Module idea, actually a dream I've just woken up from at 3am.
Main character and a few companions/henchmen are children/young teenagers.
1. Mysterious goddess type. She has enemies, she's forgotten much, lost most of her powers and she's looking for something that could determine the fate of the universe. She's also _not_ the PC. :-P
2. The childhood friend. Tomboy type, grew up with the PC, tends to action first, planning later. She may have a bit of a crush on the PC but she's not going to admit that to him. She's too young for it to be anything but puppy love in any case. She respects 'the goddess type' and is in a little awe of her but doesn't let that stop them from becoming friends.
3. The PC. He, or she, has a touch of the dark to him. In his(/her) history and/or in his personality. (It's cliched but picking one or more from the "foundling", "parents killed at an early age" might work ;-)
The Plot
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'The goddess type' is already acquainted with the other two at the start of the game. She doesn't know exactly what she's looking for, but she'll know it when she gets it. Probably. She also has an idea as to where to look for it, and that is in The Field.
The Field is at one time a normal looking scraggly abandoned hay meadow and at the same time a mystical place where nothing is quite what it seems. On the mundane level it is mostly surrounded by the ordinary modern rural town where 'the childhood friend' and 'the PC' grew up. There is only one way to enter the field, an alley with a low building (garage) on one side and a tall building on the other. Normal people tend to ignore the field, and possibly are incapable of seeing it in normal circumstances.
In the field is also The Crow. The Crow is a shapechanger. It can grow to monstrous size and change its appearance - in the module (dream) it only changed between species of crow. It is obviously powerful and magical but whether it is intelligent is not made clear. It either can't, or chooses not to, speak.
At the start The Field is just one of several places 'the goddess type' leads the PC and 'childhood friend' on the search. This gives the opportunity to set up a feel for things and briefly introduce places and people that you may be seeing later. However she soon becomes convinced that The Field is the place to go. The Crow is initially enigmatic and aloof but not openly hostile, but this changes as soon as The Nut is found.
Symbolically The Nut could represent unknown potential, the future, or any number of things. 'The goddess type' spots is when the PC is near to it and points it out to him. However as the PC goes to pick it up The Crow turns to monstrous size and drives them all out of the field.
/Initially/ 'the goddess type' is convinced that it is The Nut that she is looking for. The player should be given the chance to try various ways to get into the field to grab it but all fail. Then comes the twist. The two companions go to The Field _without_ the PC (possibly he's stuck in bed with a cold) and, rashly, have a go by themselves. The Tomboy type manages to climb up to the garage roof and jumps into The Field in an attempt to avoid being spotted (and/or be nearer to the nut at the start). Surprisingly although The Crow flies into The Field and alongside her as she runs out with her prize it doesn't attack her. When she is out they look back to see The Crow has changed to a normal sized Jackdaw and is standing next to where the nut was, and at that moment a seedling springs up from the ground at that very spot. [Next module The Field will have changed into The Forest]
Although clearly significant, 'the goddess type' is now uncertain that The Nut was really what she was looking for - it seems more likely that it is just the first clue in her search. However they have a bigger question to answer - "Why did The Crow not stop the childhood friend getting the nut?" Or rather "Why did it stop _the PC_ from getting the nut?"
On talking that one out there are two disturbing ideas that come to them.
1. Suppose the PC is not to be trusted? If The Crow was a guardian beast then it may have some way to tell what darkness lurks within a man.
2. The Nut may 'do something' if the PC touches it, 'something' that if not happening in the right place and/or with the right preparations could have devastating results.
If either of those are true (and they aren't the only possibilities) they may be better off just not letting the PC know that they've got it. And it's at that point that the dream (/introductory module) ends.
For atmosphere think Narnia or Enid Blyton. Plenty of excitement but not so much in the way of explicit violence.
Well I hope that somebody finds this of interest, and I'm going to try to go back to sleep now.
10 - A Masterpiece, Genuinely Groundbreaking 9 - Outstanding, a Must Have 8 - Excellent, Recommended to Anyone 7 - Very Good, Deserves a Look 6 - Good, Qualified Recommendation 5 - Fair, Solid yet Unremarkable 4 - Some Merit, Requires Improvements 3 - Poor Execution, Potential Unrealized 2 - Very Little Appeal 1 - Not Recommended to Anyone
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at 2007-07-09 11:23:48
