Echoes of the Steel Mountain

In a world of gear and iron, a mountain feud sparks a race against time.

As the Steel Mountain rumbles ominously, a small human settlement is caught in a longstanding feud between goblins and lizardfolk. This discord is exacerbated by the malicious aspirations of an embittered engineer who wields mysterious, rune-inscribed technology. Players must navigate treacherous mountain paths, confront feral creatures, and uncover the truth behind the masked villain's vendetta, all while a deadline looms over their heads like a sharpened axe.

Campaign Image

The World

Context

Mount Steel is a harsh yet captivating place where medieval technology exceeds expectations. Ingenious contraptions, reliant on enigmatic mountain minerals, supplement hard-won survival. This fusion is disrupted by discarded technology and the presence of goblins and lizardfolk, complicating coexistence.

Concept

Runes etched in the mountain produce technology that emulates magic, altering the mundane.

Impact

Conflict arises as these devices challenge existing structures and empower fringe groups, disrupting the fragile status quo.

The Plot

Summary

In the mountains, a legendary rune-steel mask's theft threatens peace between local races. As foes conspire under the precarious truce, players are drawn in when a loved one is kidnapped. The mission unfolds across treacherous paths and hostile territories: from salvaged goblin machinery to insidious lizardfolk traps hidden within vibrant mountain flora. Each faction hides its own secrets, but the true mastermind—a jilted engineer once hailed as a genius—intends to incite chaos. As the week dwindles, unravel engineering marvels and sway alliances to avert irreversible conflict, all while facing the engineer's cunning machinations. Will there be peace, or will war echo across Steel Mountain?

Complication

The antagonist, a former ally, wants retribution, blaming players for their past misfortunes.

Hook

A loved one is taken by a masked figure.

World stakes

The mountain races’ fragile peace could crumble into war.

Personal stakes

A loved one's life is at immediate stake.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

Players begin in the human village of Ridgepost, discovering their loved one has been kidnapped by a masked individual. Clues point towards a goblin camp where the players must either negotiate or battle their way to discover more about the masked figure's identity and intentions. Halfway through, surviving an ambush reveals that the camp possesses a key gadget—a missing part of the stolen rune-steel mask.

Location:

Goblin camp amidst ruined gear, bristling with traps.

Challenge:

Navigating unstable goblin machinery without triggering traps.

Objective:

Find the goblin camp and learn about the mask.

Set Back:

Goblins believe players to be allied with hostile lizardfolk.

Revelation:

The mask component is in goblins’ possession.

GM's Guide:

Focus on tension and puzzle-solving with the goblin technology and social maneuvers. Evoke the wild, unpredictable nature of goblins while keeping encounters witty yet threatening.

GM's Move:

Ambush exposes missing mask component and raises stakes.

Act 2

Summary:

Players journey deeper into the mountain's heart, confronting lizardfolk territories. Here, they encounter skittish lizardfolk who reveal tensions over resource access linked to ancient treaty rights. Negotiating these rights amidst hidden traps provides clues to the antagonist’s old station, where the villain's full intent is exposed. Lizardfolk's environmental control becomes a key puzzle, highlighting the mountain's magic-like technology.

Location:

Lizardfolk territory with shifting terrain mimicking tech effects.

Challenge:

Navigating and overcoming lizardfolk-set environmental traps.

Objective:

Diffuse tensions and uncover the villain’s aims.

Set Back:

Lizardfolk traps block progress, requiring careful negotiations.

Revelation:

Antagonist uses magic-like tech for personal vendetta.

GM's Guide:

Balance between navigating lizardfolk politics and revealing the potency of the mountain's tech. Encourage players to tap into the mountain's 'magic' to innovate solutions.

GM's Move:

The treaty's collapse threatens mountain-wide conflict.

Act 3

Summary:

In the mountain's isolated core, players confront the villainress engineer within her lair, rigged with devices repurposing mountain runes. Her innovation threatens not only the local peace but could destabilize mountain life permanently. Players must remove the mask, subdue devices, and, through either combat or diplomacy, ensure truce between races. Their burden: to rectify history's scars, helping adversaries see beyond vengeance.

Location:

Villain’s lair, an amalgam of repurposed rune-tech.

Challenge:

Disabling devices using cunning or combat.

Objective:

Confront the antagonist and restore mountain chaos.

Set Back:

Antagonist's knowledge gives her initial advantage.

Revelation:

Devices were meant to expose latent mountain tech.

GM's Guide:

Allow flexibility in resolving either through stealth or direct confrontation. Highlight dramatic choices and their world-changing effects.

GM's Move:

Revealed devices set to destabilize entire mountain ecosystem.

Climax:

Players must unite races or risk mountain-wide chaos.