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So here is my question to fellow GMs and the staff at Paizo: By the time the PCs become high enough level (say, after Assault on Longshadow), what is to stop them from leading an attack to liberate Phaendar and its surviving enslaved inhabitants from the Ironfang Legion’s clutches? The reason I ask is because if I was playing a character with deep connections to Phaendar, my goal would be to liberate my hometown. Or, if taking Phaendar would be too costly, at the very least staging a rescue of its enslaved inhabitants and bring them to safer territory.
By the time the players are finished with Assault on Longshadow, and assuming they have achieved victory, the PCs are now at 11th or perhaps even 12th level. They are no longer on the run and surviving by the skin of their teeth. Presuming that things went as well as they could have during the siege, they have the economically prosperous town of Longshadow in their pocket; the refugees from the first AP are safe either in their forest hold or in Longshadow; the Chernasardo rangers are behind them; and many inhabitants of Longshadow realize the Ironfang legion is definitely a long-term threat, and may be willing to join the PCs going far afield in order to stop the Legion from ever threatening their homes and loved ones again. Presuming the players use the Militia Rules, they should have a fairly well-established militia with teams to carry out their goals across southern Nirmathas. And by this time, the PCs are responsible for having crushed an Ironfang army, killing, capturing and scattering over two thousand hobgoblin soldiers and their allies. If they did superlatively well during the siege, it is likely that the PCs might be more than a little drunk off their own victory (or may simply wish to capitalize on their success) and itching to take the fight to the Ironfang Legion.
With all that in mind, it certainly isn’t unreasonable to think that many PCs forced to flee in the first AP as their hometown burned around them and their friends and loved ones were killed or dragged into slavery will be either be (1) hopeful that they can rescue the surviving enslaved people of Phaendar and (2) thirsty for revenge, and now have the power and wherewithal to exact it. What are some possible rewards for capturing the newly fortified citadel of Phaendar? What would the challenges be? Are there any modules out there that could give a GM like myself some ideas of assaulting/infiltrating a heavily fortified base to rescue hundreds of civilians? Or would such an idea be overly disruptive, derailing the campaign as the Adventure Path is written if the PCs did so? If Phaendar is practically a hopeless deathtrap at this point, what are some good ideas to discourage headstrong PCs from rushing headlong to their doom?
...OR am I getting ahead of myself and a section in one of the upcoming APs has been devoted to carefully detailing the possibility of retaking Phaendar and rescuing its people?
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So just got my copy of Siege of Stone and there is a side bar about what Azaersi does in response to the liberation of Longshadow. I will not reprint what is says in that sidebar more then
If the team decided to go after Phaendar. I would have them be faced with high level NPC's in the other army along with full troops. Remember that if the PC's decide to take the fight to them they would be on enemy territory. The hob army could set up lots of surprises including waiting for the PC's to get to a point then growing a tower to flank the PC's and any army they bring with. Having a defended city be the anvil and the flanking black tower be the hammer.
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I really like this idea, and I think it's something that the party should logically be able to attempt. I don't know of any reason why this couldn't happen, other then the devs just saying "You can't do that!".
The closest thing I can think of is the sidebar in book 1 that shows how bad the town gets if they stick around for too long, but that doesn't take later volumes into account.