Way of the Wicked - 7th knot

[Melvin the Mediocre]

Has anybody who ran or played in a Way of the Wicked campaign any suggestions on making the 7th knot come alive? I have just run the first session, so my group will be meeting them next session. For the most part, none of them really get into character and interact with NPC though several of them would like to try. To that end, I would really like the group to come alive quickly, but not in a way that will be inconsistent with what is coming in book 2 (or later.)

[Tarlane]

My group is just starting book 3. When they first met the 7th knot they mostly dismissed them, so unfortunately I don't have a lot to offer for that initial encounter.

When they returned later, the characters really enjoyed building something of a rivalry with them by pushing the fact the other team was there to help them and was therefore subservient.

My group also discovered Trik's past time in their investigations, using detect thoughts, ect, so he became a big part of their focus and they made a part of their activities having someone to follow after him to clean up any messes he might leave to keep the town from getting too spooked.

[Melvin the Mediocre]

Tarlane wrote:

When they returned later, the characters really enjoyed building something of a rivalry with them by pushing the fact the other team was there to help them and was therefore subservient.

Interesting, I was thinking of having the brute (forget his name) checking out their weapons and dismissing them as to small. I may play up the rivalry by having them asking how long it took to complete the dungeon down stairs. Trik might act really friendly, only to have Trak sneer and point out that their team has never had to escape from prison because they would never get captured.

Do you think Trik trying to sacrifice a PC is going to far? Maybe sacrificing one of their assigned slaves would be better, or a PC getting drugged by the wine he meant for their slave.

[Melvin the Mediocre]

Tarlane wrote:

ushing the fact the other team was there to help them and was therefore subservient.

Did the PCs pick up on that on their own, or did it come out in a conversation?

[Tarlane]

I think that how far you want to go with Trik partly depends on whether you want to give the real possibility of him becoming a cohort later or not. My players didn't run that way, but it definitely gets mentioned a few times in the adventure as being an option.

The PC's picked up on things on their own, but that aspect was pretty straight forward to them. They realized pretty quickly that they were given the primary task and the other group was running support for them, keeping people from asking too many questions while they did the real work.