The Campaign Builder's Guild

In Rushon, the City of Twilight Splendor (http://www.plotstorming.com/forum/index.php?topic=326.msg3591#msg3591), an important festival is about to take place.  However, on the horizon, "something wicked this way comes."  The purpose of the September contest is to design a campaign setting hook for a series of adventures taking place in Rushon, as well as an outline of potential campaign, adventure, and story arcs.  You have two seeds which must be included in your campaign information:  The City of Splendor (http://www.plotstorming.com/forum/index.php?topic=326.msg3591#msg3591) itself, and a compass rose (http://forum.cartographersguild.com/showthread.php?t=781), which may be either an actual top to a compass, or may be seen on the small corner of a map, most of which is missing, showing only some indecipherable script in a foreign language.  This means, you can use the compass rose either as an actual, physical object, or as part of the torn map.  Your choice.

1 - Questions to Consider and Answer
What kinds of evils and wickednesses (is that a real word?) can lurk in a City of Splendor?  What is the purpose of the torn map edge?  Who wrote the script on the map, and who drew the map?  Where is the rest of the map?  What does it signify for the people of Rushon?  How is it related to the festival about to take place in the city?

2 - Use the Source!
Definitely head over to PlotStorming (http://www.plotstorming.com) and read the winning entry (already linked above) so you can get a good idea of the city and the festival.  Use the details provided in the story, as well as of the winning compass rose to help craft your campaign hook and adventure outlines.

3 - Some Necessary Includes

* The source material provided in both winning entries must be used.
* Some background information on the "lurking evil."
* An important and unique hook with which to draw players towards the campaign.
* A hidden organization that hides within the city, ready to come into the open at the festival.
* An adventure and/or campaign outline (bullet points) to follow.
* A list of other potential dangers related to both the lurking evil, and the disruption caused by their appearance at the festival.

4 - Something not to include
Once again, don't include a map in this contest, unless you want to design a possible adventure map.  However, don't design an entire city map.  

5 - Necessary Disclaimer Stuff (Below in Spoiler Box):
[spoiler=Disclaimers]
Please read all these rules before entering.  If you enter the contest, it is assumed that you have read and agree with all the rules presented below.  Any entries/contesters found in contrast with these rules will be disqualified from the contest and will be ineligible for any prizes.
0. VERY IMPORTANT All entries must be original content, or if outside material is used, it must be used with the express written permission of the original creator.  Anything that is the Product Identity (PI) of Wizards of the Coast can be used for submission, but will not be allowed to be published in the Guide, should it win.
1. No one under the age of seventeen (17) can enter a contest without the consent of a parent or a Legal Guardian.
2. Rules and guidelines will vary. Some restrictions may apply.
3. All winners will be contacted by e-mail within seven (7) days of the contest ending.
4. To claim your winning prize, simply follow the easy instructions in your e-mail notification.
5. If we do not hear from you within seven (7) days of notification, we'll select an alternate winner.
6. Read all the rules, entry requirements and deadlines of each contest before entering.
7. The Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) reserves sole and final judgment as to all matters concerning its contests. All decisions are final.
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9. Void where prohibited and where all Federal, State and local laws and regulations apply.
10. Prizes cannot be exchanged, substituted or transferred, without the prior written consent of the contest sponsor if applicable or the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG).  
11. Odds of winning a prize depends on the number of eligible entries received and are determined by each contest's specific  
 criteria of awarding prizes.  
12. If you are a contest winner you also authorize the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) and its affiliates to use your name and/or screen name for promotion purposes and publicity purposes without compensation, as well as for use in the Campaign Builder's Guide.  
13. These rules are subject to change without notice.  
14. Unless otherwise specified, only members 17 years of age and under as stated in rule number 1 above in the general guidelines, and 18 years of age and older can enter or become eligible to win any of the prizes with respect to any contests or make any submissions of any kind to the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG).  
15. The Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) is not responsible for error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of your entry.  
16. You agree that the Campaign Builders' Guild (the CBG) and its respective representatives shall have no Liability, in connection with the acceptance and use of prizes awarded, including liability for personal injury and property damage.[/spoiler]

There will only be a grand prize for this particular contest, who will be able to choose an item from the Campaign Builder's Gear (http://www.cafepress.com/thecbg).  The winner's entry will also be featured prominently in an upcoming issue of the Campaign Builders' Guide.

The contest will be going through 6:00 PM EST, Sunday, September 30, 2007.  Only one entry per member, though an entry can be edited if need be.  After which, a winner will be chosen by vote, and a new contest will be presented for October.

Good luck!  May the best City of Splendor win!

-Ish

PS - Please put all chit-chat, talk, funny remarks, discussion, and shenanigans in the Discussion Thread (http://thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?37793).

Updated Seeds description:

QuoteThe City of Splendor itself, and a compass rose, which may be either an actual top to a compass, or may be seen on the small corner of a map, most of which is missing, showing only some indecipherable script in a foreign language. This means, you can use the compass rose either as an actual, physical object, or as part of the torn map. Your choice.

My humble contribution:
[spoiler=Poltergeists!][ic=A Prearranged Meeting]The bar is still crowded, definitely still noisy, but the brawlers have been hustled out into the street. At a corner table, a scarred slab of a man scowls across his mug. He grumbles and grouses, in need of no audience, until at last a thin man approaches.

"You're still drinking that overpriced weed-water, I see."

The large man drums his fingers on the table, measuring out a long moment. "Sit down, Whettum. You didn't come here to bitch about my tea." Sip. "Again."

The thin man twirls a chair out from the table, straddles it backwards, elbows on the table. He strokes a pointed goatee with his fingers, arching an eyebrow in a calculated manner. "I consider it a fringe benefit of our collaboration." He ignores the tea-drinker's glare. "Anyway, I've got something to show you."

Whettum gestures excitedly, producing a small, leather pouch with a fanfare and flourish. Sweeping aside a pile of crumbs, he upends the pouch onto the middle of the table and waits for a reaction.

The large man seizes a glass bauble between a massive thumb and forefinger, turning it this way and that. "Junk," he proclaims, standing. "Garbage. Come back when you're ready to stop wasting my time."

Whettum grabs toward his companion's shirt, desperately. "Wait! Wait, Knaffy! There's more to it! Ask me where I got that! Go on, ask!"

The large man pauses, rolls his eyes, and looks once more at the trinket in his hand. It's a lens, convex, the size of a fist. Something is enameled on it. "Fine. Where'd you find this piece of trash, anyway?"

The thin man smiles smugly, victorious. "Does the name Obar of Winchley mean anything to you?"

"Winchley made this?"

"No. Even better than that."[/ic]

Quote from: The CastObar of Winchley, a somewhat famous scientist and inventor, whose insatiable curiosity leads him around the world, sketching, building, and testing his sometimes useful, sometimes impractical ideas. He squanders the profits of his past inventions to finance his future projects, and his efforts earn him a reputation of eccentric genius. Lately, he has been seen around Rushon, asking many strange questions.

Whettum and Knaf, a pair of small-time pickpockets, grifters, and second-story men, working the streets of Rushon. In the seedier parts of the City of Splendour, they are known as gentlemen who can attain things through dubious means (for a price), and who can liquidate hot commodities without asking too many difficult questions.

A patrolling constable may ask the players a few probing questions about their whereabouts on a certain evening. After clearing them of suspicion, he warns them to keep an eye on their belongings, since "there've been a rash of thefts in this part of town." If pressed for details, he may nervously admit that the thefts are highly unusual. Things have gone missing from the insides of unopened safes and vaults, he explains, or out from under the noses of guards. Crimes that should not be possible have been occurring nevertheless, in defiance of all natural laws, and the watch has few clues to go by.[/quote]The players may see a short, swift man in the distance, speaking with passersby. He accosts them as they approach, and begins asking unusual questions. "Do you know who I am?" he asks-- not full of self-importance, but as if looking for clues to help him solve this difficult question. He asks the players about the angle of the sun at a certain time of day in the present latitude, about the chemical properties of sulphur, about techniques of glass polishing, about what the players have recently dreamed, about the specifications of various articles of state-of-the-art weaponry, and various other topics. He continues asking the players questions until they lose patience with him.

If questioned, this man truthfully claims to be Obar of Winchley, the scientist. Knowledgable players may recognize him even before he makes this fact known, and may also realize that he is asking questions about topics he has been known to study, and devices he has invented. They may therefore discern correctly that he is asking only questions he is well-known to already have the answers to himself.[/quote]

Quote from: Whettum's PredicamentWhettum has slowly become aware of the danger he is in, and is desperately trying to find a way to return his dream-self to his body and awaken. "Haunting" his sleeping body has done him no good, and he has become convinced that he needs help. He does not know how to go about attaining it, since no one can see him consistently or hear him at all. His desperate fury succeeds in knocking things over, vanishing small objects, and occasionally producing an indistinct sound like rushing wind. Combined with the occasional appearance of his hazy outline, citizens of Rushon who have seen him have concluded that he is a ghost haunting parts of the city.

Whettum has discovered that it is easier to get the attention of sleeping people than wakeful ones, and appears to various people in their dreams, trying to get them to help him. Even in dreams, his words can not be heard or understood, but his fear and desparation are apparent. He may appear to the players in this way, trying to lead them toward the apartment where his body is sleeping. However, even with willing help, Whettum does not know what must be done to wake him up. In addition, Knaf guards his body and will react badly to uninvited guests.

While he is unable to wake up, Whettum straddles the boundary between the waking world and the dreaming subconscious. His presence acts as a link between the two realms that grows more substancial by the day. Soon, creatures native to the dreaming subconscious realm will have access to the waking world.

At first, they will be hazy and indistinct, able to affect the waking world only in minor ways, much like Whettum's own current condition. As they gain a foothold in the waking world, they will become more powerful, able to manifest themselves fully in Rushon, able to snuff out the lives of anyone who sleeps within the city. If Whettum's situation is not resolved quickly, Rushon will be ground zero for an invasion of nightmare horrors, and the constabulary might find itself overwhelmed (and in need of the players' help to stem the tide.)

The nightmare creatures are each unique, and all are unspeakably loathsome and frightful. They are born of humanity's most deep-seated and irrational fears-- the sort of terrors that normally vanish beneath the first rays of the sun. They typically appear to be mindless, hungering behemoths. When they do speak or interact with waking people, they do so in unpredictable or absurd ways, and meaningful conversation or negotiation with them is impossible. They do not seem to know fear, disappointment, or discouragement, and once they are in the waking world, nothing distracts them from their rampage.

Although they can not be killed, the players may find ways to temporarily nullify or destroy the creatures (usually not by means of straightforward combat.) As long as Whettum bridges the gap between the dreaming subconscious and the waking world, defeated nightmare creatures will continually return for revenge.

The nightmare creatures follow a nonsensical sort of logic that is foreign to waking creatures. Music attracts them like sweet perfume, and the sound of clocks will drive them away. Nightmare creatures take no notice of anyone wearing a mask, passing by such disguised people as if they were invisible, but visitors to Rushon wear masks at their peril.[/quote]

[ooc]This is my first post here, so bare with me please..  Stealing Luminous  Crayons format, since I don't know if there's a standard to be followed.[/ooc]  

 Setting:
 The night of the Festival of Splendor is drawing near, and great anticipation abounds amongst the peasant class.  Tales of the mysterious city can be found on the lips of even the most downtrodden of serfs.  Mostly adaptations of the children's stories about the city, each tale brings hope for the people, and a desire to witness the beauty of the sleeping city, and the festival it reveals with it's reappearance.  Many amongst the common folk dream of making the journey to the spot where Rushon is believed to appear, but few have the courage to risk their livelihood for what may be simply a fairytale.  To the young nobility, however, the prospect of being one of the few to attend the Festival and be envied by their fellow nobles is an opportunity to good to miss it out on.  

 Hook time:

When the time of the Festival of Splendor draws near, the players may begin hearing rumors, or seeing notices posted in the city in which they currently reside.  The rumors/notices inform the Party that the King (or any other official) is offering a bounty for information on the City of Splendor.

If the party decides to accept the task and meet with the official, they will discover that the aged King seeks to learn what happened to his sister who disappeared on her trip to Rushon 80 years ago.  From this meeting, the party will find out that not all tales of Rushon are good, and that despite the wondrous tales of the populace, no one in living memory has returned from Rushon to share any tales.  He warns you that if you decide to go, you must be on your guard, always searching for a way out.

 Characters:
King (or whatever title fits into your campaign) - He sends the party to Rushon in order to find out why his older sister never returned from the previous Festival.  He's 87, and has been waiting for the chance to unravel this mystery since his sister disappeared 80 years ago.  His life is nearing it's end, and before it does, he wishes to finish his lifelong quest.  He will go to any length to complete it, and sacrifice everything he has.  Unwilling to rely on only one party, he will no doubt send anyone that takes up his offer into the heart of Rushon.

 The Musicians - The musicians of Rushon.  Their melodies spur the visitors of the city into a forced dance.  The musicians aren't all that they seem, however.  Their jovial playing hides a dark secret.

 The Spirits of Rushon - Not all of the victims of the City of Twilight Splendor went peacefully into the long dark sleep.  There are traces of the former victims within the shadowed areas of the city.  Many of these spirits have become mindless entities that lash out at anything living that makes the mistake of wandering into their quiet corner, however, there are also elements that held on to pieces of their humanity and may be able to help the Group with their efforts within the city.

Locations:

The Salt Flats '" The arrival of the City of Twilight Splendor is first signaled by the recession of the sea from the coast line.  Over the course of a day, a section of the sea appears to boil off, and in it's place is a plain of salt which one must cross to get to the now visible Rushon.  Visitors traveling to the festival will cross the salt in droves, many running due to the excitement of being within sight of the magical city.

The Rushon gates - The Rushon gates are narrow, forcing the crowd to fall in to a single file line.  This line proceeds through the gates, and upon entering passes a resident of Rushon who hands every visitor a mask to wear for the festival.  Although this is the first resident of Rushon that the visitors encounter, most simply take the mask and continue on, paying no attention to the man.  Once through the gates the music begins to pull at the guests, and they tend to ignore everything but the music.

The Streets - Narrow and winding, the streets are a veritable maze, though easily navigable when following the music coming from the town square.  In fact, no matter which way you turn, you always seem to end up in the square.  Buildings lining the streets are locked up and barred shut, with few exceptions.  

The Town Square - The source of Rushon's music, and the place where the festival takes place.  Most visitors don't make it past the playing of the musicians.  The town square is lined with closed up buildings, and on it's northern side, overlooking the town square is a large mansion that looks like it might belong to a mayor if the town had one.

The Mansion  - This is the building in which the musicians reside with the master of Rushon.  

The Storehouse - Beyond the mansion, and on the northern side of the square is a large locked up store house.  This storehouse holds a secret for any players that stumble upon it.

Happenings in the City of Splendor

The Mask '" Upon entering the city, if any of the party members accept and don the mask given to them, they will have a +10 added to their difficulty to resist the playing of the musicians in the square.

The Town Square '" If the players fail to resist the playing of the musicians, they will find themselves dancing uncontrollably until their endurance gives out on them and they collapse.  If this happens, the players may be given the chance to join the musicians/master in his eternal game.  If they refuse, they will die, and may join the spirits of Rushon.  If any member of the party resists the playing, he can add a +5 to the chances of his group members to resist the music.  

The Storehouse - If the players stumble upon the storehouse, they will immediately notice something different about it from its surroundings.  Once inside the group will discover that the storehouse is the repository for the corpses of Rushon's victims.  Countless bodies have been drug into the building and shoved into a massive pile at the back of the storehouse.  A rough estimate of the number of bodies shows it to be about 3000 bodies, though estimating is difficult due to the state of preservation.  Inside the storehouse the party may encounter one of the victims of Rushon.  The spirit may warn the party of the musicians, and the tell them about the only way to escape the city, the glass compass.

Streets  - Chance encounters with angry spirits.  The spirits keep to the shadows, away from the burning lights of the Festival.  They will attack anyone not dancing, assuming the non-dancers are residents of the city.

The Mansion '" Visiting the mansion while the music is still playing will bring the players into contact with the master of the city, without his musicians as guards.  Obviously the master will not take kindly to their presence.  Visiting shortly after the music has stopped playing will have the party arrive in an empty house.  If they had previously encountered the kind spirit in the Storehouse, they will find the compass in the Master's room.  The compass is the only way for the players to navigate the winding streets and exit the city.

The Big Showdown
If the party chooses to confront (or accidentally stumbles upon) the master of the town, they will soon find themselves in a fight with a fallen paladin.  If his musicians are near, they will join the fight as bards.  Defeating the master will bring an end to the festival of splendor.  The city of Rushon will no longer disappear for 80 years at a time, but will instead remain in place, with the sea no longer swallowing it.  [note]If the party manages to suppress the lights in the square the Spirits of Rushon will be able to enter the fray and attack attack the musicians.[/note]

How Rushon came to be
The master of the city of Rushon was it's ruler before it was swallowed by the sea.  Rushon was indeed a city of splendor, a jewel of a city known for it's beauty and the wondrous festival it had every year.  The City was a blessing for all of it's residents, for their mayor kept the criminal elements out, and the residents safe.  The city's downfall came when the mayor, who was becoming to old to protect the city, feared what would happen to it after he passed away.  The Paladin spent the majority of the town's treasury to procure a single wish.  His mistake was arrogance, and it would lead to his city's destruction.  He wished that he would live forever, without specifying the how.  The wish worked, but as is the nature of such wishes, it became a curse.  His mind was twisted as his body took control.  He reached into the eye of his loving wife and tore from her her remaining youth.  Next he ripped the youth from his son, and he felt himself growing stronger.  Rushon soon emptied as those who he once protected we forced to flee from their protector.  The Mayor's bard remained behind, trying to find a way to help his old friend, but he too was soon corrupted.  Rumors of the atrocities committed in Rushon soon spread, and a group of mages from across the border soon arrived to put an end to the horrors.  However, the most they could do was curse the city and banish it into the sea.  Everyone thought the danger was passed until 80 years later Rushon reappeared.  At this time the stories of the tragedy had passed, and most had only ever heard of Rushon for it's wonderful festivals.  So when music was heard coming from the City of Twilight Splendor, tales spread far and wide that the festival had returned.