Hi everybody!
I'm running Flood Season and there's something that bothers me: unless the PC capture Tongueater, the only way to get to the Kopru ruins is through the infos Artus gives them. I don't like so much this part, the fact that someone appeared from nothing and knows where to find the rods seems like a deus-ex-machina...
Anybody have some suggestions to connect in a better and smoother way the two parts of the adventures?
Thanks in advance!
DK
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My party did something unexpected. They got hold of the head of Tongueeater. They cast several "Speak with Dead" on him and asked. "In which direction is the entry to the point where the wands have been taken?"
They did this from several locations.. in the city, at the Lucky Monkey, on the way between and triangulated the point of the exit of the lava tube.
The other way could be, that Jil gives them the location of the hideout of the Alleybashers in the city of Cauldron. They take out the adversaries there and find some information about the Kopru ruins. You can then try to locate the Kopru ruins via libraries, the local wizard Vortimax Weer, who points them to the halfling at the beginning of the Demonskar legacy. It may be possible that he has already been to the Kopru ruins a long time ago....
I didn't like that, either, party because it smacked of deus ex machina, and partly because it was made pretty clear that Triel has been very careful about not letting anyone find out where she's at.
You could allow one of the hillfolk or Alleybashers partying at the Lucky Monkey be one of Triel's guards from the ruins, and if the party decides to question them they might know. Or maybe one of the Alleybashers (or even Tongueater) has a crude map on him (just because the book says Tongueater is fanatically loyal and won't betray Triel doesn't mean he isn't above being so sure of himself that he doesn't even consider that his crude map might be a danger). Alternatively, the party could have Jenya use the Star of Justice to cast a divination, and make the answer fairly detailed. If you're not already in the middle of the adventure, you could have one of the characters meet Artus Shemwick in some other way, and find out that he's a good person to go to for information, so they end up approaching him instead of the other way 'round. Or if they ask around town, someone else might direct them to Artus (although then you're still left wondering how the heck Artus knows). You might even give them a chance to find a disgruntled Alleybasher hanging about Cauldron, someone who used to work for Triel out at the ruins, but quit and fled for whatever reason, who is willing to sell the party information. Maybe the Star of Justice could lead them to such a person.
*edit* or maybe Artus is Triel's ex-lover and he's just looking for a chance to betray her...
Hope that helps.
--Fang
Hi everybody!
I'm running Flood Season and there's something that bothers me: unless the PC capture Tongueater, the only way to get to the Kopru ruins is through the infos Artus gives them. I don't like so much this part, the fact that someone appeared from nothing and knows where to find the rods seems like a deus-ex-machina...
Anybody have some suggestions to connect in a better and smoother way the two parts of the adventures?
Thanks in advance!
DK
I don't remember how the original approached this, as I'm running the adventures from the hardcover, but it provides 3 means:
1) Tongueater
2) Artus
3) a combination of detective work and luck allowing them to spot Triel exiting the lava tube.
While I didn't care for option 3 and option 1 wasn't really an option (the party killed Tongueater, not even thinking to keep him alive for questioning), I don't find option 2 that disconcerting. The party got themselves to Artus, led there by a divination Jenya performed for them. I think the Last Laugh would absolutely have noticed and kept an eye on the underground element, especially a murderous one like Triel.... afterall, they have the capt of the guard warning them about the goblin's crime spree in Drakthar's way (where Jill steps in to warn the PCs if they don't figure things out on their own). This sets a precedent for the town making them very uncomfortable if underground elements (other than themselves) get too visible.
- Ashavan
Anybody have some suggestions to connect in a better and smoother way the two parts of the adventures?
There are a number of ways for the party to find the kopru ruins:
1) Allow the party to track Triel back to the lava tube. After all, she couldn't have left too long ago if Tongueater and her other cronies are still looting the Lucky Monkey.2) Have the PCs find a piece of paper that was lost during the struggle at the Lucky Monkey. This scrap of paper will have as little or as much information on it as you want your party to have. It can be a map, dropped by a careless Alleybasher, or a simple note. Maybe the note is very explicit: "Must remember to talk to Hiram. Every time that fool delivers bananas, his damn wagon leaves all over the entrance."
Maybe not: "145 Ash Street" or "Narandor -- worth recruiting?"
Of course, the more obscure the note, the more work on your part to make sure the players can connect the dots.
3) If the party captured ANYONE, have that person be able to lead the party to the ruins.
4) Use the Alleybashers at the Lucky Monkey to lead to the Alleybashers in Cauldron. This assumes that Triel only hired some of the Alleybashers, not all. It also assumes that one of them knows where the ruins are.
How they know it is fairly irrelevant. Maybe one of the muckety-mucks in the Alleybasher organization is an old friend of Triel's and is the one who set up the contract. Maybe (as another poster suggested) the Alleybasher left Triel's employ. (Of course, such a person is undoubtably lying low -- Triel's sure to be unhappy about that. That might make finding out that such a person exists difficult and finding that person even more so.)
5) Use a good, old-fashioned Gather Information check in Cauldron to provide anything from a subtle clue to a hit-'em-over-the-head, "I saw suspicious activities at coordinates x and y" clue.
6) Somebody with a grudge against Triel (or Skaven or Tarkilar) approaches the group and spills their guts.
One thing you didn't state and might make a difference in advice is how difficult or how easy you want to make it for them, or how much game time you want to take. It could be a mini-adventure in itself finding the ruins. And some players pick up on every nuance, while others need to be hit with a clue-by-four.
Party make up plays a part, too. If, for example, your group has no tracker following Triel's trail may be well-nigh impossible.
(My group hired a tracker, but I didn't allow them to track Tongueater back to the ruins. I still regret not allowing it.)
Good luck!
Jeff
I moved the lava tube into the city, close to the lake. The alleybashers and Triel used an abandoned warehouse there as a base, tube was there. Questioning Alleybashers and some urban tracking lead the party to one of the alleybashers at that warehouse. They followed the tube from there.
I used Skylar.
In my game Skylar was secretly betrothed to Triel before she murdered the other gaurds in her patrol when they inadvertantly discovered her involvement with a small hidden cult of Hextor within the city.
Skylar had been investigating the events surrounding her disappearance in an attempt to reunite with his lost love who he would not believe could commit such a crime.
Months a go Skylar was contacted by an alleybasher informant keen to accept the reward Skylar was offering for any information on Triel.
Since this time Skylar has been attempting to follow her movements and has become convinced that she has been caught up with the same cult that once influenced her to murder the other gaurds.
Skylar contacted the party in secret and was willing to help the group on the understanding that he was coming along for the voyage and that they were not to harm Triel.
As the adventure progressed the party became closer to Skylar and eventual learnt her was once engaged to the suspected murderer. This also assisted in foreshadowing later adventures where Skylar was directly involved (Demonskar Legacy).
It also made the battle with Triel even more dramatic as she coldly told a weeping Skylar that he was pitiful and that her love for him was but a laughable memory. She struck him down before a much heated party charged in determined to kill the Triad leader.
Now Skylar is a close NPC ally to the party and I intend to use him again during the Seige of Redgorge after the Demonskar Legacy when he is part of the invading forces lead by Teresong.
All in all though the above posts provide an abundance of alternative suggestions to inform the party of the larva tub and Triel so the hard part now is choosing. A great problem to have in my opinion.
Have fun
Delvesdeep
I used Skylar.
With impeccable timing, Delvesdeep inspires me once again!
Thanx!--Fang
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Yeah, that is a really good idea for introducing Skylar early and leading the party to Triel ... wish I'd thought of that. My group met Skylar a couple of times prior to the riot (investigating missing townsfolk in Lifes Bazaar and trying to track Triel in Flood Season), but never really formed an attachment to him, cept that he was a nice guy and a good contact in the watch.
One of my players (Cuthbertian Fiend Slayer) honed in on the fact that Triel wore very distinctive armour during the attack on the Lucky Monkey, and decided to gather info at the local smithy as to any unusual armour orders etc. I reasoned that Triel's armour was not made in Cauldron, but that she or some of the thugs had probably had cause to have their armour repaired over the time theyd been hiding out under Cauldron making Soul Cages and training for the attack on the Lucky Monkey, so the smith did have a bit of info on her, which, through a trail of other contacts from there led to one of the alleybashers from the Kopru ruins up in the city buying supplies, who lead them back to the hideout.
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When I ran this part, the party was torn between seeking the help of the half-elf Striders and using Jenya's special mace to divine the location. They chose the mace, which I had direct them to Artus through an easy riddle. I considered skipping Artus, but his presence gives the PCs another contact in the city to call on if they run into a wall later on the adventure path. In my estimation, my group does not have great skill at research and gathering information, so I have to present a few options now and then. Thankfully, the Shackled City already has many options and contacts built into it. I like to make use of them whenever it is suggested to apply them.
Wow guys, these are good suggestions!
Thank you all!
DK