by wallydubbs » November 7th, 2018, 1:56 pm
I came up with a plotline that I think works very well. However I've changed the intro that Mentor reads to the heroes at the start of the Quest just to make some of the quests flow.
We started with the Maze. As all heroes start in one corner of the board and meeting up in the middle. This isn't particularly a quest as much as it is a fun little race or contest among the 4.
I found The Trial too difficult for beginners so I moved that down the line.
Then comes The Rescue of Sir Ragnar, this is where storyline is needed, questions regarding the relationship between humans and orc might be questioned. Men are in good standing with Elves and Dwarves, but Orcs, apparently live further to the East but have been migrating West, Sir Ragnar investigating this was captured by the Orcs.
Quest 3 is the same, kill Ulag for imprisoning Sir Ragnar, possibly add violating boundaries.
Quest 4 you go retrieve Prince Magnus' Gold; the Orcs are becoming more active and bold, going after the Emperor's gold. But it is actually Gulthor who is behind it, who is not an orc. Something strange is going on, it seems someone else is guiding the Orcs.
Quest 5, the Orcs movement seem to show direction leading to the mythical Maze of Malar, which has been overrun by the undead for centuries. The undead hold no allegiance to anyone, so the 3 orcs the heroes encounter in this quest are looking for the Talisman of Lore as well, but they are not fighting with the undead. Melar hid the Talisman away so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands (I also allow this medallion to give the Elf or wizard an extra set of spells if worn by then.
Quest 6: Grak's looking to avenge his daddy.
Quest 7: Wardoz was experimenting with Choas Magic, he even cast Rock Skin on the 4 Choas Warriors who assisted him, leading him to this cavern with the undead. He was searching for a way of controlling the undead, but ended up turning himself into one.
Quest 8: The Fire Mage: The orcs are now working with Ballur in their raids. I've tweaked this quest for my crew, Ballur's supposed to be working with orcs and yet he's mostly surrounded by the undead, so I've changed that. I replaced mummies with fimirs, skeletons with goblins and zombies with orcs, except the bottom left quadrant of the board, which included locked doors and undead for the heroes to walk into in case they missed the secret door.
The Trial: Verag has led a group of orcs and Choas Warriors into the catacombs to find Fellmarg's Tomb, Fellmarg was the last ancient king to wear the Star of the West. The Emperor needs this to unite the lesser kingdoms, which Verag realizes and is trying to prevent. The heroes defeat Verag and find Fellmarg's tomb only to realize they were too late, the Star of the West was already gone. I even teased them with a reward if 200 gold coins, but this quest is just to teach a lesson on failure. Quest 9 and 10 are not a request of the Emperor, so I'd like to suggest he loses faith in the heroes after letting the Star of the West get away and they're just looking for a payday.
Quest 9 I didn't care for so I changed the story on it, the heroes are traveling to the Castle of Mystery, but they stop at tavern and receive word that a local Alchemist is in danger. He spotted a scouting party of orcs and locked himself away in his laboratory not before sending out a raven. I added some furniture, a time limit, and rearranged the location of the stairs, but otherwise the layout is the same. The Alchemist rewards the heroes with the Elixir of Life and lets them keep whatever gold they found (He can always make more).
Quest 10: Castle of Mystery is the same, they fail to walk away with any significant amount of gold.
It is discovered during this time that it is actually Zargon guiding the orcs, which prompts the Emperor to act.
Quest 11, the Emperor rehired them because all subsequent heroes that came after them has failed. So he sends they off to kill some orcs in the Bastion of Chaos.
Quest 12: the Emperor's spies have discovered that the Star of the West was taken to Barrok Tor, the resting place of the Witch Lord, but when the heroes arrive they are met with little resistance and just a bunch of undead. I've altered this quest so that the heroes must pass through the crypt of the Witch Lord to leave. It was a trap. Zargon had the Star off the West taken here specifically so the heroes would awaken the Witch Lord. Only a pure minded wizard can open the door, breaking the spell that kept the Witch Lord asleep. But now that the Witch Lord is awake the undead can be controlled.
Quest 13: is the same the heroes accidentally woke the Witch Lord so they go to fnd the Spirit Blade to kill him while the Emporer assembled his armies to confront Zargon.
Quest 14 is the same, kill the Witch Lord. But the Emperor's army failed to defeat Zargon and he is now in peril.
Keller's Keep is the Rescue mission to save the Emperor.
Return of the Witch Lord is next. In fact, I'd like to give the Witch Lord a cameo in Keller's Keep to remind the heroes that he's still around, replacing either Gragor or Borrok with him.
Dark Company I'd like to play next (it's not actually given a timeline but the reward in the form of a Ring of Brilliance should be a big help in the harder quests to come).
Against the Ogre Hoard the heroes gain notoriety among the commoners for stopping the Ogres and mercenaries willingly join them in their quests.
Wizard's of Morcar/Zargon: mercenaries help in the fight as these wizards (some of them human) are aiding the forces of Chaos and causing terror among the realm of men.
Frozen Horror mercenaries are still available to help
Mage of the Mirror happens within the Elven Kingdom, away from everything else, so mercenaries do not accompany the heroes.
Last edited by
wallydubbs on November 11th, 2018, 12:23 pm, edited 2 times in total.