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Hello Everyone,
I'm just looking for a few ideas here for changing around the dynamic of the Stolen Land module - mainly introducing a "Bartertown"-like bandit village to add some role-playing depth to the bandit interactions.
I'm looking at starting the first module a season back to when the Stag Lord arrives to claim the Tuskwater Fort.
Effectively, the relationships would be:
- The bandit village (call it Haven for the moment) is a neutral entity for many of the bandits sitting upon the Shrike within the walls of an abandoned fort. No fighting or burglary within it's walls (except in the pit). It is the slum of the slums there but it is protection against the deadly plains and hills of the Greenbelt (where no one goes except in groups and the fort is locked up from Dusk to Dawn). It has several "leaders" or notable bandits that the PCs can interact with in a non-combat capacity.
- Many in Haven are bandits who have fallen upon banditry to survive. Given a chance of legitimacy in a new kingdom (carved out by the PCs), such men would happily leave banditry behind. Of course there are always a few bad eggs who will deserve their come-upance at the hands of the PCs.
- Oleg's is also considered neutral ground for many of these bandits as he provides legitimate goods and is considered friendly to many of them and will serve and buy from anyone regardless of who they are.
- The Stag Lord arrives and shakes the bandits of the Greenbelt up big time. Effectively starting a war upon many of the other bandits in the Greenbelt, he is looking at conquering them all under his umbrella. Many have commented upon the parallels between George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and Kingmaker/Brevoy. For me, the Stag Lord is equal parts "The Giant that Rides" and "The Hound". He has the complete maniacal nature of Gregor Clegane mixed in with the extreme rogue's competence of Sandor Clegane. I like the idea of the Stag Lord as a possible recurring villain. I certainly want the opportunity for the PCs to really hate him. I want the PCs to really hate the things he does in the Greenbelt, before they get a chance to confront him. What truly dastardly and despicable deeds can he do to rile the PCs up? How can I make the PCS REALLY hate this guy?
I think by introducing a bandit war, it gives the PCs a little more space to choose how they will react to the various bandits in the Greenbelt. As long as it provides a shade of grey rather than "kill all bandits except for the cranky ex-paladin", then I'll be happy. With maybe a couple of other pockets of Bandit groups, I think this provides a suitable change from the exploring mentality that encompasses the majority of the module.
So anyway, any suggestions for Bartertown/Haven?
- Is the pit the only place where disagreements can be settled? Two walk in but one walks out.
- Is there an "Aunty Entity" figure there? What about "Master Blaster" (or is this going too far?)
Is there a plan against Oleg's that the PCs get wind of?
- Is there anyone strong enough here to stand against the Stag Lord or will the place quickly fall and disband without PC assistance?
- How do the PCs manage to swing events to the most optimal outcome for their future endeavours? Can the PCs kill many birds with the one stone? Will inaction see many flock to the Stag Lord's banner presenting an even greater threat to the Greenbelt?
I think there are many places you can take this, all rich in fun and depth for the PCs to chew on. If you can help me round this out with some suggestions, it would be hugely appreciated. Help me bring Bartertwon/Haven alive.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise
Hello Everyone,
I'm just looking for a few ideas here for changing around the dynamic of the Stolen Land module - mainly introducing a "Bartertown"-like bandit village to add some role-playing depth to the bandit interactions.
I'm looking at starting the first module a season back to when the Stag Lord arrives to claim the Tuskwater Fort.
Effectively, the relationships would be:
- The bandit village (call it Haven for the moment) is a neutral entity for many of the bandits sitting upon the Shrike within the walls of an abandoned fort. No fighting or burglary within it's walls (except in the pit). It is the slum of the slums there but it is protection against the deadly plains and hills of the Greenbelt (where no one goes except in groups and the fort is locked up from Dusk to Dawn). It has several "leaders" or notable bandits that the PCs can interact with in a non-combat capacity.
- Many in Haven are bandits who have fallen upon banditry to survive. Given a chance of legitimacy in a new kingdom (carved out by the PCs), such men would happily leave banditry behind. Of course there are always a few bad eggs who will deserve their come-upance at the hands of the PCs.
- Oleg's is also considered neutral ground for many of these bandits as he provides legitimate goods and is considered friendly to many of them and will serve and buy from anyone regardless of who they are.
- The Stag Lord arrives and shakes the bandits of the Greenbelt up big time. Effectively starting a war upon many of the other bandits in the Greenbelt, he is looking at conquering them all under his umbrella. Many have commented upon the parallels between George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones and Kingmaker/Brevoy. For me, the Stag Lord is equal parts "The Giant that Rides" and "The Hound". He has the complete maniacal nature of Gregor Clegane mixed in with the extreme rogue's competence of Sandor Clegane. I like the idea of the Stag Lord as a possible recurring villain. I certainly want the opportunity for the PCs to really hate him. I...
I have to say, this is really, really making me think. Kingmaker is perhaps the best AP to date for the amount of fun work it makes for DMs and the cooperative nature it encourages in PCs. I grok the Kingmaker/A Game Of Thrones comparisons, and I'll probably use a theme or two from the series when I get around to running it.
Now, as to your post...
Yes- The Pit should be the only place that arguments can be settled. These are bandits we're dealing with here, and while there is a serious attempt at civilization being made, there is also a love of overall lawlessness and a survival-at-any-cost espiritu de corps that must be kept alive as well, otherwise they're just another thorp. There would have to be an Auntie Entity and Master Blaster here, otherwise there would be no way to enforce the law of the Pit. Make sure that Auntie Entity and Master Blaster are, like in the movie, min/maxed to hell- a cult of personality backed by dim-witted sinewy thews is the best way to go about keeping that type of civilization alive. You may also want to go with religious fervor...but I don't know of any gods that bandits might pray to with that level of devotion off the top of my head.
In terms of a relationship with the Stag Lord, you could have that Haven is just that- a haven for the significant others and children of small time bandits, and that while there could be an uprising/guerilla war of sorts against the Stag Lord, it would be futile because...
-Haven is vulnerable to a certain type of assault that your version of the Stag Lord might have particular access to(fire, spiking the water supply, etc)
-Haven is settled on poor land(not arable for farming or what have you) that relies on trade or banditry to survive and the Stag Lord has them in a semi-blockaded state that makes large-scale movements impossible
- Haven is just in a bad physical location, either too far away from the Stag Lord's HQ to do it any real harm or, in a nightmarish scenario, is simply too close.
In short, the bandits of Haven should have too much to lose by moving against the Stag Lord and only a phyrric victory to gain.
That said, I don't think that Haven should fall per se without PC assistance, but its less scrupulous residents(perhaps its leaders) should see the PCs as a way to get rid of the Stag Lord while maintaining some kind of cohesion. I don't think Haven would join up with the Stag Lord simply to get rid of the PCs- Auntie Entity with the assistance of Master Blaster should be able to do that, at least with the PCs at level 1- but if the PCs make all the wrong noises(vocally promising the death of the Stag Lord in exchange for taking over Haven, making an attempt to seriously shift power within Haven while the Stag Lord is still alive) I think the PCs would more be in danger of being assassinated than having to face an army that is suddenly loyal to the Stag Lord. Haven has existed for quite some time and should have more than a few able killers, especially if they can get their guard down(something they were not capable of doing with the Stag Lord).
This is a great scenario that's really got me thinking. I'll post more later on if I can as I am at work.
Another possiblity that keeps the relationship between Haven and the Stag Lord going is that, in a setting where Haven and the Stag Lord's fort aren't too far away from one another, is that the Haven Uprising of (enter year here) is what resulted in the nest of undead that are protecting the place. In this case, the Stag Lord would need a moderately powerful necromancer(roll one up, or have that evil half-elf looking guy be the necromancer) on hand to control the undead, who are a similar type of undead as the trapper that plays a role in the first book of the adventure path(and they could be laid to rest if the players bring them one or more of the Stag Lord's named bandits, particularly that very same necromancer, as an offering of sorts).
The Movers and Shakers of Haven
Basic- "Auntie Entity" is a LE rogue with perhaps a level or two of Bard, she runs Haven with a open iron hand in a fishnet glove. She relies on a handful of clingers on and sometimes-lovers help to maintain order without an excess law. The Stag Lord is a peculiar nuisance due to his lack of suceptability to her charms(she tried to seduce him during their one diplomatic meeting and barely escaped with her life) as well as his stunning success as a bandit. She had sent out a small but competant force from Haven to forceably eject him from his fort a little over a year ago, but the pair of survivors that came back from that debacle returned the worse for wear, disabled both physically("Master", LN halfling wizard missing a leg and a hand resulting in a very, very low Dex score) and mentally("Blaster", N half-orc[or hey! Half-Giant!!] barbarian with low Int and very, very low Wis score, needs "Master" to provide aid another bonus for perception checks and other critical Wis abilities). Despite this, they are loyal to Haven and serve as "Auntie Entity"'s chief enforcer. Haven is languishing under a psuedo blockade(Stag Lord demands a "tax" from the bandit's takings) while she waits for her forces to recover, which is around the time the PCs arrive in the Greenbelt.
Intermediate- "Auntie Entity" is a wizened defrocked priestess of Erastil(LN human Cleric) who founded Haven with the help of a fringe survivalist near-heretical sect of the church. The people of this small thorp turned to banditry to survive ages ago, and rarely if ever killed anyone in their dealings, taking only what they needed. The Stag Lord was originally one of many small-time independant bandits in the area, and he originally gave Haven a wide berth- but he began to seduce away its younger talent with promises of a better life. Interestingly enough, reason(and perhaps a little greed) triumphed over the waning faith of Haven's youth, and his numbers have increased as a result(none of the named bandits are a former part of Haven, however). She sent her two most trusted "lads"("Master" and "Blaster", here both LN Rangers) to perhaps work out some kind of agreement, but they returned badly beaten(and damaged as mentioned above) with a note from the Stag Lord that it exists only as long as she does- and he signed the missive implying that she is his mother and that when she dies Haven will become part of his domain by rights. This has "Auntie Entity" privately terrified, as her husband disappeared in the woods with their child years ago, long enough so that this man could indeed be her son. She is pondering what to do when the PCs arrive.
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Wow Freehold DM! Thank you very much for the input and options.
Some thoughts and responses:
- I think an "Auntie Entity" as leader is inevitable. No point shying away from the Bartertown parallels. I think part of the fun of this idea for the PCs is that they get to experience exactly this.
- I love certain elements of your intermediate idea relating the Stag Lord to Auntie but with the whole father thing going on with the Stag Lord already, it might be a little overloaded.
- I think Auntie or "Mother" for Haven has equal measures of toughness and power. However, she also has a willingness to assist those who bow to her, but completely destroy and humiliate those who oppose her.
- Effectively she has run Haven as a sanctuary for those chased out of everywhere else. She looks after her flock of bandits but at the same time will not permit cruelty of any kind within Haven's walls (unless of course she is the one doing it).
- There are most likely three or four "Leader types" who with mixed success recruit those with Haven's walls to go out on raids
- Perhaps the interesting thing is that Mother will not tolerate any other women within Haven unless of course they are bandits too and earn their share (or maybe even then she drives them off - Kressle being a classic case). She can't stand prostitutes or camp followers or "pretty" women and sees any others as a challenge to her power. Interestingly, Mother takes no lovers.
- Pre-existing bandit encampments include the "Thorn River camp", the "Tuskwater camp" (pre Stag Lord), and the "Shrikes Cascades camp" as well as Haven. However, all of these are like Oases within the terror that is the Greenbelt.
- The Greenbelt is truly dangerous. You don't venture along the plains near Oleg's or the Kameland Hills unless you are going in groups and even then, you stick to the known safe ruins at night time. Night is when the real monsters come out to play, which is why the various encampments lock up from dusk to dawn.
- The catalyst for upheaval however is the arrival of the Stag Lord. Arriving with his crew, he ruthlessly takes over the Tuskwater camp. He basically kills anyone who gets in his way, allowing the fear of his cronies to keep new recruits in line. He will quickly bend the Thorn river camp to his will but Haven represents a more difficult target. While undoubtedly powerful, his numbers are small compared to the fifty or so bandits that Mother calls her flock. As well, Haven is quite a stronghold defensively speaking (providing a level of security unparalleled in the Greenbelt).
- I love your ideas for Master Blaster. If you want to turn it up to 11, you could even make Blaster a Hill Giant (perhaps Munguk found a home here?) I think a half-giant though is the way to go (maybe Munguk's long lost half-brother). Master being a halfling wizard sounds spot on too.
- Disputes are settled in the pit - two go down but only one climbs up. There are various props in the pit which can be used in interesting ways. The trick is to be able to climb back out first. Whoever fails in this regard is left to Mother's pet (perhaps a smaller version of the Rancor) who is penned up behind bars on one side of the pit - clawing out at the participants appropriately.
- If Mother catches any of the Stag Lords spies or minions, then they are sent to the pit to play with her pet.
- The Gates are overseen by whoever Mother's current favourite is. Whoever the Gatekeeper is generally gets a "gift" whenever a raiding group returns for opening the gates. And in fact, when a raid returns, it is like a festival for the denizens of Haven. The raid leaders will generally pocket the cream of a raid but all the mundane stuff (in particular food and wine) is brought back for Haven.
- Most of the raids are up into Rostland although recently, successful raids have been made on merchant barges coming out of Mivon to the south.
- However, the Stag Lords tactics will be ruthless, hitting these raidind parties as they return. In this way, the Stag Lord gets the loot, gets some turncoats as new hirelings and gradually weakens Mother's hold on Haven.
- Effectively, the bandit war has started as the PCs arrive on the scene.
Hope this gets you thinking.
Best Regards
Herremann the Wise