[spoilers] Players making strange choices end of book 5

[blashimov]

Another spoiler tag, players be warned:

Spoiler:

My players refuse to finish off Irovetti. They've learned he's evil, rescued Evindra, had all the foreshadowing since book two of Nyrissa, but they don't want to recover Briar or defeat his kingdom. They are happy to just throw his armies back without going on the offensive. I've thought of a few options, and I don't really like any of them so I've turned to the hivemind:

1. Evindra says "no you need Briar, really, go get it. Do whatever with Irovetti, but apparently I wasn't clear enough, stop dicking around and go get the artifact."

2. Irovetti just hands over Briar eventually, and PCs go through book 6 on the struggle bus without it.

3. Blooms start to get them off their ass. Combine with Irovetti turns over Briar or maybe slow down blooms so they can go get it?

4. Blooms that begin in Pitax, Irovetti uses Briar to defeat then allies with the PCs seeing the Nyrissa isn't planning to leave him anything? (Assuming he's less crazy than as written, and does this to keep his kingdom)

[RobRendell]

In Dudemestier's rework of book 5, he changed Irovetti's motivation. Instead of working for Nyrissa, Irovetti was working to stop her, and believes that the PCs are her unwitting pawns. He acquired Briar not to hand over to Nyrissa, but to prevent any of Nyrissa's agents from getting it, and perhaps to use against her.

So, even if you didn't want to use the rest of the DMD's changes, changing Irovetti's motivation means that he isn't about to hand the sword over to Nyrissa. That could work well with something like your options 3 or 4.

Perhaps Irovetti's research has revealed how Briar can become more powerful by defeating the blooms, so if the blooms are only in the PCs' part of the Stolen Lands, the Pitax King might need to approach the PCs to get access the blooms. He might figure that with the blooms infesting their lands, he can convince the PCs to join him fighting against Nyrissa. Or if the blooms are occurring in Pitax as well, he might sue for peace as the two kingdoms need to ally against the greater threat.

[pennywit]

blashimov wrote:

Another spoiler tag, players be warned:

** spoiler omitted **

If they don't finish off Irovetti, that's on the players. I would proceed to the sixth book and the blooms. Once the players realize they need Briar, let them figure out how to get it. If they don't, well, they can be one of Nyrissa's curios ...

[Warped Savant]

It's been a long time since I read the books and I changed so many things so I don't exactly remember how it all works, but IIRC they don't actually NEED Briar for any reason.
Sure, it's a great weapon and can kill Nyrissa easier, but it's not needed.
So don't force them to get it? Leave it where it is and don't worry about it?

Alternatively, do what the books suggests on page 8:

Quote:

If the PCs haven’t discovered Briar, you should give them a chance to do so by letting them further explore Irovetti’s Palace. Alternatively, the sword could be recovered by the Horned Hunt (see page 13), and these hunters could be on their way back to deliver the sword to Nyrissa when the PCs encounter them.

[blashimov]

Thanks team!

I didn't like that last suggestion because it makes no sense for Irovetti not to give it to someone especially if he's actually losing (but he's not really because PCs haven't pressed the advantage) and I don't see how the PCs would be between Horned Hunt and Nyrissa so no reason to have them encounter on their way back.