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Its in the title, but SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE ADVENTURE. Okay? Okay.
So I really enjoyed reading War for the Crown, but I think that some of the enemies could use more foreshadowing and an earlier introduction, namely the Immaculate Circle, Carrius, and other factions vying for the crown. I suspect this is the result of cuts due to page count, which is perfectly understandable. Here are some ideas I have for this:
Other Claimants to the Crown
-When getting the mission briefs from Martella and Eutropia, have them mention what's going on with some of the other claimants. House Tiberan in Cassomir could be marshaling troops that Eutropia needs to use her forces against, which is something you can show by having Eutropia meet with her generals or Martella talking with other agents to get the druids of the Verduran Forest to help out.
-The gnomes of House Starborne can be holdouts from either side, wanting the rest of Taldor to take their claim seriously but knowing they're a longshot at best. As they're geographically removed from most of the War and have limited resources, they're really just throwing their hat in the ring to make sure no one forgets about them. Have them talk a big game and maybe send some fey to harass the PC's and northern enemies, but they can be turned to Eutropia's side if shown respect (even mocking respect, they're in on the joke).
-Pythareus's agents are notably absent from the earlier adventures, so why not toss in an agent in book 2 that tries to get other nobles to side with the High Strategos? If you really want to make things interesting, make the agent a genuinely nice person who sincerely wants whats best for Taldor and believes Pythareus is the right choice.
-An assassination attempt on the PC's, Martella, or Eutropia herself would be a fitting side quest. The killer could come from any faction that hasn't joined the Princess's cause or even a crazed anarchist who sees this as the chance to end the Stavian line entirely. The attempt should fail of course, but it will show that the "home front" isn't entirely safe. Furthermore the increased security that follows the failed assassination could make the successful assassination in book 6 that more dramatic and impressive.
-While the PC's are more involved in the shadow war, the hot war should be a factor. PC's travelling from one region to another could encounter a battle, keen-eyed scouts, wounded soldiers, enemy knights, and more. These can be avoided entirely if the PC's are sneaky, turned to Eutropia's side with the right words/deeds, or eliminated.
Immaculate Circle
-The Circle is a secret society, so it makes sense that the PC's don't know much about them. However I could see players being blindsided when the IC comes out of left field in book 5 & 6. Book 1 doesn't need much change, as the players have enough going on already and Dagio is a nice hint, but books 2-4 could use a few dashes of Circle interference. More hints about Panivar Lotheed in book 2, signs of a greater force behind the Twilight Child cult, and a side-quest in book 4 about a corrupt noble who's trying to become a lich as a way to enter the Circle would be good.
-When the PC's rescue Carrius from the cult in Yanmass, send some agents after the PC's to retrieve the addled prince while they're on the road back to the Palace of Birdsong. These agents want the Prince alive, so they will likely use stealth the approach the players under cover of darkness, try to kill them while they sleep, and abduct Carrius. They don't have to kill the players, just get Carrius back, so their tactics should reflect this. Maybe put the PC's up in a large house that's either abandoned or owned by a merchant family loyal to Eutropia.
-Once Carrius is under Eutropia's protection, the Circle can send an enchanter/psychic/mesmerist to them to help "heal the prince's psyche" while actually encouraging the six emperor's to greater heights. This mentalist can stay with Carrius, helping him regain his strength and vitality. They can work with Carrius to turn the Taldan people to Eutropia's side until its revealed they're a member of the Circle when the PC's find evidence against him in Hyden. After that the mentalist can either stay on as an ally of Carrius for the players to fight or be killed by Carrius himself when the legends grow tired of the meddling mentalist. It likely won't come up, but the mentalist's method of immortality comes from swapping minds with other people, jumping from one body to another to cheat death.
-For a town that serves as the lair for an immortal cult of aristocrats, Hyden has surprisingly little defenses beyond "people don't go there anymore." Keep the town pretty empty of course, but a few more threats shouldn't be a problem. Toss in an aura of dread around the place (to justify people not going there, if nothing else), recurring nightmares for anyone within a mile of the town (courtesy of the sahkils), cursed earth that has grown barren, and Circle Cutthroats patrolling the town itself to kill anyone who enters the ghost town. Heck, why not throw in an actual ghost or haunts?
Prince Carrius Stavian
As final threat to Eutropia's rule, Prince Carrius should be developed a bit more before he goes full on Evil Spirit Emperor. In books 1 and 2 he should be name dropped by Eutropia and Martella at least, possibly while looking at a portrait of the young prince. Others can remember him fondly as well, especially the other nobles in book 2. You can also toss in the red herring that the Silent Brotherhood from book 1 was responsible for the Prince's death, but be careful not to let your players get too invested in this.
In book 3 I think its better to have the PC's discover that the Twilight Child cult has Carrius on their own instead of Martella telling them directly. Don't have Martella mention the cult in name, just have her offhandedly mention that there's some new offshoot of the Abadarn or Arodenite faith going on up in Yanmass, but she thinks their main focus should be turning the city to Eutropia and stopping Merkondus. Martella can also give the players some magical method of communicating with her from Yanmass, so when they do discover Prince Carrius they can let her know right away. Martella will be shocked of course and ask the players to finish up in Yanmass and bring the Prince safely to her so she can determine if this is truly the Prince reborn or a cruel trick.
Once in Yanmass, let the PC's come across the cult naturally. First as rumors and stories from people who have seen the presentation, then to seeing members do magic to help the poor in the streets. If you really want to keep the Big Reveal of Carrius off until the end, make it a tenant that only members of the cult can refer to Carrius by name, so all the commoners call him the Twilight Child. Instead of a nightly ceremony, make it a weekly ceremony (with the next ceremony due to start once the players have ample time to take care of the other threats).
After leaving Yanmass with Carrius and fighting off Xan, Carrius will still be pretty addled by his brainwashing and drugs. The PC's can make Heal checks to help him through the withdrawal, but give him growing moments of lucidity that get cut by imperialistic shouting, as the six legends possessing Carrius begin to show. You only need a couple scenes of Carrius being pleasant and maybe one to show a "mood swing", but this will set the stage for his later corruption. Try to keep him mostly pleasant, but clearly troubled by his experience beyond the grave so the players don't get annoyed with him.
During book 4 Carrius should be well enough to walk around, but Eutropia will ask Martella and the PC's whether news of his resurrection should be made public. If word spreads that the beloved prince has returned, it can garner symapthy from the Taldan people by humanizing the Stavian family. Furthermore it would also help decide succession more cleanly if Eutropia takes the crown, as there's now an heir (something Pythareus doesn't have). If news of Carrius's return isn't shared intentionally, it can be spread by the remaining Twilight Child cult members and followers. This could be bad for Eutropia, as many Taldans would take this as the Princess trying to hide her returned brother for nefarious reasons.
Either way, I think news of Prince Carrius should get out before Eutropia's death. This gives him the chance to ingratiate himself with the people, which further justifies his ascension to the throne in book 6. Carrius should be much more lucid when met in book 5, though his "mood swings" should still pop up. Carrius himself will tell Eutropia, Martella, and the PC's that he's still troubled by "bad dreams" about his time in the afterlife to keep them happy, but Carrius knows something is wrong with his psyche.
While the PC's are off in Axis during book 5, Carrius should be actively working as Eutropia's "public relations manager", helping cement the people's support and trust in the Stavian line with oratory and charity. The players likely will only hear about this indirectly due to the nature of book 5, but you can toss in some axiomites who are monitoring Taldor's civil war from Axis and can give the PC's updates about what's happening. Show that the people are flocking to Carrius and Eutropia, especially if Carrius gives a grand speech (while under the control of a spirit) that resonates with the people but has hints of Carrius's current state.
In book 6, have Carrius give another grand speech to the people and show many of Eutropia's supporters turning to follow the prince instead of hoping the PC's resurrect the princess. Once Carrius makes his claim that the PC's were behind Eutropia's assassination, the Taldan nobility and people turning against the players makes a lot more sense. From here the adventure can proceed as normal.
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Great ideas. I plan to use a good many of them. Thanks for your thoughts!
