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This is a post about the villan of Burnt Offerings, major spoilers below.
Given that the history of Nualia involves her being "tainted" by the activation of the runewell and my gaming group's affection for the setting does anyone view it as possible that Nualia could be redeemed?
My gaming group is a big fan of taking down the BBEGs of adventures and modules by imprisoning, deleveling, and/or atoning them, but I really see some potential to have Nualia be a tragic victim of the Runewell and Lamashtu.
I have a few ideas on how to have a moral dilema come up right as the end comes. I have only lightly read through AP 3-6, so I'm not sure if she possesses any knowledge that could really mess up the adventure.
Tintagel (http://4e.educatedgamer.net/Home/rotr/burnt-offerings) had a really niffty posting about Nualia's Nightmare, which I intend to throw at the players somewhere between their coup de grace on her or maybe as a vision to the party's cleric as they enter her room for the final battle.
Additionally, I'm thinking about having Hannah (RotRL 1, pg.70 building 45) have been one of Nualia's midwives who helped burn her baby originally, but I'm thinking about having Hannah have secretly burned a roll of cloth or a wrapped up ragdoll instead, or maybe even have the baby survive the fire. I'm thinking that the baby might have been an assimar half-fiend and for some reason Hannah just couldn't kill it. So she has been raising the baby in secret for the last 5 years.
Basically, without railroading, what I would like to do is have Hannah approach the group shortly after word spreads around town that Nualia might not be dead and have her reveal that she helped Nualia to abort her baby, but that its still alive and well. This revelation might be enough to tip Nualia back into sanity after everything she's done, although she will surely face imprisonment and likely execution if they capture her.
I even debated allowing a PC to take her as a cohort or maybe even play her if they want to.
Edit:
As far as Nualia's secret intel on AP 2, the Skinsaw Men, I'll probably have some big thing where Lamashtu punishes her for turning and burns some things out of her mind. Can't have any major spoilers coming out for the players.
Very very beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
This is a post about the villan of Burnt Offerings, major spoilers below.
** spoiler omitted **...
From your Spoiler
My gaming group is a big fan of taking down the BBEGs of adventures and modules by imprisoning, deleveling, and/or atoning them, but I really see some potential to have Nualia be a tragic victim of the Runewell and Lamashtu.
And Sandpoint
If the players want to redeem the villain in this case, it might be very helpful for them to understand that the superstitious people of Sandpoint are every bit as responsible for Nualia's "Start of Darkness" as Lamashtu and the Runewell of Wrath.
I created a charred looking version of the text, but I don't have anywhere to host it, otherwise I'd post it. Yeah, I think there's one or two more entries I could add, maybe to name drop some other NPC's. I definitely want the players to seek out Hannah and hopefully they will.
Might need another entry about how one day she woke up and all she felt was anger or something... like something snapped. Trying to get the timeline right here. Also might add another entry about Nualia and Delek's relationship, need a tearjerker here for the girls and guys in my group. Plus I need to clean up the grammar, the first post was intentional, she was 13 or so after all.
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Ok so I rewrote some of it, tried to make it a little more tearjerky. Hope that's the effect, I might be playing to much Whitewolf. When I get a chance I'm going to put it onto the burned paper background.
Erastus 18, 4698
Dad said he was working on my birthday cake so he let me end my studies early today. I went outside and there were some boys from the academy, they threw rocks at me and one hit me. I have a huge bruise, it bled some too. They called me a freak and laughed at me. I was crying so father says no one else is as gifted as I am and that my silver hair and violet eyes are a blessing from the goddess Desna. He said I’m an angel.
Ruthona 1, 4700
Master Gandethus gave us an impossible amount of work today and I was trying to finish up when I noticed Amylee and the other girls at snickering and pointing at me, again. I did what teacher said and tried to ignore them, but they wouldn’t stop. I excused myself from my studies and hid in the bathroom for a little while, but the girls had piled furniture in front of the doorway. I was locked in there all afternoon and half the night, I screamed but no one helped me. When the candle went out it was so dark, I was scared I was going to die. Mr. Jervas came by and let me out; he was making some pretty wood birds for the stairs. I’m never going back to Turandarok again, Ezakien can’t make me. He’s not my real dad anyways.
Pharast 10, 4700
I was walking home from the academy today, I took a shortcut past Cracktooth’s tavern and a bunch of boys from school were following me. The boys at school are always staring at me. They were saying disgusting things and hollering at me, it was Banny Harker I think. One of them called me a slut; I started running and dropped my work. Dad wanted to know why I was crying, but I just wanted to be alone.
Pharast 24, 4700
The traders always gawk at me in the market, its not my fault I’m different. I wasn’t wearing my hat today, while I was picking up some things for dinner some old woman snipped off my braid with scissors. She told me that “your silver hair will bring me luck” as she walked off. I didn’t know what to say, but now I have a bald patch. Amylee and her little friends are going to make fun of me, I just know it. Father told me not to go out so much, that I should spend more time praying.
Gozran 5, 4700
I was walking down Cliff street minding my own and about a dozen of the farmers in for the harvest started crowding around me. I just wanted to go. They started telling me to cure them of their rashes and boils, they smelled terribly. I tried to be nice, but when I said I couldn’t one of them pulled my hair and started yelling in my face to cure his warts. They wanted to know when they should plant their potatoes, like how should I know. One of them told me I was the “blessed of Desna” and that my voice could drive away the voices he was hearing and he was haunted by evil spirits. I screamed at them and I finally pulled away, but one of them pulled out some of my hair. They chased me all the way to the church. I locked myself in and they were pounding on the door. Why does this keep happening?
Gozran 15, 4700
Father told me today that I would be sent to the Windsong Abbey on my 17th birthday, he didn’t even ask me. I don’t want to be a nun, I love Desna, but that’s not what I want. He’s not letting me go out until I do perfect on the verses, catechisms, and scriptures. I’m going to spend the whole summer locked up in this church. I just want to get out of here, be like everyone else.
Calistil 3, 4701
I met a cute older varisian boy today from Magnimar, he took me on a picnic on a cliff that overlooks the Old Light. He talked to me like I was a person, we stayed there for hours. He’s the first boy who’s ever talked to me like this, not staring and all wierd. I might be in love. Is this what love feels like? His name is Delek Viskanta.
Calistil 29, 4701
My love threw rocks at my window and I climbed out tonight. We walked along the beach beneath the glassmakers factory. We found a little cave that goes back a little ways, I was a little scared at first, but we made love. Delek says that he loves me and we will run away to Magnimar and get married. He says he has family there we can stay with, this is moving so fast, but it feels right. Desna’s listening after all, thank you.
Erastus 21, 4701
Father says he’s going to send me away to the Windsong Abbey, he doesn’t like me hanging around Delek. He says that I must remain “pure”, but I think I’m pregnant. I haven’t told anyone, but I’m going to tell Delek at the cave tonight when we sneak out. More later…
How could he! He told me he loved me, he’s leaving me, he told me he was leaving for Magnimar, and that I was nothing to him, just a whore. He told me he didn’t love me, he called me a fool and a stupid girl. He walked away, what am I going to do? I can’t tell my father.
Erastus 22, 4701
Father yelled at me again, he called me a harlot and told me to go pray to Desna. I stayed at the altar for 3 hours and she didn’t answer me. Desna doesn’t care about me, she thinks I’m worthless too, why did he do this to me. Delek, why do I still love you? I hate you.
Ruthona 2, 4702
I’m so angry. I don’t know what’s come over me. Everyone’s been so mean lately, I’ve been having such weird dreams, and they’re terrifying. Father won’t let me go out, he says its because of Chopper, but I know he’s ashamed of me. Mother goddess Desna if you’re here, I’m listening, just make the pain go away.
Ruthona 23, 4702
I finally snuck out of church tonight, I just had to get out. It was dark and I saw Mr. Stoot, he had dropped a few of his carved birds and they had shattered. I helped him pick them up, he told me that I was still beautiful to him and that I shouldn’t go out at dark, it wasn’t safe. I stayed at the Cave for a few hours, like Delek and I used to do.
Abadius 26, 4702
They killed Mr. Stoot. They said he was the Chopper. They said he killed Mrs. Deverin’s fiancé and cut off her arm. I can see his house burning from the top window of the church. Mr. Jervas would never have hurt anyone, how can they do that to him, he was always so nice to me. I keep having these dreams, I don’t feel well at all, I think the baby knows I’m upset.
Abadius 27, 4702
Something is wrong. I’m so sick, something is wrong with the baby. There’s blood, it’s too soon, I’m only 7 months. I saw dad talking to that butcher Hannah, I don’t want to loose my baby. Dad won’t even look at me, what is he doing talking to her! Desna please make the pain go away, save my baby, please. I’ll never do anything bad again.
I know its really long, but I think my gaming group will like it. I love this Community Created materials section.
Ok so I rewrote some of it, tried to make it a little more tearjerky. Hope that's the effect, I might be playing to much Whitewolf. When I get a chance I'm going to put it onto the burned paper background.
** spoiler omitted **...
that's great!
I'm gonna have to steal it for my ROTR. (The party just resolved the Shayliss encounter, so there's plenty of time to get this "found".)
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This was a perfect add-in to humanize (ironic considering she is an aasimar trying to be a demon, lol) Nualia for my group.
I started about 2/3rds of my gaming group out at 0-level, playing as 10 year old kids attending the academy and growing up in town. This allowed them to actually live through the events surrounding the recent unpleasantness, and get to know Jervis when he was a simple, kind woodcarver. This lowly start has made a huge difference in connecting them to the townsfolk, which I have started to see is crucial for best enjoyment of the AP later on. In any case, the bard character really attached to Jervis and liked to follow him around when he woodcarved and talk to him (she was a young girl then). The game got more horror based for a while as they were trying to solve a serial killer murder mystery as kids while watching some of their favorite people in town get killed one by one. When the bard found out it was Jervis Stoot, she was sad, but took one of his woodcarvings before the townsfolk could destroy its beauty (she is a worshipper of Shelyn).
This sympathetic connection between Nualia and Jervis ties in perfectly to my own bard's story thread, so I expect she will attempt to redeem Nualia now that she has read her journal. She did attempt to "talk sense" to Tsuto and get him to stop his attacks on the party when they fought him in the glassworks, but after he dropped her to zero twice with arrows, she got pissed and wrote a nasty song about him after the party finally killed him, lol. In short, thanks so much for this excellent, well written game aid you have created :)
I started about 2/3rds of my gaming group out at 0-level, playing as 10 year old kids attending the academy and growing up in town. This allowed them to actually live through the events surrounding the recent unpleasantness, and get to know Jervis when he was a simple, kind woodcarver. This lowly start has made a huge difference in connecting them to the townsfolk, which I have started to see is crucial for best enjoyment of the AP later on. In any case, the bard character really attached to Jervis and liked to follow him around when he woodcarved and talk to him (she was a young girl then). The game got more horror based for a while as they were trying to solve a serial killer murder mystery as kids while watching some of their favorite people in town get killed one by one. When the bard found out it was Jervis Stoot, she was sad, but took one of his woodcarvings before the townsfolk could destroy its beauty (she is a worshipper of Shelyn).
That's awesome! I've always adored 0th level games as a mode of plot hooks, plus it always gives the PCs some sort of common ground when they are 1st level adventurers years later (granted, my level 0 adventures were heavily house-ruled AD&D games). I applaud you, sir.
Ok here's the pair of pages with my editing, sorry I don't have pdf software. I did this with an older version of Photoshop I picked up at a flea market for $5, lol.
Also trying to figure these boards out so, bear with me.
I just did a recheck on this, I think the time is mostly ambiguous, but this is how I interpreted it.
On page 61 it says a month after Stoot was slain there was a fire, he had a month long killing spree.
On page 10 it says the night the runewell flared to life she miscarried her baby and fell into a coma for an unspecified amount of time and when she woke up the she burned the church. So... I'm just going to guess a month, which I know is a long time...
Stoot has a 1 month long killing spree
Runewell wakes up + Stoot dies + Nualia miscaries
coma
The fire
I think Stoots death might have fueled the Runewell, but not his murders. Sounds like her miscarriage and that happened close together.
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That's awesome! I've always adored 0th level games as a mode of plot hooks, plus it always gives the PCs some sort of common ground when they are 1st level adventurers years later (granted, my level 0 adventures were heavily house-ruled AD&D games). I applaud you, sir.
I had a post on here a while back about all the events that happened during the 0-level adventure in town, which you can check out *HERE*. My group had just come from playing a very epic, very high fantasy FR game, and they were all about leaping into action at the first sign of trouble. I have to say it was very entertaining watching them flail and get frustrated about having curfews and having to sneak past the old nanny at the orphanage above Turandurok Academy to get out and explore the mystery of the serial killer, Chopper. That plus, once they did figure it out, they could not physically do anything about it (1 had a cheap rusty dagger they found in an alley, and one had 12 cp, so no equip) and they had a very hard time getting adults to listen to them and take them seriously. All in all, quite different from the leading hordes of barbarians and fighting dragons they were doing just a few weeks before.
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I just did a recheck on this, I think the time is mostly ambiguous, but this is how I interpreted it.
** spoiler omitted **
I think it's more:
Date X: Runewell wakes up + Stoot goes nuts and starts killing people + Nualia miscaries + Nualia falls into coma
Stoot has a 1 month long killing spree
Date X + 1 month: Stoot dies
Date X + 2 months: The fire
I'm not sure how long Nualia's coma lasted. Did she wake up before or after Stood died? Anyway, I don't think it's very important.