| Pirate Robot Ninja |
This is largely a venting post, as I haven't DM'ed in a while and am not yet inured to the frustrations of the party demolishing my carefully lain plans. There are also some...interesting corners they've backed me into that I would love the community's help with.
The Players:
Reginald Howbatten - human bard(archivist) - A haughty and condescending intellectual, who also works at the University of Lepistat and viewed the Professor as his principle rival (though this feeling was not mutual)
Brother Attaway - human cleric of pharasma - A travelling priest, who makes a living scribing and healing for locals at the many towns on his long circuit. As a priest of Pharasma he is also heavily invested in the battle against the Undead, and indeed picks his route to investigate recent uprisings of undead or rumours of necromancy. He and the Professor were allies in this endeavour, and Brother Attaway is deeply saddened by his friend's sudden passing.
Urzog - orcish ranger, favoured enemy undead - Urzog is a bounty hunter, though with a particular loathing for the undead. He once saved the professor's life, and the professor helped him out in return. Though he was never close with the Professor, he felt it his duty to see the man put to rest.
Golthoa - an orcish barbarian, played by the girlfriend of Urzog's player for just this session.
Sir Artius Aerulian - human paladin of iomedae (Undead Scourge) - Born to a family of minor nobility, he was still very young when an uprising of undead slew his entire family. Professor Lorimer was among those who responded to the threat, and after interviewing the child about his experiences made sure to see him put into the guardianship of a local Temple of Iomedae, where he grew up to be a holy warrior sworn to hunting the undead.
Elijah Tibbs - tiefling inquisitor of Iomedae - driven from society by the upsurge of his demon blood at puberty, the tiefling took to a life of vigilanteism in the name of his Goddess, battling against the evil forces that resulted in his accursed form.
The Game
Okay so seriously, *****SPOILERS*******. If you're in my group (and I know you're here reading this), then go no further. Seriously. Stop right now.
For everybody else....
I started the game with a bit of exposition, describing as Brother Attaway made his way down the familiar roads of Ravegro towards the home of his old friend. Kendra met him at the door and they exchanged pleasantries. The rest of the PCs had already arrived and gone to sleep, and Kendra found him dry clothes before showing him to a room.
In the morning he awoke to the sounds of conversation and clattering dishes. He came downstairs to find Kendra in the midst of serving a breakfast of eggs and ham to a motley collection of characters. Everybody introduced themselves then. The Archivist makes some snide remarks about the "uncivilized folks" in their midst, and already sparks are starting to fly. At this point I'm just glad I convinced the cleric not to go Undead Lord.
The other mourners arrive, and I let the players know that a number of them would be expected to serve as pallbearers. Four volunteer, including the two orcs. The procession makes its way to the Restlands, and Gibs and his compatriots confront the party as to be expected.
As the dialogue plays out, the bard attempts to dissuade them with (condescending) reason. To back it up he rolls a one on diplomacy. Gibs is having none of it. "Get 'em, boys!" Initiative is rolled and the Archivist goes first, backing him and his STR 8 CON 10 ass right back up. Kendra stands her ground, while the two orcs abandon their positions as Pallbearers to advance on the thugs with weapons drawn.
Now a spindly cleric and Paladin shouldn't be able to hold the casket (obviously), and I'm about to have them drop it as per the rules. But...the orc barbarian is looking like she's wanting to smash some s!&~, and I'm getting the distinct feeling that some peasants are about to die, so with a couple surprisingly high strength the checks I allow the Paladin and Cleric to set it gently (though unceremoniously to the ground).
Good thing, too, because the orcs and tiefling immediately resort to deadly force. Acid melts the face off one of the thugs (down to -2). The ranger trips two, but the barbarian boots one of them in the face...twice (down to -7). Seeing their buddies so easily dispatched the rest of the thugs book it.
The thugs dispatched, the party then turns to the matter at hand. For some of the party members decide to administer to the injured thugs (thankfully sparing them from death and thus -12 trust points right off the bat). For the rest...
...well for the rest it's the allegations of necromancy. They decide to check out Lorimer's corpse. At his funeral. Best of all the barbarian, hammer in hand, decides to just sunder the damned thing open. However she swings poorly and it glances off the thick wooden exterior, merely managing to marr the beautifully lacquered wood (rolled a 1 to hit). The Archivist reminds her that she can actually just OPEN the thing. Which they do, discovering the professor's smashed head.
Kendra shouts at them for a while, then storms off. The Inquisitor chases after her to try and make amends, while the Paladin goes back to the house to get the weapons he left behind "because these people are crazy." He arrives back just in time for quite likely the most awkward funeral in history.
The encounter earns the PCs 500 xp and -3 trust points.
This follows with a reading of the will. Following, Kendra uses the key left with the will to open her father's strongbox. The PCs find inside the journal and the books. They use a few history checks on the locked book to discern its purpose, but fail to roll well enough and don't even bother trying to open it. However the journal piques their interest, though each for wildly different reasons.
After reading the journal, the orcs leave convinced that Gibs is a member of the Whispering Way and decide to stalk to his house, joined by the inquisitor. The Archivist decides to go to the Unfurling Scroll and see what he can find. The Paladin and Priest go to the temple of Pharasma, the Paladin now convinced that Lorimer was murdered by a conspiracy of the townsfolk. Poor diplomacy checks and hostile RPing starts conflicts at BOTH the locations. The orcs, meanwhile, follow Gibs as he leaves his home while the inquisitor ransacks his house (finding next to nothing).
The orcs follow Gibs as he stumbles down the road towards the Laughing Demon. As they arrive they notice a very large bouncer standing at the door (Zokar's brother). Rather than experience a "we don't serve droids here" moment he sneaks around the side, finding a window he can overhear Gibs' conversation through. The barbarian, however, decides to make a run at the front door instead.
However, as she approaches the bouncer, who is leaning against the doorframe, puts his foot against the other side of the door to block the way.
"If yer lookin' fer food, you can head 'round back. They'll feed ya from the kitchens."
"I'm...meeting a friend here. He told me to meet him."
"That may be, but you can still head 'round back."
"I'm just meeting him for a beer. I have gold. Don't you want my gold."
"This here's a private establishment. We can take money from who'ever we want, an' your money's no good here. I'll say it one more time: you want food, you can get it 'round back."
"But...my friend is meeting me. My friend Gibs."
"Oh yeah? HEY GIBS, COM'ERE." He waits as Gibs stands up and weaves over towards the door. The ranger, sensing trouble, peeks his head up to look through the window.
"You know this banner-topper?"
"Her?! She's onna them outsiders whos attacked us in the Restlands!"
"Is that so? See, you're not welcome here. Best be on yer way then, Orc"
The barbarian won't be dissuaded so easily, though.
"I...just...want...a...beer." She draws her warhammer. Both Gibs and the bouncer change their tune somewhat at the prospect of standing in the way of a 19 STR orcish barbarian, and back off. As she enters the inn the rest of the tavern stands up to glare. The room is silent as a tomb, all eyes on her as she strides across to Gib's table and sits down (waving at the other orc as she sees him in the window. He grimaces and ducks down out of sight).
"Barkeep! Get Gibs here a beer!"
Zokar senses trouble is brewing, but unsure what else to do taps the keg. It seems to take forever for him to pour. He then carries it around to Gibs, and sets it in front of him. Gibs takes one look at the beer, another at the one buying it...and moves to push it off the table. The Orc gets ready to draw her warhammer.
Luckily, before any more innocent peasants are close to losing their lives, the Archivist finishes up at the Unfurling Scroll and starts looking for a drink. He (thankfully!) manages to pick the right establishment and enters just as the room is about to explode. He actually makes a diplomacy check for once, and manages to both diffuse the situation and begin an evening of plying Gibs with liquor to pump him for information.
The rest of the party retreats and meets up. They all decide that the only possible course of action is to go explore Harrowstone. At night. At level 1. Oh joy. Some steel locks on the gates keep them from entering easily, though, and after Benjen Caeller come spook them investigating the strange lights and noises of them banging on the gates then scaling the walls with torches, they decide to come back in the day.
Meanwhile the Archivist spends the entire evening plying Gibs with liquor until he is literally at the point of passing out. A miraculous 20 on a strength check is enough to lift the passed-out drunk through the door and drag him back to his house, where he proceeds to wait until he wakes up to interrogate him about the Whispering Way. A finally semi-conscious Gibs has no idea what he's talking about, and a 25 on sense motive is finally enough to clear Gibs' name of Whispering Way involvement.
The party sleeps then spends the next day studying the books in Professor Lorimer's strongbox, breaking open the locked book but being unable to decipher its meaning.
Post-Thoughts
Holy crap, that didn't go as I expected! From cracking open the Professor's casket AT HIS FUNERAL, to picking fights with (albeit super racist) villagers, to trying to break into Harrowstone the very first night, the party did all sorts of stuff I wasn't super prepared for. I think I did an adequate job of containing the potential fallout, but still...
My biggest difficulty is going to be, I think, finding ways to help the party gain back the town's trust. With their antics and natural trust mechanics they've fallen quickly to 16 and are sinking fast. I think if the village gets too much more unfriendly towars them some heads are going to roll.
My second problem is that there was no room for a nighttime desecration the first night, what with Gibs being babysat all evening. However, I think that with his name cleared I'm well set for the following evening. Not to mention that the orc barbarian, whose player will not be returning, is very well placed to become...art supplies.
My third problem is that the party is VERY likely to attempt another exploration of Harrowstone. If not tomorrow, then the day after. My thoughts are to deactivate the more dangerous haunts on their first attempt at exploration, and have a few areas be blocked off only to "mysteriously" open in later visits. What do you guys think of that?
Luckily for me several of the party members strongly feel that the cache should be the next stop. I think start up next session with them making an attempt on the cache, only to return to find their orcish friend decorating the town monument. Hopefully that will be enough to distract them away from Harrowstone for the time being, though it might cause irreparable rifts with the town. I feel that playing the town sherriff as suitably sympathetic afterwards, and determined to bring the killer to justice, may give them the ally they need to bring them around on the town.
Though they might just as soon start waterboarding random peasants, the way this is going.
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?