The World of Layonara
In-Character Forums => The Dragon Storm Campaign => Topic started by: EdTheKet on June 14, 2011, 02:33:00 pm
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Hello everyone,
We're planning to do a so-called a post-mortem.
In short, it means we'll allow you to ask a questions about the recent campaign.
We'll then have a look at them and decide which ones we can/will and which ones we cannot/will not answer.
We will of course not answer all questions, especially not if those answers would give away something of a yet-to-be completed story arc or loose end. Or if they tie in to other things we've got cooking.
But we thought it might be nice if we give you the opportunity to ask these kinds of questions. Do try to keep them specific though, we don't want to answer with pages of text :)
Please post your post mortem questions in this thread. If you want to discuss this idea, please go here (http://forums.layonara.com/dragon-storm-campaign/283545-dragon-storm-post-mortem-discussion.html#post1722254).
Thanks!
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Curious about a few things;
-has there been any known environmental (poison/plague) fallout from the explosion of the Broken One
-how much information is leaking out regarding the situation in Nesar - in other words, are people leaving if they can and bringing stories with them, how much is known about the governmental situation, etc.
-is there a rebuilding effort for Fort Hope or is it still occupied
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And based on the answers to RollinsCat's question, how has this affected diplomatic relations between Arnax and some of the other prominent governments?
how much information is leaking out regarding the situation in Nesar - in other words, are people leaving if they can and bringing stories with them, how much is known about the governmental situation, etc.
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edit: A better question then.
What would have happened if the person referred to as the Claw had been eliminated?
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Example questions:
What would have happened if we had not recovered Orn's Tear?
What would have happened if we did take the offer of Fisterion for alliance with the Council?
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Not sure if this question belongs in this thread, but I'll post it just in case.
What happened with the Rael forces send to aid Sedera? Did they maintain a permanent presence and if so, does it look like they're settling in for the long haul. (such as building solid infrastructure instead of temporary camps)
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Have any governments changed the status of diplomatic relations with Arnax based on events in Khul?
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In the realm or what would have happened. Could there have been a way to portal the broken one's body safely (not counting the attacks we would have had to repel) out of that cave? This could very well be a hypothetical question from Wren to Conner.
Next question:
Do we know that there is a huge army of undead shuffling around?
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What would have happened if the Forest Realm (Horn Kingdom) entered into an alliance with Kuhl?
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Could the opening of the Path of the Claw been prevented?
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Example questions:
What would have happened if we had not recovered Orn's Tear?
What would have happened if we did take the offer of Fisterion for alliance with the Council?
Those two, plus:
[LIST=1]
- What if we had failed going to [THREAD=149952]Knad'radoniad's aid[/THREAD]?
- What if [THREAD=182512]Orn's Tear[/THREAD] had not been stolen from Fisterion in the first place?
- What if we hadn't been able to rescue [THREAD=201902]Queen Langovale[/THREAD]?
- Given that the Nesarans seem to have been able to muster such an effective [THREAD=283186]counter attack[/THREAD] against the Cult's army, why did they let the Cult use [THREAD=204412]their fleet[/THREAD] to sail to Mistone?
- What if we had stopped Molvaren from walking the [THREAD=238922]Path of the Claw[/THREAD]?
- What if one of us had successfully walked the Path of the Claw?
- What if we had murdered a certain amnesiac (http://forums.layonara.com/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=13512&day=2009-9-16&c=3) in his sleep?
- What if we had acquiesced to [POST=1712778]Rael's request[/POST]?
- What if we had offered [THREAD=282565]Ractraferioz[/THREAD] a kingdom, say Trelania, in exchange for his help?
- Did the Cure make a difference to the outcome thus far?
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For the group that went to Stormcry Hollows, what were those contraptions/orbs that controlled and maintained the power of Molvaren's pad? And, was there something that we could have done with them that would have changed the outcome?
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4.Given that the Nesarans seem to have been able to muster such an effective counter attack against the Cult's army, why did they let the Cult use their fleet to sail to Mistone?
8.What if we had acquiesced to Rael's request?
I can answer these two fairly readily.
First of all at the time in question the Cult had the Corathites pegged inside their temple in Arnax and a rather large force threatening Nesar. They had little or now way out of the agreement to aid the Cult.
It took a considerable amount of effort behind the scenes for the Corathites to being enough force to bear to drive the Cult from Nesar. Once they were clear and the Corathites had guaranteed aid from other sources and could give Nesar the assurances it needed they were free to act.
Even so as you may have noticed the Nesar army was mainly made up of conscripted peasants and while may have had a moderate amount of numbers they were no match for the enemy. Kuhl penetrated deep into Nesar before the Black Wizards deal saw them withdraw to deal with the allied forces in the north.
A large part of the army was lost near Amaria, more at Zolinar and even more in the advance towards Sundance to the point where Gork and Razeriem are stuck with a few thousand soldiers from Nesar and facing a far superior and numerate force inside the city.
As to Rael's request, had you agreed to it the allies could have attacked Kuhl directly through the Deep rather than engage in a contracted land war in Fort of Last Hope which was relatively untenable once Ractrafiorez decided to act in his own interests there.
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Ok, one I'm sure will not be answered :)
- What happened to the Lumbrals; did Angela, Alantha, Grohin and Co. did all this for naught?
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As to Rael's request, had you agreed to it the allies could have attacked Kuhl directly through the Deep rather than engage in a contracted land war in Fort of Last Hope which was relatively untenable once Ractrafiorez decided to act in his own interests there.
Yes... but what kind of debt would we have been in for that "favor" and how many lands would now be under Rael's control? The whole of Dregar?
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8.What if we had acquiesced to Rael's request?
As to Rael's request, had you agreed to it the allies could have attacked Kuhl directly through the Deep rather than engage in a contracted land war in Fort of Last Hope which was relatively untenable once Ractrafiorez decided to act in his own interests there.
Yes... but what kind of debt would we have been in for that "favor" and how many lands would now be under Rael's control? The whole of Dregar?
I would say that, had we agreed to Rael's request, the real dwarves (aka "surface" dwarves) might not have helped as they had. I know Azk'a would not have (dunno if he's particular in that matter, but I know he should not)... He didn't came to help Audiria for that reason. Although I, of course, cannot speak for Norand or the whole dwarven kingdoms.
So that actually leads to another question:
- What would the dwarven kingdoms (I have mostly Norand in mind, since those dwarves brought down a few dragons) and armies (Voraxian from Ulgrid, Bloody Gates, etc.) would have done had Rael's request been accepted?
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How does "fight heavily in Kuhl" equal "rule all of Dregar?"
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Yes... but what kind of debt would we have been in for that "favor" and how many lands would now be under Rael's control? The whole of Dregar?
Well..that comes down to Raels motivations for offering his aid in the first place.
Yes he was attacked, which meant no matter what, he had to act to save face with his people.
Rael has gone to great lengths over the years to curry favour amongst the civilised surface nations. True, he probably doesn't care one bit about them but he is a realist as well as a Raelist teehee and values law and order very highly, this is why he evicted the Toranites and accepted the Rofireinites. Toranites act more on their own moral compass rather than ascribed Laws so they are uncertain and in his mind unreliable. Rael wants other surface nations to realise that he is not only extremely powerful but he expects law and order to be a currency of the land and if it isnt then you're in trouble. Sadly he recognises that surfacers prejudices being what they are most will never come to understand his motivations but it certainly wont be from him not trying. Yes yes this all sounds very benevolant of him...hang on...Rael the Benevolant......hmm heard that somewhere before..
But for the most part he is making efforts.....albiet his own way.
So...if you had agreed to his demands well...he wanted recognition from the War Council of his efforts...nothing more, nothing less. Its all about building goodwill for the future....in case, you know..he goes to war with a few other people.....
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I would say that, had we agreed to Rael's request, the real dwarves (aka "surface" dwarves) might not have helped as they had. I know Azk'a would not have (dunno if he's particular in that matter, but I know he should not)... He didn't came to help Audiria for that reason. Although I, of course, cannot speak for Norand or the whole dwarven kingdoms.
So that actually leads to another question:
- What would the dwarven kingdoms (I have mostly Norand in mind, since those dwarves brought down a few dragons) and armies (Voraxian from Ulgrid, Bloody Gates, etc.) would have done had Rael's request been accepted?
As it turned out 10,000 Rael troops and assorted auxillaries fought in and around Castle Hilm.
And now Succession, and Sederra are certainly in Raels debt...
Hmmm currying favour indeed....
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I would say that, had we agreed to Rael's request, the real dwarves (aka "surface" dwarves) might not have helped as they had. I know Azk'a would not have (dunno if he's particular in that matter, but I know he should not)... He didn't came to help Audiria for that reason. Although I, of course, cannot speak for Norand or the whole dwarven kingdoms.
So that actually leads to another question:
- What would the dwarven kingdoms (I have mostly Norand in mind, since those dwarves brought down a few dragons) and armies (Voraxian from Ulgrid, Bloody Gates, etc.) would have done had Rael's request been accepted?
I can only answer for the Runic Anvil and Norand.
Kobal Bluntaxe was to make that decision and although it did not sit well with him he chose to fight both in Audiria and Hilm Castle. Kobal, due to his background as adventurer, is not as set in his ways as probably some other decision makers.
The Runic Anvil came to Hilm because it concerned an invasion of Dregar and had it met with success it might have caused problems even for Norand in the long run. Aside from that it was the right thing to do - in Kobal's opinion - and strengthening ties to Sedera was an extra benefit.
Fighting at Hilm was a more dificult decision, but was done due to Kobal's background and his belief in the good cause.
Kobal thought twice about getting involved because of Rael's involvement, but on the other hand it offered the unique possibility of close inspection of the Rael army tactics and machines of war. The Anvil did not mingle with the Raelites, but fought on the same side. Not necessary liking it, but choosing to do so nonetheless, where others might not.
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Those two, plus:[LIST=1]
- What if we had failed going to [thread=149952]Knad'radoniad's aid[/thread]?
- What if [thread=182512]Orn's Tear[/thread] had not been stolen from Fisterion in the first place?
- What if we hadn't been able to rescue [thread=201902]Queen Langovale[/thread]?
- [strike]Given that the Nesarans seem to have been able to muster such an effective [thread=283186]counter attack[/thread] against the Cult's army, why did they let the Cult use [thread=204412]their fleet[/thread] to sail to Mistone? [/strike]
- What if we had stopped Molvaren from walking the [thread=238922]Path of the Claw[/thread]?
- What if one of us had successfully walked the Path of the Claw?
- What if we had murdered a certain amnesiac (http://forums.layonara.com/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=13512&day=2009-9-16&c=3) in his sleep?
- [strike]What if we had acquiesced to [post=1712778]Rael's request[/post]?[/strike]
- What if we had offered [thread=282565]Ractraferioz[/thread] a kingdom, say Trelania, in exchange for his help?
- Did the Cure make a difference to the outcome thus far?
Coming back to #1 later. 4 and 8 being handled by Dezza. To answer the rest in short form...
2. If the Orn's Tear had not been stolen by the PCs in the first place there would have been less issue for them, but the Tear may have been stolen by the forces who wanted it gone anyway. It may not have happened at all as well, it depended on a few factors at the time. I know that the time at which the Tear was taken was the last attempt going to be made by those forces to trick the 'adventurers' into doing this thing.
There would have been fall out had the Tear not been taken at all or been successfully managed by NPC factions that has to do with some things not yet ready to be fully revealed but, some might guess that the power base between the dragon factions may have shifted dependent upon the outcome.
3. This has somewhat to do with future outcomes still but it's a fairly obvious one so I will go ahead and answer. Without Langovale alive you might have a situation much like the situation in Rael. No 'rightful rulers' to challenge Kuhl's occupiers, in essence makes them Kuhl's new rightful rulers. That situation continues so long as Kuhl is not retaken and the occupiers remain in power.
5. That would have changed the outcome of the finale, and to a degree the strength with which he lead the Cult following his 'recomposure'. I think the biggest result would have been the degree of difficulty to having caught and/or killed at the end of things.
6. The capabilities granted to the successful walker would have been inferred to the PC in question and not to Molvaren.
7. This would have caused an upheaval back at home, once it became clear he was not returning/dead. The balance of power would have shifted and very likely might have made things worse for the people of Kuhl and for the later events (due to the nature of some of those who would have remained in power).
9. Whatever kingdom you would have offered instead might have had some things to stay about the situation and likely would not have gone willingly under the power of Ractraferioz. I believe there would have been some alignment shifting for certain people and there would likely have been additional bloodshed because Ractraferioz likely would not have taken the kingdom's 'no' for an answer. However, once his domain was fully dominated or at least dominated -enough- for the time being, he would have kept his word of aid.
10. Yes!! The Cure was essential to the success of the series, otherwise that much time investment would not have been spent on it. Without the Cure, we would not have hesitated to turn Belinara into a wasteland, though the Nature Faction would likely have managed to save part of the Great Forest and divert the spread elsewhere. As some know, there are parts of the Great Forest that are essential links to life in all places. Going in without the Cure to StormCry or having gone in and failed to correctly deliver it would have achieved a fail for the series outcome and caused so, so much more damage that the Cult would (emphasis here, would, not could) have achieved on it's own. The Cult would not have resorted to that level of disaster (well..... perhaps if the amnesiac had been killed and the balance of power had shifted. Then when the chips were down, certain members of the power structure were chaotic enough to consider such a strategy).
Could the opening of the Path of the Claw been prevented?
Yes, and it very nearly was.
What would have happened if the Forest Realm (Horn Kingdom) entered into an alliance with Kuhl?
The balance of power would have shifted toward the allies that much more. It would simply have given folks more tools to work with to solve the puzzle as a whole. It would also have freed up some PCs to act more freely and become more involved and in one case, be allowed activity at all. Aerimor (the druid) was taken out of play of the world from that moment until the end of the finale's all together. Kudos to him for being willing to stick with that folks. That was a very long time not to be able to touch your character (more or less).
In the realm or what would have happened. Could there have been a way to portal the broken one's body safely (not counting the attacks we would have had to repel) out of that cave? This could very well be a hypothetical question from Wren to Conner.
It's actually “Connor” with two 'o's. I mention this because it seems to be a rampant spelling error that even some GMs are making, heh. And Connor would have (at the behest of the Plot team) told Wren that there would not have been enough time or resources available for such a feat. The portal that Storold, Angela and Alantha (and Connor) helped the late Samantha Clerin construct for the Church of Lucinda took the resources of well over 100 people and many days to accomplish (not to mention the work that went into securing and protecting the place before, during and after), just to give you an idea.
Next question:
Do we know that there is a huge army of undead shuffling around?
This is a future question not being answered at this time.
For the group that went to Stormcry Hollows, what were those contraptions/orbs that controlled and maintained the power of Molvaren's pad? And, was there something that we could have done with them that would have changed the outcome?
This could have changed the outcome, I.E. stalled you further and caused the Cure not to have been given to the Broken One's body at all, or allowed the stall to be long enough for Molvaren to get in control of the Broken One's body and ..... cause the loss of many soul strands while trying to administer the cure... etc, etc... As to what it is directly, that is a future question that may come into play. The information -may- already be in game amongst the PC base, but it might not. It possibly will becoming into play later.
~row
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Adding a bit more....
Curious about a few things;
-has there been any known environmental (poison/plague) fallout from the explosion of the Broken One
Known? heh...always a tricky one. It's probably best to say that the druids in general are very interested in this question themselves. Thus far, there has not been any alarm from them. Had the administration of the Cure to the Broken One's corpse not been effective there would have most certainly been a dire environmental effect since the finale.
For clarity, the explosion was relatively limited to the chamber in which the Broken One was fond, but it did weaken the structure of the cavern overall, causing something of a collapse. What was seen from outside was not an explosion but rather a plume of dust caused by the collapsing ground above the chamber, which resulted in an outrushing of air that carried dust and crushed earth upward with the expulsion. It was not anything anywhere remotely on the scale of what produced the dark ages. The cloud of dust that was produced was probably less even than what would be carried by a sandstorm and it never made it very far up into the atmosphere. Any dust carried aloft by the collapse would have settled out in a couple days at most, sooner if it rained.
-is there a rebuilding effort for Fort Hope or is it still occupied
Um....yes? Have you gone to see it? *winks*
For the moment, it is occupied by the Siphe Garra. As for what will happen there....that won't be answered here.
In the realm or what would have happened. Could there have been a way to portal the broken one's body safely (not counting the attacks we would have had to repel) out of that cave? This could very well be a hypothetical question from Wren to Connor.
Spelling corrected. *winks*
Pretty much what Rowana said is right on the money. The task of setting up a portal to transport a humanoid creature is far simpler (though never trivial) than doing the same thing for something the size of a dragon. It would have taken time they did not have.
Beyond that, I can safely say that Connor would not have agreed to setting of a means of teleporting an uncured Broken One out of that cavern. There are multiple reasons for this, primary among them is the matter of the bloodpool what was swirling around inside of the Broken One.
For the group that went to Stormcry Hollows, what were those contraptions/orbs that controlled and maintained the power of Molvaren's pad? And, was there something that we could have done with them that would have changed the outcome?
Beyond what Rowana has already said, in that delays might have really caused you problems (and almost did, by the way), there were other, more significant things you could have done to improve the outcome of things while in Stormcry that you (as a group) chose not to do.
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*bump*
Does anyone have any further questions about what was, what is and/or what might be/have been?
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My biggest questions that I have left really just are regarding to the things that are still going on. Some people may still be waiting for the final write ups of things such as Sundance and Briardusk, etc.
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What would have happened if we did take the offer of Fisterion for alliance with the Council?
Fisterion and one or more dragons would've been on your side to fight against the Cult's army and its dragons.
The number of dragons would've depended on the number of cure doses you negotiated with him for his aid. (Yes, you could've negotiated)
You would also have been provided with the troops he promised (kobold archers, pyrtechon berserkers and pyrtechon priests, and the improved ballista heads), depending on what you'd have negotiated regarding cure doses.
Fort of Last Hope would probably not have fallen, so it wouldn't be a base for the Siphe Garra or Ractrafieroz' new roost.
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and on
9.What if we had offered Ractraferioz (http://forums.layonara.com/blackford-war-council-private/282565-ractrafiorez.html) a kingdom, say Trelania, in exchange for his help?
In addition to row's answer, if you had gone through with this and Daniella had stood by that decision, she would have lost her powers and her title. Lance too if he'd backed her (or any other Toranite paladin for that matter).
The other nations wouldn't have been as forthcoming with troops either, as they wouldn't be sure you all could still be trusted, squandering away a nation like that :)
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Yeah... I'm thankful that Toran stepped in there... was about time!
(btw... gee thanks Ed, not everyone knew about that little blunder yet ;) Guess they do now! *snickers*)
and on
In addition to row's answer, if you had gone through with this and Daniella had stood by that decision, she would have lost her powers and her title. Lance too if he'd backed her (or any other Toranite paladin for that matter).
The other nations wouldn't have been as forthcoming with troops either, as they wouldn't be sure you all could still be trusted, squandering away a nation like that :)
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and on
In addition to row's answer, if you had gone through with this and Daniella had stood by that decision, she would have lost her powers and her title. Lance too if he'd backed her (or any other Toranite paladin for that matter).
The other nations wouldn't have been as forthcoming with troops either, as they wouldn't be sure you all could still be trusted, squandering away a nation like that :)
Gold stars for us! :D