Campaign Overview:

Taking place in the Steampunk Metropolis of Riveton, "What Lies Eternal" places players in the role of the City Council, the defacto rulers of an empire forged on Blood and Steam.
 
10 years ago "The Event" wiped out the previous city council save for one survivor, claiming 134 lives in a flash of blue energy. The origin and the nature of this incident have never been established, but the resulting power vacuum has thrown Riveton into chaos as policital factions rise to try and claim the seat of the empire.

Elected by the noble families of the Upper Echelon, or through their own devious hands, the Players find themselves with untold power at their fingertips, and a city to bring under their control. Will they succeed, and bring their deepest desires to life? Or will they fall to the grime and grit of Riveton as so many have before them. Only time will tell...


The Experiment:

"What Lies Eternal" was designed for my veteran D&D group as we transition into Pathfinder, following an initial taste of the system run through one of the predesigned adventures.

I wanted to create an adventure focused around 2 key elements:
 

• This would be a High Level Campaign, something we had not yet attempted.

• This would be an Evil Campaign, to shy away from the usual heroics my players embrace.

I also wanted to explore giving the Players a greater sense of agency in both the construction of their world, and their role within it. To do this I created the "Session 0 System", a Tarot Card driven event mechanic that would allow Players to shape out their first few years on the council, while designing companies, companions and conspiratorial connections with each other.

This combined with some 1 on 1 backstory construction sessions, and the development of their own companies within Riveton, means that the Players don't start fresh-faced in the world, instead they being play having already shaped 5 years of the city's history. They've changed the city's landscape through their response to events, made both political rivals and allies through the interactions with the cities long standing establishments, and established themselves as rulers.

The hope it that this enhanced situational presence within the world will deepen their connection with the city and their characters, allowing them to build more meaninful relationships with other PC's and NPC's, and improving their immersion.

On the flip side of the coin this enhanced integration is also to aid in the promotion of careful planning with regards to their actions. At level 15 some of their abilites can be devestating for a wide area, but now rather than firing and forgetting, they're forced to consider how their public appearance will change based on those actions, and whether it could hurt their companies bottom line.

I'm excited to see where What Lies Eternal takes the group, and hope you enjoy the ride!