Creating a Domain

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Hell_Born
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 736
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2004 1:51 am
Location: Queensland, Australia

Post by Hell_Born »

Here's an actual attempt at doing this domain, but I really need help figuring out stats for people and creatures.

Domain: Covenant Estate (suggestions?)
Status: Island of Terror (Cluster?)
Locations: The Manor + Grounds, Bethany's Summer Cottage, the Lighthouse, the Family Mausoleum, the Ruined Monastery, the Smuggler's Cove, the Land of Eternal Autumn (Pocket Dimension), Oneiros (Pocket Dimension), several villages (names/population?)
Inhabitants: Humans, Tr'santi, Calibans(?)
Darklord: Jeremiah Covenant
NPCs: the Covenants, Kiesinger, Patrick Galloway (?), the Lighthouse Keeper (can't remember the name)

History: (similar to Undying, the trouble starts exactly the same, but differs as outlined below)
After returning from the war, and as his siblings died one by one, Jeremiah began to frantically study through his father's occultic library to find out what was happening. Eventually, he uncovered fragmentary knowledge that revealed the passage he had chanted all those years ago was part of an unlocking ritual meant to release an entity called the Undying King. What else he uncovered was to prove his downfall. The ritual could only be completed by restoring to the Undying King the mystical energy that had been stolen from it by their actions. But, an alternative method was to sacrifice a sufficient amount of blood-fueled magical energy. If Jeremiah could somehow release the Undying King without having to expend his life-force in the process, the Undying King would apparently reward him with life eternal and great mystical power.

Jeremiah began to concoct a plan, finishing with the discovery of the Scythe of the Celts, just the artefact he needed to accomplish his goals. As a combination of an old war wound and his smoking began to affect his health, Jeremiah feined that the injury was much more lethal than it truly was. As his siblings rose from the grave due to the taint of the Undying King, Jeremiah sent for his old friend; Patrick Galloway. Already in possession of a potent mystical artefact -the Stone of Gel'Zibar- Patrick would make the perfect tool- and sacrifice.

Unsuspecting of any duplicity from his former comrade-in-arms, Patrick began his investigation of the curse immediately, discovering the Scythe of the Celts in the ancient ruins of the monastery. His usage of it to slay, not only Jeremiah's twisted little sister Lisbeth, but also all of the other monsters he encountered, began to charge to the Scythe with life-force, which combined with his own growing arcane skill to begin moulding him into the replacement for Jeremiah. Fate was to provide a timely intervention in the form of Ambrose, who slew his brother before Patrick's horrified eyes. Consumed by an urge for vengeance, Patrick killed Ambrose and proceeded to cut a swathe through every other creature on the estate, including his old rival Keisinger. Finally, Patrick headed out to the Standing Stones, prepared to confront the Undying King itself. No sooner had he landed then he was knocked unconcious.

When he awoke, he was bound hand and foot upon the table-like stone in the center of the five stones, face to face with the gloating Jeremiah. Jeremiah's skills with the arcane had progressed to the point where he could easily avoid the death dealt out by even his brother's skillful hands, and had watched from the shadows as Patrick did his work for him. He boasted to Patrick about what was happening, how he had used Patrick for his own ends, made his truest friend into a marionette and how he planned to sacrifice him to the Undying King and reap unspeakable benefits from his betrayal. Patrick could say nothing as Jeremiah slit his throat, calling aloud the ancient invocations he had memerized in preparation for this day.

The stones shattered to powder as the Undying King troe its way from its earthen womb, whilst Jeremiah laughed in triumph, ignorant as he did so of the fog thickening and enclosing around him.


Characters:
Fighters and Rogues- in a medieval region such as this, brawlers and thieves are the most likely to arise.
Wizards- some rare few of these will have been tutored by Jeremiah himself, but most others will have served briefly as servants and managed to piece together a rudimentary knowledge of the occult from the texts in his library.
Warlocks- the Undying King still calls out from his prison under the Standing Stones, and some are born who can draw upon his twisting energy to power themselves. DM's without Complete Arcane can replace the Warlock with the Sorcerer.

NPCs:
Jeremiah
Since becoming Darklord, Jeremiah has gained the eternal youth he sought, but nothing else. His mystical arts do not advance at any greater pace than a normal wizard's, and he has received few supernatural powers from his tie to the estate (perhaps because his siblings have returned?). The sickness he faked to lure Patrick to his doom has become all too real; he cannot die from it, but it pains him greivously and even spellcasting can be so strenuous that he breaks into violent fits. What is worse is that his siblings, who he grew to loathe and despise long before their 'first' resurrection have returned in their loathsome corrupted forms. Whilst Bethany and Keising seem unwilling (or unable) to leave their own private domains, Ambrose and his Tr'santi still make raids on the villagers, whilst Aaron does his best to scare off and/or murder those servants who Lisbeth doesn't eat. Worst of all are the dreams; the Undying King is angry with Jeremiah, and he fears his wrath. Above all, he cannot shake the feeling that somehow, somewhere, Patrick has returned as well. And he's coming for Jeremiah.

The Lighthouse Keeper
Before the curse of the Covenants, the lighthouse keeper was a happy man. His son looked set to follow in the family footsteps and tend to the lighthouse when his father grew too old to do so, and he had won the friendship of one of the Covenant family. That friendship was to be the doom of them both; Ambrose, in one of his cruel whims, had his Tr'santi slay the boy he had befriended in his youth and spare his aging father. Consumed by grief and the knowledge that he is the last of his line, the keeper is a sad and lonely person. He hates Ambrose and the Tr'santi with a bitter passion, and ahs been known to stalk, ambush and kill Tr'santi who wander off on their own or in poorly-armed groups. He knows considerable knowledge about the estate; the monsters that stalk it and the location of the Smuggler's Cove, the secret hiding place of Ambrose. He has several six-shots of silver bullets in his sea-chest, and may part with a few to those who promise to use them against the things that stalk the estate.
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."

"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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