Archive
As Within
SESSION 3 BEFORE SESSION PREP
Rough Outline
CULT NAME - The Twilight Retribution
The Strong Start
Quick overarching - The party needs to free the mysterious being in their visions from their cage as well as prevent the Count Montauk from freeing the beast in the center of the ground. Count Montauk needs to actually dig down there and free it, giving the party time. In the meantime, the party is suggested to head towards the town to collect more information and potentially act as a distraction.
The party arrives at the Inn. Velka, Nami and Altus are arguing.Velka is the closest thing to a mayor - she was formerly a desk clerk, working her way up and sort of operating in the shadows. She's individually motivated, not apart of any further conspiracies. She's an occultist, in a mutual relationship with a worm cult. Her "patron" is bound by her and not a 'willing' patron/warlock relationship. Wants to get to the bottom of this, hates the idea of staying and doing nothing. Has gotten Tassiter's group to agree to sneak into the empty Count Montauk to steal one of the items for the ritual.
Nami is a druid and healer, from the local druids. Few and far between, they are a bit of a traditionalist cult. Pretty chill, known to the Imperium. Really just wants to make sure everyone is okay. Non-confrontational, would rather just do nothing.
Altus is an incredibly honorable, religious warrior. He wishes to defend all that he can, provide what he is able, and manage to get to the bottom of this. He recognizes that despite the risk it brings to the Inn, they need to make a move or get trampled. He sort of mediates between Nami and Velka. Knows that Velka is sending Tassiter's group but can't stop her or them. Turns a blind eye. Wants to get the party to secure medicine.
They are split between needing medicine and needing people to stay behind to defend. The party arriving is an oppurtunity.
The party arriving allows for a chance to go into town, scout out, and discover more, gather supplies.First mission is a medicine run - they know a guy. Thievery type. Has a buncha supplies. Is being attacked.
Potential Scenes
At the inn, starting up. Laying down the situation. This is whats up.
WAGON!!!!!!!! AND . HONSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Horse named Gorse.
Village. Getting to the town entrance. Oddly…friendly. Want the players to join the cult. —> Social encounters. Hey what's going on here?
Farmland. Wheat fields.
Cemetary. Dead people! Some restless spirits. Some info on the Montauks. A neutral zone. Hunting ground of one of the masked ones :) Will attack the party and do some cool domain expansion stuff.
The mines. Boarded up but guarded. Should try to suggest that what's in here is out of league.
Medicine guys home. Burning!!! Ransacked. Seems he was dragged out. Party has to FIGURE OUT WHATS GOING ON. Maybe the strangah can show up?
Underground stuff. Beneath the medicine guy's home. Sort of an older access route, gone out of commission. Alternate entrance to deeper into the mines.
Total Stuff - Village. Farmland. Lake. Cemetery. The Mines.
Secret's + Clues
Dragons are real
Gila beasts attacked
The stranger steals a lot. He just got in. He's there to tail the party along with the little fops.
Something killed a fair number of cultists recently (masked one)
Cultists had something IMPORTANT stolen.
Paladins don't intend to stay
Innkeeper is infected
Gold room MMMMMMMMM
The cultists are stretched THIN. A lot more vulnerable then they appear.
The noose is a legendary artifact of the Hanged Queen. It is essential for the Confluence. It is the 'end' of stories.
Fantastic Locations
Notable name, aspect, aspect, aspect
The Montauk Magistration. The city burns gently, the glow of coal dying down. Smoke has mostly settled. There is a strange silence piercing between the crackling fires.
Feather's Beak, the Dragon's Head. A huge dragon skull sits above the bar, placed carefully. The bar exists perpetually in its shadow. Outside, there is a strange peace that's seemed almost undisturbed by the fighting and chaos just outside.
The Hunting Grounds. Field of corpses. Cuts, swords on the ground. "Day" finally breaks.
NPCs
Innkeeper
Inn staff
Guy that comes to parley
Paladin
Mercenaries - Fighter, Cleric, rogue
Monsters
Loot
The Strong Start
In the Inn, an arguement behind them. A familiar face approaches. They are given an oppurtunity.
Potential Scenes
The opening within the Inn
Outside the inn with Tassiter
On the road to the meet up place
Meeting the cultists and the tense handoff
CART CHASE
Get back to the inn. Mercenaries arrive.
Secret's + Clues
Dragons are real
Gila beasts attacked
The stranger steals a lot. He just got in. He's there to tail the party along with the little fops.
Something killed a fair number of cultists recently (masked one)
Cultists had something IMPORTANT stolen.
Paladins don't intend to stay
Innkeeper is infected
Gold room MMMMMMMMM
The cultists are stretched THIN. A lot more vulnerable then they appear.
The noose is a legendary artifact of the Hanged Queen. It is essential for the Confluence. It is the 'end' of stories.
Fantastic Locations
Notable name, aspect, aspect, aspect
The Montauk Magistration. The city burns gently, the glow of coal dying down. Smoke has mostly settled. There is a strange silence piercing between the crackling fires.
Feather's Beak, the Dragon's Head. A huge dragon skull sits above the bar, placed carefully. The bar exists perpetually in its shadow. Outside, there is a strange peace that's seemed almost undisturbed by the fighting and chaos just outside.
The Hunting Grounds. Field of corpses. Cuts, swords on the ground. "Day" finally breaks.
NPCs
Innkeeper
Inn staff
Guy that comes to parley
Paladin
Mercenaries - Fighter, Cleric, rogue
Monsters
A DRAGON
4 Gila beasts
20 Cult Goons
1 bigger cult guy
2 Lieutenant cult guys
8 Paladins
4 mercenaries
Loot
HANDCROSSBOW
Some magic spells 4 aewith
A long time ago, there was a war. Many fought and many died. See, we had found a secret. Something we weren't meant to know. Something whoever made this world clearly intended to bury in the deepest, darkest part of this world and ensure it would never be found.
We found a gate to Heaven.
Their world was to be destroyed. They stole the key to their door and then hid the entrance. But their world was going to be destroyed for a reason and that reason didn't stop being. There are two doors. One, as above. One, as below.
The king is at the door.
They had help. Someone 'left the door open' as it were - the fox, who could not stand to see a world be destroyed. BUT HE LET THE KING IN.
There was a war with heaven. Heaven was going to win, so they ran. They hid. And now they guard the way and keep heaven from creeping in. Two heavens, an inner and outer. The thing haunting them is not the Hanged Queen - it's something pretending to be.
"You do not need all that to free the Hanged Queen."
Quick Summary
The organization is headed by the Council of 13 and the Administrator. The group works with Council Member 6.
The head of the organization is compromised/corrupted by a cosmic force of eternal, unending order and subjugation. This Prisoner will eventually take over and corrupt the universe, forcing it to be reset. End game thing.
This force is being countered by other primordial forces, primarily the fox, the owl, and the wolf, and form an odd splintering within the organization.
First locale is a kingdom, about 400 odd years old. Fresh in the grand scheme of the world, and one of the first organizations of 'cities.' Little is known of the past and too much outside of the kingdom, from the perspective of the common folk.
They are somewhat secluded, with a couple of settlements they keep in contact with. However, as we zoom out into other parts of the world, we quickly find one that is rather quickly deteriorating. Multiple things that could end the world, many different places on a decline or already dead - really lean into the dark souls, bloodborne environments.
A good "inspiration" for general tone and shape of the world is one that is just before these places become a dead place like in dark souls, like in bloodborne.
There are few true kingdoms, countries that exist fully incarnate. The starting area the PCs exist as a stark contrast, but with enemies and forces moving in. This is a world of decay and that decay is swiftly approaching.
The main GOAL is to create a sense of power for players, to play a fantasy where they must go through and contend with a world that exists truly on the verge of collapse. The main theme through the campaign is decay and self actualization - with realizing you are a player on a stage.
The Heaven's Ire.