Yes, spoilers.... dreaded things.
My players, particular a Paladin of Abadar and a Cleric of Desna, were able to convince Nualia to surrender instead of fighting to the death. They took her into custody, and she's been in Sandpoint's jail pending her trial in Magnimar, which is going to be before Justice Ironbriar prior to his exposure.
I've already asked if there was a version of the legal code that I could rely on in another thread here.
(Bonus spoiler: there doesn't seem to be one.)
My question is for GMs who have specifically run RotRL and dealt with a "redeemed" Nualia. What were the ramifications of her having done pretty much everything that she did in service to Lamashtu? I think that list can safely include murder, arson, and criminal conspiracy.... probably more charges, if I really put my mind to it.
Here judges interpret Magnimar's few laws. In many cases, the justices must be quite creative in how they interpret and rule, often consulting each other for advice. Strangely, the system seems to work unusually well, although as Magnimar has grown, the system has started to strain under its own lack of official structure.[...]
Since the vast majority of Magnimar's judgments involve prison time, the Hells are always at least at 70% capacity. Treason is the only offense in the city punishable by death,yet for those prisoners consigned to the lowest levels of the Hells, death would be a mercy.
One could argue that leaving one’s home town and coming back to burn it down with goblins counts as treason. Certainly a harsh justice would rule that way.
But what makes the best game for the players? Did they make any promises to <spoiler>? Did <spoiler> repent or show remorse? Would the players who talked <spoiler> into surrrendering feel cheated by the sentence? I’d want to think really closely about the negotiations, and what the playerswould say if Ironbriar asked them for recommendations. (Actually, ask them as part of the trial.)
And then there’s Ironbriar, who might just have motives of his own. (We can assume that Nualia doesn’t know of his membership on Tam Evil, due to good operational security...)
I can see three options that lead to good future storytelling.
1) sentence the poor victim of insanity to close care in Habe’s sanatorium. This has the fastest payoff in terms of “see X again soon” early in book 2 though you’ll have to decide what happens to X in there - good care, or being driven further round the bend? helping players, or oppose players once they show up again?
2) sentence the arsonist/murderer to a long term of imprisonment in the Hells, with Ironbriar secretly arranging for X to be spirited out and join the Skinsaw cult. (PCs might want to investigate the Hells after they found out Ironbriar’s duplicity, leading to some more adventures in Magnimar.) Might make some battles in book 2 really tough, and might be a slap in the face to players who went to all the effort to try and redeem someone to just have her back on Team Evil.
3) sentence the repentant sinner to a term of service with the Black Arrows at Fort Rannick. Long wait to see her again in book 3, but lots of potential for later storytelling. Ironbriar obviously wants to get X safely out of the way and then hopes Lucretia will scoop X up and convert X back to Team Evil, but she could end up replacing either the traitor or one of the loyal rangers at Fort Rannick, plus you could have a scene with X caught between going back to her old ways, urged by Lucretia, and helping the players.against Lucretia.
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Have Ironbriar listen to the player's side, and seem sympathetic to the redemption, but he sends <redacted> to the Hells.
Once Ironbriar's true allegiances are revealed, they can argue against his rulings to a different Justice, getting <redacted> sentence lessened to a term of enlistment in the Black Arrows.
They then must venture into the Hell's to find and rescue <redacted> so that they can escort <redacted> to their new life.
This could replace or supplement the motive for venturing to Fort Rannick in the first place.
"Since you fought for <redacted>, you are responsible for seeing that they make it to their new post. Also, why don't you see why the Black Arrows haven't answered the last missive sent to them while you are there."