*SPOILERS* Plot holes and flaws in Seven Days To The Grave

[Exeter]

During the preparation og Seven Days To The Grave some questions poped up in my head. I think there are some serious plot flaws, and perhaps you could tell how you managed them.

# The "Direption" is red hering created by the Red Mantis/Urgathoa cult to draw attention from the real source of Blood Veil - the tained coines in the Abbadar temple.

Question 1: How can the PC get to know this? I searched the adventure over and over (and perhaps I've something overlooked), but the re is no chapter which deals with the revelation of the real source and the purification of the tainted coins. It looks for me as if there is a whole plot string missing. And if I am right and there is no such chapter/paragraph - the whole tainted coin thing is almost redudant: There could be a lot of people who git sick due to the contact with a Death Head Coffer (in fact, the first person the PCs have to cure is such an example), and a disease as contagious as Blood Veil does not really need an additional vector like the coins: it spreads fast enough all by itself. So: When there is no real chance that the PCs can deal with the temple/coin thing and the coins being not needed - why was this plot string implemented at all?

Question 2: The Red Mantis/Urgathoa cult want to draw attention away from the coins by creating the "Mysterious Plague Ship Incident" (MPSI). So why, oh why did they leave evidence onboard that directly lead to them? In the text that is justified as they don't expect the ship to be examined? Really? I mean, the whole MPSI was created as a red hering! It should draw attention, and the plotters had to reckon that there would be some examination of the ship. It showed the plague light when it sailed to Korvosa and some time later the whole city is getting ill - but, hey, that's not reason enough to examine the wreck, is it?
It is more than careless and irresponsibly to leave such evidences on the "Direption", it is stupid - especially for such assissination pro as the Red Mantis.

# Dr. Davaulus and his of doctors are introduced as some sinister bunch of strangers: The Guard doesn't trust them, and the text mentions it that a lot citizens don't trust them either - there are even rumors that they expect that one will get sick if one visits the doctors. So. As I know my group they won't trust them either. The doctors are somehow fishy and so my PCs will surely plan to check them. My point is: The won't need the advice found on the "Direption" to focus on Davaulus and his men. They will take action from the first moment (perhaps the second) and the Hospice is the natural first place to go (the adventure mentions this, too). And therefore I fear that they will ignore all the minor quests. Okay, I could somehow force them or to encourage them to do this or do that. But that's not the point. The point is: The Hospice is the crux, the key to the later part of the adventure. And it is right there from the beginning... That's some really unfortunate adventure design here.

[Tangible Delusions]

Exeter wrote:

# The "Direption" is red hering created by the Red Mantis/Urgathoa cult to draw attention from the real source of Blood Veil - the tainted coins in the Abbadar temple.

Question 1: How can the PC get to know this?

Spoiler:

The ship served to add some proof on what was happening. They figured out the coins the girl found started the spread of the disease, but finding the coffers gave them some concrete proof. Finding out more information was supplied by a speak with dead from the body on the ship. They took him to Ishani (They actually hired him out for something in the first adventure so they had an even longer relationship with him). So at that point they had some proof, but didn't really know who to trust or tell. (They have put a lot of their trust in the Arkonas so that part has been awesome)

Exeter wrote:

Question 2: The Red Mantis/Urgathoa cult want to draw attention away from the coins by creating the "Mysterious Plague Ship Incident" (MPSI). So why, oh why did they leave evidence on board that directly lead to them?

Spoiler:

I changed it up a little because of this, and I had they flunky who died bring that evidence as blackmail to use against Davaulus later. Again they were suspicious of both the Doctors and the Grey Maidens right away(as players) but waited until they had some proof before doing anything as characters.

The biggest worry I had about the ship is them going for it right off the bat, so I really down played it as much as I could. I had the guards shoot at a ship earlier in Part 1 (a smuggler). The guards say that ships try to smuggle things in all the time, but usually they turn around and get away before they can sink it. So later it was a big deal they sank one, but not out of the ordinary they fired on a ship.

[Squeeks]

Re Question one:

Spoiler:

The PCs gain a huge hint when they find the Urgathoan priest in the Direption's hull (pestilence chapter). As well if they keep Julstina alive in Carrowyn manor to question her, if they meet a DC 25 (? I don't have my books in front of me) diplomacy check, she basically tells them everything, including Rolth's continued involvement. My PCs were suspicious of the Physicians at first too, but to keep them from the hospice first, Cressida insisted they do nothing at this time and allow the Physicians the opportunity to 'help' Korvosa. My players love story, and so after they had the little Saldado girl cured, one of the PC's daughter started asking her questions of how she got sick the girl told them about the first coffer she found which started the whole thing. You can completely make the storyline work. That's the fun part about being the DM!

Re Question two:

Spoiler:

The man left on the ship was betrayed two, remember. So he could not get everything off the ship, and by the time he realized he had been betrayed, he did the one thing he could. In his death, he made it obvious who he was. The Red Mantis covered their trail, it was the Urgathoan priest who was left to rot on the ship.

Re Question three:

Spoiler:

I think this is awesome design of the writer. Despite having ideas that lead them there, without concrete evidence, no PC should go battering down the door. Make the doctors needed :) One of my PC's daughter fell ill, and being CG and of an Arbitor's family the party avoided the Physicians like the plague (Ah, the irony) to avoid punishment. So the party goes to the hospice the first time in the beginning of the book and find one of their good friends of family members on one of the cots. Are they really going to ransack the place when their loved one needs help, and with spellcasters occupied at the moment the Physicians are possibly their last hope? I'd wager not.

It's all how you weave the story as a DM. I hope my comments help!

[hogarth]

There's some discussion of the Direption in this (linked) thread.

There's also some discussion of possible different clues to use in this thread.

[walter mcwilliams]

I love the idea about having an earlier sinking incident. I suggest the same for the Dr. And the gray maidens. I will have the physicians arrive with some fan fare from chelaxia. And the gray maidens will gradually appear and grow through official events.

[Werecorpse]

dot for future reference