Recovering from a muddle

[Tinalles]

So, in my homebrew game, Arazni has just attempted to hire the PCs to kill Count Ranalc.

Unfortunately, this offer was based on a misreading of the canon -- I somehow got it into my head that Nex and Count Ranalc were in fact the same person. I reasoned that Arazni is tired of being de facto ruler, and wants the full title -- which she can only get by destroying Geb. But Geb's a ghost, and will continually reform until the thing tying him to the mortal plane (namely his hatred of Nex) has been dealt with.

Meanwhile, Count Ranalc has been the primary antagonist at the root of the party's troubles for the last two years, so the party has a reason to be interested in the offer. The party is also currently undead (vampires, due to an unfortunate random encounter), so the fact that the offer is coming from a lich isn't a major problem. Arazni even has reason to believe they can credibly take on a demi-god, considering they killed Jezelda recently.

It all worked so beautifully in my head. Arazni hires the party to get rid of Ranalc. I stat him up as a demi-god (like an empyreal lord or demon lord -- something potentially killable, unlike a full deity). They take him on, presumably with direct aid from Arazni herself (possibly even Geb). Epic fight, and when the dust settles the party's path to completing their own goal (fixing the gates of Sevenarches) is made substantially easier without active opposition from Ranalc.

... except it turns out that Nex and Ranalc are not the same person after all, which totally undermines Arazni's reasons for hiring the party to do it.

At this point, the party has no idea why Arazni wants Ranalc dead. All they know is that's what she wants, and she'll be willing to discuss the details if they're interested. So if I can come up with another plausible reason why Arazni wants Ranalc's head, the idea could still work.

Suggestions? I mean, I could just declare that Nex and Ranalc really are the same person, but that throws all kinds of other related canon stuff out of whack, and I'd rather not do that.

[Valandil Ancalime]

Perhaps she thinks they are the same person? She's wrong, but when has that ever stopped anyone before.

[Tinalles]

That's a good suggestion, though Arazni's incredibly smart (INT 39), and had centuries to get her ducks in a row.

I still may take it if nothing better comes up. Smart people make mistakes too.

[Steve Geddes]

Perhaps they've been asked by someone posing as Arazni.

For example: maybe Nex is about to reappear and is trying to incite problems for Geb - pretends to be Arazni and sends some adventurers after Ranalc whilst also tipping him off so the adventurers will be defeated - then Ranalc causes problems for Geb (Nex's two ancient enemies duking it out might amuse him). Whilst Arazni is distracted by an invasion/calamity from the plane of shadow, Nex resumes his throne and launces an invasion of his old enemy's nation.

[Mackenzie Kavanaugh]

Didn't Count Ranalc vanish right about the time Nex launched his war on Absalom? It wouldn't be unreasonable to conclude that there's a connection there, and that finding + killing Count Ranalc might flush out Nex from wherever he's been hiding the past centuries. Given Count Ranalc's connections to the Plane of Shadow, evil fey, etc, it would be easier to persuade PCs to take on Ranalc, especially since he's not a thousands-of-years-old archwizard. Sure, he's still a demigod, but I for one would rather fight Nocticula than Sorshen.

[Tinalles]

Ah, I like Mackenzie's suggestion -- Arazni is using Ranalc to flush out Nex. That sounds reasonable, if indirect. I like it. Particularly since as an undead creature, Arazni has a loooong time ahead of her -- indirect is fine, since she has time to try lots of approaches.

Thanks!

[Mackenzie Kavanaugh]

If they are linked and his death fails to flush out Nex, she still wins by denying Nex one of his most powerful allies/tools/etc, and Geb won't have any reason to suspect her motivations, because she's not directly going after Nex. Yet.

Any rate, glad you liked the suggestion.

[Ian Bell]

Maybe Nex has Ranalc trapped somewhere a la Zagyg and the demigods in Castle Greyhawk, and is extracting power from him in order to power up some plan of his that she opposes.

Also note... there's no reason Ranalc and Nex *can't* be the same person in your game. You're not beholden to the canon.