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Seed Relay: Wizard Duels

I've intentionally said wizard, not sorcerer, to allow for both street-magic charletans battling it out for control of the theatre, to thaumaturges meddling with forces they don't understand, all the way up to essence 5 sorcerers tossing around solar circle spells. Why, where, and how they're duelling is up to you!

The Sunken Arena -- IanPrice

As the Solar Deliberative declined due to the festering Great Curse, duels among the Solar Exalted were not uncommon. Most formal and terrifying were the Wizard's Duels, proscribed contests involving each sorceror shaping but a single spell. As a stopgap measure to prevent these Wizard's Duels from destroying Creation, especially when sorcery of the Adamant circle was involved, an undersea Demense was used to create a Manse specifically to power and house a massive arena, capable of containing even the furor of combat spells such as Gaea's Wrath. In the Age of Sorrows, this arena may be derelict, or it may have fallen into the hands of some faction. This could even be a player, if that player wishes to spend Manse ••••• on it. This Manse produced no Hearthstone, instead shunting that power to fuel the shielding on the arena. Solar Sorcerors could remember their duels here, or its strong magical field could be detected by Solar sea captains. If the opportunity to investigate a sunken manse isn't enough, what could somebody do with a facility designed to contain the most destructive forces known to Creation?

Against All Odds ...DeathBySurfeit

Over personal tragedy, unrequited love, or some other fallout of the interplay of Realm politics, a recent graduate of the Heptagram has had the audacity to challege Mnemon herself to a duel! Rumours abound as to why this is so, and everyone seems to have their own take on events at hand. One thing, however, is agreed upon universally; that the challenge is sheer folly, and that the unwaveringly determined young Dynast is walking into quick death. But are they? Have they come across some unknown weapon of unimaginable power? Are they just a normal student? Will others take advantage of the duel to remove a foundation of the Realm's remaining stability? Who is whispering words into the young sorceror's ear?

Little Talisman Girl - SpicyMcHaggis

In Great Forks you have to fight to survive. She sold talismans on the corner, but the Devil Viper Gang wanted in.

"I don't know who this girl is, but I want her and her talismans dead!"

She had one chance, and that chance was to fight back. Bright Orchid.

"Listen to me! These are my talismans, and I'm not going to give them up! LISTEN TO ME!"

In a place where they didn't even know her name. "Sugarplum, who are these men trying to kill you?" "Listen to me, listen to me, keep your head down! They are trying to take my talismans!"

On woman, one solution, Bright Orchid this summer is....Little Talisman Girl.

So that is my Pablo Francisco inspired plot seed. Perhaps your PCs are old foes of the Devil Viper Gang and oppose them on principle. Perhaps Bright Orchid is a friend of a PC. Perhaps they do it as a favour for a spirit who's talismans Bright Orchid carries. Or perhaps in her single minded quest to protect her talisman stand she exalts and the PCs are there to see the aftermath.

The Aftermath - Hapushet

While traveling through a relatively distant and isolated part of Creation, the PCs begin to encounter strange sensory effects: peculiar sounds, unusual lights, odd feelings on their skin. Savants in the group identify these experiences as side-effects of a massive amount of Essence usage. Further on, the group finds evidence of massive sorcerous activity - here a pile of tentacles, appearing to have been carved from volcanic rock; there a glittering stretch of butterflies carved from obsidian littering the landscape. Finally, in the center of the blasted area, the party finds two dead bodies, both unmarked, neither dead more than a few hours. It is clear from the patterns of devastation that they were each the target of the other's spells, but unanswered questions still hang in the air: Who were these titanic sorcerers? What were they fighting over? If they didn't kill each other, what did?

And perhaps most importantly, where is it now?

Magic By Proxy - FrivYeti

A pair of powerful sorcerers - a No Moon Lunar by the name of Crimson Typhoon and a Chosen of Secrets called Hakura Lann - have come into conflict over their plans for a small Northern kingdom. Rather than risk their own lives, each of them has chosen a single person to face deadly challenges summoned by each others' Celestial Circle Sorcery. The rules are simple - each week, each of the two sorcerers will cast a single Celestial Circle spell designed to destroy the others' proxy. As soon as a week ends with one proxy dead and the other alive, the winner gains control of the kingdom, to shape as he pleases. If one of the proxies dies from another source, a new proxy will be chosen, and if both die from the spells in a single week, new proxies will be chosen.

The catch? Both the sorcerers have chosen one of the Circle members for their proxy. Now the Circle has two sets of magical foes bearing down on them, each focusing on a single person! Can they convince the two elder Exalts to stop? Can they find a sneakier way to solve the dispute? Only time will tell!

Feedback

IanPrice, could you add a little to your entry detailing how this begins a plot? It's a nice idea, but it'd be good to see how it can create an adventure based around it...DeathBySurfeit

I thought I'd covered that. Added another sentence for additional hookings. - IanPrice

In response to the final question in Ian's post about the Sunken Arena, I say only: Release the Kukla! -- GreenLantern

Seconded! ...DeathBySurfeit

When in doubt... - IanPrice, releasing the Kukla in a theater near you.

I thought I'd add something for a more DB-orientated game. Comments welcome...DeathBySurfeit

And what if the recent graduate is an Anathema in disguise? - IanPrice

Perhaps even a Solar-circle knowing Cult Trainee, planted by a twisted Bronze faction instructor there? Either the Anathema dies, or Mnemon - either way, his plans are served. -- GreenLantern

Huzzah! It's coming off as open-ended as I'd hoped...DeathBySurfeit

Hapushet, I must say, I -love- your Aftermath. Wonderful stuff, especially the last line!
-- Darloth

Danke. - Hapushet, who has his own ideas about what might have happened...

The butler did it! I second the awesomes...DeathBySurfeit, glad the SeedRelay works so well

Alright, after two months, I declare Wizard Duels complete! The next seed will be...
False Gods</b>!! Whomever wants first crack at it can archive this page and start the new one. :)