When did your party meet Lord Vhalantru?

[delvesdeep]

At which stage did your party/players meet Lord Vhalantru?

How did the meeting progress?

How did you play him?

How many other times did they or will they meet him?

Delvesdeep

[Kraschyn]

My Party is in Floodseason now.
Darcem Sel. the Cleric is dead.

The party did meet Vhalantru 3 times atm.
First they meet him as Beholder when he rescued Terrem.
After live Bazar their was a public meeting of the City council where Vhalantru intterogated the party leader about the incidents in Jhzadirune and Malachite Fortress.
At this meeting our Party leader did heavily insult the Beholder.
In his story of the Combat in Jhzadirune he humiliated the Beholder.
It will be great a realy great moment when he realizes
that the beholder and Vhalantru are one and the same person.

After that at the begining of Flood season their was a banquett
for important Citizen of Cauldron where the entire Party meet with the City Counsil including Vhalantru.

Next time we play they will be ordere again for the Council for their involvement in the murder of an importang High-Cleric.
Vhalantru has a big grudge against the party and especially its leader.
How i play Vhalantru.
He is the good guy in the goverment ;) but in reality he is trying to set them up for trouble without endangering himself or his cover.
Its fun.

I think they will meet many times til the final encounter.

Kraschyn.

[Oliver von Spreckelsen]

My party met him during the events of Life's Bazaar in his office, trying to get the Dark Creepers released from prison they placed there earlier. They did this in order to get help from the Dark Stalker, who was looking to get his "children" back (Basically they were rescuing the children... from the jaws of the guard? - as for Dark Stalkers' motivation, there was a great article about the Dark Folk in Dragon 323 or 324). As the group's intentions about getting the children back coincided with his own, he was very helpful to the group and they took the bait with line, hook and sinker (also pointing him out on the picture "Friends of Cauldron" helped)... goood...

I will try to make him into a mentor to the group (a little Palpatine here, a little Darth Sidious there..)... I think the beholder form will get a nickname - the "Allseeing" to distinguish him from the obviuos forename.

(They are now in the Malachite Fortress, so they have yet to encounter the beholder...)

[delvesdeep]

SO it seems to me that most people play him as a 'good guy'. Oliver - you mentioned you showed the party the picture of him in the 'Friend of Cauldron' spread. I'm surprized they didn't think he was evil right hten and there. Besides being amongst the goodies there isn't much else tosuggest he is a nice fellow. In fact sitting in the background with a patch over one eye and his shadow resembling beholder, he looks rather evil.

I like the idea of Vhalantru acting like a nice guy to the party and introducing the 'elvish version' of him straight after the Life's Bazaar adventure but for what purpose? I don't want to interogate them (makes the meeting negative). Maybe he could reward them?

Kraschyn, what role did the lord mayor play in the gathering you had with Vhalantru? Was he a fop/fool, inteligent & well spoken, quite/reserved, unsure/jittery, disturbed/worried or something else completely?

Thanks for your responses so far

Delvesdeep

[Oliver von Spreckelsen]

I will try to make him sponsor the group (so he may control them better).

So he will introduce to the Town Council the motion to offer a reward for the heroes. Severen Navalant will hold the speech and hand over the medals. (That way I will introduce the Lord Mayor). Then the events of Flood Season will unfold. With the Heroes Banquet at the start, then the adventure itself and the Flood Fest afterwards (Berandor has provided me with lots of material to fill several sessions with that alone...).

I have tied Lord Vhalantru also into the history of the characters, as they are following a shipment of several casks of water from a healing fountain to Cauldron. Lord Vhalantru needs those to survive the experiments in order to enable his transformation... and it was also a good way to bring the characters to Cauldron.

[Kraschyn]

[
I like the idea of Vhalantru acting like a nice guy to the
Kraschyn, what role did the lord mayor play in the gathering you had with Vhalantru? Was he a fop/fool, inteligent & well spoken, quite/reserved, unsure/jittery, disturbed/worried or something else completely?

Vhalantru in my Campaign is the Secretary of the Lord Mayor.
Official he handels most the bureaucratic Affairs for the office of the Mayor.
Why?
He does it to have a better controll of the affairs in Cauldron and dont risk that the Mayor will escape his Control ( spells dont hold forever ).
As Secretary he can manipulate all things without rising suspions.
And if something goes wrong he can always point the guild at the Lord Mayor.
The Lord Mayor encountered the Party only at the banquet at the start of Flood season.
The Mayor will not appear often in public but his Secretary will act in his name most time.
I am curious if someone will get suspious.

I modified something in my Campaing according to ideas from the message board.
If you want to know more or discuss somethings you can reach me per mail [e-mail]

Kraschyn

[Chef's Slaad]

delvesdeep wrote:

I like the idea of Vhalantru acting like a nice guy to the party and introducing the 'elvish version' of him straight after the Life's Bazaar adventure but for what purpose? I don't want to interogate them (makes the meeting negative). Maybe he could reward them?

Delvesdeep, check out this tread for using/introducing Vhalantru after Life's Bazaar.

here

What most DM's seem to do is set up Vhalantru as a sponsor for adventurers. It makes sense. Vhalantru can direct the party to do his dirty work (you know, get rid of his rivals etc) He can make sure they stay out of his business. And he can monitor their progress. As soon as they get too powerfull, it's either a suicide mission or a short trip down to oblivion. As a statue.

edit: Here's another one

[Amadeus]

Life's Bazaar when they were looking for the kids. They wanted to get a good opinion of all the people in high positions of what they thought was going on. Vhalantru did them one better, he allowed them free reign of his "personal library".

[Craig Shannon]

After Life's Bizaar when Jenya arranges a meeting with the Lord Mayor, Severen Navalant. The players asked the Lord Mayor about his half-elven investigators (the cover they used when The Striders agents went to the Lantern Street Orphanage before the PCs). Obviously as they weren't working for the Lord Mayor he was confused by this. The Wee Jas cloistered/cleric wizard then said he had seen them meeting a dwarven merchant called Tyro Amberhelm in The Drunken/Drowning Morkoth, in front of Lord Vhalantru (he breakfasts there every morning). Oops. I play Vhalantru as an eccentric philanthropic benefactor of the town and confidant of the Lord Mayor. The party think he is a good guy.

[jeffh]

My party first met him at celebrations during the events of Flood Season.

In character I think they like him. Out of character one of them saw through his first name right away, though that still leaves ambiguity - for one thing I changed that monster at the end of Life's Bazaar to a slightly toned-down brain collector, which I had an easier time seeing disguise itself as a human (especially with the Beholder purity ideology). To be honest I haven't decided whether to follow his arc (otherwise) as written or not; since at least one player is convinced (at least out of character, I don't think his character is) that Vhalantru is a bad guy, it might be nice if the twist was that he *wasn't*. Like the Doctor Who story where the big plot twist is that the myserious raspy-voiced character in the chair that looks like half a Dalek *isn't* Davros...

[delvesdeep]

Thankyou Oliver, Kraschyn, Chef's Slaad and everyone else who has taken the time to respond!

I like the idea that Vhalantru acts like an ally and even mentor to the party. Chef's meeting idea at the start of the Flood Festival is also a nice plot device which I will more than likely steal also ;). It is a nice way to introduce future 'major players' and plots/adventure hooks.

People have mentioned ideas such as having Vhalantru awarding the characters medals, using his peronal library etc.

What other methods have you had Vhalantru use to 'stroke the plyers egos/get under their defences'?

As time progresses how will you begin to let the party know that Vhalantru is not the nice guy he seems?

Delvesdeep

[Oliver von Spreckelsen]

I think the heores will catch up to the villainy of Vhalantru with the shift of alignment in the city watch and the higher taxes, especially after the disappearance of the Lord Mayor. But I will try to let it look, that Vhalantru is not eager to get commisioned with leading the City Council, maybe even the PC's will give him their support on his bid for power :-). It will provide a nice session or two to cover the disappearance of the Lord Mayor (perhaps including a scuffle or two with the Last Laugh).

[Kraschyn]

How does the party gets on Vhalantrus tracks?

About my Setting up.
Vhalantru is in my Campaign the Leader of the Jesters Guild.
He is using the Jesers to rid the City Council of opposition so he can exert his Control.

In the Campaign is mentioned that the Highpriest of Pelor before Kristof Jurgenson became highpriest, had an Accident.
In truth the Jester killed him under Order of Vhalantru and they killed Darcem S. and the Wands are the cover for the murder.
And the Jester will Profit from selling the Wands back to the City.
Why does Vhalantru do this?
He sees the Priests as a main obstacle to the Plan of the Cagewrights and tries to diminsh the power of the good Churches.
How does the party can come on his tracks?

Several possibilities:

First Jenya hires the Party to bring the murders of Darcem to Justice, this will lead to the Jesters and then to their leader.
Second The party will get hints when the City politics changes and members who take an opposite stance to Vhalantru end up missing or dead.

In my Campaign their was an hearing after the Murder of Darcem where the Party had to give a full Report to the Council with Vhalantru
asking the Questions.
During the hearing their was a heated debate about the security in the City and how the murder of a high priest can happen.
Vhalantru was pleading for an increasing of the Size of the Guard and that measures have to be taken to guarantee public security.

Our Paladin of Tyr / which substitutes ST. Cuthbert in our Realms campaing didnt like this very well and began investigations about Vhalantru
rihgt after the Meeting.

Our other Paladin of Lathander / which subistutes Pelor is looking into the accidentsof his Priests.

So both them will come after Vhalantru in time.
But the Tyr Paladin is in the lead atm.

Comments and Ideas are welcome.

Kraschyn

[delvesdeep]

Sounds to me like you guys are using similiar ideas/manipulations as what Darth Sideous used in SW? Vhalantru acts as mentor to players, players assist Vhalantru into taking power etc. Am I right here?

Good ideas though.

I would like the players to see and even meet Vhalantru in his beholder form a number of times before the ultimate show down. Does anyone have any ideas how to do this without TPK?

Delvesdeep

[Chef's Slaad]

delvesdeep wrote:

Sounds to me like you guys are using similiar ideas/manipulations as what Darth Sideous used in SW? Vhalantru acts as mentor to players, players assist Vhalantru into taking power etc. Am I right here?

Good ideas though.

They're not called classics for nothing eh...

delvesdeep wrote:

I would like the players to see and even meet Vhalantru in his beholder form a number of times before the ultimate show down. Does anyone have any ideas how to do this without TPK?

Delvesdeep

meeting Vhalantru in beholder form (without the obligatory TPK) is a tough one. I would think Vhalantru assumes his natural form for two reasons: to directly confront (and probably kill) his enemies, or to relax in his private sanctum. At other times he would probably use his elven disguise. Even when dealing with allies who know his true identity (such as the Cagewrights and Embril)

If you want the PC's to see the beholder, I would probably go for the first option: Vhalantru is set to kill one of his oponents. Maybe a higher level adventurer, or some powerfull evil NPC not aligned with the cagewrights. How about one of the members of that greyhawk museum of yours? Perhaps as a warning to the other members or something. The PC's could spy on the meeting, or could be sent to either kill or capture that particular character. Only to find that Vhalantru beat them to it.

[evilash]

Well, it's not a meeting, but my player's managed to charm one of the umber hulks (I used 2 normal umber hulks instead of one fiendish) in the Zenith Trajectory, and when interrogating him they found out that the umber hulks were contacted by a beholder. The point is that you don't have to let them meet Vhalantru, just remind them now and then that there's a beholder in the area who's up to no good.

[Kraschyn]

[
Good ideas though.

They're not called classics for nothing eh...

delvesdeep wrote:

I would like the players to see and even meet Vhalantru in his beholder form a number of times before the ultimate show down. Does anyone have any ideas how to do this without TPK?

Delvesdeep

meeting Vhalantru in beholder form (without the obligatory TPK) is a tough one. I would think Vhalantru assumes his natural form for two reasons: to directly confront (and probably kill) his enemies, or to relax in his private sanctum. At other times he would probably use his elven disguise. Even when dealing with allies who know his true identity (such as the Cagewrights and Embril)

If you want the PC's to see the beholder, I would probably go for the first option: Vhalantru is set to kill one of his oponents. Maybe a higher level adventurer, or some powerfull evil NPC not aligned with the cagewrights. How about one of the members of that greyhawk museum of yours? Perhaps as a warning to the other members or something. The PC's could spy on the meeting, or could be sent to either kill or capture that particular character. Only to find that Vhalantru beat them to it.

In my Campaing Vhalantru is the leader of the Jesters.
Some time in the Future my party will observe a meeting between,
the Jesters and the beholder.
Perhaps that would work for you too?

Kraschyn.

[delvesdeep]

Thanks once again guys. I like the idea of witnessing/spying on Vhalantru in some way. Scrying is certainly one option. Peaking through a door as he appears to take a rival NPC is certainly another (thanks Chef's Slaad :)).

As long as the beholder from Life's Bazaar (Vhalantru) stays prominant in the parties thoughts I will be satisfied. So rumours, stories, visuals etc of the Beholder will do the trick.

Does anyone have any ideas for potential rumours, sightings etc of Vhalantru in his beholder form that could get back to the party?

Delvesdeep