Ok, so the group goes into the mine. Only taking the time to bribe the very first set of guards and letting everyone else see them run past and smash the barrier. So they kill the hextorites quickly (having half the temple bum rushing them at the beginning and half the temple getting cleaved to death.) And take their loot back up.
So I had them dump a cart load of ore as they approached the top (since they were moving very slowly and the cart was packed full of stuff.) So the party falls, nearly TPKing (I think they had it coming for being so blunt.) I figured he would assume them to be dead, so patches everything back up assuming they cleared out the temple or leaving them to deal with the remainders of the temple. But they just decide to climb back up, where the slaughter the 6 mine guards on shift and return to town to sell.
They return, eeriely quiet as they return to the temple.
So right now I have them either:
A.) Waiting in the temple
B.) Waiting in the mine to cut the rope and leave them stranded
C.) Balabar moves in to take over the mine since Dourstone is slipping up and now has to deal with Kullen and Gang + Filge who they didn't kill in WC.
Any other ideas? Thanks
D) The group is arrested for breaking and entering (a private mine), and slaughtering innocents (the mine guards).
I mean really, to me it sounds like you need to instill within your group, the most basic rules of cause and effect, which is to say that if you flaunt the rules of society you'll lend yourself in trouble. Yes, the evil cult(s) in the min will react to the PC's actions, but keep in mind also the PC's do not (or should not) have a licence to kill whoever they please for no reason, and also remember that the mine owners are effectively the top dogs in town, with the law bent around their fingers. After all, without the mine owners, there would be no town of Diamond Lake.
Luckily, my group have always seen that they are not above the law, and have always been as discrete as possible in their dealings, despite me goading them with the law's intrusions at various points (questioning, paper work to fill in, turning up just as the problem is solved then locking down the crime scene, ...) - my group sees the law in various towns as useless except to get in the way, yet they still do not directly flaunt the laws or work against it; more they tend to work their way around it. I guess that's the way I set it up from the beginning too, where the first thing the PC's saw was a crime in progress, and of course the local law enforcement turned up when the PC's were "questioning" the criminals. Helped show the group that while I give them width to play with, they are still part of a wider universe.
D) The group is arrested for breaking and entering (a private mine), and slaughtering innocents (the mine guards).
I mean really, to me it sounds like you need to instill within your group, the most basic rules of cause and effect, which is to say that if you flaunt the rules of society you'll lend yourself in trouble. Yes, the evil cult(s) in the min will react to the PC's actions, but keep in mind also the PC's do not (or should not) have a licence to kill whoever they please for no reason, and also remember that the mine owners are effectively the top dogs in town, with the law bent around their fingers. After all, without the mine owners, there would be no town of Diamond Lake.
Luckily, my group have always seen that they are not above the law, and have always been as discrete as possible in their dealings, despite me goading them with the law's intrusions at various points (questioning, paper work to fill in, turning up just as the problem is solved then locking down the crime scene, ...) - my group sees the law in various towns as useless except to get in the way, yet they still do not directly flaunt the laws or work against it; more they tend to work their way around it. I guess that's the way I set it up from the beginning too, where the first thing the PC's saw was a crime in progress, and of course the local law enforcement turned up when the PC's were "questioning" the criminals. Helped show the group that while I give them width to play with, they are still part of a wider universe.
The problem with that is, its basically game over if I arrest them. By the time their sentence is over, the temple will have been relocated because of people knowing their position and they won't be welcome in town.
Then I can't use encounter at blackwall keep because Allustran probably couldn't use them anymore.
The problem with that is, its basically game over if I arrest them. By the time their sentence is over, the temple will have been relocated because of people knowing their position and they won't be welcome in town.
Then I can't use encounter at blackwall keep because Allustran probably couldn't use them anymore.
The temple wouldn't relocate, actually. The Ebon Triad needs access to that Black Pool in the Dark Cathedral to begin the first event in the Age of Worms. Will they increase security at the temple? Yes. It should be more difficult now since the party screwed up the first time. Did the party kill Theldrick?
My suggestion: Get them arrested and put in the local jail. The Triad then creates a lesser Ebon Aspect (knock it down to 6 HD) and sends it out to destroy the ones who sacked their temple. This gives the PCs an opportunity to break out of jail (due to the Aspect breaking down the walls) get some combat (so they can get enough XP to tackle the now-harder Dark Cathedral) and get away (presumably to the abandoned mine office, if they set up there). If they avoid going back to the mines, the Triad sends another, stronger Ebon Aspect (+1 to +2 HD) after them each day/week until they get the hint that they're being targeted and must go back to finish what they started.
TK
The temple wouldn't relocate, actually. The Ebon Triad needs access to that Black Pool in the Dark Cathedral to begin the first event in the Age of Worms. Will they increase security at the temple? Yes. It should be more difficult now since the party screwed up the first time. Did the party kill Theldrick?
My suggestion: Get them arrested and put in the local jail. The Triad then creates a lesser Ebon Aspect (knock it down to 6 HD) and sends it out to destroy the ones who sacked their temple. This gives the PCs an opportunity to break out of jail (due to the Aspect breaking down the walls) get some combat (so they can get enough XP to tackle the now-harder Dark Cathedral) and get away (presumably to the abandoned mine office, if they set up there). If they avoid going back to the mines, the Triad sends another, stronger Ebon Aspect (+1 to +2 HD) after them each day/week until they get the hint that they're being targeted and must go back to finish what they started.
TK
Oh, that is good stuff. I was actually looking at a simular situation with my party. They didn't kill all the guards, but they did kill 2 of the foremen and 3 of the guards. The others they stripped down and sent off.
In anycase, since they were turned away at the door to the hextor temple (they were not prepared for the skeletons and cultists waiting for them), they will most likely re-group. As soon as they exit the mine, it will be time for the arrests...
Yes they got thedrick and everyone else in the hextor temple ;p
He put up quite a battle.
New Idea: Since they only killed Theldrick, have the mini-aspect be one of Hextor (from the Miniatures Handbook) rather than the Ebon Aspect. Though this may through off the party into believing they didn't get rid of all of the Hextorites - and it will make them extremely wary when they have to enter Redhand. ^^
TK
Here's a quick-'n-dirty mini-Aspect of Hextor. I haven't tested this, so I can't tell you if I'm right on the CR, but if you use it and things get out of hand, feel free to adjust his hp total on the fly.
CR 5ish Aspect of Hextor
LE Medium Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +12, Spot +12
---------------
AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 16
hp 51 (6 HD); DR 5/magic
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +8
---------------
Speed 40 ft. (8 squares)
Melee +1 flail +5/+0 (1d8+3) and mwk longsword +5 (1d8+1/19-20) and mwk battleaxe +5 (1d8+1/x3) and mwk heavy mace +5 (1d8+1) and mwk heavy pick +5 (1d6+1/x4) and mwk scimitar +5 (1d6+1/18-20)
Base Atk +6; Grp +8
---------------
Str 14, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 17, Cha 18
Feats Combat Reflexes, Multiweapon Fighting, Power Attack
Skills Climb +8, Craft (weaponsmithing) +12, Diplomacy +8, Handle Animal +13, Jump +12, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge (history) +12, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +12, Knowledge (religion) +12, Listen +12, Ride +6, Sense Motive +12, Spot +12
Possessions weapons plus mwk scale mail
Our group ran into a little legal trouble with 3FoE too. The first foray into the mine, they bribed the gate guards but were spotted by the patrol and a running battle ensued. The killed two guards and seriously wounded another two. After a very tough fight against Theldrick & the Hextorites (all eventually killed), the PCs retreated from the mine. I doubled the necessary bribes to safely exit and seriously increased the DC levels for their diplomacy checks. They were already under suspicion in town from the WC module because they ambushed & killed Kullen & one of his gang members and later the other two gang members were found butchered in the middle of town (actually the work of the Free City trio who are "shadowing" the party's movements). Allustan already is feeling very uncertain about his associates (this not helped by the fact that his wizard apprentice is actually a dual-classed rogue). Anyway... the group has been using all their social skills to placate Allustan and "lay low" in town. They've been especially quick to show Allustan any & all evidence gathered of cult activity & Smenk & Dourstone's involvement. They were unaware that there were warrents out for their arrests after returning from the mine the first time. On the second foray security was beefed up and bribes were hefty but the party managed to gain entrance - descend to the Erythnul caves and clear them out. They had to sneak around town and were basically persona non grata in most places. Their third foray completed the adventure and they returned to town and tracked down Smenk at his mansion. He was killed in the ensuing battle and they knew they were REALLY in hot water then. They left their evidence against Smenk with Allustan and pleaded their cases but the sheriff is still on the prowl for these "fugitives". Dourstone himself pretty much got off scott-free since he has local support for his "this band of maniacs broke into my mine and started bustin' up the place". Allustan associated with the party with EBK mostly out of a sense of duty toward his apprentice (the new PC one and the old one who had been kidnapped - I forget her name). Part of Allustan's motivation for leading them to Blackwall Keep was also to sorta rid himself of these social albatrosses; so it all served the storyline pretty well. This also gave Allustan (& me as the DM) a convenient excuse to sorta pawn the PCs off on Eligos and the other NPC contacts that Allustan is meant to provide for the PCs. Currently the PCs are in the Free City and by the time they return the dragon will have laid waste to a good portion of the town, including the sheriff's office. I'm not too worried that anyone's going to put too much effort into arresting the PCs at this point and their time in Diamond Lake is pretty much at an end. This also provides a convenient excuse to leave Allustan behind and finally shake the dust of this crummy little town off their sandals.
Still, I wish some advice had been provided on appropriate consequences for players who fight their ways in & out of the mine rather than use subterfuge (which at their low levels at the time, was rather hard to accomplish).
The problem with that is, its basically game over if I arrest them. By the time their sentence is over, the temple will have been relocated because of people knowing their position and they won't be welcome in town.
Not necessarily... maybe they serve a few days, then someone gets them out (legally)... Smenk would be a good option - he pulls strings and gets them out to deal with his cult problem, which of course makes the PC's indebted to him... seems like everyone wins (i.e. the PC's can keep adventuring, but they have been shown they can't slaughter innocents without consequence).