We recently began a new campaign with 1st level characters and decided to run the D0 module from 2007 "Hollow's Last Hope" (it took some conversion and it's older, but it's a good beginner mod). After dusting it off and rereading it for an hour or so we were ready to go.
Well, as always, it took on a life of its own as the PCs now want to help the poor bastards of Falcon's Hollow free themselves of the tyrannical grip of the Lumber Consortium and Thuldran Kreed. I did some research, in older sources as well as new, and I certainly thought it might be possible to let the PCs win out the day in an adventure where they force the consortium 'off their land'. The PC's considered bolstering the towns people to 'go into business for themselves', throwing off the shackles of their oppressors and putting the lumber trade in Falcon's Hollow under new management. A sound idea that I agreed with until I did some research.
According to the rules, the Lumber Consortium owns the entire city. By this I assume it means every 'deed', every piece of land the properties sit upon, up to and including the logging rights to the Vale itself and anything else one can think of.
The problem this creates is that even if the PCs provide proof of the corruption they don't solve the problem as a whole. The Consortium will just send in another Gavel and the people are still beholden to the Consortium because they still own the town. The PCs need to play the legal game, be it through honest or dishonest means in order to win the town from under the Consortium.
Since the Andoran government already has a serious dislike for the Consortium to being with, I figured getting them to completely disband the Consortium due to illicit business practices would be the best way to go about it. Falcon's Hollow would become the property of Andoran and the people could purchase their lands legitimately or the PC's themselves could purchase the land from the government.
Falcon's Hollow has an asset rating of 40,550gp. What do you think the 'market price' would be for buying the land and the deeds of the village outright once the Consortium's holdings are confiscated. I considered doubling it into the the near 85,000gp range which would mean the PCs would most certainly have to turn to 'business partners' to come up with that sort of a loan.
I was wondering if some of you have some ideas as to how the PCs could evict the Consortium, and help put in the hands of the people. I'm toying with a few ideas, but I could use some helpful opinions.
Perhaps an investigation could reveal that The Consortium purchased the land illegally? Perhaps through some backroom deal, or a conspiracy or some other way that would render their ownership null and void. Might make an interesting story line as the PCs unravel some decades old conspiracy.
Actually, purchasing the land illegally didn't come to mind. Forged deeds, or any sort of of tactics could have been used and after forty years no one is really keeping track of the paper work anymore thanks to bribes and pay offs.
I hadn't considered that. Thanks.