I'm going to run this today and it looks like a nice one, though I've also found a few things I don't really understand.
What I like:
- Leshies! I love the idea of the encounter with the leshies, especially since I expect the players will not expect the gourds to suddenly come alive.
- Not just your generic explore-this-dungeon-scenario. I like the encounter where they have to protect Mireille. It gives the players a lot of options to think outside the box.
- Adding a troll is cool. I hope my players are sufficiently scared of it.
What could have been better or what I don't understand:
1. What's the point of the "reanimated skeleton hand" in area C2? It's mentioned, but it never explains what PCs are supposed to do with it. It doesn't feature in the combat and I can't image it would help the PCs mission in some way to dig the skeleton out.
2. I'm wondering if my players will understand when the scenario is over. Usually there's a journal or something at the end that gives the information they are looking for, but in this case there is no specific information that they are looking for. They're just there to "excavate" which means that after they make the area safe they can spend ages there if they wish. And not find anything of note, which might be a disappointment - or it might not be, I'm just not sure how this will work out....
3. I personally think the information that you're sent to get from Zefiro is a bit meager. The only thing the PCs can get is the handout, which imho doesn't tell them anything they didn't already know: Thrune did not like the Davians. The only thing new is that they probably all starved, which tbh is not really relevant to the scenario/mission.
I'm also curious what the "sensitive information" might be that he can give.
I think I'll just have Zefiro relate the entire piece in the intro of the scenario if the PCs play nice with him (excluding the part where Arenzo ate his family, since there's no way he could know that).
4. In the final encounter - low tier: how can a single ghoul "attempt to flank PCs"? I'm assuming it tries to flank together with Arenzo? Although I suppose it could flank with the troll.
5. What I generally like about the 2- or 3-parters is how they link together. I like to emphasize that, so that I can be sure my players know what's important about the scenario they've just played and they can take that to the next part. Several (not all) of the multiparters give good handholds for that, but I'm missing them a bit in this one. The only mission they get is to explore the mansion and at the end of that they find nothing of note. No unexpected information leading to a new site, nothing to keep them interested in Cheliax. There's no reason for them not to pack up shop at the end and head back to Absalom to report. Yet in the conclusion and the next scenario's blubs it's hinted that they would go to Garund after and participate in the Loyalty Day festivities to boot.
Should I have Marcos at the intro say something like: "After you're done with this site, talk to Zefiro again for further orders"? That's the only thing I can think of to explain to the players that they're not done in Cheliax yet.