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Overview of Changes
My Ileosa is a master of manipulation playing the PCs in her bid to solidify control over Korvosa so she can enact her plan and ascend to immorality. As such she is depending on the party to help her end the threats to her beloved Korvosa. The fact that she is the one engineering these threats isn’t evident yet and shouldn’t come to light for a long time. Ileosa is a Lawful Evil person and the thought that she would commit genocide without a good reason seems out of place to her alignment. That seems like the actions of a Chaotic Evil person. Ethnic Cleansing that cements her rule over the city though, that seems more in line with her alignment. The events as written in the module don’t have much to do with stopping the spread of the plague. Most of the encounters before the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden have nothing to do with the plague at all and there is no path that really leads the party to conclude that they need to be at the Hospice besides Croft telling them to go there.
Downtime
City returned to normal though heavy patrols still searching for remnants of anarchist cells. Arkonas refute the accusations of involvement and lacking hard evidence Ileosa doesn’t take direct action against them. Still Arkonas largely withdraw to Old Korvosa to regroup. Party given opportunity to explore the city, craft, shop, find rumors, and other activities. A Queen’s Request
Ileosa fears a plague unleashed on her city that threatens the very people she rules. She asks the party to investigate matters before they get any worse and report back to her what they learn. Croft takes the party back to the citadel. Party meets Grau and learn his niece Brienna fell ill a few days ago with symptoms that match those turning up around the city. Croft informs the party that plague not of natural origins. Two Korvosan guards, during a routine patrol in Old Korvosa, apprehended a crazed man thought a remnant of the Anarchist cell. The man, sickly and near death when arrested, blabbered on about an engineered plague released into the city as punishment for Ileosa’s sins against Korvosa. Occurred over a week ago but with no signs of a plague or any other information no follow up. The man died shortly after integration but before passing said this. “Slow to start … soon the real threat will consume you all.” An Introduction to Blood Veil
The party learns about the disease through Heal checks or magic and can cure Brienna. Ishani invites the party to the Temple of Abadar if they wish to learn more about the plague from the priests. At the temple the party sees first hand the scope of infected as hundreds of diseased citizens beg for healing from the overwhelmed priests. The party also learns about the missing Arbiter, Zenobia but with little context to make it meaningful. The Queen’s Physician
Party learns some information about Davaulus; he was someone always highly spoken about by the now missing Seneschal Neolandus as a medical genius and often times called upon by Eodred and his mother in times of need. Davaulus based out of Hospice of the Blessed Maiden. Hospice was an Arkonas warehouse just a month ago when it was gifted to a mysterious benefactor and made a hospice in an unexpected gesture by the Arkonas. Party should make frequent reports and visits with Ileosa. Ileosa desires to build rapport with the party as valued pawns for future use. Crash of the Direption
The night the party meets with Davaulus the Direption crashes into the harbor, shot down by the cannons protecting Korvosa harbor. While unusual for an unidentified ship to get shot down, heighten tension from the plague and lingering anarchist fears led to increased security. No immediate leads pointing to the Direption, Croft welcomes the party to investigating if they want. After a few days Croft mentions, in earshot of the PCs, that the people she sent to check out the ship never returned and preps another team to look into things. Eventually Croft asks the PCs if they have time to check into it. Add encounter in the Captain’s Quarters where Rois Vindmel has returned to unlife as a ghost haunting the Captain’s Cabin howling the name “Andaisin.” The ship had a number of canisters of Blood Veil rigged to explode when the ship contacted the harbor docks. The explosion would have propelled Blood Veil into the dock district spreading the disease. Instead the canisters exploded when the ship was sunk leaving the interior sections of the ship exposed to Blood Veil. Quarantine of Old Korvosa
As most of the plague is being spread in Old Korvosa, a place with higher concentration of poor people, Ileosa must decide if Old Korvosa should be quarantined or not. Croft favors a quarantine to limit exposure (she is LN and not good aligned) while Davaulus opposes it for fear that it could condemn hundred or even thousands to death (in reality he doesn’t want to prevent the spread of the disease and realizes a quarantine would do just that.) Ileosa asks the party for their input but absent of any compelling argument by the PCs goes forward with the quarantine, mentioning it’s justice for the Arkonas after what they put her through. Riots in the Street
A group of locals, not happy with increased curfew laws and the quarantine of Old Korvosa start to violently protest the blockade point. This prompts a reaction for the Hellknights that wipes out the rioters unless the PCs can intervene and bring about a more peaceful solution. Wererats Pushing the Plague
Additionally rumors of mysterious silver drops left by cloaked forms crop up in the poorer sections of town with many poor people on the look out for these “cloaked’ saviors. If investigated the PCs stumble upon one such silver drop leading to a confrontation with wererats. Tracking back the wererats to their lair puts the PCs at the sewer entrance. This investigation ends with the party finding a cache of tainted silver and a reference of more shipments on the way from the “Toy Shop.” A Cure! Or is It?
Vendra is in the shop selling “a cure” for Blood Veil that promises to not only cure those infected but prevent the uninfected from contracting the disease. In reality Vendra works for Davaulus, though all her contact has been with the Rolth. The “cure” Vendra sells is actual contaminated with Blood Veil and provides another way to spread disease through the city. Notes found in the shop point to the “Toy Shop” as the source for her cure and also note concerns about an actual cure that could be in development with a note that reads “Rolth must know they are close to a cure! Carowyn.” The Infected Undead
One such cart, full of corpses headed for disposal in the Grey District, encounters a problem when the corpses on the cart awaken as undead plague ghouls and start terrorizing things. The party, not far from where the trouble is, can investigate and put down the undead plague ghouls. Distribution Center
The vampire spawns in the toy shop work for Ramoska Arkminos and are responsible for supplying Blood Veil to the various distribution channels that will unleash it on the city. Clearing out the vampire spawns, the party finds a ledger that details all the ways for distribution of the disease (both those that have already happened and those planned for the future.) With this information Croft can start prevention of the plague spreading in the city. To Stop a Cure
Should the party show the note from Vendra to Croft, she confides in the party about the cure and asks them to check on Carowyn Manor. Alternatively Croft will eventually approach the party when she admits to having lost contact with the manor for a few days and is worried something might have happened. The encounter plays out mostly as written with a few exceptions. Jolistina arrives with assistance from the Sable Company Marines to butcher everyone in the house, mask their wounds, and make it look like they succumbed to the plague while researching a cure. Add encounters with priests of Abador raised as undead to assist Jolistina. In the Cellar of the manor the party can learn valuable information from Ausio Carowyn. Ausio recalls Sable Company Marines assisting Jolistina killing everyone in the house. He also remembers mention of a Hospice but cannot remember the full name just that it was “blessed.” He also lets the party know that many of his servants were taken away by the Sable Company Marine instead of being butchered though he cannot fathom why. Hospice of the Blessed Maiden
The only real change required to this encounter is replacing all Grey Maidens with Sable Company Marines. After the party defeats Andaisin, a detachment of Grey Maidens under the authority of Ileosa secure the place. What Really Happened?
Ileosa then hires the Red Mantis and brings in the Cult of Urgathoa to engineer a plague to spread across the city (as well as a cure her chosen heroes will find to save the city.) Fearful of a plague that would actually cause harm to herself she is ensured that the plague can be engineered to exclude those of Cheliax blood from infection. With things in place Ileosa dominates Major Maeca Salus of the Sable Company and uses him as the “orchestrator” of things. As far as key villains are concerned Maeca is the one calling the shots. She is determined that the party discovers the role of the Sable Company Marines in what is going on and plans to use this as the perfect opportunity to disband the Sable Company, replacing them with her Grey Maidens. Ileosa then ensures the breadcrumbs are laid that will tip off the Korvosan Guard to the nefarious nature of the plague and calls on the party to assist her in stopping it.
I've started the Edge of Anarchy with my party. Getting ready I made a number of modification (many can be see in my previous post). This thread will contain the outline for the Edge of Anarchy module that I'll be using along with the per session breakdown of how things played out. I've made a good amount of modifications to how things flow making changes to the backstory to better link all the modules together. Curse of the Crimson Throne – Edge of Anarchy Outline Pre Campaign
A devil worshiper of Mahathallah learns about Sorshen, the runelord of lust, and a device deep beneath the backwater “colony” of Korvosa that would grant Ileosa eternal life. Knows that the Everdawn Pool will require the blood of Korvosa to activate. Five years ago….
They were married in under 6 months. Over the next four years Ileosa gained a reputation amongst the city as a promiscuous spoiled rich brat more interested in her life of luxury then the king or ruling Korvosa. Two months ago….
Imbued with the strength of Kazavon’s spirit and emboldened by his cruelty Ileosa decided the time was right to seize control of Korvosa. Worked with the Red Mantis and tricked the king’s own brother Venster into poisoning Eodred with an illness neither medicine or magic could cure. Campaign Starts
The party dispatches Gaedren Lamm, recovers the Queen’s brooch, and in returning it to the palace gains an audience with the king and queen. Get the impression that Ileosa is a loving wife worried about her ill husband and grateful for the party for returning her jewelry. The king acts the part of a gracious king, rewarding the party for their efforts. King provides the party with additional work, a mission to the Bloodsworn Vale to uncover activity that threatens the completion of a major road that promises to bring in more trade from Cheliax. The party spends a week or so in the Bloodsworn Vale uncovering who is killing off the workers building the road through the mountains towards Cheliax. Back in Korvosa….
King rumored to have died from advanced leprosy that resisted all attempts at healing. Rioting dominates the streets providing opportunities for criminal elements to thrive and bringing in a swift and cruel response from the Order of Nail at request from the throne. Ileosa calls upon her Red Mantis allies to dispose of the Seneschal Neolandus Kalepopolis, eager to replace him with someone more akin to her disposition. She also has Venester murdered to prevent him from talking about Ileosa’s role in killing the king. Party meets Cressida Kroft who hires them for a series of missions. All The World’s Meat
Let by Verik Vancaskerkin leading a gang that calls themselves the Cow Hammer Boys. Cow Hammer Boys, under the orders of Verik, hire themselves out to deal with “problems” using he bodies at food to feed the masses of starving people. Verik is working under orders of his lover “Meliya” to recruit a peasant army capable of going all French revolution on the throne. Ambassador’s Letters
Amprei blackmailed by Meliya to provide funding and support for the revolution. Letters stored at Eel’s End by crime boss Devargo. Amprei comes clean once he gets his letters back regretting that he doesn’t have much info to share just that he was making anonymous gold drops every over night to avoid embarrassment. King’s Murderer
A guard captain comes forward with information that two guards under his duty recently went missing. Letters found in the guard’s barrack led the captain to believe that they were supplying poison to a painter Trinia Sabor to use in poisoning the king. Queen reaches out to the party to find this painter and bring her alive to the castle so she can face justice for what she’s done. Finding the Guards
Track the guards down to the Grey District and the Dead Warrens. Party learns that Rolth has an agreement with Meliya to supply constructs to assist in her attempt to overthrow the throne. Guards are found dead, their body parts used in a pair of carrion golems Rolth intents to deliver to Meliya. Party finds reference to where Meliya is staging the attempted coup. Preventing revolution
During the fight Meliya gets away but the party is able to put down the resistance. Party finds evidence that Meliya was working for House Arkonas. Justice be done
At the party the trial of Trinia Sabor occurs. The trail is overseen by the high priest of Asmodeus. Trinia admits guilt, insults the queen, and cries out that only anarchy can free Korvosa from corruption. Headsman arrives and the execution gets underway. Blackjack appears from nowhere and saves Trinia, giving his speech against the queen, and escapes. What Really Happened?
Ileosa planned the revolution and laid the seed to place blame on rival house Arkonas. The guards didn’t actually supply the poison and Trinia didn’t actually administer it. Ileosa used her strong enchantment powers to force the confessions out of them as a way to strengthen her own position with the public and place more suspicion on house Arkonas. After the chaos of the failed execution, things in Korvosa return to normal. The Hellknights from the Order of Nail return to their castle outside the city and the state of anarchy returns to the law and order the city is known for with Ileosa behind the throne.
I will be starting my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign in a few weeks. The party consists of 5 to 7 players (depending on who shows for a session.) All players have played extensively with each other over the past 10+ years so there is good player synergy at the table. We are all friends at the gaming table and outside of gaming. Goal of this thread While I like the CotCT adventure path a lot there are some modifications I plan to make (both small and large) to tailor the experience to my players and the type of game I like to run. My hope is this thread will help me work through those modifications, document how things turned out, and get feedback from the larger community. Overarching Story Vision
Game Mechanics
Hello. I just got my order for the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game Skulls and Shackles set today and noticed that I got two sets of the cards that run from middle spells though middle blessings and did not get a set of cards that includes most of the monsters, all the barriers, all the weapons, all the armor, and half the spells. How can I rectify this problem and get the correct set of cards? Thanks. Jesse |