I just finished running Feast of Ravenmoor in a Kingmaker context last night. These are my conversion notes and highlights.
The state of the campaign/kingdom for those that are curious:
- It is the 7th year since the founding of Sellenafia
- Last session, they claimed their 27th hex, this makes them a "lesser duchy" by the chart
- Plot-wise, we've finished the owlbear attack, and I'm laying the foreshadowing for Vordekai, but we're been in an interlude between books 2&3 pursuing sidequests for about 5 months out-of-game
- The PCs just hit 8th level last session (so were 7th level for all I'll describe below)
In my game, I repeatedly emphasize that there are many hamlets in the kingdom beyond the few "royal cities" that they have established and exert direct control over. These little, podunk towns never grow very large or contain much wealth, and mostly exist as places for a few farmers to gather. They spring up in any hex that is "claimed."
The treasurer (a PC) was informed that one of her accountants had noticed an accounting error, and trying to cover her own butt, hired out one of the Knights of Erastil to collect the backpay. It's been two weeks, the Knight hasn't returned, so it was time to take the concern to her boss. (The PC Treasurer fired the accountant for having the nerve to go behind her back.)
The traveled to the hamlet (which I located in a hilly hex on the edge of the kingdom), and found things were fairly amiss there. The church of Erastil was in poor repair, and the people kept referring to him as "the antlered one" or "the field tender", but never by name.
Taking advantage of the fact that the PCs were the King and Royal Council, instead of a "Founder's Feast", it simply became a celebration that their lord had decided to visit them.
I made the cultists followers of Gyronna (since she has already been introduced in the campaign), and thus the Mayor and all elders of the town were female.
The module went along, and I mostly want to share some of the aftermath elements. But first I will say, that the aerial battle between the Blightspawn and the king's Wyvern was a truly epic sight to behold.
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The PCs had to retreat after getting their butts somewhat kicked (said Wyvern died, for example). So they went back to their military city (Fort Stone Oak) and marched their army out to Moor to round up everyone and wipe the town from the map. I emphasized, strongly, that "soldiers" are not "guards", and there would be unintended civilian casualties (just in case they want to try this again), and they want ahead anyway.
It was a massacre. Half the town was slaughtered that day. Only one cultist was captured alive. Then, with the army guarding the surviving townsfolk, the PCs were able to explore the (now abandoned) town in peace. That's when they found the Misbegotten Villagers in the shed. (I took some hints from the "eww" parts of Hook Mt Massacre in describing these guys. I also made them mentally retarded.) They brought the one surviving cultist to the shed to explain to them what they had found.
"Who are these people? Were they born this way, or did something happen to them?"
"Why should I help you? I'm dead either way."
"If you turn away from your evil faith, and help us, we'll consider reducing your sentencing to exile."
"These men *spitting* have been cursed by Gyronna. It is her blessing that she has transformed them into what they truly are, what all men truly are on the inside. We keep them in here and use them we see fit. When there aren't enough foriegners visiting our village, they make acceptable stand-ins for sacrifices."
"..."
"Do not look so strong, King, Gyronna will see that you meet a similar fate."
"Men, kill her."
The soldiers did not hesitate.
Later, the treasurer (who was elsewhere, tallying up goods), asks the King, "I have some questions for her, where'd the cultist go?"
The King merely quipped "she didn't repent."
Afterwards, they need to decide what to do with these creatures they've come to simply call "the wretched."
King: "uh, High Priestess, what is the will of Erastil?"
High Priestess (a Paladin): "uh, what do you think we should do, my liege?"
King: "I think I just passed the buck. It's your job to determine morality in this kingdom."
There was a lot of back and forth with me as GM about what Erastil believes, but I refused to give the PC the clear answers she was looking for. I merely reminded her that as a Lawful character, whatever principal she comes up with, she was bound to stick to as official policy from thenceforth. There was much angst, but in-and-out of game, but eventually she decreed that the villagers should be forced to care for these men, as they must pay for their sins as a community, even if they individually took no direct part in it.
The entire surviving town was then rounded up (wretched in tow), and marched to the city for integration. Moor was then burned to the ground.
Anyway, just some notes. Hope it inspired or at least entertained someone. :-)
Hah, the PC baron in my Kingmaker game is a "Repent or die" type as well. Somehow, Erastil has been dropped and it's all about Sarenrae and bringing the light of her flame to the darkness.
I want to run Feast of Ravenmoor as a one shot where the characters play "investigators", maybe NPC experts. I thought the module had a very horror movie vibe to it and I'd like to run it like a horror movie where just about everyone dies.