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I'm currently running Curse of the Crimson Throne AP and party will soon get to the end of third story arc (Escape from Old Korvosa). I started AP before Updated Edition and still haven't had time to read it/take a look at changes and additions to the overall story in full detail. But I know that there is an addition with raiding Red Mantises HQ under the Longacre Building.
Considering that the place is also the training grounds for Grey Maidens, I'll make sure that PCs are going to meet some of these fine ladies. Because two of them, are sisters of their respective brothers from the party. Story short - they "enlisted" on their free will, but were conditioned, as other recruits, to serve the Queen with unquestionable loyalty (and have, time from time, "sessions" that maintain this state).
When the party will go on the raid, they will meet these unfortunate relatives in full armor and with their minds messed up. Therefore, no immediate recognition from their respective brothers, avoidance of fighting and trying to "bring them back" (not immediate at least).
Now the problem is that until the raid, party isn't yet on Queens hit list. So there is no reason to put sisters under some intense brainwashing, to make them almost mindless constructs under Ileosas thumb. Only the "standard procedure", which I think consists of spells, drugs/alchemical creations (to make the mind susceptible) and some technics (diplomacy skill maybe?).
I'd be happy to hear any advice on matter of what spells and other stuff I should use, to flesh up the procedure of indoctrination. So they too do not snap back in one round, and run away with party. I kind of hope for some roleplay, and even "accidental death" of one of the sisters for a dramatic story/motivation to really hate Ileosa and make her a villain to remember.
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Introducing PCs relatives only to kill them off tends to result in players choosing to make orphans with no connections next game. Generally it's a bad idea.
Does it have to be solely with spells? There are RL means of going a fair bit of the way. Semi-starvation followed up by people bringing in food with whom you bond, etc.
That said charm spells, illusions, memory lapse, modify memory and any number of spells from Ultimate Intrigue would help.
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When asking yourself, "Should I do the thing?" always ask yourself the following questions:
1) What purpose does it serve in the story I am trying to tell? Are you hoping to emphasize the brutality of the regime? Then cool, it makes sense. But if you're only doing it to try and incite your PCs or make them make difficult moral decisions, it might not be a good idea.
2) Did your PCs set up any background information that you could use to justify your choice? If your PCs' backstories specifically include young ladies for whom you could have this outcome be a reasonable event, did they give you that information? Or did you decide to spring it on them, adding lore to their characters with a hand-wave? The latter is almost never a good idea—you control every character on Golarion (and beyond) in your game. Putting your fingerprints all over your PCs' histories without their permission is not cool.
3) Did you properly foreshadow this as an outcome? Have you mentioned the PCs' sisters before? Was it established that they were in Korvosa? Did they receive knowledge that hinted at their fate? If you're going to do something like this, it cannot be out of left field or it will feel like an attack from you on the PCs. If you lay the foundations, however, the PCs will be accepting, and you'll get the scene you want.
I might suggest moving this to the Curse of the Crimson Throne subforum, but I haven't flagged it, yet. I suspect you'll get answers more tailored to that AP that way.
Ok, I understand that I haven't properly explained the situation.
Group knows me and I know them well, because I had run for them RotRL earlier for two years (and other stuff before that). And CotCT is probably getting its first year of gaming. Before the start, I warned them that CotCT would not be the murderhobo happy ride that RotRL became (somewhere at the middle of 3th story arch). It would be gritty and more personal. Why? Because I did the mistake not to tie RotRL party to Sandpoint and it made them uninterested in the place and its struggle. Which spilled further, making them to have a more "pay us first" approach to the story of AP, then a heroic one.
Therefore, we rolled for backgrounds, got the skeletons of it for each character, and players went to flesh them up. And I must say, they made decent enough stories. Yes there was a bit of "dead parents" trope, but mostly because of rolls. Others in PCs families where alive (cannot say fine, because they tied some of them with AP story traits). After that, I again warned them, that this AP has elements that target not only their characters, but characters family and friends.
Players got the taste of it, when we got to the second story arch of AP, with the plague epidemic. I cannot say that they weren't interacting with them before, but they probably assumed that plague will avoid these NPCs. At the end of the second arc, which took literally seven days of in-game time, plague silently killed two of them (others managed with their Fortitude rolls against the plague) and almost killed the father of the paladin (character had to be informed by his adopted brother about the problem). Players were caught of guard yes, but they took it rather well. Questions were asked to clarify some things, but no hard feelings.
By this time, party wasn't (and isn't even now) knowing that the plague was engineered by Ileosa, and what is behind the Gray Maidens. They avoided fights with them, so they had just distaste towards them, thinking that they are misguided iron fist of the Queen. The sisters in question knew even less. One enlisted because of her idealism, wanting to help the city as her brother does (party is by the way, a special task force at City Guard) and serve the monarchy (Queen did pose herself as innocent lady trying her best in this chaotic times). Second one was an Academae student and was invited in Gray Maidens. Being determined and mostly ambitious (because this magic school isn't for the soft sort), she took the chance to be someone there.
Characters, after sisters enlisted, being in Bloodsworn Valley and doing some adventuring/getting noble titles and lands, sent letters to them asking to break with Maidens, but got no response (explanation on why will need another wall of text, but suffice to say its tied to one of brothers background and choices). Now they think that there is something fishy with Grey Maidens.
tl;dr - sisters where introduced in PCs backgrounds; players know me and I them for some years (was their GM earlier many times); warned them that this AP will hit not only their characters but their respective circle of NPCs; playing the villain smart and cunning, so her actions didn't seem tyrannical to the less informed; inserted motivations for respective sisters to join Gray Maidens; prefer at least some of the world to move forward without direct involvement from the party.
I might suggest moving this to the Curse of the Crimson Throne subforum, but I haven't flagged it, yet. I suspect you'll get answers more tailored to that AP that way.
Yeah, I think you're right. But I don't know to do it.