From #4 to #5 question

[Elorebaen]

Question for DMs:

Spoiler:

Did any GMs have trouble with PCs trying to go directly to Xin Shalast after researching in the Library? Any suggestions on getting the PCs back to Sandpoint?

As of right now, I'm thinking of withholding actual geographic info on the location of Xin Shalast, but still thinking on what I'll do.

THanks!

[tbug]

I don't think that they need to. The main thing that they need out of volume five, I think, is a bunch of experience and treasure. The rune weapons are nice but not really essential. If you can just make the journey from Jorgenfist to Xin Shalast really dangerous and full of opportunities to get stronger and richer then let them play the way they want to instead of sidetracking them unnecessarily.

Alternately, have someone Send them a message begging for help with the new sinkhole in the middle of town that seems to lead beneath the Old Light.

[Elorebaen]

tbug wrote:

I don't think that they need to. The main thing that they need out of volume five, I think, is a bunch of experience and treasure. The rune weapons are nice but not really essential. If you can just make the journey from Jorgenfist to Xin Shalast really dangerous and full of opportunities to get stronger and richer then let them play the way they want to instead of sidetracking them unnecessarily.

Alternately, have someone Send them a message begging for help with the new sinkhole in the middle of town that seems to lead beneath the Old Light.

Aye, both are feasible. We just started Hook, so I have plenty of time to prepare some ideas that organically move into Sins.

Spoiler:

I'm also thinking that the library books need to be decipered by a Thassilonian scholar (ie. Brodert). Also, they will find out that Runeforged weapons are necessary for entrance into the famed city, perhaps in addition to the S. Medallion.

Those are my ideas so far, but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks!

[Fletch]

My memory's vague, but aren't there a handful of kidnapped townsfolk what need escorting back to Sandpoint?

[RedXian]

My group just defeated Mokmurian on Friday. After reading through Sins of the Saviour it says that a couple of days after their Defeat Father Zantus sends a message using the spell Sending (I believe the town had to scrape together the funds to buy the spell) to tell the party of the sinkhole that has opened and of the strange noises that come from it at night.

[WelbyBumpus]

After the library, I decided that my party knew everything about Xin Shalast that the adventure provides, except its specific location. For that, they came up with on their own (although I was poised to tell them) that Brodert Quink in Sandpoint is a great resource for their final clue. After all, this is the guy that guessed that Old Light is a weapon when the rest of the academic world thought he was crazy--when Quink turns out to be correct, the party got a lot more respect for him and headed back to Sandpoint on their own.

Of course, the news was all about the sinkhole, which the party decided to "go check out really quick before talking to that scholar," so the rest of the adventure began quite easily from there, and they'll get the precise location of Xin-Shalast while in Runeforge.