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OK, we're finishing Scarwall, and I thought of what I THINK would be a cool "alternate ending", but I'm not an idiot (I hope), so I'm posting to the boards to see what you guys think.
The party is about to utterly obliterate Mithrodar and head into the Star Tower. Both Sial and Laori are alive and well, and Mithrodar's not enough of a threat that I'm going to lose either of them to him.
So the party will head into the Star Tower, where the Nightwing will make its offer, Laori and Sial will both refuse, and the Nightwing will attack Sial. All according to the script.
At that point, the paladin will be extremely hard-pressed not to knock the bejezus out of the Nightwing, but Sial will tell him to stay out of it.
According to script, Sial gets beaten stupid, accuses Laori of betraying Zon Kuthon, and the three of them leave together as "one happy family" to sort things out with The Big Guy. Kind of anticlimactic.
I'm thinking of having Laori turn. The bard in my party is a worshiper of Shelyn, and she's VERY vocal about how she'd like to redeem the Zon Kuthonites. What if Laori wants nothing to do with either being a Curate, or of defending herself against Sial's accusations? The party's WAY powerful enough to protect her from both Sial and the Nightwing, so they could save her life, convert her away from Zon Kuthon, and kick the living crap out of Sial and the Nightwing.
So has anyone tried this? Has it gone well with the party, or does it come out as hokey? I'd really like to keep Laori in the party, but the only way she's going to do that is to abandon Zon Kuthon, and I think part of her charm is her addiction to pain (both herself and others'). But the party really LOVES her and HATES Sial, and I think they'd really, really enjoy killing him and the avatar he rode in on. Opinions?
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OK, we're finishing Scarwall, and I thought of what I THINK would be a cool "alternate ending", but I'm not an idiot (I hope), so I'm posting to the boards to see what you guys think.
** spoiler omitted **
I say go for it! Draw it out perhaps for maximum drama, but go for it if you have a group that would enjoy it(and it sounds like you do!).
She also doesn't have to abandon the reasons why the party loves her. In fact, her having to reconcile that with the possible abandonment of her old god(and especially if she embraces a certain other god who has a follower interested in saving her) could be a good source of drama and fun for the group. You can have her still come across as evil, but genuinely trying to be better and gradually getting there, with bumps along the way.
Thanks for the link! I'd browsed that thread before, but I hadn't delved its depths to understand just how deep feelings go. I haven't even reached the Star Tower yet, but I know exactly how it's going to go:
(1) The paladin will want to obliterate anything in there, period.
(2) The bard's going to want to reach a compromise where EVERYONE ends up "happy", or at least getting what they want.
(3) Sial's going to threaten the gnome rogue, who has had a Very Bad Time in Scarwall, and is close to abandoning the party until they come out again. (She lost 15 of 18 CON to the Danse, and she's going to lose a few levels to the spectres, so she's the 'poster child' for "Why choosing armor instead of weapon was a Better Idea").
Once Sial threatens the gnome -- it's over. The paladin and the bard are VERY fond of her, and I can already hear it in my mind, "Valdor, please kick the living (obscenity) out of this (obscenity) and the (obscenity) he rode in on. Now, please." 13th-level paladin + CR14 evil outsider = dead outsider. 11th-level Theurge vs 13th-level wizard = dead theurge. I'm all shivery in anticipation.
Thanks for the support! I have wandered far and wide from the AP so far, but this is the first time I'm usurping a major NPC for my own purposes.
I'll post how it goes later in a week or two when the destruction finally happens...
You know Mikaze, you never did finish your campaign's story :P
Might I suggest a scene with Laori mumbling about how she can't feel the 'hurt' anymore, and if asked further, 'the hurting means he loves me' as a response? I would imagine, that if one really wanted to redeem Laori, Scarwall is the place to do it. If anything bad has happened to Laori in Scarwall, it could be a sign that Zon-Kuthon doesn't protect her anymore, and she may see it as an abandonment. With her sense of abandonment, and the lack of 'hurt' your Shelynite could jump on the opportunity to redeem her and show her that Shelyn could take that creativity Laori had for pain, and express it in such a way as to make the world a better and brighter place. If they've got the time, have your bard give Laori something like a brush and paint, or quill and parchment, or a flute, and tell her to just create. Describe Laori has being hesitant at first, and imperfect, but as she creates, her passion and creativity is being channeled into and Shelyn is guiding her hand. Make sure to play up the sound of songbirds as Laori begins creating to show Shelyn's approval.
If you want to get really creative, maybe Zon-Kuthon show some sign of his approval. Some sort of blessing or sign that manifests showing he doesn't mind Laori following his sister
Anyway, I like your idea, and I'm beginning to wonder if we shouldn't create a 'Laori Fan' membership card or something.
OK. I posted a LOOOONG post as to what happens in my other thread, so rather than spamming here, here's the link:
Scarwall wrap-up.