The guards generally don't deal with threats from below Cauldron, that's the job of adventuring groups. Normally, this would be handled by <insert adventuring group name>, but they've gone missing (look at Skie's and pick one of those group names, they are now statues at V's). And the Stormblades are dealing with a kobold problem. And the city guard is stretched thin in preparation for the Flood Festival - rooting out troublemakers. So, pretty please, could your adventuring party deal with this?
And, if you can fit this in still, give the PCs some personal reasons to do it. I had a couple kidnap victims being friends of one of my PCs.
And/or, if your players are greedy, Jenya is not going to pay the reward to them if the city guard does it.
The guards generally don't deal with threats from below Cauldron, that's the job of adventuring groups. Normally, this would be handled by <insert adventuring group name>, but they've gone missing (look at Skie's and pick one of those group names, they are now statues at V's). And the Stormblades are dealing with a kobold problem. And the city guard is stretched thin in preparation for the Flood Festival - rooting out troublemakers. So, pretty please, could your adventuring party deal with this?
And, if you can fit this in still, give the PCs some personal reasons to do it. I had a couple kidnap victims being friends of one of my PCs.
And/or, if your players are greedy, Jenya is not going to pay the reward to them if the city guard does it.
I would press the last option;
The City guard is stretched thin and morale is low; Jenya could offer the PCs pay for investigating this lead, or you could have the City underwrite the investigation and 'contract' the party as official City agents in this matter...
...Which would play towards some nice plot developments as the party becomes officially entwined with the City, the Lord Mayor and others in positions of importance.
M
Actually the biggest reason that the wouldn't want to turn it over to someone else is that they've been offered 2500 gp to solve it which they don't get if someone else does all the work. After the mugging they pretty much get hired on to do a job that pays well because the cleric girl believes its likely going to be dangerous. Money tends to motivate most players pretty well.
make sure that the gnome mentions that the previous residents of Jzadirune crafted magic items and drop hints that some may have been left behind (cursed or otherwise).
If money and "heroic resolve" fail, try bribery "Please don't turn me into the city watch! I was afraid for my life. If you don't, I promise to [insert bargaining chip here]."
I agree with that concern. It is an excellent issue. I, too, had that thought. I also had several things that I thought LB didnt set up well as the first adventure. I wanted to set up the rivalry with the Stormblades, I wanted to inject Krewis and Maavu and Captain Skellerang and Vhalantru and Alek early on. So I crafted a prologue that fit right before Event 1. It was a fight south of the city walls with some kobolds involving the PCs and the Stormblades. The Stormblades take all the credit for it. Alek shows up, as does Krewis. This ties into the product because the Stormblades later go on to wipe out a den of kobolds in this area (per rumor). Then the PCs do Event 1. Krewis again shows up with guards and asks the PCs to report the next day to town hall for a complete report. If Ruphus was just mugged, they need to give a report on that. If the PCs killed a thug, then the guardsmen discover the guard was a thug and Krewis is required to consider charging the PCs with assaulting a guard. The circumstances clearly show it isnt a crime, but Krewis doesnt have the authority not to charge the PCs. So they show up the next morning to give their report. The Guard Council consists of Vhalantru, sitting by appointment for Navalant, Maavu, representing the merchant interests, Skellerang, as the captain of the guard, and Krewis as the officer involved. All PCs get to give their version of events. Skellerang is suspicios. Vhalantru is the one that overrules Skellerang to make sure no charges arise.
Why do this? Create distrust of Skellerang and like for Krewis. Create tension with Stormblades. Introduce Vhalantru and make him seem to be a patron. Create a feeling (played up by the fact that the people think the guard may be a bit corrupt for allowing jester coins and not having found the missing citizens) and all of a sudden it makes sense why the PCs wouldnt go running to law enforcement--except perhaps for Krewis, which is exactly what you want.
Clark
I recently picked up the SC hardcover and I'm getting ready to start the first adventure tonight. It seems fairly complete, but I do have one question and I can't find an answer anywhere in the adventure:
Why wouldn't the PCs just go to the city guards after they find out about Ghelve?
I can't find anything in the adventure that addresses this possible course of action by the players, yet it seems like one of the most logical and obvious things for them to do. If they go to the guards with the evidence they have, the guards would have to investigate Jazdurine, and it would be them making their way through the dungeon instead of the players, thus negating the whole adventure....
Did I miss something? Is there something in the adventure that precludes this possibility?
As the others said and more, don't forget that Jenya is Lawful, even if they don't speak to the city guard I think she will.
That's what happened in my game, they freed Keygan, he told them he will try to hide or escape the city with the help of Maavu (foreshadowing), but was arrested on the way because Jenya spoke to sergent Skylar and so on.
As the Dm, take every opportunity to forshadow, set up even the smallest of future plots (it will pay dividends in spades). Skylar can complain about the guard being stretched thin, crime on the upraise etc. This helps validate the arrival of the 1/2 orc mercenaries later down the road.
Oddly enough, my group just went for it, and didn't think of asking the guard to help. They send the locksmith off to the Temple of Kord (on of the PCs is a Cleric therein), and a-delving they went.