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(Spoilers)
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I just started reading SS and I see a pretty big potential design flaw beginning in Hitchcock's rather banal volume (at least for some).
For some Players -- including myself and many of the gamers I've played with over the last decade or so -- once we learn of the Freeman Brotherhood and the actual social situation in Eleder (and all over Sargava), the Campaign will instantly become an "Overthrow the Government" Campaign and who gives a slimy sinking slut about Saventh Yhi anymore?!
Really.
Does anyone else kinda feel that an AP where the PCs try to overthrow a government like Sargava (maybe competing against/ with Factions such as Aspis, Red Mantis, Shackle Pirates, Pathfinders, etc.) is a much more interesting -- AND NOVEL -- Campaign idea than the one SS is turning out to be (I've only read the 1st 2 so far)?
More importantly -- and what I'm really looking for -- how would other gamers turn SS into an "Overthrow the Government" AP in Eleder?
I'm currently reading the 3rd book in SS and I have a group still in the 1st book. Personally, I am rather disappointed with Racing to Ruin after really enjoying book one. I'm not sure how I'll keep the group I have on track when the get to Eleder. It's going to be hard. There definitely needs to be some optional side adventures here related to this.
I will probably cut out some of the road encounters after getting out of Eleder. Otherwise it is just going to become too tedious. Giant Vultures circling overhead? I'll pass on that one.
I'm currently reading the 3rd book in SS and I have a group still in the 1st book. Personally, I am rather disappointed with Racing to Ruin after really enjoying book one. I'm not sure how I'll keep the group I have on track when the get to Eleder. It's going to be hard. There definitely needs to be some optional side adventures here related to this.
I will probably cut out some of the road encounters after getting out of Eleder. Otherwise it is just going to become too tedious. Giant Vultures circling overhead? I'll pass on that one.
Warning some mild spoilers ahead!
I'm almost finished with Racing to ruin (Only have the temple in Tazion left to explore). I agree that the travel can get a bit tedious (as do my players), The vultures is a big waste of time except for flavor and a couple of the encounters (the shadow demon and the succubus) are potential TPK's (especially the succubus, I just hand waved my players through that one). My players really enjoyed the cock-fight and the ape-bear encounters but hated the encounters with the Mzali (They thought it was cheesy of the designers to give them bane arrows which killed the cleric in the surprise round :P).
FULL of SPOILERS!!!!
The group I am running, is going to start R2R soon. I know exactly where you are coming from, as I have a half-blooded Sargavan native, and, get this, an Inquisitor of Desna devoted to Liberation. Both would storm the Bastille to get a revolution going. The player's guide even suggests that certain character classes would be attracted to Sargava to help foment rebellion, yet the adventure is written in such a railroad-y fashion.
For almost all of the road encounters I am trying to fit the encounters to engage a characters back story. This seems necessary as the adventure is very linear and with no real input coming from the players on where they are going, there just has to be some personal involvement.
So I am going to change things. For example, The Inquisitor is an escaped slave, so the rebellion leader is going to become a Bounty Hunter (now in the employ of a rival faction), and the riots are a diversion to close in on his quarry.
Similarly, the map trait the colonial character has is related to a family salt mine. The summoner is going to fight to regain his eidolon from the shadow demon. Etc. I have plans to incorporate as much as possible into my characters back stories, but some encounters will still just seem like random encounters, and I guess some of that is ok.
I am not running this AP but am using a lot of the material therein to run a "sandboxy" AP based on the PCs being new colonists, and their actions dictating what does happen within the colony itself (including rebellion and freedom)- The R2R can be taken off the timeline by lessening the urgency to explore (i.e, few if any of the factions know about the ruins) and having it as a potential adventure that the PCs can explore at their convenience. I agree that the journey related encounters can be lengthy if not done right. What really helps me is the Journal/short story that can add a lot of flavor to any such expedition and lessen the combat encounters and add more long term NPCs/ RP interraction.
Possible spoilers
I think with a little bit of work you could introduce the Freedom Brotherhood (or a similar group) as a sixth faction (or is it 7th - I haven't seen the 4th part yet) to keep the AP on track. Obviously their main rivals would be the Sargavan government faction. They could want to prevent more ruins from being desecrated by outsiders or, as in the Journal, perhaps they have directed by a God to "do something" at the ruins.
In my game I stopped that from happening by showing the Freeman Brotherhood as a terrorist group instead of a "Freedom fighting" group. I played up the horrors the group perform in the name of "Freedom", they lost any sympathy for the group because of their methods.
I did something like this for our game as well.
I had the Brotherhood execute several captives, including women and children, on the roof of the whaling company office in full view of the gathered crowd and the PCs. The Brotherhood also took Gelik prisoner, so the PCs were focused on rescuing him. Once they rescued Gelik, he was able to pass on information that implicated one of the rival factions (the Aspis Consortium in our game) as the group that paid off the Brotherhood to carry out these latest attacks.
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(Spoilers)
.
.
.I just started reading SS and I see a pretty big potential design flaw beginning in Hitchcock's rather banal volume (at least for some).
For some Players -- including myself and many of the gamers I've played with over the last decade or so -- once we learn of the Freeman Brotherhood and the actual social situation in Eleder (and all over Sargava), the Campaign will instantly become an "Overthrow the Government" Campaign and who gives a slimy sinking slut about Saventh Yhi anymore?!
Really.
Does anyone else kinda feel that an AP where the PCs try to overthrow a government like Sargava (maybe competing against/ with Factions such as Aspis, Red Mantis, Shackle Pirates, Pathfinders, etc.) is a much more interesting -- AND NOVEL -- Campaign idea than the one SS is turning out to be (I've only read the 1st 2 so far)?
More importantly -- and what I'm really looking for -- how would other gamers turn SS into an "Overthrow the Government" AP in Eleder?
Although I find the language here to be too harsh, I do agree that this element of the AP could potentially cause problems, especially if there's any Mwangi members of the party.
As I've got a Andoran-aligned escaped slave member of the party (who is a Mwangi to boot), I've given this quite a bit of thought. Especially considering that many players will find it easy to sympathize with Mwangi revolutionaries, thanks to popular post-Colonial guilt.
Now, you're welcome to take your campaign any direction you choose, and I'd certainly be interested in hearing how it all turns out. For those of us who want to try and keep on track for Serpent's Skull, though, here's my thoughts:
1. After generations of colonial rule in Sargava, many people are born into a system of exploitation, and while they may not necessarily be comfortable with everything that goes on, they do not have the power to enact change. Even those in power face the harsh economic demands of the system they work within, alongside constant threat from Cheliax, and see no easy way out. I'd find ways to play up these aspects of Sargavan NPCs - they know what they're doing isn't right, but see no easy way to reform the system, and so just try to make due.
2. Revolutions are rarely neat affairs. Even a brief survey of human history reveals that the collapse of social order often leads to horrors unchecked. Decent people are caught up in terrible events and suffer atrocities. Are the players really comfortable with what a mob is likely to unleash? Give them strong hints that genocide, mass rape, and worse are right around the corner. The Mwangi don't deserve to be cast as savages that run wild, and I'd be careful to counterbalance this with NPCs who despise bloodletting, seeking peaceful solutions and reform. Moreover, I'd try to find ways to show how Sargavan abuses have led decent people to a place of deep-seated anger that can lead to their participation in vile acts.
3. The Freemen have to receive funding from somewhere, and I think this is where I can keep my players from throwing their lot in with the revolutionaries. Although Racing to Ruin supplies this to a certain degree, none of the rival groups really have a great motivation for stirring up a rebellion. However, that doesn't mean that other villains can't be used to this effect. If the revolutionaries are receiving logistical support, training, and supplies from Cheliax, that should turn PCs strongly against the rebels. Cheliax fits the bill perfectly here, I think, as they're clearly an analogue of the post-9/11 US (at least in Empire of Devils) and this is just the sort of "dirty tricks" that we've become known for. By supporting a rebellion in Sargava, Cheliax can intercede and put down the natives while coming out smelling of roses. They'll have proven that Sargava cannot maintain the peace without Cheliaxian military support.
The main idea here is to show how the situation in Sargava is a complex one, and not easy to resolve. Like so many current and historical hot spots (Israel and Palestine being a prime example), the truth is not as simple as "heroes and villains" when people come into conflict, and some of this ambiguity should be reflected in a topic as sensitive as colonial rule.
If anyone is interested, I'll post details on how this develops in my own game, although it'll probably be some time, as we're only about to get started on Smuggler's Shiv.
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Tone aside, I had similar concerns about how easily things could derail around the plight of the natives. I know if I were playing, practically every good aligned character and many neutral concepts I would play would wind up focusing primarily on helping the native population out after seeing what the scene is like in Eleder, big lost city of treasure be damned. Hell, I'd almost certainly have to retire the character to continue on with the AP if everyone else kept moving.
Along with what's been said already, if your players have those reactions and you want to keep the AP somewhat on track...
1. Spill some more of the beans than suggested in Smugglers' Shiv. Drop some solid hints that this lost city that people are going to be expressing heated interest in harbors the potential doom for everyone in the region, including the natives. Someone has to get there before all these other self-interested parties do, if only to make sure they don't unleash some disaster upon the land.
2. Have the groundwork for a social revolution, possibly a relatively peaceful one, already in place for the PCs to discover in Sargava. Bits like that lady that started a real adventurer's hangout(as opposed to the one that got bought out by the old racist aristocrat) in the district where the natives are the majority could be folded into that. Present some good-intentioned folks that could lead the charge to give the Mwangi an economic leg up in Sargava, and could very well put them on equal standing in Sargavan society(and possibly even putting the reins of the country's destiny squarely in their hands!).
But if they're going to accomplish that, they're going to need money.
Lots of money.
And the race is on for Saventh-Yi!
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Tone aside, I had similar concerns about how easily things could derail around the plight of the natives. I know if I were playing, practically every good aligned character and many neutral concepts I would play would wind up focusing primarily on helping the native population out after seeing what the scene is like in Eleder, big lost city of treasure be damned. Hell, I'd almost certainly have to retire the character to continue on with the AP if everyone else kept moving.
Along with what's been said already, if your players have those reactions and you want to keep the AP somewhat on track...
1. Spill some more of the beans than suggested in Smugglers' Shiv. Drop some solid hints that this lost city that people are going to be expressing heated interest in harbors the potential doom for everyone in the region, including the natives. Someone has to get there before all these other self-interested parties do, if only to make sure they don't unleash some disaster upon the land.
2. Have the groundwork for a social revolution, possibly a relatively peaceful one, already in place for the PCs to discover in Sargava. Bits like that lady that started a real adventurer's hangout(as opposed to the one that got bought out by the old racist aristocrat) in the district where the natives are the majority could be folded into that. Present some good-intentioned folks that could lead the charge to give the Mwangi an economic leg up in Sargava, and could very well put them on equal standing in Sargavan society(and possibly even putting the reins of the country's destiny squarely in their hands!).
But if they're going to accomplish that, they're going to need money.
Lots of money.
And the race is on for Saventh-Yi!
I like the idea of the players helping fund a peaceful social revolution, thereby giving them an alternative to the violent solution presented by the Freemen. Moreover, this actually creates an incentive for players to stop violent revolutionaries, as their brash actions threaten the potential for diplomatic solutions. Few Cheliaxian Sargavans are going to differentiate between the various M'wangi political factions, and every Freeman attack will incite reprisals by the government. Can the PCs help break the cycle of violence?
Here's what I'm not certain of:
1. Many PCs are, frankly, unwilling to part with their treasure. They could talk about wanting to use the riches of Saventh-Yhi to better the lot of the M'wangi in theory, but I wonder how many of them will actually hand over their loot when the time comes?
2. As a player, I know I'd like to see exactly how the money was going to be used to empower the M'wangi people. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.
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Here's what I'm not certain of:
1. Many PCs are, frankly, unwilling to part with their treasure. They could talk about wanting to use the riches of Saventh-Yhi to better the lot of the M'wangi in theory, but I wonder how many of them will actually hand over their loot when the time comes?
2. As a player, I know I'd like to see exactly how the money was going to be used to empower the M'wangi people. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.
The problems inherent in #1 might very well be worth a thread on its own, I'd wager. I'm pretty easy with my money when I'm playing good, but I have to admit I'm probably not the norm.
One thing to confront both 1. and 2. is that some of the treasure coming out of Saventh-Yi could be put to practical use rather than simply being sold. Ancient technology and magical artifacts of all sorts could be found, far too precious to be sold off(not to mention giving other nations another advantage over Sargava!). Stuff like artifacts capable of massive amounts of water purification, prevention of disease, invigorating hte land itself...
I'm kind of imagining a hopeful Zenj merchant blowing his meager fortune on buying up most of those failing pineapple fields. It just becomes a weight around his neck, but he keeps on pushing through, because someone has to hit it big and help his people out. The PC's meet this guy, among others, who are struggling for a better life and have the odds stacked against them. PC's find the Eternal Verdant Heart, they hook the Mwangi up with it, and that pineapple farmer is sitting on a swiftly growing fortune. Lots of other stuff like that... The simple cash funds could go towards building up and stabilizing the infrastructure and securing trade agreements that'll make sustained profit and trade possible.
That might be the way to go: During the first pass through Eleder, introduce the situation along with a lot of hopeful NPCs who have plans and dreams but are severely lacking the means, and then give the PCs a chance to find those means.
And if some Chelish hardliners get greedy eyes upon seeing the Mwangi operating on a level playing field, hopefully the groundwork for equality and cooperation between the ethnic groups will have already been helped along by the PCs during their first pass through Eleder. I can imagine that paladin guard captain who's been recruiting Zenj natives into the ranks telling the aforementioned old aristocrat to take a long walk off a short pier should she try to commandeer those new resources for the Chelish populace only. :)
The outlying tribes can also benefit from this. Some of those artifacts and recovered magics could help make the jungles a safer place, curbing disease and deterring monstrous predation(antipathy effects maybe?). This could lead to new conflicts, as the Mwangi are divided more and more between the old ways of their ancestors and settling down and joining the rest of the wide world through trade. Could be interesting if these artifacts that this new way of life is being propped up upon are actually of ancient Mwangi design, further complicating the conflict. Do they stick with their old ways, or embrace their even older old ways?
And then there's the fun of a united but still uneasy Eleder, still going through its growing pains, having to stand as one against the possible threat of Mzali!
Kind of falling in love with the idea of Eleder growing into metropolis of both Mwangi and Chelish design, meshed together into a stronger whole perhaps... (yeah, I veer towards idealism with my characters ;) )
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I'm kind of imagining a hopeful Zenj merchant blowing his meager fortune on buying up most of those failing pineapple fields. It just becomes a weight around his neck, but he keeps on pushing through, because someone has to hit it big and help his people out. The PC's meet this guy, among others, who are struggling for a better life and have the odds stacked against them. PC's find the Eternal Verdant Heart, they hook the Mwangi up with it, and that pineapple farmer is sitting on a swiftly growing fortune. Lots of other stuff like that... The simple cash funds could go towards building up and stabilizing the infrastructure and securing trade agreements that'll make sustained profit and trade possible.
This is a great idea. I'd still want to sprinkle some "traditional" treasures for the PCs to enjoy, but ancient magical technologies of the Azlanti fits the "secrets of Atlantis" vibe well.
And if some Chelish hardliners get greedy eyes upon seeing the Mwangi operating on a level playing field, hopefully the groundwork for equality and cooperation between the ethnic groups will have already been helped along by the PCs during their first pass through Eleder. I can imagine that paladin guard captain who's been recruiting Zenj natives into the ranks telling the aforementioned old aristocrat to take a long walk off a short pier should she try to commandeer those new resources for the Chelish populace only. :)
I do like the idea of Chelish hardliners (along with Mwangi hardliners) putting pressure on both sides to try and stonewall positive change and reconciliation and, in both cases, being played by Cheliax to sow dissent.
The outlying tribes can also benefit from this. Some of those artifacts and recovered magics could help make the jungles a safer place, curbing disease and deterring monstrous predation(antipathy effects maybe?). This could lead to new conflicts, as the Mwangi are divided more and more between the old ways of their ancestors and settling down and joining the rest of the wide world through trade. Could be interesting if these artifacts that this new way of life is being propped up upon are actually of ancient Mwangi design, further complicating the conflict. Do they stick with their old ways, or embrace their even older old ways?
You've pointed out elsewhere that you've got concerns with "lost white cities of Africa" as a racist pulp trope, but I'd rather not cut Saventh-Yhi from its Azlanti roots. However, what we don't know about the foundation of Saventh-Yhi and it's population was the racial demographics. The ancient Azlanti might have been white, but there's no reason to believe that they were the dominant culture of Saventh-Yhi, or that they alone worked to build the city. In fact, if you want to play the idealistic card, part of uncovering the ancient city's history could show how the threat of Ydersius united an advanced Mwangi civilization and the Azlant empire, with Saventh-Yhi a testament to the flourishing cultural exchange that occurred at that point, which could act as a blueprint for the future of Eledar.
Now, as a GM, I don't know if (by the end of the campaign) I would want every loose end tied up here. Complicated political situations rarely wrap up nicely, and the transformation of a country is something that takes decades. However, if the players walked away feeling like they had made real strides towards progress, with a definite hope of a long-term resolution, I would be happy with that.
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In fact, if you want to play the idealistic card, part of uncovering the ancient city's history could show how the threat of Ydersius united an advanced Mwangi civilization and the Azlant empire, with Saventh-Yhi a testament to the flourishing cultural exchange that occurred at that point, which could act as a blueprint for the future of Eledar.
One additional thought on this. While I know you hate the Bekyar, I find it interesting that they worship the ancient Azlanti demon-queen Zura, and that Zurakai likely exists somewhere within the Mwangi Expanse (or possibly beneath it, in Sekamina).
Now, it always seemed a little peculiar to me that the Bekyar should worship a demon-goddess of vampirism, and even more that they'd choose an Azlanti queen as their object of veneration.
However, a portion of the Azlanti imperial cult of Zura could have managed to survive Earthfall. These imperial cultists, originating in Saventh-Yhi, fled to the Darklands and founded the city of Zurakai, which was relatively undamaged as Sekamina avoided major devastation. It would certainly make sense for vampires to seek the comfort of the Darklands, as they could avoid the dangers that sunlight present on a daily basis. We could then see the Bekyar tribes on the surface as nothing more than outposts of Zurakai, forward bases for the reestablishment of a debased Azlanti culture that has managed to stay alive through the embrace of vampirism and demon-worship. The slaves that the Bekyar take are in service of their vampiric masters in the Darklands, who dare not risk the surface and sunlight.
This could explain why an entire ethnic group is chaotic evil: although those servants of the vampiric Zura cult were originally from a variety of Mwangi groups, over the generations since Earthfall inbreeding and isolation has created a new ethnicity, one that must be refreshed from time to time through slave raids and forced eugenics programs.
EDIT: Reformatted for clearer presentation (I hope).
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You've pointed out elsewhere that you've got concerns with "lost white cities of Africa" as a racist pulp trope, but I'd rather not cut Saventh-Yhi from its Azlanti roots. However, what we don't know about the foundation of Saventh-Yhi and it's population was the racial demographics. The ancient Azlanti might have been white, but there's no reason to believe that they were the dominant culture of Saventh-Yhi, or that they alone worked to build the city. In fact, if you want to play the idealistic card, part of uncovering the ancient city's history could show how the threat of Ydersius united an advanced Mwangi civilization and the Azlant empire, with Saventh-Yhi a testament to the flourishing cultural exchange that occurred at that point, which could act as a blueprint for the future of Eledar.
Oh no, I didn't mean to cut the Azlanti out entirely. I thought Saventh-Yi was built on abandoned Serpentfolk ruins that were built on older Mwangi-progenitor culture ruins...I might need to read up on that again, because I'm probably wrong there. Still, I really like the idea of Saventh-Yi being an amalgam of Azlanti and Mwangi culture. I like that a lot.
One additional thought on this. While I know you hate the Bekyar, I find it interesting that they worship the ancient Azlanti demon-queen Zura, and that Zurakai likely exists somewhere within the Mwangi Expanse (or possibly beneath it, in Sekamina).
stuff
Heh, I don't think there's much that could make me feel good about the Bekyar as they're currently written, but I'd rather not derail OP's thread with that. ;) Still, those ideas do click, and they take some of the sting out of the notion of the Bekyar, having them be artificially manipulated.
Noticed today that Nantambu has a population of about a hundred Bekyar. Those folks have to stray from the cultural norm in order to still live there, so maybe there's hope for them even if Zurakai has their people shackled that tightly! :)
OP, has any of this helped ya out any?
Yeah, my party hates the Sargavan government too. Of course, of the three PCs who survived Smuggler's Shiv, two of them are Mwangi (one Zenj witch-doctor, one Beykar half-orc oracle). And one of the new PCs is a paladin who spends his downtime going into the shantytown surrounding Eleder and laying on hands any injured or sick native laborers. Yeah, he's not going to be making any friends in the Sargavan government any time soon.
The party seems pretty excited to be joining the Pathfinders, though, so I suspect that the tension with the government isn't going to take over the game. It is, however, much more likely to cast them in the roles of recurring antagonist, which I am absolutely fine with.
Incidentally, an odd emergent quirk arose with the intersection of my group and the factions racing towards Saventh-Yhi. Three of them, the Aspis, pirates and Sargavan government, are all affiliated in one way or another with the slave trade. My PCs are decidedly not good, but are even more decidedly anti-slavery. So that pretty much made them friends with the Pathfinders by default.
Contributor
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(Spoilers)
.
.
.I just started reading SS and I see a pretty big potential design flaw beginning in Hitchcock's rather banal volume (at least for some).
For some Players -- including myself and many of the gamers I've played with over the last decade or so -- once we learn of the Freeman Brotherhood and the actual social situation in Eleder (and all over Sargava), the Campaign will instantly become an "Overthrow the Government" Campaign and who gives a slimy sinking slut about Saventh Yhi anymore?!
Really.
Does anyone else kinda feel that an AP where the PCs try to overthrow a government like Sargava (maybe competing against/ with Factions such as Aspis, Red Mantis, Shackle Pirates, Pathfinders, etc.) is a much more interesting -- AND NOVEL -- Campaign idea than the one SS is turning out to be (I've only read the 1st 2 so far)?
More importantly -- and what I'm really looking for -- how would other gamers turn SS into an "Overthrow the Government" AP in Eleder?
Thanks...
As far as the insurrectionists go, Dragnmoon actually mentions later in the thread that they aren't intended to be particularly sympathetic revolutionaries, but brutal and bloody.
As written, they're supposed to terrorize all foreigners and specifically target the PCs allies/benefactor.
While a revolution is a swell idea for an adventure- the intent of my "banal volume" was to pay homage to classic jungle-pulp, thus I deliberately chose some familiar themes to work with. Sorry, the concept/delivery didn't work for you.
(Spoilers)
.
.
.I just started reading SS and I see a pretty big potential design flaw beginning in Hitchcock's rather banal volume (at least for some).
For some Players -- including myself and many of the gamers I've played with over the last decade or so -- once we learn of the Freeman Brotherhood and the actual social situation in Eleder (and all over Sargava), the Campaign will instantly become an "Overthrow the Government" Campaign and who gives a slimy sinking slut about Saventh Yhi anymore?!
Really.
Does anyone else kinda feel that an AP where the PCs try to overthrow a government like Sargava (maybe competing against/ with Factions such as Aspis, Red Mantis, Shackle Pirates, Pathfinders, etc.) is a much more interesting -- AND NOVEL -- Campaign idea than the one SS is turning out to be (I've only read the 1st 2 so far)?
More importantly -- and what I'm really looking for -- how would other gamers turn SS into an "Overthrow the Government" AP in Eleder?
My players were well on the way to accomplishing this. After arriving in the city and finding their cleric ally from the Shiv was arrested again, and that there was a slave market in town, the halfing blight druid abolitionist decided that the government had existed long enough. After recruiting the rest of the PCs he actually abducted Umargo and (after passing several ridiculous high DC diplomacy checks) convinced him to work with them instead of against them. They managed to pull off an attack that freed about 30 or so slaves, though their Venture Captain (they decided to throw in with the pathfinders before toppling the order of things) had to save them from the vengeance of the guards. They also managed to pull off a raid on the governor's mansion and empty it's treasury. So if it wasn't for the fact the Governor by himself could have trounced them at the level they were at, they might have been ruling a city by now.
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Contributor
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My players were well on the way to accomplishing this. After arriving in the city and finding their cleric ally from the Shiv was arrested again, and that there was a slave market in town, the halfing blight druid abolitionist decided that the government had existed long enough. After recruiting the rest of the PCs he actually abducted Umargo and (after passing several ridiculous high DC diplomacy checks) convinced him to work with them instead of against them. They managed to pull off an attack that freed about 30 or so slaves, though their Venture Captain (they decided to throw in with the pathfinders before toppling the order of things) had to save them from the vengeance of the guards. They also managed to pull off a raid on the governor's mansion and empty it's treasury. So if it wasn't for the fact the Governor by himself could have trounced them at the level they were at, they might have been ruling a city by now.
That's awesome!
That's awesome!
I thought so as well but it caused a few sticky moments. Also the fact that they caused so much chaos, that it has resulted in a significant reduction in force for the Savargan government faction. This may come back to bite them in a later adventure.
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I thought so as well but it caused a few sticky moments. Also the fact that they caused so much chaos, that it has resulted in a significant reduction in force for the Savargan government faction. This may come back to bite them in a later adventure.
That's awesome!
I'd imagine, reducing the Sargavan forces would create openings for all sorts of scum to slip into the works and begin manipulating things- the worst of these being independent trading companies.
I barely described the slave pen-dock before the LG Mwangi monk started asking for ways the group could spring the slaves. He even spent all his cash from Smuggler's Shiv - ALL of it - on buying (and freeing) as many slaves as he could.
I've decided to set up a nice little side trek where they get a shot at doing just that, whereupon Sargava slowly but surely will get hotter until a group of Hellknights come along to handle those who upset the "natural order" in Sargava.
I imagine it'll be fun! And Tim, your module is anything but "banal".
I barely described the slave pen-dock before the LG Mwangi monk started asking for ways the group could spring the slaves. He even spent all his cash from Smuggler's Shiv - ALL of it - on buying (and freeing) as many slaves as he could.
I've decided to set up a nice little side trek where they get a shot at doing just that, whereupon Sargava slowly but surely will get hotter until a group of Hellknights come along to handle those who upset the "natural order" in Sargava.
I imagine it'll be fun! And Tim, your module is anything but "banal".
Of course, now that we know what the history of Vidrian will turn out to be, this is somewhat simplified.