I'm going to be doing an extended Rise of the Runelords/Shattered Star campaign (as detailed here) and I want to take the opportunity to integrate Seven Days to the Grave into the campaign. I fee like there's a pretty solid lead-in with the PC's witnessing firsthand the horror of Vorel's Phage in the Misgivings and then finding Ironbriar's journals that indicate his cooperation with the Red Mantis assassins at the conclusion of The Skin saw Murders... I also feel like I've got a nice path back, working in Curse of the Lady's Light as the PC's perhaps track a group of renegade Grey Maidens or have are directed to it as a potential resting place for one of the Shards. I'm also considering using Korvosa as a place to introduce a rival group from Cheliax and to possibly make it a last refuge for Xanesha the Lamia
The thing is, that I'm very familiar with the SS and RotRL AP's but not so much so with CotCT. I'm looking for all of the hooks and angles that I can tie this one volume into the other two AP's without re-writing any more than I have to... and I really don't want to miss out on any opportunity to maximize my player's experiences in this, their one opportunity to really visit Korvosa. Any advice suggestions or random thoughts along these lines would be much appreciated.
OK, Curse of the Crimson throne, Rise of the Runelords, and SPOILERS (and perhaps PFS spoilers too) below, you have been warned.
The most challenging thing about the Seven Days to the Grave is possibly coming up with a central villain behind it without diverting all the attention from your already busy setup. As written, the queen's responsible simply because she wants to mold the city into her image and that means getting rid of the "undesirables." Of course, much later in the Adventure Path we learn that things may be arguably much worse, as much of this plague business was but a ruse to get a sample of every Korvosan's citizens' blood. Through the sympathetic link their blood gives her, Ileosa Arabasti, will sacrifice their life force to a dread artifact of Sorshen's called the Everdawn Pool (as related in the final AP installment Crown of Fangs- which also features the characters going toe to toe with the Gray Maiden's most elite forces.). The sacrifices to the Everdawn Pool will allow Ileosa to achieve youthful immortality and a great boost in power, maybe even become a reincarnation of Sorshen. (This might be an interesting development if the characters succumb to a certain trap in the Shattered Star AP...)
Now, this is not so different from Karzoug's soul sacrificing of the greedy thing. However, the challenge here is that the people being targeted at least initially by the plague is those who don't have much to be greedy about, the disadvantaged who have to worry about merely being making it from day to day. And later (in the last module of the AP) it turns out that ALL the citizens of Korvosa are being targeted to fulfilled her rise to power.
Obviously, Korvosa's evil queen is a very evil and masterful villain in her right, and her inclusion could potentially overshadow the quest against the Runelords. So providing an alternate source of the plague might be in order. Davalus could be working for Karzoug in trying to discover a quicker way of making people die (and harvest their souls) that seems more "natural" for example. Alternatively, the Arkonas (a mob family of rakshasas from Escape from Old Korvosa- the following adventure in the Curse of the Crimson Throne) could be trying to do what the queen is doing in the default AP. Or even more out there, if you were willing to dig into some of the Pathfinder society scenarios there were a few associated with the cult of Lissala and the waking of the Runelord of Sloth- he could make for an easily inserted villain. High level and a possible preview with the showdown with Karzoug.
Yet more intriguingly is exploring the option of Karzavon, the very powerful, immortal, and ancient (CR 25 I think was the estimate?) that had been "killed" (though not really destroyed) and dismembered into several artifacts. It was contact with these artifacts that warped and transformed Ileosa Arabasti from petty, opportunistic poisoner into full blown villainous psychopathic mastermind. She feels the voice of Karzavon whispering in her ears, and may become, or leave behind in her wake, a reincarnation of Karzavon.
Now, the existence of Karzavon makes for an interesting coincidence in Rise of the Runelords. In the final battle, there is an unnamed adult blue dragon assisting Karzoug. What if this nameless blue dragon was a relative of Karzavon that had, like Ileosa Arabasti, fallen under the influence of the whispering immortal dragon? (We see in Escape from Old Korvosa the queen hasn't been the dragon's only pet project of resurrection- he has tried to inspire a cult through talking in dreams to various mad artists.) Karzavon could be spying on Karzoug to learn his secrets of power/transmutation/etc., and this might set you up for a follow up adventure or sequel campaign with Curse of the Crimson Throne as your main backdrop.
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Another thing to think about are the Gray Maidens in volume 2 of Shattered Star. As written in Curse of the Lady's Light, this group has left Korvosa following the destruction of the Queen, who in a sense horribly brainwashed them all. Like the death of a cult leader, they've been left adrift and seek another new leader to believe in from what I recall. If you wanted to keep in the possibility of defeating the queen later, the effect on their morale could be very much the same if this group of the Gray Maidens were a rogue faction- breaking off after having figured out the queen's horrible plans. And now they're similarly set adrift as if she had died. Or maybe they came to the ruins of Magnimar to find some kind of counter to their former queen's descent into evil. Either way, this might be a way to link Curse with Seven Days to the Grave- the characters find out about one from the other.
Dreaming Psion,
I appreciate the 'big picture' you painted for me, as I'm not as familiar with CotCT as I am the other two AP's. I actually only just read Seven Days from beginning to end last night.
I was mildly frustrated (but not at all surprised) to see how much of the second volume was dependent or directly tied to events in the first. Its important to make the point that what I'm trying to do as an over-reaching campaign is to tell the story of Shattered Star, using Rise of the Runelords primarily to do it - as such, I'm less concerned with keeping intact the Crimson Throne narrative apart from what it might be able to add to that story-arch. Karzavon, for instance, likely wouldn't play much if any role in my campaign nor would the Queen except as a backdrop... though your point of linking Karzavon with Karzoug is interesting - I'll already have Cadrilkasta in possession of the Shard of Sloth and Ghlorofaex ruling Xin-Shalast, both of them Blue Dragons... perhaps even re-writing the legend of Karzavon as a draconic alias of the 'Master of Transmutation Sin Magic' Karzoug which would explain his alliances with that particular breed? Just musing here.
What I was hoping to do was to use the plague in Seven Days to tie Korvosa into the overall story via Ironbriar, Vorel's Phage and the Grey Maidens at the Lady's Light. In so doing I thought I might be able to use Korvosa as a refuge for one villain (Xanesha) and an introduction to another (a rival party seeking the Shards). Looking at Seven Days as its been written, I'm forced to admit that might have been a little too ambitious as the story in that one volume doesn't advance the plot very far and only just introduces the Grey Maidens. If I include Seven Days, its going to take some more extensive re-writes than I thought and I'm going to have to be very careful to keep the PC's from going off on the 'Ilesoa/Korvosa' tangent and derailing the flow of the main plotline I expect them to follow.
We'll see. Any additional advice or perspectives continue to be most welcome.
Obviously, Korvosa's evil queen is a very evil and masterful villain in her right, and her inclusion could potentially overshadow the quest against the Runelords. So providing an alternate source of the plague might be in order. Davalus could be working for Karzoug in trying to discover a quicker way of making people die (and harvest their souls) that seems more "natural" for example. Alternatively, the Arkonas (a mob family of rakshasas from Escape from Old Korvosa- the following adventure in the Curse of the Crimson Throne) could be trying to do what the queen is doing in the default AP. Or even more out there, if you were willing to dig into some of the Pathfinder society scenarios there were a few associated with the cult of Lissala and the waking of the Runelord of Sloth- he could make for an easily inserted villain. High level and a possible preview with the showdown with Karzoug.
I'm re-reading this again and thinking about how the plague is being spread through use of silver... there may be a way to tie that in as a means of harvesting a large number of 'greedy souls' that could be another part of Xanesha's machinations. That would allow the PC's to track her there is she escapes and put a final end to the threat she poses, creating the needed 'villain' for the volume. The Grey Maidens could pop back up at the Lady's Light under other circumstances, some possibilities of which you've already mentioned.
Alright, I've been thinking about this (I wish I could edit old posts after the obligatory hour) and this is what I've come up with:
Since the grand backstory of CotCT isn't something I want my PC's to delve into, I'm going to switch things around a little bit. First off, it'll be Sorshein's semi-conscious self that's whispering in Ileosa's ear. The Queen will have sent the Grey Maidens to the Lady's Light in an effort to recover some needed artifact (the Shard of Lust and possibly one of the last remaining clones Sorshein had prepared) and while there they will have fallen under the sway of the Alu-Demon Ashamintallu. The PC's will go to the Lady's Light before Korvosa, having been directed there by Sheila Heidmarch and explore that AP volume first.
Meanwhile, Xanesha will have escaped them in Magnimar and fled to Korvosa to put into action her plans of killing greedy souls via the plague the Mantis Assassins/Cultists of Urgosa have concocted using Vorel's Phage and spread via stolen silver. Ileosa's won't have anything to do with this particular plot, focused as she is on the Shard and, eventually the Sihedron.
The hope is that the PC's will defeat most of the Grey Maidens in the Light but will eventually free Oriana of her mental control, righting not just her enchantment but also her sanity. Meanwhile Brodert Quink will have been working on Ironbriar's cypher and when the PC's return from the Lady's Light will be able to tell them of the plot against Korvosa (minus any real details). Oriana will be their 'way in' to her home city though she will have to keep her own identity secret while there.
The story becomes the PC's effort to stop the plague, thwart the Red Mantis/Urgosans and finally defeat Xanesha. Oriana will remain behind to fight to free her sisters from their torturous existence under Queen Ileosa while the PC's resume their search for the Sihedron shards. Meanwhile, during their time in the city, the PC's will have drawn the attention of a rival faction, possibly the Queen herself, again acting under Sorshien's influence. A group of Chelaxians will be sent after them, including an ambitious young noble (Cavalier, Order of the Peacock), two Hellknight loyalists, his Inquisitor mentor (Asmodeus) and a vengeful Red Mantis assassin gone rogue. From this point until probably SS#5 or RotRL#5, this rival party will dog their steps in their efforts to recover the Shards first, replacing its membership as appropriate.
I don't intend for Sorshein's influence to become known or apparent, though some of the clues in the Lady's Light will hint at those connections.
What do you think? Remember, I'm not really trying to tell the CotCT story, merely trying to use Seven Days as an introduction to Korvosa and the Grey Maidens as well as to enhance the plot of the Shattered Star/Runelords mix I've got going.
I like all of your ideas. The turning Karzavon into Karzoug is a good idea, and Karzoug going with the silver thing is a work of genius. (The similarity in color of silver to gray [as in the Gray Maidens] is an interesting coincidence and a possible point for Karzoug's agents to play up to throw off the players as to a red herring to his advantage.)
I was also just about to suggest Sorshen's return to further enhancing Shattered Star, so it seems like we're having similar thoughts here on what can work. Sorshen's whispers to Oriana, the Gray Maidens, and the rival adventuring party serves you in two ways. First, it fits her nature as a enchanter (subtle influence.) Second, the vagueness and subtlety of her influence is easy to downplay later in the campaign if you so choose. Using Oriana as a path into Korvosa sounds like great way to connect her more fully into the game and rewarding players with something very tangible for helping to break Sorshen's hold over her.
it also sounds like you've got a good solid core for a rival adventuring party with many of the iconic enemies (Red Mantis, Asmodean inquisition, Hellknights). I might suggest making one of the Hellknights a Signifier to boost the rival party's caster potential (seems a bit high on the Martials.) Signifiers are in Paths of Prestige, or check here:
Hellknight Signifier
The inclusion of a Red Mantis assassin going rogue has interesting implications for Seven Days considering the Red Mantis involvement in the plot. Taking down one of their rogue number might be a good way for the PCs to get off their hit list for interfering with their plans (and thus wrapping up their grudge from Seven Days.) Or perhaps the Red Mantis Assassin in the rival party has gone rogue to go after the PCs' disruption of the events in Seven Days. (if you are keeping the Red Mantis involved as an element in that plot and not replacing them with the Skin Saw Cult serving Karzoug from the Skinsaw Massacre.)
My main question for you to consider is what role you'd like the rival adventuring party to play. Are they going to be personal rivals to the PCs, or will they be more of a random, unknown wild card to keep the players on their toes? (if the former, you may want to build in reasons for the rival party to hold personal grudges against the PCs from some of their prior actions in the campaign.) Will the rival party try to snatch the glory from the PCs by beating them to the punch, or will they wait for the PCs to retrieve the prize themselves? (This will affect the timing of their appearances.)
In general, it sounds like you've got a good solid plan for augmenting your Shattered Star campaign. It makes me excited just hearing about it, so I can only imagine what it will be like playing in it!
The Karzavon = Karzoug was a thought I figured might play well if I was going to try to tie in more of CotCT, but I'm probably going to disregard that now. I'm basically going to have Sorshien whispering to Ileosa (almost) exclusively, but enhancing her abilities and enabling her to be able to more effectively manipulate others - again, this is going to be more background than a focus for the PC's so I'm not going to try to define it too much ahead of time, in case there are some tweaks I want to make down the road. The hold over the Grey Maidens in the Lady's Light will be that of the alu-demon who believes herself to be Sorshien reborn, aided in large part by the Shard she holds.
Xanesha potentially killing off so many of Korvosa's citizens - noble and poor alike in this version - only works to Karzoug's advantage by weakening Sorshien's powerbase and disrupting her own efforts while siphoning off souls for his own Runewells. I figure by then the two of them will both realize on some level that the other is seeking the same things, and they will be working at cross-purposes. Of course their agents will be relatively ignorant of all of this.
The thought behind the rival party is this:
The young Chelaxian Cavalier is seeking to increase his own power and influence by working in concert with Ileosa (allies in his mind, a pawn in hers) to seek out these Shards which Sorhsien in turn wants to use for the same reason as Karzoug, to reforge the Sihedron and hasten her return to power. The Inquisitor will be his mentor and advisor (kind of the Rasputin in his ear, and one who might have his own agreements with Ileosa or perhaps be seeking the artifacts for his own purposes). The two Hellknights were intended to be kind of nameless, as I want them to be replaceable from time to time by other hirelings or henchmen should the PC's slay them. The Red Mantis Assassin I figured would be the tracker of the group, seeking them out in revenge for foiling their plan in Korvosa and exposing their involvement - I'm also going to work in some personal angle so that the Assassin will want revenge on the PC's (or one specific PC) that will push him to go above and beyond even the Assassin's mandate. Driven by hate, that kind of thing.
The role of the group would be to sort of act as a foil for the PC's. Sometimes the knowledge that they might be on their heels will put a sense of urgency into their actions and keep them on track, while sometimes trying to catch up with them can serve as a hook to the next area/encounter. Ideally I'd like there to be at least 2-3 direct confrontations over the course of the campaign, enough that the PC's will be intimately familiar with their adversary. The party is only three players right now with the hopes of adding a fourth (I'll be augmenting them with various NPC's along the way), so I'm fine with the rival gang not being particularly caster-heavy.
One of the interesting ideas is that, since the rival party is going to be primarily lawful, nothing prevents them from cooperating with the group in a moment of desperation to ensure both of their survival, only to return to their rivalry the moment they escape.
Its just so great to be able to talk to someone about all of this!
Sounds like you've got a solid, well developed group of rivals, and good point on the caster thing if it's a smaller party. The Rasputin-esque inquisitor guy is very intriguing; it would definitely be interesting to see how things go with him if he has his own agenda. (The cavalier being a puppet for two parties at once could make for some interesting plots for the PCs to interact with/investigate/exploit to their advantage.)
It's always a joy for me conferring people with ideas about their campaigns. It can be very thought provoking (as it has been here) and gives me lots of ideas for campaigns of my own later on down the line. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to discuss relating to this.
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Well, I'm not THAT up on Shattered Star, but I have run Rise and Curse (twice) so I have a little to stand on.
Based upon what I've read in the thread so far, here are a few thoughts that might help keep 7DttG in line with your game and prevent your primary plot from being derailed by the Crimson Throne plot. This is less about the overarching story of the AP, and more about how to work it into what you are trying to accomplish while focusing on the Rise and Star plots.
This post will be less of a suggestion than a couple points for you to consider. If you have any follow up questions, I am always happy to drone on for long, meandering posts.
THE PLAGUE
A big part of 7DttG is the reveal that the plague is, in fact, not naturally occurring. If the characters know it is an attack on the city, they are immediately investigating the source and who is behind it. In the book as written, the Direption gets a passing mention, but the adventure steers the players towards containment and dealing with the consequences of contagion before unleashing them upon the good doctor. If the players know that the plague is an attack, you will have to work hard to convince them to spend time on the "containment" encounters when they know that there is a source to crusade against.
Keep in mind that if the players aren't given some kind of red herring to work with early, being sent to Korvosa to thwart Xanesha just as the plague hits is hardly a coincidence. Maybe have some obviously murdered and not plague ridden victims with the rune carved in them turn up? Maybe they arrive in Korvosa and there are already WANTED posters asking for information about the "Star Killer."
Essentially, if you make the connection between Vorel's Phage and Blood Veil too obvious and too early, you have a very different adventure on your hands.
THE HOOK
A lot of 7DttG abuses the relationship that the party has already established with Field Marshal Kroft in Edge of Anarchy. The adventure itself begins with the party being asked to help a plague victim related to a character they meet in the first book. Oriana being a way in seems to be a little bit of a stretch, unless you use her background in the Korvosan Guard to make her a previous friend of Cressida. Kroft is already a bit seditious by the time the Grey Maidens are rolled out...
Which reminds me! You may need a different reason besides the plague for Ileosa to roll out her Grey Maidens as the premier fighting force of the city. Or not. It is likely your players will never ask--you know them best. You could also decide that they were a large royal guard who is only now being given expanded power because of the plague...
Where was I? Ah yes! The hook. So to run the adventure closely to the book, you need a reason for Kroft to trust the PCs enough to elist their help (Oriana and desperation probably work fine here), and a reason for the party to volunteer their aid instead of hunting down Xanesha. If your party is particularly altruistic this shouldn't be a problem, but as soon as one person decides that stopping whatever Xanesha's grand, soul-stealing plot is advances the greater good far more than what little they feel they can do against a plague (how many times can you cast remove disease in a day, Sir Tanksalot?), it gets harder.
Perhaps there is a way for the PCs initial investigations to reveal that Xanesha has skipped town once she heard the PCs arrived? I mean, she has set up the Urgathoans, ritually murdered a few people to keep the PCs off the scent, and used her guile to make the bureaucracy convince Ileosa that Dr Davaulus is the best man for the job of fighting the plague (which, to be honest, she probably doesn't care much about anyway so the recommendation is easy to accept). After this she moves on to her next plan, wisely deciding after last time that tangoing with the PCs is better left to her new allies. Hopefully, you have thrown the PCs off the scent of the plague being her machination, but that means it is very possible they decide to leave town and chase Xanesha--only the quarantine just went into effect and the players are stuck dealing with it. I'll be the first to admit it is a cheap trick, but the players won't mind once they find out that they foiled her plan by stopping the plague. Having Jolistina carve sihedron runes into all of the guests at the Carowyn Manor would also serve to keep the party interested. Just a thought.
Of course, Xanesha could have just let it be known that she left the city in an attempt to get the PCs out of the city before the inevitable quarantine makes getting back in to stop her impossible, only for the party to not learn the information until the quarantine works against her. This way you can still have the showdown with her occur naturally in this segment of your campaign.
QUEEN ILEOSA ARABASTI I, MAY HER REIGN BE LONG AND PROSPEROUS
I think you are wise to keep Kazavon and his influence out of your campaign entirely. If the Sorshen whispering in her ear thing advances your plot, run with it. If it doesn't, than I would probably just have Ileosa be her usual, evil self all on her own. Either way, it is probably best to have her maintain a low profile in this one. The enemies are instead the agents and allies of Xanesha. This will keep the party firmly in the Runelords plot instead of skipping rails onto the Curse plot.
AFTER THE DIREPTION
Here's where things might need a little more massaging, and possibly a few cheap tricks. On the Direption, the party should discover the document implicating that the plague was sold to Davaulus by "B7." At this point, the PCs know that the doctor the Queen hired to save her city is, in fact, the man who plagued it in the first place. Naturally, they will go to Kroft, and this is covered in the book. That said, the party might still want to tell Ileosa. Unlike in the written adventure, Ileosa would probably be pretty pissed off if she discovered she was being conned by Davaulus and would be more than happy to crush him like a bug. Not so much because she cares about the city, of course, but more because nobody pulls a fast one on the Queen and lives to tell of it. So in this case, you just have to keep the party from informing the Queen. Maybe she has absconded to a villa outside of the city while the plague is rampant. Or maybe she is refusing to let anybody in the castle. Either way, you have to keep this problem in the PCs' hands so that they end up being the ones cleansing the temple of Urgathoa. On a side note, there probably shouldn't be any Grey Maidens inside the building. I'm sure you considered that already.
That's all I have off the top of my head. If you have any questions or want some more ideas, let me know.
Hope that inspires!
@Knick
I ~really~ appreciate you taking the time to think it all through and then illuminate your thoughts - your experience will no doubt be invaluable once I reach that part of the campaign and I may well resource you if you don't mind.
Let me tell you what I think I'm going to do (nothing etched in stone at this point) and maybe address some of those points you made and possibly raise some others.
The plot line will go like this:
Sorshein is stirring to semi-consciousness and has begun influencing Queen Ileosa, accentuating her innate wickedness and hijacking it for her own purposes. She was the indirect inspiration for the creation of the Grey Maidens and their eventual perversion as the Queen's personal bodyguards/playthings/gestapo. In response to strange dreams she had, she sent Oriana and a squad of Maidens to the Lady's Light in the hopes of seeking out the Shard of Lust - the only Shard Sorshein actually knew the whereabouts of.
Around the same time Xanesha has put her plans into motion in Magnimar and its surrounding environs and is beginning to make arrangements for Korvosa - her Master, Karzoug, sees the strategic value of reaping souls from Korvosa, undermining Sorshein should she awaken and disrupting her power base. Xanesha clandestinely facilitates the transfer or Vorel's Phage to the Red Mantis Assassins and the Cult of Urgosa via Ironbriar as alluded to in his journals.
The PC's upset the Skinsaw Cult and defeat Ironbriar, discovering his coded journal which must be deciphered (a simple spell prevents the use of magics like Comprehend Languages), a task likely to fall to Brodert Quink. Meanwhile, Sheila Heidmarch contacts the PC's and begins to inform them of what they actually have in their possession (at that time, the Shard of Wrath and the Shard of Envy). As an avid student of Thassillonian and especially Sihedron lore, she suspects another Shard may rest within the Lady's Light. Quink, who's always wanted to see the famous Thassillonian monument requests to tag along, eventually being left with the witch Maroux as the PC's advance to make sure things are safe.
Within the Lady's Light the Grey Maidens have fallen under the sway of the Alu-Demon Ashamintallu who believes herself to be Sorshein reincarnated. The PC's defeat her and liberate Oriana in the process, both from the demon's influence and that of her empowered Queen. When the group reunites with Quink, I will have had him break the cypher (with Maroux's help) and they will be able to deduce that Xanesha has something awful planned for Korvosa, centering around the Phage. Oriana will want to protect her city and save her fellow Maidens, those that can be saved - that alone should be enough for the PC's to head to Korvosa. Heidmarch herself has had some involvement with that city in her past as well and will understand their desire if not encourage them to do just that.
As far as running the actual volume goes, its becoming apparent to me how much of it I'm actually going to have to change though I intend to keep the spirit of its original intent alive. The PC's will basically sneak in, not wanting to be recognized by Xanesha's agents and Oriana not wanting to be recognized by her brethren. Somehow during their investigations I'm going to tie them into the little girl who gets sick and the priest's reaction to their efforts. The plague is going to strike the city via the silver that washes ashore and will spread much as it is written in the books. How the Sihedron brand makes its way onto the dead is something I've yet to fully explore - possibly by the 'doctors' using a magical rune disguised as part of their healing efforts? In this version, the Queen does in fact want the plague to stop, but she is so removed from the trials of her city by Sorshein's influence that her efforts are distracted and half-hearted at first, which allows Xanesha to get her agents into position. Upon realizing her ancient enemy is behind these machinations, Sorshein/Ileosa will move quickly and decisively at the end, likely just on the group's heels. The PC's will come to her attentions by the end of it and it will be she who sets the rival party after them when they depart the city, leaving Oriana behind to continue her personal struggle to free her sisters from their unrealized bondage.
That's the plan, anyway. How many of the actual encounters I'll be able to use from the volume remain to be seen, and this will definitely be the biggest re-write I have to do. There's just too many good things in Korvosa not to make the attempt. That part of the campaign is a full half-AP away at this point, so I feel comfortable that I'll have time to iron things out by the time it comes up, especially with such splendid assistance as I'm getting.
I'm always happy to help! The quality of the help, however, cannot be guaranteed...
Alright, so I'm revisiting this after a few weeks of consideration.
I'm still planning on having Seven Days to the Grave take place after the Skinsaw Murders and the Curse of the Lady's Light, linking them through Ironbriar's journals, Vorel's Phage and a redeemed Oriana who will serve as the group's 'in' into the city. The plot will be as follows:
Xanesha, having escaped the PC's in the Shadow Clock tower and having lost key minions in Ironbriar, the Scarecrow, the Skinsaw cult and her cadre of faceless stalkers decides to oversee the plans she has set in motion in Korvosa personally and relocates there. Her intent is to use the disease developed by the Red Mantis Assassins and the Urgotha Cult to kill as many people in Korvosa as possible, spreading it through the infectious silver and thereby catching as many greedy souls as possible in her sweep.
The doctors will be in her employ, moving through the city and offering a bogus treatment which will include the branding of the sihedron rune to mark someone as having been made no longer infectious which is, of course, a complete lie. The ship will have been her machinations and I'm thinking about either replacing Lady Andaisin with her as the final boss (or making the two of them lovers and being encountered together which might be too tough a final battle, I'm still weighing all of that). Some of the encounters I won't be using and a couple I'll likely add, but I really like the idea of the wererats, of them being blamed, a potential war brewing and the PC's making allies of them by stopping the war from happening. They'll become agents/spies for the characters, offering valuable clues as to what's really going on and where people can be found.
Queen Illeosa's role in all this is going to be pretty minor if any at all. My plan is to have her under Sorshien's sway, unknown to any - including herself - and for her to have had no role in the plague. In fact, its her distraction that allowed for Xanesha to infiltrate and use her plague-carriers and her false doctors to spread the disease entirely. I do plan on having her take notice of the PC's and their quest before the end of the story however, or perhaps just at the end, which is where the rival party will be established and put on the PC's trail. Sorshien also wants to reassemble the Sihedron - it was why Illeosa sent the Grey Maidens to the Lady's Light to recover the Shard of Lust in the first place. In the aftermath of the plague that infected her city, she realizes Karzoug's (or more likely some unknown Runelord rival) machinations have already begun and she moves to thwart him as well, meaning that the PC's won't receive the full attentions of Illeosa/Sorshien and that the rival party will act as a surrogate in that matter.
Thoughts?
It's a fine backstory, but without having the hook it is difficult to see how the adventure will run. As I mentioned above, what hook you use can drastically alter the way this adventure plays out. I do have a few things that you may want to consider. I'll get through some of the quick ones first before I go into my usual mouse wheel crushing comments.
ON XANESHA AND ANDAISIN
I don't know exactly what level your party will be when they get to this point, since you are running 3 books before this one, but I think you could totally do the lovers thing and put them both in the room together. Lady Andaisin by herself is only a challenge to the party because of the meatgrinder they went through to get to her. Having run this twice, she hasn't been a major problem (although I did do very well with a hold person the first time around). You'll obviously know your party well by this point. You can have a lesser version of Andaisin statted up if you fear they might be in over their heads. You also have the Daughter of Urgathoa in your back pocket. If the fight is going badly for the PCs, Andaisin stays dead. If it is going well for the PCs, go forward with the transformation. This is one of the easier fights to manage on the fly.
ON THE RIVAL PARTY
I like the rival party idea, as that can always be a fun, recurring foil for the group, but, as explained so far, I'm not really seeing how they come into the story. Saving Ileosa's city from a plague doesn't seem to warrant any negative attention. It would be more sensible that thwarting her Maidens' mission at the Lady's Light gets her attention (maybe even have a confrontation or two in plague-ridden Korvosa?). Being known to have sihedron shards would also be a good reason, but that might logically demand Ileosa's personal involvement. Of course, the rival party could just be hunting the same shards and keep bumping into the PCs--eventually putting them on the Queen's radar by being two steps ahead of her minions.
ON HOW THE PARTY APPROACHES THIS WHOLE THING
If the plan is to send the party to Korvosa with the clues: Xanesha, Vorel's Phage, and "something awful to Korvosa," expect the PCs to immediately pin the plague on Xanesha and forego containment encounters in an attempt to find and stop Xanesha. There will be no reveal. Additionally, nobody with a mark that says they aren't infectious is going to hide that during a plague. As soon as the party bumps into one of these people, they are going to ask where they got it from. This will IMMEDIATELY point the party towards the doctors, whom they will very correctly surmise are working for Xanesha.
Your adventure still has lots of potential to be very entertaining, but it is a little too simple for the PCs to unravel, and this approach effectively scratches out other encounters. Ask yourself this: would you go stop the impending conflict between Korvosa and the wererats caused by the population's suspicion that the lycanthropes are helping spread the plague, or would you go stop the person who is spreading the plague? This is the question you will be asking your party. Both the immediate good and the greater good lean towards saving the city from the plague, which would naturally ease tensions between the wererats and Korvosa without the PCs even getting involved--not to mention it saves many lives and (more importantly) souls.
With the information you have Brodert revealing to them from the journal, you are effectively sending the party to Korvosa with the knowledge that they have to stop a plague. They also know by this point that those killed with the mark have their very essence funneled towards awakening Xanesha's master, whomever that may be. Consider your party's motivations carefully.
Now, if that is the straightforward adventure you want, then have at it. It does fall in line with some of your comments:
The story becomes the PC's effort to stop the plague, thwart the Red Mantis/Urgosans and finally defeat Xanesha. Oriana will remain behind to fight to free her sisters from their torturous existence under Queen Ileosa while the PC's resume their search for the Sihedron shards. Meanwhile, during their time in the city, the PC's will have drawn the attention of a rival faction, possibly the Queen herself, again acting under Sorshien's influence. A group of Chelaxians will be sent after them, including an ambitious young noble (Cavalier, Order of the Peacock), two Hellknight loyalists, his Inquisitor mentor (Asmodeus) and a vengeful Red Mantis assassin gone rogue. From this point until probably SS#5 or RotRL#5, this rival party will dog their steps in their efforts to recover the Shards first, replacing its membership as appropriate.
A little misdirection, however, goes a long way. It also helps you guide the PCs along a different, more circuitous path. I'm gathering from your comments that you want to have some fun in Korvosa (and who doesn't want to stage an encounter during imp vs psuedodragon fight?) and tie in Vorel's Phage. I mean, put yourself in the players' shoes. Is it better to have the tie in handed to you? Or would you rather "earn" it? Would you rather a book or movie that spelled the plot out for you at the beginning? Or one that kept you guessing until the moment when everything suddenly comes together and it all makes sense? Only you can answer these questions for you and your group. It should be fairly obvious by now that I personally like the less direct approach.
IDEAS ON HOW TO HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT, TOO
So here are a few thoughts on how you can keep your adventure from immediately becoming a mad race to shut down Xanesha, while still incorporating all of the elements I think you want in the adventure.
IRONBRIOR'S JOURNAL
My strong suggestion is to not give away too much at this time. All the PCs need to gain from the journal is where to go next. So make sure Ironbrior mentions Xanesha's trips to Korvosa, the fact that she has allies and schemes in Korvosa, and that he is becoming jealous of a mystery person he thinks may be a lover of Xanesha in--you guessed it--Korvosa. That ought to do it. No need to bring the Phage in just yet, they'll get that fun reveal later. Also, there is little need to go on about something awful planned for Korvosa, since your PCs will likely get the hint. If you think the hint needs to be stronger, have Ironbrior's journal talk about the sihedron rune and how it steals away the recipient's soul upon death for Xanesha's greater purpose, which Ironbrior suspects is some sort of fiendish power grab that will allow her to rule all of Varisia. Very shortsighted, I know, but does your Ironbrior even realize that Xanesha is a lamia?
If the PCs decide that they need to go to Korvosa and find out what Xanesha is up to, you have a grand success.
WHAT EXACTLY IS XANESHA UP TO?
Obviously Xanesha is collecting greedy souls and using the plague to sow enough chaos that she can work freely. Stealing souls, however, has a basic, known, visible requirements: the sihedron rune. Assuming you don't want the PCs to immediately know that the plague is Xanesha's scheme (keeping in mind that it will immediately be suspect numero uno unless you throw them off the scent--see previous comments for ideas on this), you can't have people walking around with sihedron runes given to them by the doctors. Queue up the Hospice! This is where all infected people come to be treated. Here's the best part--some people receive successful treatment, lending credibility to the place. Conveniently, they aren't the greedy ones.
The doctors can screen everyone that comes in, and use some basic questions or offers to determine the greediness of the person. If they aren't very greedy, they end up receiving real, bonafide treatment and have a chance at survival. If they are greedy at all, they are marked with the rune and hastened to Karzoug's service. Nobody is carefully inspecting plague-ridden corpses, so the rune should go completely unnoticed unless a clever, macabre PC thinks to check a mass grave.
THE PLAGUE IS VOREL'S PHAGE!?
You still get your Phage reveal, only the players have to get it from the paperwork on the Direption just like all of the CotCT groups do. Hopefully, you have done enough that the party still has doubt about the plague being caused by Xanesha, and they get the fun "AHA!" moment. Then you can procede dwith your kick-Xanesha's-butt adventure.
ENCOUNTERS THAT DON'T INVOLVE KICKING IN XANESHA'S DOOR AND MISSING OUT ON ALL THAT KORVOSA HAS TO OFFER
These encounters can now hold some serious weight. If the party is kept guessing what Xanesha's involvement is, you can send them around the city chasing rune carved murder victims--preferably plague-free ones. You can let them think that the wererat conflict might be part of her plan. You can keep the party pointed in the direction of the runes that Xanesha is putting around the city to distract the PCs that she has to know might be after her. I mean, if she was foiled in Magnimar, it only makes sense that she takes greater precautions in Korvosa. You have a chance to run the adventure much closer to as written, with a rogue's gallery carving stars into people while the city panics.
THE BEST PART
By not handing the party the plot at the very beginning, they get to "figure it out." They can save hundreds or thousands of lives, prevent a major conflict between the city and its lycanthrope community, stomp through any part of Korvosa you want them to, and achieve a sense of accomplishment thwarting a devious villain who went to great lengths to throw them off her trail. Compare that to knowing exactly what they are getting into and steamrolling to the conclusion. Better than that, you don't have to scrap 2/3 of the book!
Now, all of this is my personal opinion, but doesn't that cake sound delicious?
Hope that inspires!