Warning: Spoilers ahead
I'm currently debating an idea, and that is to run a Jade Regent + Rise of the Rune Lords mash up, slightly modifying the first 2 chapters of RotRL as a prequel to JR. However, I've only skimmed a bit of both the AP's and haven't given them a thorough read. I'm nailing down some fine points of how to manage this whole thing, and I've got a couple of things I'd like to have a few other brains to bounce off of.
The idea is this: We make assumptions that RotRL begins approximately in 4707AR, and that JR does not begin until 4711. JR specifically warns against recycling the heroes of RotRL AFTER they have completed the AP, however does not preclude that some adventurers may have participated in part of the events and never followed through.
So, enter Aldern Foxglove. The backstory sounds remarkably similar to a weird Batman origin story turned bad. What if I made Foxglove two separate people instead of just the one? Say, a Foxglove who turns into the skinsaw man, and a, shall we name him Bryce Euwan, who defied the Brothers of the Seven and became Batman?
This way, in Burnt Offerings, the PC's actually encounter Bryce Euwan at the Swallowtail festival, and he somehow ends up revealing his identity to the PCs. (Major point: How?)
During the rest of BO and Skinsaw Murders then, Batman will then have to have a major part to play, probably as the primary detective, somewhat overshadowing the PCs in order for them to not be able to finish RotRL. (How do these events play out?)
Now, skip forward 4 years... (What do the PCs do in the intervening years?)
We're now at 4711 AR and Ameiko is now a friend and fixture in the PCs' lives, and she has a destiny. This will take the whole party to Tian, and, well, Batman's gonna come along, but this time he'll have enough other things to keep him busy than to be the main hero. (How will he play into the events of JR?)
Any advice will be helpful.