Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Here's the situation: I've got a player in my campaign who was out of our game for over a year due to unfortunate circumstances beyond his control. I want to run several solo adventures for his character both to help get him back up to speed and catch up some of the XP he missed. What I want to do is run several separate but interconnected scenarios leading to a big finale which involves the rest of our team and fully reintegrates the character back into our group. (With me so far?) The PC is a French police detective and (secretly, of course) a sorcerer. He's the Surete's leadiing expert on the occult, so naturally gets called in on any ritualistic or unusual crimes in France. So here are the elements I want to incorporate: 1) As much detective work as superhero combat 2) Werewolves (Just because they seem appropriate) 3) Paris or Marsiellies (sp?) sewers (Date back to Roman times) 4) An immortal necromancer 5) Disappearance of young women, including relatives of VIPs 6) At least one false lead or plot twist So has anyone got some suggestions on how I can string all these disparate elements into a cohesive yet twisted plot that takes 4-6 game runs to resolve? The idea is to have him solve a high profile case and thus get promoted to Captain/Chief Inspector. I know there are some very twisted and evil GMs here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Are any of your players present on these boards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Kristopher Are any of your players present on these boards? Yes, but not the player in question. Mentor and Blackjack are also GMs in the campaign, and I trust them not to peek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Oddly enough, years ago I ran a group through busting up a group of werewolves that operated out of the Marseilles sewers... I'll try to post some actual evil ideas/tie ins later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 OK, the immortal necromancer is using the werewolves as his henchmen. He's been the king of the Paris underworld for decades. Plot twist -- the young women are not being sued as sacrifices... but as recruits for his werewolf army. The more innocent the victim, the more likely it is the shock of the lycanthropic transformation, plus the whole "eating people" part, will send them over the edge into full nervous breakdown, at which point, our cunning master villain can easily brainwash them into being his little shapechanging harem. It's not exactly the most *original* plot in the world, but hey, there are so few truly creative Evil Overlords left in the biz nowadays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Supreme Serpent Oddly enough, years ago I ran a group through busting up a group of werewolves that operated out of the Marseilles sewers... Werewolves in the sewers. OK, that's a keeper. Picture this poor detective splashing ankle deep through the frigid waters of the sewers chasing down some werewolves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Brainstorming... An immortal necromancer has his werewolf allies out kidnapping young women, looking for a member of a certain lost bloodline. The werewolves think they're looking for a lost werewolf bloodline that will reinvigorate their tribe, but that's just a ruse the necromancer is using to manipulate them. He's going to use the woman as a vessel or sacrifice to bring his long-dead bride back into the world. The Paris sewers, as old as they are, have forgotten tunnels and secret passages that lead to lost catacombs and ancient undergound sites of power long cut off from the surface world by the changing earth. The necromancer is using the deepest parts as his base of opperations. The plot twist will come if the actually not-that-bad werewolves find out that they're being used by an ancient evil, and that they've been kidnapping innocent women not to save their dwindling breed, but to serve the necromancer's own twisted heart. Did I just accidentally use plot elements from Underworld and The Mummy Returns? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Chuckg OK, the immortal necromancer is using the werewolves as his henchmen. He's been the king of the Paris underworld for decades. Plot twist -- the young women are not being sued as sacrifices... but as recruits for his werewolf army. OK, that's not bad, but needs expansion. Why would the necromancer have suddenly changed his pattern and gone to kidnapping girls if he's ruled the underworld for decades? What nefarious plot causes him to need more werewolf allies and/or harem members as opposed o simply building an army of zombies quietly as he has for centuries? I love brainstorming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Kristopher Brainstorming... An immortal necromancer has his werewolf allies out kidnapping young women, looking for a member of a certain lost bloodline. The werewolves think they're looking for a lost werewolf bloodline that will reinvigorate their tribe, but that's just a ruse the necromancer is using to manipulate them. He's going to use the woman as a vessel or sacrifice to bring his long-dead bride back into the world. The Paris sewers, as old as they are, have forgotten tunnels and secret passages that lead to lost catacombs and ancient undergound sites of power long cut off from the surface world by the changing earth. The necromancer is using the deepest parts as his base of opperations. The plot twist will come if the actually not-that-bad werewolves find out that they're being used by an ancient evil, and that they've been kidnapping innocent women not to save their dwindling breed, but to serve the necromancer's own twisted heart. Did I just accidentally use plot elements from Underworld and The Mummy Returns? That's not bad. So the "evil" werewolves might turn out to be relatively innocent pawns or even temporary allies. It might be interesting for the magician PC to pick up a werewolf pack leader as a Contact. ("Jacque, you have the strangest friends.") The 5e werewolves from the Bestiary are pretty formidable, especially in a group. What kind of plot might the necromancer be up to? (The long lost bride is too clichéd, but might be a good red herring.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckg Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 > OK, that's not bad, but needs expansion. Why would the > necromancer have suddenly changed his pattern and gone > to kidnapping girls if he's ruled the underworld for decades? Who says he's *changed* the pattern? He's been doing this for centuries. If your detective-players check out the missing persons stats in the Paris poiice records, they may notice a statistically anomalous pattern. The only reason he's suddenly started *multiple* kidnappings all in the same short time frame is because he recently took a large batch of casualties in a battle w/ his rival evil nemesis, the Black Paladin, who has recently returned to the modern-day world... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supreme Serpent Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 OK... The young women who turn up missing ARE werewolves even before they disappeared. This particular group of WW is a rare strain that only passes the lycanthropy over to females. The necromancer and the werewolves are involved in a turf war over their favorite hidey-holes, the sewers/underground. The necromancer ACTUALLY incited this conflict to get his hands on more material...with the Blood Moon soon to occur, he will be able to raise the victims of the conflict...yep, FRENCH SUPERMODEL ZOMBIE WEREWOLVES FROM BENEATH THE EARTH!!! The PC's wind up in a massive battle, in uneasy alliance with the "normal" werewolves against the necromancer, his "normal" undead servants, and the zombie werewolves. Heck, maybe the necromancer (who's not herself dead yet) wants to get bitten and come back as a werwolf lich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Chuckg Who says he's *changed* the pattern? He's been doing this for centuries. If your detective-players check out the missing persons stats in the Paris poiice records, they may notice a statistically anomalous pattern. The only reason he's suddenly started *multiple* kidnappings all in the same short time frame is because he recently took a large batch of casualties in a battle w/ his rival evil nemesis, the Black Paladin, who has recently returned to the modern-day world... Hmmm. He might have lost a battle with another bad guy. So perhaps in a effort to quickly replenish his forces, he's having his werewolf lackeys seize girls that are more high-profile than the transients and runaways they usually grab... That works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakboy6117 Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 The necromancer is losing control of his mostly male werewolves when most of the pups and women where killed in a prolonged conflict with a rival who was trying to take over he’s now desperately trying to consolidate his hold on the city before other occultists become aware of his weakness. Some of the girls will be turned into werewolves but he’s really looking for a particular prophesied girl (reincarnation of Joan of arc, Morovingian princess etc) who he can use to open an ancient catacomb. The catacomb is the secret resting place of a mythic item of great power that will ensure and expand his control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Supreme Serpent OK... The young women who turn up missing ARE werewolves even before they disappeared. This particular group of WW is a rare strain that only passes the lycanthropy over to females. The necromancer and the werewolves are involved in a turf war over their favorite hidey-holes, the sewers/underground. The necromancer ACTUALLY incited this conflict to get his hands on more material...with the Blood Moon soon to occur, he will be able to raise the victims of the conflict...yep, FRENCH SUPERMODEL ZOMBIE WEREWOLVES FROM BENEATH THE EARTH!!! The PC's wind up in a massive battle, in uneasy alliance with the "normal" werewolves against the necromancer, his "normal" undead servants, and the zombie werewolves. Heck, maybe the necromancer (who's not herself dead yet) wants to get bitten and come back as a werwolf lich. You are a sick, sick man, SS. I salute you. Zombie werewolves. Gotta love it, especially since another clash with this necromancer's forces had our team fighting zombie gorillas that flew to Oslo and attacked the PCs in their homes. This is starting to look twisted like a corkscrew. Are there French supermodels? I thought they all died from heroin overdoses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by freakboy6117 The necromancer is losing control of his mostly male werewolves when most of the pups and women where killed in a prolonged conflict with a rival who was trying to take over he’s now desperately trying to consolidate his hold on the city before other occultists become aware of his weakness. Some of the girls will be turned into werewolves but he’s really looking for a particular prophesied girl (reincarnation of Joan of arc, Morovingian princess etc) who he can use to open an ancient catacomb. The catacomb is the secret resting place of a mythic item of great power that will ensure and expand his control. That's terrific stuff. A lost Merovingian princess whose current incarnation just happens to be Jacque Chirac's granddaughter... Keep it coming gang. This is starting to look good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterhawk Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Trebuchet OK, that's not bad, but needs expansion. Why would the necromancer have suddenly changed his pattern and gone to kidnapping girls if he's ruled the underworld for decades? Perhaps he needs the women for some unspeakable ritual to maintain his undying form. Again, a bit overused, but effective. I like the idea of the necromancer tricking the werewolves into aiding him/her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatwyrm Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 The necromancer is hiding out in the sewers. Most of the werewolves are longtime henchmen. He's tired of being underworld, he wants to go big time. He's planning on bumping off several top-level officials in city/provincial/country govenrnment. Politicians are always suckers for an affair with a pretty girl, especially if she's of good breeding. Not all of them will go for this, so he needs to pick up relatives for the others. Kidnapped girls are turned into werewolves. Through some magical means, they'll be forced to transform near the intended target and nature will take it's bloody course. Invariably, the girls will be found somewhere else. Of course, no young lady could inflict the terrible wounds the victims suffer. Must have some sick serial killer on your hands with a thing for government officials (the twist). Ooh, how's this for a tie-in to the Roman history. Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus, IIRC. Both were rased by wolves (or am I mixing up my mythology again?). The necromancer has discovered a long lost Roman artifact that gives him dominion over wolves (and in this case, werewolves). That's how he has such strong control over them and forces them to kill on command. Maybe one or both of Rome's founders were the first werewolves? Maybe they're immortal, hiding out in Europe somewhere, and want the artifact back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Originally posted by Greatwyrm Maybe one or both of Rome's founders were the first werewolves? Maybe they're immortal, hiding out in Europe somewhere, and want the artifact back? I wouldn't go with the _first_ werewolves. That closes off too many other traditions about skinchangers. But certainly make them werewolves - it's a good thought. Except Remus was killed by Romulus. Presumably only Romulus would still be around. Than again, Remus might be around in a somewhat different form. Actually, whether you use the tie in or not, Monsieur Remus would be a good name for the necromancer. And a digression on French supermodels: they're called skeletons. If they'd eaten more when they were alive, they'd be zombies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamrok Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 The werewolves have been travelling about generally under the guise of the birka. The French have caught on to this, and thus outlawed the practice of wearing these into government buildings. They haven't revealed the real reason in order to prevent a panic. The Necromancer had been acquiring his girls from Iraq - he had a deal with Saddam Hussein in which Saddam furnished the girls, and the Necromancer furnished a clone of Saddam. The US invasion of Iraq threw a monkey wrench into this, forcing the Necromancer to look more locally, suddenly attracting attention. US soldiers in Iraq have caught wind of the former deportation of women to France and asked our hero to check into it. This could suggest to the hero that the Necromancer's operations might have been going on for a long time, only recently noticed because he's lost his supply of female victims. The "Saddam's Clone" hook probably leads nowhere. Or maybe it is significant. Or maybe he is building an army of terrorist Super-Saddam clones! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Originally posted by winterhawk Perhaps he needs the women for some unspeakable ritual to maintain his undying form. Again, a bit overused, but effective. I like the idea of the necromancer tricking the werewolves into aiding him/her. This is a classic four-color campaign, so pretty much anything a necromancer does automatically qualifies as unspeakable. I like the idea of the necromancer tricking or coercing the werewolves too. So they'll be reluctant allies at best. Perhaps he's holding their pack leader hostage, or has promised to raise one of their number recently slain in an ambush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinecone Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Sorry I didn't read the thread before posting but I was thinking the Necromancer was transforming the kidnapped folks Into Loupe garoues...I like the idea of Rome being founded by a were wolf...helps explain thr traditional roman bloodthirstyness..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxiMan Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 OK. The beautiful French women are part of an ancient order, a group who's purpose is to protect Paris (and the rest of the world) from Horrible Evil. Supermodel Ninjas. The werewolves are the form of the Supermodel ninjas when they really, really need to kick some @ss. Supermodel Mutant Ninjas. Their secret hiding place and hidden pathways through the city are all based on their order's ancient knowledge of the sewers. Underground Supermodel Mutant Ninjas. The leader of their order is a stunningly beautiful woman who lives her life in the secret sewer base, organizing the Underground Mutant Supermodel Ninjas. She has informants everywhere, and can call in favors from the most surprising people. She's the Master Underground Supermodel Mutant Ninja. The USMN's were formed to oppose a truly evil Necromancer back in 756 A.D. They are certain that he is immortal, since their battles have never been decisive and he always lives on to cause more problems. Only seen twice in the 1,248 years they've fought, his form is unknown since he was only seen in long flowing black robes with a hood pulled low over his face. An immense threat has been identified lately, seems the Necromancer is close to raising an Ultimate Horrible Evil. Think Cthulhu's wicked stepfather that beat Cthulhu and sent him out to be a prostitute. That must be stopped - so the Underground Supermodel Mutant Ninjas have dropped out of sight to fight this round-the-clock. They don't have time for a secret ID! Plot twist - the leader of the Underground Mutant Supermodel Ninjas is the Necromancer, and has been using the girls for an aeon to secretly achieve her goal - control of an undead Elder God! Mwahahahahahahaha!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Originally posted by TaxiMan Plot twist - the leader of the Underground Mutant Supermodel Ninjas is the Necromancer, and has been using the girls for an aeon to secretly achieve her goal - control of an undead Elder God! Mwahahahahahahaha!! That's so wonderfully twisted it just might work. And an undead Elder God would certainly explain why the hero would need to call on the rest of the team for help... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebuchet Posted March 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 Originally posted by assault And a digression on French supermodels: they're called skeletons. If they'd eaten more when they were alive, they'd be zombies. That's why I thought they were all heroin addicts. Every single picture of a French supermodel I can remember was in black and white and the girl looked like hell. So they weren't really heroin addicts, but undead. WOW. The truth really is stranger than fiction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rechan Posted March 13, 2004 Report Share Posted March 13, 2004 The necromancer is actually a socialite in the Trendy Paris district. Young women are being stolen and magically "skinned". Their skin is then used to keep supermodels healthy and fresh and young far past their due date. These skins could also be given to government officials, which allows the Necromancer to control the government by commanding power over the skin. These young women may be actual werewolves. Either normal women who are related to the pack (The human mates of the male werewolves) that work in the Real world for money to support the pack, or they could be female werewolves who havn't "awakened" yet, or descendants of a powerful werewolf, all of whom were in an orphanage together, which would be the tieing bind clue. The skin likely has regeneratory processes. The werewolves are either aware of the disappearances but Superemely worried, or have no idea. The Necromancer could be working with the pack (Their Pack Sorceror), their contact to the underworld or otherwise (You want something that we can't get? Go to the sorceror), or secretly be a werewolf or just posing as a powerful werewolf. Add in the fight between the Werewolves and some other rival thing. Possibly an ancient set of hunters that the Sorceror aids, a demonic force the Necromancer unleashed, etc. The PCs could help the werewolves tackle this. The necromancer is claiming the dead werewolves to make a suit of werewolf skin for himself. The skin, ocne put on, gives him the power of the Werewolf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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