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« on: July 21, 2014, 12:42:36 AM »
Okay, you wanted brain storming, and I have a mindless job that allows me to think about anything other than what I'm doing. My apologies if some of these ideas are a little long.
First, the one that ties in most with what you're already doing with your campaign.
You've got the spires, they're part of a magical pattern. Flavor text here, Flavor text there. You've got Ďáblice, a road that runs from that area towards the center of the city, also what looked like a Ďáblice park (though I might have misread that). Then, on the opposite side of the city you've got Anděl. I couldn't help but think that at some point in the city's past someone had tried to use those spires, the magical pattern, the latent energy of the area, and their own ill-will to make something bad happen. I'm not sure what you've got planned for the spires in your campaign, but when I was looking at what was there I kept thinking this is just the kind of scenario where someone could have, once upon a time, tried to use those spires to work some serious bad ritual. So the White Council stepped in. It was one of those times when the council didn't sit on it's hands, but took action. A dozen or so really strong wizards went forth with their own ritual. The scenario in my head was that Ďáblice was already a place of dark power. Maybe a minor wellspring of magical energy, but with a taint on it. It would give folks working dark magic a slight boost to their power. The Council wizards who set out to counter-ritual what was happening chose a place where their own workings would be unaffected by what was happening at Ďáblice, and where they could still impact the spires. In the end, the wizards had to call up enough power that they burned themselves out completely. They put their entire lifeforce into their ritual, and died there. The magic they called up, and the energy they put forth, and their own sacrifice left an indelible impression on the place. Anděl was born, a mirror image of Ďáblice. A minor wellspring of positive magic.
(Note: For the above scenario, the warlock(s) performing the ritual would have had to have been far enough along that simply stepping in and shutting them down wasn't an option, would have simply made everything go boom, blahblah, too much fall out, which is why the White Council had to send some heavy hitters to counter ritual, instead of sending wardens to just go kill the warlock -- Also... it leaves an open question, what happened to the warlock(s) involved? Did they die? Did they live? Where are they now? Did they have students?)
The next thought was ... a pair of touch stones... places where the walls between the worlds were a bit thin... where it would be easier to make contact/summon/see things from above and below.
I also wondered about the underground in Prague. My understanding is that it is, or was, extensive (though I should point out the little I know is from what I can remember from 20 years ago in school, and the little I found in a few minutes of searching before going to work). Which makes me wonder what's buried down there. What if the city, once in it's long ago history had a guardian... and a conqueror (or at least attempted conqueror). Both magical beings of one type or another, both incredibly powerful. Both now locked away under the underground. Stories have been passed down, local legends, and so the names have stuck. For a twist, they could each be hidden away under where you would expect the other one (the guardian under Ďáblice and vice-versa).
Again with the Prague underground - What if there are things living down there? Not trapped, but making a home for themselves. The good things on one side of the river, the not so good things on the other side of the river.
What if... somewhere around those two areas are things that are supposed to work in conjunction with the spires? Something Dark and something Light, to bring balance to the ritual with the spires?
What if... I go make some dinner.