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    Canonfire :: View topic - Council of Elrond on Oerth
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    Council of Elrond on Oerth
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    Adept Greytalker

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    Wed May 31, 2017 10:10 pm  
    Council of Elrond on Oerth

    I'm going to run, as the capstone of my long Sterich campaign, the epic-level adventure Quicksilver Hourglass. If the PCs fail, an ancient weapon called the Quicksilver Hourglass materializes on the Prime Material Plane and every living thing there ages 100 years/minute until reduced to dust. So the stakes are rather high.

    I want to run a role-playing encounter before the heroes embark upon this adventure similar to the Council of Elrond scene in LotR--in other words, I'd like a grim conclave of all of the most important NPCs of the Greyhawk setting discussing what to do to counter this threat.

    A few things I've decided—

    The host of the council will be Elayne Mystica, and the place of the council will be the extradimensional realm of her djinn ally Tol-Kan-Zee.

    The Circle of Eight will all be present.

    Tenser & his close allies will all be absent, away on an interplanar mission.

    My question for y'all is this: Who else should attend?

    I'm not at all opposed to powerful evil NPCs attending, given the stakes for the Prime Material. I am toying with the idea of Eclavdra being there.

    I remember a vast number of world-shaking folks from the work of Carl Sargent, in particular, but given that my campaign is set in the Sheldomar, I'm not as familiar with, say, Ivid the Undying, for instance, as I should be.

    Who else is of equal stature to the Circle?

    I'm even wondering if some of the deities who make the Prime Material their home (not Iuz, Wastri, of course, but what about Fharlanghn or Olidammara or Ehlonna?) might attend . . . but I don't want to diminish them in any way.
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    Thu Jun 01, 2017 12:22 am  

    http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2016/06/greyhawk-wizards-pentad.html Speaking of Elayne how about some girl power from my Pentad?

    Or a lich? http://greyhawkery.blogspot.com/2016/06/greyhawk-liches-hexad.html

    As for others, perhaps Queen Yolande or King Holgi, Countess Belissica or a knight of the Hart, Yrag or Robilar, Keoghtom or Murlynd, or maybe a giant king from the mountains?
    GreySage

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    Thu Jun 01, 2017 5:22 am  

    I was going to mention Mortellan's articles if he hadn't.

    A relevant model is a scene from Gary Gygax's novel Come Endless Darkness where a number of luminaries met on the Plane of Shadow to discuss a cosmic crisis, including Mordenkainen, Tenser, Heward, Keoghtom, Murlynd, Zagyg, the Cat Lord, the Mage of the Vale, Gord, Gellor, and the Hierophants of the druidic hierarchy.

    From Carl Sargent's works I'd add Gwydiesin of the Cranes, Philidor the Blue, and the Walker. And perhaps Mayaheine.

    Other possibilities include Leomund, Rary, Iggwilv, Qadeej (I think? The powerful ancient Wind Duke from the Rod of Seven Parts boxed set), Kieran Jalucian, Kelanen, and Jemorille the Exile (the rogue rilmani from Uncaged: Faces of Sigil). Maybe Elminster could cameo if you wanted to give the impression that multiple worlds were at stake.


    Last edited by rasgon on Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:55 am; edited 1 time in total
    Adept Greytalker

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    Thu Jun 01, 2017 10:34 am  

    Seek out NPC's from outside the Flanaess and use the CoE sparingly. Dig through Greyspace, Black Moon Chronicles, Chainmail, Blackmoor, Zeif, Hepmonaland, and Aquaria. Use exotic characters your players have never/barely heard of and the campaign setting will feel larger and more lifelike. Use a representative from the Circle or two, but keep the membership mysterious so they don't turn into a predictable, overused power group and overshadow the players.

    Not everyone need be represented. Maybe one or two cultural groups understand the significance of the Quicksilver Timeglass and others don't. Maybe Tovag Baragu and portends from Istus have warned the Baklunish what's coming and they got the Spindrifts, Dalt, Cyndor, orge magi, chronomancers, Valley Elves and Black One on board, but others don't believe them.

    Put a twist on the Council meeting so it doesn't play out like LotR and feel like a scripted novel. Players will sense the familiar trope and it would be a good opportunity to surprise them. Maybe the council doesn't reach a consensus and splits into rival factions. Maybe they're attacked mid-meeting by the antagonists and the moderator is killed. Maybe they discover a spy and it leads to an extra-planar chase. Maybe it's too late and the Timeglass materializes during the council meeting. An NPC's last act is to send the party back in time (a couple weeks or a thousand years) when they'll have an opportunity to save the world... but not before the PC's are each aged 20-50 years.

    Finally, one of the best things about world-ending events like this is the diversity of groups willing to ally and the moral compromises PC's have to make. Night Below has good examples. Definitely include evil groups, moral ambiguity, and tough role playing choices.
    GreySage

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    Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:54 am  

    vestcoat wrote:
    Seek out NPC's from outside the Flanaess and use the CoE sparingly. Dig through Greyspace, Black Moon Chronicles, Chainmail, Blackmoor, Zeif, Hepmonaland, and Aquaria. Use exotic characters your players have never/barely heard of and the campaign setting will feel larger and more lifelike.


    This is good advice. Possible Aquarian NPCs include the Council of Five in Northending and Doc.

    If by Blackmoor you mean Dave Arneson's original campaign, Fletcher "the Fetch" William, Blackmoor's spymaster, might be appropriate.

    Kuang Taojun, eunuch sorcerer in the employ of Emperor Jianmin (from Chris Pramas's DragonFist RPG).

    Xerolan'th, the "power behind the throne" in the the drow city of Urrq'azzt on the moon Celene.

    Amir Mamhout, an efreet from Liga, the sun, and captain of the spelljamming vessel The Peacock.

    Stanus, a silver dragon philosopher from the planet Edill.

    Samanda, lich-queen of Deathwatch on the planet Gnibile.

    Wiekens IX, King of Yendoril on the planet Ginsel.

    Ja-Ja-Kek, kobold ruler of of Tatiketetek on the planet Borka.

    Vorith Axelhode, leader of the spelljamming Free Traders Group.

    Karistyne, a paladin of Heironeous who lives in a castle in the Abbor-Alz.

    Hrimaka Tondo, leader of the Resplendent Monks of Naga (from James Wyatt's Mahasarpa Campaign).

    Rajah Yanja Bhayyam, a yuan-ti tainted one, spymaster of the Seven Kingdoms (from James Wyatt's Mahasarpa Campaign).

    Anesh, the One Whose Teeth Cross (an elephant of genius intelligence in Hepmonaland).

    Geval, a toothless old Touv warrior who has trained students throughout the Touv lands.

    Ibo, the most powerful of Hepmonaland's wizards.

    Nevet, the wandering high priestess of Uvot in Hepmonaland.
    Adept Greytalker

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    Fri Jun 02, 2017 2:36 pm  

    Wow! Thanks, everyone, for the suggestions.

    I'm excluding Elminster, for exactly the reason you think.

    I'm excluding all liches and undead because they'd be immune to the aging the Quicksilver Hourglass triggers.

    I love the idea of including lots of powerful figures the characters never suspected existed.

    If I limit who from the Circle of Eight shows up, I'm not sure who wouldn't be there: Bigby is an ally of Elayne, so he's there; Mordenkainen wouldn't be absent for a discussion of this magnitude.

    Maybe the question is, Who is actually powerful enough to be invited? Warnes?

    What about some of those Aerdy wizards like Karoolck or Prince Lakaster or Graf Reydrich (though I think the latter became undead)?

    Or Karzalin or Ghiselinn from the Marklands?

    I don't think Rary would come, especially not if Shemeya does.

    Rasgon, I remember there was a reason for bringing Mahasarpa into Greyhawk canon but I forgot what it was.

    Rasgon, I never heard of Pramas' Dragon Fist stuff taking place on Oerth at all--is it referenced somewhere as Greyhawk-related?

    Thanks, everybody, for all the obscure suggestions. I'm going to comb through them all and post a manageable list of the personages I'm considering.

    And "evil groups, moral ambiguity, and tough role playing choices" are definitely on my menu for this thing.
    GreySage

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    Fri Jun 02, 2017 2:43 pm  

    edmundscott wrote:
    Rasgon, I remember there was a reason for bringing Mahasarpa into Greyhawk canon but I forgot what it was.


    It incorporates the Vale of Aaqa and the Wind Dukes. Which doesn't mean it's definitely part of Oerth, but it isn't definitively placed anywhere else. You just need a mountain range, a river, and a tropical forest; I'd be inclined to place it in the region labeled "Nippon Dominion" (I think of this as the Mahasarpa Peninsula) though the region labeled as Zindia would also work. I think the setting's Cambodian inspiration fits a little better with the southern peninsula, personally, ignoring the idea that the whole region is dominated by "Nippon."

    Quote:
    Rasgon, I never heard of Pramas' Dragon Fist stuff taking place on Oerth at all--is it referenced somewhere as Greyhawk-related?


    No, and the map doesn't fit on the map of Oerth (the climate suggests it's in the southern hemisphere of whatever world it's on—though I suppose that means it could fit fairly well in the region immediately northwest of Erypt, southwest of the Celestial Imperium) and the timeline is too short to mesh well with Oerth's timelines (only about a thousand years since the time of creation and the invention of written language, though perhaps the earlier history was forgotten or erased by imperial historians who were deliberately trying to forget the Suel). But on the other hand, there's not much detail on what the people of the Flanaess might think of as the Occident, so it might be a good source of inspiration if you're looking for some.
    GreySage

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    Fri Jun 02, 2017 3:26 pm  

    rasgon wrote:
    If by Blackmoor you mean Dave Arneson's original campaign, Fletcher "the Fetch" William, Blackmoor's spymaster, might be appropriate.


    Fletcher William is detailed in DA1 Adventures in Blackmoor. Other possibilities might include the Ran of Ah Fooh and the Gin of Salik from Judges Guild's The First Fantasy Campaign and Moorkok the Slayer as an emissary of the Egg of Coot. The Gin is a powerful Arabian-style wizard and the Ran is possibly some sort of cyborg who formerly worked for the Egg of Coot but left to build a power base of his own when he decided the Egg was insufficiently logical.
    Adept Greytalker

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    Wed Jun 07, 2017 4:09 pm  

    I'm reading the council scene Rasgon recommended in Come Endless Darkness.

    Three figures present are mysterious to me. Is there any other information about these guys?

    Lord Donal
    the priest Nastan
    Yocasta
    GreySage

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    Thu Jun 08, 2017 1:53 pm  

    I'm honestly not sure. Some wild guesses:

    Lord Donal = Don Arndt = Arnd of Tdon? Or Donblas the Justice Maker from Michael Moorcock's novels.

    Nastan = Canon Hazen? Or conceivably Riggby.

    Yocasta = Heidi Jo Gygax = Johydee? Or Yolande of Celene? She seems to be named after the mother of Oedipus in Greek mythology. Jocasta is also a robot made by Ultron in Marvel Comics but nothing comes to mind for that either. Queen Yalranda of Aerdy kind of works, though she's a Carl Sargent character and it would be strange if she were still alive. The connection to prophecy and her relationship with her son Manshen make her a plausible Jocasta parallel, though.

    The others seem pretty clear, since you didn't ask about them, but:

    Master Cat/Rexfelis = Cat Lord
    Basiliv = Mage of the Vale (though very different in character from Jaran Krimeeah)
    Mordenkainen
    Tenser
    King of Shadow (possibly identifiable with Rob Kuntz's Shad-Duan)
    Gord (also referred to as the Prince of Panthers)
    Hierophants of the Cabal (The Living Greyhawk Gazetteer references "a cabal of ascended mystics called the Hierophants" in its section on the Old Faith, though the concept of druidic hierophants comes from 2e)
    Master of Swords = Kelanen
    Lord Hewd = Heward
    Murlon = Murlynd
    Lord Keogh = Keoghtom
    Active Hand of Dweomer/the Mad One of Magic = Zagyg
    Dweomer, the Archimage = Boccob (not present, because "the highest of magic himself never interferes")
    Adept Greytalker

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    Thu Jun 08, 2017 7:50 pm  

    Okay, here's where my thinking is now. My list turned out to be more Flanaess-centric than I originally intended, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want to bring more characters the PCs hadn't met/heard of than they had, as I figured the resulting scene would be too confusing at the table unless I could make all of the brand new super-powerful personages extremely distinct from one another.

    So here's what I have. This list is twice or thrice as long as it should be, so I'm especially interested to hear about folks who shouldn't present at the Conclave. Or whom you just think are a terrible idea in the first place.

    I've excluded a) undead, as they have a lot to gain from a lifeless universe; b) NPCs who primarily reside elsewhere than the Prime; c) NPCs strongly opposed to other NPCs I know will be there (Mordenkainen, in particular); d) even important NPCs too weak to hang with Mordenkainen

    I'd be really grateful for any additional assistance or feedback or counter-suggestions.

    VERY PROBABLY THERE
    • Elayne Mystica & Tol-Kan-Zeeb, hosts
    • Ojhalia, epic-level planar chronomancer
    • Mordenkainen, representing the Co8
    • Arboreen Alvadorez, retired PC from my home campaign, NG Epic-level Cleric/Ranger of Pelor, based near Hochoch
    • Philidor the Blue
    • Gwydiesin of the Cranes
    • either Canon Hazen OR Jerome Kazinshaia, Patriach of Rao
    • Keoghtom
    • Murlynd
    • Heward
    • Kelanen
    • Rexfelis (Cat Lord)
    • Anfaren Silverbrow, High Priest of Sehanine
    • Franz, Lord Torkeep and/or Rowena Silverbrow, Lady Marshal of Vesve (representing absent Tenser)
    • Zagyg (perhaps representing Boccub, unless we use Rillikandren instead for that, fun distinct personality at table)

    MAYBE THERE
    • The Walker
    • 4 druidic hierarchs who always speak in unison from Come Endless Darkness
    • Stanus, a silver dragon philosopher from the planet Edill (I’m thinking maybe an old companion of Lashonna, in better days, as she’s been appearing around the edges of my campaign)
    • Anesh, the One Whose Teeth Cross (probably too weak but I love the idea of an elephant being present at this council)
    • Rillikandren, Patriarch of Boccub (in place of Zagyg maybe?)
    • Lashton of Grayhill (maybe too weak but my players have had numerous run-ins with him)
    • Jawan Sumbar, gnome from Cartographer’s Guildhall, Greyhawk City (perhaps the only one with a map to the cavern where the portal is . . . ?)
    • Basiliv, True Mage of the Vale (but I almost don’t know what to do with this character in play)

    WILDCARD ATTENDEES
    • The Spectre? (but probably can’t leave Shroudgate so not a good idea, maybe?)
    • Mayaheine
    • gods of the Prime who have a vested interest in its survival: Beory (?!?) Ehlonna Fharlanghn Obad-hai Olidammara
    • Leomund? I’m fascinated with using him, but I have no clue to how to do it, because what are his goals? what’s his personality like?
    • Goldwhite, who, IMC, is Arboreen’s sister
    • The Most Perfect Grandmaster (I know almost nothing of this NPC besides his appearance on the Duicarthex—more information would be really welcome? Is he Living Greyhawk?)
    • The Vermillion Queen (of Keoland)
    • Rhelt Sevvord I of Stonehold (there’s something I really like about having a CE barbarian king at the table)
    • Emirikol the Chaotic (would he even care if the Prime died?)
    • Matron Charinida or Eclavdra, drow clerics (the latter has an Abyssal stronghold and might not care but is so powerful maybe she should be here, the former might be too wrapped up in Erelhei-Cinlu politics to even notice this)
    • Baranabas, High Priest of Wastri (would actually have quite a bit of investment in this situation, might be fun to play at table)
    GreySage

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    Fri Jun 09, 2017 6:32 pm  

    Rillikandren and the Spectre are both great choices, though as you point out it's unclear if the Spectre can leave the confines of Shroudgate. I don't see anything that says he can't, though, and perhaps he could send one of his floating books to take notes in his absence. Rillikandren was besieged in his temple in 585, but obviously the situation has likely changed by 595.

    I'd meant to suggest Emirikol, but forgot to. Although he's chaotic neutral, I wouldn't say that he seems uncaring in A Paladin in Hell. He "spends most of his time and energy dealing with matters pertaining to worlds and planes other than this one" but he seems to care about his few friends and allies in the material world. I'd put him down as a maybe, since he'd care about the fate of Oerth but he might be busy with another crisis elsewhere.

    I think most gods, except those of undeath and eternal night, have a vested interest in the continued existence of Oerth, though I imagine Beory and Fharlanghn would be in more dire straits than the others should it cease to be inhabitable, as they have nowhere else to go (the others, at least, have outer planar realms to retreat to, even if they also dwell on the Material Plane). Fharlanghn can travel to the inner planes, but I'd probably have them send emissaries rather than appearing in person or in avatar form.

    One could argue that Canon Hazen is too weak to travel to another plane after the Flight of Fiends, presuming that happened in your campaign. If he does, perhaps it should be the last thing he does.

    A good source for Leomund is Oerth Journal #10, in which his creator Len Lakofka recounts his life. Lakofka portrays him as a very orderly "spirit of the law" lawful neutral type with a slight spark of good that he ignores when it's too inconvenient. He says he's "always an idiot when someone praises me" and he's been manipulated with flattery in the past. Currently, he seems mainly concerned with opposing the Scarlet Brotherhood and he's allied with the high elves of the Spindrifts. He's a faithful follower of Lendor and has performed various mysterious missions for his deity in other times and on other worlds.

    If Lendor is one of the "powers personifying law and equilibrium" mentioned in "The Quicksilver Hourglass," then Leomund might appear as his representative, tasked not necessarily with saving the world but with ensuring that the terms of the ancient transaction are honored. You could also conceivably use him as a replacement for Ojhalia, since he's experienced with temporal magic.

    The highest level monk according to the 1st edition Player's Handbook is the Grand Master of Flowers. By 1e rules, there is only one of them. In Greyhawk Adventures, the Father of Obedience, Korenth Zan, was the Master of Spring, one level short of the Grand Master of Flowers. In The Scarlet Brotherhood, Korenth Zan has gained a level and become the Grand Master of Flowers himself, and chose to relax the restrictions on how many monks could exist at each level. I presume he was still the only 17th-level monk, however, unless he's been bested since 591 CY.

    I have no idea what the Grand Master of Flowers would be doing in the Good Hills. Oerth Journal #3 has the major monasteries of Zuoken in the Ulsprues, sixty miles to the south of the Ulsprues, and in the Cairn Hills. The leader of the Ulsprues monastery is supposedly the most powerful psionicist ever to have lived.

    Oerth Journal #3 has Li Hon (one of the pregenerated PCs from Ghost Tower of Inverness) as the leader of the Flannae-tel Monastery in the Cairn Hills. Duicarthan has her as only 9th level, however (she was 7th level in Ghost Tower). The mistress of the Twilight Monastery near Diamond Lake, Izenfen the Occluded, is only 7th level according to Age of Worms Overload. The master of the Dark Moon Monastery in Greyhawk, Iquoyan, is 12th level according to Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk. Hrimaka Tondo from the Mahasarpa Campaign is a monk 5/tattooed monk 9, which wouldn't be enough to qualify him as Grand Master of Flowers even by 1e rules (at 14th level he would be the Master of Autumn).

    Honestly, I'd probably just use the Black One, Jaran Krimeeah, in place of Basiliv, though I'd once statted Basiliv as a powerful rilmani. Oerth Journal #18 incorporates Basiliv (calling him simply the Demiurge) into its history of the Vale of the Mage. In that history, he first arrives in the Vale in 199 CY and disappears in 352 CY.
    Adept Greytalker

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    Sat Jun 10, 2017 11:14 am  

    Wow. You have some great lists and lots of options. In deciding who to cut, think of the NPC's as story elements.

    I would focus on:

    1) characters that will be most meaningful for your PCs. Who have they always wanted to meet? Are there any acquaintances or future mentors they should connect with? Would a PC have a romantic attraction or enmity with someone on the list that could make things interesting?

    2) the ones most fun to role play as a DM. Pick the ones that inspire you and the council will come to life.

    I might do something like: a wise elder, a crazy archmage, a chaotic wild card (Redbeard or Emirikol), an evil super genius for moral tension, an old PC rival, a couple non-humanoid reps (the dragon and elephant are good) a mysterious Oerth foreigner, a Greyspace foreigner, an extaplanar traveler, a godling (not too many), a warrior, a stubborn LN type that nobody gets along with and requires the PC's to negotiate a compromise, two 0-level experts in something important, a rep from the nature/druid community, a historical figure the PC's thought dead, an old ally or PC sponsor, and a new character that will develop into a ally or enemy in later campaigns. Many of these roles can be combined into one NPC.

    Leave a couple niches void to be filled by the party (which is why they're at the council). Let a PC be the military tactician, or the sage, or the patriarch, or the musicologist, or the archmage, or the dwarf representative, or the Great Druid, or the negotiator. Don't relegate the PC's to simply be sellsword, murder hobo spectators.

    The lists represent a good cross section and you'll have to make some tough choices, but there is some low-hanging redundancy. Keoghtom, Murlynd, Heward, and Kelanen hang out all the time, so they don't all have to be there; one can report to the others. One elf is enough. No more than two archmage's (out of Basilv, Mordenkainen, Zagyg, Philidor, Keoghtom, Emirikol, Leomund). One druid/hippie/nature god. The high and mighty are rightfully cautious of all being in one place at the same time (see Vecna Lives! and Game of Thrones). Some can already be busy heading off aspects of the impending threat.

    Consider the overall power level. If the council isn't particularly impressive, the heroes will feel more like scrappy underdogs against unbeatable odds, which may make success more rewarding. If the NPC's are especially mighty, you'll need to explain why they haven't already solved the problem.
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    Tue Jun 13, 2017 11:56 am  

    Thank you, Rasgon & Vestcoat. I've settled on a list, based on your advice and what I thought I could bring to life at the table. I've added a powerful NPC from my campaign (Audrey Stronghollow, borrowed from someone else's Sterich campaign they posted online) because the PCs in all their interactions never suspected how powerful she was, and Tsolorandril, the patron of both Elayne Mystica and the party monk.

    I have three requests, if anyone would like to help some more:

    1) I really would like to include one dwarf, but there doesn't seem to be any dwarf really powerful enough to hang with this group. Am I forgetting someone?

    2) I love Rasgon's suggestion for this council being the death of Canon Hazen and am going to do just that. What sources or details are there for Hazen? Have his stats or personality ever been described anywhere?

    3) Also, as soon as I listed them side-by-side, I noticed Rowena and Anfaren both have the appellation "Silverbrow". Anyone know what this means?

    (Also, in retrospect, I wish I'd replaced Ojhalia with Leomund, but, alas, the party's already interacted with her, so I guess I'll keep her as a powerful chronomancer from another planet.)

    Members of the Conclave
    • Elayne Mystica
    • Tsolorandril
    • Ojhalia, epic-level planar chronomancer
    • Mordenkainen, representing the Co8
    • Arboreen Alvadorez, retired PC from my home campaign, NG Epic-level Cleric/Ranger of Pelor, based near Hochoch
    • Philidor the Blue
    • Goldwhite, who, IMC, is Arboreen’s sister
    • Gwydiesin of the Cranes
    • 4 druidic hierarchs who always speak in unison from Come Endless Darkness
    • Stanus, a silver dragon philosopher from the planet Edill (I’m thinking maybe an old companion of Lashonna, in better days, as she’s been appearing around the edges of my campaign)
    • Anesh, the One Whose Teeth Cross (probably too weak but I love the idea of an elephant being present at this council)
    • Jawan Sumbar, Cartographer’s Guildhall, Greyhawk City
    • The Vermillion Queen (of Keoland)
    • Rhelt Sevvord I of Stonehold
    • Baranabas, High Priest of Wastri
    • Anfaren Silverbrow, High Priest of Sehanine
    • Rowena of the Silverbrow, Lady Marshal of Vesve (representing absent Tenser)
    • Canon Hazen
    • Baroness Audrey of Stronghollow (NPC from home campaign based on someone else's campaign)
    GreySage

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    Wed Jun 14, 2017 4:25 pm  

    edmundscott wrote:
    1) I really would like to include one dwarf, but there doesn't seem to be any dwarf really powerful enough to hang with this group. Am I forgetting someone?


    The issue is the strict level limits that dwarves labored under in 1st and 2nd edition. The best any dwarf could do was a mountain dwarf's 16th level fighter (hill dwarf fighters maxed out at 15th level, according to The Complete Book of Dwarves). Hill and mountain dwarves maxed out as 10th level priests and deep dwarves and duergar as 12th level priests. I'd look more at political prominence/entertainment value than expecting any of them to be as high level as Mordenkainen.

    Here are some suggestions:

    •Holgi Hirsute of the Iron Hills

    •Olinstaad Corond, Prince of Ulek

    •The Seer (the ancient, blind ruler of Dumadan, elected on the basis of his wisdom and poetic ability, probably a priest of Moradin)

    •Cobb Darg of Irongate (possibly a dwarf or human or man of both human and dwarven ancestry, possibly a disguised dragon; a known ally of Elayne Mystica)

    •The Honeycombed Halls of the Diirinken (detailed in From the Ashes) are ruled by an unnamed derro-king illusionist "of unrivaled power."

    •Naentoth is the high priest of the duergar community in The Gates of Firestorm Peak.

    •Imperagon (the half duergar, half dragon villain of the 3e adventure Lord of the Iron Fortress).

    Quote:
    2) I love Rasgon's suggestion for this council being the death of Canon Hazen and am going to do just that. What sources or details are there for Hazen?


    Erm, not sure actually. I couldn't find much.

    Quote:
    3) Also, as soon as I listed them side-by-side, I noticed Rowena and Anfaren both have the appellation "Silverbrow". Anyone know what this means?


    In Rowena's case I think it's a reference to Ehlonna's silver unicorn horn symbol; in Anfaren's case, it's a reference to Sehanine's full moon symbol. Both might mark the symbols of their respective deities on their brows on ceremonial occasions.

    Or perhaps they both have some association with the People of the Testing. Though that group is normally only for elves, a ranger of Ehlonna may have done favors for them and received some sort of honorary status.

    Quote:
    • Anesh, the One Whose Teeth Cross (probably too weak but I love the idea of an elephant being present at this council)


    You could always give him class levels if you wanted him to be stronger. Perhaps he's a druid or shaman.
    Adept Greytalker

    Joined: Sep 20, 2001
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    Fri Jun 16, 2017 9:52 am  

    The only thing I could find about Canon Hazen is in the web supplement to Ravage of Ghorkai (in the Slayers Guide to Dragons book) where there's an introductory encounter of him hiring the party to undertake the mission. Very minor details (slight, elderly, some boxed text)

    Though quite tempted by using Cobb Darg, I think Elayne Mystica can represent him, and so I'll take your excellent suggestion of The Seer of Dumadan to represent the dwarven people.

    Thanks!
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