Harald Henning's page

First of all - thanks for the suggestions and clarifications, especially the extensive answer from James. It's very much appreciated!

I still think many of the issues raised need work for consistency and flow, but that's ok. Workarounds can always be found. I value the ideas that are generated in this forum when these difficulties are discussed. It helps avoid tripping over them when running the game.

... The poor, and foreigners are the ones who most likely die from the plague. They are the ones suffering the first infections...

How so? The few boxes that wash up are randomly targeted. The coin in Abadar's vault will go to merchants and craftsmen - not the poor. And foreigners are actually less targeted.

It would make much more sense to initiate the plague by distributing infected coins (silver and/or copper) directly amongst the people to be targeted.

... Having a natural disaster to tighten control and enforce martial law is just making her job so much easier....

True, but it's the non-sensical details of the execution and the fundamental economics that I have issue with. If this is a master plan derived by an intelligent being, espcially one that craves power as wellas wealth, it needs work.

One idea is to change it so that there is an extra layer of deception. Perhaps the price for getting the poison used on the king was an agreement with the Urgathoan cult to inflict this upon the city, with the promise to target only the Queen's undesirables. And it all gets a little out of hand. In fact, the Queen may want to set up, even secretly double-cross, the Urgathoans so they are stopped, while she benefits from the chaos they caused.

Another idea provides a way for the Queen to avoid ruin of her own finances as Korvosa's economy is shattered. The Queen's Physicians and Gray Maidens could be given the power to seal houses, businesses, and workshops of those infected. Personal property is confiscated, ostensibly to stop the plague spreading, but any valuables actually end up on ships outward bound to be sold elsewhere to replenish the royal treasury.

... As for the ship, it makes no sense. This is intentional - it is a decoy of the Queen to serve as a plausible reason for the Blood Veil infection to the common people, ....

Where did it load and sail from? Using it to generate and stoke rumor is a fine idea, but when it is investigated by the PCs, those questions need to be clear - and should point somewhere that makes sense.

Most likely, it would have loaded in West Dock, sailed from Korvosa, then turned around, perhaps changing sails and/or name. A controlled undead could have guided it the last stretch upriver.

...and something to keep these pesky adventurers occupied rather than seeking a reason inside Korvosa all along. ....

If she were truly worried about and aware of the PCs, she'd do something directly. As you note, the ship is a ploy for another audience - the common folk.

...As for the Grey Maidens, they are not conscripted off the streets, but rather come from the existing fighting forces of Korvosa. Sure, the timeline is a little thin for a full torture and brainwashing, but magic might make a long way short here. The uniforms are less of a problem IMHO. All Illeosa really needs is the mask, the rest can come from normal guard stocks.....

Armoring a whole force of low level (2nd only!) fighters in masterwork full plate is excessive, and not something you just pull out of normal stocks.

Thin timeline indeed. I would suggest that a ship from Cheliax docks in Korvosa some time before. This ship brings, courtesy of the Arvanxi family, personal bodyguards for the new queen (the first Gray Maidens - the core of the new force), as well as her "personal physician" Dr Davaulus and some assistants, themselves all Urgathoans who are also transporting some presents for the local Urgathoa cult (the leukodaemons). This can all be done as part of her official coronation, and can be used to stage the Gray Maidens, as well as provide a timeline for the whole setup of this plan.

Let's say Dr Devaulus is the one who developed the poison for the king, and he arrives to collect his reward for it. This reward is the consecration of a new Temple to Urgathoa, in Korvosa, which requires that the city be subjected to a plague. The Queen agreed to this, in order to have a new ally in the city, as well as her other reasons. Potentially when she realizes the extent of chaos and damage, and especially if she realizes that the PCs are on the trail and needs to cover her own involvement, she betrays her new allies.

...As for how to derive a cure from an innate magical effect, i am afraid my personal spellcraft knowledge is insufficient, as is my supernatural medicine rating. I'm willing to assume it to be possible, though.

My issue is not that magic can't explain it. My issue is that a cool relationship between Varisians suddenly and easily gets distilled in a bottle. I would much prefer that the notes identify that in order for the cure to be effected on someone, they must somehow receive and accept some distinctly Varisian magic. In order to affect every being in Korvosa, divine aid might be needed - some god opposed to Urgathoa, but close to Varisians.

I've got a whole host of questions with this module. While each individual encounter and characterization has a definite "cool factor", the overall module has many things that just don't add up.

The whole rationale behind the Queen's instigation of the plague doesn't make any sense. It's stated she wants to remove the Varisians, Shoanti, and poor. Yet this plague is non-discriminating, other than the fact that the poor always tend to suffer more, since they have no resources. It is an utterly chaotic and uncontrollable way to achieve her stated goal. There is no consideration made for stopping the plague from affecting everyone - in fact the Urgathoans imply that it should destroy the city, and have no plans of stopping at all. And that's another consideration altogether. The plague will doubtlessly cost the city immense amounts of money in terms of lost labor and trade, even if it is stopped at some point. This directly and seriously will impact the royal coffers, which are already drained. Considering the nautre of who the Queen is supposed to be influenced by (Kazavon), that also seems a very unlikely goal. Queen Ileosa is acting not like a scheming villain, but rather like a genocidal maniac - why?

The plan for the initial distribution of infection is also somewhat nonsensical. The blood veil is concocted in Korvosa itself, in the Urgathoan temple, and yet a mysterious ship is loaded somewhere else to sail to Korvosa for the express purpose to be sunk in the river, with the hope that at least some of its cargo washes up where it can be found in a timely manner. If the plague can be spread as simply as through infected coin, then spending huge amounts of money on creating a bunch of magic coffers, some of which may wash up on shore, is a huge waste of resources, effort, and unecessary exposure. Rather than providing a red herring, the plague ship is a clue, especially considering the papers knowingly left on it. There could be many other better plans for misdirecting the source of the contagion, while easily spreading coin throughout the city, in places and with people you actually want to target. In the module, there isn't even any way provided to follow up on the deposit of plague coins in Abadar's vaults - it's just something that has happened already.

The sudden appearance of the Gray Maidens is poorly justified. You cannot simply conscript all pretty women and la voila - there's a hardened, trained, loyal military force. Even assuming you can brainwash half of them, it makes no sense that the others aren't missed when they're imprisoned. Moreover, their equipment is seriously expensive, and takes time to make - where did it come from?

The Queen's Physicians are all petty rogues equipped with an expensive mask. Why? If their purpose is simply to observe and foster the spread of the plague, they are either hired help - which would not warrant a magical mask, or they are fanatical Urgathoans, which should have some appropriate stats.

The encounter with Vencarlo and Trinia is not really tied into the adventure in any way. I understand it is continuing the development of those characters, but if it is done here, it should have at least some purpose.

The vampire spawn encounter in Racker's Alley is also random, without any possibility provided of connecting these creatures to their source, or any added plot development.

The Lavender encounter seems incongruous to its effect. 700 people saved because you shut down a snake-oil salesmen? There've got to be dozens of such opportunists in a situation like this.

The Carowyn Manor encounter is a good example of a targeted attack, but unfortunately falls down on explaining how the attack was done. It implies that smokebombs with Vorel's Phage were used, but Ausio's description tells of crossbow bolts fired. So how did one intruder manage to fell every single person at that party? Nobody was able to defend themselves? Nobody could run away? That is just impossible without some serious other influence. If the smokebombs were used, what is their effect - it would have to be devastating? And does Jolistina still have 4, as described in her stats?

The Hospice of the Blessed Maidens was an Arkona warehouse. And so ...? This fact is thrown in there, seemingly important, but has no impact at all on the adventure.

The blood veil immunity of the Varisians is supposed to be a magical effect based on the influence of Vorel's wife on some Varisians, which is not necessarily by blood relationship, but rather through the Varisian "family". And yet the research notes are supposed to allow alchemists to find a cure based on this? That makes it mundane, and removes that whole interesting aspect.