Dark Empires/Campaign/Plot

Plot på öarna

The party is asked to investigate a series of brutal deaths that have been linked to a strange creature. The job is complicated by heavy snow, muddy terrain, and the demanding behavior of the client.
The party decides to explore an island for research purposes. The job is complicated by shady locals, closed roads, and food being scarce.

Plot på väg

Lönnmördare

"Timetravel"

I’ve had a go at adapting the idea in what follows. I hope this is useful to someone, or that it sparks some ideas.

Scene 1: The pcs are travelling on the road from Town A to Town B.

At lunchtime they happen to visit an impoverished roadside chapel. This is the ‘Haudh Ninlaith’, the Chapel of the Sorrowful Lady.

Perhaps they step in to get some shade from the heat of the day. Or they stop by to get one of their horses healed by the poor friar who lives here. Or they simply pause to admire the old Chapel and its aura of grave peace.

The old friar shows them inside the chapel, which includes the stone sarcophagus of the Lady.

“She was the half-fay wife of the old Duke. He was killed in battle, and she eventually died of grief.”

“When she heard of his death, she would not eat nor speak. Instead she wove a tapestry – the one hanging over there in the side chapel – to mark her Husband’s death. It is said that she wove it with her own hair, and that she finished it on the very day that she died. So very sad”

At this point the party are likely to go look at the old tapestry hanging at the end of the chapel.

It’s hard to make out (the tapestry is well made, but it seems to be neglected, smoke- or age-blackened) but it seems to show several mounted men fighting off orcs and other monsters.

One figure is shown reasonably clearly – an armoured knight, his shield emblazoned with the heraldry of the Black Eagle. He is shown below a black oak tree. This of course is an image of the Old Duke.

In the tapestry he is depicted in the moment of being impaled with multiple cruelly-spiked orc polearms, and being pulled from his mount – doubtless to an ignominious death.

The party learns the following:

• this tapestry depicts the tragic death of the Old Duke, killed fighting orcish invaders 50 years ago. Why, it was at about this time of year.

• the tapestry was (as previously said) woven by the half-fay wife of the Old Duke. She was rumoured to have had magical powers. She died of grief. So very sad.

• The present Duke (the Young Duke) is her descendant. It is said that he seeks heroes to fight the sorcerer Gorgulmek, ancient enemy of all this land. But apparently no hero has been strong enough, and the Young Duke has vowed to send no more adventurers to their deaths. And the darkness grows over this land …

• There are runes in Elven woven with ithildin silk into the threads of the tapestry.

Important note: for some reason these runes are only readable by members of the party.

The GM must tailor this reason to the party: e.g the runes only appear to Elves, or only appear when the wearer of a sacred Elf-Jewel is near – or only in the presence of “The Slayer”, or to one who bears the famous sword Arcturus, or whatever.

Whatever the reason, the party can read the following words (or something like them)

‘You that come after, approach and see, where mine Black Eagle was slain beneath the Tree’

As the party (or one party member) reads these words, the tapestry seems to shimmer and blur for a moment – and the runes disappear.

How odd. But nothing else seems to happen, and there is no-one about to ask. The old Friar must have stepped out for a moment. He can’t be found.

Eventually the party go on with their journey, and we come to Scene 2:

Scene 2: The party have been travelling on the road for an hour. There’s been no-one on the road. Which is odd, as this road is usually well-travelled. In fact, the party haven’t seen anybody since midday.

The party pass a broken and half-burnt wagon at the side of the road. It was destroyed only a few hours ago. It is carved with ugly orc runes. There must be raiders about!

And now the party hear nearby sounds of combat: horses neighing, the clash of steel against steel, the battle-cries of men and the fell voices of orcs!

They (probably) rush to the fight where they see a Knight and his retinue battling a large force of Orcs and Ogres. The mounted Knight bears a shield marked with a Black Eagle, and he is fighting near to a great black oak tree.

If the players fight and save the Knight, he thanks them heartily. He gives one of the party his Ducal ring in token of his deliverance. And as he thanks them, the scene fades, and the party find themselves …

… back in the chapel, in front of the (now) bright, clean tapestry. The tapestry clearly depicts the Knight of the Black Eagle battling a host of foes, and his being saved by a group of adventurers who – of course – look very like the players.

The party look about, and discover that the chapel has subtly changed. Where once was a single tomb, there are now two tombs, side by side. They are carved to depict the Old Duke and his Wife. Apparently they lived into old age and died – rich with years – on the same day. Though these stones be cold, they love forever.

• One of the party now has the Ducal Ring, marked with the symbol of the Black Eagle.

• If the party ask about, they discover that the young Duke lives in the nearby castle Alasson. If they go to see him, he will look astonished, and say

“Strangers, I must tell you that – on the last day of her life – my grandmother called me to her, and said that one day the Duke’s Ring would return!”

“She said that those who bore the ring would be worthy to bear our Ancestral Banner against the Necromancer, ancient enemy of all this land. So rise, bold adventuers. I dub thee RingThanes of the Ebon Eagle, and charge thee to rid my land of Gorgulmek the Accursed!”

Well, you get the idea.

This version of the story reposes the “Time Travel Magic” in the Tapestry woven from the hair of the grieving half-fay widow, and makes her a kind of patron from beyond the grave.

In this version we regretfully lose the ‘reveal’ scene where the players discover they have rescued a younger duke – it’s a cool moment but I think it forces structural problems on the narrative.

And of course if the party *didn’t* save the Duke then their failure – be it honourable or cowardly – is now forever commemorated on the tapestry in the Sorrowful Chapel.

And people will say, “why, stranger, you look just like that red-haired hobbit who fumbled with his crossbow and fatally shot the Old Duke in the head, as depicted in the famous Tapestry that everyone round here goes to look at – at least once a year”.