My group just finished up WC on Saturday, so I've started to read through 3FoE. In 3FoE, it says that Allustan suggest the players talk to Balabar Smenk as a possible gateway into the Dourstone mines. It then says that if the players don't contact Balarbar that he contacts them.
I have a problem. My group hates Balabar Smenk. One of the characters a female rogue used to work in the Emporium as a dancer. Lets just say Balabar disgusted her. From her time there she learned a bit about Balabar and his hired henchmen. This of course was shared with the group when it was necessary.
The group followed the clues found at the Land Farmstead and went into town. They went to the Feral Dog and found out when Kullen and his gang stop in at the tavern and then decided to try and bribe him with drinks. Well things didn't go so well and the Rogue (who knew Kullen) failed a few diplomacy checks and eventually words were exchanged and a fight broke out. After a tough battle Kullen and the 2 other melee types (don't have the magazine with me at work) were dead. They dragged the mage to the lake and forced information out of him.
They went and visited Filge, found the letter that linked Filge to Smenk, and eventually they killed Filge.
The bottom line is, they don't trust Smenk, and if Allustan suggested they talk to Smenk they may start to question if Allustan isn't in Leauge with Smenk as well.
So, is it really necessary to have the group talk to Smenk? What benefits are there? Did your group talk to him? How did they go about getting entrance into the Dourstone mines? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Not every D&D game needs to involve moral quandaries, but this is a minor one that can be fun to work with.
I’m sure the writer was counting on the PC’s not liking/trusting Balabar when it came to this point, and if the party is made up of Lawful or even just Good aligned characters it could be a tension filled meeting indeed.
Up to this point the PC’s should know Balabar is a bad, bad man. Depending on what type of government you run in your D&D game, he could even be considered “Above the Law” to some extent. So, they know he’s bad… they have a note to incriminate him in some wrong doing… but they still need to deal with him because he knows things that the characters do not. I LOVE IT!
Run with it. Have Allustan explain “That’s just how things work around here.” Or “You don’t need to like it.” It helps the PC’s hate Balabar even more. He makes a wonderful adversary. Perfect for the Lawful types since they should not kill him outright.
This all, of course, leads up to the PC’s being victorious over Balabar, which makes that victory even sweeter.
"We have something we need to discuss. I know you've killed Kullen [In our game, this isn't entirely true] and my dear friend Filge, who had done nothing to you.
There is no need for the law to get involved with this, and there is no need for further bloodshed, blah blah blah."
I'm at this same point in the campaign, and thinking about this approach. Maybe have deputy Jamis, who they know, come to them with a "There's a warrant for your arrest being prepared." message.
It actually worked out to be better in my campaign that they don't trust Balabar. Basically, I just had Balabar summon them to his house and offer them a job -- knock off the three cultists down at the bottom of the mine before they come after him. Oh, they hated Balabar, which made it even more delicious that they should work for him.
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Motivation is an issue for the start of Three Faces of Evil. Some great information is to be had in the Archives. This link I found most helpful once you get past some of the flames.
I'm approaching the situation from a slightly different angle. Instead of Balabar's involvement being the big issue, I'm putting the catalyst on Dourstone. The Greysmere Covenant have been observing some "odd" behaviour in association with Ragnolin and will ask the PCs to investigate this. This doubles up with the evidence already acquired and complicates the picture some.
The PCs will gather some information on Ragnolin, some of it will look like this (specific to my campaign but I'm sure you can glean something from it):
— Oldest continuously running mine in Diamond Lake with Dourstone assuming control of it 50-years ago from the previous owner, Garmulstissel Forstermergerbergerstein (can you guess the race?).
— The mine has eight levels, accessed by a single lift. The bottom two levels are the only ones currently active, with a high-grade hematite ore being extracted.
— The mine and it's support buildings are all within the protected walls of the Dourstone Wall, built 20 years ago during a particular paranoid period of Diamond Lake history. The Red Plague was laying waste to the work force and Dourstone built the barricade to keep plague-carriers away from his work force.
— Dourstone employs 60 workers at 2 sp/day wage who work in twelve-hour shifts of 30 workers. They hot-bunk in the barracks that is next to the Mine Hall (kitchen, showers, infirmary) which is next to the Mine Office where Dourstone and his three foremen reside. Gerreld stays in the office at all times and handles the administrative duties while Lordren and Carr accompany the miners below.
— Dourstone security has been on high alert ever since Smenk began his major take-overs. Twelve guards are on duty at all times. Two man the gate while two each are located at the two corner towers. Four patrol the outside the wall and have little contact with the constabulary. Two guard the mine entrance to watch for the occasional break-out attempt made by some of Dourstone's sentenced criminals he employs. The guards are all human except for two dwarves that are part of the night shift.
— Blitzhame and the Greysmere Covenant do not trade with Dourstone normally. The iron produced from Dourstone's mine does not have the golden hue that the dwarves prize. Blitzhame, in addition, does not like Ragnolin, having heard enough hear-say to taint his opinion of him (referring to the scandal of collapsed mines from 50 years ago).
— Dourstone does not go out on the town much, unlike other mine managers, though rumour has it he's taken the invitation of Shag Solomon for a high stakes game of Dragonfire (aka 3-Dragon Ante) at the Emporium.
— Off duty miners have related that Dourstone has been busy over the past three months reopening one of the oldest tunnels on the first level. Engineers from Greyhawk City have been hired with related crew which kept the barracks crowded for a few weeks until they began to stay in the mine. Now those crews are rarely seen except for the two engineers that meet with Dourstone regularly (aka the Faceless One and Theldrick; crew would be the "cultists" with the kenku arriving later).
— Two months ago a miner swears he had seen a bizarre corpse in the infirmary that had come up from the reopened tunnel. It had three arms, three heads and three legs. He overheard the lisping engineer calling it a "tirapheg" as he was being tended to his own injuries (I'm intending to tweak the Ebon Aspect to be a suped-up tirapheg with the central head looking like Vecna's visage while the other two heads hint at Hextor and Erythnul's visages; the tri-part aspects of the tirapheg seemed like a great opportunity to give an old lame 1E monster a legitimate excuse to exist...abeit enhanced).
The game of Three Dragon Ante that Shag Solomon is having is an opportunity for a PC to fish for an invite. At this game, I plan on some of the movers and shakers of Diamond Lake to be present, including Balabar, Dourstone, and Theldrick. This intense roleplaying situation will then lead to Balabar cornering the PC after the game with a "threat" of reporting their "murder" of Filge et. al. unless they do some work for him.
Thus the worm evidence, Greysmere's interest, and Balabar's threat/invitation should have the PCs sufficiently hooked. Also there was a hint that Shag Solomon appears late in the AP and I wanted this NPC to be remembered.
Hope that helps.
One of my characters is in love with Constance Grace (the prostitute down at the Midnight Salute who moonlights as a spy for the Mayor). Before we started WC, I caused her 7 year old son to go missing after 'playing up in the hills behind town'. So off trots the fighter into the hills, happens to meet the rest of the party who are checking out the green worms rumours, and off into WC they go.
Now when (if) they finish the module, they will meet a hysterical Constance Grace who has received a note telling her her boy will be okay... so long as she behaves herself. Either they do some detective work, or they get another note and go see Smenk in his house. Surrounded by thugs, tousling the boy's hair playfully, Smenk makes like the classic cheesy Mafia capo and orders the party to remove any evidence of his involvement with Dourstone. "It would be so unfortunate for his mother if her little boy fell down a well..."
I'm still trying to decide whether Grace will survive 3FoE or not. If she does, the fighter may be tempted to settle down with her and quit adventuring. She may well get assassinated by Chaum Gansworth for being too valuable to both the Mayor and Smenk.
Oh my players hate Smenk. It took a lot of restaint to keep the rogue in the group from trying to sneak atack him in his home (not that she could due to the level differences). There are two things that kept hem there listening to Smenk.
1) Allustan said that they should go talk to them. The group wizard has become fairly chummy with the wizard and wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. They know that the two are related (I think that's what the AP says or I have got him mixed up with the mayor, oh well it works out better this way). Allustan has been clear about his doesn't want to know poloicy when it comes to his brother. Not only has this fact kept them on the path of speaking with Smenk but it has kept them from trying to get Smenk arreestted or kill him.
2) Smenk kinda gave them the, "If you don't do this for me I can make things very difficult for you in Diamond Lake" bit. Now my group has gotten the deed for the Miners office and have begun rebuilding it, so they plan on staying for a while. They didn't want life in town to be difficult so they reluctantly agreed to help. They are removing evil cultists anyway, so they took that as a good thing.
Now don't get me wrong, they left the meeting with Smenk hating him even more. The rogue still talks about wanting to kill him.
I don't see that having a conversation with Smenk before going into the mines is at all necessary. My party followed the clues from the Land Farm to Kullen to Filge. Filge's info led them straight to the mine. There was never any question of them talking to Smenk and, as far as I can see, they didn't need to. On the other hand, Smenk hasn't been a real focus for anything in the game to this point and my group did (reluctantly) take Filge alive, so he provided them with way more info than if they'd killed him.
My group included an ex-miner who used to work for Smenk. He was not liked. They had earlier killed Kullen and let his cronies go after receiving a promise from them that they wouldn't tell Smenk. They lied and Smenk was fuming so he wanted to get rid of them. He pretended like he hadn't heard about the Kullen thing and played the angle of "I'm not such a bad guy. It's these evil cultists. They had me by the balls! I had no choice but to help them. They've been manipulating me and I've been powerless to stop them." Thanks to his respectable Bluff check the party bought it. As soon as they left, Smenk chuckled to himself. Either the meddlesome adventurers die in the mine (which they did) or he gets rid of the cult. Either way he wins. After the TPK in the mine, a new party arrived in town a week later and decided to pick up where the old group had left off.
I think I might understand why Allustan would suggest the players talking to Smenk. Smenk has a lot of power in the town. He owns a lot of the mines and everyone pretty much knows him and respects, fears or hates him. He would probably have a much easier time getting the players into the mines then if they tried to get in without him.
Airwalkrr I liked this "I'm not such a bad guy. It's these evil cultists. They had me by the balls! I had no choice but to help them. They've been manipulating me and I've been powerless to stop them." Probably use it to bluff my PC's.
We just played this Wed. night. Allustan offered to identify all their items if they would explore the mine (the PC's are low on cash after having to pay 'burial fees' to Cubbin to dispose of the corpses of Kullen and his crew). While they were waiting on Allustan, Kurlag, the half-ogre bouncer from the Emporium, showed up with a note from Smenk requesting a meeting. Kurlag also told the wizard that a warrant had been issued for the PC's arrest for murder (Kullen), assault (Filge - who still lives), and resisting an officer (a brief fight with two deputies).
Smenk offered to clear the trumped-up charges if the party would help him with a 'matter of mutual interest'...
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As my weekly game is skipping a week and the PCs are right in the middle of their first meeting with Balabar Smenk, I chose to write the discussion on our gaming group website so our last game of the year can get on with the action.
Thank you airwalkrr for one line I've used verbatum.
This is just an example of how I've taken the setting offered in Dungeon #124 and the Age of Worms Overload and have run with it. As an aside, Chaum Gansworth had recently offered the PCs a job with them dealing with a spy in Midnight Salute... Ah, in-game political fun! Also, Kullen wrestled with the warrior PC after the owlbear encounter trying to "squeeze" some info out the half-orc. That only succeeded in having Kullen and his gang laying low and the PCs having to make the connection to Filge in a different manner.
I hope that Balabar's high Diplomacy skill is evident in the following, so much so that the players wont bother asking for Sense Motive checks. Hey, I can hope.
The PCs are:
Akabane, Baklunish soulknife
Miö, dwarven bastard of Ragnolin, cleric of Dumathoin
Graum, half-orc wizard, former apprentice of Allustan
Gerzin, Suloise rogue/gambler
Here's a start to Smenk's talk with the PC's. I'll finish this up ASAP...
The opposite door from which the trio entered opens revealing the large form of Balabar Smenk. Nearly six feet tall, it is Balabar’s broad shoulders and sizable girth that is most intimidating. His round face is far from pleasant, appearing swollen and pink from the chill Readying afternoon air. His bald pate is deeply pitted by the scars of a childhood pox though his wiry grey hair creates a distracting halo around his head. For a man of such power in Diamond Lake, you’d expect he could afford better tailored clothes. Instead, he still seems to be taking fashion advice from his mother wearing clothing 15 years past their prime with enough threadbare spots to confirm their vintage.
His preoccupied expression instantly transforms into a well rehearsed smile, as he looks about the room.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules,” he begins in his classic Oeridian accent, making eye contact with each of his guests, “as you must be very busy preparing yourself for the future.”
He moves to shake the hands of his three guests, starting with Graum, before moving to Akabane and Gerzin. He pauses to look at Kullen who stokes the fire as he adds some wonderfully scented juniper logs to the flames.
“Is Master Càrnclach indisposed to attend?”
“He refused to release his holy weapon into the care of Gunk,” Kullen informs him with concise words.
“Oh tut, what I need to say is of particular interest to an heir. Rastophan, invite the young dwarf in, please.”
The sudden silence seems awkward as Balabar picks at some grime on his tie, his multiple chins bulging over his collar. The roar of burning juniper and the acrid odour of Graum’s cigar confirm the reality of the trio’s location within the library of Balabar Smenk, the most powerful mine manager in Diamond Lake.
The door opens and Balabar moves over on light feet to greet Miö and offer him a seat. Rastophan’s dreadlocks are briefly visible before he closes the door leaving the full group of four alone with Balabar and Kullen.
“As I was telling your comrades,” Balabar begins again moving to the centre of the room, the four heroes seated or standing around him, “all of you must be busy planning for the future, particularly after your success in the Whispering Cairn.”
He nods to Kullen who moves to a bookshelf and removes a rectangular box. He walks over and sets the box on a low table. Balabar winks to Gerzin as he pulls out a set of keys and unlocks the box, throwing open the top. Inside the box is a very familiar looking lantern with indigo-coloured glass.
“I too have poked around the Cairn but it was a number of pounds ago,” he smiles with a twinkle in his eyes, patting his stomach meaningfully, “and quite honestly, the sibilant whispering was driving me batty. I took all the lanterns and sold them except for this one…but I understand that you have found more of them.”
He looks to Miö.
“I wish to congratulate you for figuring out that place when I couldn’t,” he now turns to Gerzin and nods respectfully. “You once worked for me, Gerzy; perhaps I should have given you more credit for your ability than what I had heard from friends in the City. Then again, your association with Thurbiss did not help my opinion either. Obviously you must be a brilliant man to have bested the devious traps of the Cairn. Well done!”
He closes the lid on the box and locks it.
“The future must seem very bright for all of you,” he starts again as he moves towards the edge of the room, his hands clasped behind him. He stops next to Akabane who leans against a shelf in a posture of boredom.
“The Owlbear of Diamond Lake!” he declares. “You gave Kullen a challenge that few can claim. Very impressive. Now that you have recovered from your leg infection, you must be looking forward to the Freeday Fights to prove your worthiness to the bookies. I see a bright future for you, son, and one that will bring you the opportunities of the Free City Arena even!”
He claps Akabane on the shoulder appreciatively.
“You could learn a little something about ambition from this one, Kullen.”
Kullen’s hands simply clinch in acknowledgment.
Balabar moves to stand next to Graum, his smile deepening with appreciation.
“My have you come so far, Master Graum. From the mine of Moonmeadow to Allustan Neff’s bodyguard to wizard-apprentice to his own master…oh Kullen, I understand your jealousy.”
A low guttural growl is barely perceptible over the sound of burning firewood.
Smenk moves back to the centre of the room and turns to nod to Miö.
“Master Càrnclach your future was most bright to Chezabet’s soothsaying,” Balabar refers to the Emporium’s fortune teller, “who sees you will be one of the most powerful figures in Diamond Lake. Chezabet will mumble as much as prognosticate, but she’s been eerily accurate as of late. I yielded to her vision but that is only one aspect of the catalyst that has brought you here.”
“I also make my invitation for you to join me here to give you a warning,” he pauses as he fishes for something in his vest coat pocket before procuring a shuriken. “Two bodies were found in the Dead Hole a week ago, the bodies of former employees of mine. Gulgh and Thurbiss, two people you shared a residence with until recently, Gerzy. Sheriff Cubbin and his constables are very close to making an arrest.”
He holds a hand up and nods to those that begin to speak
“I am sure” he interrupts, “that Cubbin’s investigation is mired in stale whiskey and hearsay. I may be able to make that clear to him regardless of the testimony of eye witnesses Brekk and Sherkel…if I could have your assistance with a problem of mine.”
He sighs heavily, his public countenance faltering somewhat, a disquieted look appearing on his face. He looks up at Kullen whose returning look is one of puzzlement.
"I'm not such a bad guy. It's these evil cultists. They have me by the balls! I had no choice but to help them. They've been manipulating me and I've been powerless to stop them!” he blurts out in a confessional manner. “I want to go to Lanod Neff, but he’s powerless to stop them. Why involve the innocent when the proficient are so clearly obvious to me? Especially when family is involved for some individuals...”
He pauses to look at each of the four explorers of the Whispering Cairn, his eyes coming to rest upon the cleric of Dumathoin, Keeper of the Secrets of the Deep.
“Master Càrnclach you must feel the secret of Diamond Lake that lies deep beneath her muddy streets?”
Miö nods with non-committal indulgence.
Smenk continues, “Three months ago Ragnolin Dourstone and I met. Ragnolin and I have respected each other and have effectively kept out of each other’s business over the years. Dourstone began to speak of forming an alliance of political, financial and religious significance. Certainly I am interested in strengthening my position within Diamond Lake…perhaps I could finally afford my own tailor.”
He laughs nervously.
“It was Dourstone’s reference to religion that had me perplexed though, as I’ve never known the dwarf to profess faith to anything but the all-mighty orb. We agreed to meet again for a tour of the mine. He presented me with a ‘gift’ of 400 plates to compensate for the lack of a guard I was denied. Of course I feared a trap of some sort and had Mestal —,” the name of his right-hand man catching his throat, “I had my men in a position of support if I needed it. At the mine I met with Dourstone and two associates of his that I had never seen before. They were the engineers from the City that my information network had just learned about. One gentleman was pleasant enough but the other made me immediately uncomfortable. He wore a miner’s mask with the large carbon breathing filters on it. I could hear his muffled speech barely as he spoke with a pronounced lisp. They explained how they needed to be supplied for their excavation works in one of the old mine tunnels of the upper level. It’s the first one on the left as you head towards the lift. They gave me a list of items that they would need discreetly delivered to the mine and that it cannot look like Ragnolin is receiving anything. We agreed upon a price. I figured I had some easy money coming in and that Ragnolin had one tick in the ‘owe’ side of the ledger.”
He pauses to pour himself a splash of brandy in a snifter, wetting his lips and mouth.
“Like any good business man, I began to cut corners on some of the shipments but meeting their overall demands of quantity. I have a level of profit I expect out of any agreement and I was squeezing what I could from this.”
“A month ago I received another invitation to Ragnolin’s estate where I dined with the dwarf and the agreeable engineer, Rik. They both wanted to show me the progress of their work. Curious as I am to what a rival manager is up to, I of course accepted the invitation.”
Sweat had been slowly appearing upon his pocked pate, now a single bead flowed into his bushy eyebrows. He was looking physically ill.
“What I saw keeps me awake at night still,” he whispers.
Cue dramatic music...
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Here's the last of Smenk's "chat" with the PCs in my game. Some of the details related in Dungeon have been tweaked slightly to fit the flow of my game and the activities of the PCs (they killed Filge outright, Kullen has avoided confrontation with them, Balabar has "dirt" on the PCs for something else, etc). I hope Balabar comes across as being forthright and honest...exactly how any "good" politician should come across. The PCs will have their own moral/ethical quandries to tackle as they discover all the evidence.
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Balabar reaches into a coat pocket and removes a kerchief and blots some of the moisture from his forehead. He smiles weakly to the assembled individuals as he attempts to regain some of his public composure.
“Walking into the mine was the same as before except that the passage was concealed behind a wooden barricade,” Smenk continues, “and it took a bit of manual manipulation for Rik to gain access. Beyond the barricade the old tunnel continued though it was obvious some portions of it were enlarged recently. These areas were filled with the crates and sacks of the dry goods I had been supplying them with. Most of these appeared empty. I commented as much to Ragnolin and Rik promptly replies ‘we’ve had new recruits’.”
A low rumble interrupts the large man, sounding similar to load of ore being dumped into the smelters. Balabar raises an eyebrow and glares at Kullen.
“Where are your manners, boy?”
Kullen’s pale features darken briefly coinciding with a horrible odour permeating the air.
“Pardon my employee, gentlemen. Employees of etiquette are hard to come by in Diamond Lake, thus my interest in all of you, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Balabar takes another sip of his brandy, “Where was I?”
“New recruits sir,” Gerzen prompts.
“Ah yes, recruits…well, I figured they’d need more supplies and I was right. Rik and I discussed this as we descended down a shaft. I was so engrossed in the negotiations I hadn’t realized I was standing on a large lift — quite the elaborate affair with its gear mechanism built into the lift. I was impressed with the efficiency that it worked. Alas, that was the last thing that left a positive impression with me.”
“Before the lift had reached the bottom I began to sense a shift in the atmosphere. Rik and Ragnolin had negotiated some very lucrative terms. Too lucrative. Though their countenance suggested genialness, I felt an encroaching feeling of despair. Then the odour assailed my nostrils. Lads,” Balabar’s speech had been increasing in pace before a sudden pause, “I don’t know how else to describe it. The air reeked of afterbirth, the fetid odour of placenta left out of the soup too long.”
Smenk here refers to the Oeridian delicacy of plakoenta sopa.
“When the lift stopped I was in a massive chamber looking so much like a black cathedral. In the centre of this pillared cathedral was a pool of black goo. Surrounding it was three circles of robed figures with their faces touching the cold mosaic floor. ‘By Zilchus’ scale’ I thought, ‘this isn’t a mine but the stronghold to a cult!’ Worse still was what I saw poking out from beneath the robes of the kneeling figures — tails, grey-skinned hands thick with calluses, black, oily feathers — inhuman things. Their chants raised the hairs on my neck sounding like the chorus of croaking frogs and screaming children.”
By this time Balabar Smenk’s face is in a full sweat and it is pretty clear he hasn’t bathed recently but he seems oblivious to this. His retelling of his tale clearly is like therapy to a beleaguered soul.
“It was a sheer act survival on my part that I maintained my composure. I had to. Looking to Ragnolin and Rik it was obvious that what was transpiring was not exceptional. The chanting — the odour — the Black Cathedral, it was all a matter of course. Ragnolin spoke to me now in his steady, deep voice: ‘All must be prepared as we have requested for the Age of Worms is upon us.’ I could only nod in understanding, though I had no idea what he was talking about. Dragons? Bait? All I could think was I wanted to leave this place. Yet Ragnolin led me through a door and through a bizarre labyrinth of sorts. I had fully expected to find a minotaur at the end. Instead I found myself in something resembling a laboratory. Diagrams, charts, books, symbols, jars filled with organic things I wouldn’t care to comprehend are some of the things I had seen. Two symbols of the Gods I recognized, though, and I knew my life was in peril: Vecna and Tharizdun. Then I heard a voice I recognized, a lisping voice, the voice of the other “engineer”. I turned to see a figure in black robe trimmed in gold with black runes sewn within. The person’s face was covered by a black leather mask. It, as I cannot be certain to its gender, spoke simply, detailing a “new” business arrangement for the deliveries. This arrangement was not lucrative at all. In fact, I would — have been losing orbs in a dramatic fashion. I have no choice. ‘Now that you see what we capable of you understand why secrecy must be maintained. Secrecy allows us to continue our studies and liturgies in the name of the Ebon Triad. Without secrecy we are lost. We will kill to preserve it.’,” Smenk blanches noticeably again, “and they have.”
Balabar gets up and walks to the fire taking the metal poker to stir the juniper logs and embers into further light for the room.
“I tried to adjust the quality of the goods Ragnolin was receiving, trying to make a bad situation more bearable. Mestal Fixx took care of all those details,” his voice begins to crack as he speaks faster. “I awoke one morning to find Mestal in bed with me…but only his head in a pool of ichor. It has become worse still. I asked an expert in cults to come up from Greyhawk to do some research for me, and now Filge has gone missing.”
Balabar now looks at the assembled individuals with earnest concern.
“Gentlemen, I need your help to stop the going-ons in Dourstone’s Mine before it overcomes Diamond Lake and the Domain of Greyhawk itself!”
Excellent dialogue, Rexx! I enjoyed reading it. Looks like your players have quite a task set out for them.
Very nice... thank you for posting this. My players just finished up WC and are ready to start 3FoE and have been talking about setting up a meeting with Balabar. He will most likely ask them first.
Your post gave me alot of ideas and I appreciate your work.
Thanks.
My group wants nothing to do with Smenk. They are staying out of his way. They beat up Kullen's gang (killed all but Kullen). Questioned Kullen, knocked him out, tied him up, wrapped him up, and sent the "package" south to Amn. They also beat and questioned Filge and sent him running out of town with no possessions ( can you say returning villain?). With those two things and other stuff they have connected him with they believe him too well conected with the town officials and others to try and even bring him up on charges.
I have not figured a good way to play this up yet, but I hope I do soon. Before they go to Waterdeep (the Free City).
Although my group is slightly different (ie. one of the PC's is king of the country Diamond Lake is in) I managed to pull off Smenk as an ultimate badass. The party actually contacted him about 4 days after finishing WC and he was none too pleased to see them. They waltzed in all high and mighty, expecting to confront Smenk with his own guilt, only to find out that he actually had the dirt on them! Not only did they sneak into Filge's residence and murder him, but they also broke into Kullen's house, beat him, tied him up and abducted him to get information. Hardly a kingly thing to do. The paladin received a warning that such behaviour would result in him losing his paladinhood as well, so he has since smartened up. The group left to grudgingly accept the mission into Dourstone mine, with a few threats thrown at Smenk, to which he again retaliated with the insinuation that if anything were to happen to him, certain powerful people would receive a rather informative letter about the PC's.
The best part was after the group left his house, the paladin turns to the rest of the party and says "He's right you know. We did all those things, and he's got us by the short and curlies." I love blackmail :)
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Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it. I have found a lot of inspiration on these boards and simply want to throw some more fuel into the creativity "tank".
I've noticed a trend to play off Smenk as a foul villain. His alignment suggests instead an eccentric man with a nose for "business". Rename him Luigi and have his office in a restaurant with red and white table cloths and you have my vision of Smenk. His business practices are underhanded but fit well within the business landscape of Greyhawk (Lord Mayor Nerof Gasgol is/was the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild by all means!). He should be genuinely interested in preserving the dynamics of Diamond Lake as they're to his advantage. The Ebon Triad has changed that and they must be eliminated.
Kullen and his crew have "blundered" enough that Smenk is ready to hire some new "goons". He looks to the PCs to fill that role. It will be interesting to see how the group dynamics will mesh. I intend to have Kullen be paired up with the PCs for the exploration of the Triad's holdings; Graum and he loathe each other. It should be fun!
I'll post the outcome of the negotiations if people are interested as that will be roleplayed out during tonight's game.
“I don’t know how else to describe it. The air reeked of afterbirth, the fetid odour of placenta left out of the soup too long.” Smenk here refers to the Oeridian delicacy of plakoenta sopa.
They should have used Placenta Helper!
My group has just completed WC, and they have a healthy distaste for Smenk, but not nearly as much as they hate Cubbin and his boys. Three of the four PCs are good aligned, with our monk being lawful good, but their attitude thus far has been fairly smash and grab.
Rastophan (the ranger in Kullen's gang) had taken to stalking the monk since noticing his arrival from the twilight monastary with their yearly crop. The party killed all but Rastophan in an ambush behind the Feral Dog, and intimidated him into blurting out something about "delivering the bones to that old observatory on the edge of town" before he managed to escape the players' grasp by injuring the druid's wolf companion.
Next they stormed the observatory, and the fighter got in a devastating full round attack to kill Filge before he really got a chance to explain anything.
Since completing the cairn they've spent some time cleaning up the abandoned mine office nearby and converting it into a hideout of sorts. They have a very bad relationship with the Sheriff, and are likely to be found and arrested(again) if they spend too much time in town. Because they didn't get that much info out of Kullen's group or Filge, they've spent alot of time puzzling over what the letter means, and aren't even sure (although they suspect) it was from Smenk.
They really only head to Diamond Lake for advice from Allustan or to sell and buy goods and services. They all really respect Allustan, and I could just have him suggest approaching Smenk, but Rastophan knows also knows all about their hideout and is looking for a chance to gloat over his escape. I'm going to have him knock on their front door with a summons from Smenk. I'm interested to see how they handle Rastophan's reappearance. I know they won't be able to resist the invitation though, and are almost guaranteed to approach Smenk with an overwhelming air of cockiness. That will be fun.
My group contains a Ninja, Spellthief, Monk, and a Telepath.
There were also as NPCs a former miner(fighter), a Kabold sorcerer,
and a halfling Paladin who later retired in disgust.
When they met the henchmen they paid the bartender to get them drunk.
Then they waited for the henchmen to get toasted.
The half dragon brothers threw back their cowls,
showed them Filges head in a jar,
and made some great intimidate rolls.
When Balabar Smenk later met them in the bar with all his
hench people (he arrived early too), the spell thief had a charm spell from the henchperson spellcaster.
Smenk failed his save and the spellthief was his best friend.
Best Smenk quote."If anybody speaks with Filge it can be very bad for all of us."
He told the characters everything(his bluff checks were not good enough)
then he left town with the head in a pickle jar.
The half orc and friends answer to the party, the party stays in Smenks
mansion when in town.
The Dwarf who owns the other mine does his best to stay out of their way.
The miners put all their rubble in the level the ebon aspect came from.
If any further things grow in the pool they will have to dig like a bullette.
The miners may have to tunnel around that if there is such sweet ore.
What does Smenk's mines produce?
What does Smenk's mines produce?
I believe iron, copper, and tin are the mainstays, with the occassional (but rare) vein of gems or precious metals being discovered.
I a slightly side topic, my group is heading to the Free City (for the 4th adventure) to speak with Allstun's friend and deal with the treaty. Two of the players has other business there. The wizard much make an appearance/introduction to the School of Wizardry to satisfy his his Arcane Order PrC. The other needs to pull off an act of great theivery to satisfy her ritual for her weapon of leagacy (Full Moon Trick). When I asked her want she was going to look for, she said she wanted to find out if Smenk had any holding there. She has hated him since they first met and decided this was a good time to take out a little pay back. Now to decide what he has there. ;)
He was shuffled out there rather than killed.
Maybe he has juicy blackmail evidence.
I'll bet it's well trapped and guarded.
Might even be on another plane.
How about a one mile trip into the Plane of Ice,
that's where all the bodies are buried.
Maybe a bloody murder weapon that is a useful magic item?
Maybe a precious signet ring stuck on a severed finger?
Evidence can be fun.
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Kinda of strange how everybody hates Smenk(okay he's no Orbius Vhlanthu) but tolerates the sanctimonius garrison guards of Tyr/Heironieus or the self whipping priest of St. Cuthbert/Ilmater. my players don't like him much neither(maybe its my Jon Lovitz impression; a possible new thread on "If The Adventure Paths were made into movies who gets to star in them?") but a couple of them do work for him.In fact, one of the pc's was a half orc fighter( and a cousin of Kullen) who was one of Cubbin deputies as a sort of spy for Smenk. At the very least Smenk is a local(or someone who was in the town longer than almost all the entire garrison combined) they did managed to ditch him and Diamond Lake by the Blackwall keep adventure.
Just finished up WC last week and tried to get the party into TFoE. My players are very experienced with most of them having 20+ years gaming backgrounds and they have learned to be very careful with twisted plot-lines. Unfortunately, as others have pointed out in this thread, this particular plot-line is not at all twisted, nor all that continuous.
My players did not bite on the Ebon Triad information given to them by Filge and had no interest in following up on it. Perhaps if their character histories had them originating from Diamond Lake they may have had a reason to care about the town's welfare. As it is, they find the place to be a foul armpit of corruption and are happy to let it deal with its own problems.
I thought about using Allustan to set the hook for investigating the mines, but then realized that that particular card will get played enough in the next few adventures. Besides, only half of my group trusts Allustan enough at this point in time to take him seriously. I need another adventure under our belts in order to foster that relationship.
Smenk is an unlikely hook-setter (as I am sure other groups have experienced). They know enough of the guy to both dislike and fear him. They have not met him formally yet and they plan not to do so if they can help it. I really didn't think a heart-to-heart between Smenk and the party would go over very well. They simply wouldn't believe him and would have spent more time investigating Smenk and would have concluded that Smenk just wants Dourstone gone so that he can grab his mine, too.
So, I had to get creative. I had a number of ideas and just wasn't sure which one would do it. Luckily, I got a bite on my first attempt.
My party decided the Land Family homestead was not an appropriate site to inter the bones and instead opted for the Boneyard, which put them in contact with Amariss and her acolytes of Wee-Jas. The following night, all three major clerics in town were murdered. Amariss was found dead in the Boneyard with one hand missing, Valkus Dun was found at the garrison with the blood drained from his body and Jierian Wierus of St. Cuthbert was found with his eyes removed (these, of course, will end up in the skull of Grallak Kur later in the adventure - how could I resist?)
The party was quick to see the link between what they had learned of the Ebon Triad and the 3 murders in town (Vecna, Hextor and Erythnul vs. Wee-Jas, Heironeous and St. Cuthbert.) The party thought the Triad must be clearing out the heads of the other churches in town in order to make room for an evil take-over. But, who knows, maybe I'll try to work the murders in as an essential element to summoning the Ebon Aspect if I get the chance. That might make an interesting and terrifying plot element later on.
They also realize they could very-well be suspects in the crime and are now trying to hurry up and finish their business at the Whispering Cairn (entering the True Tomb next time) and then have plans to expose the Ebon Triad for the murders in order to keep their names clear.
The tension this plot-twist gave to the game was quite palpable and I thought I might share it with others who might be needing a little extra player-incentive for TFoE (although I suspect most of you have progressed far beyond this part of the plotline by now.) Also, many may point out that the Ebon Triad as presented in the material probably does not possess the abilities to pull off the murders of these fairly powerful priests and priestesses, however, at least in my campaign the players have no idea what level Amariss, Valkus and Jierian actually were, so I don't really expect any questions about the feasibility of this after the party successfully obliterates the Triad in a few more game sessions.
Kinda of strange how everybody hates Smenk(okay he's no Orbius Vhlanthu) but tolerates the sanctimonius garrison guards of Tyr/Heironieus or the self whipping priest of St. Cuthbert/Ilmater. my players don't like him much neither(maybe its my Jon Lovitz impression; a possible new thread on "If The Adventure Paths were made into movies who gets to star in them?") but a couple of them do work for him.In fact, one of the pc's was a half orc fighter( and a cousin of Kullen) who was one of Cubbin deputies as a sort of spy for Smenk. At the very least Smenk is a local(or someone who was in the town longer than almost all the entire garrison combined) they did managed to ditch him and Diamond Lake by the Blackwall keep adventure.
My PCs can't stand Jieran Wierus, the Cuthbertine prist, but my players seem to love him--I suspect it's the Southern Baptist fire & brimstone dialogues I give him--he's kind of like Jimmy Swaggart meets Bob Flanagan.
Hey Rexx, just wanted to say thanks for posting your Smenk chat. I used it last week in my campaign, with a few minor alterations to make things fit, and the group loved it. They came away with a completely different outlook regarding Smenk, who he was, and what made him tick. It defiantly gave him a more businessman type feel rather than just some powerful evil guy type persona. Although the party had already discussed entering Dourstone’s mine, the info provided by Smenk made them decide that they could not delay, plus provided an easier means for entrance then they otherwise would have had. This greatly smoothed out the transition from WC to 3FoE. Thanks again and wonderful job!
I played Smenk as a charming gentleman with an "old boy" feel offering brandy and cigars to the group as his apes breathed heavily nearby. It was a great chat and Smenk came off as trustworthy and an overall decent fellow, I think most of the players trust him more than Delfen "Yellowknife" (that's Allustan to most of you).
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Hey Rexx, just wanted to say thanks for posting your Smenk chat. I used it last week in my campaign, with a few minor alterations to make things fit, and the group loved it.
I'm glad it all worked out well for you, Royster and T-Bone. Smenk has gone from one of the least trusted people in town to "best understood" (no implications of trust there though!). My player's accepted Smenk's explanation and have used it to solidify their position against Dourstone and the Ebon Triad. As the cleric of Dumathoin is Ragnolin's bastard, there's plenty of additional impetus to discover the truth of his involvement.
Like all good business people, Smenk was able to keep his real motivations hidden. Gerzin's player asked for a couple of Sense Motive checks during the discussion but to no appreciable effect. When the truth of the matter becomes known, it'll be fun to experience the players' reactions. Of course they have to get into the Black Cathedral without raising the alarm like they did the first time... Let's just say empty crates and soften earth and stone is more useful than I had ever expected!
My players are passionate in their hatred of Kullen and Smenk. One of them had his nose and ears severed by Kullen after a humiliating beating on the vein. Filge was held as a backup plan by Smenk for when he dealt with the cult, but his dealings with the Ebon Triad went so well that he imprisoned Filge in the observatory. They had a stand-off and were unable to root him and his undead out. Filge told all and was the model of co-operation once he established that the party was not a hit team from Smenk.
The catalyst for the three faces of evil in my campaign is the honourable and terrified Ragnolin Dourstone, who has lost control of the mine that was once the best place to work in Diamond Lake. Workers were laid off from what was once the most productive mine in town, and Cubbin and his lads declared a curfew to keep the peace in the face of the rioting of the fired workers. Now the mine is filled with prison labourers, who are being held out of contact with the outside world and fed to the pool in the temple on the hour, every hour. Smenks mine is filling up with corpses. All of the corpses are missing an eye and a hand, then disembowelled by the grimlocks and pierced by six swords.
Dourstone may have lost control of the mine, but he has raised a small force of former workers, led by his son and and old dwarven sapper and engineer. He will send them into the mine with the P.Cs as redshirts. They will hold the cathedral to keep the three temples seperated, while the bold adventurers strike a blow for justice and good. After the adventure, but before the Ebon Aspect rises, The surface of the mine will be torched and Smenk will launch a desperate attack to silence all witnesses. This ought to create a three way battle once the militia march in and take over.
I plan to have Smenk hung in the garrison and the players rewarded by being given shares in the mine that they rescued. (A pragmatic move by Ragnolin, as a mine like that will never stay unmenaced for long.)
My group simply went straight for the Mine after dealing with the events of the Whispering Cairn, only taking the time to scout the Mine for one day before going in.
As this didn't give them any time to talk to Balabar, nor Balabar enough time to send for them, not to mention Balabar had no idea who had been interfering with his business (illusion and charm spells were used to lure one of Kullen's group to give up Filge), I didn't have to deal with the fact that the PCs disliked him :)
I was able to set him up as a bad guy early. One of my PC's parents owned an inn in DL, that Balabar was interested in owning. He had some of Kullen's gang constantly driving customers away. When the PC confronted them a skirmish ensued. It helped secure Balabar as the town bad guy (the sherrif wouldnt help nor the mayor as they are in with Balabar, and the garrisson has no authority). It also gave the party a sound dislike for Kullen's gang.