RotRL: a plea for Forshadowing help. :) [Spoiler warning]

[Lord Fyre]

Okay, my group has finished the RotRL: Burnt Offerings, but comments on this board had lead me to believe that the AP would benefit from strengthening (even more then already done) the links with "The Hook Mountain Massacre" and to a lesser degree with the rest of the AP.

One idea would be . . .

Spoiler:

to have them meet a Black Arrow at some Sandpoint festival between the Swallowtail Festival and the Ritual of Stardust. But, would that work in the timeline?

It doesn't need to be a strong link, as the adventure already provides (what I felt to be) enough, but just to strengthen what is already there.

Any other thoughts?

[Tessius]

Maybe have Ameiko mention that her father thought about making Tsuto join the Black Arrows at some point. I don't have my books with me and it's been awhile since I read them.

[gamesmeister]

I'm lucky in that I'm running RotRL as a sequel to an earlier campaign, and therefore what I'm doing is sending an old PC out to the fort shortly after Burnt Offerings (who will then get killed along with the rest of the fort, making it a little personal for that player).

You probably don't have that luxury, but you may still have a character around town that the PCs have become friendly with, who could perhaps travel out to the fort for one reason or another, and who gets caught up in the attack?

[Dark_Mistress]

In one of the games I ran using this, I had player from that area. One of the PC's childhood friends joined the black arrows and was at the fort at the time. It added a lot of personal horror for that PC and the player loved how his past was tied in.

[Gray]

Lord Fyre wrote:

Okay, my group has finished the RotRL: Burnt Offerings, but comments on this board had lead me to believe that the AP would benefit from strengthening (even more then already done) the links with "The Hook Mountain Massacre" and to a lesser degree with the rest of the AP.

One idea would be . . . ** spoiler omitted **

It doesn't need to be a strong link, as the adventure already provides (what I felt to be) enough, but just to strengthen what is already there.

Any other thoughts?

A member of the Black Arrows could be in Sandpoint recruiting new members.

The Black Arrows reminded me a bit of the Black Watch in GRRM's Game of Thrones. As such, the Black Arrow could be meeting with Hemlock to give arrested criminals a chance to serve at Ft. Rannick rather than rot in a cell or worse.

[robin]

What I did was change the timetable a little :

After the second adventure , the mayor of Magnimar knows he has just be targeted by cultists who were killing people gy graving stars in their chests
so when a young man is discovered dead after a fracas in the slums wearing a smaller version of this symbol , the mayor order an enquiry

It's soon discovered that this young man arrived in town just a week before from the hamlet of turtleback ferry to find welth and glry in magnimar (typical bumpkin) and that 'speak with dead' doesn't work with him .
so the mayor send the very people who saved his life to Turtleback ferry to investigate. When they arrive , they'll be able to discover that the peasants are a bit anxious , it'a been a week since they didn't have any news from the fort . Ir was for me more realistic given the descriptions given to have had the actual attacks only one week before rather than the month it took the characters to get here

If your group is like mine , they will investigate what happens in the fort .
Don't forget to describe , it is always raining ...
Hope this helps

[Russell Akred]

My players helped provided a link.

While fighting their way through Thistletop, Orik surrendered after a well fought battle. They sent him away with nothing more than his sword. Arriving back in Sandpoint the PCs discovered his condition roused suspicion and after Orik confessed his connections with the goblins he was sent to Magnimar for trial. The judge (link again) sent him to Fort Rannick for his punishment.

I played Orik as a gullible man that subconsciously is compelled to act as if he is enchanted even when he is not or the spell has long since worn off.

[Joey Virtue]

Russell Akred wrote:

My players helped provided a link.

While fighting their way through Thistletop, Orik surrendered after a well fought battle. They sent him away with nothing more than his sword. Arriving back in Sandpoint the PCs discovered his condition roused suspicion and after Orik confessed his connections with the goblins he was sent to Magnimar for trial. The judge (link again) sent him to Fort Rannick for his punishment.

If he survives and they bring him in Im going to do the same thing but the PCs will take him to Magnimar where they will be a part of his trial

The same for Tstuo except he will be sentenced to the hells but the judge will use him for the Cult and the PCs will fight him again in the Sawmill to make it more challeneging

[Charles Scholz]

My group had 2 gnomes from Turtleback Ferry. They were real anxious to get home. They even helped convince the rest of the party that it was important to go.

[Lord Fyre]

robin wrote:

What I did was change the timetable a little :

After the second adventure , the mayor of Magnimar knows he has just be targeted by cultists who were killing people gy graving stars in their chests
so when a young man is discovered dead after a fracas in the slums wearing a smaller version of this symbol , the mayor order an enquiry

It's soon discovered that this young man arrived in town just a week before from the hamlet of turtleback ferry to find welth and glry in magnimar (typical bumpkin) and that 'speak with dead' doesn't work with him .
so the mayor send the very people who saved his life to Turtleback ferry to investigate. When they arrive , they'll be able to discover that the peasants are a bit anxious , it'a been a week since they didn't have any news from the fort . Ir was for me more realistic given the descriptions given to have had the actual attacks only one week before rather than the month it took the characters to get here

If your group is like mine , they will investigate what happens in the fort .
Don't forget to describe , it is always raining ...
Hope this helps

I like this approach.

Spoiler:

Another thing I am doing is to play up the importance of Shalelu during the Skinsaw Murders, as she can provide another connection.