Greetings All,
In my gestalt PF version of RotRL, my players have really focused on the frequency with which the followers of Lamashtu appear in the AP (they have just finished The Hook Mountain Massacre and are going into some 'downtime' for the winter months). They have been pretty thorough in putting said followers to the sword and cleansing them with holy fire (to paraphrase the words of the ranger/wizard who serves Sarenrae), to the point of even adding their own bit of 'desecration' to the abandoned temple of Lamashtu in the Kreeg clanhold (a celestial brilliance spell dropped in the center of the chamber that lasted for days, if I recall).
With everything the party has done to date, compounded by the work of the giant Barl Breakbones in pulling the Kreegs away from her worship, and the fact that my players were actually able to kill Black Magga (and are going to escort her carcass back to Magnimar by barge as a trophy for the Pathfinder Lodge's Menagerie), I'm thinking that Lamashtu should be pretty hacked off at the heroes right now.
To that end, I'm trying to come up with a series of 'retribution' attacks to fill in the gap between Hook Mountain Massacre and Fortress of the Stone Giants. I wan to to do this to give them the extra level-up they need to start the next adventure, and bring a sense of conclusion to this bit of story arc that they have expressed interest in.
(The only thing I have done so far is to have an Argorth spawn from one of Magga's tentacles, and slip into Claybottom Lake to be a lurking menace over the winter.)
I want to try and send some more of Lamashtu's more unique servants to do this, but am unsure of who to use. I want to use the Yaenits described in PF#5's article on Lamashtu, but a pack of werewolf hunters (ala Classic Monsters revisited) really sounds good too. I've even considered using a Shemhazian demon, but I think that would ruin the surprise of encountering one in Sins of the Saviors. Whatever I use will get a 'gestalt-treatment' to make sure the encounter is memorable, regardless.
As I struggle yet again with so many choices, I come here to get outside thoughts and insights. What do you think Lamashtu would do?
As always, thanks in advance for the help! :)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
Wow....No love at all for the Mother of Monsters here, huh? ;P
Well, after digging through material a bit, here are my own ideas:
* At the moment I've statted out some advanced yaenit inquisitors and a pack of advanced yeth hounds that will ambush the group as they try to ferry Black Magga's body to Magnimar. Or I may have the argorth do that while they do something else suitably vengeful instead.
* As the ranger/wizard of Sarenrae is planning to build a temple to his goddess around the farms closest to the ruins of Foxglove Manor, I may also retask the rebel werewolves in the area (as described in Classic Horrors Revisited) in order to give him grief later on in the winter.[/i]
* The ebon acolytus from the Bestiary in PF#30 really clicks with me too - the altar in Hook Mountain may get a divine 'makeover' as well, and start all kinds of trouble in the back country ;)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"
I read your initial post but hadn't any thing to add. I really haven't anything major to add this time either except to say I like your ideas. I think making a nifty pair of super Yeth hounds and maybe some sort of hound master of Lamashtu would be cool as heck. Thinking giant yeth hounds or monster of legend yeth hounds or some such with maybe a Yaenit ranger houndmaster with human bane weapons, or some nifty Humanoid bane weapon (a +4 quality that makes it all humanoids bane? something cool and homebrew but evil :P) That's me though, I think you'll have someting suitably epic :P
Edit: OOH! OOH! Two or Three Headed Huge sized advanced Yeth Hounds!!!! Now thats awesome!
I read your initial post but hadn't any thing to add. I really haven't anything major to add this time either except to say I like your ideas. I think making a nifty pair of super Yeth hounds and maybe some sort of hound master of Lamashtu would be cool as heck. Thinking giant yeth hounds or monster of legend yeth hounds or some such with maybe a Yaenit ranger houndmaster with human bane weapons, or some nifty Humanoid bane weapon (a +4 quality that makes it all humanoids bane? something cool and homebrew but evil :P) That's me though, I think you'll have someting suitably epic :P
Edit: OOH! OOH! Two or Three Headed Huge sized advanced Yeth Hounds!!!! Now thats awesome!
I'm getting demonic version of the Master of the Hunt and his Pack vibe. Hmmm - I like the way that sounds :)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 Dr
Ah, Lamashtu, how you took over my campaign! By the time my 20th level PCs managed to slay her (and Baphomet, and an army of demons), in the penultimate session of my 2 year campaign, Karzoug's machinations were a dimly remembered footnote in the PCs epic quest to make the Mother of Monsters pay for her depravity. Of course, in my campaign world, Lamashtu was only a CR 30 demon lord, so it was possible to destroy her, albeit difficult. In Golarion, however, she is a major goddess, and likely beyond the power of mortals to destroy.
...stories of my campaign aside, I do have a couple ideas to suggest. Firstly, have Nualia return. Made-over by Lamashtu's power, she takes the form of an evil Trumpet Archon, appearing as a white-haired effigy of Lamashtu herself. Rather than a trumpet/greatsword, she carries a falchion, and her terrible wolf-like howls duplicate the effects of the trumpet. Have her make hit-and-run attacks against the PCs or Sandpoint. She pops in, makes an appearance, and leaves, often abandoning various minions to challenge the PCs. If you'd rather Nualia remain in her grave, this could be an "Avatar" of Lamashtu's power, or simply another of her servants. As for the minions, the Argorth, the Yaenit, Yeth Hounds, goblins, and possibly any straggling ogres or trolls from the Storval Deep region might easily be rounded up by this evil creature. Also, don't forget that Lamashtu's herald, the Yethazmari, is the same CR as Black Magga, and might be an appropriate challenge for a group of PCs capable of destroying her.
Another thing to consider is that if Lamashtu notices the PCs enough to consider them her enemies, then the PCs might have an unexpected ally in the form of Pazuzu, and his cult. Of course, the PCs may not want their help, but that doesn't prevent them from doing so from behind the scenes. Perhaps the PCs discover than an NPC is secretly a worshipper of Lamashtu, but before they can investigate further, the cultists of Pazuzu slay him, implicating the PCs in the process. If anyone makes the connection between Pazuzu and Chopper, such an association could be very bad for Sandpoint's heroes indeed.
...stories of my campaign aside, I do have a couple ideas to suggest. Firstly, have Nualia return. Made-over by Lamashtu's power, she takes the form of an evil Trumpet Archon, appearing as a white-haired effigy of Lamashtu herself. Rather than a trumpet/greatsword, she carries a falchion, and her terrible wolf-like howls duplicate the effects of the trumpet. Have her make hit-and-run attacks against the PCs or Sandpoint. She pops in, makes an appearance, and leaves, often abandoning various minions to challenge the PCs. If you'd rather Nualia remain in her grave, this could be an "Avatar" of Lamashtu's power, or simply another of her servants. As for the minions, the Argorth, the Yaenit, Yeth Hounds, goblins, and possibly any straggling ogres or trolls from the Storval Deep region might easily be rounded up by this evil creature. Also, don't forget that Lamashtu's herald, the Yethazmari, is the same CR as Black Magga, and might be an appropriate challenge for a group of PCs capable of destroying her.
My party smashed Nualia's head to pulp at Thistletop and then burned her body to ashes to make sure her 'taint' didn't spread, so I'm inclined to leave her dead. I say this because I've already had Tsuto Kaijitsu return in my campaign, so I think I've played my 'recurring villain' card for the AP. :)
I haven't forgotten the Yethazmari, but I don't think that Lamashtu would send him right away to deal with the PCs. I think that would make her revenge a one-shot deal, since he is her herald. If they can deal with the argorth, yaenits and yeth hounds, then I think she'll send him down for a final confrontation. If they can defeat him, then she'll write them off as too much trouble to waste resources on and leave them be for the rest of the campaign.
Though I might have him appear to support the first group, but not engage the party, just to give them some foreshadowing of the trouble they're in. Not a bad idea, that.
Another thing to consider is that if Lamashtu notices the PCs enough to consider them her enemies, then the PCs might have an unexpected ally in the form of Pazuzu, and his cult. Of course, the PCs may not want their help, but that doesn't prevent them from doing so from behind the scenes. Perhaps the PCs discover than an NPC is secretly a worshipper of Lamashtu, but before they can investigate further, the cultists of Pazuzu slay him, implicating the PCs in the process. ...
I actually haven't thought about involving Pazuzu. I'd be scared that the rest of the AP would never get completed if that happened though. My party would start scouring Varisia for both of their cults. That could be an entire AP in itself. Hmmm....maybe after they defeat Karzoug.... ;P
Your Friendly Neighborhood Dalesman
"Bringing Big D**n Justice to the Bad Guys Since 1369 DR"