Help with a campaign in Sevenarches / Razmir

[Garrick Williams]

I've stumbled into a writer's block concerning an adventure involving Razmiran invading Sevenarches. I'm wondering if someone can help me out.

Campaign Background:

Thanks to spies and bribing a green dragon that lurks in the Wilewood of Sevenarches, Razmir learned that Oakstewards are hiding the source of a terrible disease that can potentially wipe out the elven race. If the disease spreads, Razmir cripples the neighboring nation with the most power to hinder his conquest across the River Kingdoms while painting himself a hero and the Oakstewards as the monsters that tore the elven race asunder.

After conquering Tymon, Razmir sent an army to invade Sevenarches, using propaganda that he wishes to help the elves reclaim their holy land. Kyonin obviously don't believe this, but choose to take advantage of the situation noneoftheless, sending a force on the other side of Sevenarches. With two invading organized armies to contend with, the oakstewards now have their hands full. What they may-or-may not know is that the entire invasion is merely a diversion for Razmir to find a way to find the source of the disease and spread it.

Using an amphibeous alchemical ship, the party traveled to Sevenarches in hopes of asking the oakstewards for a favor (one of the party members needs a regeneration). However, they took an unexpected route right through the Thinlands and into the heart of Razmiran invasion. They managed to halt the invasion's momentum and kill two gorgas the Razmirans were using as bioweapons, temporarily saving a small farming town in the process. The party now plans to head to the capital of Sevenarches where they expect to find a cure for the party member that needs a regeneration and get a bigger picture of what's going on.

Now I have the following questions to figure out for this plot.
1) How will Razmir spread the disease? And how he will do it in a way that the oakstewards and the fey cannot easily handle it? The obvious solution seems to sneak a few elves into Seven Arches and send them to Kyonin. Some of my ideas involve maybe involve a green dragon that Razmir bribed into betraying the oakstewards. I imagine there might be a diseased elf concentration camp as well inside of the Seven Arches.

2) How can I involve the players in this? What can I have them do that the oakstewards and the fey can't do themselves? They're 11th level and have a land ship. While not entirely interested in fighting a war, the party hates Razmirans and will gladly do anything to make life a living hell for Razmir's faithful.

[W E Ray]

About a year ago I included elements from an adventure in Dungeon 25, "A Rose for Talakara," in which I took the NPCs and several plot elements and made them from Razmiran.

In the adventure, an Elven Death Knight -- cursed to undeath and suffering utter despair of his status as a slave of evil -- tries to secretly enlist the aid of the PCs by leaving sporadic clues, each a magical black rose, for the PCs to follow. Of course, they don't know what the clues are, whom they are from, or what they mean -- at first.

In your adventure, perhaps the Elven Death Knight, struggling against his curse as an undead slave to Razmir, finds a way to leave the PCs clues like a trail of breadcrumbs. Because of the nature of the curse he can not really help the PCs -- he's struggling against the curse enough by leaving a trail of breadcrumbs.

And it is the Death Knight who will unleash the plague, fighting in vain against his curse.

The Fey and Elves, should they be somewhat aware of the situation, can be interested in getting the PCs to eliminate the threat because, as an Elven/(maybe Fey) plague that is so virulent and deadly, it's too risky to expose Elves/(maybe Fey) to the strain if they can get powerful heroes to do it for them. If need-be, they can also explain the clues the Death Knight leaves behind.