I used an idea I found here on the boards. Spoilers ahead!
I can't find the original post, but someone posted a letter that the PC's could find that ties Xanesha to Lucrecia in Turtleback Ferry. I had Mayor Grobaras give it to the PC's a week after they cleared out the cult, by having discovered the location of a secret "drop location" for items and messages to be smuggled in and out of the city. The Mayor's investigators found the location in Ironbriar's notes when they went through Ironbriar's estate. The secret stash had this letter in it, which Grobaras presented to the players.
My dearest Xanesha!
I am so proud of what you are doing in Magnimar, with your band of
murders winging souls to our Lord, fueling his awakening! Soon enough,
Magnimar will be a much nicer place, with all of its greed sucked dry.
My plans proceed up here in Turtleback Ferry. You wouldn’t think that
greed could take a foothold in such a desolate area, but when you
provide people with just a bit of hope for a better life, it is amazing
how their greed rises to the top.
The only obstacle to my plans is Fort Rannick, but that will be taken
care of shortly. Then nothing will stand in the way of our Lord coming
back to life!
Soon, we shall be reunited and our Lord will begin his most glorious
reign over all of Golarion!
Lucrecia
Credit for this letter belongs to another poster on the boards, I cannot find the source now. If anyone knows the original link, please post.
This letter was enough to convince the players to hurry on up to Turtleback and sleuth around.
As for the road system: I assume there's roads that keep near the river going all the way up to Turtleback via all of the villages in between. It also states the various travel times to Turtleback from Magnimar on page 8 of the module. A river barge is the easiest and quickest way, costing only 50gp per PC and taking only a week.
Credit goes to Lisa Stevens on that one. The original post is somewhere on the boards, but I took it from the Unofficial Errata document, pulled together by ShadowChemosh
Its here
It helps to make the hook a bit more strong, or add additional hooks that are personally connected to your players.
Lord-Mayor hook: I basically added that the PCs should figure out what is going on and ensure that the Hook Mtn Region is safe. Moreover, investigate the connection to Ironbriar. They can contact L-M through Mayor Shreed, or if the PCs have a cleric, to give regular reports. These reports would allow you (DM) to guide them forward as necessary.
The L-M would expect the PCs to think on their feet and do what needs to be done.
- Note, there is a road that runs next to the Yondabakari. Though it makes more sense to take a riverboat that L-M pays for.
Cheers!
i used the letter-hook and left the major completly out of this. The players found out that something was wrong at the fort when they where there. but i made the black arrows a varisia-wide organisation and the ranger pc a member from the small sandpoint branch (with shalelu and the goblin squash stable owner)
i did not give them the fort, because i railroaded them back to sandpoint with the end of every adventure (complete with singing of "working at the railroad") I gave them a house in sandpoint (including halfling cook and butler) instead at the end of skinsaw
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In my own game the villagers of Turtleback Ferry sent an envoy to Magnimar ask for help. The Lord Mayor was initially disinterested, glad to make vague assurances, until he saw a member of the envoy's entourage had a Sihedron tattoo (the entrance badge on Lucretia's riverboat casino).
He flipped, convinced that the Skinsaw murders were in fact linked to a larger diabolical conspiracy by Korvosa to overthrow Magnimar. So off he sent the PCs to Turtleback Ferry and Fort Rannick.
I used the hook as is, with the mayor asking them to check it out. He explains the political pressure on him to maintain presence there so as to legetimize Magnimar's authority in the area and how important it is for people to best represent him... err Magnimar. :P
Once there they visitid the foxglove sisters who I placed there (because I had no clue where they were otherwise) and the party was heading there on their own to deliver the deeds to the foxglove holdings. While they they noticed the attitude of townsfolk and made the high spot check to notice the tatoo on a townie. They then checked out the boat but moved on to the Grauls and fort rannick. They already kind of wanted the keep so when it was offered they were happily accepting, even hiring townfolk to clean the bodies and whatnot out and a few acolytes to perform burial ceremonies for the rangers. They then immidiately went to save the town from the flood and did a decent job. They bit on the hook for skull's crossing and are gearing up for trolls next.
I used the hook as is, with the mayor asking them to check it out. He explains the political pressure on him to maintain presence there so as to legetimize Magnimar's authority in the area and how important it is for people to best represent him... err Magnimar. :P
Once there they visitid the foxglove sisters who I placed there (because I had no clue where they were otherwise) and the party was heading there on their own to deliver the deeds to the foxglove holdings. While they they noticed the attitude of townsfolk and made the high spot check to notice the tatoo on a townie. They then checked out the boat but moved on to the Grauls and fort rannick. They already kind of wanted the keep so when it was offered they were happily accepting, even hiring townfolk to clean the bodies and whatnot out and a few acolytes to perform burial ceremonies for the rangers. They then immidiately went to save the town from the flood and did a decent job. They bit on the hook for skull's crossing and are gearing up for trolls next.
According to Guide to Korvosa, one of the sisters runs a grocery store in Korvosa, apparently.
According to Guide to Korvosa, one of the sisters runs a grocery store in Korvosa, apparently.I used the hook as is, with the mayor asking them to check it out. He explains the political pressure on him to maintain presence there so as to legetimize Magnimar's authority in the area and how important it is for people to best represent him... err Magnimar. :P
Once there they visitid the foxglove sisters who I placed there (because I had no clue where they were otherwise) and the party was heading there on their own to deliver the deeds to the foxglove holdings. While they they noticed the attitude of townsfolk and made the high spot check to notice the tatoo on a townie. They then checked out the boat but moved on to the Grauls and fort rannick. They already kind of wanted the keep so when it was offered they were happily accepting, even hiring townfolk to clean the bodies and whatnot out and a few acolytes to perform burial ceremonies for the rangers. They then immidiately went to save the town from the flood and did a decent job. They bit on the hook for skull's crossing and are gearing up for trolls next.
Really? I missed that. Oh well no problem working it in, the players gave them the 200pp they found with the deeds in Foxglove's townhouse in the hidden compartment. They deemed it would belong to his sisters since he was dead, so they tracked them down. I'll just have them open a store with the money, far away in Korvosa then :P
Really? I missed that. Oh well no problem working it in, the players gave them the 200pp they found with the deeds in Foxglove's townhouse in the hidden compartment. They deemed it would belong to his sisters since he was dead, so they tracked them down. I'll just have them open a store with the money, far away in Korvosa then :PAccording to Guide to Korvosa, one of the sisters runs a grocery store in Korvosa, apparently.I used the hook as is, with the mayor asking them to check it out. He explains the political pressure on him to maintain presence there so as to legetimize Magnimar's authority in the area and how important it is for people to best represent him... err Magnimar. :P
Once there they visitid the foxglove sisters who I placed there (because I had no clue where they were otherwise) and the party was heading there on their own to deliver the deeds to the foxglove holdings. While they they noticed the attitude of townsfolk and made the high spot check to notice the tatoo on a townie. They then checked out the boat but moved on to the Grauls and fort rannick. They already kind of wanted the keep so when it was offered they were happily accepting, even hiring townfolk to clean the bodies and whatnot out and a few acolytes to perform burial ceremonies for the rangers. They then immidiately went to save the town from the flood and did a decent job. They bit on the hook for skull's crossing and are gearing up for trolls next.
No worries--it's a nice easter egg if you run Curse of the Crimson Throne right afterwards. They seem to enjoy those. I still can't get over how Orik's brother is also in Korvosa--I GMed RotRL and then made an Alchemist PC for CotCT, so I thought I would connect my backstory to Orik's, and lo and behold his brother popped out.
No worries--it's a nice easter egg if you run Curse of the Crimson Throne right afterwards. They seem to enjoy those. I still can't get over how Orik's brother is also in Korvosa--I GMed RotRL and then made an Alchemist PC for CotCT, so I thought I would connect my backstory to Orik's, and lo and behold his brother popped out.Really? I missed that. Oh well no problem working it in, the players gave them the 200pp they found with the deeds in Foxglove's townhouse in the hidden compartment. They deemed it would belong to his sisters since he was dead, so they tracked them down. I'll just have them open a store with the money, far away in Korvosa then :PAccording to Guide to Korvosa, one of the sisters runs a grocery store in Korvosa, apparently.I used the hook as is, with the mayor asking them to check it out. He explains the political pressure on him to maintain presence there so as to legetimize Magnimar's authority in the area and how important it is for people to best represent him... err Magnimar. :P
Once there they visitid the foxglove sisters who I placed there (because I had no clue where they were otherwise) and the party was heading there on their own to deliver the deeds to the foxglove holdings. While they they noticed the attitude of townsfolk and made the high spot check to notice the tatoo on a townie. They then checked out the boat but moved on to the Grauls and fort rannick. They already kind of wanted the keep so when it was offered they were happily accepting, even hiring townfolk to clean the bodies and whatnot out and a few acolytes to perform burial ceremonies for the rangers. They then immidiately went to save the town from the flood and did a decent job. They bit on the hook for skull's crossing and are gearing up for trolls next.
Yea the Vancaskerkin's were all over the first aps like the Vandorboren's were in the Dungeon mag days. Orik's older brother is in Second Darkness too.... though I think the Vancaskerkins stop there for now.
The Vanderborens were in all the Dungeon APs? I DMd Savage Tide but never read any of the others. Did they have large roles in the others as well?
The Vanderboren family was one of the noble families in Shackled City.
Yea the Vancaskerkin's were all over the first aps like the Vandorboren's were in the Dungeon mag days....No worries--it's a nice easter egg if you run Curse of the Crimson Throne right afterwards. They seem to enjoy those. I still can't get over how Orik's brother is also in Korvosa--I GMed RotRL and then made an Alchemist PC for CotCT, so I thought I would connect my backstory to Orik's, and lo and behold his brother popped out.Really? I missed that. Oh well no problem working it in, the players gave them the 200pp they found with the deeds in Foxglove's townhouse in the hidden compartment. They deemed it would belong to his sisters since he was dead, so they tracked them down. I'll just have them open a store with the money, far away in Korvosa then :PAccording to Guide to Korvosa, one of the sisters runs a grocery store in Korvosa, apparently.I used the hook as is, with the mayor asking them to check it out. He explains the political pressure on him to maintain presence there so as to legetimize Magnimar's authority in the area and how important it is for people to best represent him... err Magnimar. :P
Once there they visitid the foxglove sisters who I placed there (because I had no clue where they were otherwise) and the party was heading there on their own to deliver the deeds to the foxglove holdings. While they they noticed the attitude of townsfolk and made the high spot check to notice the tatoo on a townie. They then checked out the boat but moved on to the Grauls and fort rannick. They already kind of wanted the keep so when it was offered they were happily accepting, even hiring townfolk to clean the bodies and whatnot out and a few acolytes to perform burial ceremonies for the rangers. They then immidiately went to save the town from the flood and did a decent job. They bit on the hook for skull's crossing and are gearing up for trolls next.
Were the Vanderborens in AoW? I remember Lavinia from ST and then they were in Cauldron too in SC.
That's funny that Orik has another brother in SD. Since my alchemist wanted revenge on Orik for blowing up his shop in Riddleport in the incident with the tiefling prostitute, I wound up wasting the CotCT brother's silver dagger, to humorous results.
The Vanderborens were in all the Dungeon APs? I DMd Savage Tide but never read any of the others. Did they have large roles in the others as well?The Vanderboren family was one of the noble families in Shackled City.
I know they did something in age of worms aswell. In Shackled CIty One of the Vandorborens is part of a rival adventuring party. Here's a discussion on the subject from right here on the boards!
Vandorborens in discussion!