My regular groups are all on hiatus so I decided to scrounge players from both groups and run a one-shot or two so I can get my Pathfinder fix in the meantime. I'm totally down to run a module, but there's an idea for a one-shot I've had stewing in the back of my mind for a while that I want to try out. It's still a bit bare-bones though, so I was hoping I could get some help fleshing it out.
Basically, I want to do a story based on The Axeman of New Orleans. If you're unfamiliar, he was a serial killer in the 1920s who would sneak into people's houses and butcher them with an ax. Eventually he sent a letter to the newspaper claiming to be a demon from hell. While he loved killing mortals, he had also come to enjoy jazz music, so he offered the people of New Orleans a deal: "anyone who is listening to jazz music when I visit will be spared." All the clubs were filled and no one died that night. I think this would be a really interesting set-up for a murder mystery, especially in Golarion, where demons and devils actually exist.
The general shape of the adventure is as follows: players arrive in town seeking a bounty placed on the Axeman by the sheriff. Investigation reveals that most of the Axeman's victims have been in the poorer section of town near the docks, except for a journalist who lives far outside the normal area of the attacks. PCs investigating the journalist's apartment will find evidence he was working on an expose uncovering the true identity of the Axeman but wanted to interview some people first. A paladin returning home from the Worldwound and a demonologist from Ustalav can both offer the PCs specifics about demons, daemons, devils, and qlippoths, which cause the PCs to realize the killer is not actually any of those, but just a normal person. The PCs can also piece together that most of killings take place along a route from the docks to a road out of town that leads to the plantation of a wealthy businessman. The businessman will deny all allegations, but eventually he can be uncovered as the mastermind behind the attacks. He is smuggling items in at night, and the initial killing was merely an overzealous thug protecting their privacy. The businessman eventually came up with the idea to pretend to be some extraplanar entity with an interest in jazz who would spare victims if they spent all night at the jazz club. This helps him two-fold: he owns the jazz club and gets some extra income, but also insures no one is home to spot his smugglers moving through town.
So, here are the major things I need help with.
1. Where in the world does this take place?
My initial instinct for where fantasy New Orleans is located on Golarion was Nirmathas. It's close to both the Worldwound and Ustalav, giving the experts a decent reason to be there. It also has access to water, making a dock-side town possible. I found this thread that suggests possible locations for a New Orleans facsimile to be anywhere from Cheliax to the River Kingdoms. I'm concerned about this mostly in regards to the next question.
2. What are they smuggling?
I feel like a lot of smuggling in real life was/is illicit substances, like alcohol during Prohibition. It feels a bit excessive to commit numerous murders just to cover up the movement of drugs, especially in a small town where a wealthy businessman like the antagonist could easily just pay off the sheriff. My other thought was slaves, since they would be difficult to move easily, but given how Southern the inspiration for this already is it feels a bit cliche. If this takes place in Nirmathas, I could see the businessman smuggling in weapons for Molthune, but that requires it to be set in Nirmathas, which may not necessarily be the best fit.
3. Who's the final boss?
A businessman is probably not going to have class levels or want to get his hands dirty, so I feel like he wouldn't make an interesting final fight. I would like if he somehow summoned a demon/devil to tie back in thematically but I'm also open to suggestions.
Any and all ideas would be greatly appreciated!
I feel like I've actually played a Paizo module/adventure/something based on The Axe Man ... though I can't for the life of me think what it was.
I'll have a look when I get home tonight and I'll let you know if I find anything.
1. Where in the world does this take place?
My initial reaction is Ustalav. Put it in the capital Caliphas or in one of the boarder counties close to the Worldwound. Since its right next to the Worldwound, good enough justification to have everyone scared about anything extra planar. Plus lost of aristocracy who probably love to party and go to clubs, etc.
Second, River Kingdoms is a good bet. Its flexible enough to create really any town and government small and independent enough.
2. What are they smuggling?
If in Ustalav you could do something magical, say hes smuggling artifacts related to the Whispering Tyrant to the Whispering Way. The aristocracy would definitely have an interest in stopping that. Bribes wouldn't work.
If in the River Kingdoms you could always just fall back to greed, and say hes smuggling virtually anything, but the local leadership/government demands a really high "tax" or "tithe" for what ever he is smuggling and his operation is a lucrative way to avoid it and make a bunch of money.
2. What are they smuggling?
You could have a plot twist and make it the businessman's wife or something. Maybe it was her idea in the first place to come up with the ruse. Or maybe it was just a ruse in the first place but then an actually entity does show up and is ultimately the one doing all the killing.
3. Who's the final boss?An evil, intelligent axe that loves jazz and takes control of a random person at night. It has minor illusion powers and can disguise itself as a trombone (not a slide trombone). It can't actually play or be played, but it can mimic the sound of a trombone using its Sound Mimicry special ability (as a creature special ability) by making a Bluff check against a listener's Sense Motive. It possesses a reasonably impressive knowledge of jazz and trombone songs.
Also, for no apparent reason... it can Deflect Arrows.
And it gains a +2 to attacks and damage unless within 60 feet of an audible source of jazz music (of at least Perform DC 15 in quality).
Okay, I love this. This is amazing.
Okay, I love this. This is amazing.3. Who's the final boss?An evil, intelligent axe that loves jazz and takes control of a random person at night. It has minor illusion powers and can disguise itself as a trombone (not a slide trombone). It can't actually play or be played, but it can mimic the sound of a trombone using its Sound Mimicry special ability (as a creature special ability) by making a Bluff check against a listener's Sense Motive. It possesses a reasonably impressive knowledge of jazz and trombone songs.
Also, for no apparent reason... it can Deflect Arrows.
And it gains a +2 to attacks and damage unless within 60 feet of an audible source of jazz music (of at least Perform DC 15 in quality).
I love this too.
The Intelligent Axe (named Choppenhacque) is attempting to create a "race" of other intelligent axes to serve him. So, Choppenhacque is attempting to confiscate all axes, hatchets, and other axe-like weapons/tools from the nearby town(s), and then smuggle them to his lair, which is an abandoned lumbermill just outside town along the river.
Once Choppenhacque has the ideal number of axes, he's going to perform a ritual to awaken them. Choppenhacque has acquired a McGuffin that allows for a "One-Time-Mass-Awaken", so he doesn't want to use it until he's got a whole bunch of axes.
The first time the PC's meet Choppenhacque, he has currently enthralled a large orc with bloodstains all over his clothes (blood from the previous murders), and the orc busts into a Jazz bar where a Jazz enthusiast Bard is playing on-stage. The orc bumrushes the Bard on-stage, takes his instrument out of his hand and smashes it on the ground, then forces Choppenhacque into the Bard's hands, and then the Bard becomes enthralled by Choppenhacque and takes off running (possible chase scene?). If the PC's question the orc, he thinks it's last Tuesday and he's still at work, completely oblivious to what has transpired the last few days (the authorities arrive shortly after and arrest the orc, and are quite happy to have found/arrested the "Axeman", case closed, even though the orc swears he's innocent).
Choppenhacque wants this specific bard to be present and performing when he performs the Awakening ritual, because he wants all his new followers to share his love for Jazz music.
Choppenhacque is actually threatening the wealthy business owner into compliance, and the wealthy business owner is the one pulling the strings for all the axe and hatchet confiscation/smuggling. Choppenhacque has imprisoned his family somewhere that the business owner doesn't know (somewhere else that is not the abandoned lumbermill).
They are smuggling Elven relics/artifacts... the boss is Treerazer.
The axe in question, The Axe, HIS axe, is called Blackaxe...