Against the Phoenix campaign details

Ok so I mentioned a new campaign setting in the works

The setting is in a valley below a mountain range, specifically below a large dormant volcano

Moving to Seattle was the best decision of my life. I get to see a fucking volcano.

The area is kept protected by an ex-adventurer (a 10th level Lady) who set up her castle and cleared the surrounding area of monstrosities, opening the way for people to set up villages. There's a good few around set up for mining, lumber, farming, fishing, and so on.

However, recently this idyllic life has been recently disrupted by hordes of beastmen that have wandered down from the mountain. These aren't pig-faced orcs we're talking about, we're talking Warhammery creatures of chaos that warp magic when you try to use it around them.




The castle at the foot of the mountain has managed to push most of them back into the mountains and an emissary has come to visit. The Lady of the Valley has been informed that a powerful phoenix is coming to claim the mountain as its home and the valley below as its own. Shortly after an enormous phoenix was seem flying over the mountain and disappearing into it.

Magic!

And that's where the situation stands as of the moment.

Why is the phoenix here? Spoilers below!

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When a phoenix dies, a new phoenix is reborn with only the knowledge that it will live for a thousand years, what its powers can do, and that without a doubt it will die. Normally a phoenix will take this thousand years to become a force of good in the world. This one, for some reason, had decided it is in no way ok with this. As such it has spent the better part of the last 900 years researching how best to live forever. Lichdom? No, no, dying means you automatically rebirth. Bathing in the blood of young elves? Fun but ineffective.

Ah, ah yes. Ascension. Becoming a demigod would be perfect. You don't have to die technically, you leave the body behind and you yourself become incredible powerful.

So the bird has come across several sources claiming an ancient artifact has been buried deep under the mountain range and the dormant volcano makes a perfect roost while its minion army (summoned from the realms of chaos) dig and hunt.

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So what do we have? We have a large valley, a mountain range, a volcano, the inside of the volcano, and deep under the mountain range we have an underdarkesque area.

On the map I have also included an "ancient watchtower" which has a nice backstory and plot fuckery involved as well. There are also three key non-human settlements around: the giants and the dwarves on opposite sides of the mountains, and halfling territory in the hills to the south that trade with the humans now and them. These non-humans will be very important in taking the battle to the phoenix later.

I think it rounds out to a nice, potential-filled setting with plenty to do as well as an overarching plot to deal with. I'm excited!