Ahead are some CotCT spoilers from the Edge of Anarchy.
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So... I'm not sure what to do, I do want to do something. I've not read the whole AP, we just completed the Edge of Anarchy. My party massively failed at recovering Gaekhen's corpse. How? Well, they got TPK'd by Derro is how. they didn't even find a single part first. I was already considering penalizing them for taking too long when it happened. I had them roll up a new party, and started them at the Execution, thinking that while they were dead, Field Marshal Cressida Kroft wouldn't necessarily know that they failed and wouldn't necessarily send another group right away, and meanwhile things in the city were moving on.
Plus I didnt want to risk another TPK by Derro. Seriously my party can NOT fight these guys.
With that said, I want there to be some repercussions. Thousand Bones did not get his grandson back. I imagine the Shoanti are fuming with rage. What do you think should happen? I was considering a war with the Shoanti or something to that effect, that's what the AP made it sound like was at stake.
Problem being I dont see the Shoanti showing up again until History of Ashes, and that is WAAAAY too far down the line. I'd want the consequences to feel immediate. I am completely okay with not even following the AP anymore and just turning this into a homebrew game, or doint something with the Shoanti for a while and then eventually picking the AP back up.
So basically: from a story perspective; what do you think should happen? And how might I put that into practice?
-awp
Hehehe...new direction.
When he's talking to the PCs telling them about his son he mentions that they could go and get his grandson themselves but the results wouldn't be pretty or something to that effect. Maybe Thousand Bones leads his own expedition to retrieve the body and the PCs have to stop him as a Shoanti war party marching through the city isn't going to go unnoticed or welcomed by the people. Could lead to a fight or a role-playing scenario where the new heroes have to top Thousand Bones through force or be convincing him they can retrieve the body or something along those lines. Just a thought I had that you could try.
Field Marshal Cressida Kroft wouldn't necessarily know that they failed and wouldn't necessarily send another group right away, and meanwhile things in the city were moving on.
If they didn't return, Kroft would send another group. Also, I'm fairly sure that I read 1000 Bones would retrieve the body himself if needed.
Would he still be mad at Korvosa if Korvosa tried to retrieve the body and 6 people died in the process of trying? Maybe... but that would be a real jerk thing to do. I don't see 1000 Bones as being like that. Your interpretation might vary.
Plus I didnt want to risk another TPK by Derro. Seriously my party can NOT fight these guys.
Good call. Plus, it's consensus that this is the weakest part of "Edge of Anarchy" and some people skip it anyway. (I rewriting parts of it, but I'm not skipping it).
Thousand Bones did not get his grandson back. I imagine the Shoanti are fuming with rage. What do you think should happen? I was considering a war with the Shoanti or something to that effect, that's what the AP made it sound like was at stake.
Like I said before, I don't think that's in 1000 Bones character and one way or the other he'll get the body.
On another note, I don't think a campaign about the Shoanti attacking Korvosa would be as interesting as the CotCT campaign itself. Maybe you could have them attacking in the background and making things worse (and have the occasional encounter). Maybe that would work.
Also, keep in mind it takes a lot of time to start a war and organize armies. They have a long distance to travel, a lot of information to communicate, politics, and supply chains to create. It's a long process. We're not talking about days, we're talking about months. IF you want to be realistic.
The real problem (for your campaign) is that you have is make the new characters care about the city of Korvosa. And they need to have a common background (especially now that that Lamm tie in is gone). Perhaps they were all apprentices to Blackjack? I think this is the real problem because soon you'll have the PCs saying "why are we doing this?"
I agree it's not in Thousand Bones' character to out and out declare war. But the impression I got from the module was that he was holding the peace together by his own hands. That Thousand Bones' son wanted to rally the clans under the banner of war with Korvosa after the murder of Gaekhen, and that the only thing stopping him from doing it was the likely retrieval of Gaekhen's corpse as a token of good faith by Korvosan agents.
Yes, Cressida would send another group. Would she send them in time to pacify the Shoanti? I'm not so sure, my group already dallied a bit during the quest. Within a few days, I imagine the body is gone and turned into a golem by Rolth and thereafter -out of the grasp of any would-be recoverers, Shoanti or Korvosan alike.
Maybe include some Shoanti hostility in Korvosa. For instance, War Parties have blockaded trade routes, preventing supplies from reaching Korvosa during the Plague.
The party might be sent out by Cressida to escort a negotiator, but they are ambushed and the negotiator is killed. The party has to fight their way back to Korvosa.
Meanwhile, the Plague starts raring up and the Guard becomes too focused on fighting the Plague to adequately respond to the Shoanti. With little response from the Guard, the Shoanti are highly successful in blocking trade, and start hoarding supplies.
The party might find the need to infiltrate the Shoanti command and assassinate some of their leaders and/or scatter the war band. Or they could attempt negotiations themselves. Or they try killing all the Shoanti.
Make dealing with the Shoanti save additional citizens for the extra reward in Seven Days.
During History of Ashes, perhaps the party witnesses war parties moving around the Cinderlands. The Shoanti are gathering for another war on Korvosa, and with the recent plague, riots and turmoil, the city has never been riper for an assault.
The party has the chance to quell the Shoanti war parties, possibly even gaining the Rebels aid in over-throwing the defunct government that allowed the death of a Shoanti member.
Lots of interesting plot hooks here!