Campaign Chronicles

Once upon a time, there was nothing - no light, no sound, no worlds or stars.  There was no way to know how many infinities the nothing lasted for because there was no way to gauge the passage of time.  Only the dark goddess Shar existed and She was content. Then, one day, the universe began – filled with an infinite array of life, light and sounds and the goddess was wroth.  She sought to unmake everything and return to the primordial nothingness that existed before. The other gods and goddesses rose to oppose Her, both directly and through mortal agents.  One band of these agents did battle with Shar's minions in a hidden temple beneath the city of Tsuragol and put everyone of them to the sword . Shar swore vengeance, not because She cared for Her followers but because the adventurers failed to cower in awed fear before Her.  The goddess, bound by strictures dictating that She could not directly interfere in the realm of mortals, watched and waited. The adve...

This is a summary of the last "live" game I ran for my current campaign before switching over to the play-by-post format I am using now.  Some of the characters involved have since died in other adventures or their players have dropped out of the story. This group would soon rendezvous with the rest of their party and kick off the next chapter of their adventuring careers. The House of Hidden Darkness (Prologue) Upon their arrival in Tsuragol, Raven and Alisandra had been accosted by a group of thieves. The adventurers defended themselves but an unseen spellcaster attempted to shroud the fight with a globe of darkness the thieves could use to cover their escape. The pearl on Nightwatcher’s pommel began to glow and wispy streams of black peeled off of the orb and were drawn into the glowing stone. Within seconds, the darkness was gone and the thieves were defeated. The spellcaster escaped into the night. The escapee reported to her superiors in the thieves’ guild and ev...

This is a new drug I created for my campaign. An agent of the House of Hidden Darkness  had infiltrated the party shortly after the group fought off a pirate raid in the city streets.  I wanted a sympathetic villain so the NPC in question had been a happily married boatwright with a loving husband and son who had died tragically. In an effort to forget, she turned to Shar's clergy for help and soon found herself addicted to the Comforting Embrace. Shar’s Comforting Embrace Description: This bitter draught is made from a secret blend of herbs known only to high-ranking members of Shar’s clergy. It is often given to lay worshipers who seek to dull painful memories. Type: Ingested DC10 Initial Effect: -2 to Int and Wis for the next 2d4 hours Secondary Effect: User gains a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saves to resist pain and may take normal actions even if disabled or dying. Price: 50 gp/dose Side Effects: User cannot make use of any Knowledge skills while under th...

Just before the beginning of the current iteration of my campaign , I had a group of guys over at the house and we were running through the aftermath of a pirate-hunting adventure on the Sea of Fallen Stars.   They did not realize it at the time but their actions had drawn the ire of the local Thieves’ Guild of Tsurlagol.   I had wanted to set up the Church of Shar as the Big Bad for the campaign and this was as good of an excuse as any to get the ball rolling in that direction.   I took what cannon material I could find and expanded on it.   This is what I came up with.    If you like it, cool.  If you don't, also cool - at least you get a ready made thieves' guild and mini-dungeon just for reading this. The House of Hidden Darkness began with a lone adventuring priest of Shar.   She arrived in Tsurlagol and established herself as a spy for hire, ferreting out the secrets of those in power for their rivals.   As her reputation grew, she...