Hey guys,
So in my campaign, Nualia survived (PC's didn't coup de grace her...) and one player left the game, so I decided to use his character as a plot device to bring back Nualia for story purposes only.
When one of the PC's left to find his home, although trailing blood everywhere, Nualia followed him and saw this as an opportunity to try to redeem herself and win back the favour of her God, Lamashtu.
She eventually had a showdown with the Barbarian, disarming him and killing him with his own hammer before heading to Foxglove Manor for aid, as she knew the owner had contacts within the brothers of seven.
However, it would seem the house' aura had ill effect on even this tough and cold hearted woman.
On the approach to Foxglove Manor:
As the PC's head along the narrow and treacherous path, the sky darkens, clouds form overhead and the bellowing of thunder can be heard from above.
As the PC's walk past a signpost labelling the building "Foxglove Manor", a single fairly large Crow swoops over one of the characters and lands on the sign, blinking and twisting its head before making the "creugh" noise most Crows make.
As the group pass, the Crow just watches them, at which point it begins to rain.
It's not long until the PC's can see Foxglove Manor in the distance, as they navigate the corroding and precarious path, keeping away from the ledge from fear of plummeting to the jagged rocks below.
The path winds around to an opening where a silver haired woman (Nualia) is slumped to her knee's in the muddy path, head hanging down, hair bloodied and muddied, face concealed, with the only audible sound being her loud, heavy and slightly panicked breathing.
By her side and buried deep in the ground is the end of a familiar hammer, with the woman's right hand firmly resting on top of it.
If the PC's talk to her, she says nothing at the first two attempts, but on the third she screams at the top of her lungs in the face of the person closest to her, screaming "THE MISGIVINGS WILL TAKE YOU!" before dropping her head once more.
She then starts speaking with long pauses between each word, almost as if she's repeating commands.
"A boy." "A boy aided the man." "A boy." "A boy I fell in combat." "The Misgivings have plans." "Plans for the boy." "No Cleric can save you." "Your souls are his." "He has his way." "He always has his way." "The Skinsaw man is coming."
As Nualia finishes saying this, she looks up with panic in her face, eyes wide open, before speaking the last part in shock and with sincerity. "He's coming for you Tristan!"
The woman then appears almost catatonic for a brief moment before standing up, running up to the most protective and compassionate PC and hugging him.
Good - "Father, I love you Father! Please don't make me go to the Academy today! The boys call me horrid names and the girls pull my hair. Someone threw a stone at me yesterday. Please, Father I love you, but I don't want to be a Nun. I just want to be normal, working as a Librarian or Seamstress. Books excite me and teach me and the Taldan fashion is absolutely stunningly gorgeous! Can I have the dress I showed you? Please, please, please, please, please! You'd be the best!"
Bad - "You! You tried to kill me!"
Good - "Why did you hurt me?" she says with fear in her voice.
Bad - "Your friend followed me, so I killed him with his own hammer. Do you plan to kill me too?" she says while glaring at the party.
Good - Please don't hurt me again! I promise I'll do as you ask. Just please don't hurt me!" At this stage she begins to cry, panic and hyperventilate, but seems genuinely kind hearted, polite and well spoken.
Bad - "Why aren't you dead? DIE ALREADY!" she says as she reverts back to her evil state, it being quite clear that she's either lost the plot, has fallen mentally ill and/or has developed a split personality.
Nualia doesn't attack however, and instead collapses, seemingly due to her own mind being in pieces.
I also compiled a soundtrack for Nualia and each floor of Foxglove Manor, all with the sound effects of a thunderstorm in the background, which I've listed below:
Enjoy!
Ha, I hope people can make good use of it as I know some people want to redeem the woman, others want to kill her, or sometimes things don't go to plan and she'll escape (I know the morale is fight to the death, but if she knows she can't lose, she's intelligent enough to flee).
The PC's I think actually liked this, and targeting my GMPC Cleric who Tristan (my gf's 15 year old Half-Elf) is rather close to, only added more to the impact.
I think my guy is going to go to Belor and speak to him, asking for adoption papers at some point.
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Nice... I am running through this for a second time with the same characters. See thread. I may steal some of this to change things up a bit... :p