Expedition to Jorgenfist

[Naglfarthedwarf]

So my players completed Jorgenfist, found the library and convinced all the giant tribes to go home. Jorgenfist is now lying empty with all that historically significant stuff under it.

They were previously doing Thassilonian research at the Archives in Magnimar and have met Archisa Aparna, a pathfinder at the Museum of Ages who has been buying Thassilonian artifacts off them.

Now they want to approach her about organising a major expedition to Jorgenfist to basically man the place, guard the walls etc and make the library the greatest historical discovery in Varisia - the book does describe the library as being the greatest repository of information on Thassilon ever found.

I think it's a great idea but my question is how do I work out something like this? I know I could hand wave it as 'the Pathfinder Society likes the idea and funds it and you're welcome to use the library whenever you like', but I'd prefer to spend some time on it, do a bit of kingdom building which seems to be how they would like to do it as well.

Are there any rules for something like this somewhere? How much would it cost them to launch a major expedition? Surely a resource like the library would produce a valuable outpost but how do I work that out?

Any suggestions welcome.

[Yossarian]

I wouldn't think this needs explicit rules - play it how you want to play it. You could use the kingdom building rules (ultimate campaign) to get some indications of how much the various associated costs would be, but they are just loose guidelines. Given that Jorgenfist is in a remote and dangerous area, those costs would likely be considerably higher than what's listed.

There's plenty of other factions in Varisia that might be interested in the expedition too. The monks of the Therassic Spire in Kaer Maga come to mind, as well as the Cyphermages of Riddleport.

Spoiler:

For my campaign, I started ratcheting up the sense of urgency by book 5 - the adventure became a race against time - get Karzoug before he completes his emergence and Varisia is in deep deep trouble. So any mid-long term plans my PCs had were shelved as the need to discover the secrets of Runeforged weapons and locate Karzoug became paramount.

[DM Shade]

Mechanically-wise, I suggest taking inspiration from the singular anyone's
the 5e Stronghold rules. Many (including myself) see the Ultimate Campaign rules unwieldy or difficult to incorporate. The rules require some DM input on how some things convert.

As for the library and its impact on the campaign, I suppose a few of the following work:
1. Wealth Injection: By finding an interested financier (Society or a rich patron from Magnimar, Absalom, or Korvosa), the heroes could get a one-time gp reward, and a positive reputation as Thassilonian authorities--bonus to diplomacy, titles, etc.
2. Thassilonian Artifacts: Custom-designed magic items unearthed (by consulting maps) or reverse-engineered from ancient designs could provide a good bonus for character power. Staffs, swords, and bows with glowing runes are always cool.
3. New Spells: A subcategory of artifacts--custom spells based on the Runelords' and their servants' powers, such as advanced glyphs, buffing spells that take the appearance of runes, etc.
4. Side Dungeons: A little inspiration from Zelda: Breath of the Wilds, is utilizing the library to find minor caches or even maps of ancient settlements, so to fund expeditions (to get more wealth, artifacts, spells, or mere recognition).

[Naglfarthedwarf]

Thanks for the cool suggestions, I'll check out those resources and see if I can put something together.

Yossarian - yeah, I get the campaign pacing you're talking about but after Skull's Crossing then Hook Mountain then Jorgenfist I think they're a bit tired off dungeon crawling for the moment, I don't want to drop them straight into Runeforge, which literally locks them in a colossal dungeon for a ton of sessions. I want them to have a bit of time to do some other stuff, craft, smell the roses, feel like they're changing the world a bit etc.

[pad300]

You might want to point out that there are definitely "Things man was not meant to know" in that library... Not to mention arcane secrets that would have 1/2 a dozen wars started to posses them.

[Mudfoot]

You'll inevitably get people like the Aspis Corporation trying to get in, perhaps with undercover agents sneaking in as porters and guards and sneaking out with bundles of scrolls and artefacts.

[Yossarian]

"Yossarian - yeah, I get the campaign pacing you're talking about but after Skull's Crossing then Hook Mountain then Jorgenfist I think they're a bit tired off dungeon crawling for the moment, I don't want to drop them straight into Runeforge, which literally locks them in a colossal dungeon for a ton of sessions. I want them to have a bit of time to do some other stuff, craft, smell the roses, feel like they're changing the world a bit etc."

Spoiler:

I know exactly what you mean. In my campaign I heavily modified Runeforge's entry / exit mechanics so that each wing had both an entrance from the central area, as well as each a separate entrance in the specific Runelord's territory. This turned the chapter into a mix of dungeon crawl, world exploration and clue hunting for other entrances. Plus enables some sub-plots to continue with PC interaction during the chapter.

Neither me and I'm certain my PCs also didn't want to be locked in a mega dungeon for the whole duration

Here's a link to a brief description of the main adjustments I made.

More details on how I modified Runeforge