While she missed out on her chance to surprise the leader, she was able to jump down on one of his underlings.

Another great moment in that fight came as the leader attempted to flee. Figuring an assassin would be prepared for such an event, I had provided her with a Tethercord from the starting gold. It was the best 125 GP I ever spent. Nataya flung it at the bandit leader, making it impossible for him to move more than 3 squares from the spot. This gave the rest of the group time to catch up with him and knock him out. I faded back a bit during the interrogation, my character was much too dark for the type of interaction the group wanted, although my spiked gauntlet was there if they needed it.

We then traveled to an oasis to meet with someone who could tell us where the genie was. A merchant caravan was there, peddling copper pots, books and other such items. She asked the merchants for some news about the oasis community and they provided her with a decent bit of info. Knowing that having such sources of news is always a good thing in her profession, she bought a copy of their most expensive book, a copy of the Koran, gilted with gold. She didn't have much to say to their contact in the oasis, but stayed to the shadows to ensure no harm came to the rest of the group.

The contact asked us to prove that we could be a match for the genie and gave us the task of bringing back the heart of a Roc. He gave the party a pair of feather sandals which would allow one of us to fly like a bird. The party elected to have Nataya wear them and we took off in pursuit of the bird. When we found it, we knew we had an instant problem. Most of our group lacked ranged spells or powers and the sandals made us clumsy when we flew (-4 to attacks). Out of tethercord, Nataya went into problem solving mode and came up with a plan. What if she flew up with the sandals and then roped the bird? The plan was a bit scary, as the bird was 50 feet from from the ground. However, if she was successful, she could then try to immobilize the poor bird, and bring it down to the ground where the rest of the group could then help deal with the creature. Things didn't go exactly according to plan, the bird flew away from the party with Nataya, but the group quickly adjusted and was able to get what they needed.

After dealing with the Roc, we returned the oasis. The Roc's heart was turned into a ruby-like gem that, when held up to the sunlight, pointed the way to the genie's residence. We followed the light and found a cave. However, we noticed ogre tracks. Worried about walking into a den full of ogres, we quickly thought up a plan. Nataya would disguise herself as a child ogre and the rest of the party would act as her prisoners. We quickly made the necessary changes with Nataya pretending that she was using a disguise kit to change her appearance. They then entered the cave and found an elderly female ogre attending to dinner. Instantly, a critical flaw in the plan came to light, the ogre spoke to Nataya in giant! Hoping to salvage the situation, the wizard attempted to use ghost sound to repeat back what he had heard, modifying it a bit to sound like it came from Nataya. Since the ogre had asked "How are you?" this just angered the woman a bit. Sensing the plan was about to go awry, Nataya quickly created a story the woman might buy. She told the ogre that she had been kidnapped as a baby and held as a slave, made to do degrading chores and eat disgusting food. This was why she spoke common and could not understand the words the woman spoke. She was here because she wanted to join their group and the humans with her were gifts for the group that would take her in. The ogre said while she appreciated the gifts, she would have to discuss with her son whether or not Nataya could stay. Her son should be returning soon. With the woman pacified, we looked around for a way to the genie and found the door behind the ogre woman. At this point, we decided to act and the DM granted us a surprise round with full actions. The cleric approached the ogre and commanded her forward, away from the door. The wizard used his mage hand to place the Roc heart gem in the door, opening it. Then we all ran to the door, got through and closed it behind us.

From there, we quickly met with the imprisoned shah. He told us to go away, and we almost did too. But Nataya did not want to risk going back to prison and the cleric wanted the ability to spread his faith in the Shah's lands, so we went on to try to deal with the genie. The genie took the astral diamonds we had for the ransom but said we were short a diamond. He offered instead that one of us could take the Shah's place. If I had been playing a good character, I might have been willing to take him up on that offer, but substituting one prison for another was not something Nataya would be willing to do. Eventually, we decided to fight him instead. The genie had a really neat power which basically made floor difficult terrain (aura 5), although you could decide to ignore the difficulty and take 1d6 damage instead (yay, player choices). We unleashed our dailies and encounters on him and quickly killed him, or so we thought. As we landed what we thought was going to be the death blow, the genie changed into the shah and the shah explained the genie's trick.

Nataya was sent to look in the next room for the genie. While she was gone, the genie returned, with an improved version of his aura power. Nataya was far away from the genie and her allies when this happened. Sensing their danger, she took a gulped down her potion of regeneration and headed back to the fray. Out of encounters and dailies, this is where the shroud power of the assassin really shone. Unable to ignore the extra damage from the floor, she had to take 3 rounds before she could get into melee range against the genie. However, she was able to add an extra shroud each turn. When she finally got to him, she used her shadow storm power to have the genie's shadow, as well as those of her allies, attack the genie. At the same time, she invoked her shrouds and I gave each of the other players a d6 to roll. The result was a massive amount of damage, that, while it did not kill the genie, bloodied him again. This gave us the courage to stand up to his requests for our surrender and we were able to defeat him (although not before Nataya went down for the count. May the gods bless potions of regenerations).

While Nataya was able to be a bad-ass at times, her real contribution was to help make the whole party a force to be reckoned with. This is the heart of the play boldly philosophy. A lot more went on beyond mechanical dice rolls and the application of game mechanics. And this sort of play kept us going at the table for 6+ hours even though we were tired and hungry. We wanted to see where it went; we were invested.

Much of my session planning starts with a focus on a little tidbit, usually an event I would like the PCs to participate in. Then I work backwards to figure out why they might be there and also try to tie it in with the rest of the story. For instance, when I wanted to do a play on Rumpelstiltskin, one of the NPCs asked the party to deliver a baby blanket to her niece. When they delivered it, the niece was obviously upset and the PCs were able to figure out that she had promised her first born to a goblin. From there, they were able to explore further and learn about the oni, C. C. Clementine, and her business procuring hard to get items.

Recently, the Shadow Army introduced itself to the PCs via a raid on the Tower of Lilith. But, to be honest, I wasn't really sure where to take it from there. This morning I started playing with words and created a poem[1]. I'm finding it a great jumping point for filling in the info about the army and the motivations behind those creating it. For me, the nice thing about planning this way is that the end event isn't defined but its flavor is. This allows me to adjust things according to player wants and desires while still being able to give out hints and move the story forward.

Beneath the earth in rock so deep
lies a shadow bereft of sleep.

Yet he dreams of the day,
when he'll be free and minds will sway.

Shadow legions will hear his call.
The good will turn, and their cities fall.

Oh, how great the feast will be.
When the door opens and he is free.

Since I'm not sure how much information I'll give the players at the next session, I'll have to leave it there for now. But I can't wait to see what unfolds.

[1] Oh gosh, a footnote. There are some issues with the poem structure but it's for a game and doesn't need to be perfect.

I just sent this to my group's discussion list which means I finally can share it with you all. When time allows and particularly after missing a session or two, I like to send a teaser that helps set the tone of the next session. I really wanted this one to be special and I hope my players think it is too.

Our last session left off with them traveling through the mists at the center of the Lake of Lost Memories. Legend holds that the mists part for those who are in need, and, well, we left the last session with the mists parting. Tomorrow night, they'll get a chance to see the islands of the mists for themselves and maybe even meet Lilith.

As the boat approaches the islands of mist, their features become clear. One larger island is surrounded by three smaller ones, with arching bridges connecting them all together. On the hill of the center island stands a magnificent temple with a solitary tower rising from the center courtyard. Light appears to radiate from its walls. One thing that becomes instantly noticeable is the lack of any defensive measures. There are no city walls, no gates, nothing but open space, punctuated here and there with a home or shop.

As the boat lands, a small group of townsfolk comes up to the dock. One of them steps forward and shouts a hearty and heartfelt welcome, "Hello and welcome to the islands of the mists. Fear not, for you are safe." As you disembark, he organizes the town folk to help you with any of your things and offers to show you the way to the tower. He introduces himself as Tellador and you notice that he is missing his right hand.

While your eyes continue to watch the light dance off the tower, you take quick glances at your surroundings. The rest of the island is covered with modest homes and shops, backyard gardens and children playing. The people themselves walk around with a radiance that comes from true happiness, yet ancient lines of worry have not been completely erased from the faces of some of the older residents. No one carries any weapons, just tools of their trades. Many of them echo the same welcoming sentiment as Tellador, offering you food and their assistance.

As you approach the tower you notice that it looks to be from another time. Reliefs decorate its walls, depicting the stories many of you heard as children. The entrance is a set of wooden double doors, decorated with flowers and vines. Two stone lions guard the door, with necklaces of fresh flowers adorning their necks. A calming presence washes over you and you get the sense as though the tower just has always been.

You are led into a receiving hall, its walls decorated with huge floor to ceiling mirrors. Small groups stand beside a number of the mirrors, quietly discussing matters amongst themselves. On the opposite side of the room stand two chairs. A large one, ornately decorated with vines and flowers on its legs and arms and two doves forming a heart at the top of its back, sits empty. In a simpler one sits a woman dressed in a simple white dress tied neatly at the waist with a belt of red silk. Behind her are another set of wooden double doors, decorated with reliefs of doves perched on the branches of a young tree. As you approach, she rises and addresses you.

"Welcome," she says, "I am Elessandra, handmaiden of Lilith. We welcome all who are in need, particularly those who travel through the mists."

Since its inception, there have been a few bits of mythology that served as the basis for my campaign. However, I've been struggling for awhile on figuring out how to bring these elements into the story line, especially since the majority of the population of Newham has no idea about them. Now that my players are finally at the Tower of Lilith, which has its own mythology, I can start to bring the larger mythology back into play. For this week, I will use a letter to bring in some world history.

The letter is from Hallomak Stromm to Lilith. Hallomak is an interesting character. His line goes all the way back to old Arcadia and his father was part of the group that sealed the passage to the Underdark and defeated Magdorr's Army. When Corellon and Sehanine shared their plan to cover Arcadia with ice for a thousand years, his family was put in charge of orchestrating the return of the humans. However, things went wrong and the humans returned early, under different leadership. Since then, his family has attempted to fulfill their duties as stewards of Arcadia without holding the title of ruler.

For those interested in such matters, Hallomak is mentioned in the Dungeon Delve book as someone who owned a lot of magical items. My players really wanted to know why he owned so many things and who he was. From that tidbit, I created this version in my campaign world.

Lilith is an Eladrin princess born near the end of the Age of Song, so well over a thousand years old. She was tricked into marrying an evil Oni who wanted her family's wealth and resources. Once she figured out the deception, she fled with her family's treasure to an island in the middle of what is now called the Lake of Lost Memories. There she created a haven for all those who have need and, through the help of Corellon and Sehanine, protects the land with powerful magic and provides avenues of escape to those who most need it.

With that information, I came up with a letter between Hallomak and Stromm. It helps introduce some information about the previous ages and well as hint at the problems facing the land of Newham Shire.

Lilith,

In times such as these, it's important to remember our history in hopes that we don't repeat the sins of our fathers. I know that you remember all too well the Age of Song. I wish I could have seen it, the resplendent beauty of both wood and city, flower and painting, bird and choir. My hope had been to bring such delights once again to the fertile soils of Arcadia, to recreate our mortal Arvandor, but I fear those efforts have been in vain. I feel the fear and uncertainty rising from the ground and taking hold in too many hearts of her residents.

To this day, not even the wisest sages or most travelled bards know exactly what led to the end of the Age of Song. Some point to the orc invasion of Andernach and the subsequent failure of her allies to rally to her aid. Others point to the rise of a group called Free Arcadia Now, intent on overthrowing the human nation of Avestra. Still others say to truly understand, one must go back to the betrayal of Corellon and Sehanine by Lolth. Regardless of the reasons, the death of the Age of Song serves as an important reminder that even a peace that lasts for over a thousand years is built on a fragile lattice work that can break at any moment. But I fear the same powers that caused the rise of the Age of Legends so many centuries ago are at work again and our dear beloved land will fall into ruin and despair.

However, not all is lost. A small group travels our lands, fighting against these shades of darkness. They told me about a plot by five evil creatures to enslave the population of Newham and I believe they may be our only hope in stopping them. From what little I know, I fear that someone has learned the secrets of Magdorr's Army and is recreating it again. If true, all who have the old blood in their veins must be protected so that the ritual can not be performed. Unfortunately, that is not such as an easy task, as my own son has joined the Free Arcadia Now faction and ran off about a week ago. The only other way to stop them would be to put an end to the evil band. My best guess is that they will seek to break the seal that keeps Arcadia safe from the horrors of the Underdark. If you come upon my friends, please send them there with all haste. I know you have your ways.

For Glory,
Hallomak Stromm