Tales of the City Within: Session 1, Part 1

As mentioned last week, my next mini-campaign was going to focus on a less scripted, more improv style of gaming.  Borrowing from Dave the Game’s 5X5 design method, I created an adventure where multiple plots intertwine, forcing PCs to prioritize and chose what to focus on at any given time.

A bit like a Comic Book  ‘annual’,  the Tales of the City Within had a plot that was completely separate from the Myth Arc we’ve been building with prior sessions.

I had 4 plots broken down in 5 scenes.  Each scene was usually detailed as a paragraph and would include combat  stats if a fight was expected or a very short description of a skill challenge.

Now, just so recent readers get what our campaign setting is about:  The adventure occurs in an underground city being built within an ever expanding Dungeon.  The Dungeon is sentient and at the middle of it sits the slowly eroding prison of a Primordial.  The City fights the dungeon by growing within it (hence its name).

At  the core of the conflict, two opposing energies fight for dominance.  First there’s the Dungeon’s energy, representing the Primordial’s consciousness growing ‘feelers’ farther out.  Second is the ‘Nexus’ energy, a Divine Source of energy attuned to Erathis, Goddess of Civilization.  The Nexus protects the city and also keep the Primordial’s prison intact.

Divine Prelude to Chaos

While we were settling down, I opened up the game with a short scene where Usul (Mike’s Elven Invoker of Kord) was busy checking the flow of divine energies traveling all over the City from the central Crystal spire that was the Nexus.  While doing this, Usul felt a beefy hand on his shoulder.  When he turned around, he saw this big muscular guy smiling at him.

It turns out that this was an Avatar of Kord that wanted to tell Usul that things were going to get dicey over the next few days.  Pointing at the Nexus, he told Usul that its power (along with the power of the Dungeon) would flicker out for a few days, leaving the town without its usual protection.   With a hefty pat on the shoulder, Kord’s avatar nominated Usul as his agent to keep protecting the city in the coming days and he vanished.

I somewhat fumbled that scene.  By focusing on the message rather than on the messenger, I failed to convey the feeling of grand importance that this NPCs should have had.   My players completely missed that Usul was chatting it up with a God and that broke suspension of disbelief for a few players.

Anyway, when Usul mentioned that the Nexus energy and it’s Dungeon equivalent were gone, the party started to investigate.  I told Jaiel (Deva Avenger and one of the Divine agent that helped found the City) about a book of the Erathian prophecies called ‘The Cycle of Shadows”.  It explained that every 200 years, the Nexus and the Prison sitting at the center of the Dungeon both shifted into the Shadowfell, leaving the city to fend for itself.  The only way to bring both back was to sacrifice the Original Pentad, the five original souls present at the Foundation of the city.

At that point Yan started dreading what was coming (his Deva Avenger is one of those original souls).

Things were shaping up!

Cracks in the Foundation

I then picked up my notes and looked at the 4 plots I had ready, each a pressing problem that would require immediate attention.  Not knowing where to start, I picked up a d4 and rolled to see which one I would trigger first.  I rolled a 4.

Chatty: “You all feel an earthquake shake the whole city”

Players: “Uh oh!”

After letting the PCs do what they were doing (shopping for Magic Items, checking on the new spirits, etc) I had panicked reports come from the lower City.  A rift had opened in the lowest Delve and lava was pouring into the City, destroying everything!

Of course the PCs ran to the site of the event.  As they approached the rift, they saw a Beholder flanked by a pair of Fire Archons and a pair of Fire elementals standing on a rock island floating on the lava.  The beholder was shouting an announcement again and again in Common.  Something about it being the time to bring the traditional tithe to appease the lord of the Volcano and bring back the two opposing energies.   When the PCs talked to the beholder, asking what was the tithe was, it said that it was the City to find out and provide.  It also said that they had 3 days to do it as the level of lava would keep rising until it flooded the whole city.

Fun!

The Peace Dividend

Right after that scene, Jarl Botten, the Hobgoblin Mercenary summoned the PCs for something urgent.  A group of five Drow diplomats had appeared, asking to see the city’s Grand Council.  The PCs were required to act as a security force during the meeting.

At this point, Corwin (Math’s Halfling Sorcerer) tried to make a point that the party had much more pressing matters to attend to, what with Lava threatning to fill up the whole city.  To this, Jarl responded that the Drow were menacing to invade the city immediately if their demands weren’t met.

Corwin: Let them invade the freaking city!  It will soon be filled with lava anyway!

Somehow, another PCs, probably Usul or Rocco the Rogue, convinced the Sorcerer to calm down.  All the social characters went to meet with the Drow to stall them for time.

There they learned that the Drow were  asking for a grotesque peace dividend (i.e. pay us not to wage war on you) and had a Scrying device showing tens of thousands of Grimlocks and Spider mounted  Drow ammassed in a cave nearby.

The PCs managed to stall the Drow for one hour while they could think about dealing with the Lava situation…

That’s when an Adamantine Dragon burst out in the middle of the City and started eating everything in it’s path.

Franky: What the hell?!?!

Stay tuned for part 2!