PCs want to go to Harrowstone immediately

[Jenn Taylor]

I'm first time DMing with Carrion Crown. Immediately after the funeral and wake the PCs decide to go to Harrowstone. They stay for the will reading, then ask how the professor died, why he was at Harrowstone, and how it burned down.

They wanted to go before and after questions. I managed to distract them with loot with the church, but they didn't want to bother with the townspeople and went straight to the mausoleum.

The session ended just after checking out the town statue and being accused of desecrating it. They have no interest in The Whispering Way even though they are going to avenge Petros's death. They know nothing about the five prisoners,which make up most of the atmosphere.

What do I do?

[Doodlebug Anklebiter]

I don't really have an answer for you, but:

When I ran the first issue of Carrion Crown, one of my players decided that, after the attack by the townspeople in the cemetry, he had to hunt down the ringleader (Gelphesus Hug? something like that) and burn down his shack with him in it.

The point being: Players will do the damnedest things and you gotta learn to roll with it.

(In all likelihood, they will be driven away without clearing out the prison in one swoop. Maybe you can direct them towards the info then. Or maybe Kendra (?) has been researching things on her own and can inform them of stuff when they return to town. Or maybe The Chopper will get them.)

[wraithstrike]

Let them go. :)

[Blackbot]

If they are still level 1 they will get their asses kicked and might see pretty soon that it would be a really bad idea to enter the Castle again without preparation.

I had a paladin in my group and thus had the opportunity to use the law against them: Because of the history and the dangers coming from the castle it's strictly forbidden to enter the premises. The people fear that might stir up trouble. They ran with it (partly because they did not know where the professor died exactly) and were only interested to enter the castle when more serious things started to happen.

And by that time they had pretty much taken over the town and organized a militia to defend it, so everybody listened to them anyway and nobody argued when they went to the Castle to stop the madness.

[Cardinal Chunder]

wraithstrike wrote:

Let them go. :)

This.

But ask them to have an idea for their next PC before they go...

[Chief Cook and Bottlewasher]

It's probable that they'll meet the ghost Vesorianna before any of the 5 malign ghosts, so as long as they talk to her you can feed them info then.

Perhaps, as well, the moment they do learn some relevant info, (perhaps a knowledge check looking at spell remains) award them XP, so they know research is going to get them something.

[Dennis P.]

Those pesky PC's can frustrate you at times. But, as others have said, I would let them go. However, so much can happen before they get to Harrowstone. If you have time to prepare them, there's a few things you can do.

First, perhaps you can have a wandering troupe of Varasian gypsies encounter the party on the way. Perhaps they are in trouble, (maybe a wandering monster or the townsfolk are blaming the recent troubles on "those damn gypsies!). After aiding the caravan, or simply interacting with them, have the elder Matriarch of the clan be a Harrower and give a reading which reveals a few more facts about Harrowstone. You could also try to stress the importance of research and protection before they journey to the prison. Or perhaps you can have the clan mention a run in they had with the cultist of the Whispering Way. Perhaps they can drop hints about how the cultist were doing various research in the town. They may not bite, but if all else fails you can have the Varasian's give out most of the information either through the Harrowing or simply by telling them.

Second, in a similar way you could move up the encounter with The Crooked Kin from "Trail of the Beast" in Book 2. After having befriended the carnival troupe, have them pass on whatever important information you want your players to have. Remember, they've been traveling around the country and so know a lot of information and lore. You could also have a performer be a Harrower and perform an informative reading. In addition to passing on information your players may have missed, bringing The Crooked Kin in earlier will foreshadow the events of the next chapter.

A final idea would be to have the town attacked, similar to Event 5: Smoldering Revenge on Page 23. You may have to change the setting, perhaps the townsfolk are gathered in the town square, arguing about what to do when they are attacked by the forces of the prison. (Rising undead, beheaded, whatever you like). This may distract your players to stay, fight and save the townsfolk. Afterwards, have one of the wounded, an old timer from back in the day ramble on about how the evil is tied to Harrowstone and those 5 prisoners! Other townsfolk in the crowd could mention bits and pieces, "He's right, I thought I saw strange birds in the sky the other day and I could swear they reminded me of The Piper of Illmarsh! What if they were his dreaded birds back from the grave?" Something in a similar vein but you get the idea. A bit heavy handed, but it might help you get your information across.

[Helaman]

I had

a) A local ordinance against visits without permission
b) A final letter from Lorrimor telling the players to learn all they could before attempting any action
c) Make the townsfolk and town events a distraction that has them needing to focus more locally
d) Sorrow and later breakdown from Kendra that meant they couldn't realistically just up and leave.

It worked for my current group and they spent a solid week prepping before they attempted the prison. I've pulled MOST of the extra events and will run some additional ones moving forward to let them feel the water start to boil so to speak.