Campaign Opening: The Ebon Awakening
Setting: The campaign begins in the ancient era of Nova, a thousand years ago during the Dawnforge War, a conflict between The Twelve and their mortal followers against the chaotic forces of Klythar, the Ebon Wyrm. Nova has three moons: the Astral Moon (creation and light), the Umbral Moon (mystery and darkness), and the Ebon Moon. The party, novice heroes (level 3), serve The Twelve in Dawn Haven, the radiant capital of Roh-ber. As Klythar’s influence surges, the campaign opens with a desperate defense, culminates in the cataclysmic First Shattering, and propels the party 1,000 years forward to modern Nova.
Tone and Themes: High-stakes action, cosmic horror, and tragic destiny. The party experiences Klythar’s devastating power, then navigates a fish-out-of-water scenario in a world shaped by the Ravus Empire, the Triad (Sylvaris, Aurumhold, Tidegate). The party's mission to prevent the Shattering, the summoning of Primals and tear down the Ravus war machine sets the campaign’s epic scope.
Prologue Act 1: The Siege of Dawn Haven Location: Dawn Haven, a fortified city of white stone and Aetheric towers in Roh-ber, under siege during the Dawnforge War.
Scene: The party is thrust into a chaotic battle as Dawn Haven’s walls crumble under the assault of Klythar’s draconic worshippers. The sky burns with magic, and the Ebon Moon glows, its Ouroboros dragon symbols pulsing. The party, tasked by High Priestess Lysara, they must defend a sacred Aetheric crystal in Dawn Haven’s temple, which powers a ritual that imprisons Klythar.
Key Events: - Initial Combat: The party battles 4–6 Draconic Marauders (use bandit stats, CR 1/8, with +1d6 necrotic damage) and 2 Draconic Enforcers (use wyrmling stats, CR 2, with necrotic damage) in the temple courtyard. Aether-charged traps (DC 12 Dexterity save, 1d8 necrotic damage) marked by Ouroboros dragon runes activate, adding danger. - Lysara’s Plea: Lysara explains that Klythar, imprisoned in the Ebon Moon, is breaking free due to draconic worship. The party must escort the crystal to a ritual chamber at the top of the temple to reinforce Klythar’s celestial chains, preventing the First Shattering. - Draconic Assault: While moving through Dawn Haven’s streets, the party faces an Order of the Ouroboros Warlord (use young black dragon stats, CR 7, with a proto-Cycle flame Lance: +1 lance, 1d6 extra necrotic damage). Defeating the Warlord yields an Ebon Scale fragment (grants +1 AC or +1d4 necrotic damage to attacks once/day).
Atmosphere: Dawn Haven is a warzone, with fires raging, Aetheric storms crackling, and dragon roars shaking the ground. The Ebon Moon’s eerie glow and pulsating Ouroboros dragon symbols create a sense of impending doom, evoking tension.
Prologue Act 2: The First Shattering Location: The ritual chamber atop Dawn Haven’s temple, a circular sanctum inscribed with runes of The Twelve and glowing with Aetheric light.
Scene: The party delivers the Aetheric crystal to the chamber, joining Lysara and her acolytes in a ritual to reinforce Klythar’s prison. The Ebon Moon trembles, visible through a skylight, as Klythar’s booming voice declares vengeance. The ritual falters as Klythar’s Megaflare Roar triggers the First Shattering.
Key Events: - Cataclysm Unleashed: The Ebon Moon fractures and cracks, raining Ebon Scales and chunks of the moon across Nova. A massive fragment crashes into Roh-ber, forming the future Eboncrater. The ground shakes (DC 15 Strength save or be knocked prone, 2d10 bludgeoning damage). - Draconic Incursion: A Chaosborn Wyrm (use adult black dragon stats, CR 14, with Megaflare Breath: 60-ft. cone, DC 18 Dexterity save, 10d10 necrotic/radiant damage) bursts through a void-rift, its brow glowing with the Ouroboros dragon symbol. The party must protect Lysara for 2 rounds to complete the ritual, fending off the Wyrm and 2–3 Draconic Zealots (use cult fanatic stats, CR 2). - Ritual Failure and Time Jump: Klythar’s power shatters the crystal that the party now sees was in the shape of the Ebon moon. Lysara sacrifices herself to channel The Twelve’s power, hurling the party 1,000 years into the future. As they’re pulled into the vortex, they look up and glimpse Klythar’s obsidian-scaled form wielding the Cycleflame Lance, roaring as the Ebon Moon collapses around him.
Atmosphere: The chamber pulses with clashing divine and chaotic energies, the skylight revealing the Ebon Moon’s cracks and Klythar’s amethyst eyes.
Prologue Act 3: Awakening in Dawn Haven’s Ruins Location: The ruins of Dawn Haven, now an overgrown, crumbling expanse in modern-day Roh-ber, 1,000 years after the First Shattering.
Scene: The party emerges from the vortex in the ruins of the temple, disoriented and surrounded by moss-covered stones and faded runes of The Twelve. The modern world has only two moons (Astral and Umbral), and Dawn Haven is a forgotten legend, overtaken by wilderness. Klythar’s influence lingers in the form of scattered Ebon Scales and draconic worship, with the Eboncrater (a crashed Ebon Moon fragment) looming in the distant wastes as a future threat. The party, still level 3 with their gear intact, must navigate this unfamiliar era, learning of the Ravus Empire, the Triad nations, and the Shattering prophecy.
Key Events: - Ruined Temple Exploration: The party awakens in the temple’s collapsed ritual chamber, now a vine-choked ruin. They face 2 Aetheric Specters (use wraith stats, CR 5, with radiant damage) bound to the broken Aetheric crystal, guarding an Ebon Scale fragment (grants +1 AC or +1d4 necrotic damage once/day). A DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals a carved tablet describing the Shattering prophecy: Klythar’s return depends on reuniting the Ebon Scales, with the Wyrmheart Scale in the Eboncrater as the key. - Modern Factions Encounter: As the party explores the ruins, they encounter a Ravus Empire Scout investigating the ruins for relics, hinting at the Empire’s pursuit of lost power. A Primal Cultist lurks nearby, collecting anything they can to find that holds any magic they could use. The party can fight, sneak, or interrogate them to learn about the modern world, including the Ravus-Triad conflict, the cult, and even where the dragons are. - Klythar’s Vision: As the party exits the ruins, Klythar’s weakened voice speaks telepathically, granting a vision of Ebon Scales scattered across Nova, each marked with the Ouroboros dragon. Klythar mocks their ancient failure, warning that their presence in the modern era will hasten the Shattering. The vision reveals the Eboncrater’s location, 50 miles away. - Rogue Dragon Ally: A rogue dragon (use young platinum dragon stats, CR 8, allied with the Triad) arrives, drawn by the party’s ancient Aetheric signature. It explains that Klythar, weakened by the First Shattering, recovers in the Eboncrater. The dragon offers to guide the party to Sylvaris, a Triad country, to seek allies, but warns of the Eboncrater’s dangers.
Atmosphere: The ruins of Dawn Haven are haunting, with crumbled buildings, overgrown flora, and faint Aetheric residue hinting a lost era. The modern world feels advanced yet perilous, with magitek airships and war torn lands replacing the unity of the world they once knew. The party grapples with displacement, their ancient mission now critical in a strange, divided Nova.
Campaign Hooks for Continuation 1. Eboncrater Expedition: The party learns the Wyrmheart Scale in the Eboncrater must be destroyed to weaken Klythar. They plan a future incursion to face Klythar or disrupt a ritual, navigating the Eboncrater’s crystalline caverns, Aetheric rifts, and draconic guardians. 2. Ebon Scale Hunt: Guided by Klythar’s vision, the party tracks Ebon Scales across Sylvaris’s jungles, Aurumhold’s desert, and Tidegate’s seaside, racing against Ravus and Primal Cults. Each Scale is guarded by some draconic entity. 3. Draconic Diplomacy: The rogue dragon ally connects the party with the Triad, who oppose Klythar’s return. The party negotiates with rogue dragons, risking betrayal to secure allies against the Order of the Ouroboros.