Ben's Campaign - The Key To The Kingdom

So this adventure was just finished by my group. They started at 40 UP (50 if they gave good background story for their character, which they all did) and ended with everyone just breaking 100UP. We've been at for 3 Months now, and just finished this. After taking a break and building the next segment of the story, I'll post it on here as well. As such, here it is. 22 Encounters and plenty of room for story telling.

The Key To The Kingdom

First Impressions:

(Read Aloud) Each of you has been contacted by an individual named Arazar, a hooded figure of an unnamed order. He has requested your assistance in aiding his order in destroying an engine that could destroy the cosmos. Each individual has been brought to Arazar’s study to meet the rest of your party and prepare to aid Arazar.

Arazar’s study is a perfectly round room of smooth, dark stone. The radius is 50 ft., and the height of the ceiling is 100 ft. A light emerges from the center of the ceiling from some unseen source. The floor is covered in some arcane seal, a magic and language unrecognizable to all members. Tables, covered in ancient scrolls and giant leather bound books, and a few wooden chairs line the walls to either side. Behind the party, there are three stone arches built into the wall, doorways but they are blocked by the stone wall of the room. One arch has a tree engraved at the top of the arch, the middle has a human handprint, and the third a gear. Across from these three archways, on the opposite side, is another archway with an odd symbol carved into the top. After a few minutes, this portal will shimmer and Arazar will appear.

(Read Aloud) Arazar tells the party that you are being sent to collect the parts of a key, the Cosmos Clef. This key will unlock the power to destroy this engine of destruction. The key is broken into three parts: The Cosmos Eye, The Obsidian Crown, and the Twilight Staff. Powerful objects individually, but together would form a weapon of great destruction. Arazar intends to use this device to destroy this engine of destruction.

Potential Questions:
Why can’t Arazar retrieve this item himself? His order forbids it. However, once he has the Cosmos Clef in hand, he will be able to destroy the engine.

What do the three parts look like?
The Cosmos Eye: An orb of black glass, about the size of a basketball.
The Obsidian Crown: A disk/gear object of black glass, with sharpened edges, roughly about the size of a dinner plate.
The Twilight Staff: A five foot staff of black glass.

The three parts can only be assembled by one who knows the incantation, so the three parts will need to be brought to Arazar. Arazar will be working on translating the incantation while the party retrieves the objects. The party will be sent after the Twilight Staff first.

Lost in the Wilderness: The Twilight Staff

(Read Aloud) Arazar points to the archway with the tree symbol engraved on it. This portal will take the party close to where the Twilight Staff is hidden. The staff is hidden in the truck of a giant tree in the middle of the forest.

As the party moves through the portal, they find themselves in the middle of ancient dark forest. It is night, and the forest is full of night noises, the cries of animals unrecognizable. The party needs to roll initiative.

Encounter 1: First Impressions - Deep Digger. An old L’na, half blind and moving with some difficulty stumbles out of the underbrush. It is nosing through the bushes, sniffing and nibbling, mumbling about “lousy tastes”. It is startled by the party, but does not attack right away. If the party chooses to ask for directions, then Deep Digger creates a dirt road leading straight to the clearing where the tree is. Deep Digger warns however, that this forest is evil, and something has been causing the L’na to attack strangely. If the party attacks Deep Digger, then it will fight with reckless abandon.

Encounter 2: First Wave - Warden of Ai x4. The GM will have first initiative in this encounter. As the party proceeds down the path, or are en route to the tree, the Wardens will attack from nowhere. They will target any L’na in the party last. If they manage to capture any of the Wardens and question them, the Wardens will say that the forest, called the Nightwood, is under the control of the Shadow Claws, a council of warden L’na Twilights. They rule the forest with an iron fist, and pursue any outsiders relentlessly.

Encounter 3: Shock Troops – Stormdancer x2, Shell Shepherd x2. As the party follows the path, they will run across a small pond. At this point, they will be attacked from the waters edge by the Shell Shepherds and from above by Stormdancers in the trees.

At this point, any L’na characters in the party are confused. L’na are not usually so violent, and so far, the attackers have been unusually coordinated. As the party moves deeper into the forest, they will come into a grassy clearing, with a low hanging canopy. The canopy is in fact, the branches of a single tree, the Nightwood. It is very dark, and it is difficult to see very far ahead. At the base of the tree are the leaders of the Shadow Claws. They do not attack the party, but instead ask for their help. Savage, a powerful and evil L’na Twilight, has broken the Nightwood and taken the Twilight Staff. They tell them they will have to track Savage to his lair, in the mountains, and confront him for the Staff.

The Mark of the Beast

Savage’s evil influence has thrown the harmonious nature of Ai out of balance, and the very land itself shows its imbalance. The terrain is chaotic, with flames erupting from nowhere, rocks hovering in the air, and bodies of water floating over the lakes that once held them. A number of wild beasts, not native to Ai, roam freely here.
Encounter 4 – Roving Maw x4. The Roving Maws will attack and pursue the party if they try to run. However, if the party kills one or two of them quickly, then the remaining creatures will flee or try to feed on their fallen kin.

Savage’s lair isn’t going to be easy to find. He builds several false lairs and sometimes puts traps in them to harm unwary intruders.

Encounter 5 – Doomdigger x2. As the party investigates the various dens, they stumble across a pair of Doomdiggers. The Doomdiggers have been charmed by Savage to attack any other creatures ferociously.

Savage’s lair is a deep cave in the mountainside. It is incredibly dark and any light sources will not do much to penetrate the darkness. Once the party has gone deep enough into the lair, Savage will attack them from behind and above, using his Twilight powers to confuse and disorient his opponents.

Encounter 6 – Savage, L’na Twilight, 90 UP. Once the party slays Savage, they will not find the Twilight Staff lying around anywhere. However, if anyone casts Supernatural Sight or a similar spell, they will find that the Twilight Staff is actually hidden in Savages stomach. After retrieving the staff, the Shadow Claws will appear at the entrance of Savages lair, hoping to catch the party weakened by their fight against Savage and steal the Staff away from them. At the same time, a portal will open near the party. The party can either kill the attacking L’na or flee. But once the Staff has passed through the portal, it will close, leaving any who fall behind trapped on Ai.

Encounter 7 (Optional) – Starrunner x3, Rotscourge x3.

Once through the portal, the party will find themselves back in Arazar’s study. He will take the staff from them and open the second portal that leads to the Obsidian Crown.

Wheels Within Wheels: The Obsidian Crown

Arazar explains that the Obsidian Crown is hidden somewhere within the Great Machine. He cannot tell them where, exactly, but the portal he opens will put them within at least a mile of the artifact. He warns them, however, that this particular section of the Great Machine is not like the rest of it, but is twisted by unseen forces. As such, he cannot tell them what to expect within, but only to be cautious, especially any Klik.

(Read Aloud) The sounds of machinery that usually dominate the Great Machine cannot be heard, and it is eerily silent. You find yourselves standing in a junkyard, the remains of not only Klik, but other creatures litter the ground. Mounds of scrap metal tower high into the air, with the only opening directly across the clearing. The smell of ozone permeates, nauseating any who can smell and breathe.

The clearing is about 30 ft in radius and covered in junk. The smell of ozone is very strong. All non-Klik players will need to make an overcome roll each round against a score of 12. If they fail, they gain the “Impaired” Bane until they make a successful overcome against it.

Encounter 8 – Iron Gnawer x (2x number of party members. Doubles at the beginning of each round). The junkyard is home to an Iron Gnawer swarm that feeds on metal. The Iron Gnawers produce ozone in large concentrations, and with so many of them, the air is difficult, if not impossible to breathe. The players need to flee the area. The Iron Gnawers will not try to eat anything that isn’t metal, but the ozone smell could be enough to incapacitate any non-Kliks. They will not pursue the party once they are out of the clearing.

Once outside of the junkyard, the party will notice that this section of the Great Machine is indeed odd. Where the Great Machine strives for efficiency, this section seems to have something of an artistic bent. Spiraling columns, elaborate archways, inlays of gold and silver, etc. However, the corridor they are in (200 ft high and 100 ft across) radiates an aura of evil. There are no passages or paths that lead out of the corridor, so the party is forced to go straight. There are the occasional alcoves along the corridor, in which the party can find the remains of other klik.

Encounter 9 – Gear Guards x7. As the party proceeds down the corridors, they will be ambushed by a group of Gear Guards hiding in some of the alcoves. These guards do not act as Gear Guards usually do, assessing the situation and maybe asking the Klik in the party questions, but instead attack blindly.

Further down the corridor, the way is blocked. A giant fire pit blocks the way, and the party will have to jump across (30ft). After the first couple of party members make it across, they are attacked.

Encounter 10 – Harvesters x2. The Harvesters will appear from alcoves on either side and attack ferociously, targeting Klik specifically.

After this encounter, the party will proceed onward. They will pass through an area of the corridor with piles of scrap heaped against the walls on both sides, forcing them to pass single file.

Encounter 11 – Iron Mites x (2x the number of party members. Doubles at the beginning of each round). Similar to the Iron Gnawers, the Iron Mites swarm and attack any Klik or metal within range. If the party flees, they will be pursued by the original number of Iron Mites encountered. They are forced to flee forward and into the final encounter.

Encounter 12 - Crucible (200 UP), 2 Harvesters, 1 Nervous Tic, 5 Gear Guards. The Obsidian Crown is in the shell of the Crucible, functioning as a missing gear. If the Crown can be removed from the Crucible, the machine itself will shut down and a portal will open nearby for the party to flee.

Arazar will be waiting for them, and will take the Crown from them and attach it to the Twilight Staff. After this, he will open a third portal for them, taking them to Apoc Earth to search for the Cosmos Eye.

In The Garden

Arazar deposits the party in the remains of downtown Atlanta. He warns the party that he cannot pinpoint the exact location of the Cosmos Eye, but knows that it is within two miles of where the party stands. The party finds themselves at an intersection, surrounded by the ruins of tall buildings. The air is hot and muggy and the cloud ceiling is low, providing a slight mist and rain. The light is failing, but it is difficult to determine the time of day. In front of the party is a sign that reads

--- Atlanta Zoo 1.0 Miles
Georgia Power Main Plant 1.5 Mile --
---- Underground Atlanta 0.5 Miles

If the party goes to the Power Plant:

The Power Plant is surrounded by a high chain-link fence. The plant itself is a large metal building set in an open field. The fence gate is locked. Before entering the gate, the party will hear the roars or calls of some kind creature in the buildings behind them. They should not remain in the open for long.

Encounter 13 – 2 Darkstalkers, 3 Living Lightnings. These creatures of almost pure electricity feed off of the electricity sources stored in the Power Plant. After the creatures are defeated, they will regenerate after a few moments. An Awareness check of 15 will show that one of the generators is still active and providing power for the creatures. Once the generator is destroyed, the creatures will leave in search of a new power source. A short investigation will reveal that the Cosmos Eye is not hiding here.

If the party goes to Underground Atlanta:

Underground Atlanta is now a series of ruined tunnels, filled with the remains of pre-Apoc stores, and as well as the remains of creatures who ventured into the darkness. It is very dark, and the space varies from being open (15 ft tall and 50 ft wide) to very narrow (10 ft tall and 20 ft wide). The tunnels are full of Undead and other horrors.

Encounter 14 – 2 Howling Horrors, 4 Caterwauls, 2 Plague Belchers, 2 Rotting Brutes, 3 Rot Tongues, 3 Wretches, 1 Bonesnapper. Hordes of Undead lurk in the tunnels, and any noise or light will attract them like moths to a flame. Once the party has gone deep enough into the tunnels to get away from the faint light of day, this encounter will happen. If they choose not to turn back, they will continue to encounter more and more numbers of undead. If the Cosmos Eye is hiding somewhere down there (which it isn’t), there are simply too many Undead to continue.

If the party goes to the Zoo:

The Cosmos Eye is hiding in one of the ruined exhibits of the Zoo, but they can encounter several different creatures first, as they search the exhibits. Each exhibit is covered in a tough mesh covering, and is several square miles long. Some of the exhibits have holes in them, where the creatures inside have forced their way out. This mesh covering also functions as an atmospheric control, and each exhibit has a different atmosphere.

Encounter 15 – The Butterfly House: 20 Rust Moths. Once a butterfly house in the pre-Apoc Zoo, this exhibit is now full of Rust Moths. The Cosmos Eye is not hiding anywhere inside.

Encounter 16 – The Primate House: 6 Crag Crawlers. The Primate House is now the home of a Crag Crawler nest. The Cosmos Eye is not in this exhibit.

Encounter 17 – The North American Bighorn Sheep: 5 Apoc Mountain Goats. In this chilly, rocky environment, a small herd of Apoc Mountain Goats dwell. After searching, the Cosmos Eye is not hiding in this area.

Encounter 18 – North American Alligator: 7 Roving Maws. This exhibit is swampy, misty, and murky, with waist deep water in this exhibit. It is now inhabited by Roving Maws (VRR’s). The Cosmos Eye is not in this exhibit.

Encounter 19 – Unnamed Exhibit: 2 Savagers (100 UP each) and 2 Ravagers. Savagers are the new dragons of Apoc Earth, huge beasts with an insatiable hunger. The Cosmos Eye is hiding in the nest of these creatures, tucked between two eggs the size of adult humans. As the party attempts to steal the Eye, the eggs will begin to hatch, and the hungry baby Ravagers will begin to attack the party and call for their parents, who will answer immediately. Once outside of the exhibit, a portal will open and the party can flee into Arazar’s study.

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter In

Arazar will telekinetically steal the Cosmos Eye and complete the Cosmos Clef. Once fully assembled, Arazar will reveal himself to be a Perverse. Instead of attacking the party, he will open a portal at the far end of the room and fly through it. The portals leading to Ai, the Great Machine, and Apoc Earth remain open, allowing for any who wish to return to these worlds to do so, ending their part in this adventure. The portal Arazar opened remains so, and the party may choose to pursue Arazar into whatever new world he fled to.

The portal leads to some unknown dimension. Not the “home” of the Flux, but definitely one where the Flux reigns supreme. The atmosphere is pure chaos, and a giant flux storm raging in the sky. There is no ground, but rather floating pieces of rock, some smooth and flat enough to stand on.

There are special rules for this place. After each round of combat, or each action outside of combat, each player will need to make a “Sanity” check, making an Overcome of 10 plus Mind or Soul DEF (each player may pick which stat to use, but must continue using that stat for the duration of their time in this dimension). If they fail the check, then they automatically gain the “Insane” Bane. At the beginning of each subsequent round, they may make an overcome of 12 to lose the bane. If anyone is employing an Enigma Engine, then before each time they use the Engine or one of its powers, they will need to make an overcome of 15 or the Engine will malfunction and shut down completely for two turns. If they fail to make the overcome twice in a row, or fail by a roll of 1, then the Engine explodes, dealing 50 MAG to the character. If anyone is employing Flux powers, they will need to make an overcome roll of 18 before they can use that power. If they fail, then the player gains the “Insane” Bane and must make an overcome of 18 before they can lose the bane.

As soon as the party goes through the portal, they need to make an Awareness check to make sure they do not fall over the edge into the chaos below. After a few moments to get their bearings, a floating rock island with a smooth surface with come floating up to the platform the players are stand on. It will wait for the party to step onto it before moving onward, following the flow of some unseen force. After the island, with the party members on it, moves out of sight of the starting platform, it will start to shake.

Encounter 20 – Hydra Strand. This giant Hydra Strand will break the floating rock island into large pieces, some of which will drift apart leaving some players stranded about 15 ft away from the rest of the party. The Hydra will attack the closest creature to it. If any significant piece of it is cut off from the main body, this piece will suddenly spawn into a new, smaller Hydra. The only way to really kill it is by fire, acid, electricity, or Flux powers.

After the Hydra is destroyed, the island will reassemble slowly, and as it does so will approach another floating platform. This new platform is huge, the size of a football field, with a large structure built on it, some remnant of a fortress or temple from whatever this place was eons ago. There is only once entrance, a doorway (10 ft tall, 5 ft wide) and a sick green light pours out of it, and the few tiny windows that dot the upper parts of the structure.

Encounter 21 – Wreckers x2. These Wreckers stand guard, and will not allow any creatures to pass into the temple. As soon as the party steps onto the platform, the Wreckers will attack and will not stop until all the party members are inside the temple and out of their reach, or until they are dead. If the party manages to kill both, the Wreckers will begin to regenerate. They cannot pursue the party into the temple.

The Holy of Holies

The structure inside is large and open (100ft tall, 50 ft wide, 400 ft long). At the far end is a large perfectly smooth column covered in glowing runes. To the immediate left is Arazar with the Cosmos Clef, black lightning arching into the column. The whole place radiates evil and taint.

Encounter 22 – 1 Perverse (100UP), 1 Rift Ripper, 2 Flux Warpers, 2 Corruptors, 3 Howling Horrors. Arazar (Perverse) summons more flux creatures to defend him.

Conclusion

Once the party manages to destroy the Cosmos Clef, they will automatically teleported back to Arazar’s study. If they did not manage to destroy Arazar, but only destroy the Clef, then they may choose to pursue Arazar and continue the adventure. Or they may choose to end the adventure and return to their home dimensions through the portals they used earlier.

If they choose to pursue Arazar, they will need to go through the Apoc Earth portal and try to make their northwest to the Flux Front in hopes of returning to this place.