I first posted over in the 4E section that I was starting a Greyhawk campaign, but I've recently decided to change that to Pathfinder. My big quandry is where to have the PCs start off at. I have an adventure idea for a stereotypical necromancer in a dark keep thing going. I'm really just trying to find a good place to set it. Any suggestions even other plot ideas are welcome.
Dndungeoneer _________________ <div><em>The Great Kingdom will rise again, and tyrants like you will have no place there!<br />
<br />-Last words of an unknown Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom before being summarily executed.</em></div>
Sounds perfect for a Bandit Kingdoms adventure plot arc! The BK has the advantage of having (kinda) civilized towns with lots of wilderness in between them, it's very "points of light" as far as settings go. Local rulers don't have a king to bow down to, so they can indulge their evil whims. The peasants and humanoids are a continual pain in the **** since they are CN or CE in alignment. Might makes right in the BK, making it a great setting for a group of morally ambiguous do-gooders.
Regarding a necromancer in a keep plot idea, there's a mad wizard dedicated to Iuz located in Dora Kaa in the northern Fellreev (see Iuz the Evil). In addition, there could be any number of other necromancers left over from the Horned Society (some of whom worshipped Nerull) in the western BK. If set near Hallorn, there's Lesser Boneheart Aundurach, a mad cleric of Iuz who loves to make undead, to play with. The PCs could find ready allies hiding out in the Tangles Forest and have adventures therein for a change of pace. I.E., there are dozens of places where a 9th level necromancer could build a keep and would be free to reign terror over a small village, probably while in cahoots with the local lord, kinglet, tyrant, or Boneheart.
You can't go wrong with the Wild Coast, especially if you set it before the Wars. There's lots of room to add your own stuff, just enough civilization to keep your PCs supplied, and plenty of places to adventure in.
Or, of course, you could go with my favorite: the Viscounty of Verbobonc!
I think I'll set it in the Wild Coast. So far there is one High Elf Rogue in the party, he will probably come from Celene.
Now I just need to figure out where to set this adventure. I might make him an evil baron instead of a necromancer, show the evil side of power before the PCs go to a real kingdom.
What I'm wondering at now, as this is my first Greyhawk campaign, is how to present the setting. I know that seems rather broad, but I just don't know how Greyhawk feels yet. _________________ <div><em>The Great Kingdom will rise again, and tyrants like you will have no place there!<br />
<br />-Last words of an unknown Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom before being summarily executed.</em></div>
If you're on the Wild Coast, it depends on which year you begin. Prior to the Greyhawk Wars it's a wild and free-wheeling place with a handful of coastal port cities and a few smaller agricultural towns inland. There's lots of land to roam around in, a few minor nobles to mess with, and several old ruins to explore. Or you could take to the sea, travel north to Greyhawk City, or head west into the Viscounty of Verbobonc (my personal favorite).
If you begin after the Greyhawk Wars, then the southern half of the Wild Coast is overrun with orcs, goblinoids, and worse, and is officially part of the Pomarj. The northern half is still human-controlled, still quite lawless, and still has port cities, etc. The main difference in the northern portion is that the land has suffered greatly from fighting the humanoids and certain other events. Some small towns are in ruins, the populace is somewhat paranoid, and everybody's waiting for the orcs to rush north again.
One tidbit that adds a little extra confusion is that in the last few years goblinoids have claimed the northernmost portion of the orc-held lands, declaring that area a sovereign nation for goblinoids. Who knows what they may do, or what the orcs may do to them?
Party now consists of:
High Elf Rogue
Human Sorcerer (Pirate)
Human Knight
Had the first game last night. I ended up starting it in Furyondy at the capital. The capital comes under attack by a force of humanoids from the Horned Society, the PCs help to contain and eliminate the enemy forces, and the Elf spots a robed figure directing the humanoids' efforts. He looks for the body in the aftermath, but there is none to be found.
This leads to the Elf being charged to track this robed figure down and to find out what he can on the doings of the Horned Society as Furyondy marshals its forces and prepares for war. _________________ <div><em>The Great Kingdom will rise again, and tyrants like you will have no place there!<br />
<br />-Last words of an unknown Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom before being summarily executed.</em></div>
I love talking about elves, so excuse me if this gets longwinded. Not to nitpick, but there aren't supposed to be any high elves from Celene. According to the both the original Gazetteer and the Living Greyhawk One (which has wildly skewed population totals that most subscribers on this site tend to ignore!), Celene has only grey elves and sylvan elves. Not so sure about the elven clans from the north and eastern portions of the Gnarley Forest. Someone with a copy of From the Ashes handy might be able to tell you.
The Ulek States, on the other hand, have plenty of high elves.The Duchy has more than 12000 of them according to the original gazetteer (or around 50 000 of them according to the LGG!) and the County and Principality both have small populations too according to the LGG- 3% of each nations total population making 11100 and 16152 respectively (which should be 1020 and 1710 according to the original gazetteer numbers).
Of course, it IS your game. If you want high elves to come from Celene then so be it. If you'd rather follow the gazetteers but your game is already underway, there is a solution. Without blowing my own trumpet, you could explain it away according to a tale that I related in this thread:
Just read the rest of the thread. If you kicked off your game in Furyondy, the allied nation of Highfolk has a huge population of high elves too! You will find details of them in the Marklands supplement by Carl Sargent.
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