I'm looking for some ideas -- or some previously published adventures with any remotely similar motifs; here's the background:
The CR10 evil PCs are travelling to Kaer Maga with 4 elf slaves they just stole from a Lamia Matriarch (and her Gnoll mooks) from Katapesh. The PCs found a note on the Lamia's body saying the slaves can be sold for a GROSS amount of money to her contact in Kaer Maga. The PCs are going to find this contact and try to make the sale themselves.
The Players are interested in a little intrigue and urban adventure; they can play the game in Kaer Maga trying to find this contact and sell the 4 elf slaves. I have one 6 hour session to play this out.
The couple ideas I have so far -- though am really looking for more:
I think searching for the contact may lead to another NPC in Kaer Maga who is an enemy of the contact,
Or, even better, if I can get the PCs think they HAVE to find out more info on the slaves or the contact before they risk raising their vulnerable heads in Kaer Maga -- then set the meeting with the lamia's contact,
Or, perhaps after they do "some" urban adventure (what?) they meet the contact only to be ambushed by some Andoran freedom fighters...
I'm looking for anything.
The game is early next week -- love some ideas or some published adventures that sound a little like this.
Thanks!
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Several books, even if not for PF, have tables of urban adventure ideas. I can't think of which off the top of my head. Maybe this prompts others.
Why are the elves worth so much? That sounds like the organic story element that is already in place but isn't fleshed out. Are elves just desirable as slaves (boring), or do they possess unusual/desirable skills or knowledge? Elf blood needed for ritual? Someone wants lots of elf oriented magic items that take an elf to make? Freaky experiments with ghouls or sleep magic?
I like the Andoran connection, which could be anything from a big showdown to an Obligatory Thug Attack. Maybe they know of the elves coming into town for sale and are spesifically here for them n maybe willing to buy for/ trade services for them, maybe straightforward rescue. Maybe enough in the loop to make use of any PC information gathering to become aware of the PCs.
Who was the Lamia contacting and what was their relationship? If the Lama was working for someone else or in league with someone else, they're probably involved once the lamia is overdue or the PCs are known to have the slaves.
Who else might want the elves free or as slaves? The latter probably driven by why they are wanted as slaves in the first place.
We played the first part last night; I had 90 minutes to prepare. That's what I came up with.
The PCs started by exiting a pyramid in Osirion having stolen a valuable relic -- only to see the Osirion good guys at the exit waiting for them -- the PCs wisely ran back in the pyramid, fleeing for their lives, found a telportation room and used it to escape to anywhere.
Where they escaped was the desert just outside Katapesh where the Lamia Matriarch (no back story yet) and her gnolls were in the middle of a fight against a troop of Andoran Freedom Fighters trying to rescue the Lamia's elf slaves. The fight had been going on for several rounds when the PCs flashed in, so the Lamia and everyone else were already low on HP and resourses, making it easier for the PCs to finish the fight.
In Katapesh the PCs did some research on that name and through some NPC purchased divination magic learned the name was of someone in Kaer Maga.
So next week were gonna do the rest of the adventure in Kaer Maga. But since I have a week to prepare I can flesh out this contact and some good urban adventure/ intrigue. Everything is open for change except the location (Kaer Maga) and that the elves have magical collars preventing them from using their own magic (or "power") to escape.
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I agree with the above poster. The "why are these elves so valuable" could be a real good source of interesting plot development. Maybe they could get more money ransoming the elves back to their homeland than selling to the contact in Kaer Maga....Maybe there is an alternative buyer in Kaer Maga willing to offer them more....maybe this angers the first buys...
Or maybe the classic bad "sale" scene in Temple of Doom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxHOCk7Fx2U
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If you're trying to get them focused on the slaves rather than the relics, the biggest driving force for most players is curiosity. If the elves are just walking/eating loot, there is no curiosity, and their focus will be on the relics due to value, cool possible abilities, or cool possible stories behind the loot or maybe to be played out.
Make the elves more interesting. Flesh them out. What are these suppressed powers? Why are they wanted? Why were the Freedom Fighters traveling so far to get them. They don't sound like random slaves and shouldn't be unless their story role is just to move to KM.
Elves are long lived. What history did they see? What were they involved in, n maybe 200 years ago? Give them life and the story will follow.
Thanks guys.
I think you're right, fleshing out the elves and the why of their worth is important. All ideas are welcome.
-- I succeeded in making the PCs interested in the elves and not the relic from the pyramid, really succeeded.
I know my group and once they found that note on the Lamia and saw how much money the Lamia's contact was going to pay her, the pyramid was forgotten; it may as well not exist in their minds. (Not surprising, really, they didn't actually adventure in the pyramid, I started the adventure with "You exit the pyramid after several days of adventuring having found the relic you sought -- Hey look, an aspect of Anubis, two Sphinxes and 20 Hound Archons are waiting for you; roll initiative.") So teleporting into the middle of the Lamia fight was really the first part of the adventure, making the pyramid not much a part of the adventure. (The PCs immediately fled back into the pyramid when they saw the good guys waiting for them outside.)
... Thinking about your posts, I think mere elf magic may be insufficient, I think their involvement in a ritual sacrifice may be a good idea -- maybe the elves are members of the same family and that's what the Kaer Maga contact needs. Ideas?
More importantly, if that's the way we go, any ideas on how to make the PCs want to find out more about the elves when they get to Kaer Maga (or before)? I like to hide the railroad as much as humanly possible.
As far as Kaer Maga, you could make the contact know the lamia matriarch by name and face (even if disguised as two-legged), and when your PCs get to the city the contact says "I have no idea who you are, so no sale." Meanwhile, a back-alley mugging/theft attempt of the elven slaves convinces the PCs that they are indeed valuable.
bump
(24 hours left)
So here's what I got, all other ideas & comments welcome:
I'll give the PCs a perception check (low DC) to notice that the birthmark one elf has is similar to another elf -- and that in fact they all have it, and it's odd/arcane. This could get them interested in trying to find out more about the elves.
I'll also have a DM-created, modified Silver Raven show up from, presumably, a rival NPC contact who wants to negotiate with the PCs about the elf slaves -- giving the PCs two options or avenues to pursue in Kaer Maga: the original slaver in the Lamia's note or the owner of this "Silver" Raven.
Further, because the value of the elves is so dire to the cause of Good I'll have a powerful Good Outsider on the look-out for them and let the PCs do a Perception check for scrying.
These things, and hopefully one or two others, will make their arrival in Kaer Maga w/ the slaves more dynamic -- they'll have a handful of Urban-adventure/ intrigue roleplay veins to pursue.
I think after a few hours of this roleplay, with a couple small encounters (one the good guys trying a rescue, the other some bad guys trying to steal the valuable slaves) and finally an epic fight, the PCs, the two main evil NPC rivals, and the Good Outsider -- A fight with FOUR armies.
Ultimately the elves can be ancient members of the same family who, now that they're of a certain age, have blood perfect for a ritual sacrifice that, with other artifact-level ingrediants, can open a WorldWound-like portal to a realm of the NE Yugoloths & Daemons.