My players just assaulted Natalya's hideout with near disastrous results.
When it was all said and done two of their party were unconscious, Natalya was dead and Terisha and her thugs left with the Shard of Pride.
So I need to figure out what to do next?
We ended the session with the conscious PC's dragging the rest of the party back to the manor to heal and figure out their next step.
I have an x-PC now NPC that I can use to provide a lead after a day or two. I'm just trying to decide if I send them directly to the Crow or does Terisha fall under the shard's sway and run off like Natalya did?
JDragon
The adventure kinda leaves you in the dark considering the text says both Terisha and the Goblin Snake could try to take the shard away and flee.
This didn't happen in my group, but in case it would happen, I would've run it like this:
The shards curse affects Terisha almost immediately, making her unwilling to still serve under Ayala Javeski. They probably would have a fight to the death if she would return to the Crow. Instead, she persuades some of the Wreckwash Blades and Tower Girls thugs to her side and starts (at least in her own thoughts) her own little criminal empire. (the Tower Girls were formerly part of this group) The next day, this will cause some strife and armed conflicts between the Wreckwash Blades and the newly formed splinter group. Perhaps the group has stolen some goods from the Blades. They definitively consider the men who left 'stolen' at least.
As Zograthy knows the Pathfinders were connected to the Tower Girls through Natalya, and the PCs probably questioned him just before these events. He suspects the PCs or Pathfinder lodge is at least somewhat responsible.
The PCs will be confronted by some Wreckwash Blades thugs, perhaps even accompanied by some powerfull individual (like a Mob boss) demanding gold for the troubles they've cause. The PCs will likely resist and fight of these thugs, then the thugs can tell them about Terisha's little group. Holed up somewhere in a boathouse. They mention that they hold the Pathfinder Society fully responsible. This should motivate the PCs to seek out Terisha's new lair (also, Sheila really dislikes the situation and urges the PCs to take action)
The PCs then probably decide to seek out the boathouse. A little fight with some goons later (mix of Tower Girls and Wreckwash thugs) they confront Terisha sitting on a simple throne, but she has used the shard to make an illusion of rich tapestries and beautiful statues of herself. She's unwilling to move from her throne and extremely arrogant. This also clues the PCs something might be amiss and they'll be careful with the shard.
Why not send them directly to the shard? I believe the vision that is shown when the PCs use the shard to find the next one should show a 'new' location. This will make the vision more powerful and less obvious.
Hope to have inspired you somewhat.
Oh man that's indeed a disaster, well the way for you to do the least amount of job is the following:
Pay a cleric to cast speak with dead on Natalya.
Natalya's lifeless body tells them about the Crow.
Sheila guesses on what the shard might be from what Natalya's restless spirit tells them.
PCs go to the crow.
Run the Crow nearly as it is only have Terisha as the leader of the tower girls instead of Ayala.
Have Terisha inflicted with lycanthropy by Ayala, give her a level, a magic weapon and you should be ok.