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Did anyone get the feeling that the integration of the town and the Roseguard was cut short in books 2 and 3?
While it is a core component of book 1, it seems like an afterthought afterward and the other books fail to answer question like why did the Roseguard never go back to get Otari corpse if they built a town 20 minutes away and why all their items are low level?
While reading the books, I had the distinct feeling that the original plan was that the initial death of Belcorra was due to her using the four lenses, which would allow weaker adventurer like the Roseguard to kill her while terrorizing them to the point of abandoning their former companion.
Is anyone planning to modify the story to keep the integration of the town / Roseguard in later books? If so I would love to hear how you intend to do so.
Putting the details of my current plan below in spoiler for the sake of keeping the post short / discussion.
Shoutout to Steel_wind, Dalvyn and all the others in the “How will you be starting the AP” thread” for much of the inspiration. Here are some timeline modification and campaign plan I am envisioning, trying to integrate some of the beginner box material and some adventures/events outside of the megadungeon with a slower xp progession to keep level manageable. Note I am new to pathfinder, so I would appreciate to know if somethings break the established lore.
Historic changes
Abomination Vaults
- When Belcorra initially built the Gauntlight, she installed the fulcrum and the lenses directly in the Gauntlight Cupola, believing herself fervent enough to handle the attention of Nimbaloth.
- Belcorra manipulate the Roseguard so they come directly to her lair, she is planning to capture Vol Rajani in person.
- While she intended to merely toy with them, the Roseguard surprise Belacorra with their strength, Otari fall in the dungeon, and Belcorra decide to use the Gauntlight at its full strength to summon reinforcement.
- Nimbaloth appears, everyone is terrorized, a lucky strike from Vol Rajani allow him to kill Belcorra and the Roseguard retreat terrorized.
- After Belcorra defeat, Volluk take back the lenses, the Fulcrum, Belcorra notes and later settle down on the fourth level of the vault.
- When Belcorra awaken (4719), she sends Caliddo to recover the material collected by Volluk and order her apprentice to find a way to anchor the Gauntlight to a mortal soul so she can use the artifact without facing Nimbaloth. She then distributes the lenses as per Book 3. The leader of the drow who was forced to cooperate take his daughter to try to reach the vault, they die and lose the lenses in the process.
Roseguard / Otari
- 4244 After their “Victory” the Roseguard are afflicted by the empty death, knowing that Nimbaloth is watching them from beyond the stars. They settle down into one of Belcorra’s underground outpost (Trouble under Otari dungeon) and start protecting the area and the vaults from other interested parties and monsters escaping the vaults, creating the town of Otari.
- Over the years, the Roseguard are slowly changed by the permanent gaze of Nimbaloth on them.
- Zarmavdian leave Otari and settle in a secret laboratory to dedicate himself to understanding what happened to them and breaking the curse of Nimbaloth. He goes back to the Gauntlight to claim the corpse of Belcorra in the hope of interrogating her spirit, without results.
- When, Vol Rajani discover Zarmavdian experiment, he kills his former friend seeing as he is now obsessed with Nimbaloth, the Gauntlight and mad occults projects.
- Aesephna, confused by vision of Vol killing one of her oldest friends, hunt down Vol Rajani, killing him while conducting a corrupted ritual to Erastil / Nimbaloth.
- 4290- Granted a glimpse of sanity by Erastil, Aesphna order Otari’s villager to bury her alive in Belcorra’s former underground Outpost.
- 4720 – Belcorra reach out to Carman Rajani, promising the means to rule Otari, if he serves her.
- Carman Rajani, disguised, guide the Stonescale kobolds clans to an underground passage which lead to the former outpost above which the Thristy Alpaca was built.
- Upon request from Carman, the Kobolds cause the collapse of the Thirsty Alpalca and kidnap the tavern Owner which they deliver to Carman which in turn brings him to Volluk.
- The heroes are brought together by Carman Rajani who hire them to clear the ruin under the Thirsty Alpalca, the Founder’s Day festival is in three days, and he hopes to highlight Mayor Oseph incompetence. Carman tries not to pay the heroes fully, just to cause them to hate him a little bit more.
- Run Trouble under Otari, removing room 6,10, 13, 14. Blocking the access to the crypt, which is now Aesphna tomb and haunted by her spirit and modifying the coin puzzle for a haunt which evokes the sacrifice of Vol Rajani.
- Festival days, the heroes can participate in one of four competitions each designed in honour of one of the members of the Roseguard. Carman and Oseph both do a speech starting the election campaign. Wrynn contact the heroes, pointing them to the Gauntlight.
- When they meet Otari, he explains the heroes that he knows that the Roseguard couldn’t have killed Belcorra by themselves, he doesn’t know what happened, but a voice from beyond tells him that he friends and Belcorra are now linked, and their possession might help break the barrier. He can reach out to his former friends’ spirit, inhabiting his thieve tools which now guide the player to the tomb of Aesphna.
- Once Aesphna’s tomb has been excavated, the heroes must protect the crazed ghost of Aesphna which is being attacked by shades. Once the shades are defeated, they can discuss with the Ghost of Aesphna which has lost her faith and much of her sanity. Recovering her hunter brooch and allowing her to perform a mortuary ritual for Vol Rajani would allow her to pass through to the afterlife.
Inside the tomb the heroes also find Cooperative Blade and the Threshold of Truth.
- Before they can leave the tomb, Carman Rajani shows up to claim his ancestor sword. The sword is able to cut through the barrier blocking the path to level 5.
- Moriblint or a PC can decipher the journal in the Threshold of Truth to find allusion to the secret laboratory Zarmavdian set up to conduct his research. Inside they will find, Bellcora corpse, information on the lenses and information on a ritual Zarmavdian was preparing to summon Nimbaloth to destroy the Gauntlight.
- The Hunter’s brooch will be tracked down by Oseph to somewhere in Absalom, so the players can experience one adventure outside of a tomb/ crypt. (If anyone has suggestion of premade adventure in Absalom I’m interested !).
- The Mayor race is in full swing, and with the recent trouble (cave in, kidnapping, lumber competition, fire etc..) and Dorianna’s sickness Oseph is about to lose the race to Carman if his daughter is not cured or if Carman is not exposed.
- Cynemi (room D14) is now the former owner of the Thirsty Alapaca, he recognized Carman when he was kidnapped and know of the relation between the Kobold and Carman.
Book 3
Still in progress, but I would love to modify the ending ritual to be something more than punching a ghost with crystal. Most likely would involve completing Zamavdian research and summoning the four spirit of the Roseguard to help during the final fight. (Work in progress)