Recipe: Carrion Crown [SPOILERS]

[Kalraan]

Hello All,

This topic is heavy with spoilers, so is you're a player - BEGONE! But if you're a GM - PLEASE HELP!

Carrion Crown Recipe (SPOILERS):

The following items are required for the Carrion Crown: The spirit of the Head Warden, Lyvar Hawkran (Haunting of Harrowstone, Heart of the Wolf-Lord (Broken Moon), Skull Fragments formed into that of a skull (Broken Moon), and the Raven's Head [ Wake of the watcher).

Firstly, is this correct?

Second, what does each component do - in the creation of the Carrion Crown? Where can I find this mentioned in the AP.

Now my next spoiler:

Events in Wake of the Watcher (SPOILERS):

Given that the heroes end up with the Ravens Head at the end of Wake of the Watcher, how can the following sentence from the last book in the Series, Shadows of Gallowspire, be true: "With the components of the Carrion Crown elixir now assembled..."? Did I miss something REALLY important? The PCs in my game have the Ravens Head, and they believe that the Carrion Crown can't be created now that 1/4 of the components are outside of the Whispering Way's reach.

Again, PLEASE HELP!

[Loki_Thief]

Here, reposted from another thread, is what I did to solve the problem:

Spoilers Ahoy:

I've been thinking about the role of Raven's Head in the Carrion Crown formula. The adventure implies that it's intended to be an ingredient, but the formula is apparently completed in book six, without the Way recovering the mace in the interim.
My solution is that Raven's Head is *not* actually a necessary ingredient of the Carrion Crown. The cryptic mention in the poem is actually warning that the mace will reappear to oppose the Carrion Crown's creation and use. The Whispering Way wants the mace to keep it out of the hands of those who would try to stop them. This adds some nice irony, in the fact that the Way's attempts to secure Raven's Head are what end up leading to its recovery by the PCs. It also ensures that the PCs don't relax in their pursuit because they think the Way needs the mace to complete their scheme.

[Loki_Thief]

To elaborate some more...

Spoilers!:

Depending on exactly what you've told the players so far, my plan could be tricky to implement without looking like a retcon. You might have the PCs get word that the Way has 'acquired' another Pharasman relic, with the implication that it can fill in for the Raven's Head. Since the poem doesn't mention the mace by name, it's conceivable that there might be more than one way to fill that requirement. The mace would probably be their first choice, since it would also be a potent weapon against them, but with it in the PCs' hands, Plan B may be necessary.

[Kalraan]

Blast!

Further SPOILERS Ahoy!:

Well looks like I botched that well and good. I can see a ret-con in my future as I've made it quite clear that the Raven's Head is part of the formula. Again - BLAST! I guess another way would be in a letter from Adrissant. He would state something about the heroes thinking that they have the upper hand, but clearly they had it wrong. Perhaps about something that this was a sticking point for him in his research, but that there was always a substitute.

[Kalraan]

How's this...

Yet more SPOILERS!:

This is what I included in the latest letter to the party from Adrissant:

"I have been attempting to monitor the conditions in Illmarsh however the happenings there made the situation somewhat problematic, and I was unable to ascertain where you might be able to be contacted next. Indeed, I almost dared hope that you would fail to survive the events transpiring in that town - I would have considered that more than a fair trade for failing to obtain the Raven's Head. Yet, when the figurative smoke cleared, I was disappointed to discover that you had not only emerged from the chaos intact, but were bearing the very relic I had sought for myself. I should point out that this is more of an inconvenience rather than a requirement for my plans. It was, after all, one of the greatest blocks in my research. But as they say, there is always more than one way to skin the proverbial cat."

[Loki_Thief]

Works well, I think. The players might figure out that it's a retcon, but hopefully they'll be understanding. And if not, you can always drop rocks on them. ;-)

[Kalraan]

LOL. True that!

[Ben the Red]

Did you flat out tell them it was required? Otherwise anything info you give them won't be a recon: it will be evidence against their false assumption. You'll be in the clear! If they got the information from a NPC that said it was required, NPCs can be wrong/lie as well.

[Zhangar]

I went with

Spoiler:

Raven's Head being necessary to make TB a new artifact phylactery, but not actually needed for the elixir itself.

Without the new phylactery, TB would have to be much more cautious, because if he gets exploded then he rejuvenates back at his current phylactery - which happens to be inside of the Grand Seal, kind of ruining all of the effort that went into escaping.

Meaning his first priority upon being released would be to dismantle the Grand Seal, liberating his phylactery and all of his "stuff" inside.

So the lack of Raven's Head wouldn't stop TB, but it WOULD cause him some headaches. Adivion would greatly prefer to have Raven's Head and get everything done correctly.

[1bent1]

Zhangar, great idea, this could set up a confrontation with TB for post AP!

[Helaman]

Spoiler:

ORRR its lack is what triggers AA failed Lich conversion, not the wrong bloodline drinking

[jjacjackson]

Spoiler:

I also took a slightly different path. Obviously, the cryptic poem refers to the Raven's Head, but I also used it as an 'optional' ingredient.

If you note on the final sentence of the Raven's Head entry (page 55 of WotW), it notes that the Raven's Head, a minor artifact, could be destroyed if used as a component to creating a lich.

In this manner, Adivion wanted to create a lich AND destroy a minor artifact.

My PC's (one being an oracle of Pharasma, thus gaining a circumstantial modifier), through a Knowledge check , made my DC 30 check to learn this property of the artifact.