My PCs negotiated with Keygan to save his hide. They traded them keeping quiet about his complicity for the deed to the shop. I see no issue with this but if someone else does (or had problems) let me know.
After the game session and thinking it thru I realised this also gives them access to Jzadirune and the Malachite Fortress. Was wondering how would the city logically react to this? On one hand I think its kind of cool for the PCs to have the dungeon and fort and for them to deal with trying to hold it. But on the other I think the city would be none to pleased about the situation and may insist Jazadirune is sealed.
Advice appreciated!
Not to start another alignment discussion, but is your party evil cuz blackmail and hiding a criminnal from the law both seem kind of evil.
There's no problem with what you've done and how the campaign plays out.
Depending on how the PC's handle this, the city may not even find out they have their very own dungeon-fortress. Oficially that is...
Vhalantru knows all about the PC's of course.
Even if they do find out, the city's reaction depends of what sort of campaign you want to play. Here's a few options.
The city claims the Malachite Hold as a key element in the defense of cauldron and commandeers it. The Hold is subsequently staffed by Vhalantru's cronies.
The Vanderborens bribe a few government officials and quickly buy the rights to Jazidrune. They subsequently renovate the complex and rent it out.
The city grants the PC's the rights to both complexes, but stipulate the PC's have to maintain an at least three squadrons in the Malachite hold, to protect the city against underground attacks.
The Gnomes of Cauldron claim first right to Jazidrune, and demand the PC's hand it back to them. They may even demand compensation for the damages the PC's did to the complex, especially if they destroyed one or more doors.
The city, unwilling to face a new magical epidemic, demand the entire be sealed off.
As for how your pc's handled Ghelve... well it's not exactly lawfull. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's evil, though. It just seems Ghelve's getting a very raw deal, that's all. Blackmailed twice and all.
The party is mostly good of the neutral/chaotic nature. While the blackmailer is a Neutral character. Not Lawful for sure. Not sure its evil though. Certainly should be unacceptable to LG characters - but what about NG and CG?
My other thought would be that Ghelve just turns himself in since he is LN and wracked by guilt.
Still not sure how to play this out but the suggestions are great. Thanks.
My PCs negotiated with Keygan to save his hide. They traded them keeping quiet about his complicity for the deed to the shop. I see no issue with this but if someone else does (or had problems) let me know.
this also gives them access to Jzadirune and the Malachite Fortress.
Advice appreciated!
Short answer: Have the Dwarves claim Malachite Fortress and the Gnomes Claim Jzadirune and save yourself a LOT of headache. (in otherwords... learn from my mistake, Grasshopper :) )
Long answer: See below.
When I ran "Life's Bazaar", it was an experiment to show our group what running a first level, by-the-book, game was like. I did not think they would enjoy it, nor did I expect they would want more. As a result, the decisions I made on that game weren't as carefully thought out as subsequent games. So.... when one of the PCs planted a flag is Jzadirune and the Malachite Fortress both (after killing Ghelve)... I let him because I didn't think we would ever be visiting this setting again.
...So now we've finished game nine...
...And by the second and third games I had a bit of a property mess to unravel.
I let him keep Jzadirune, but I had the local Dwarf clan trot in, thank him kindly for reclaiming their fortress for them, and take possession of the Malachite fortress themselves. The PC also worked with the dwarves to make improvements / repairs to the city (great way to ensure a player is spending their loot). Eventually, the player started opening up areas of Jzadirune for rent.
This had a couple of neat tie-ins with the plot. (all this next stuff in this paragraph is a few games down the road). First, when you get the tax riots, the PC was able to experience rising cost of property taxes first hand when he got slapped with a bill and a summons to the tax collector's office. Also, by the time the volcano starts erupting, the PC had put most of his cash into Jzadirune, and there were some tenants there he had to worry about in addition to the core plot of evacuating the city. So, it did serve to move some storyline, but from my DM perspective, it was more trouble than it was worth.
I had to figure out property value. I had to determine cost of monthly upkeep. I had to determine what improvements the dwarves would do and what they would charge. I never did get around to determining monthly net profit from property rental (which was what the PC keeping the property was all about in the first place.)
At this point in the game, Cauldron has been saved from destruction, but there is still a corner of the dome that collapsed. I am seriously considering using this opportunity to wrest Jzadirune back one way or the other as it's become too much of a headache and it was a mistake for me to allow a 3rd lvl PC to claim a city via squatting to begin with.
The party I run cleared out Zhadirune and the Malachite Fortress, then claimed the Fortress and turned it into a lair that was their base of operations for the next three modules in the AP.
They handed Ghelve over to the thieves' guild they were affiliated with and negotiated a "license" arrangement with them, where the party paid a "tax" equal to a percentage of all reported loot and trade passing to the surface from the Underdark below.
Read about it
*here…* and *here…*
As the party took losses from attrition, their loyalty steadily weakened to the Guild and their contract - but their undoing was the Vecna priestess who built a temple in Zhadirune and invited new converts to colonize the complex; while demanding sacrifices to construct magic items at a discount, her followers kidnapped several people off of the streets - eventually leaving witnesses and triggering investigations.
While the party was away at the Demonskar and then Occipitus, Good-aligned parties were "adventuring" in and around Zhadirune and the Fortress, eventually clearing it, destroying the Vecna cultists (whose leader was absent) and handing it over to the authorities, who garissoned it...all because of sloppy kidnappings.
M