Tower of Glass II

[Tybalt]

This is a little complicated, so please bear with me. I'd appreciate any advice or thoughts on this btw.

Context: For those who don't know, there is a war going on involving several nations in my homebrew world. The main stage of it is in a small country called New Edom, a republic. It is being invaded by a celtic kingdom called Drennan along with goblinoid, giant and dark elf allies. (distinguished from drow--in my homebrew dark elves look like regular elves except for some of them having corrupted or fiendish qualities) The New Edomite republic is aligned with some dwarves, gnomes, elves, merfolk, locathah and lizardfolk. Both sides have dragon allies as well.

The dark elves' main concern is this: they believe that humans have crowded elvish folk out of the world. Long ago the elvish people had hidden away certain powerful weapons they had lest they be tempted to conquer the world with them. The dark elves have sought to provoke a great war that will overwhelm remaining humans friendly to elves and force the elvish people to release a powerful spell holding the very memory of where these weapons are kept.

The actual holding place is known in a sense--there is a mysterious tower made of glass in one of the New Edomite cities. It is apparently invulnerable, and though it will now and then permit totally helpless or wounded people inside (wherupon they fall into an enchanted sleep and wake up healed) a particular set of rooms it will not open any other doors no matter what spells are cast upon it. The dark elves want in but cannot get in without a special key called the Book of the Dragon.

It is called the Book of the Dragon mostly because of the secret guardian of the tower--an ancient crystal dragon. The mysterious and powerful weapons are held in some form of suspended time.

What I had been thinking is that in order to either destroy or gain control of these weapons first the Book of the Dragon must be used to break the magical codes that control the tower. Then the guardian must be reached, who can permit those carrying the book to travel to a place where 'the realities join'. Essentially this means that a gate is opened and a plane can be accessed where a person has been waiting who holds one of a number of objects that must be brought to the tower in order for it to leave its suspended time and enter reality proper. The other objects are in another reality altogether and those seeking to bring the tower out of time must go there and collect them then bring them back. This is the only way to gain control of the tower.

This is sort of the climactic plotline for my campaign, which has been going on a little over a year now.  By the time my pcs have gained the Book of the Dragon it is clear that the war will not end anytime soon, and that the dark elves will never cease trying to gain it in order to get to the Tower of Glass. Obviously the ancient weapons must not be permitted to fall into their hands.

The Other Reality

I'm still debating over what this is. Essentially the plane needed to get to in order to cross over is the Abyss/Hell (which are sort of the same in my setting). The person in question (bearing in mind that time has little meaning in the Tower) is apparently imprisoned there. The pcs will have to go into this awful place, acquire this person or at least the object they hold and then use a special gate spell in order to get to the other reality. For some reason Hell is a common joining place. I'm still trying to figure out who the person is--possibly one of the elves as stated below.

The other reality as I'm conceiving it thus far is a world very much like our own. However what little magic exists is very subtle. In order to scatter the objects that make the tower whole the elves had to remove them from a building that mirrors the tower. In effect those who completed this magic sacrificed themselves, cutting themselves off from their own world. In this world all the mythical creatures are either gone or are isolated lonely freaks. They themselves found that they began to wither and die slowly. In desperation some of them found that by consuming human fluids and through this their passions that they could still live. They became vampiric beings, living quietly and subtly among humans. There were few to begin with and in fact none remain who were involved in the original crossing. Only two exist who remember anything at all of their origins, and those two have become quite mad.

What has developed is that the corresponding building (I'm not sure what it should be yet--something like perhaps a hotel, church or other distinguished building) is known to have strange properties, though most ordinary people find their minds slipping around it, forgetting it or being too disturbed to approach it. A kind of cult has developed around it, people who realize that objects belonging to it have strange powers, believing that they must collect them all to control the building. Since magic is so rare it is much coveted, this power. There is also a rival cult that believes it is a place of great evil and must be destroyed, or at least prevented from 'coming together'. Finally there is this: the vampiric elves are occasionally drawn to it and will prey upon those who they find in what they consider to be their sanctuary.


that's all I have for now. I would truly appreciate any thoughts or contributions.

[Numinous]

I really don't see what you need help with here, Tybalt.  It seems to fit together nicely, and the parallel world, although a bit harsh, sounds like a good idea.

I've been following your campaign with interest, and it's incredible.  Just keep doing what your doing.

[Tybalt]

I think one thing I'd definitely like is some help designing the cults in question. What kind of membership might they have, what might they be like? What objects might either group posess that are from the building in question?

I've been thinking that the building is a small museum say devoted to mystery novels or something quirky like that, and that it is semi public enough that a lot of caution has to be used in how it is approached.

[LordVreeg]

Tybalt,
What tech level is the other reality?  You mention that it could be 'very much like our own', but I need to get a handle on if that is the magic level, the tech level, the civilization tendencies, or racially.
Will the PC's magic work there?

I'm gettting the feeling (and it may be just a Meritage-induced variation) that this other reality is a place of great despair and red hunger.  

Anyway, before I can think about cults, I need to get a hanlde on the first set of questions.  Hope I can be helpful.

[So-Keher]

I was a little puzzled on the  tech level myself. As for the cults (assuming this is modern day) it could have a front similar to what happened in Fight Club (I guess this is similar ot any criminal organization). They could pretend to be a book club or something while studying the building's magical properties.

[Tybalt]

Thanks for the questions, helps clarify for me. What I had been thinking is that it would be set in 1990s Earth somewhere. Priestly magic will not work. Those with inherent magical properties will find the very place toxic to them unless they are in some rare place that has some ambience left in it. Psionics will find it more costly to replenish themselves.

As for 'great despair and red hunger' in a sense that is what our world is meant to seem like for people or creatures from a more magically strong world, that is the impression I want to give.

I'm also not sure about language--I might prefer to make the language strange but that might make the adventure thread there almost impossible.

[LordVreeg]

1990'S gives the players too much of an adavantage, since they (the players) will know too much about tech, etc.  Even with names and situations changed, or by throwing it into a different country.

You've never minded before when I get really crazy on you.  So here we go again...

Use a twisted version of Berlin, 1929, but but with the socialists and the democrats aware that something is strange in a huge, cavernous nightclub, in the center of the night-life part of Berlin.  They are not aware of what exactly it is, but somehow, it is special.  The Natiolists think it is evil, the nexus point for the strange perversions that are driving their country to the communists.

Beneath that,  You could have the strange, aryan-mythos' of the time, Thule society fighting with Himmler's version, as well as having certain Jewish Kabbalahists, all feeling something strange in this nightcub district.  The Vampire-types in their midst can belomg to all groups, including one group that still lives and protects the strange cabaret-like nightclub, some even as performers.

Brownshirts and the Weimar republic and the communists all ready to riot, all the insane chaos will drive your characters, who are used to lawful New Edom, absolutely nuts.  And of course priestly magic only works for no one, and only a few kabahlistic locations can allow for magic use.

Just a weird idea.  Take what parts of it you will.  But I did write this dead sober in the A.M.

[So-Keher]

Magicians/bards could use influential music like Wagner or swing (popular at that time) as a method of spellcasting without rousing suspicion.

[LordVreeg]

Magicians/bards could use influential music like Wagner or swing (popular at that time) as a method of spellcasting without rousing suspicion.

I did not even think of that.  Very nice build-on.

[Tybalt]

The only problem I have with the music hall/concert hall idea is this: what about the idea of the scattered objects? Unless you have a very clear idea of how it could work I'd prefer more of a static environment that wouldn't be as wildly disturbed. I had been thinking actually of a sort of museum, one perhaps devoted to literature or to crime or something.

The Weimar Republic thing is an interesting idea, and one which tempts me. The thing that draws me to it is the idea that it is a sort of parallel republic but a chaotic one.

However I have an even more radical idea--based on a Harry Turtledove novel. What if it is still the 1990s but it is in a world in which Hitler won the war--one that is breaking down into chaos as the last of the old Nazis and quislings die off or retire into senility? Rather than having to worry about history I could then make up what I wanted, even perhaps have it set in the USA or the UK or Canada or whatever but have bits of surreal weirdness along with a society in struggle going on. That takes care of the environment for oddity.

[LordVreeg]

I've read Turtledove.  I like the idea, and I always have. The Weimar tickled both my own (justifiably infamous)love of wild factionalism as well as giving you a bunch of ready-made, maniacle cults.  Not to mention giving someone's character the chance to mouth off to Hitler.  But a current nazi-led US or Canada would be pretty cool to do.

AS to the location, have you ever seen a real prop-house under an Operehouse?  I direct your eyes to the following:








A proper Opera house, along with the prop warehouses and such that exist below it, provide hidden areas and splendor..and Vampiric transvestite performers, so I just CANNOT see how you can pass this up.

OK.  Maybe I can.  

I think I'm going to use that picture myself for the inside of the Hostem's Hall, in Igbar...

[Tybalt]

Okay, you're selling me on this...I'm very impressed!

[So-Keher]

More inspiration for the Opera house may come from the most cliche Phantom of the Opera. In the film there are many secret passageways and the underground and workshops and stuff beneath. It inspired many of my 'places of interest' in the past. If you haven't seen it I would suggest checking it out. It's a good movie too so it can't hurt.

[Atlantis]

yes, i agree w/ so-keher. also if you decide you like that tybalt, there should be some mysterious, inky colored doorway with a magic seal on it. also you might want to incorporate  different time streams like 1 hour passess in worl w/ New Edomm while 1 day passes in "this world". Just an idea i got from stargate atlantis but the timestream thing would probably be extremely difficul to manag to manage

[LordVreeg]

Did I mention the possiblity of Vampiric transvestite performers?  

Oh.  I did?  Well...good.  It will throw your players for a loop.  It always does mine.  Really.