So chapter 1 starts with important clarification of how Infector is proceeding with setback to this plans and how Rumormonger is responding to Infector going awol.
This clarification also confusingly seems to create a plothole. Though that might be part of it never being clarified super well what the exact pact was about since ap lacked an outline article. But okay. So to my understanding, Twilight Four made pact to Norgorber where they need to offer something grand to each of Norgorber's aspects to be empowered by the aspect's divine gift. The overall plan was for Rumormonger to frame Wynsal, Infector to create mass poisoning incident, and for Gray Queen to claim Primarch's throne. Rumormonger and Gray Queen were the main plotters of plan with Infector and Skinner being brought in, but Skinner was even less part of the plan since they decided the only thing she needed to do was a mass offering of blood from sacrifices to Norgorber, probably because they didn't trust Skinner to not put rest of plan in jeopardy somehow. So to my understanding, even if they don't work together(so technically they don't need to have synergy at all, presumably Rumormonger's offering doesn't have to involve primarch at all), once each of them has completed their offering, they all get the reward(and any member who died becomes daemonic servant of remaining ones). It is never clarified if specific member of twilight four needs to do the offering or not, but it makes less sense if one member can perform all offerings.
The plan overall is interesting because if I understood it right, it incentives each of members to let each other live until they have fulfilled their offering, then kill off each member who fulfilled their part first, so that the dead members become servants to surviving ones once all offerings are complete. If they all work together without betrayal, they all get empowered, but if they win over each other, they both get empowered and three powerful servants. So whoever has to fulfill their part of plan last has biggest advantage over others(I was impressed with this part of the plan, more on this on book 5 review).
So in the start's info, it implies Infector never actually got to do his mass poisoning offering because PCs stopped him. So umm... There isn't mention of this in the latter two books, so it kinda seems like plot hole how they got the pact fulfilled in final book. And if the pact's victory condition was only for one of them to become primarch, then what was up with Skinner's part? It can't be that pact only required blood sacrifice and one of them to become primarch? That'd be kinda weird since it puts two of the members as completely expendable.
Well anyway, Rumormonger's part also has slight issue. I like that Rumormonger is supposed to be this mastermind who predicted how other people are going to act(like clockwork) but it feels bit "tell, don't show" in this case since apparently Infector is that predictable, but if it was, then how exactly IS infector playing along to the plan by choosing completely random moment and target for the bombing? Its not like Rumormonger really needs PCs to be heroes or exist at all to continue with his main plan, so there is really no benefit of letting Infector's "ruin plan by bombing early and then Norgorber will totally reward me" plan from book 3 go of. Book 6 makes it sound like Infector's part of the plan was completely unnecessary, so that just creates more confusion. Like was that what Rumormonger was predicting "we don't really need Infector, so let him create confusion when he tries to betray us"
Like I could believe him engaging contingency plan, but its kinda funny how book 4 seems to claim Infector is mastermind as well(even with his plan not making sense in book 3) while also claiming he is predictably to greater mastermind. So which is it, is Infector an intelligent schemer or just a chump? Jury will decide as I get back to this later.
Anyway so after this part the adventure itself starts with in media rest scene where informant Starwatch informs pcs of at end of last book gets killed mid sentence. Then after a severe fight there is flashback to how they got to this scene and what informant had time to tell them.
This is something I could see as great opening to start of standalone adventure, but in campaign it feels kinda like taking players' agency away for scene that is supposed to be cool. And it doesn't help that this ap has kinda issue of making it feel like players' agency matters(even before this there are moments of mandated plot failure and ap is fairly linear without having opportunity for players' own investigation lead clues on how to proceed. And by that I mean that most of time players get lead on next place to go after previous combat encounter. So while its in a way good that Starwatch provides use to PCs investigation wise as well, it is basically taking away PC agency to continue the investigation as well until plot says they can proceed. And then the plot provided hook gets killed mid sentence without players having chance to do anything.
It basically feels like an unnecessary risky scene for the sake of a surprise start. I think my GM realized it would anger our table due to previous experiences in casino so this didn't happen to us for good reason :'D Well anyway starting with severe encounter followed by extreme encounter (with optional post-fight moderate) feels bit cruel after end of last book but at least players will at this point survive without tpk risk. It just increase's aps tendency to be meatgrinder, since once again, pcs have no back up or safety. At least adventure assumes pcs can runaway, but players often forget that option.
Neither they do next since its time for another infiltration mission.(at least Ollo got cameo here, Lavarsus hasn't really gotten cameos much since players become starwatch) Like don't get me wrong, its cool to have another infiltration, but this ap could really use the "pc super agents go alone" as exception rather than as the norm. It would kinda make sense to have black finger temple be "when you have evidence of crimes, call us for raid while you go ahead" thing at least. Once players get to lower temple, they are once again expected to run entire dungeon on their own in single day without much of rest(at least it doesn't make sense if they can retreat and come back, but can't come with retinue)
It gets ESPECIALLY harsh when it turns out that Lower temple doesn't have emergency exit that Jonis could even move out of.(it kinda feels like if there needs to be excuse of "we need you to infiltrate without backup so Jonis doesn't run away" that there would need to be actual possibility of him getting away. As it is right now, they are cautious for right reasons, but it results would be same if mission was "okay, when you have reached lower floor, call us to start raid, we will make sure the upper temple won't join lower temple as you make sure Jonis doesn't retreat, we will join you on lower floor when we can".
But yeah so after many moderate encounters(the dungeon itself isn't THAT bad at least compared to previous time it would have been nice to allow pcs allies, at least by these levels. You are still likely going to be tired by time you reach the boss though) there is grueling severe boss fight with Stabbing Beast. After which Jonis Flakfatter just surrenders. Despite being level 15, another solo severe encounter and PCs are at this point exhausted not just from hard boss fight but also from any other encounters they had on their own. As written they have no backup. Jonis is fine with stabbing them if they seem to be about to be defeated by his remaining servants. He isn't even afraid of PCs because they defeated his god's herald. He just surrenders, smugly.
...Yeah this is really the part that mind boggles me on what exactly is Jonis' masterplan. This character profile implies this is just step one, but plan seems to be "Surrender without fight you could win. Have your allies break you out. ???. Profit". Like it would be something if his plan was "Get sent to the highest security prison so that I can outlast my ex cohorts". But nah, he is perfectly fine with finishing PCs off if it seems like they are about to lose anyway. So he doesn't really NEED them to capture him, he just doesn't want to put effort because he assumes they would capture him anyway and he wants to make them think everything is going along the plan. I think adventure wanted to ensure that Jonis can't die in combat accidentally(even if pcs are supposed to use nonlethal weaponry) so that next part would happen. So is he a mastermind or not? Because it is weirdly consistent with his illogical plan in book 3 as well.
Then the next part, name sake of volume, starts with making Starwatch look rather incompetent again. So not again they don't have backup to give you(this is ONLY adventure in entire ap where they assume there is opportunity of other guard members helping you in combat and its volunteers from sleepless suns as thank you for before), they also happen to coincidentally choose obviously haunted house they apparently weren't aware of. Honestly the haunted house mysteries are cool, but while it is cool complication, it also seems bit much in this case? It at least results in there being oh so many encounters since there are both norgorberites, assassins and then mini dungeon with deadly encounters.
Jonis Flakfatter does have impressively high chance of dying yeah, especially when it turns out final boss of segment is Lesser Death. If he somehow survives, well you don't really get any intel or other rewards from it and he disappears completely from story (I didn't realize our GM including him in Blackwhale was his addition) until he gets off screen executed in final book by Gray Queen. I'll get back to that in book 6.
Well at least segment is fun enough, but it doesn't really erase how grueling, stressful and exhausting ap feels overall. Still it was nice to actually get help as written, even if it still feels weird that you got level 6 volunteers rather than any official help from starwatch for the super important suspect. While basement is cool, I do kinda feel section would actually be better off without it even though it works as the "unexpected complication" and bit of humiliation for Flakfatter. Since again it just makes starwatch look bad and kinda emphasizes how AP is less mystery solving and more endless amount of action scenes. Like I don't mind twist of house being haunted if it was more of subtle less murdery combat mystery to solve and causing more complications than "enter mini dungeon to solve it". Like maybe layout of rooms could change or etc.
But yeah so after surviving all this its time for Harrowland! Aka cool segment but kinda random. It really isn't connected to much of anything plotwise besides bad guys picking it randomly. Anyway uh so about the final railroad... It kinda feels off that Wynsal sent letter to heroes about how they should just accept being framed for the greater plan? Because it really would be smarter to warn them so they could try to avoid being framed themselves. That's why I think our gm ultimately made it being fake letter sent by Rumormonger, because it really makes sense for Rumormonger to lure pcs to frame location rather than Wynsal himself. Wynsal taking the bait on purpose in vain hope that his friend is alive and so that mastermind exposes himself works for me yeah, just not summoning pcs part. There is another reason why I kinda dislike the scene besides "trust me, failure will be great" factor.
Anyway, about harrowland first: So uh there were ten potential encounters there? Yeaaah I'm glad our gm cut it down. This ap loves making you encounter more than 3 encounters in day. While rabbit king comes out of nowhere without foreshadowing, it is cool location, I kinda wish the mechanic of breaking cards to affect Rabbit king was telegraphed better. As it is, its basically only comes as option to players if GM directly tells it. Also the part about gently telling players to not go to tent... Uh.. yeah it feels weird players can willfully just skip entire thing on accident.
So anyway, final plot criticism: So it turns out Rumormonger's masterplan to frame Wynsal Starborn is... Steal extra dimensional excavation machine, hide it in haunted circus tent, fill it with canisters of blackfinger poison, Stealing dagger, stabbing Primarch's friend with it, place his friend next to excavation machine, summon Primarch and edgewatch.
Thats really goofy plan. Like so far players unless they did something on their own have no clue what graveraker really is, how it was stolen so I can see it just being really goofy "wait how it got here?" thing, but also, that's only reason they stole it? It kinda turns graveraker into weird red herring that still becomes relevant later on.
BUT the greatest problem with this frame up lose your reputation scene? Lavarsus. Lavarsus is really done dirty here. The AP really assumes PCs should hate Lavarsus even though he never really wrongs them besides being grumpy and mean and AP really assumes PCs never form same dynamic with Lavarsus as he has with Bolero and Ollo(then Bolero never shows up again after book 1 and Ollo just briefly makes cameos, so does Lavarsus. Really there isn't enough screentime in AP for PCs to even hate Lavarsus).
On our table we did have good relations with Lavarsus, so Lavarsus ended up saving us from the scene (at cost of being shelved by the conspirators) and I feel like that worked much better than AP as written treating Lavarsus as non evil non hostile antagonist to the end that we should laugh at.
Sooo yeah. This book has lot of good to it as do all edgewatch books, but its really insistent on its ideas.
