I find myself in a fairly interesting situation, and I hope you guys can help me with some ideas.
The party knows that Arkona Manor holds both Vencarlo and Neolandus and wants to go in.
However, one of my players have an, until now, secret mission to chase Avidexu (The guy from the underground temple). He knows him to be a Rakshasa and that he is in Arkona Manor, but not the full secret of the family. (My guys are new to Pen'n'Paper and I wanted to give them at least a chance at preparing)
They tried an initial foray into the house, which managed to kill 2 cousins and made them aware of the threat. The rogue also nabbed one of Bahors Third Eye bloodstones.
Second time around they tried a "diplomatic" approach (get invited inside and attempt to subdue the Majordomo). They succeeded, but Glorio created a magic mouth to invite them up (based on telepathic link to Carnochan and the bloodstone carried by the party). They went up there reluctantly and ended up confronting him. After killing the two remaining "cousins", we stand at a threshold. Glorio, whose mighty defences they are failing to penetrate, has flown out into the middle of the balcony area and extended a final offer to the party, but before the party got into a discussion I ended the session.
I have no idea what the party is going to do.
If they fight, they are likely going to TPK, but that is their choice.
What I can't decide, is what will Bahor ask for if they lay down their arms? They practically know about his true nature, but I will not hold that over him and force him to attack, but I definitely think he wants something to hold against them, so that they can't act against him in the future or reveal him to the world.
He'll probably send them through the Vivified Labyrinth in any case, just to test them, and he still plans against Vimanda of course.
Sorry about the rant. :)
I really hope someone have experienced something similar or have a good idea. I have seen (and used) a lot of great material from these forums, so I humbly wish to tap into some GM gold.
What was his "offer" exactly?
Also, are they currently carrying another "object" of interest to a different player?
What was his "offer" exactly?
Basically that he will let them leave (and go down to get Neolandus) rather than destroy them, in return for some as of yet unspecified boon.
I ended the session in part because wanted the full details of the offer, which I thought might have a large impact on the campaign going forward, to be well-thought out rather than simply pulling something out of my a**.Also, are they currently carrying another "object" of interest to a different player?
The only thing I can think of is theoretical leadership of the Sable Company (the Ranger and his cohort).
Also worth mentioning is the Wizard character, whose player are probably leaving the game. He "disappeared" last session and Bahor have hinted that he knows where he is.
I have considered something like Geas, but I am not sure how that will impact the game going forward.
Sounds to me like you have a highly suspicious group, so if you want to do anything sneaky right now, you'll need some major bluffs and distractions.
Keep in mind Glorio's position. The Arkona family have been running the crime in Korvosa for a very long time, and they've also been the de-factor protectors of Old Korvosa. Site the recent uprising as an example. The Glorio has been sending out patrols to 'keep the peace' around his estate since the Plague began. His half of the Island is relatively calm, while the Docks are a complete madhouse with rampant riots, looting and gangs.
If necessary, do your best to paint Glorio as a worried noble with mysterious contacts. The Rakshasha they fought were long-time allies of the Arkona family, the Rakshasha have been sending the 'unwanted' of their kind to the Arkona's hoping they'd die, while those at home could remain faultless.
Try to spin it as Glorio being worried for both himself, his family, and his estate. He's desperately trying to regain control of the island before the mobs decide to attack his home to satisfy the lust for vengeance they feel for the Queen and the Government. In their rage clouded minds, they probably won't be able to separate the Noble Lord that has been protecting them, from the Government that has abandoned them to the disease and famine.
Glorio should be doing his best to get the Party on his side. Use sympathy as the only voice of power on the island, use the fact his guards have been trying to keep the peace as proof, and use the Rakshasha as a desperate act of a Lord doing all he can to survive in a City gone mad.
If they ask why Vencarlo is in the Labyrinth, say that the Arkona's have hidden rooms down in the area that they use in times of great need, and he was sheltering Vencarlo there. But the attacks from the Assassin's had made him paranoid and he fled his rooms into the ancient Labyrinth built long before he was born.
Remember, the key is to make Glorio look as innocent and benevolent as possible. You don't want the party to think he's an enemy until the very end, if at all.
I used a similar theme with my group, and they left none-the-wiser about the Arkona's. Hell, due to a lucky turn of fate, they managed to completely avoid both creatures wandering the Labyrinth.
I saw another group that mentioned he seemed so arrogantly sure they'd do his bidding that it spooked them into believing he was way too tough for them. He can even say as much, knowing how hard killing some of the 'cousins' was.
You can also have Vimanda show up, taking this confrontation as her opportunity to tip the scales in her favor for house domination. Or save her for the Labyrinth, where she convinces the party to ally with her in taking him out, eliminating their boon to him. Play her up as the lesser of two evils, as she has no grudge with the party (yet).
I wonder if he knows about your player's search for Avidexu? He could use that for his purposes as well. Couple that with the missing Wizard and he may have enough to hold over their heads for now.
The Other Item: ..ah, I misread it. Yes, the rogue is indeed carrying the "object"
I like the "noble with mysterious allies" approach. The players have seen his prowess in combat, but not his true nature. They could perhaps be persuaded that he has simply been given powers in return for his cooperation.
I am thinking that if the party takes his offer, he will contact them now and again for "favors" during the remainder of the campaign, reminding them of their choice. I am just not sure how Glorio is going to enforce that.
Further involving Vimanda would also be interesting, because she knows what is going on.
I guess Glorio could know about the players search through his contacts, his mind-reading powers or due to the fact that they have one of his bloodstones.
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There is another way to handle it too. He is a noble, true, but he is also a bit of a politician. Perhaps, he can offer to help them subtly, a piece of information here, a minor item there, anything short of direct help. He cares about what happens to his city, and perhaps does not wish to see it continue down the current path.
I think if he seems much more helpful towards them, and shows genuine care about the city's well-being, maybe the PCs will be less inclined to blab about what they know, or what they think they know. He is a master manipulator, and I feel he should be used as such...
When we went through Crimson Throne, that is basically what the GM had him do to us. We didn't trust him, but he seemed helpful enough, and had sort of the enemy of my enemy thing going...
Aeshuura: That seems like a solid way to cast Glorio. Perhaps he could become someone the players can turn to whenever they are stuck for clues. He can count on the players' silence, not because he is forcing them but because it would simply be bad for their future success to betray him. All he asks are simple favors now and again. Of course, he will need some way of communicating with them, but that can probably be arranged.
You guys are giving me some great input :D
Thanks a lot so far
He will have an easy way of keeping tabs on them, through a gift it suggests in the chapter: the Ring of Evasion. My group currently has both the Ring and the Dagger and left house arkona without dealing with Glorio or Vimanda.
I am currently trying to work out what they've been up to for two books and what their web will be like when the PCs get back into town.
He will have an easy way of keeping tabs on them, through a gift it suggests in the chapter: the Ring of Evasion. My group currently has both the Ring and the Dagger and left house arkona without dealing with Glorio or Vimanda
You are absolutely right, of course, but I am thinking more in case he wants to contact them with a "favor" for them to do or the party wants to acquire some information from him. (Even though that might be a tough sell to get the party to do)
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I saw one GM show up after they'd found Serithtial and he stole it from them. Though that may be a huge de-rail.
I'd say his main goal is to depose the Queen and place himself there. He may tell them to keep their mouths shut about his "harboring rakshasa spawn" kerfuffle so he can more smoothly transition to being King.
That is, if he doesn't already have a plan to eliminate the party, making it look like the 'heroes' died valiantly while eliminating the threat of the Queen. Perhaps his 'favor' is to accompany them to the Sunken Queen? Then backstab them during the final dragout? Utilize the everdawn pool himself vs summoning a Great Wyrm Blue you-know-who?
Also very interesting, but that would of course require that he can somehow still hold them to their commitment when they get back, either by power or usefulness.
Having him as an ally during the uprising on the heroes' return might prove interesting. It will hopefully show the players that Good by itself cannot win this by itself, that they need people like Glorio or the Brotherhood.
I will certainly agree that his most important goal is to acquire more power by deposing the Queen, and that there simply must be a betrayal at some point, though it might be better to have him do it before the final encounter with the Queen rather than after, because I don't want to take away too much away from that threat. But, then again, that final betrayal might also be a interesting experience.
Yeah, honestly with my group I figure they'll come back, take one look at him, and cast smite evil. Hello Paladin. Goodbye Bahor.
Yeah, that kind of sucks the fun out of it. I thank the entire Golarion pantheon that I don't have to contend with a Paladin :)
He could still surprise me. He found several of the Rakshasa and such in the labyrinth, and didn't immediately move to clearing the house afterward, so I could be surprised in how they handle him. Either way, it should be interesting....
Hey Oragada,
I know it's been a year since you started this thread and I Don't know if you are still checking these boards, but if so I'm interested to find out what happened?
Hi Laric
The situation was less problematic than I had feared. The players knew perfectly well that they were in way over their heads and was willing to negotiate a deal.
I came up with 3 things to help the party make the "right" decision:
1. As suggested here I made sure to allow the party contact with Glorio through a "Stone of Message" (which I invented on the spot) and through that kept the party informed of various seemingly lucrative tasks that need handling and feeding them various useful but not critical tidbits of information. While they have not accepted any tasks yet, I suspect that an incursion into Scarwall and the misery and death from that will leave the party much more susceptible.
2. The Ranger has become the new Commandant of the Sable Company with the assistance of Marcus Thalassinus' hitherto unknown spiritual advisor, Jotakar Raeland. However, to rebuild the shattered company (using modified rules from Kingmaker), the new Commandant requires resources and experienced officers, both of which Glorio is happy to provide in order to use the Company as a puppet army later. This offer of help was sorely needed and even though the party suspects ulterior motives, they needed it too much to refuse it.
3. The Monk, who had the Rakshasa mission, grudgingly accepted the offer. From all the surveillance Glorio has over them, along with his ability to mind-read meant that he knows the Monks loyalties and decided the easiest way to handle the issue of the Monk revealing him would be an assissination in Kaer Maga, which only failed thanks to Shadowcount Sial intervening. Glorio is already planning new strikes against the Monk, but Sials sudden appearance have given him pause while he investigates this newcomer.
All in all, I might have let the party get away somewhat easily, but given their lack of experience dealing with a situation like that, I think it was the best could do.