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Well, it looks like my players have thrown me another curve ball :)
They made contact with the chaplain of the church of Iomedae in order to find settlers to take over the farms that were depopulated in the ghoul outbreak, but then hit upon the idea of talking to all of the major churches in Magnimar to see what information they could get on the murders and who could be behind them.
They also intend to request access to city records in order to find any more references to the Brothers of the Seven. I have already given them a little bit of information about Vorel Foxglove's possible involvement with the Brothers, and that they were an informal merchant league of sorts (which they found out through a contact in the local church/brothel of Calistria I introduced to my version of Magnimar), but that's the only other information they have besides the note.
They have not gone to Foxglove's townhouse yet, and (due to a RL schedule conflict that will postpone a full game session), they will not until they have done this research as a 'sidequest' of sorts.
I don't want to give away info that would make them bypass the townhouse and go straight to the sawmill, but I also don't want to just say that the searches and conversations are all fruitless either.
I am thinking about having the public records either missing or pulled out (by Justice Ironbriar, as part of his efforts to maintain the secrets of the Brothers), but I have to leave some information available to throw off any suspicion.
Speaking of that group - are there any other surviving members of the original Brothers of the Seven besides Ironbriar? Were any other merchants inducted (as the text implies it was more than one person Aldern was hanging out with when he first came back to Magnimar)?
Apologies for the rambling thoughts. I have until Friday to hammer something together, and I could use a few outside opinions to make sure I set this up correctly... ;)
As always, thanks in advance for the help!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
I threw together a sidequest encounter that you could easily adapt for your game.
In Magnimar, the party sought out an elderly scholar to get information about where pegasi could be found (one player wanted a pegasus cohort/mount in the worst way). They found him living as a virtual prisoner, confined by his abusive stepson.
A sorcerer of moderate power, the stepson hoped to pressure the old scholar into revealing the location of treasures he had hidden years earlier, but the stubborn old-timer refused to cooperate. A pack of his stepson's friends moved into the house with them, dissolute goons eager to share the old man's treasure.
Until the treasure was found, the stepson refused to let anyone else see the old man, telling others that his stepfather was quite senile.
In my game, a deadly brawl broke out between the adventurers and the stepson's thuggish houseguests. The local watch responded, and the situation looked grim for the party. Fortunately for them, the scholar's estate was just down the boulevard from the Scarnetti's manse. Aware of what the "Heroes of Sandpoint" had done for their relatives, a pair of Scarnettis turned up, vouching for the party's innocence. Since I had played up the Scarnettis in Sandpoint as little better than gangsters, the party was more than a little worried to be in their debt.
In your game, I'd change out the scholar to be an elderly merchant, one of the Seven. The cultists hadn't gotten to him yet because his stepson keeps him locked away, imprisoned in a mansion filled with violent goons.
I wish I could use that idea, but this little sidequest can't have any fighting in it - just roleplay and info gathering.
After going back over the background text in Skinsaw, there actually are other current members (as Aldern fled back to them in Magnimar after he murdered Iesha). I guess it's time to come up with six other merchants that would be able to work together...
I sooo need a PA for my game right now :P
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
To continue my slightly derailed train of thought on the other Brothers of the Seven... :)
My PCs are trying to apply significance to the Brothers of the Seven name and the Sihedron/Seven sins, so I want to throw them off a bit. I noticed that there are seven communities on the Summit of Magnimar, and thought it would make sense for the Brothers of the Seven to be drawn from each of those prestigious neighborhoods (or they were when the group was founded, and the tradition continued to the present).
My initial thoughts on candidates from each community:
Marble District - the head of the Scarnetti family in Magnimar
Bridgeward - Toth Bhreacher of the Golemworks
Capital District - Justice Ironbriar
Naos - Kassiel Iylmrain of the Triodea
Vista - the head of the local Aspis Consortium offices in Magnimar
Grand Arch - formerly Vorel Foxglove; make someone up, or open
Would using a Scarnetti be too close of a tie to the other things going in in Sandpoint? I admit that I haven't really used them at all so far, so it might be okay to do so now. Hmmm.....
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
My initial thoughts on candidates from each community:** spoiler omitted **
Also, I imagined the head bard of the Triodea more as an "evil spoiled diva jerk" than as an "evil serial killer". He seems a bit too flamboyant to be a member of the Skinsaw Cult, I think.
I think it's a good idea to link the Scarnettis into this. I also wished I had used them more in my campaign.
** spoiler omitted **
My initial thoughts on candidates from each community:** spoiler omitted **
Well, my observation from the background info is that the Brothers of the Seven is a cover group for Ironbriar's other "club", but the other members don't know about it, and appear to have no other connection to it. Other than being a little greedy, they aren't the villains of this adventure at all.
My goal is to convince the players that only Vorel was a bad apple in the bunch (and Ironbriar, when they finally face off with him in the Sawmill). The others should be untouchable, given their current level/reputation.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"