Thanks to an elf ranger whose Search rolls make me think she's qualified to be a detective, the group has pretty much bee-lined right to the Malachite Hold's Big Bad. They'll be trashed if they do walk through the next door (they're tired, almost spell-less, and had the unkillable goblin/hobgoblin fight where they should have mopped right up but ended up playing a game of "who can roll the most consecutive 1s.")
I had Maple and the prisoners from the forge area in the Malachite hold know where the auction was likely to be, know that there was "new stock" going up for auction the next evening, and have a general idea of where the prisoners are kept (but the kids won't be there, of course) to divert the group, along with Maple and company also desperately wanting to be led back up to Jzadirune and into Ghelve's locks if at all possible... The group was happy enough to retreat (I think they sensed the DM "Or, you could all race to instant death" vibes).
I had Maple spin a convincing story that if she and the other kidnap victims are seen above-ground before the PCs rescue the kids, they'll endanger all the slaves, as those working with the slavers in the city will get involved - but if they stay hidden, they don't know anything has happened.
In the meanwhile, since the group managed to take out the stone-spike and the polymorphed orgre, I figured Kazmojen, even with his Intelligence, is no dunce, and he'll beef up security a bit, and it might be a bit harder to get at him. The group will go for the slaves (I'm tempted to put a false "slave" in the group) first, and then try for the kids thereafter. It's made things a little longer, but hey.
If it weren't for the elf finding every secret door, they'd've had more encounters, found a bit more treasure, and gotten to 3rd level. As it is, the group is approaching Kazmojen, and two of them are still 1st level (they missed two nights), two more are 2nd level, and the other three are 3rd level. Though they're a large group, they're still little guys, and one swat or two knocks them down and out (the poor Human rogue nearly died under the collapsable cupboard, heh).
Did anyone else have issues with this (or other) parts of the A-Path with their group finding the most direct route and walking towards destruction?
Yeah, just happened last Friday too.
In Flood Season, fresh into 3rd level, they stumble into the kitchen 1/3 dead :)
They got very lucky though, they were able to put Tongueater to sleep. I thought it was going to be a lot worse.
Bulette
Use the DM's friend. The not-so-random monster encounter. Something that will draw the party away from the right path. Happens in movies all the time. Good guys are on the verge of opening the right door or discovering the secret passage when the bad guy or his minions come crashing in. I suggest something a lot tougher than the PCs, so they have no choice but to run.
I had the same issue...A half-elf rogue who found every secret door there was (DC 25 or not)...<sigh>
But me, I let 'em go. It didn't take them long to decide that maybe they wanted to clean out Jzadirune first...
If the party went right down to the Malachite Fortress they may have missed the 2 most important goals of Jzadirune:
1) Find Starbrow before the poor thing dies of hunger and Keygan's hurting from loosing his familiar.
2) Find the Skulk with the ring of skeleton keys so that they skulks and dark creepers stop their rash of break ins.
I would be heartbroken if the party had succeeded the way yours went. Considering I had a full battle map with runed doors all drawn up! (missing secret passages and doors, which I drew in as they found them)
They got the rat, but haven't yet found the keyring of skeleton keys... Hrm. Good point. I can maybe work that into a follow-up.
Mind, they didn't clear out Jzadirune on their way back down again, and so now they might be bumping into things on their way back up... Thanks for the thought!