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The party killed Vimanda, but bugged out without heading back upstairs and taking everybody else out. I don't think they ever even realized that Glorio is also a Rakshasa. The Ring of Evasion has stuck around, and thus Glorio has been watching their adventures like his favorite television program.
We finished up Scarwall with two characters dead to the demi-lich, the Pally and Rogue hiking across Belkzen hoping to find a rezzer in Ustalav somewhere.
Enter Glorio (built as a PRPG Rakshasa Rog8 to maintain CR 14) and Carnochan (Rakshasa Sor3). They 'port into the PC's camp the first night out and demand the sword. PCs move to resist, so they port away, buff up, and port back greater invis. Both PCs see through it thanks to mantis masks. The dice go seriously against them, and in the span of a round and a half, Glorio walks up, disarms Serithtial away, eats a neg level, beats the Ego save, and Carnochan teleports them away.
So, here's where I'm stuck. What would Glorio do to make himself King now that he's got the sword? He's not foolish enough to go against Illiosa with an uncooperative artifact...who's to say it would still kill her?
Two possible plots come to mind:
1) Glorio gives the sword to some Good NPC that he's tricked into believing him to be noble. NPC gets himself killed, Serithtial is left in Castle Korvosa...maybe in the hands of Togomor? Would Illiosa be stupid enough to give it to Sabina?
2) The PCs already managed to hustle/forced march themselves into Ustalav and UMD a scroll of Wind Walk fast enough that they're actually in Kaer Maga 3 days after the theft. Glorio can still see through the ring, so he knows they're gunning for him at high speed, and he needs leverage. I'd like him to offer the sword back to the Pally in exchange for an oath to put Glorio on the throne. Any ideas how to work this? What's the fantasy version of "bombs in hospitals" if they betray him?
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Wow, tricky situation(and damn, Zev Ravenka just jumps back and forth on lethality between different peoples' games!)
On 1. I'd figure Ileosa would still be canny enough to realize giving it to Sabina would be really risky. Serithtial might even be capable of turning Sabina on Ileosa right away, without waiting for the PCs to arrive. ;)
I can't help but imagine a LG guy being set up by Glorio as a "just discovered" heir of Eodred and being given the sword and being pushed into the role of Savior of Korvosa. All so Glorio can either take his place or use him as a puppet when all is said in done.
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I would suggest a combination of plans 1 & 2.
To wit, Glorio obtains some means of resurrecting the fallen heroes, but holds the kingdom as that price.
That lets you keep Serethial in the hands of the PCs, Glorio gets his way (he hopes), you get the dead PCs back to life, and makes for good drama all around.
Plus, if you continue past Chapter 6, you have a pre-set BBEG ready and raring to go.
Remember, you don't need leverage to get a Paladin to keep his word. They do that on their own. Glorio just needs a good enough incentive to get said Paladin to work with him, rather than just smite/grab/win.
Keep the sword elsewhere, under instructions that betrayal will result in it being handed over to Ileosa and her ilk.
Remember, also, Glorio has the ability to change shape freely. Unless the PCs are really really good at seeing through disguises, he has a decent chance to get another run at them, with a fresh identity. Heck, he can kill a rival rakshasha and present them with the blade (and the decoy's head), then continue on to be a doppleganger ally/enemy in disguise.
Once Ileosa is out of the picture, Glorio has the breathing room to negotiate/plan a bit better, and can deal with that situation as it comes around.
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I guess I'm wondering what Glorio's plan was prior to ambushing the party and grabbing the sword? Why would he do such a thing? Would he do it without having a plan already in place? Surely you must have thought about that...
To be honest, I'm not really sure I see Glorio going in to grab the sword -- what's the point? Why not provide a stooge who is capable of using the sword very effectively and place this stooge amongst the party, perhaps by taking out one of the party members?
If this same thing had happened in my game and I didn't already have a plan (well, that wouldn't happen) I guess I would rewind a bit and call it a dream sequence so that I don't have to cobble something together for Glorio! Maybe put some night hags nearby and say that it was them invading the dreams of the party.
I really don't see why Bahor would have taken the sword. The party can use it effectively and were intent on Ileosa's removal, so why not let them do that and then eliminate them later? Then cultivate the favor of the people of Korvosa to get the throne.
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Well, I'm not clear on the value of responding to a request for plot advice by pointing out that what already happened didn't make sense, or suggesting "it was all a dream"ing it away. However, I can actually defend all the motives involved.
Most important, I think, is my motive as a DM. We're rolling towards the climax of the game, and while I expect we'll do a little bit of epilogue following the death of the queen, I expect that my players will be chomping to move onto something new after dedicating more than 2 years to Crimson Throne. As such, I'm interested in tying up loose threads during chapter 6...while it might make the most in-world sense for Bahor to remain in the shadows for a couple years before striking, that plot provides no value to the game.
So, what are my motives for Bahor? First, I think he's concerned that the queen is a threat to his power base. If she sticks around, he's likely to lose the little kingdom he's built. If he takes her out, he might spin the danger into him holding the whole city...something no rakshasa is going to turn down. The PCs came in and took care of his problematic sister, but also took away his leverage for the throne. So, he keeps a close eye on them waiting for an opportunity to get back what's "his." He sees them learn about the sword, sees them carve their way through Scarwall to get it, and then sees them at the most vulnerable they've ever been:
The clerics that transported them to Scarwall abandoned them. Two of the four remaining are dead, including the mage (beguiler, actually). That's two cityfolk dragging their friends' corpses through orc territory, 450 aerial miles from Korvosa, and nearly 200 from the nearest city large enough to have a cleric that can raise dead. He figured that if he could get in, get the sword, and get back, he'd have at least a couple weeks to finalize grooming his patsy party to go in and take out the queen on his behalf. Well worth the minimal risk of going two-on-two against them. There's no sense in waiting around for the party to get back together and take out the queen--too much chance that the pally will be proclaimed king by cheering crowds.
So, that's what Bahor expected. What did the DM expect? For him to get beat down. He needed a 15 on the disarm, a 20 if the pally had time to Smite Evil, and even then only if the pally missed his AoO. I figured he'd eat a smack from the pally, have the rogue slip in behind and nail him with a perfectly mundane silver dagger which is suddenly treated as good because the pally is now 14th level. Glorio freaks because they cut through his DR and tries to flee. Either gets killed or doesn't, and I'd roll with however the players choose to pursue the plot.
In the end, I did more-or-less what psionichamster suggested. He wasn't able to force the pally to promise to make him king, since the pally firmly believes that it's not within his power to grant that. Friggin' LGs :) So, he secured a promise of safety from the party until the queen is dealt with, and he's now pretty sure that they know what he is. So, he's going to lay low, transport his valuables to a safe place in case he needs to disappear, and port in to backstab the party right after Illiosa goes down. I feel like the party needs some distraction while the pool tries to rebuild Kazavon. As written, it seems like "Blood rises out of the pool with a thunderous roar, reforming into bones and sinew" "I hit it with the sword" "Oh, yep. That did it. GG."