So, after reading a bit through Ashes at Dawn and taking a look at the GM thread here on the forums (and stealing a couple ideas: thanks guys, you're great), I'm worried that my players will just murder their way through the Underground because "all undead are evil" and miss out on the wonderful roleplaying opportunities. As a preventative measure, I've swapped out the 'Morning Murders' encounter with an encounter I wrote - the problem here being that it is my first encounter I've ever written from scratch. I was hoping that some other GMs could read it over, tell me what they think, and maybe give some suggestions to make this an awesome encounter!
The Basic Premise:
I've decided to try and make the vampires a bit more sympathetic: There are a few vampires who are trying to redeem themselves for personal reasons (seeing loved ones in the afterlife instead of being sent to vampire hell) and are trying to break their way free of a vampire's inherent evil alignment.
One such redemption seeker has opened up a clinic where people who can't afford spellcasting services can go free of charge. They also take blood donations, and sell them to vampires who have to feed, but are ashamed to do so on an unwilling victim.
Her and a few other vampires work in disguise, and have been running this successfully for a few years/decades now. Until now, when the PC's wake up to a commotion: someone's attacked the clinic!
Hinting at the Background:
I've got a couple opportunities for the PCs to figure out what was actually going on at the clinic, but I'd love to hear more:
1. There are no windows in the recovery room, where one might expect to find a lovely view of the outdoors. (Vampires obviously don't want sunlight streaming into their homes)
2. Two Journals, as detailed below
3. An 'Appointment Room' where volunteers would go and allow a hungry vampire to feed on them (I've written that some vampires prefer this over the bagged blood, and are willing to pay more. This room comes equipped a Wand of Lesser Restoration (2 charges) and a scroll of Rebuke Undead. There is also a grate in the room that would lead to the Underground if the PCs can navigate it (in the most likely case that they can't, it leads to a random sewer grate in the city)
4. A bathroom with no mirrors
5. A secret room with a few coffins, behind a classic 'tilt the book to open the secret door' wall.
6. A sole survivor, as detailed below.
Journal 1 - Business Ledger:
This is the one I'm worried about, as it seems way too obvious for the PCs to figure out. It's found in a destroyed office with a successful Spot Check:
Tammy Rhodes - Donation - 1 pint
Erica Hall - Donation - 1.5 pints
Johnny Swanson - Purchase - 1 pint
Angela Lane - Donation - .5 pints
Myra Ruiz - Purchase - 1 pint
Jerry Rivera - Purchase - 1 pint
Dean Bridges - Appointment
Doris Lawson - Donation - 1 pint
Julia Simmons - Donation - 1 pint
Taylor Foster - Appointment (Attacked Lydia, barred from entry)
Lydia Reed - Transfusion - 2 pints
Teresa Roberson - Appointment
Elsa Chavez - Donation - 2 pints (Fell unconscious, treated for one day before discharged)
Luther Cummings - Purchase - 1 pint
Journal 2 - The Owner's Journal:
This journal is from the clinic's founder, and helps foreshadow some future events. (I've written the AP as such that Luvrick is trying to severly limit above-ground activities due to the murders.)
"It appears that people are more than willing to volunteer, provided that they are not killed during the sessions. Donations are no issue, but appointments must be closely supervised. I've put some equipment in the room that all volunteers know about, and it should give them an edge if they're attacked.
Although we haven't been in contact with the Underground for many years, enough associates come by that I've been able to keep up with news. Luvick has taken a harder stance on above-ground activities, meaning that more people are flocking here.
I can't blame him, in fact; I fully support this action. If we're ever to be redeemed, we need to take steps like this. An action of one can ruin the reputation of all of us, leading to more confrontations, and sliding back into darkness. From there, it's a domino effect until all out war.
I know we'd win, but war doesn't sound appealing to me. Slaughter is not the way to redemption."
The Sole Survivor:
Finally, the encounter ends with the PCs stumbling into the morgue (enchanted to be colder than the rest of the building) and finding the attack's only survivor, a human vampire woman named Cece Spyley. She is currently disguised to prevent anyone from seeing her true nature, but can be figured out with a spot check.
She gives her story; how someone kicked in the doors, she grabbed a scalpel and hid in the morgue, and hasn't been out since. Anyone making a heal check at this point can discover that, despite having hid in the cold room for X amount of time, she's not even shivering.
The main thing for review here is her speech if pressed to combat. If the PCs are still going "oh they're all evil, let's kill them", then this is speech to at least make them feel bad for their actions:
“I have done nothing wrong! I came here to help at this clinic to make people’s lives better, as did Madame Darora and Lady Miha! We all sought to repent our inherent evil natures, for one reason or another. Do you have any idea what that entails, and what I went through before I came here?
I watched my husband die, horribly and slowly, because he refused to become a hideous creature like me, even while I begged for him to stay with me. I watched my children slaughtered by close minded fools like yourself, who killed them because they believed they'd grow to be monsters. All I want now is to see my husband and children again, instead of being dragged to Abbadon* like all other vampires, just because of my nature. I have spent the last two hundred years trying to redeem myself so I can see them, instead of being damned just because of a ‘gift’ I did not ask for.”
Tears stream down her face at this point, but that doesn’t hide the determined look in her eye. She is angry, angry at the world, and is not going down without a fight.
For Cece's stats, I've used those of Rakskaka's Vampire Alchemist from the GM Thread
*I couldn't actually find out what happens to a vampire soul when they die. The AP mentions Zura and The Revenant Court, but doesn't give a clear answer. I chose Abbadon because it's the worst plane for an evil-aligned soul to go to.
I really appreciate anybody who takes the time out of their lives to actually read all that, and I super appreciate anybody who offers their thoughts on the write-up. Like I said, it's the first one I've ever written: I've tried to just include the parts I think need some reviewing, but if someone would like to see the full write-up or more details, I'd be happy to share!
I was able to steer the PCs away from a murderous path by establishing the dhampir as an ally who was able to communicate to the PCs that Siervage is a critical element in keeping the vampires from declaring open season on Caliphas. The PCs understood pretty well that the "right" thing to do was to support Siervage in maintaining order. Also, I played up Siervage's role in betraying the Tyrant at the end of the Shining Crusade (I think that's when it was), so the players (rightfully) viewed Siervage as an ally against the Whispering Way.
That was sufficient to keep down the murderousness once they got to the heart of the vampire underground. Of course, they got to kill many rebellious vampires on the way. I also felt it was necessary to make clear to the PCs that the vampire druid in the greenhouse was allied with Siervage's enemies, which is not the case in the module as written. It didn't seem to make sense to me that Siervage would be open to dealing with the PCs after they slaughtered the vampire druid. With my modification, that act actually did Siervage a favor.
So, you can steer the PCs without going as far as you are proposing, but I do think the idea of vampires seeking redemption is an interesting approach, and it seems fully consistent with the idea that Siervage is trying to find some space for vampire-human cohabitation. So, go for it!
As to your details, where is this clinic? I could imagine it being sort of at the sewer level, like a few other locations in the module. Or it could be a secret storefront at street level with access to the underground through a hole through which the vampires pass while gaseous (which is basically impossible for the PCs to find -- you don't really want them going underground just yet). I gather when the PCs go there, the clinic is empty? Any bodies? Any signs of struggle? Are they there with the authorities, or has someone else summoned the PCs and the PCs alone? Note that some of the details about HOW vampires are killed from the "Morning Murders" encounter is important, so I would perhaps include that. Maybe a vampire was captured and tossed into an alley and exposed to the morning sun?
I think your hints about the nature of the clinic are great and sufficient.
Regarding the business ledger, I wouldn't worry about it being too obvious, because the vampire connection in general will be obvious and come up soon in the module. The point of this is just to show another side to the vampires in a clever and cool way. But think carefully about WHEN you do it in terms of the direction of the adventure. And maybe it does not need to replace morning murders. Maybe it can be an additional encounter. Whatever seems best.
One suggestion: CHANGE THE PATIENT NAMES! This isn't the U.S. The names should have an Eastern European flavor. Just use a Hungarian name list or generator from Google!
The Owner's Journal seems great and certainly makes it clear the vampires are not uniformly murderous.
I might skip altogether on the survivor. It seems unnecessary and a bit heavy handed. If your players still want to kill all vampires after finding the other stuff, they are a lost cause. Maybe make it clearer by the records that the vampires are offering medical care. If you leave the survivor, then she becomes an NPC you will need to continue to use and perhaps become the main contact with the Underground. Maybe you want to do that, but I liked using the dhampir, who was in the middle rather than actually OF the vampire underground. One other point: I can't imagine the vampires wouldn't have exits in every room they could pass through in gaseous form, so it doesn't really make sense to me a survivor would be stuck hiding there...
Thanks Voomer! It's great to hear from you, considering how much of a resource you've been on other parts of this forum!
I'm also planning on running the vampire druid as an enemy (addicted to bloodbrew, which I believe I snagged from the GM Thread), but my group can be...thick sometimes.
Details to your questions are as follows: I figured I'd just have it more out in the open, just a regular volunteer hospital with nothing weird about it. However, disguised storefront makes it a little more thematic, and it still allows the human populace to come in.
I'll probably use the rumor mill to get the PCs to investigate (someone heard noises, or the inn they're in is right next door and someone discovers it in the morning). The clinic is indeed empty when they get there; I plan on having the guards show up after the PCs get a crack at it. Two piles of ash (The previous owners of the journals) sitting in the sunlight when they get there, door broken off the hinges (more of a show of force than anything), and any current human patients have been ruthlessly murdered and are still in their beds.
And you make an excellent point with the survivor. Perhaps it would be better just to find nothing at all, and leave the PCs wondering.
I appreciate the suggestions Voomer, and I super-appreciate you taking the time to help out!
