How do you integrate a prophecy into an existing AD&D campaign?
Well, I've done it.
First, some basics about prophecies:
I had this basic idea: The Illithid invade my campaign world. I used the TSR-originated plan for the Illithid to "darken the sun", but took it further and added in an idea from David Gerrold's Chtorr books. The Illithid conducted an ecological invasion, using magically/psionically altered creatures to allow them to adapt to this new world. They also subverted rulers of various countries.
When I started the campaign, I talked with the players and asked several things: Did they mind playing in a fantastical, save the world from ultimate evil campaign? Did they want to play heroes, and if so, tragic heroes, fallen heroes, or anti-heroes? Did they want a prophecy, and if so, would they be at least cooperative and not try to sabotage it?
The first and third questions were the most important. If the PCs are going to know about the prophecy before or during the carrying out of the prophecy, it's vital to have cooperative players. Prophecies in RPGs are easy to sabotage. Now, everyone's done the "save the world from eternal darkness" bit. If you play these games long enough, it can get old (all of my current players are veterans of many years). With regards to what kind of hero they wanted to play, I wanted the focus to be primarily heroic (go figure), but I was open to the "bad guy turned to good", "misunderstood villain", or "excommunicated knight" archetypes, to name a few. The third question, like I said, was vital - if my players weren't willing to go along with it, I'd be a fool to try and force them to.
My players had some questions for me: Is this prophecy going to railroad us into a predetermined path? Are we going to be required to fulfill certain roles, irregardless of what we want to do with our characters? Can the prophecy be changed, or is it set in stone? I avoided the predetermined path by not only setting up a competing prophecy or two, but also by making the Prophecy of the Seven (the one the PCs are trying to fulfill) vague and "open" enough to handle a wide variety of events. My answer was that certain major events were in all probability unavoidable. However, it would be possible for the PCs, by their actions, to invalidate portions, or all of the prophecy. As for fulfilling certain roles, those roles would be developed from the character creation process. For example: One of my PCs wanted to play the daughter of a hedge-baron, who wants to become a knight (very much against "Poppa's" wishes, and utterly ruining the marriage he'd arranged for her). The first thing she did was run away from home. Presto, the player created the role she wanted her character to fulfill. By getting this information from the player before hand, I was able to make a few (thankfully minor) adjustments to the Prophecy of the Seven to match. You can guess by now that the Prophecy of the Seven wasn't set in stone. By setting up a competing prophecy or two (there's a Karanukese version that requires certain NPC deaths and one or two PCs joining the enemy), I allowed for the utter and complete destruction of the primary Prophecy (of the Seven). Because these two prophecies have endings that are mutually exclusive, I accounted for either of them, or neither of them being fulfilled.
I started my prophecy(ies) way back in campaign time. It foretold events that have already happened in the campaign world. This helped establish a sense of history and age for the prophecy. It also helped that all the events had happened. For example, the very beginning of the Prophecy of the Seven (you can also see the introduction of making things vague enough, and using symbols, to account for unforseen shifts and events later in the prophecy):
The phoenix has been born again, and the Sons of Ular, Kath, Tasun, and Shirosan are scattered through the world of Avamor.
Ular, Kath, Tasun, and Shirosan are the ancient names of the four great tribes of Humans. Only characters who were versed in Teshian history (an ancient empire of magic in my campaign) would recognize Ular as the name of the First Teshian King (well before they were an empire). The phoenix reference is only there for appearance. The only bearing it has on the Prophecy is that the original texts (written by King Ular himself) are called The Books of the Phoenix.
As the might of the Ularian Empire waxes, so too shall their greed.
They will hunt the True Inheritors of this world unto death,
And willingly give their souls into eternal torment.
But know that not all of the Ularians are fell and twisted.
Those whose souls shine as the sun shall rebel, saving what remains of the Lands.
The True Inheritors is a reference to Dragons and Unicorns. (The way I set up my campaign, Dragons and Unicorns are the first races, and the only immortal races). The Teshians had a history of hunting Dragons for use in creating magical devices and spells. The Teshians were destroyed from within (their inner council of magi was corrupted by a demon prince). Only one order of knighthood dedicated to the God of the Sun (Essea, now known as Avaryan) resisted - all as described here. I went on to describe how the Teshians met the Kathnyri, warred, and resulted in the Kathnyri lands being stripped of magic.
I covered major events up to the time the campaign started. Then there was this section:
The Danuel, grown great, noble, and strong, shall commit grave betrayal, sundering their word to a great and noble man, Mortiel Dracul. Thus they are oathbreakers twice - once for the greatness they might have swayed to their side, a second time for the forgotten promise made to Kadrian Ahlun, and a thousand times for the generations that will suffer for the treachery of three men.
Here, the Danuel (ancient name for the Hartlanders) murdered Garrod selDraco, Ruler of Karanuk - breaking a promise they'd made to Karaman (called Kadrian Ahlun, among other names), a Dragonmage who'd led the Danuel to new, fertile lands. I pulled heavily from Arthurian legend about how the "king and the land are one", just extending it a bit to include all of the nobility. This led to the destruction of the Hartland - breaking it up into the Seven Kingdoms, creation of the Arnul Waste, and the immediate history for almost all the PCs.
...He shall send the White Death among strange people to strike away their bonds, but this will not be. The White Death will instead become One of Seven, and learn well the lesson of the gentle heart. Dread his return to his home, for betrayal lurks at every turn...
The White Death is actually a symbolic reference to one of the PCs, Taro (a Dragon-human hybrid). This met with the player's initial character concepts (basically, a samurai warlord, bloodthirsty and brutal, who learns better ways only to suffer betrayal in his homeland).
Ular's Child, who shall bear the Sign of Seven, will come among the scattered, beaten Danuel,and give justice to those who have perpetuated their father's sins. He will be known for the Sign of Seven, the sigil of the Seven Broken Kingdoms of the Danuel, and he will bear great power within him.
"Seven" I set up to have several different meanings. One PC (human) chose the name Seven for his character - after the prophecy (that particular player was particularly enthusiastic about the idea). Throughout the prophecy, "Seven" refers not only to this individual, to the Seven Kingdoms, but also to "THE Seven" people who are the focal point of the prophecy - All of the PCs (and a couple of NPCs) collectively. This helped set up a lot of misinterpretation later on.
The above two items are also examples of how I introduced the PCs into the prophecy, using the concepts the players developed. Now, as to future events they had to fulfill:
He will reunite the accursed Danuel, finding the first who kept his oaths when all others forsake, the second steeped in filth, the land turned to barren ash as his heart; the third whose hand it was to spill honorable blood, fourth who...
"He" refers to Seven, both the individual PC and THE Seven as a whole. Basically, this passage is about how the PCs will reunite the Seven Kingdoms, recreating the Empire of the Hartland. The rest of the passage refers to the various rulers of the Seven Kingdoms. This is specific, in that it gave the PCs a goal to accomplish, but allowed them to determine how to go about it.
Join with your enemies, and meet the greatest danger on the Sea of Glass...
This bugged the hell out of my PCs. They finally figured out that they would have to work with the Karanukese (their enemies) against the Illithid. The players loved it about as much as their characters hated it (very extremely). Again, more opportunities for role-playing as one PC actually got along quite well with Hazuer, another established romantic relationships with one of Hazuer's henchment, and so forth.
Kadrian Ahlun shall reign for five hundred years, to make sure that Man has learned well that neither form nor color nor gender nor mind nor magic is of...
Here is another bit of vagueness. I set this up to be interpreted that Kadrian Ahlun (Karaman, a Dragonmage) would back the reign of the new Emperor of the Hartlan, or that Karaman himself would actually end up as Emperor. Personally, I was expecting the former, more poetic, interpretation rather than him literally becoming Emperor. The latter is what happened, though. Here, the vagueness saved me some trouble.
I didn't get specific with battles between PCs and individual foes - that, I felt, was a little too dangerous. The wrong person could end up dead and the whole prophecy get shot full of holes. Instead, I stuck to great wars - armies fighting armies. And since I'm a firm believer in PCs dying if they do something to get themselves killed, I set up potential replacements. The symbolic names allow me to transfer roles among various PCs or NPCs as needed.
The campaign finally came to an end. Unfortunately the group broke apart due to real life concerns - jobs, family, work, and the like. Fortunately, they defeated their main enemy - the Illithid. Unfortunately, I had to end it just short of the new Empire of the Hartland, and our Seven PCs/NPCs of prophecy, facing off against Hazuer and the Karanukese. I opted to conclude this particular era of Avamor on a positive note: The good guys won, Hazuer was defeated, and most of our heroes lived.
Comments, critiques, and ways other people have done things are actively encouraged.
The phoenix has been born again, and the Sons of Ular, Kath, Tasun, and Shirosan are scattered through the world of Avamor.
As the might of the Ularian Empire waxes, so too shall their greed. They will hunt the True Inheritors of this world unto death, And willingly give their souls into eternal torment. But know that not all of the Ularians are fell and twisted. Those whose souls shine as the sun shall rebel, saving what remains of the Lands.
Others who watch as their sister Empire, those who work the stone in the heart of iron, and those who dwell on the coasts about them, discover the uses for the energies that flow through land and sea.
But in their foolish pride, the Sons of Kath will rape the land, allowing Darkness to take root in the heart of iron, to fester, grow, and eventually destroy and drive out those who rightly live there. Of these unfortunates, only half will escape - and they only by the sacrifice of the fire dwellers.
This will end the first part of the Cycle, as Earth has completed its part, birthing the lands and their peoples, and gives way to Wind.
Those Ularians who watch will try to warn their cousins of their impending doom. But it is ever the way of arrogant Man to ignore wisdom. And they will unleash wild magics across their homes, twisting and warping Nature so that fell beasts are given birth.
The Ularians, in desperation, will strip this benighted land of magic, using those lines of power to try and contain the wild surgings to the western half, to try and save the Sons of Kath from their own folly.
This will not be enough.
One of the ley shall be held by the Kath, the the Ularians will secure it as best they can.
Asadreama Naleev, She Who Glitters As Moonlit Clouds, will descend and create a barrier of storms, to absorb and redirect the polluted power unleashed by foolish men.
In their impotent rage, these misguided descendents of Kathul Mareen shall fall easy prey to the manipulations and deceptions of the Dark One's servants in the heart of iron. They will blame the Sons of Ular for their own punishment.
At this time shall the Dragonmage go to the people of Perhadia. Vasaularian, whose name is Shining Silver of the Great Moon, shall speak long and well to the Kenthyrs, telling them of lands held by a warlike people, the Sandram Mahti, far to the east. There may Kenthyr take the peoples of Perhadia and dwell in safety, save that an oath must be made.
Ever shall the Kenthyri, those who will be ruled and call themselves Danuel, Caretakers, Custodians, keep this land given to them by Vasaularian in trust. Never to abuse, never to plunder, never to squander. For as the land shall be, so shall those who rule the Danuel. And as those who rule, so shall the land be.
Kenthyr did go with the Great Wyrm, and he did see a land wondrous, fertile, and green, safe from the wild magics and wars laying waste to Perhadia. But the Sandram Mahti did thirst for blood - if not for those different from themselves, then they warred on eachother, eating the flesh of their own children, drinking the blood of their mothers and fathers.
Shining Silver of the Great Moon then told the Kathnyrs that this land came at an additional price. They must drive out the Sandram Mahti and take this land as their own. For only by spilling their own blood to nourish the soil would this land truly be theirs.
And to this end did the Perhadese, who now called themselves the Danuel, strive. For long years they struggled across unforgiving waters and burning wastes. Many strange and wondrous sights they did see, until finally they came upon a great range of mountains, with a single expanse of a gap, a great plain of green grass, allowing passage through.
But the Sandram Mahti were armed and armored against them, bearing with them the greatest bane ever created by the Sons of Ular, a thing with no soul, no good, and no evil. It will bear many names. And though its goals are pure, it will ever be the greatest blight created by Ular's Children.
There did Vasaularian, now called Kadrian Ahlun, which means "Kindest Soul, Wounded Heart," appear again to the Danuel, and bade them arm and armor themselves, for now would begin their blood payment for their new home.
The Danuel will fight hard and long, winning at great cost to themselves. Of all who stood against the Sandram Mahti, only one of Kenthyr's blood shall remain. But from their sacrifice shall rise a great Empire, bearing Kadrian Ahlun's final gift as their symbol. And this will beget a false time of glory for all on Hybrana.
Now will the Dark One rise, seeking to corrupt all the pure souls and turn them to his own power. Those twisted creatures which have grown from wild magics and wars of Gods and Men will flock to his banner. Four shall come, Four heroes brought together by desperate purpose and deception, to wield those Weapons necessary to destroy Noctarcanius Diem. Though their ultimate goal will fail, they will chain him.
Torn by internal corruption and false war 'gainst all that is not Man, the Ularians shall perish and never more raise an empire. Those few who survive will never more call any building "home", nor dwell for long under roof, nor behind walls.
Instead, they will be wanderers, dedicated to caring for the land and creatures they so unjustly laid waste.
So shall the Aelvanar and Dwaenar, now twice home-reft, bide in hiding and pass on into legend.
Now shall end the Cycle of Earth, and give way to a Golden Age, wherein the destruction wrought by Gods and mortals shall lay fallow that new lives may be planted. Those who drank the blood of the Dark God shall know the blessing of long life, and the cursed taint of darkness upon their souls. All the children of Ular, Kath, Tasun, and Shirosan shall know a time of peace, when they will wax great in numbers and begin to rebuild that which wars and arrogance have cost them. The great cities of Ular, buried under devastation, shall come forth again at the whim of Nature to tempt the foolish and the wise.
Darkness will well forth to do battle against silver mornings from the home of the Auruilgeth. The serpent in the night shall speed his venom through mortal veins to spread illness and suffering.
Among the Sandram Mahti shall come Lelleth con Dairgon, He Whose Life Is Scattered Through Time. This shall be the first peace to fall upon him. Love shall be his, only to be stolen away. None shall ever bear his blood. Such is the price of his power. He will wage noble battle, and be teacher to the greatest Magi to come after the Sons of Ular. Though he will fall to darkness, he shall be a beacon of light across the bluest, clearest skies.
Among the Sons of Tasun, redolent in their own safety from the Enemy, has been placed a scourge, a blight to torment them every seven generations. They will separate themselves from the world and become obsessed with their own conflicts. Though their part is small in this Age of the Phoenix, one among them shall play a great role. For he shall give the White Death passage into the lands of the Dragon Lords, where knowledge and power may be gained for those who are stout of heart and courageous of soul.
Those who are descended of Shirosan shall mix their blood with that of the Lords of the Sky, and in so doing bring to Man their terrible power. Arise among them Madral Talandrey, the River of Blood, who shall be known to Man as Verilon, the Terrible Rage of Fire. His rule shall be a long one, and its end shall forever change what would have been.
There shall be one born in this age who will become known as Mortiel Dracul, He Who Has Been, Is, And Will Be Again, a man of greatest honor and nobility, though unjustly wronged by gods and men. It is his fate to live three lives. In the first, he bears the sins of a world upon his shoulders. He shall restore freedom and homes to those who thought theirs lost, though in his own lands slaves labor and die under the lash. He shall bring five years of peace in the West to the Danuel, and sow the seeds of hatred and his own death.
In the second, he must pay for the crimes of his first life, expunge the evils done to him and by him, so that the cost of the great treachery that will be committed by the Danuel will be well known and never forgotten.
And in his third life, Mortiel Dracul will bring about a great Age, wherein all of Avamor shall hear his clarion call and bend knee before him. His greatness and purity will shine throughout all the Ages and reveal the fruition of Man's promise.
Now shall the sons of Shirosan, the children of Madral Talandrey, set forth in a great ocean of ships. They will alight upon the coasts of a northern land and lance deep into its heart, burning, slaughtering, and laying waste. Cities shall be destroyed by Madral Talandrey's madness, and the very stones shall weep tears of heart's blood.
Now through the actions and sacrifice of two noble souls, one the blood heir of Madral Talandrey and Tasun, the other a shining light cast forth by the fist of Mortiel Dracul only to be shadowed and broken in this tasking, shall disaster be averted. One shall gain power made mighty by Madral Talandrey's evil, corrupted by madness. The blood heir shall sacrifice his own life to bring this to pass. And as the thought and the deed are one, so shall the bane of Verilon be forged from light, a darkness riven deep into his soul. Though of these heroes, only two shall live, Madral Talandrey shall be destroyed and a long age of strife come to the sons of Shirosan.
Finally shall come the day when the Enemy once again finds the home of the fathers of Ular, Kath, Tasun, and Shirosan. Dark seeds, gleaming bright as the sun, will be planted on land and sea to grow and consume the land.
But the fathers of Ular, Kath, Tasun, and Shirosan planned well for this day, in ignorance of the evil they brought to Avamalor's people, and to Ioyaedra's people.
The Danuel, grown great, noble, and strong, shall commit grave betrayal, sundering their word to a great and noble man, Mortiel Dracul. Thus they are oathbreakers twice - once for the greatness they might have swayed to their side, a second time for the forgotten promise made to Kadrian Ahlun, and a thousand times for the generations that will suffer for the treachery of three men.
So great the nobility of Mortiel Dracul, so great the wrongs committed to him by Gods and Men, that the land of the Danuel will be laid waste, their homes and castles burned to ash, their fields raped and salted, and a blood curse laid on them by the demon who comes after. Those whose traitorous hearts cause such woe, their families and peoples are cursed for all time, until blood expiation is made and the Oath to Kadrian Ahlun made anew.
But know this, Kadrian Ahlun, who shall be known by another name, has great forgiveness. And She Who Glitters As Moonlit Clouds has prepared the way.
Now will the Sons of Tasun stir from their corruption to strike north at a greater evil. In mistaken pride, they shall wage war against Kalakran con Galedrel, who shall be known as Shadows of the Moonless Night. They will ravage his lands and strike deep terror into the hearts of innocent people.
Then shall the Sons of Shirosan, under the guidance of Hasalaer Vaderial, the Last Emperor of Heaven, reave the Sons of Tasun, and take upon themselves the duty of wiping the scourge that is Kalakran con Galadrel from the surface of our world. He shall send the White Death among strange people to strike away their bonds, but this will not be. The White Death will instead become One of Seven, and learn well the lesson of the gentle heart. Dread his return to his home, for betrayal lurks at every turn. Know Hasalaer Vaderial to be the last worthy lord of the South, and when his time passes shall begin a greater time of woe.
Hasalaer Vaderial shall unleash the Scourge upon the children of Tasun, to break them that they will be forged anew. Throughout this, the Grey Lady shall be deaf to the cries of the suffering and dying. She will protect her own, in defiance of what is to be, and ward a garden, a safe reminder of peace.
Know this: There shall be among the corrupted children of Tasun a humble man with the heart of a King, the cunning of a leopard, and the soul of a martyr. He it is who shall deliver the White Death from danger and return it to its home, where those who have committed atrocities and evils beyond measure shall feel the bite of death at their necks. His payment shall be a shameful death at the hands of an honorless Lord. And in his dying shall the blood of Tasun rise up once more, burning strong again, to strike off its own head, and bow beneath the yoke of Hasalaer Vaderial.
Ular's Child, who shall bear the Sign of Seven, will come among the scattered, beaten Danuel, and give justice to those who have perpetuated their father's sins. He will be known for the Sign of Seven, the sigil of the Seven Broken Kingdoms of the Danuel, and he will bear great power within him.
He will reunite the accursed Danuel, finding the first who kept his oaths when all others forsake, the second steeped in filth, the land turned to barren ash as his heart; the third whose hand it was to spill honorable blood, fourth who suffers injustice after injustice and must be restored, fifth whose apathy and laxness has allowed great evil to fester and grow, sixth whose corruption is greatest, whose people have made no attempt to undo their wrong; and seventh, a benighted land, though young, where all shall begin and end.
The Sons of Kath shall know him for his coming, and be filled with dread. For they are yet misguided, wrongly accusing the Sons of Ular for crimes they did not commit. Seven shall find those who are wicked, blighted in spirit, and offer them a choice: Freedom, or eternal damnation. No few of these will reside among the Sons of Kath. For this shall become apparent to Seven: There must be a truth among Man, or the lies will fester, grow, and consume the body.
It is not enough that his coming is brought about by Kadrian Ahlun. Falan cil Tahmaer, which means That Which is Sought by the Innocent and the Pure, long a prisoner of the Dark One's touch, shall know the freedom he brings, and bow to him, lending aid when most needed.
Two of Seven will be bound by fell magic, as darkness seeks to undo him. He must not rule, lest the taint within bring all of Avamor to a darkened sun. Now shall the second life of Mortiel Dracul, now called Vaesomalian Kes'hazuerel, The Dark Power Arisen, be revealed as he sets his horned fist against the Enemy, and seek to aid Seven, though he knows it not.
The corruption that destroyed the Danuel shall fester again in the Seventh Kingdom. Know that the land is as the ruler. Should the twins born here war with eachother, one kinslay the other, then Seven shall fall to ruin, and all will be lost. He who kills his brother in unrighteous wrath is himself evil. So shall the land reflect.
From this place will he strike out, seeking to free the capitol of the Danuel Empire from the wickedness that holds it. There, shall the new Emperor come forth, beholden by the gathered rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, proclaimed by Seven's Word and Hand.
Now shall Seven be sent, worthy servant and messenger of the coming rule. He will spread the Emperor's coming to the Seven Kingdoms, and bring each to heel and pay homage. He will go with this warning: Forgive the old wrongs, destroy the evils which have infested the Seven Kingdoms, and be wary of the warring nations of the east, for they may strike like poisonous serpents. Come bearing arms and armor, with faithful soldiers at your back, seek peace. Grasp too hard, seek too much vengeance, and all will slip away.
Now shall a great turning come about. Those who are enemies must become friends. Seven must journey into the stronghold of the enemy, and there, join with their most hated foes against the Enemy that threatens all. Trust the demonspawn in this alone.
While Seven travels about, know the return of Kadrian Ahlun. He will shelter the newborn empire; this and nothing more. It is in him to forgive and grant a second chance, but it must be men who expunge the wrong, and the land must be consecrated again by blood spilled in noble purpose.
It is a great sadness that the daughter of the Seventh shall be taken into the heart of darkness, there to suffer torment and affliction.
Join with your enemies, and meet the greatest danger on the Sea of Glass. Alone, you will fail. Alone, your enemies will fail. It is here that Seven shall bend time to his will, summoning forth He Whose Life Is Scattered Through Time. Thus shall the last Sons of Ular heed Seven's call and come thundering forth as a great storm to wet the Sea of Glass in blood.
Now Vaesomalian leave the field of battle. Break not the oath given, lest the Danuel fall to five hundred more years accursed, and the promise that is Seven be forever lost. Those descendents of the Dark One will leave the Sea of Glass in peace, and gird themselves to war once more on the Sons of Kenthyr.
Gather to him armies, though these will matter but little. Seek not Kadrian Ahlun's power in battle. It will be denied. The war's length will be determined by thine armies. The war's outcome will be set by the heroes gathered to Seven. Seven shall call, and Falan cil Tahmaer shall answer. The Sacred Wood shall prove a haven road for these few to strike at the heart of darkness. This shall be the battle to win or lose Hybrana, and those who fight it shall walk as legends forever after.
It must be so. Only in death, the realization of what could have been, what might yet be, will the heart of darkness see clearly. And thus shall the shadow be lifted from his soul, and his spirit know redemption. Grieve and rejoice at his passing, for the heart of darkness will be gone from the Dark One's children, and they will flee before the Danuel host.
Kadrian Ahlun shall reign for five hundred years, to make sure that Man has learned well that neither form nor color nor gender nor mind nor magic is of consequence. He shall teach the Sons of Kenthyr to seek only that which is good in all being. There will not be another renewal of the contract given by Kadrian Ahlun. There will be no third chance. Henceforth, the Land and the Sovereign shall be as one. As both shall prosper, both shall suffer. This shall forever more be symbolized thus: The Emperor shall seat himself only on a throne of flower petals. Peace, Kindness, and Prosperity.
For now, Seven shall go forth to all the nations of Hybrana and bring to them the goodness that is the Empire of the Petal Throne. Emperors and Armies shall bow to his will, though not all will join the Petal Throne. Tie to these closely with a gentle bond. The hawk must be allowed its freedom or it will wither and die.
This final warning. The great Enemy which Seven hath vanquished is not truly gone. A battle only has been won. Mortiel Dracul shall come a third time to arm and armor against this threat. And his shall be the last great Age until the phoenix is reborn.
Be ever vigilant, lest foolish Men, in their overweening vanity, forget. The Enemy will return. The Enemy will always return. This, too, is part of the Cycle of Earth, Wind, Rain, and Fire.
Another will come after we are long dust to prophesy again, though her words will be lost, as have these.