So, I decided to spice up Rise of the Runelords a little bit, and would like to know if I'm off-base or not... I'd appreciate your input. I should preface this by saying that most of my group (including me) is new to Pathfinder, and not too familiar with setting or histories.
Ok, so Karzoug went into hiding at the fall of Thassilon with the intention of waking when the uprising abated. Unfortunately, that whole society went kaput and he's been waiting for thousands of years. Mokmurian finally showed up and is now Karzoug's pawn, helping bring him back to power.
I've decided to add a few things...
The runelords all gained power by making deals with some deities. The deities showed them how to gain power through rune wells. The deities knew that when the runelords eventually died, the power they had gained was to be given back to the deities automatically. Unfortunately for the deities, the runelords used the wells to harness power from Sins, and then began actively trying to avoid death. This prompted the deities to interfere... It was these select few deities who instigated the fall of Thassilon, so that the runelords would soon perish (actually, since the deities can't directly interfere with the mortal world, their minions are what "helped things along." With all of the runelords dead, these deities would bathe in their new power.
The deities' plans went sour when Karzoug basically escaped death in hiding. Now, these few deities have been waiting for thousands of years for him to die "completely" so they can harness his power.
One deity's minion has been helping the PCs on occasion (by giving them some items and healing potions). They don't know who she represents, but judging by her black-feathered wings, it probably isn't a good deity. Also, they just found out that she has also been kidnapping their most beloved relatives. She is doing this because she anticipates that the heroes will learn that if Karzoug dies, an evil deity will gain enough power to finally overthrow several other good deities (which will have significant repercussions for the entire world). If the players choose to keep Karzoug alive, she will threaten to kill the PC's loved ones.
Whew! So, as far as the world's history (including runelord "rules"), does my backstory really not work? Is there something that glaringly says, "no way"?
I appreciate your input.
First, I'm really not inclined to bring dieties that directly into a campaign. It just makes too much of a mess of things usually. Karzoug is big and bad enough to not need dieties to make him tougher.
Second, I'm not sure Thassilonians would even recognize the exsistence of the paltry dieties of Golarion. Their god(s) is magic. Magic with 7 faces to it. A power that feeds on the corruption of men's souls.
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Short answer: I wouldn't do this myself, but it's your campaign - if you think it makes for an awesome story, then go for it!
Longer answer: Ahlmzhad has the right of it - the Runelords worship power, not gods. They gather their power through their mastery of sin magic, and while it originally was presented by the lost goddess Lissala as virtues, they've perverted it into something grotesque and vile. Thassilon became a power thanks to divine intervention, but without that intervention, they would never have become the terrifying despots that we know them to be. The big flaw in the plan as defined above is that Karzoug isn't the only Runelord to escape death's clutches when Thassilon fell. Runelord Krune has canonically survived, and it's rumored that all of the other five did as well. Karzoug was just the first to stir in his slumber. Though Karzoug may die, it's still only a seventh of the power the gods were expecting to receive.
One last question: Let's say you go through with this, and present the PCs with this moral imperative. "If you kill Karzoug, then [insert evil god here] will gain incredible power, enough to overthrow the gods of Good themselves! And, if you decide to leave him alive, then I'll take the lives of everyone you hold dear!" The PCs are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. What's the solution? Is there one? I don't see the "total victory" option here, and I really do think there ought to be one at the end of this long road from Sandpoint to Xin-Shalast.
Actually there is a very simple solution. Destroy the Soul Lens in the Runewell with Dominant Weapons. It traps Karzoug in his mini-dimension forever but doesn't actually kill him.
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Or, the other option, is have a possibility for one of those "one-time" truces that happen in film and television... Karzoug is no fool. If he knows that this god wants his power, then he may throw a deal at the heroes. He will help them, if they agree to a truce... perhaps it could extend the campaign for a bit, or lead into a follow-up campaign where the new PCs must deal with the new Shalastian State! I imagine the intro would be something like, "The five year truce with Karzoug is nearing an end and his armies' activities had been more and more apparent in Northern Varisia. It is up to you to gather what information you can about the possibility of a coming war..."
Also, why not tied in something to make all the Lamashtu stuff happening in this Ap more relevant?
What if, while Karzoug sleep, the lamias of Xin-Shalash didn't start worshipping something different that the pure phylosofy of Greed, and converted to the faith of the greed demon areshkagal, lamashtu's Daughter? They could even have done it behind his back since he's physically bound in 1 place and can just scry on them sometimes.
What if the time portal that karzoug is building is "simply" a colossal gate to transport his actual army (he has one, right? All those giants and dragons) up and down everywhere in Varisia in order to sack few mayor city and then threaten the rest?
In this scenario, the death/permanent imprisonment of Karzoug leave a giant portal ready to use for those lamias, who could well call in something like a CR 26 or more demon lady and try a Worldwound take 2 in lamashtu glory. The players may need to make a truce of even resurrect the runelord to avoid such dire situation!