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Old 09-03-2010, 11:55 PM   #1
Sydney
 
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Default Dark Camelot?

I'm in a round-robin AD&D (1e/2e mixture) game that's set in the Forgotten Realms nearish Waterdeep...

I'm supposed to be running a game in October, they generally last all weekend long, from late friday night until Sunday afternoon...And I'm thinking of having the PCs' small fortress being enveloped by fog, only to have them find themselves in similar, yet different terrain, and being begged for help by a squire whose knight was attacked by brigands that he claims was in the employ of the king (there aren't really any kings in the area where the PCs are based out of)...

long story short, I'm thinking of transporting them to another world, one where Mordred was successful in usurping Arthur's throne, though it's rumored that Arthur is yet alive somewhere...It would be a dark Britain, one where Mordred rules with an iron fist and his mother, Morganna works dark magics to help keep him on the throne, one where the knights of the round table are seen as murdering thugs (the ones who were loyal to Arthur are either dead, in hiding, or scattered to the winds looking for Arthur, Launcelot, and Guinevere...)

However, I'm drawing short of a decent enough adventure...perhaps the knight who was attacked was transporting something of import and it was stolen, requiring the PCs to bust into the castle of a knight of the Round Table to retrieve said item...But, what to make the maguffin?

I'm not looking at deposing Mordred at this time, I think I'd like to make this something the PCs return to from time to time...
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Old 09-04-2010, 12:18 AM   #2
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

As Arthur's legendary quest was for the Grail, perhaps Mordred's quest is for a twisted reflection of it. Say, Judas's thirty pieces of silver or HIS cup from the Last Supper? The thirty pieces would probably make for an easier string of adventures, and you can work in quite a bit of variety as well.
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Old 09-04-2010, 12:27 AM   #3
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

On second thought, let's not go to Dark Camelot. ;)

Oh alright, GO THERE!
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Old 09-04-2010, 01:23 AM   #4
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

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Originally Posted by Captain-Captain View Post
On second thought, let's not go to Dark Camelot. ;)

Oh alright, GO THERE!
It's actually quite nice nowadays, since the current owners turned it into multiple nightly-rental rooms for travelers.

That's right - it's only a motel.
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Old 09-04-2010, 07:06 AM   #5
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

Perhaps the knight himself is the MacGuffin. He could be one of the Round Table, and Mordred was simply trying to assassinate him. Odds are the PCs would recognize the name. That all by itself would help convey the setting quickly. But you probably want to start with a relatively obscure one. Maybe Lamorak? (He was killed by treachery of Mordred, at least in some versions. On the other hand, his legend includes fighting thirty knights by himself, so there's best have been a lot of bandits...) The PCs rescue Lamorak and help him rejoin the opposition, which gives them an in with the rebellious remnants of Camelot.
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Old 09-04-2010, 10:01 AM   #6
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

All good ideas so far, I have been thinking that the knight is a lesser known one, I'm pretty sure that none of my group, save for me, have actually read Le Morte D'Arthur...So, I should be able to find someone to use...Lamorak though, is a good idea and I might use him, and I do like Judas' 30 silver pieces for a latter quest if people like the setting and want to go back...

I just need something that will make the PCs want to attack the castle of the knight who had Lamorak attacked by the bandits...
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Old 09-04-2010, 09:21 PM   #7
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney
...And I'm thinking of having the PCs' small fortress being enveloped by fog, only to have them find themselves in similar, yet different terrain, and being begged for help by a squire whose knight was attacked by brigands that he claims was in the employ of the king (there aren't really any kings in the area where the PCs are based out of)...

However, I'm drawing short of a decent enough adventure...perhaps the knight who was attacked was transporting something of import and it was stolen, requiring the PCs to bust into the castle of a knight of the Round Table to retrieve said item...But, what to make the maguffin?
I was thinking that it might be a relic belonging to TOAFK. ma points out a reason you might not want it to be an item of power... maybe something of symbolic importance, like Arthur's dragon standard.
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Old 09-05-2010, 02:50 PM   #8
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sydney View Post

long story short, I'm thinking of transporting them to another world, one where Mordred was successful in usurping Arthur's throne, though it's rumored that Arthur is yet alive somewhere...
One good trick on the true king might be to remember that Mordred was a virtuous knight until he was told that he was doomed to kill his father. The same "Holy Man" told Lancelot, at the same time, that his adultery would destroy Camelot. What if the "Holy Man" was in fact an evil wizard? What if Modred is enspelled? Perhaps Mordred is the true heir of Arthur who needs to be freed.

Quote:
It would be a dark Britain, one where Mordred rules with an iron fist and his mother, Morganna works dark magics to help keep him on the throne,
Mordred's mother was Morgwase. Morgain's children were Uwain and, hold on to your hat, Galahad! Morgain was the Elain of Castle Corbek in many older versions of the story. It is Morgain who carries the Grail in Castle Corbek. Galahad's mother is Elain of Corbek.

That will surprise the PCs. Morgain works for her Gods and perhaps cuts a deal with Mary. Morgain, perhaps with Sir Kay as an ally (it makes sense if you know the Medieval Romances) could test the worthiness of the PCs, then ally with them to free Mordred.

Quote:
However, I'm drawing short of a decent enough adventure...perhaps the knight who was attacked was transporting something of import and it was stolen, requiring the PCs to bust into the castle of a knight of the Round Table to retrieve said item...But, what to make the maguffin?
Balin's spear caused the disaster that the Holy Grail cured. As finding the Grail broke the Enchantments on Britain and freed the land from the curse of the Wasteland, perhaps those enslaving Mordred to Darkness want the spear of Balin to eternally curse Britain.
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Old 10-17-2010, 07:42 PM   #9
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Default Re: Dark Camelot?

And it's back from the dead...

I ran my "Dark Camelot" adventure this past weekend...it went well.

The PCs found a Sir Callomere who had been attacked near their fortress and promised to return the banner of King Arthur from the knights who stole it. They travelled to a tower that was built on a rocky outcropping in a fen, along the way they were attacked by a group of farmers that had been pressed into "service" by a verbeeg (giant) to slow anyone following the knights who stole Callomere's banner...They made it to a village on the edge of the fen where they met the drunken lord, then they travelled into the fen and fought a couple of trolls (AD&D 2e style as this was a 2e game), some worgs that killed their ponies (the ponies fled the battle with the trolls) and a whole lotta spiders from 1" in diameter to one that was 20' in diameter...When they decided to sleep for the night outside the tower's gates, the knights were sent down to collect them.

The PCs ended up doing battle with the enchantress Dastria, her companion a druid named Kayne Buru, and several of her knights...The battle was going against the PCs, though they weren't totally screwed despite their fighter/tank getting hit with Hold Person by the enchantress. To make matters worse, the druid cast Obscurement, which produces an area fog effect, obscuring vision to 6 feet in this particular battle...

the fighter got two good hits in on Dastria before the Hold Person...So as soon as she could, Dastria fled the battle... The halfling cleric hit the druid with Insect Swarm, causing him to flee the battle as well (or should that be flea? ;) ) So, the PCs were able to prevail, they found that the knights had been charmed by Dastria, who was captured by some soldiers who had followed the PCs to the tower (at a distance) should they need help.

So now, the PCs have at least one, likely two, powerful enemies and they seem inclined to stay where ever it is that they are and are talking about keeping hold of the tower they had just liberated from the villains...Which means I'll be able to bring in more Arthurian stuff...
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