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Greetings, people of the Paizo Messageboards! Allow me to fill the mouseover text with praises for all of the wonderful stuff you're up to!
My players are about to go investigate the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden. My group has been pretty good about finding nonviolent, diplomatic solutions to the various problems presented in the adventure so far, and I believe that they will try to talk to Dr. Davaulus rather than just "kick in the door." However, the way things are written in the module seems to assume the players will just barge in.
Can anyone here offer suggestions as to how Davaulus would react to a diplomatic inquiry? And if he persuades the Party that his intentions are honest (which he very well might), how should I go about getting my players back on his trail?
Thanks!
You could have the Doctor refuse to talk to them - too busy. He's ultimate goal though is to join the RM. The PCs aren't going to talk him out of that.
The clues they find along the way should be pretty incriminating thus keeping the PCs on the Dr's case regardless.
There certainly is room for a lot of role-play with Dr. Davaulus. If the PCs manage to meet with Davaulus to ask questions, he certainly should be ready to explain away some inciminating evidence.
Something like:
PCs: We found the wreckage of the plague ship Direption, and the documents show that you are the owner of the ship.
Davaulus: Yes, and I also own two other ships that I use to study diseases that are too deadly to study in a city. Taking my research out to the water limits contact with anyone not trained to properly handle such volitile substances.
PCs: We found a plague rat and tainted coins... just like the ones in the city.
Davaulus: Yes. I found that using coins was the most effective way of studying the growth of this disease without resorting to the unethical threatment of animals.
PCs: We found the body of one of the Queen's Physicians in the wreckage... he was a cultist of Urgathoa!
Davaulus: Yes, I employ many from the followers of Urgathoa. They tend to have a great respect for the research, and they are somewhat religious to their duties, if I can say so. You may find that many of the Queen's Pysicians in the city are also followers of Urgathoa.
PCs: We spoke with his corpse... he said that he was in league with the Red Mantis assassins to purposefully spread this disease.
Davaulus: That is grave news! And yet, I feel a little comforted. I have been tormenting myself over the spread of this disease, thinking that I was at fault. Now I know that I have been used... a pawn in their nefarious plan.
That's just a few conversations I "imagined" my players could have with Davaulus, especially if they confronted him early in the adventure.
You can have Davaulus admit to knowing a man he suspected to having ties with the Red Mantis assasins, a man named Rolth. Then you can have him set up an ambush for the PCs to run into, with Rolth and some back-ups.
After some more investigation, though, all signs should lead them back to Davaulus. Hopefully the PCs will eventually go through the Hospice and find all that lies within.