Shadowrun
Shadowrun Play => Gamemasters' Lounge => Topic started by: AndyNakamura on <12-12-13/1148:02>
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Inspired by a Russian urban fantasy novel.
Characters are hired as assistance for a geological / topographical survey along the Rhein. However, the true goal of the expedition, unknown to the runners, is to locate the lost treasure of the Nibelungs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nibelungenlied). The expedition goes horribly right. The treasure is discovered, but every member of the expedition (except the runners) is mysteriously and brutally murdered overnight. The runners are left with a pile of cursed dragon-gold, and several high-level players taking interest. Getting involved are:
- Lofwyr. You would expect the de-facto owner of Germany to find out about something as big as recovering Fafnir's treasure.
- The Illuminati, or any sort of shadowy global conspiracy, who originally organized the expedition in order to weaponize the curse on the gold.
- DIMR. Once the curse manifests and starts wreaking havoc (exact scale of which is up to GM, from disturbance in the astral, to sudden mass murders), the Institute will take notice.
- The Mob, always on the lookout for large amounts of gold being smuggled across international borders.
- Descendants of Ziegfried, out to recover their heritage.
- The Laughing Man, who very likely knew Ziegfried personally. Possibly a benevolent influence (in his own way).
- Fafnir (unless him and Lofwyr are the same dragon). Because adding yet one more Great Dragon to the existing mix is bound to be fun.
The helicopter attack scene set to the Ride of the Valkyries is, of course, obligatory.
Thoughts? Comments?
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I think this absolutely needs to be written up as an adventure, mini-campaign, what have you. Fragging brilliant, chummer.
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Now, I saw it mentioned somewhere, that there's been a string of ...disappearances of various people, supposedly heirs of dragonslayers. What's the deal with that / where can I find more info?
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Additional thoughts on the plot:
Lofwyr is not Fafnir, but the "curse" on the gold, wreaking vengeance for Fafnir's death on its owners. He's known where the treasure is all along. During the "settle your business" events in Stormfront, he leaks the info about the horde to the anti-dragon group Sons of Ziegfried (IIRC, there is one under that name), in order to bring them out of hiding. Possibly, with the rumors of Ziegfried's sword, which is hidden with the treasure, being able to slay dragons.
Harlequin was masquerading as Hagen during the time of Nibelungenlied. Recognizing the danger of the curse on the gold, he advocates murdering the original Ziegfried and getting rid of the treasure. He can give the historical perspective to the characters, and possibly speculations on Lofwyr's plot.
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Now, I saw it mentioned somewhere, that there's been a string of ...disappearances of various people, supposedly heirs of dragonslayers. What's the deal with that / where can I find more info?
I'm sure one of the canon experts can chime in with chapter & verse for you, but I suspect you'll find a lot of the relevant information in The Clutch of Dragons. (Which is on my to-read list.)
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Magnificent idea!
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Now, I saw it mentioned somewhere, that there's been a string of ...disappearances of various people, supposedly heirs of dragonslayers. What's the deal with that / where can I find more info?
Clutch of Dragons starts it, I'm sure..
and Storm Front finishes that storyline
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That's the Dragon-Metahumanity war, correct? The one they get to continue for another entire year, by decree of their new Lore Master?
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Just for additional wrinkle material:
Loki stole the gold from the Dwarf Andvari;
Fafnir was human before transforming into a dragon (which took some years);
Attila the Hun wanted the horde as a dowry.
Dessert (for thought) is served . . .
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Some info from German-language sourcebooks:
There is a policlub named Siegfriedbund which is extremely right-wing, anti-meta, anti-foreign megacon and especially anti-dragon. They are (barely) legal in the ADL and have ties to Norse pagan occult societies and the German Catholic Church as well. They would make a good villain group for this kind of adventure.
More german-language info here: http://shadowhelix.pegasus.de/Siegfriedbund (http://shadowhelix.pegasus.de/Siegfriedbund)
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I like it...
Please include Brunhilde, the Adept Troll who has useful info and they have to either Con and/or defeat in a one-on-one combat to 'prove' themselves. She then become very enamoured of the person who manages to defeat her.
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That's the Dragon-Metahumanity war, correct? The one they get to continue for another entire year, by decree of their new Lore Master?
Yep, the same.
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Additional thoughts: there IS in fact aan actual curse on the gold, that Herr Lofwyr doesn't know about. The pile of brutally murdered bodies that the characters wake up next to now includes someone other than their employers. That being the S-K kill team sent to intercept the Sons of Siegfried.