Captured at Thistletop, Suggestions?

[MadDwarfish]

Well, they aren't necessarily captured yet. But after slaughtering all the goblins outside the ones in the throne room in the top-level, they decided to sleep in a supply closet and block entrance. But with all the goblins bodies of the floor, it was clear to me that someone was eventually going to search for the culprits.

Sometime later, Bruthazmus and Orik are smashing down the door. The Quasit was there too, she was driven from the Catacombs so I figured she probably joined Nualia at Thistletop, biding her time before the horde could help her retake her 'empire'.

Anyways, these three lackeys are standing in front of the closet, and that's where we left off. The heroes aren't really in a fighting state, so I imagine they will be captured if not beaten senseless first, and given to Chieftan Ripnugget.

I am wondering what kind of outs I can give these guys that will be relatively believable? One thing I've been thinking about is having Shalelu arrive, although still not sure how much help she'd be considering the circumstances.

[tonyz]

Well, Nualia will want the PCs to sacrifice to Lamashtu.

Given the nature of Lamashtu, this may involve keeping them alive for a long time for various unpleasant experiments in impregnation. (Do NOT do this if your players wouldn't be comfortable with it -- or at least don't tell them what Nualia has in mind.)

Then have Shalelu sneak in and set them free somehow. (Look at Thistletop, consider where Nualia might keep prisoners to keep them out of range of the goblins -- maybe in a big cage dangling over the crab pool? PCs might have to make some climb/acrobatics checks to get out of there even with Shalelu's help -- always make the escape dangerous and snazzy and dependent on the PC's achieving things, instead of having an NPC do all the stuff -- the NPC will just make it _possible_.)

[Kalshane]

I would assume Nualia would keep prisoners in the prison cells next to the temple. :)

But yeah, she would definitely keep them alive until she needed a sacrifice for her next weekly service.

Give them a chance to escape, or have Shalelu come to the rescue (my party used the opening in the side of the island the tentamort uses to hunt from to circumvent the goblins. She could do something similar and is good enough with a bow to probably kill or drive the thing away from the entrance and back into its lair, giving her a way in) or have Orik realize the PCs are his best chance to get away from the crazy demon worshiping woman he works for and help them escape.

[Poldaran]

MadDwarfish wrote:

I am wondering what kind of outs I can give these guys that will be relatively believable?

Not having read the AP, I can't be certain, but my GM tells me that Orik is basically tailor made to give the PCs an out in such a situation. Finding a way to bribe him or convince him to turn on his masters would be a fairly logical way to get out.

The hard part will be letting the PCs know that he might be their escape ticket.

[Tangent101]

Have Orik turn on his companions immediately. I mean, there's widespread destruction. Orik is ready to turn anyway. And these two with him are not human (I mean, if one was Lyrie, maybe... but nope!) so there'd be no love lost.

But why would they assume the PCs are still there, rather than leave and sleep outdoors?

[MadDwarfish]

Thank you everyone. I love the ideas here. They could take some torture, and Orik, already sickened by Lamashtu sermons, and having some idea of the torture decides to change sides and free the group from the prison cells some night.

Tangent101: They probably didn't outright assume the PCs were still there. But if there's a bunch of dead bodies on the floor of your base, don't you think you'd at least do a once-over? :D