I'm running the final confrontation of the Skinsaw Murders tomorrow, but I've run into a problem. My party dealt with the Skinsaw cultists, put all the clues together and pinpointed where they needed to go - The Shadow Clock.
With this knowledge they then decided to bed down for a couple of weeks and rest, recover and build a couple of magic items. I said I was okay with that, but warned them that there might be consequences.
I'm not sure what to do at this point. I can't see Xanesha waiting around for the shoe to drop, once she learns of the cultists demise nor do I see her going on the offensive. Originally I was just going to have her leave town, but now I'm thinking she's done a bit of recon herself (using her alternate form) and is aware of the party and their capabilites.
My problem now is what do I throw at them, now that she is more than prepared for the upcoming assault on her home?
My group sent the full force of the Magnimar watch to the Shadow Clock, Xanesha escaped and the PC's have no idea what she looks like.
So, I'm having her retreat to be with Lucretia, but as the PCs will be taking ferries to TF, she's going to be on the ferry as another passenger, to scout them out.
In your situation, I'd have her pack up and move on... could be nice to have her meet them at the Fort. :)
TBA wrote: My group sent the full force of the Magnimar watch to the Shadow Clock, Xanesha escaped and the PC's have no idea what she looks like.
So, I'm having her retreat to be with Lucretia, but as the PCs will be taking ferries to TF, she's going to be on the ferry as another passenger, to scout them out.
In your situation, I'd have her pack up and move on... could be nice to have her meet them at the Fort. :)
Yeah, I've decided to do that. Still, I want her to leave a little present for the party. I want them to realize that their decision to wait on the creation of magic items mid-stream does have consequences.
Came up with a solution to really mess with the party. I'm going to have Xanesha, in her human form, get to know the groups fighter while they are waiting. Have a spark of a romance just beginning when they make the assault on the Shadow Clock. Xanesha will be gone, off to visit her sister :) but she will have left a note for her "love". As the fighter was already the target of Aldern's obsession, this should really be entertaining.
Waiting for the magic item creation was his idea, so I feel it only appropriate that he feel the brunt of the delay :)
Diamond B wrote: Came up with a solution to really mess with the party. I'm going to have Xanesha, in her human form, get to know the groups fighter while they are waiting. Have a spark of a romance just beginning when they make the assault on the Shadow Clock. Xanesha will be gone, off to visit her sister :) but she will have left a note for her "love". As the fighter was already the target of Aldern's obsession, this should really be entertaining.
Waiting for the magic item creation was his idea, so I feel it only appropriate that he feel the brunt of the delay :)
You should have her kill the Lord Mayor, since it was on her to do list and all. If they decided to take WEEKS off, it's not unreasonable.
Good idea, in your situation it would be good for some kind of retribution. Killing the Mayor is good, otherwise have her stalk the group, and trying to pick them off as they go.
Shalelu is a good one to be picked off, or anyone that they made friends with in Sandpoint. ;)
TBA wrote: Good idea, in your situation it would be good for some kind of retribution. Killing the Mayor is good, otherwise have her stalk the group, and trying to pick them off as they go.
Shalelu is a good one to be picked off, or anyone that they made friends with in Sandpoint. ;)
I specifically mentioned the Lord Mayor not because of retribution, but because she was actually planning on having him killed anyway. Have her take off before they get to her lair and have her leave a note for the fighter next to the severed head. Suddenly the town watch rush in, having found the rest of the Lord Mayor's mutilated body. Or, even better, the Hellknights rush in at the request of the watch. 10 trigger-happy Hellknights is no small thing. Ultimately the party is cleared, sure, but they're seriously inconvenienced.
But wait! There's more! What happens with these massive delay over at Fort Rannick? The forces of evil don't rest. Do they attack near-by town? Do the ogrekin kill the humans they've been holding hostage, never giving the heroes a chance to gain valuable allies? Possibilities abound.
I didn't have her kill the mayor, though that is a good idea. The budding romance resulted in the fighter telling her where he was from (Sandpoint) and giving up a few other details of his life - significantly more than what he got from her :)
The party is now on their way to Ft. Rannick, but things have changed. Shalelu never arrived to assist the PC's - an unfortunate "accident" near Sandpoint, just days after Xanesha left Magnimar to "visit her sister" (which is true - eventually). There will not be any hostages and the Ogrekin aggressions are going to be more prominent in Turtle Ferry.
While the PC's are going to be running into a group ready and waiting for their arrival, they will not have much time to catch their breath once they get to Turtle Ferry and realize the situation.
Oh and they aren't done with Xanesha, she and her sister are preparing a nice little surprise for the fighter (soon to be paladin).
Like what you're doing. :)
My group carried on last night, on the boat to TF they encountered some Gnome merchants with guards with a human woman who come across as working for them. The woman is Xanesha of course, using her charms on the gnomes to hike a lift.
She also threw any suspicion off her, as she had 5 faceless stalkers on the boat, posing as members of the Korvosa Sable Co. They managed to capture Shalelu Ok, but their plan unraveled when they tried the same trick with the party druid. None of the stalkers survived, so the group didn't question them.
Party and Xanesha are in TF now, Xanesha will link up with Lucretia and plan some way to bump off the PCs. Xanesha has a very good idea on how they work (fireball first, ask questions later)
Nice. :)
While Xanesha isn't familiar with the party tactics, she does know them on a social level. Meaning she knows what connections they have, who they care for and that sort of thing - fighter was VERY chatty. The absence (and parties eventual discovery) of Shalelu's accident is just one hint of her use of that knowlege.
One thing I've reconsidered is the presence of the hostages. I'm considering keeping the leader (don't have the book handy) alive because of the history. Two of the party are elven fraternal twins; the brother went off to Magnimar to become a wizard, the sister stayed home and trained with her father the ranger. In character creation I gave each character an item, family heirlooms and these two created something beautiful. The sister got a masterwork green dragonscale breastplate from her mother with the request that she not tell her brother or father where it came from, hinting at a relationship she'd rather remain a secret. Now enter a certain Black Arrow Ranger - things could get entertaining.
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