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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Xen'drik Story Hooks



Cleaning out an old folder of gaming stuff today. Below were some story hooks for adventuring in Xen'drik in Eberron that at some point I may or may not have posted to a WotC forum. These range from ideas for full-blown adventures to ideas for small encounters that might occur while parties are on the move between objectives.


  • A Forest Kith goblin tribe.  They hunt with their trademark nets, as well as poison-tipped blowgun darts.  They seem friendly and slightly more 'civilized' than usual at first, because a traveling evangelist of the Silver Flame converted them to his religion.  Unfortunately, he failed to explain some of the nuances of his beliefs, which is why the goblins think it is their religious duty to burn alive travelers that pass through their territory after offering them a ritual feast.
  • Cargo cult.  A group of local primitives worships as a god the preserved skeleton of the first outsider explorer who passed through their territory, treating his abandoned equipment as holy relics.  The tribe is friendly and compliant dealing with outsiders, but violently resists any attempt to remove their 'god' or any of his trappings.  Quite a problem, since the old boy had possession of the only known copy of the map the characters need to find their destination.  How do they convince the tribesmen to let them rifle through god's journals and personal affects without spending the rest of the adventure running from angry war parties?
  • Xenobiology.  Local friendlies speak of a powerful creature that lives in the jungles nearby.  It matches no known description of any animal previously seen on Khorvaire or by explorers in Xen'drik.  The tribals say that their legends say that the Giants used the creatures in battle, and that none could withstand its terrible power.  New, undescribed creature, trainable as a combat mount?  Houses Deneith and Vadalis would both be very interested in capturing such a beast, or gaining better information about its capabilities and habitat.
  • Who's got jungle fever?  House Jorasco.  A rare herb grows deep in the jungle with wonderful curative properties (cures some particular affliction, or maybe provides a general bonus to the Healing proficiency or healing magic).  House Jorasco would love to establish a monopoly on its harvesting and cultivation.  Do the characters keep their eye on the gold piece, helping the House deny all other takes access to the healing herb, or do they work with locals, a rival party, or by themselves to bring the herb to any and all?
  • Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now.  A station agent sent by one of the Dragonmarked Houses (maybe even the house that is sponsoring the character's adventure) has vanished in the jungle during an expedition to an ancient Xen'drik ruin.  Attempts to establish contact have resulted in more disappearances of entire expeditions.  Unknown to the House, a powerful artifact that the agent discovered in a ruin contained the disembodies spirit of an ancient Giant-age sorcerer king.  Possesed by the spirit, the agent is creating a private empire in the jungles, enslaving local drow and humanoids and raiding surrounding communities.  The House may still want to retrieve some of the materials that he discovered in his quest, or may just want to terminate him with extreme prejudice to calm the situation on the continent (raids against previously friendly coastal tribes may have made them suspicious of outsiders, resulting in a cool reception for visitors)

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