The Legacy of the San'Tarque Mages

Introduction

I would like to make a slight break with tradition in this scenario, and I hope that everyone will suspend judgments long enough to give it a chance. After talking at length with several knowledgeable, experienced gamers and role-players, I realize that my vision of how to make this thing work is not exactly in keeping with all of the current ideas about player-run events in the game. First, I would like to expand what we typically do on message boards to include active role-playing. Second, I would like to make a break with the discovery-based framework for basic plot lines. That is not to say that we can't have discovery-based subplots within the overall plot framework, but I want to give players more out-of-character information than is typically done in a discovery-based plot line.

Understanding the Historical Background

The San'Tarque Mages, a circle of powerful wizards who travel between worlds in rift-space, are the prime movers in creating order from chaos. Their primary task is to set the forces of creation into motion and to attempt to guide creation according to the overall plan of Eru. The San'Tarque are probably emissaries from the Valar (angels of Eru) and may even be Valar who have taken on physical form to accomplish certain tasks related to creation. They are under the direct guidance of Eru, but rarely comprehend Eru's purposes completely.

During their time in Sosaria, they involved themselves not only with the initial creation, but also with many of the early battles with the minions of The Enemy who have and always will oppose Eru. Working directly with the Eldar, (the very first elves) also known as the Old Ones, the San'Tarque left behind many artifacts of magical nature, which have been lost for centuries. It is believed that these artifacts were crafted with an ancient lost knowledge and a magical power that goes far beyond the current levels of magic in the realm. The presence of these artifacts, weapons, armor, jewels, rings, necklaces, books, cloaks, chests, etc, have the potential to greatly upset the balance of power in the realm.

Writing Your Character into the Plot

The success of the scenario depends on players using their imaginations to add or tweak things in a way that involves their character. Essentially, if a player wants to participate in this scenario, he/she must discover some way to "write" a character into the plot. The level of involvement is of course left up to each player. Player's can simply function in support roles or they can initiate subplots on their own. Since the focus of the scenario is on the existence of certain powerful, magical artifacts, everyone has the freedom to invent such artifacts and to setup events around them. Just as everyone has the freedom to quest after an artifact once it has been introduced. In order to avoid non-consensual role-playing or the complete hijacking of the main plot or any subplots, I ask that players communicate with each other and with me out-of-character before giving things a twist. Other than that, I am imagining a very fluid and opened plot line that can go on for an extended length of time.

Expanding the Use of Message Boards

I would also like to expand the use of message boards to include more fiction-based role-playing. Most of the people in our guild feel that only things that have happened in game should be posted on message boards. So often times, we must go to great lengths to set up simple events. This type of role-playing requires contacting people out-of character, setting aside game time for the role-playing to take place, and often writing and rewriting for several days to get the fiction ready to be posted on the board. Often, the fiction that we see is carefully written to reflect the in-game events as accurately as possible. Some people even use revised journal logs to accomplish this. Sometimes the story is embellished with narration, description, and perhaps even small changes in the dialogue, but the effort is to reflect what has actually occurred in the game and to be faithful to all the characters involved. All of this, however, requires a great deal of time.

Elsewhere, on other shards and among other groups of people, fiction-based role-play on message boards is a bit more flexible. In fact, in some places it almost totally excludes in-game role-play. Players write the stories for their characters, and within these fictions, they play out complex emotions in a broad range of relationships, they confront monsters or each other in armed combat, and they play out detailed action scenes with very specific outcomes. All is done on the message board in the context of fictional posts, and the characters never actually meet each other in the game. In fact, some of this type of role-play involves characters that do not even exist in the game.

I realize that too much of this type of role-playing could actually detract from the game. Some of it, however, would be fun for those who enjoy writing fiction. For those who enjoy reading the posts, it is an effective enjoy a more exciting story. In this type of role-play many more things are possible because we are not limited by the mechanics of the game. All these benefits aside, the greatest advantage would be the ease with which we could facilitate the administration of details within a plot.

For example, suppose that for the advancement of some plot, the drow need to come into the possession of a tome. In a post on the boards, Morion could drink a great deal of wine while contemplating the mystery of this ancient tome. He could fall asleep, leaving the tome relatively unguarded on the table, and someone could write a fictional response where a drow character sneaks into the house and steals the tome. The characters could meet in the game and play this out, but it would not be necessary. Some out-of-character communication would be in order, but the entire thing could occur only in the fiction on the board. Also, in this example, the drow who sneaks in and steals the tome doesn't necessarily have to be a character that actually exists in the game at all. His character could be invented for the fictional piece, and the tome could then be given to some superior character that is actually represented in the game.

With the drow scenario we are already drifting in this direction anyway. We don't have many in-game characters to represent the lead roles among the drow, which is okay. As someone suggested some time back (Khalin I think) we can just assume that the generic drow have some leadership, and that perhaps the matrons and priestesses are remaining in the Underdark directing this invasion from there. In fact this is very liberating in terms of plot development. It gives us an opportunity to use these characters to advance elements of the story in a more efficient way so that we can apply our game time to resolving the open-ended aspects of the plot.

Moving Away from Discovery-based Plot Lines

I would also like to greatly expand the amount of out-of-character information given to the players at the start. Several people have tried to discourage me from doing this-having very strong ideas about how plot lines should be run. But I want to deliberately get away from what I call a discovery-based plot line. I do not want to walk around following clues that are doled out to a large group of people until the mystery is solved. I do want to role-play my characters in situations that I understand. That is not to say that we can't initiate discovery-based subplots within the major framework. The type of subplots would of course depend upon how the various authors of those subplot decided to structure things. The theory here is that if players are given enough out-of-character information at the beginning about the overall plot framework, they will be much better prepared to immerse themselves in role-playing a character within the plot. One of the problems with discovery-based plots is that players have so little information that they don't know how to react in character.

Grasping the Framework of the Plot

Rumors and Theories

Recently rumors of these magical artifacts have begun to circulate among merchants, dealers in arcane objects, treasure hunters, and a few power hungry mages. Many theories and legends exist. Some believe that there is a lost city of the San'Tarque and that many of the artifacts can still be found in this one location, while others believe that the city was discovered and looted long ago and that the artifacts may be widely distributed. It is possible that some of the artifacts may either be lost or in the possession of those who do not understand the magical nature and power of what they possess.

Implications for the Elves

The elves, particularly the old ones, the members of the council, the priests, members of the Ostar tel'Taur etc., have known about these artifacts for a long time. The Eldar left instructions with the elves in time almost out of memory and assigned the elves as guardians of the artifacts with the warning that the artifacts must never be allowed to fall into the hands of the dark forces and that they must never be used, even in defense against the Enemy. The elves were warned of the corrupting influence that these artifacts would have on anyone who attempted to use them. The elves have kept the knowledge as a closely guarded secret that was revealed only on a need-to-know basis. The elves who do have knowledge of the San'Tarque and the artifacts have long understood the inherent danger if these things were to fall into the wrong hands. As a result, for hundreds of years the elves have been quietly searching and collecting any of these ancient artifacts that surfaced. Some of the lesser items, they were able to destroy or render harmless. The objects that went beyond their understanding or power have been hidden away and are protected. In some cases, specific elves have been assigned as guardians of these artifacts.

Implications for the Drow Outcasts

The drow outcasts, who have been corrupted by Mord'Sythe and were driven out of the Underdark by the drow of House Maerdyn, could possibly take an interest in these artifacts, believing that they could gain the necessary power to break the control that Mord'Sythe has over them, maybe even return to the Underdark and regain their positions within respected houses or if necessary join together to lead an insurrection that would destabilize the ruling houses and in the confusion seize some sort of position or control, perhaps begin a new order with hopes of returning to the surface world to enslave the elves and humans there and to rule the surface world from the Underdark.

Another possibility would be that the drow outcasts could seek to gain certain artifacts under the direction of their lord and master for reasons that only Mord'Sythe would know.

Implications for the Drow of House Maerdyn

The drow of House Maerdyn, who have followed the outcasts to the surface and have been spying on the glade, could take an interest in these artifacts, believing that possession of the artifacts could help House Maerdyn to rise within the political structure of the Underdark. Drow of House Maerdyn would certainly want to obtain these objects of power rather than allow them to fall into the hands of the outcasts or the elves. They, like the elves, realize the destabilizing nature of such power and would rather have it themselves than become victims of power hungry outcast or elves who might want to take over the Underdark or perhaps attempt to eliminate the drow completely.

Certain elements within House Maerdyn, could also be secret followers of Vhaerun, the god of thievery and the furthering of drow power on the surface world. He is also the patron deity of drow males, teaching a heresy (according to Lolth) that drow males are the equals of drow females. Vhaerun is haughty and proud, like all drow deities. He favors underhanded means and treachery to achieve his goals. His priesthood is exclusively male, and priests usually hide their true vocation in drow communities.

Vhaerun is passively opposed to Lolth. He knows he is not powerful enough to oppose her directly, yet Vhaerun wishes to reunite the elven people. He considers all elves to be superior to all other races, however, and wishes only to have elves dominate all other races. Vhaerun's loyalty is to all elves, but primarily the drow race. He would like to see the surface elves serving as the enforcers of the "true masters," the drow, who would rule from the depths of the earth.

Some Possible Extensions for Characters and Role-playing

The drow who have generic names can change sides by changing clothes. They can also change their characters by simply creating a new profile. With this flexibility, they can play a variety of roles to suit various plots.

Searches for artifacts could create the possibility for skirmishes among the factions involved. Pvp conflict does not always have to be between the elves and the drow. The drow factions may also come into conflict. With the drow groups all having various conflicts of interest (Vhaerun, Mord'Sythe, Maerdyn), role-playing of negotiations among them could happen.

The Vhaerun followers could have good reasons to negotiate with elves and with other drow attempting to manipulate loyalty. The Mord'Sythe followers could decide to continue to follow Mord'Sythe or to attempt to break free of his influence.

Possession and use of a found artifact could transform a character in some way creating lots of role-playing possibilities, making him/her violently insane or egotistical. Perhaps it could render him/her paranoid, helpless, indecisive or frightened.

Transporting artifacts from one location to another could create the possibility for pvp scenarios and ambushes. Artifacts found by various characters deep in a dungeon could create the need for rescues.

If the artifacts fell into the hands of merchants or dealers of arcane objects, it could create opportunities for role-playing negotiations or trades. Characters who are blue could play these roles.

Blue or green players could also be used as hostages. They could be taken and traded for information about the artifacts or for the artifacts themselves. Hostage taking could also create the need for attempted rescues.

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