For the (out-of session) return trip from Blackwall Keep, I asked my players what they intended to do in Diamond Lake when they returned, in the hopes that we could dispense with tedious downtime issues like visiting NPCs and buying/selling over email.
The druid immediately asked about the Feral Dog, and has a semi-real plan to burn the place to the ground and liberate the animals there. The Rogue has taken things one step further.
As a resident of the town, her family has been used and abused by Balabar Smenk and the town in general. Seemingly heady with power from their adventuring victories, she has said the following:
"We can do this!!!! We can save a town!!!! I agree with Servious ... WE'RE HEROES! It's our duty to protect. However, I disagree with the fact that a road trip will help set an example for Diamond Lake. We must save this town from sure destruction and demoralization!!! We must act now!!!!"
(Severious is the party Sorcerer, who was trying to get them back on track to the Free City [bless his heart].)
What the HELL do I do now??? On one hand, it would be nice if they had a vested interest in Diamond Lake for when Ilthane comes to town. But, I fear that this crusade to clean up Diamond Lake may bog down and ultimately short-circuit the campaign.
HELP!!!!
Hey Chris,
Some ideas for keeping the adventure on track -- Allustan is very much a GM mouthpiece character. His input on the subject might help turn them around, convincing them that the mission to the Free City to see Eligos is more important, and that acts of arson and vigilantism in Diamond Lake may not go over as well with the populace as they seem to think it will.
Alternately, you can have them return to Diamond Lake only to find that the entire operation in town is gone. Smenk has skipped town, or is dead (he's ultimately an irrelevant pawn in the greater AoW scheme) and every other part of the operation has been stripped of its immediate cash value, and abandoned. The PCs can burn the Feral Dog to the ground, but they'll be burning an empty shell, and they'll know it.
There's nothing like making your players feel that the bad guys are three steps ahead of them to keep them on their toes. And the baddies are supposed to be at this point in the campaign, to set up the next adventure. There's nothing all that important going on in Diamond Lake as far as the greater AoW arc is concerned.
I've been a bit worried about this as well. My party has just left town headed towards Blackwall Keep, so I have a little time to work.
In my campaign, Smenk bought out/blackmailed Dourstone which resulted in the upset of the balance with the remaining managers. Smenk now owns most of the mines in town and so I'm trying to make him out as untouchable. By the time the PCs get back, I'm planning on having a whole new platoon of goons hanging around providing a serious amount of muscle for Smenk. Then I think that Allustan is going to recommend that the PCs take the political fight to the Free City. They just can't upset Smenk with a frontal assault without things getting really messy and morally ambiguous. They'll have to go speak to the right people in the big city to apply pressure to "clean up" Diamond Lake.
Of course when they get back from the Champion Games who knows what damage Ilthane may have done? I'm going to wait and see how interested they are in this kind of side political game to figure out how to have Ilthane have best effect.
I say let 'em do it. Could add an interesting twist. Sure, Allustan can discourage them, but don't railroad them if they resist.
On the bright side, should they get caught trying to burn down the Feral Dog or taking down Smenk, you can have Allustan intervene--instead of Mayor Neff dishing out harsh frontier Justice, he can send them in chains to Greyhawk to stand trial.
The outcome of the trial can make for more opportunities.
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If you are worried about your gaming bogging down if the PCs decide that as heroes they should be cleaning up Diamond Lake, have Allustun (and / or things that the PCs witness themselves) let them know how serious a threat the Spawn of Kyuss in the area might be. Perhaps there have been a rash of Spawn attacks in the surrounding area, or while they were away Spawn have attacked the town and converted a number of folk (who the PCs will now have to deal with).
Allustun stresses that something must be done before it is too late, and there is no town left to save, and his contact in the Free City may have the answers.
The outcome of the trial can make for more opportunities.Trial by combat in the arena?
Excellent link up. :)
Wow - thanks for all the great ideas, but the solution came to me this morning, and it's essentially already in place!
First, background:
When the party emerged from the Dourstone Mine, they confronted Smenk, whose home was in ruins. An attempt had been made on his life by a group of Kenku, sent by the Faceless One after he surmised that Smenk was attempting a double-cross.
The party then turned Smenk over to the Heironeans at the Garrison before heading to Blackwall Keep to rescue the Rogue's family, who had been kidnapped by Smenk to get them to go into Dourstone in the first place.
Now, for the solution:
While the party was at Blackwall, the Heironean used Smenk and the irrefutable evidence of evil cult activity to sway officials in Greyhawk to send an investigator to Diamond Lake to oversee (a) smooth transition of the Smenk mines to new ownership and (b) investigate the corruption and abuse seemingly inherent in the system. In addition, a high-ranking Heironean priest is also dispathced to Diamond Lake to investigate the evil temples hidden below Dourstone mine, and determine the fate of that mine, as well as to conduct the church's own inquiry into the abuses in the town.
Thus, the characters have *already* saved Diamond Lake - they got the officials involved, as well as a moral authority (the Heironeans), and they can now focus on the quest at hand. In addition, their vested interest in the town means that when Ilthane does come a knocking, they will have a definite reaction.
Thoughts on this solution?
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Yeah, it's OK. It's a fairly neat solution. The only possible issue is that it takes things out of the hands of the players a bit ("high level cleric turns up to save the day"). It smacks slightly of railroading, though I doubt they will notice much. Obviously, for your purposes, it is much easier to keep them on the AP more explicitly. I'm not criticising, and this may be ideal for your campaign. Not sure I would do it this way myself.
Obviously, I like to idea of trial by combat in the arena - my bias. Sorry. ;-)
While the party was at Blackwall, the Heironean used Smenk and the irrefutable evidence of evil cult activity to sway officials in Greyhawk to send an investigator to Diamond Lake to oversee (a) smooth transition of the Smenk mines to new ownership and (b) investigate the corruption and abuse seemingly inherent in the system. In addition, a high-ranking Heironean priest is also dispathced to Diamond Lake to investigate the evil temples hidden below Dourstone mine, and determine the fate of that mine, as well as to conduct the church's own inquiry into the abuses in the town.
Thus, the characters have *already* saved Diamond Lake - they got the officials involved, as well as a moral authority (the Heironeans), and they can now focus on the quest at hand. In addition, their vested interest in the town means that when Ilthane does come a knocking, they will have a definite reaction.
Thoughts on this solution?
I like your solution, Chris. It highlights the indirect effects that the characters' actions can have in the larger campaign world, like a chain of dominoes cascading down the line.
One thing I would add to this are the possible negative effects as well. Greyhawk isn't exactly the most virtuous city in the Flanaess. The Lord Mayor, afterall, is an organized crime boss, albeit an apparently "honorable" one. The PCs' actions might have upset a delicate power game among larger economic and political interests in the Free City, which could bring additional consequences for them when they do eventually visit it.
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I'm not sure what the big deal is...why can't the players take time and improve the town? If they've gotten attatched to an imaginary place as if it is a real one, you should feel proud as a DM, not force them to let the big kids take care of the problem.
I understand it can be a bit of a headache if players deviate too far from what you planned for, but, let's face it, Diamond Lake needs heroes who are not just willing to fight literal monsters like gricks and kenku, but who are willing to do battle with abstract, yet much more real, monsters like poverty and despair. Will the townsfolk be grateful? Maybe, but probably not. Folks always find something to complain about. But the players, and their characters, will know they made a difference in the world, not just for gold and glory, but for family and nature, causes that are meaningful on a personal level.
Just my $0.02...
I'm not sure what the big deal is...why can't the players take time and improve the town? If they've gotten attatched to an imaginary place as if it is a real one, you should feel proud as a DM, not force them to let the big kids take care of the problem.
I would love to be able to allow this, but my problem is twofold - First, we play once a month at best, and we are looking at years before AoW is complete going by-the-book. Adding a side project as complicated as retooling an entire town's political and social structure just adds more time into things, as well as a staggering amount of work for the DM.
Second, I wouldn't have any idea where to begin! I have no degrees in political science or sociology, and so have no ideas *how* to turn a town around like they want to. Even if I let them come up with the ideas, how can I possibly judge and simulate the effectiveness of their plans with any degree of realism?
In the end, I think the solution I came up with is the best for this situation. The party *has* already started the process of revitalizing Diamond Lake, and the changes can take place in the background, where I can simply get to the end result without having to explain the exact methods by which the town got there.
My plans are as follows:
PCs have been lining up evidence against Dourstone. After the Ebon Triad is defeated Dourstone disappears, the PCs find out he was abducted by his own bodyguard who was bought and paid for by Smenk.
The PCs investigate Smenk's estate, where they find Dourstone held against his will, Smenk has forced him to write a confession and turn over the deed to his mine to Smenk.
The PCs confront Smenk and he flees for his life for Greyhawk. The Garrison convict him in absentia for grand larceny and kidnapping. With Smenk and Dourstone gone the town is effectively 'saved'.
The PCs have a side trek when in the Free City. The rogue PCs try to join the Thieves Guild to better their search for Smenk.