Homebrew Adventure Idea - Needs Codexian Refining

[Bara]

Well since its currently a thing to talk about ideas for homebrew stuff and I don't really do world design all that well could use help into making this idea for a adventure more than just scribbles in notebook.

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Set up

Should the party accept Dwarven archeologists hire out the party to discover the whereabouts of a lost hold which all contact with ceased hundreds of years ago. The last letter asking for sages and rune carvers to come those of which never returned.

After research and exploring out a decent bit of a hex map they discover the entrance to the hold deep underground but find it in pristine condition with living guards and all. Should they ask the guards what they've been up too all this time they'd discover that to the guardsmen its only been a week since the last message was sent out of the hold.

They're told they only have access to the first ring of the city and need to wait a week to get a hearing for a permit into to the second ring and finally the third. And told stay out from the areas below the city as dangerous things lurk below the city. Its easy to get lost down there and even harder to be found.

Should the party wait in the city and not leave and then come back they'll find rumors talking about troubles in the palace but nothing concrete along with a few missions or jobs they can get hired out for in the city to explore the areas below the city. Over the course of the week they'll see the city get stranger and bleaker as time passes.

The party should notice the very odd and inconvenient structure of the city. Where there is only one gate to each city ring and they're always on opposite sides of one another forcing those to travel to circle around the entire city ring each time they pass to the next. There are elevators and a tower network between the rings but it is extremely regulated and only meant for quick travel for the guard, nobles, or merchants. If inquiring about they're told its to make sieges incredibly difficult on the city but hopefully when I run it I can convey a feelings of something being wrong about it and that the inhabitants of the city are always watched.

On the day of their hearing, the last day of the week, to get a pass into the second ring weather they stayed in the city or came back at the appointed time hell will break loose they'll see the castle in the third ring engulfed in black flames and the demons or monsters of shadow and nightmare pouring out of the castle.

Hopefully they realize with this eruption of monsters the city itself will be overwhelmed and has no chance and need to flee either out of the gate or find some where to hide underground and move out of the city slowly and carefully. (If a TPK happens it happens.) They should have time to make escape as these creatures (other than the flyers) have to travel through the rings.

Escaping immediately or slowly by hiding below the city they'll see the creatures cannot leave the city bounds or at least never attempt too and are focused entirely on slaughtering the inhabitants. The children as gathered up and seemingly leave them alone.

If they don't somehow escape immediately and do have to hide first in the underground before they escape they'll awaken to the city returned to normal after the passing of one day. They can (hopefully by watching the city from a safe distance) see over a period see that this cycle repeats itself. Seven days of the city at peace and on the 8th day always slaughter.

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Whats actually going on

So after learn the city is apparently time locked and should they be brave enough to discover whats going on they'll need to find a way to get through the towns security while its still pristine and make it to the city before the 8th day. Over the course of traveling the rings and finding ways to use this time loop to their advantage to forge the documents/keys to get to the castle they'll find out several things:

• The city is built not only to keep people out but as a prison of a god of pure Chaos imprisoned long ago by the other gods in a gem and sealed in a vault under the castle. Left alive as a world without Chaos is without possibility.

• The towns citizens have always been watched and disappearances of its citizenry have happened because of the guards removing anyone whether real or not having been tainted of the god trapped deep in the center of the city.

• The reason for the cycle is that this Chaos god needs worshipers to break completely free of his prison and regain enough power to challenge the other gods. He has no real chance to turn enough of the dwarves into the faithful to do so he's takes what he can as they beg him and the creatures he called forth for mercy to turn those pleas in prayers for mercy. The reason for the loop is to keep this going until he's strong enough to be free.
  • Not sure if I want to make the Chaos god desperate for freedom who was betrayed by his fellow gods or just entirely evil. Hence why I had that mercy but only for the children bit. Whether that's actual mercy or simply a plan for something much darker I'll let how the players feel about the characters and story determine that.
  • Might make the dwarf king the only one aware of everything thats going on and bound on his chair forced to watch this repeat over and over again unless he converts and fully releases the Chaos god. But is too stubborn and actually kind of cruel and uncaring.

So the players get to decide if they want to deal with that and by the methods and means they'll do it. Or simple exploit the time loop and reset periods to loot/steal/kill from the city pretty much scott free and the rest be damned.

OR better yet they complete their mission of finding the dwarf hold for the dwarven archeologists and take payment then and there and leave them to their fate in the city none the wiser of this cycle and potential evil breaking free. Unless they ever come back on a whim.

Because hell this is supposed to be a living world and there's other problems to always deal with like raiding parties from the sea. Other adventures to be had and bills to be paid. Who has a week to city around in a dwarven city just for extra minor payout from a bunch of archeologists. Plus the city seems safe enough they'll be fine.

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What I need help refining

Mostly plot holes and likely what ifs that will occur

• Why the hell did no one until hundreds of years later go check up on the city that they lost all contact with especially after they had people sent there that never returned?
  
  • Like maybe instead of it being lost they know exactly where it is but some how the underground entrances all collapsed (probably the work of the Chaos God) sealing the city from the outside world and thought long lost.
• How to handle npc/faction interaction in the city when they're all trapped in a loop. I worry it might not be worthwhile for the players to have to reintroduce themselves every time to named npcs or feel like they can make no real connection with anyone in the city since they'll never be remembered.
  • I will have oddities occur where some loops they can remember them or make up identities for them remembering them as some one else. Among other changes every loop.
• What in the world happens if a dwarf from the city is forcibly pulled out from the time loop during or before a reset?

Any other parts you can think of that are stupid and need work I'd appreciate it. Or pointing out that its all crap and here's what might be salvageable.

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

Have you just read "Mother of Learning" and decided to take 90% of its ideas? Why not take the rest, they would patch up your "plot holes".

 

[Bara]

Never heard of Mother of Learning in all honesty before. Link?

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

google. com / search?q = mother + of + learning

Hope that helps.

 

[Bara]

What this web novel?

Like okay its a time loop story too but the lead character of that book is the one trapped in the time loop?

For the adventures sake the party wouldn't be and could leave the city at any time even if they stayed in the city they wouldn't be looped only the city and the inhabitants that were there since the first loop. If I had them trapped in the loop that would be way too much railroading for me.

 

[Storyfag]

Why the hell did no one until hundreds of years later go check up on the city that they lost all contact with especially after they had people sent there that never returned?

• Like maybe instead of it being lost they know exactly where it is but some how the underground entrances all collapsed (probably the work of the Chaos God) sealing the city from the outside world and thought long lost.

Just have it as an ancient lost city. The <message for help sent out 100 years ago> doesn't appear to be vital enough to keep around.

How to handle npc/faction interaction in the city when they're all trapped in a loop. I worry it might not be worthwhile for the players to have to reintroduce themselves every time to named npcs or feel like they can make no real connection with anyone in the city since they'll never be remembered.

• I will have oddities occur where some loops they can remember them or make up identities for them remembering them as some one else. Among other changes every loop.

The first time they experience the loop run everything straight, to freak them out. Later just use: "as usual, he doesn't remember you met in the previous loops".

What in the world happens if a dwarf from the city is forcibly pulled out from the time loop during or before a reset?

a) nothing
b) ages rapidly, as the loop was going on for not 100 but 2000 years?

 

[Bara]

That makes sense keep it being a unimportant fort in common knowledge makes the most sense to keep the secret prison actually a secret. I'll keep notes on exactly what characters say the first time to use in the second loop works.

What in the world happens if a dwarf from the city is forcibly pulled out from the time loop during or before a reset?

a) nothing
b) ages rapidly, as the loop was going on for not 100 but 2000 years?

Hm, thinking about it I think I like the idea that they age rapidly but as they are dwarfs still have some life span left and are broken out of the loop. Gives them a alternative solution to the problem of the god feasting on their suffering by simply evacuating them out of the city if they some how convince or force them to flee.

What do you think about having it then that castle itself be directly in this Chaos Gods domain and he is active there throughout the cycle thus they cannot free the people in there safely without coming into confrontation with the god but if they leave it at that point with the lower rings evacuated they have significantly diminished his ability to break out any time soon and even if he does wouldn't be as major of a threat?

 

[Storyfag]

What do you think about having it then that castle itself be directly in this Chaos Gods domain and he is active there throughout the cycle thus they cannot free the people in there safely without coming into confrontation with the god but if they leave it at that point with the lower rings evacuated they have significantly diminished his ability to break out any time soon and even if he does wouldn't be as major of a threat?

If you want to make his return inevitable, sure.