Things look dire for my PCs. Upon reaching the House of the Beast, they did a little non-contact scouting of the surface buildings without entering them and decided to plow straight into the Great Dome. The session ended on a cliffhanger with the end of the fight in H1 -- the PCs victorious, but one of the Carrion Guards having escaped down the stairs yelling frantically in gnoll to warn his king. They're more than a little beat up and now weighing (between games) whether it's better to retreat -- having now utterly blown the element of surprise, believing that the Carrion King can summon virtually limitless reinforcements if he feels endangered, and being uncertain where if anywhere they can safely rest -- or to try to press on and take on the king right now.
This debate has raised a few questions that I'd like to be prepared for:
1) In the first part of the AP the players hear the eponymous Howl of the Carrion King. What makes this howl that's loud enough to be heard as far away as Kelmarane? Is it just "a gnoll yelps really loud and in the mountains it carries?" Or is there something mystical going on here? My players are considering among their plotting a scheme to silence the howl, whatever it is. It occured to me I have no idea.
2) How did you play out Zayafid's role in all of this / how would you play it out in my scenario? Z completely snowed my players at Kelmarane, and they haven't stumbled across anything that provides any of the information about what he's doing, etc. at this point. The writeup includes a section for what he'll do if the PCs are captured, but I just can't figure out any reason the CK himself wouldn't kill them instead if it gets to that point.
He could throw his lot in with the PCs when they fight the CK, and that would probably work out in the sense of getting rid of the CK, but I don't think there's any way my PCs would agree to work for or with Rokova, and I feel like Z knows that. Probably one of his best moves would be to help the CK against the PCs, and then finish the wounded CK himself -- but that could easily turn into a TPK.
So I'm trying to figure out what angle he can take that is interesting and fits his character, yet won't totally murder the PCs. Thoughts?
In case there are prying eyes we will use the all powerful -
If you really think the players about to suffer a TPK, now may be a good time to have Blobog jump in and help to guide the group to a safer location to rest up. Many players will take a cue that this is the DM throwing them a bone... others may think it is a trick. ;)
Finally, remember that Z needs someone to go down below for him as he is bared from entry. It is thus in his interest to keep them alive for now... especially if they have not figured out his deal. If the players are in dire straits, he may be able to convince the king to "Give them to Ravogug" and toss the players into the pit... maybe use them a slaves for a bit... or something else like that. When the players are looking at Z he can give them a wink and let his disguise slip a little bit so they know he is the prophet there to help them.
So either Z or B have the ability and in character desire to help the party at times when all looks like it could be lost.
B is a good catch -- I forgot about him. Granted, I don't know that my players will listen to him, but that's their funeral, so to speak.
Z does have some options vs. going down himself -- if the CK is gone he's quickly in charge. With that option on the table I can't see him much sending my obstinate PCs down unless he thinks he has some serious leverage on them, and most of the scenarios for that I've come up with (e.g. PC hostages) don't seem like they've be very fun for at least some of the group to sit through.
Z could also give the group a warning and suggest a place to hide. That might might set him up better for what he wants later.
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B is a good catch -- I forgot about him. Granted, I don't know that my players will listen to him, but that's their funeral, so to speak.
Z does have some options vs. going down himself -- if the CK is gone he's quickly in charge. With that option on the table I can't see him much sending my obstinate PCs down unless he thinks he has some serious leverage on them, and most of the scenarios for that I've come up with (e.g. PC hostages) don't seem like they've be very fun for at least some of the group to sit through.
B turned out to be one of my groups favourite NPCs. Don't be afraid to play him stupid and childish. Let them think they can outsmart him, and then out-do in some pivotal place and have him dash off. He was phenomally handy to save my neutral wizard and easily befriend him, becoming the "angry dog" for the rest of the party...
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In my game Z back stabbed... I mean sneak attacked CK dealing the final blow (stealing the satisfaction from my players... :D ) And immediately started striking a deal. He knew they were supposed to be there to stop the great gnoll army CK was supposed to be forming. He told that that with CK out of the way now, he, Rokova, would rule the tribes and if they found the scroll for him he'd break up the tribe. Even trying sense motive wouldn't have helped there, since what does Z care about the tribe, all he wanted was the scroll. He gave them 24 hours to find and retrieve the scroll.
As for why he'd send the PC's, if they've made it to CK's throne room, they're more powerful than the gnolls Z could order to go down, so it makes sense to send them down after the scroll instead of puny gnolls.
In my game Z back stabbed... I mean sneak attacked CK dealing the final blow (stealing the satisfaction from my players... :D ) And immediately started striking a deal. He knew they were supposed to be there to stop the great gnoll army CK was supposed to be forming. He told that that with CK out of the way now, he, Rokova, would rule the tribes and if they found the scroll for him he'd break up the tribe.
I unfortunately have players (or some characters, in any case) that won't deal with someone they think is evil, period. Z snowed them at the very start of House of the Beast but as Rokova I don't think he can.
So I'm not totally sure what to do with this and them but we'll see how it goes.
our entire party tpkd in house of the beast.
Ironically we had already killed the carrion king and his retinue.
we never made it out alive with the scroll
>> I unfortunately have players (or some characters, in any case) that won't deal with someone they think is evil
Have Z appear as someone other than Rakova? You could have R turn back into Z once CK has been dealt with (in private with the party). He explains that he's infiltrated the gnolls to try and stop things on his own but is thankful for the help.
And could the party do one last favor? If they can go down into the crypts and find a certain scroll holy to the gnolls? With it, the gnolls will accept him, as R, as their new leader. In that role, he can defuse this whole gnoll problem for Kelmarene.