I'm putting together a story idea for my saga, and (as I am want to do) turn to this learned forum for inspiration.
The saga is set in an urban covenant in the city of Palma on the isle of Majorca.
One of the players is a Necromancer. A few sessions ago, the player mentioned that it would be cool if the city had a Necropolis, since Palma was originally founded by the Romans. I'd like to give the player his wish, and turn it into an story. My goal is to have some fun combat / obstacles, and that the "treasure" will be finding some scrolls from the Order of Mercury that will clue the characters into further research on the odd stone beneath their covenant.
After some further story development, here's where I am. At some time in the past, there was a plague in the city, caused by one of the Decani Demons (RoP:I). (I will probably use Metathiax, since his stats are already complete in the book.) The Mercurian wizards weren't strong enough to defeat it, so they imprisoned it within a Ward, and surrounded the ring with bones of the victims of the plague. This burial chamber grew over the centuries into a small necropolis, and was eventually forgotten during the dark ages. Eventually, the new Muslim-run city planted a line of olive trees along a promenade. The roots of one of the trees burst through into the necropolis, and unfortunately crossed the Ring barrier, freeing the demon.
The characters return from a recent trip to find their city in the grips of a slowly-spreading plague. The story will focus at first on helping the victims, then once they realize that the source is infernal, trying to track down the demon and either destroying it or imprisoning it again. In order to give the Necromancer his wish, I figure the final battle will involve a bunch of plague-ridden zombies, or a bunch of infernally-possessed skeletons down in the tunnels.
Nothing like the undead rising near your covenant to raise the hackles of the Quaesitores....
So. Any thoughts here? Any "Oh this would be cool" scenes that come to mind? Any concerns?
In order to lead the characters to the Necropolis (and the Mercurian scrolls also entombed there,) I figure that the Olive Tree is now dead, and has an infernal aura. The stones around the tree are loose, as if something has tunnelled up from below. Is the demon trapped within the tree, or somehow anchored to it still, upon it's release from the crypt? Who is patient zero -- someone ate of the olives? or leaned against the tree? (If I use Metathiax, perhaps he appears beneath the tree during the full moon, and let's travelers drink from his cursed water jug?)
I want this adventure to be a one-evening affair, so I want to make sure the characters can find their way to the tree relatively quickly. Any thoughts on how to drive the characters to the source?
This might get too complicated, but it might be nice to bring in some local color to the adventure. I've been meaning for the characters to meet the local Muslim leadership for a while.
Perhaps there is a Muslim prophecy about the coming plague, so when the plague appears, the Holy Men swing into action. In the description of Metathiax, the reading of poetry can slow it down. What better poetry is there than the Koran? So if the characters are stuck, perhaps the Imam and his holy warriors could help lead the characters to the tree/necropolis. If nothing else, if the characters get into trouble, the Warriors could appear and slow down the demon. They could even use warriors that read poetry to drive the demon into a new Ring, and imprison it.
I welcome any and all thoughts. Thank you in advance.