I have just started running the Shackled City adventure path and wanted to know when the PC's should first learn of the Cagewrights.
My players went straight to see Ghelve's Locks and that left me no time for them to meet the Striders. Of course, they nearly died before they got completely down the stairs because of a trap, so they might have to go back upstairs. In that case, they can meet them. Will they inform the PC's about the Cagewright plot in the initial meeting or will they wait until the characters prove themselves (read: after Life's Bazaar's events are concluding)?
Neomorte
Hmm... I think I need to introduce them soon. We've just started The Demonskar Legacy and the party is still clueless--they've missed all the subtle hints that something's going on. They are under the impression that the Striders are simply there for the mundane purpose of protecting the roadways in Fharlanghn's name.
I haven't read every adventure yet. What is the first adventure that demands the party knowing about the Cagewrights?
I didn't mention the word "Cagewrights" until after the party proved themselves trustworthy to the Striders of Fharlanghn. Actually, I didn't even mention "Striders of Fharlanghn" until after they completed Flood Season.
My players were able to uncover that the Workroom (Floodsean, K16) "was used to build some sort of magic device, most likely something connected to the schools of Conjuration, Abjuration, and Necromancy." They openly shared this information with Shensen, who then introduced the party to Meerthan.
At that point, Meerthan introduced the Striders of Fharlanghn and their purpose of watching over the actions of a group called the Cagewrights. The PCs were content to leave the Striders of Fharlanghn to do their own thing, but promised to deliver information in return for information and magical aid (in the form of beneficial spells and scrolls).
If the PCs forge a relationship with the Striders of Fharlanghn, they can find a great wealth of information. But I've also used the Striders as a DM tool to give out mis-information.
For example, the Striders don't know who or where the Cagewrights are, or what their plans in Cauldron are. Meerthan can take the information from the PCs and say that perhaps the Ebon Triad created an arcane focus for creating undead (which could be a lead-in to using Practical Magic as a side-quest), or that perhaps a device to facilitate summoning creatures, or a device to bind a summoned creature in place.
None of these is the correct answer, and they are not answers that will alarm the PCs into immediate action. By the time the party finds the cage in the Demonskar Legacy, and they (hopefully) recognize the arcane schools from their explorations in Flood Season, they should be able to see that these locations are related, and start to see a bigger picture.
Look, it all depends on YOU, the DM! (not an acronym for dummy) Depending on your players, you have to be either more overt or more subtle. I have two separate groups in the the shackled city adventure, none of which have ever played D&D, and both have english as there second language.
The first group needed no hints, we're on the test of the smoking eye, and just from constantly hearing the name "cagewrights" they know there's something up with them. I just drop the name in a sinister way, at the right time, but give no details. The group has slowly been trying to find out more and more about the cagewrights on thier own.
The other group needed proding. I didn't mention the CW's at all until the third adventure then I had the striders tell the party about the CW's and that they need to be careful about crossing them. Then I had some dying boss (can't remember who) utter a curse in the name of the cagewrights.
Hopethis stuff helps.
I am considering having them find out after the events of the Lucky Monkey. I will allow them to find out earlier if the ask the right questions.
Neomorte
Man, I kept my group in the dark for a long time. They had found some of the clues along the way (the building materials in the workroom in "Flood Season," the prototype cage built by Dugobras in "Demonskar Legacy") and knew something was going on, but they couldn't piece it together. I finally revealed it to them via the Striders of Fharlanghn after they assaulted the Cathedral of Wee Jas in "Soul Pillars." Heck, they didn't even know the Striders existed as an organization until that point, when Meerthan finally deemed it necessary to get them involved.
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Since one of my participants in my group was the apprentice of an evil necromancer, I was toying around with he idea to make him one of the Cagewrights. This also will make a great "So the student and the techer meet again" moment...so the group (or at löelast one of them will know of the existence of the group), but I don't know when to relay this to them. it will depend on how good they are standing with the Striders... when Meerthan will trust them enough to reveal their real purpose in Caldron to the PC's. They have made a good start, as they have invited the two half-elves on their delve into Jzadirune.
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Well, at this point my players have just reached Nimrada's False Sister's lair in the Demonscar Legacy and they already had a pretty good idea that something much bigger than themselves had been going on, so when they went to speak with the memebers of the Chisel, I gave them the Cagewrights name and hints as to the final goal, but I'm actually leaving out what the Cagewrights are doing exactly. This has given them time to come to their own conclusions and guesses and I will probably reveal the final secrets after the assassination attempt in Secrets of the Soul Pillars. You know, kinda give them that sense of the full horror of what is going on with only a small amount of time left to deal with it.
My party knew something was going on but I kept them busy enough that they didn't dwell on it. They have just recently learned of the cagewrights on completion of Soul Pillars. This worked well - I kept them moving forward without locking them onto the BBEG's. Besides, it's supposed to be a SECRET society, right? :)
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I plan on bringing in another faction - fire elementalists intent on releasing the Firebringer (I'll be inserting Prison of the Firebringer from Dungeon #101) who was imprisoned long ago beneath Cauldron. It just so happens that the Firebringer is needed in the Cagewright's plans also. I will introduce the fire elementalists early, making the PCs believe they are the ultimate threat. I will have the PCs go thru the adventures where they encounter the Shackleborn, but make it seem as if these are just adventures to advance the PCs in level before meeting the ultimate adversaries. I will have Lord Orbius Vhalantru befriend the PCs (though I'll probably think of a better name - doesn't take a rocket scientist to link Orbius with the beholder encountered in Life's Bazaar). He will provide an Iron Flask for the PCs to trap the Firebringer in. When the PCs bring the Iron Flask back, Lord Vhalantru will reveal himself and teleport away to the Cagewright's lair below Cauldron. Shortly after will begin the events of Foundation of Flame as the Firebringer invokes the long dormant volcano to activity.