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Long-time Lurker here. I really enjoy and try to use lots of ideas I pick up on these boards. Now I seek your advice.
I've run The Whispering Cairn straight up as written and the party just smashed Filge's lab and found the evidence there. They believe it's enough to incriminate Smenk and plan on turning the folks in the garrison against Smenk and his bought and paid for local constabulary. Any suggestions on how to deal with this and make it really interesting? Would the garrison folks think this is enough to get involved? This come up in anyone elses game?
My initial thought is that this is great! It isn't enough, but they may be able to convice a few people it is and move forward to a degree with it. When it isn't enough they can be told they will need more and that will lead beautifully into the next adventure... not to mention make them hate Smenk all the more.
Here are a few ideas I would have them play through (sort of a mini-adventure almost):
1) Fight off some of Smenk's cronies or thieves who are trying to steal/take back any incriminating evidence (makes them feel they are on the right track).
2) RP the encounter with the folks at the garrison who will make it clear just how far the corruption in Diamond Lake goes. But include the "This is exactly what we needed! Diamond Lake can't thank you enough..."
3) PC's participate in a "round-up" of the people involved. (Plan a mini-dungeon based on Smenks home).
4) The trial, good RP opportunity which ends with Smenk walking free. He can either just not have enough evidence brought against him or probably better yet, somehow move the blame onto an underling that leaves him to walk free.
After all this, life in Diamond Lake should be interesting. The heroes will still want to leave the area (all the more for the harassment the "law" will be giving them) but not before they take down their nemisis.
Should be fun!
Sean Mahoney
Oh! I almost forgot. Don't forget to make use of the anti-smenk coalition that is described in the backdrop of Diamond Lake. There are a lot of people who hate him who are waiting to make an overt move against him.
Sean Mahoney
Long-time Lurker here. I really enjoy and try to use lots of ideas I pick up on these boards. Now I seek your advice.
I've run The Whispering Cairn straight up as written and the party just smashed Filge's lab and found the evidence there. They believe it's enough to incriminate Smenk and plan on turning the folks in the garrison against Smenk and his bought and paid for local constabulary. Any suggestions on how to deal with this and make it really interesting? Would the garrison folks think this is enough to get involved? This come up in anyone elses game?
What evidence? Unless Filge is alive & will testify, all you have is a note signed "S."
What evidence? Unless Filge is alive & will testify, all you have is a note signed "S."
Indeed.
And Smenk got to where he is by being well connected - there's loads of corruption in Diamond Lake, but it's not the Garrison's job to sort that out - that's the governor's job, and he's corrupt himself. So if the PC's really want to sort it out they should find it difficult to do. The backdrop is quite clear that the mine owners are the top dogs in this town - without them, the town goes downhill as no-one has a job. So the law will favour them over anyone else.
The garrison is only concerned over regional issues (e.g. if some external entity threatens the whole town), local issues are for the local law.
Now, I'd suggest you don't kill off all the PC's ideas for taking Smenk down, but they should realise that they are not top-dog, and he is, so they have their work cut out. Should make them hate him more, and plan harder.
In my own game, Smenk actually died at the hands of Theldrick (long story, should be in the archives). The PC's never confronted him directly, because he was always careful to surround himself with bodyguards and stick to public places (e.g. meeting the PC's in a local strip-joint, with a hired lackey setting up the meeting).
Indeed. The evidence found in Filge's observatory does not damn Smenk. In fact, I played Filge as being shocked and alarmed at the PCs unwanted entry into his home. He was able to release the zombies in the room before being subdued, having little choice against four intruders. A heal check was necessary to save his life. He was bound and questioned. He made it clear that the PCs had no right to enter his home unwelcomed. Breaking and entering would certainly be something Lanod Neff would be interested in. And so on and so forth. The garrison wouldn't get involved. They're the defense force of the town, not its police force. However, something like the note found in The Faceless One's chambers might be enough to stir up the garrison.
PCs can't just kick in doors and kill whoever they want. Is the study of corpses illegal? Is the arranging of said corpses in the pose of a grim dinner party illegal? Is necromancy illegal? Is animate dead illegal? Could be. Maybe they should be. Is the unearthing of corpses for the purposes of necromantic study illegal? Now that's worth a little daring investigation, but laws are still laws. This is the gray area I try to create in this campaign. If Filge is guilty of anything, the PCs are also guilty of their own crimes, so an agreement was reached. The PCs agreed to leave Filge alone so long as he identified the green worm and used his knowledge to discover its purpose. Filge would refrain from pressing any charges, and he promised to keep this "encounter" from Smenk.
Anyway, Filge blabbed to Smenk, and Smenk had him promptly killed by Kullen and his gang, something the half-orc was all too happy to participate in. The worm in Filge's lab was destroyed, the zombies hauled out and burned, and the observatory is now the home of Kullen and gang.
It's important to remember that Smenk and Neff are in league with one another. Lanod Neff would certainly not march up and arrest Smenk, and if the PCs bother Smenk, Neff would readily arrest them, and he has the authority to do so. Smenk is rather untouchable... Until the PCs locate The Faceless One's journal entry in the Dourstone Mine. That is certainly a piece of damning evidence. Taking that to the warriors and clerics in the garrison would give the PCs a powerful group of allies, and it might be enough to get the Free City (or Waterdeep) to focus on Diamond Lake. The PCs would be heroes for uncovering such corruption.
Of course, if your PCs are sloppy with the Dourstone Mine and the cultists down there, Smenk will catch wind, and he will flee to the Free City, Waterdeep, or whatever. Have the PCs track down that slimeball later in the campaign.