Shadow and Flame/DM Notes
Information in this section is for DMs.
Setting
- Plane of shadows
- Roughly mirrors the material plane, only grayer and misty and chill.
- Hell
- Hot, lava, flames? Need something more manufactured, perhaps a castle (or town?) of black granite and iron.
- Material plane
- A village, controlled by agents of the Shadowman that traps peoples' memories in the plane of shadows in an chilling ritual of death. Most of the inhabitants are unaware of these and believe those taken and murdered have either left of their own accord or have died in unfortunate accidents. The village should be superficially normal not with a dark undercurrent.
Characters
Both Asmerdyas and the Shadowman are cruel, callous and uncaring of the fates of the mortal pawns they use in their games of power.
Asmerdyas
- Cold
- Beautiful but strange (red eyes, slitted like a cat).
- Lawful evil so will stick with bargins made (although adjusting the terms and omitting information as it suits her).
- Uses her pawns in a calculating manner -- like chess pieces.
Shadowman
- Hungers for memories, particularly those involving death.
- Prone to implusive behaviour, unreliable and frequently acts on a whim (e.g., spares the party if he thinks it would be amusing).
- His pawns are more like toys -- something to amuse him with the suffering they cause in their wake.
Plot
Very rough here.
Asmerdyas points the party to the village, the party follow the clues (what clues?) and these leads them (eventually) to the plane of shadows where they confront the Shadowman and slay him (or just drive him away, deeper into the plane? would this be more plausible?).
Asmerdyas betrays the party and sets them up to die (how? attacked by devils seems to simple and not sufficiently cunning).
The party follows some more clues (can we bring back that wizard from the island to give hints on how to travel to hell?) and end up in hell where they confront Asmerdyas and defeat her also.
