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Another inventive thing my party did: dealing with Halmash and his pack. I also decided to play Halmash as a sentient being with the ability to negotiate (he had plainly struck a sort of bargain with the thorp of Sotto, so it seemed reasonable).
When they tracked him to his den after an initial encounter with his wolves -- fortunately, it went badly for the wolves -- he had some idea of how potent they were and so decided to "talk" with them. And they actually talked him into a truce with Sotto, reasoning that since he had already revenged himself on their primary wolf hunter, wiping out the entire settlement was beneath him. It was a remarkable feat in itself.
That is cool.
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No updates on the Pump House Propaganda, one of the PCs was eaten by a fish so most scheming was put on hold for a couple sessions. However, I definitely wanted to let everyone know how the party delt with the Telus situation.
After learning that Mosle had stayed with his friend and keeping him alive all these years the party concluded that Mosle was Telus' true love. So they created a scheme to draw the Baron out so Mosle could plant a kiss on him. The hunter used his Boots of Spider Climbing to rush to the Baron's location, grapple him, and drop him to the floor, all so that Mosle could barge in and plant the kiss. It was a tough fight, and the hunter nearly died, but eventually they succeeded. The power of gay love won out!
I thought this was a fun solution, anyone else's players have a creative solution for Telus?
I head-cannoned Araig Telus, Frater Mosle and Caphrinius Vort in a gay triad. When the baron's curse became obvious, Mosle and Vort discussed it and decided that one of them will stay with the baron, and the other will take the remaining villagers and resettle there somewhere else. Right now the PCs are pursuing the "sisterly kiss of true love" avenue, but we'll se if they stumble upon a different solution.
Oh, and Vort is making eyes at the one male PC while one of the female PCs is making eyes at Vort, so there is now a very complicated love quadrangle happening in the party. :D
Interesting takes.
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I'm struggling to figure out what ot do with Duchess Veleto. Tragically the PC she was interested in died before she had a chance to track him down, so she's just sort of hanging out at the manor. As written she doesn't seem to have much to contribute plot-wise, she doesn't become a threat unless the PCs try to turn her in (why would they), she doesn't have any information to share with them, she just seems like an unnecessary wrinkle that I don't really have an idea what to do with, and the players haven't latched onto.
How have you guys used her in your games? Was she a thorn in the party's side, an unlikely ally, or was she just kinda there?
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I'm struggling to figure out what ot do with Duchess Veleto. Tragically the PC she was interested in died before she had a chance to track him down, so she's just sort of hanging out at the manor. As written she doesn't seem to have much to contribute plot-wise, she doesn't become a threat unless the PCs try to turn her in (why would they), she doesn't have any information to share with them, she just seems like an unnecessary wrinkle that I don't really have an idea what to do with, and the players haven't latched onto.
How have you guys used her in your games? Was she a thorn in the party's side, an unlikely ally, or was she just kinda there?
I introduced a series of magic paintings in each major domicile that let the Duchess move between them. This let her show up all over. Once my group understood what she was, they showed her great sympathy and treated her like a real person. She became an ally and spy for them. It was she who coordinated the county in the attack on Lotheed.
She has approached the team necromancer about seeing if more can be done for her. She knows she is not the "real" Duchess, but she is now determined to live as her own entity. And yes, our Necromancer bedded her. And Dame Crabbe. Which is awkward as another character married Sepsimia. He is an elf so maybe not too weird.
She is a full ally now, and part of the energy holding Merret County together. I plan to have her offer the PC's any vital information in Book 6 they manage to miss, including a hint that Cassius might not be in control of himself.
How have you guys used her in your games? Was she a thorn in the party's side, an unlikely ally, or was she just kinda there?
She wasn't a major player, but she made a fine comedic subplot with a touch of pathos.
At first Veleto's presence was weird and spooky and mostly alarmed the players b/c she was proof that the stolen paintings were in the Manor. (They hadn't specifically worked out what she was, but certainly put together that the timing of her appearance in the Manor shortly after the paintings showed up was no coincidence.) A nice added wrinkle was that one of our party was an artist who had decorated the Manor with a bunch of new paintings that were very convenient for the trompe l'oeil to move in and out of. As the Duchess became more of a presence and pursued her "intended," various episodes of farce ensued, leading in particular to some moments of high comedy from the players that would take too much time to explain here.
It took a bit of a darker turn when the players finally figured out what she was and decided to isolate and destroy the original painting. One of them wanted to learn more about her before executing her, and actually got her to the point of consciously realizing that she was a construct rather than a person -- with associated horror -- before she basically reset to "factory parameters." They couldn't bring themselves to destroy her after that, and her fate is still outstanding as of the epilogue of Book Two.
She was not super-important in the grand scheme of things. And she was not ultimately present as an antagonist in the Palace in the final act. But as regards contributions to the roleplay aspect of the book and adding to the overall flavor and general weirdness of Meratt, she was pretty fun. She is particularly useful as a means of foreshadowing that something is Really Seriously Wrong with her creator, Panivar Lotheed.
Anyone ever found the Cassomir settlement stats? PCs will be taking a side trip to this nearby shopping hub I think...
All I got so far is the population of 32K from the inside cover of Cities of Golarion...
I believe there might be stats in Tears at Bitter Manor, but since I can't find my copy I don't know for sure.
Okay, weird question, but does anyone have an idea of how Nikolaus Okerra would respond to the party while at the Tanager Jubilee?
He would recognize them even if they were diplomatic with them. Wouldn't he think something's up if they introduced themselves as the Betony heirs? Or would he just be like "This isn't really my business." and not mind if they were diplomatic towards him initially.
Okay, weird question, but does anyone have an idea of how Nikolaus Okerra would respond to the party while at the Tanager Jubilee?
He would recognize them even if they were diplomatic with them. Wouldn't he think something's up if they introduced themselves as the Betony heirs? Or would he just be like "This isn't really my business." and not mind if they were diplomatic towards him initially.
It would depend on how he interacted with the PCs. I don't think he would be the type to be immediasuspicious as long as Bartleby believes they're legit, but if they were rude to him or showed clearly chaotic behaviors he wouldn't take kindly to them. He's not the biggest fan of Bartleby either and if the PCs seem like they're capable of running the area he wouldn't pay too much mind. If they told him they lied he may get upset at them though.
It would depend on how he interacted with the PCs. I don't think he would be the type to be immediasuspicious as long as Bartleby believes they're legit, but if they were rude to him or showed clearly chaotic behaviors he wouldn't take kindly to them. He's not the biggest fan of Bartleby either and if the PCs seem like they're capable of running the area he wouldn't pay too much mind. If they told him they lied he may get upset at them though.Okay, weird question, but does anyone have an idea of how Nikolaus Okerra would respond to the party while at the Tanager Jubilee?
He would recognize them even if they were diplomatic with them. Wouldn't he think something's up if they introduced themselves as the Betony heirs? Or would he just be like "This isn't really my business." and not mind if they were diplomatic towards him initially.
Fair enough! So it might be a "Nice to see you again" unless the PCs really get on his nerves. Sounds good to me.