• Out of Character • Plot Notes Request

[Amaris]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Amaris Nyme
Resident or Visitor: Visitor, seeking residency
Your Suggested Plot: I was hoping to get into the Ydalir, as well as maybe getting in cozy with the Namdalen nobility since they have ties to Fensalir and the Ydalir -- which would later lead into a plot concerning the spirit of Myrkvior Forest. Or, well, is hopefully intertwined with a plot with the spirit, as I do want Amaris to engage in spirit worship.
Possible Impact: If it goes in a direction similar to what I imagine, potentially mid to high impact.

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[Samuel]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Samuel Rel Ardeichy
Resident or Visitor: Resident
Your Suggested Plot: This plot is more framed as a question and would approximately take place during the listed calendar event (52-56 & on), here it goes:
I'm wondering if it would be possible to have an encounter with Myrkvior's kin. Samuel has an Empathy spark but is completely unaware he is a mage. The question is essentially whether Myrkvior's kin would be able to detect his spark immediately or not, since this would alter my approach to encountering them. If they are capable of detecting it immediately I think I'd like to simply have Samuel observe the group from a distance and potentially discover some of the faces behind the faction. If they won't be able to detect his spark right away, I would like to have a more direct interaction that could lead to (future) recruitment. Samuel does have traditionalist views aligning with theirs and is clearly a Melrathi native.
Possible Impact: I imagine the impact will be fairly minimal and largely limited to Samuel himself. Depending on how the encounter goes Samuel could either simply learn more about the faction and the people behind it, or start to become part of the faction. If Myrkvior's kin have anything to do at all with the death of Espen Kjarr (don't tell me) then this plot could, way down the line, potentially put Jasper and Samuel at opposing ends of the on-going power struggle in Melrath.

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[Strange]

Getting Started in Melrath Form
Character Name: Vanya Magnus
Resident or Visitor: Resident
What sort of plots are you interested in for this character?: Skadiri initiation and rank appropriate quest(s)

A Strange Plot

Hi Vanya,

Being the daughter of Jarl Magnus, any faction that Vanya seeks to join will keep a very close eye on her - for all sorts of reasons. There will be some who look to protect her, others who might not have the best intentions, and so on.

Faction quests and initiation can be self-modded and you can figure out your own story, if you'd like, on how Vanya gets involved. That said, here is a possible starting point for her...


Lots of visitors come and go through the Magnus estate, always looking to inquire or request favors from the Jarl. Vanya has witnessed this for most of her life.

Lately there's been one visitor who she is able to see leave, but somehow... she never sees her arrive.

This woman is a Skadiri agent, a Stalker to be precise. She goes by an alias of Skathi. There is a great deal of mystery around her, but she is friendly enough whenever Vanya catches sight of her.

One night, Vanya has gotten back home late after a trial spent out riding. Any servants go on ahead without her, and she decides to settle her mount in the stables or maybe she simply wants to have a moment to enjoy the night air...

When out of nowhere, an assassin strikes! This assassin tries to take off Vanya's head with a sickle, but before they can succeed, Skathi appears.

The skadiri fights off the sickle-wielding assassin, but is unable to capture the culprit as the assassin flees the scene. Skathi helps Vanya recover and in talking to her, mentions that if she ever wants to get better at detecting people who might sneak up and attempt to kill her.... that she should consider training with the skadiri.

If Vanya follows this suggestion, then Skathi will be a frequent figure as she will vouch for Vanya and set herself as Vanya's mentor within the faction.

Her first tasks will be to shadow Skathi on assignments around Raelia. Most of them are Intelligence-based, checking in with noble houses about various attacks or threats, some of the wealthier tiers.

On one of the investigations, Vanya and Skathi visit the local businesses in search of information regarding a threat on a wealthy Raelian Fish Merchant (specializing in exotic seafood):

He keeps waking up every morning to find someone has been placing dead fish in his bed, and it's not only getting to be quite stinky but also concerning. His wife is bothering him to figure out who is doing it and stop them. Skathi assigns Vanya to figure this out, leaving the noble girl on her own in the investigation (and likely to take care of other assignments which she doesn't want to bring Vanya along to until Vanya is higher ranked in the faction).

So it is up to Vanya to figure out the culprit leaving dead fish in the merchant's bed. How dangerous or simple this is... is up to you.


Beyond what has been described for the Stalker Skadiri, Skathi, here, you may develop this NPC into a rogue-like mentor. You may also give her a name beyond her alias. If you do pick her up for later play, please PSF the NPC as either a Personal NPC, PB NPC, City NPC, or Mage Mentor NPC. wiki/index.php?title=Category:NPCs

Remember for any relevant threads to post to the Faction Claim thread for points to rank up. viewtopic.php?f=417&t=18004

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, but otherwise feel free to start and move forward with this plot as written here.

[Strange]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Amaris Nyme
Resident or Visitor: Visitor, seeking residency
Your Suggested Plot: I was hoping to get into the Ydalir, as well as maybe getting in cozy with the Namdalen nobility since they have ties to Fensalir and the Ydalir -- which would later lead into a plot concerning the spirit of Myrkvior Forest. Or, well, is hopefully intertwined with a plot with the spirit, as I do want Amaris to engage in spirit worship.
Possible Impact: If it goes in a direction similar to what I imagine, potentially mid to high impact.

A Strange Plot

Hi Amaris,

All of that works together fairly well, Ydalir and Namdalen and Fensalir all fit with each other.

Spirit worship would be expected among the Ydalir, in the sense of communing with the wilderness for survival and the hunt and similar perspectives.

So here's a plot that can combine all those things.



Amaris arrives to Fensalir, and they soon realizes that in this city, there is one organization that seems to be regarded highly above the rest and that is the Ydalir.

If they asks around, they'll mention that they are open to anyone joining their ranks and if Amaris would like, Amaris could go along for a casual trek to see what it's all about and consider joining. The Ydalir will likely want them to join as they need all the bodies they can get for the coming cold seasons.

They will be assigned to a pair of Ydalir, a Ranger and a Scout, who will take them on an ordinary scouting trek northwest of Fensalir. The path goes into the forest for a five trial hike, then they make the rounds for three trials to check for anything unusual, any corpses, etc.

During this trip, the Ydalir will answer any questions they might have (anything on the wiki is fair game to be shared).

Amaris will also find out that the Ranger is actually a Namdalen, and cousin of the Jarl. The Ranger will be friendly and informative, and if inquired, will also share about the noble houses (again, anything on wiki is available for Amaris to learn about).

On their seventh trial, they'll find a spattering of corpses of what looks to be travelers that'd run into bad luck. They will bound the corpses up in furs and canvas, in preparation to drag them to the nearest outpost location to identify and then burn. That night, the two Ydalir will tell Amaris about the Children of the Dusk and the Ranger will attempt to frighten Amaris by a tale of how the corpses likely died horrifically to them. The Ranger will then explain how important it is to properly worship the Induk of the Forest, and anything in regard to the induks on the wiki can now be found out by Amaris.

There will be a momentary funerary pyre for the corpses on the way back, at a small Ydalir and Ragnari-shared outpost. Whether the bodies are identified or not, is up to you. You may decide who the travelers were.

When, and if, the Ydalir return to Fensalir. Once they are in the gates, the Ranger will ask Amaris if they wants to join the Ydalir. If they say yes, then he will sign them up (all threads in this plot leading to their acceptance can be counted as faction points).

If Amaris accepts to join the Ydalir, and Amaris hasn't shown any behaviors of excessive cruelty or disregard to nature, then the Namdalen Ranger will ask them if they'll be their date to a Namdalen family function. This might anger some of the family, as the older members of Namdalen are strictly traditionalists, but that's what the Ranger is hoping for. It seems they're a bit of a troublemaker when it comes to encouraging progress and modernist values. The Ranger will mention that the Jarl is starting to allow discussions about such Raelian politics and that now is the time to really make a difference by showing the Namdalen family that outlanders, like Amaris, can be trusted!


You may develop the Namdalen Ranger NPC however you wish. If you keep them on past this plot, please PSF the NPC as either a Personal NPC, PB NPC, City NPC, or Mage Mentor NPC. wiki/index.php?title=Category:NPCs

wiki/index.php?title=The_Ydalir
wiki/index.php?title=Melrath_Nobility
wiki/index.php?title=Samuel_Namdalen

If anything of major impact happens that isn't directly related to the Ydalir, then please post in the Cold Cycle Plot Tracker: viewtopic.php?f=415&t=19849

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, but otherwise feel free to start and move forward with this plot as written here.

[Strange]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Samuel Rel Ardeichy
Resident or Visitor: Resident
Your Suggested Plot: This plot is more framed as a question and would approximately take place during the listed calendar event (52-56 & on), here it goes:
I'm wondering if it would be possible to have an encounter with Myrkvior's kin. Samuel has an Empathy spark but is completely unaware he is a mage. The question is essentially whether Myrkvior's kin would be able to detect his spark immediately or not, since this would alter my approach to encountering them. If they are capable of detecting it immediately I think I'd like to simply have Samuel observe the group from a distance and potentially discover some of the faces behind the faction. If they won't be able to detect his spark right away, I would like to have a more direct interaction that could lead to (future) recruitment. Samuel does have traditionalist views aligning with theirs and is clearly a Melrathi native.
Possible Impact: I imagine the impact will be fairly minimal and largely limited to Samuel himself. Depending on how the encounter goes Samuel could either simply learn more about the faction and the people behind it, or start to become part of the faction. If Myrkvior's kin have anything to do at all with the death of Espen Kjarr (don't tell me) then this plot could, way down the line, potentially put Jasper and Samuel at opposing ends of the on-going power struggle in Melrath.

A Strange Plot

Hi Samuel,

Yes, it would be possible to have an encounter with Myrkvior's Kin.
They are meant to be a medium-high risk encounter.

Most of Myrkvior's Kin will be unable to detect a spark, but they are familiar with the signs of a mage that aren't just a mage's mark.

Myrkvior's Kin will look for any outward mutations, or possible signs and symptoms of "an Immortal's touch". Any tattoos or birthmarks or similar will be scrutinized.

In the early days of Vhalar (until about 105 Vhalar), Myrkvior's Kin can vary wildly in how they go about recruiting or handling people - so it would depend on the sort of NPCs you'd like to write for the story. It can be explained that the group is still erratic and has different types of members, different shuffles of hierarchy, etc. as they are newly formed rather than an already established faction.

The hardest thing about Samuel getting close for direct recruitment would be his young age. However, if he can get one or two of Myrkvior's Kin to vouch for him, then that would be simple enough. This is as easy as making the members some villagers he actually already knows.



If you'd like to follow the last mentioned that he finds his way into the faction by knowing one of the members already involved...

The Myrkvior's Kin can be an older man or woman, who maybe has something against mages or Immortal Blessed either due to personal experience or just a general fear or a traditionalist wanting outlanders to leave Melrath, but someone that Samuel already knows.

If Samuel can convince them that he can handle himself, then they'll take him along for a meeting on the edges of the forest. Samuel can find out the following by doing so...

• - Myrkvior's Kin seem to meet in groups of about twenty-thirty members at a time.
• - All members wear their masks/uniforms during this meeting. Samuel will only know his own contact's face unless he is clever and devises a way to get them to take off the masks.
• - Two Melrathi referred to as "Messengers" inform the members of what other groups have been talking about.
• - These Messengers also spend an inordinate amount of time regaling the tale of the induk, Myrkvior.
• - The Messengers keep a white fur fox near them at all times. The fox is well-behaved and calmly observes offerings placed before it.
• - About half of the meeting is taken up by "prayer" or shamanic worship/chanting/primal dancing for Myrkvior.
• - The meetings are concluded by sacrifice, usually of a mage or Immortal or just an outlander. Bonus points if an outlander blessed mage or a mortalborn!
• - This is described as to honor their responsibility to Myrkvior and to bring her favor to all executions that will happen between now and the next meeting.
• - If Blessed or Mortalborn is being sacrificed, Samuel will hear some of the Myrkvior's Kin taunt the Immortals to come save their blessed... which will not happen.
• - Whether these sacrifices are ACTUAL mages/mb/immortals... it is unknown. If they are, they don't seem to display much power and their mouths are gagged from any communication, and they are likely blindfolded.

If Samuel attends more than one meeting, then on his third visit, he will be asked by a Messenger to take active part in the concluding sacrifice.

It is also possible he'll be approached by some younger members closer to his age, and asked to join "a hunt" for "invaders". This can be a separate plot that you can self-mod, but once you know the direction Samuel is going in, then post here if you'd like more information added to it.


The answer above and this list can be used for any PCs who try and sneak in/observe a Myrkvior's Kin meeting in the dates pre-105 Vhalar, though circumstances should vary depending on how and who it is.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns, but otherwise feel free to start and move forward with this plot as written here.

[Rorom]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Rorom Nji'Ihai
Resident or Visitor: Visiting Captain. Brought a great shipment of rich athartian silks to Raelia past cycle, so he may be somewhat known.
Your Suggested Plot: I wanted Rorom to get involved with the fishers of Noatun, and House Crovan eventually, attempting to woo lady Iona. He's going to attend the wedding event, with a bunch of gifts for the nobles in attendance. My ideas for gifts were as follows (but he would need Intelligence skill or contact with someone to find out what they like):

Jarl Veldaris: A grave-gold falconry gauntlet.
Lady Iona Crovan: A jeweled fishing tackle and hook (consisting of a masterwork set of jewelry.)
Jarl Crovan: She'd get the other one (a set of masterwork jewelry comes in 2 sets in the Shoppe)
Jarl Gofrith: Perhaps a masterwork sloop, or maybe a special ship component (Like a top of the line Rudder or black/gray silk sails)

But before all of this, he wants to ingratiate himself to the people of Noatun, by chasing after troublesome sea creatures like sharks, and possibly tracking sea monsters when he gets good enough at fishing and marine combat. His skills are fairly bad as far as combat, so he'd likely need to rely on building leadership and hiring warriors for the actual killing.
Possible Impact: Renown for being a guest in good standing at the wedding, with well received gifts to the house nobles and Jarls. Maybe given status above that of a mere outlander.

[Strange]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Rorom Nji'Ihai
Resident or Visitor: Visiting Captain. Brought a great shipment of rich athartian silks to Raelia past cycle, so he may be somewhat known.
Your Suggested Plot: I wanted Rorom to get involved with the fishers of Noatun, and House Crovan eventually, attempting to woo lady Iona. He's going to attend the wedding event, with a bunch of gifts for the nobles in attendance. My ideas for gifts were as follows (but he would need Intelligence skill or contact with someone to find out what they like):

Jarl Veldaris: A grave-gold falconry gauntlet.
Lady Iona Crovan: A jeweled fishing tackle and hook (consisting of a masterwork set of jewelry.)
Jarl Crovan: She'd get the other one (a set of masterwork jewelry comes in 2 sets in the Shoppe)
Jarl Gofrith: Perhaps a masterwork sloop, or maybe a special ship component (Like a top of the line Rudder or black/gray silk sails)

But before all of this, he wants to ingratiate himself to the people of Noatun, by chasing after troublesome sea creatures like sharks, and possibly tracking sea monsters when he gets good enough at fishing and marine combat. His skills are fairly bad as far as combat, so he'd likely need to rely on building leadership and hiring warriors for the actual killing.
Possible Impact: Renown for being a guest in good standing at the wedding, with well received gifts to the house nobles and Jarls. Maybe given status above that of a mere outlander.

A Strange Plot

Hi Rorom! What a great idea for a plot. A lot of it seems to be mostly figured out. You can self-mod Noatun and as Lady Iona is your developed NPC that's been approved, feel free to play her however you wish. If he plays his cards right, he could even convince Iona to be his escort/date to the wedding.


Rorom will find that the Crovan House values hard work and effort more than anything else. He could potentially prove himself to Iona, or even simply win her favor in a bet with someone else - or a fight - or better business acumen - or however might impress her enough that she'd extend an invitation for him to join her at the wedding.

Iona could work as a contact for the gifts, but it is suggested that Rorom acquire her as an official Intelligence contact via knowledge to do so.

When Rorom arrives to the wedding, regardless if he is in the public area or beside Iona, he will find it incredibly difficult to reach the Jarls. His gifts will be placed with either their servants or another prominent family member who is not a Jarl. The reasoning for this can range depending on who he asks. He will notice there are a ton of Ragnari present. Iona might even mention that it's odd so much of the military is in attendance, but then brush it off with assurance that it has to be because it's two Jarls wedding - a fairly rare occurrence though not unheard of.

Iona is likely to be surprised that a gift has been chosen for her as well. This is likely to earn Rorom favor with her.

After the wedding, he will hear about a sea monster that has been plaguing the Noatun village. It's eating all the fish in the area and whenever people try to take it out, it destroys the boats and tears them limb from limb. All that is left is driftwood and blood.

As Rorom uses his leadership and likely intelligence to figure out more about the monster, he will find out that the people of Noatun believe the monster to be a spirit who is angry at them. The reasoning for the anger varies so much that Rorom will find himself struggling to figure out any truth about it. Regardless, it doesn't seem like the monster is a spirit of any sort - just an angry creature that wandered too far from the darker waters in the north, and too close to land.

But if he tries to express that thought to the more superstitious of the village, Rorom will lose potential favor with the older villagers. Likewise, if he keeps quiet and/or agrees that it is a spirit, the older villagers will likely approve more so of him.

If Rorom successfully manages to trap/kill/etc. the sea monster, Iona will ... to put it simply... be intrigued with him but she will off-hand mention that Jarl Crovan doesn't approve of her interest. Though he helped with the sea monster, and the people of Noatun regard him kindly, Jarl Crovan seems less than enthused about his various interests in their house. From Iona, and possible other contacts, he will get the impression that Serena Crovan is stressed and not happy in her new marriage... but if he is smart, he will very cautiously share that impression (if he does at all).

Rorom will also find out, one way or another, that House Imair and House Gofrith will both take note that Rorom didn't offer any gifts beyond Jarl Gofrith, the two Crovans, and Veldaris.

If Rorom has any interactions with House Imair, or NPCs connected to House Imair, he will find them to be disapproving and standoffish beyond ordinary.

So go ahead and have fun with this one, lotta different ways to take it and write it out. Let me know if you need more specific details and structure, or any modded interactions with specific noble NPCs. Otherwise, have at it!

PM me if you have any questions or concerns, but feel free to start and move forward with this plot as written here.

[Nox Cross]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Nox Cross
Resident or Visitor: Visitor
Your Suggested Plot: I planned for Nox to get "expedited" citizenship by various means, then for him to get more involved with Melrath's underworld, possibly taking it piece by piece and ultimately the seat of power. At the same time infiltrating The Ragnari, first and foremost The Skadiri, placing the Aukarian Occult agents and sleepers. If the opportunity arise he would also be involved in destabilizing a noble house either financially or by assassinating it's Jarl/successor.
Possible Impact: If everything goes as planned it will have a mid to high impact for both Nox and Melrath

[Strange]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Nox Cross
Resident or Visitor: Visitor
Your Suggested Plot: I planned for Nox to get "expedited" citizenship by various means, then for him to get more involved with Melrath's underworld, possibly taking it piece by piece and ultimately the seat of power. At the same time infiltrating The Ragnari, first and foremost The Skadiri, placing the Aukarian Occult agents and sleepers. If the opportunity arise he would also be involved in destabilizing a noble house either financially or by assassinating it's Jarl/successor.
Possible Impact: If everything goes as planned it will have a mid to high impact for both Nox and Melrath

Hi Nox,

There's a lot going on here. The end goals of this are all incredibly high impact, and have lots of possible points for equally grand failure that we can't brush or skip over. Plots like this are going to be extremely high risk for Nox, and success cannot be assumed.

Due to this, these sort of plots need to be open for other players to get involved with, if they want, so I won't give Nox a PC-specific plot for something like "taking the seat of power of the Melrath underworld". I could go with "trying to acquire power in the Melrath underworld", as an example for future reference.

Because of how extreme something like "the seat of power" is, not only is this highly elevated risk, but Nox would need to improve his current skills (and then some) as he doesn't have a single skill that is above Novice currently, and he'd be going up against lawless types that are easily Maxed-Out Masters (to have maintained the positions they currently hold). That's not even getting into the Skadiri yet...

So, with something as wide-sweeping as this, it'd be best to break it down and start from a first step.

That would be for Nox to start toward his citizenship.


After staying for one cycle in Melrath it is possible to petition the Circle in Raelia for permission to become a full Melrathi. This is normally a simple process that requires a minor amount of paperwork, although you must also bring a natural born Melrathi to stand before a representative of the Circle.

They must stand beside you and speak briefly on your time in Melrath. They will mention any of your worthy contributions to society along with any of your possible crimes that they have witnessed. (If you have committed a crime and your “Witness” mentions it, you can be immediately taken to prison or wholly exiled from Melrath).

Once this process is complete and any problems have been discussed, you are allowed to anoint yourself with a proper Embla and fully take your place in Melrath’s society.

If you are a known criminal:
It is actually possible to cheaply hire certain individuals within the Raelian criminal underworld that will stand as a “witness” with you in order to secure citizenship.
wiki/index.php?title=Melrath_Citizenship


So Nox needs to find a witness. This must be a natural-born Melrathi.

For his citizenship trial, please contact a Melrath mod when you'd like to go forward with it and it will be a modded thread. Please have at least 3 threads of Nox meeting and getting to know his Witness, however he goes about finding them or whoever he picks. His choices in these threads will reflect on the Circle's decision, which will be a modded decision so do not go ahead and assume success.

An expedited citizenship is highly unlikely, and I cannot think of a reason why Nox would receive an exception. If he did try to expedite it, there is a higher likelihood that the Circle would reject and dismiss the attempt.

You mention "various means", so if you had anything specific in mind for why an expedited citizenship might happen, please write up a new plot request with that goal before we move forward with any of the other points mentioned on this initial request. Otherwise, please wait until Nox has been in Melrath for a cycle and then contact a Melrath mod when ready for the citizenship trial.

PM me if you have any questions or concerns.

[Azrael]

Plot Note Request Form:
Character Name: Azrael Blackfire
Resident or Visitor: Visitor? (He was in Yaralon and it closed so he came here.)
Your Suggested Plot: I've titled this plot "The Hunt For The Ether-Forge" in all the notes I've been working on and it is pretty much just that. Azrael Blackfire would assemble a group of PC adventurers to go on a treasure hunt to find Floren Guilder's (Made-Up Cult Leader) settlement in the Melrath Wilds where he built a forge to craft weapons that used ether rather than metal for their blades and arrows. I can write up the NPCs for the rival group, bandits, and the grendel as well as the ether-weapons they're trying to find but I wasn't sure if you wanted that here so I just put the outline right now. So the plot I've worked out goes as follows:
- Azrael posts an open recruitment call to any treasure hunters in Raelia to meet him at the Ox's Bellow Tavern in Vildholm (it would be open to whoever wanted to join). When they gather at the tavern they'll encounter a group of NPC adventurers (Sir Otto Guyon, Johannes Wichard, Molly Janat, Anny Yvon, and Vincent Payne) who want to find Guilder's weapon designs to sell to the Ragnari. Azrael and Co. ideally oppose this because they want to keep the weapons for themselves.

- Once the opposing NPC group leaves to follow whatever lead they have, Azrael and Co. go to Fensalir to try and reach The Old Ruin. Assuming none of the characters involved have been there before, they will turn to the Ydaliri for guidance to the Old Ruin. Should the party fail to persuade the Ydaliri to help them, they can turn to criminals in Fenmoor who would be willing to take them to the typically left-alone location.

- At The Old Ruin the group would search for the last known campsite of Floren Guilder and his cult. When they find it they will encounter the NPC group of treasure hunters and if persuasion fails, they will fight with them to try and secure Floren Guilder's journal. There will also be a map at this location that only characters with 50+ detection will be able to see. Should the journal be destroyed and the map not recovered, the journey would end here unsuccessfully. However if the group secures either the journal or the map they will have enough clues to try and find the cult settlement in the Melrath Wilds. Additionally there may be some odd things at the Ruin to lend to it's legend.

- Lacking proper skills to locate the settlement, Azrael and Co. can turn to the Ydaliri for guidance or their criminal contact from earlier. The criminal contact would be less useful than the Ydaliri.

- In the Wilds they'd find The Guilder Cult Settlement and the connected cave that Floren Guilder used to craft his ether-weapons. However the settlement will be in ruin with many long dead bodies laying around as if some mass ritual suicide occurred. Yet in other parts of the settlement it will be more clear that the villagers were killed by beast attacks (a grendel in the cave). One final time they will encounter the group of rival treasure hunter NPCs, perhaps a few bandits, and then from the cave a grendel. Should the party endure these encounters and explore the cave they'll fine the forge itself collapsed and destroyed, the schematics for the weapons now gone forever. However further exploration will reveal an armory where each player will be able to loot an ether weapon or two to fit their play style. There would only be 5 undamaged and usable weapons though so it could cause conflict between players trying to determine who gets what at the end of the hunt. I call that the Season 8 moment when the party you've been rooting for might just completely turn on each other for loot.

Possible Impact: Depending on how the threads play out, the impact on Melrath itself could very. The thread would involve a group trying to secure the Ether-Weapons for the Melrath Military group The Ragnari and it would also involve the PC lead group of characters interacting with the Ydalir or a criminal element to some degree. It could make the Melrath Military bitter towards or outright furious at our group of adventurers who are trying to get to the treasure before the group working for the military can thought I think most of the consequences will come along the way rather than immediately after. All involved characters will likely have their relationship to the two groups greatly changed from what it was unless previously associated with them. Additionally the introduction of ether-weaponry could have a longer reaching impact if more curious PC's try to replicate it but I'm not as sure about that.