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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
10/1/2009 10:16:33 AM
PostID: 308158
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Though it saddens me to do so, I have decided to end Cavectra. I just don't feel like I'm doing it justice. I certainly appreciate those of you who have been committed to this game and I know many of you would like to see it continue on. However, when I'm only able to make roughly one post per week, it can take 3 months or more for game threads to be updated and thus it is nearly impossible to retain any but the most die-hard players. Lately I've had to spend more time finding replacements than making posts :(
I want to let all of you know how much I appreciate your involvement in Cavectra, especially those of you who have toughed it out during the slow times. You were what made this game such an exciting experience!
My plan is to (within the next few weeks) start a new game of a more manageable size. My current thinking is to go with an episodic format like a TV show. The game will be run in short "episodes" lasting about 2-3 months. Each episode will involve about 6-8 characters run in one or two game threads (allowing me to update threads more frequently). While about half of the characters will persist from episode to episode, the other half will be recurring "guest stars", allowing players to sign up for the occasional episode with their character and take a break in between. Each episode will have its own distinct plot and conclusion but will also be part of an overall ongoing plot (think Buffy or Lost).
In the mean time, I intend to post here for those of you who are interested a summary of the future plot and direction that I intended to take Cavectra. I'll address overall themes as well as player specific sub-plots.
Thanks again for all your great support of this game, and I hope to play with all of you again in the future here at RPM! Feel free to leave comments below.
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Patdragon
Spelunker
10/1/2009 10:30:28 AM
PostID: 308159
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Well I'm Sorry to hear that this epic game has come to to an end. The shear size and scope of it impressed me when I first joined near-ish the beginning.
I'd love to hear how it would have all gone had it continued to grow to an ending of some kind. The game will be missed.
Anger is fleeting, Remorse Eternal
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Meilandru
Local Hero
10/1/2009 11:25:11 AM
PostID: 308162
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I really did stick around for a long time waiting, eagerly awaiting the next segment of the story. I may not have been around as long as many others, but I have been here, lurking, waiting.
Anyways, I await your new endeavor, and I hope it goes well.
Strings Attached
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Shadow2336
Philosopher
10/1/2009 11:51:32 AM
PostID: 308163
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All good things must come to an end.
Thanks for letting us play in your world.
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Corkman
Courageous Warrior
10/1/2009 3:09:34 PM
PostID: 308185
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Thanks for letting me in... Best of luck...
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Ratagar
Ninja
10/1/2009 9:18:45 PM
PostID: 308251
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well, was fun as it lasted... I'd be up for another game. and I'm very interested to see were you would have taken Eisen, and his story.
You are not your magic weapon and armor. You are not your spell buffs. You are not how much gold you have, or how many times you've been raised from the dead. When a Big Bad Demon snaps your sword in two, you do not cry because that was your holy avenger. You leap onto its back, climb up to its head, and punch it in the eye, then get a new damn sword off of the next humanoid you headbutt to death.
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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
10/3/2009 11:14:44 AM
PostID: 308538
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Here's a summary of the intended plot:
Overall
As those dealing with the Brakhet in the Alkross groups had learned, Cavectra and the other planes in the planar-verse were in a period of convergence, an event that occurred once every approx 20,000 years. This event is no coincidence, as those chasing Scamper and the Glass of Divinity would have learned once they recovered the glass.
Due to a pact made among the elder gods at the time of creation every 20,000 years all the gods become mortal and enter the material plane. Their divine powers are shed from them but also deposited in the material plane. It is up to each god then to recover divinity and re-ascend to god-hood. It also serves as a time of balance and transition among the dieties as they struggle against each other to attempt to claim the divine powers of other gods. To top it all off, mortals who can tame and claim fragments of divinity can also ascend to godhood during this time. It's one massive re-distribution of divine power.
Those who witnessed the cataclysmic arrival of the mysterious blue infant off the shores of Alkross witnessed the arrival of the first god upon the material plane - Gunluk, diety of the frost ogres. The group tracking the army of undead back from Kismalis to Antupen witnessed the arrival of another god.
The Army of Darkness
The deathbringers (red-eyed mages), their Beholder leader, and their armies of undead and demons are servents of a powerful evil god, and the arch-nemesis of Kazar. Their objective was to conquer Antupen and its allies (Darcilla and Foghammer) to suppress those forces loyal to Kazar. In this manner they would cripple Kazar upon his arrival as a mortal to the material plane and allow their dark god to kill him and steal his divinity. The fourteen "chosen ones" were Kazar's response to his enemy's meddling.
The deathbringer's approach was multi-faceted:
1. The initial attack on Antupen (where the campaign began) was orchestrated to provide cover to the Deathbringers so they could breach an ancient seal beneath Antupen city and release an army of demons trapped in a hellish plane. They then used this army to conquor Antupen and possess most of its citizens.
2. In the war-torn and necromantically charged land of Kismalis, the deathbringers performed a massive ritual to raise all the dead in the entire ruins of the city of Kismalis as warriors to fight for their cause.
3. Using the unsuspecting gnome Chitter to bring them the coffin of King Brakallion, a legendary historic king of Antupen and magically imbued with the strength of a thousand men, they raised him as a skeleton to lead their dark army into battle.
4. Obtaining the long-lost crown of Calin the paladin king (another of Antupen's historic kings) from the Frozen Citadel (the lair of an ancient dragon), which when worn by a king of Antupen emits an aura of supernatural fear - causing the king's enemines to cower and flee. This crown they give to their skeletal king Brakallion.
5. Forming a pact with a clutch of wyverns and an army of spider-riding drow to assault and conquor the dwarven city of Foghammer.
6. Finally, the combined armies of undead, demon, drow, and wyvern, led by Brakallion, the deathbrings, and their beholder kingpin were to march on Quellimar, capital city of the elves of Darcilla (Ele forsaw this in the visions granted him by his magical cloak). There, once destroying the elves, the massive combined army would await the arrival of their dark god to the material plane and prepare to rampage against all of Cavectra in an attempt to acquire as much divine power for their god as posssible.
Plot summary for individual threads and characters to follow in a later post.
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KOKid
Centurion
10/3/2009 4:19:30 PM
PostID: 308558
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"I'm in if youll have me. And thank you for letting me enjoy this wonderful world of yours.
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Hammerhead
Friend to All
10/5/2009 3:32:38 PM
PostID: 308954
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Well that's too bad. I really liked Cavectra a lot. You can count me in for any 3.5 games you run in the future.
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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
10/8/2009 2:02:22 PM
PostID: 309785
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I'll list each thread here (one at a time) along with some notes as to the plot and characters in that thread.
The Temple of Kel'Ra
The group here was bound for the legendary temple of Obad-Hai at Millin's request. It is said that a true follower of Obad-Hai can visit the temple and Obad-Hai will speak to them to give them the answers they seek. However, Millin is attending this errand not of his own volition, but because the deathbringer mages hold his 'girlfriend' hostage and threaten to kill her. The elven woman, Elyra, is really an agent of the deathbringer mages, who intends to steal a powerful magical artifact from the temple. However, to enter its gates she needs an advocate from among the priesthood of Obad-Hai, thus why the Deathbringers have chosen to press this service upon Millin.
The less than scrupulous Ivan has also been recruited by the Deathbringers, lured by the promise of payment. They have given him a magic rune and tasked him with placing it upon the temple gate after Millin and Elyra depart. Upon doing so the rune's magic will destroy the temple and the holy priesthood of Obad-Hai. The deathbringer's goal is to weaken Obad-Hai's mortal forces as much as possible so their dark god can steal Obad-Hai's portfolio upon his arrival to the material plane.
My intention was to have Bragis, whom the group left behind in Quellimar, catch back up with them...and with him would come Jalyenla, Kalandrin's beautiful but feisty elven princess. How things played out once they reached the temple was not yet determined. Valmorely, Odis, and Jacques, being removed from the intrigue, may have determined Elyra's true intentions. Ivan decisions were also key: in the end, would he betray his companions for the Deathbringer's money? or when it came down to it would he set his greed aside for what was right?
I regret that I didn't do more to develop some unique plotlines for Jacques. The character always seemed to be a tag-along without any direction of his own (this was in part due to frequent changes in players, and long periods of NPCdom). Valmorely and Odis were both new enough that I didn't have time to develop individual sub-plots for them.
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davwalp
Pioneer
10/13/2009 3:11:53 PM
PostID: 311063
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Hey Bob,
Though I regret it is necessary, I totally understand the decision to shut down the game. I had to do the same for my game not too long ago and it was quite a bittersweet moment.
Pendac is still one of my favorite characters, and I definitely had fun with my brief time as the "less than scrupulous" Ivan.
Thank you so much for your time on this game and this site.
See you around the Market!
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TrackStar
Monsterkeeper
10/19/2009 10:25:05 PM
PostID: 312353
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*Cry*
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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
10/20/2009 12:39:48 PM
PostID: 312497
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A Tortured Soul
The characters in this thread were trapped within the demon-overrun city of Antupen. This thread really contained two separate groups that had recently 'collided', so I'll address them separately.
The first group consists of Betbet, Darius, E'pet, and Igni. Returning to Antupen after suffering a string of defeats, they find Eisen, Harry, and Star, recently escaped from the demons and deathbringers who control the city. Their current goal was to re-enter the city and attempt to free additional hostages (one of which may have been Archmage Dourimek, see below), though it was yet to be seen how that would play out.
Both Betbet and Darius were among Kazar's fourteen 'chosen'. I had yet to determine how Betbet's prophecy would play out ("you will find acceptance for the unacceptable"), but my thought was for her eventually to lead an unlikely band of some savage race to 'rescue' one of the more civilized bastions in Cavectra. Semi-frequent player changes kept me from developing Betbet's story as much as I would have liked.
Darius was one of my favorite characters, partly as a result of his unexpected and unplanned death, which just happened to work well with his prophecy ("You will set right a great wrong, but at the cost of your own soul."). After being repeatedly and unwittingly pressed into the service of the Deathbringers both in life and unlife, my eventual thought was to have Darius - the treacherous street urchin - unselfishly sacrifice himself to deal a crippling blow to the Deathbringers and save the lives of many, thus in a way redeeming his wrongs.
My plan was for E'pet at some point to gain control of his fallen master's tome, the Book of the Recaster, and (likely through a side quest) unlock its powerful magics to wield against the Deathbringers.
I hadn't done much development with Ingi since he became an NPC shortly after starting.
Eisen presented a lot of interesting possibilities and I regret I didn't have time to develop them further. My thought was that Eisen's nation had sent their army to Cavectra because the higher-ups had learned of the coming divine cosmic battle, and had hoped to sway the course of the battle in favor of their dark gods. The rank and file of their armies (including Eisen) have no knowledge of their true purposes. At some point I intended for Eisen to meet up with some of these "higher-ups", learn their purposes, and then be forced to decide weather to continue to help them or turn against his own people to do good.
I didn't have much of a chance to define plots for Harry and Star. Due to Harry's background I hoped at some point to connect him with Edwin Dawnwright, the new true king of Antupen, whom Harry could pledge his loyalty and service to (if he wished). I thought about drawing a connection between Star's creator Marsure and Kettle's creator Furnok.
The second group consisted of Adria, Elendiles, and Korvall, along with a few NPCs. Their goal was to convince the hard-nosed Archmage Dourimek of the threat the deathbringers posed to Darcilla, and thereby convince the elves to come to the aid of Antupen and her true king, Edwin Dawnwright.
Elendiles was one of the fourteen chosen. I hadn't yet determined how to use his prophecy ("You will be faced with a most difficult decision. Choosing the right path will lead you to ultimate knowledge, but choosing the wrong path will carry you to destruction."), though I did intend for it to be a difficult choice. Ele's visions granted to him by the White Hand via his magical teleporting cloak would soon come true, for Quellimar was about to be besieged by the combined deathbringer army (more on that in a minute). Of all the characters in the game Ele probably got tied into the most different plots due to being teleported into various threads. I also at some point hoped to re-unite him with his friends Bellamin and Eler.
Korvall, a dark-elf in disguise, was secretly working on behalf of the Deathbringers and was accompanying the mission for an entirely different purpose: to assassinate Elendiles. The Deathbringers had learned of Ele's visions of their future plans through Ivan (who was unwittingly spying on their behalf) and sought to put an end to the wizard before he could have further visions that would alert the enemies of the Deathbringers to their plans. Since both Korvall and Ele were PCs, I was leaving this to the players to determine how this played out.
Adria was another of my favorites due to the plot development. Quickly realizing that the Guild of the Broken Rose was simply an agent of the Deathbringers, Adria was prepared to take any action to protect those she cared about. I had hoped over time to continue to develop the romantic tension between her and Edwin, but her primary plot moving forward was to be the traitor Aldoniveen.
Aldoniveen (or Aldon as he was known to the Guild of the Broken Rose, his real name is unknown) was a doppleganger recruited by the Deathbringers to ensure the downfall of Antupen, and later Quellimar. He infiltrated Antupen, assuming leadership of the Guild of the Broken Rose, replacing the high-priest of Kazar, and then (using the resources of the Guild including the assassin Drakken) becoming Oracle of Kazar and appointing his puppet Merrick Lightforge as king of Antupen. This was all done to pave the way for the demon hordes to be released upon the city. The Deathbringers then planned to use Aldoniveen to prepare Quellimar for their arrival in much the same way. During the recent fight when the companions were ambushed by demons in the city, under a cloud of magical fog, Aldoniveen subdued the powerful Archmage Dourimek and then replaced him (unbeknown to the the PCs). When Aldoniveen (as Dourimek) returned to Quellimar his plan was to inform the council that the demons in Antupen posed no threat to Quellimar, and thus to prevent Quellimar from readying itself against the coming assault of the Deathbringers. Beyond this my hope was for Aldoniveen to be a recurring nemesis for the companions (especially Adria). Promised to be allowed to rule a city, when the Deathbringers fail to deliver Aldoniveen breaks from them and becomes a rogue agent of sorts, still intent on gaining his prize regardless of who gets in the way.
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dathom
Courageous Warrior
10/20/2009 1:18:45 PM
PostID: 312509
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I have to say, I am sad to see this game come to an end. though I came in with my own character, I later took up the reigns as Elendiles and have to say that out of the three characters I had, the magic wielding, elven cleric of Kazar was by far the funnest to roleplay. I will have to remember to try this concept in a future game. And Bob, if you have a game coming up in the future, please let me know, as I would love to get in on it.
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letshin
10/23/2009 4:47:38 PM
PostID: 313269
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Lol. We weren't even mentioned. . Ah well. Thanks for the effort you put in though! It certainly is no mean feat managing a story of this size :)
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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
11/12/2009 10:46:07 AM
PostID: 317898
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I didn't forget you letshin, I've only covered 2 of the around 15 game threads. Check back for more.
To Catch a Thief
This group was on their way to find Scamper, the troublesome gnomish thief who ran off with the Glass of Divinity, a powerful artifact that allows mortals to see into the realm of the divine. Scamper had by this point used the drow shadow-plane amulet to travel to Alkross where he just encountered a different group of PCs. My intention was for the group to eventually catch Scamper only to find that he had sold the glass to someone else along the way (possibly the mad wizard Astull from the Assault on Fallgirn thread).
Meanwhile the group has meet up with Usztach and Ussdach, the two mischievous and self-important kobolds (and former PCs) who have left their clan to pursue greatness. My intention was for these two to tag-along with the group, until at some point they have an encounter with Kurtlemak, the kobold god, who is arriving on the material plane (as described above), whereupon it turns out that Usztach and Ussdach really are his chosen servants to protect and serve their god while he is mortal.
I was looking forward to Dorian's future. With St. Cuthburt coming to the material plane along with all the other gods Dorian would have a chance to come face-to-face with his master, which in turn would spark the return of his memory.
Taloon and Taria were an interesting pair, and it was always fun to see their sibling banter. Along with Kron'imar the dark-elf I regret I didn't get the chance to pursue to relevant sub-plots for these characters.
Eler was one of the chosen. I hadn't yet decided how to work in her prophecy ("You will make the mountains tremble, and the seas rumble"), but I was about to have some fun with the snake given her by the Oracle ("A bite from this snake will give you the strength of one-hundred men. But it's poison will torment and ravage your body."). The reflex saves and spot checks I called for in the thread were because Eler's snake had escaped its box and was slithering around the floor of the abandon inn while the characters stood about talking with the kobolds. Eler's strange actions of snatching Usztach off the ground was to prevent him from being bitten. Depending on the rolls, I was going to allow the snake to bite one of the adventurers, thus creating a new plot development for Eler and the character in question. Props to Cromt for the excellent roleplaying of Eler, by the way.
Bellamin was another of the chosen. I had not yet determined how to incorporate his prophecy ("You shall wager the very fate of this land. Win, and you will forever be the hero of stories."), though I figured it would involve playing a game of chance against a chaotic deity of some sort. My thought, upon finding Scamper the gnome (who is not really evil, simply misguided), was to allow Bellamin to redeem his friend, and in the end direct him down a path that helped the characters.
Umagen was another character I didn't have time to develop, but his background would have made for some interesting sub-plots I suspect.
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Patdragon
Spelunker
12/16/2009 9:12:28 AM
PostID: 325007
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Been a while since anything been posted and was wondering how my thread ended as I would quite like to know how Corban and the search for the attendant would have gone.
Anger is fleeting, Remorse Eternal
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cromt
Destroyer of Worlds
12/16/2009 1:56:21 PM
PostID: 325169
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Thanks for posting the wrap-up, Bob!
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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
12/16/2009 4:27:38 PM
PostID: 325255
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More summaries are coming....sorry, working them in as I have the chance.
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BobTHJ
Owner of the Market
12/23/2009 11:57:36 AM
PostID: 326779
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In Search of the Attendant
Lost in the Evenwood
An Odd Encounter
These three groups were at present wandering the mystical Evenwood. Comprised of two different 'parties' each with their own objective (that would soon intertwine).
The biggest party was the group who crossed the Greenwater Sea. Sent by the everling tree known as the Luminary their objective was to find another far-older everling tree known as the Attendant and take from her a branch that would allow them to summon forth the very spirit of nature to fight the necromantic Deathbringer mages. My intent was for them to eventually secure the Attendant's branch (after much trial), return to the Luminary (in its new form of Ironwood) and summon forth the massive elemental spirit of nature. This 'spirit' along with the combined forces of Antupen (those loyal to Dawnwright), Foghammer, and Darcilla would then march on Quellimar (which the Deathbringer army had conquered) and have an epic confrontation with the demonic, undead, and drow armies of the Deathbringers.
Meanwhile however, all the characters had to find their way to the Attendant and procure the branch. This was complicated by four factors:
1. A cult of chaotic-evil followers of the Attendant. Once its druidic servants these followers have been warped by the Evenwood's magic into dark servants of the corrupted ancient everling.
2. The dread pirate Walrusbeard and his crew, who have followed Ishmael into the Evenwood (more on that below).
3. The powerful wizard Redcloak, who has come seeking the Attendant for an entirely different reason: Due to the Attendant's advanced age (20k+ years) it was alive to witness the last cataclysmic 'Godfall' when the gods come to the mortal plane, and has unique insight into this event. Redcloak seeks this knowledge so he can learn how to gain divinity himself.
4. The Attendant herself. Once a benevolent creature of nature, the Attendant has been corrupted by the fey magics of the Evenwood and warped into a being of chaotic evil (with an extra dose of chaos). 'Defeating' her and convincing her to relinquish one of her branches would likely have involved her pitting the party against each other in a series of potentially fatal challenges.
The half-elf that the party has discovered in the cave (In Search of the Attendant thread) is a former member of the Attendant's druidic cult who has somehow shaken free of the influence of the forest and the everling tree. If befreinded he could have served as a valuable ally in obtaining the branch from the Attendant.
Character by character breakdown:
Aedenial - This fighter was going to have a tie-in with the wizard Redcloak. Aedenial's father - the wizard Astull who lives south of Alkross - is a member of the same wizardly order as Redcloak. (side note: Furnok, Kettle's creator, was also a member of the same order prior to his death).
Unknown - Chasing Orrick (now found) and the wizard Redcloak who he knows are somehow responsible for the death of his maker, Gregory McMaro (another member of the wizard's order). My thought was to have Unknown discover that he is actually responsible for the death of McMaro. McMaro had sold him to Redcloak, who then ordered Unknown to murder his maker so that McMaro couldn't stop Redcloak from ascending to godhood. To cover his tracks he attempted to purge Unknown's memories of the event.
Zezevog - Zezevog recently had another vision in which he saw the face of a warforged and felt an implicit trust toward him. This was Unknown, whom I intended Zezevog to meet up with at some point in the Evenwood. My exact plans for Zezevog were not yet settled, but I intended Kazar to continue to speak to him through visions, guiding him as he aided the cause of the chosen.
Trevan - Other than the current main plotline, I hadn't come up with any character specific sub-plots for Trevan. He was next on my list to address.
Zella Blackrock - Zella was hired by the Brahket (via the bartender Riley) to follow Redcloak into the Evenwood. The Brahket is an organization led by another wizard of the mysterious order eluded to above. It fronts itself to be a benevolent force intent on harvesting the divine power of the gods that will be arriving on the material plane and using it for good. Most of its agents believe this to be true. However, the wizard that leads the Brahket really desires to subvert the divine power and ascend to godhood himself, similar to Redcloak. Thus he is using Zella (unwittingly) to keep tabs on Redcloak and find out what his rival is up to in the Evenwood.
Yuly - I was enjoying the rivalry that was developing between Corban and Yuly :). At present I didn't have any sub-plots for Yuly on this side of the Greenwater Sea, however once he returned to the western shores I intended for the incident with the farmer's wife to come back and haunt him again.
Sammy - Sammy's mindblade manifestations were only partially under her control. I hoped to over time play off of this by having her mindblade manifest in new and different ways and develop a sort of personality of its own.
Corban - Corban is following in his Uncle's footsteps by adventuring, and has now found one of his uncle's knives. My intent was for the blade to be sentient to some extent, perhaps containing a fragment of his uncle's conscious, allowing Corban's uncle to help guide him along his way. My intent was for Corban to eventually discover that his uncle was more than just a scalliwag adventurer but was somehow tied into or aware of one of the more sinister plots developing.
Ishmael - Ishmael is being chased by his former master/employer - the dread pirate Walrusbeard. Normally Walrusbeard wouldn't devote so much attention to an escaped cabinboy, but Walrusbeard believes Ishmael has his spyglass, a precious artifact that can control the winds, allowing Walrusbeard to overtake merchant ships and terrorize the Greenwater Sea. Ishmael had struck a deal with the pirate Gambit that was captured during the voyage across the sea. He helped Gambit escape in exchange for Gambit directing Walrusbeard's attention elsewhere. However, Gambit had double-crossed Ishmael, for Gambit was the true theif of the spyglass. Once free, instead of taking the heat off Ishmael, Gambit fled with the spyglass sending Rugger back to Walrusbeard with details of Ishmael's destination within the Evenwood. This Walrusbeard has followed the party into the Eventwood intent on putting an end to Ishmael and getting his spyglass back.
Illmirranor, Thisath, and Shuri were new enough that I had not yet determined character specific sub-plots for them. As Barik had only recently become a PC I didn't have any specific plans for him either.
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