Hey there Patrons,
Chapter 5 of Rise of Drekis is coming up. Here's the idea:
A small ship arrives in the Harbor of Cawksport, and runs itself aground. As the harbor patrol runs over to barate the pilot for their ineptitude, a warlock steps off the boat, speaks a word of magic, and the boat folds itself up into a small carrying case. With this case in hand, the Warlock heads for the Harbor Master's office.
Once inside the office, the Warlock delivers a message in their Akuban accent. Embershore and the other Spice Islands are declaring their independence from the Empire of Drekkis. Should a single soldier of Drekkis set foot upon any shore, that island will burn to the ground their farms, plantations, and wilds. Should Drekkis attempt to retake Embershore and its city of Valuton, the Warlock will summon Brimstone, Fire Incarnate, from his depths to wash away the invaders with a sea of fire. With this message delivered (in speech and writing), the Warlock heads back to the sea, speaks a word, unfolds their ship, and sails out into the shallow sea once more.
These places are called the "Spice Islands" for a reason. Their value comes primarily from the spices that can only be grown here. Should an island burn, it would take generations to rebuild.
Brimstone, Fire Incarnate, is a Red Dragon that has been trapped under the volcano in Embershore for generations. There's a whole campaign that deals with this.
So, what is an empire to do when their very valuable, but also relatively vulnerable, offshore plantations are threatened by another ancient red dragon? Imrik McGarry is still around. Shine is still around. But without the other two brothers, could the empire take on another red dragon? Maybe. Possibly. But rather than jumping straight to the nuclear option, they'd like to try out some softer approaches.
Enter Vincent Mapper.
A respected wizard who has helped peacefully resolve international conflicts in the past. Works for the Empire of Drekkis, but isn't a soldier. His job here is to:
Capture this Warlock who seems to have taken control over the people of the islands. If there's no way to capture them, their death is acceptable.
Recover this magic folding boat, pursuant to the latest imperial declaration that any magical items of moderate or greater strength belong to the Royal Family.
Find evidence of Akuba's involvement in the secession of the Spice Isles for Casus Belli.
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I've approached Jeff about reprising his role as Vincent, and I expect him to be interested, but I haven't confirmed his availability yet. Once he says he's in, it's 2-3 weeks to get art done, and then we can play!
This campaign might dovetail nicely into an idea I was talking about a few weeks ago. Then again, Vincent might die in 2 sessions.
That's it for this week, catch you soon!
Neal / Koibu
p.s. There's this other thing going on that is gonna be a big announcement, but the last little detail that needs to be sorted out before we can talk about it is hung up. I was really hoping to announce today, but it might drag on for another week. Ugh.