Author Topic: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie  (Read 11119 times)

Offline Diebdazar

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Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« on: July 22, 2008, 04:40:33 AM »
My players Stay Out (or run risk of DM hammer of doom)


Brief game background:
Set in Orlando Florida
Aurora is still insane(maybe).

Harry and Elaine were never born

Taking their place is Helmi (kinda a twisted combo of harry and elaine), who sought sanctuary with the Red Court and was turned.

And a PC (who was an apprentice with Helmi under Justin) who is gifted/Cursed with a strong prescience, which may or maynot be related to her bloodline.

Said PC has received a vision of things that need to be done in year before provoking the red court to war on Oct 31st


She cannot outright warn the full white council, nor the senior council, beforehand as that would end up with the red court striking before the things that will save it are in place.

One of the goals that the group needs to complete is gaining the council protected passageway through faerie.



This is where I am running into trouble with a lack of creativity. ie: what would the fae demand in exchange?

If I had some ideas I could flesh them out, but have been brainstorming and yet to come up with anything.  Hell, I'd be willing to take a good published adventure and 'adjust' it to fit the setting at this point if anyone could suggest a fitting one.


Obviously the summer court is stronger in Florida, so something that could strengthen winter in the area.  So something that might strengthen them there might do it. . . With side effects on the climate.

Another problem is to how to bring Aurora's insanity into play without it being predictable to those that have read the series.  Or to have the insanity be a red herring.
« Last Edit: July 22, 2008, 04:59:55 AM by iago »

Offline Stephen

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2008, 12:48:00 PM »
In mythology fairies always wanted babies and mortals for different (unknown) reasons. A more reasonable option would be a place in Florida that is important to the Fae possibly as a portal or because it influences the fae side somehow. Remember how the SIDS baby killing Ghost created a historical environment well maybe someone/thing is creating a hugely aversive imprint e.g. monsters but more likely something environmental a massive iron/steel construction or something deadly to the fae/ draining to the fae or affecting their fertility.
Another possiblity is finding some fae noble child that has got lost on earth and needs rescuing and returning to fae/ returning a valued magical/ceremonial item.
Hope these ideas help.
Stephen

Offline Diebdazar

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2008, 08:03:52 AM »
Aye, and I have plot ideas for if the (mostly female) group actually decides to go along with having/giving babies to the fae.  But it is very unlikely that they'll take that option.

Hrm, maybe something involving the everglades and/or hurricanes *ponders*




Offline KLC

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2008, 10:39:38 PM »
Hi,

Not to oversimplify, but there are three options for getting through Faerie:
1) Get through as a reward from one side.
2) Get through by sneaking though (not a long-term solution, I know).
3) Having enough muscle so that it doesn't matter.

I recognize that this seems obvious, but I like to lay things out.  The way that Jim has set up his universe is that the Fae like short term gifts, but that they are long-term strategists.  That's why we never know if they - like Hamlet - are insane.  It sounds like you are asking two questions.  First, how do you notify the Council without being obvious?  Second, how do you get access to Faerie?

For the first, I'd think about having your PC try to be a puppet master.  Try to get him or her to do a bunch of tasks that individually are important, but when you put them together...

For the second, why should either of the courts care if the Council travel through?  Why is it good for them?  Solve a problem for them, make it worth their while (even if you have to invent the problem first).

I hope this helps.

K

Offline Diebdazar

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2008, 04:46:09 AM »
*nods*

A part of my quandary is how to keep Aurora insane without it being too predictable to the players that have read the books.  To use her as a red herring.  Or whether to drop the insanity completely.

The group's goal, as such, is to

a) earn the council the right of passage (likely without letting the white council know about this until after the war is declared and the red court goes all blitzkrieg (as the red court's spies finding out will cause the court to go blitzkrieg, and if the other quests are not done. . .))

b) optional objective: set it up for certain key wizards (that would otherwise die) to be alerted and/or evacuated by some fae.

Having a player with prescience is a great tool for the dm to use to hang plot hooks off of :D

Just need to figure out what I want to have the plot be :P

Offline KLC

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2008, 08:56:26 PM »
I can tell I'm just getting the tip of the iceberg here, so I will just make a simple suggestion on the sanity issue.  Compare Aurora to Hamlet - we never know whether Hamlet is insane or acting insane for his purposes.  What if your Queen is alternately, to best serve your story:
- actually insane
- acting insane
- poisoned into insanity
- under a spell
- ect.

And therefore at different times and depending on the quest what you / others (the council etc) need accomplished, this could drive many of your access / availability / quest / "who-is-a-good-guy-who-is-a-bad-guy" issues.   

Perhaps I am suggesting that the initial plot is "what's up with the Fae Queen?"  Then "Who did this to her?"  This gets access through Fae.  And you can work through there.

I hope this makes sense and is helpful.

K

Offline cranialspasm

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2008, 06:32:18 AM »
A Sidhe may ask for a part of a person's name with correct pronounciation. Name is very important when it comes to the inhabitants of the Nevernever.

A memory may also be a considerable exchange, but something big - like a wedding day, or the birth of a child - even a year in their past. As a GM, that may provide some great plot devices in a future story. The player has no idea what they did when they were younger (for that year) and the entire group is searching for something important, and they find that one of the characters would've had the answer had they not foolishly bargained with the Sidhe.

Offline TheMouse

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Re: Plot Help: Gaining the Council passage through Faerie
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2008, 08:19:51 PM »
NPCs in a vacuum can get boring. In order to make them interesting, they have to need and want things. They need goals, and they need problems. The Fae seem to adore making their problems other people's, so there's a start.

For example, let us say that a given Sidhe desires something, perhaps a book of power. Yet his Queen has ordered him -- for whatever reason -- not to acquire this book. However, the command does not cover forbidding him from accepting the book as a gift. So, if the PC can get this book -- which should be problematic -- the Sidhe lord will look kindly upon her. If she were to ask for a little favour, just between friends, she would likely receive it.

Of course, that's a very simple version. You'd need to add some thorns to that. The book is in the hands of a rival, or the local Black Court wishes that it remains in its secluded spot, or whatever. Life in the Dresden-verse is never as simple as walking down to the book store, picking it up, and remembering to get it gift wrapped.