So... After the ascension of a certain particular sun goddess of the eclipse, I had gotten a little idea based on the actions of my players up to a certain point and mistakenly altered the events that will occur in the final chapter of the book. Partially my fault for not reading far enough ahead to be prepared for the events but also ... I find it hardly palatable that the bad guy ends up 'going home, forgetting the entire thing happened'.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the events and if it feels more satisfying:
On the way to the Temple to retrieve the tablets, the players did a bit of scouting and research to try and figure out what sort of dangers they were going to face. In preparation, they thought ... well ... Let's contact some extraplanar entities outside of the walls of Mzali that might have some interest in the events going on. So, a bit of ritual took place, they spent vast sums of money to barter with outsider forces, and managed to convince a Morrigna to accompany them as a temporary party member for their journey. Thus, was Pharasma's influence brought into the events o Mzali and a shift in one of the party members allegiances.
The crafter of the group, a witch with the pacts patron, a chelixian transfer student that had made a deal with Asmodeus long ago and seeking to break free of the 'family trade', lead the summoning ritual and got in a bit above their head. Part of the payment for the services of the Morrigna was an offer to 'kill' the Imp familiar and have the witch take up the service of Pharasma. Being a huge shift in the character, the player thought fairly long and hard, but eventually accepted the deal. The Imp was not having it that and chose to severe the contract immediately in order to escape with its life. In a moment of humor, I gave the Morrigna a mortal name for them to call her, 'Wednesday'. The other part of the payment was to get Wednesday a personal audience with Walkena.
The players had a somewhat easier time in the Temple and dungeon below than normal because of this helper but they seemed to vastly enjoy the presence of the Morrigna, so I didn't worry too much about the challenge level. They always seem to find the most convoluted way to trigger most of the fights in an area and wipe the floor with them anyway, so they were going to be challenged one way or another. Long summary short, they eventually found the quasi-ascended goddess trapped in her undead form and took pity on her, bringing down the roof to cleanse her body and free her soul. This action pleased the Morrigna, and her goddess, and sparked a new idea. If the form of the undead body was preventing a soul from ascending, well, there was another powerful god-king that might benefit from the same.
This revelation was kept hidden from the players because I did not want to get their hopes up, or allow them to contemplate about what it would do to allow a Lawful Evil god-king to fully ascend, and what the ramifications of that action would be. I did, however, allow them to glimpse the thoughtful expression that Wednesday wore most of the way back to Mzali, and that remained on her face when she shifted shape into a nondescript human to remain hidden from the eyes of the guards and other powerful nobles in the city.
The meeting with Walkena went well as far as the players were aware, with none of the undead or priests in the temple acting as if they were aware of Wednesday's presence. It wasn't until a full seven days later, after the celebrations of the lifting of the rigid restrictions and tyrannical rules of Walkena that a rather powerful earthquake rocked the city. Psychopomps began to planeshift into the city and start dragging off certain nobles, and dragging hidden undead out of the tunnels of the necropolis area of the city.
Walkena appeared at the top of his Temple stairs, wearing a glorious raiment of clothing and accompanied by Wednesday in her own form, wearing a similar adornment, and both of them wearing the mantle that designated them as rulers of the city. There was one distinct difference with Walkena that was immediately apparent. He was no longer the sunken and emaciated undead child-king, but a living, breathing and radiantly healthy young man glowing with the full radiance of the sun gods he had once feared. He announced in a voice that boomed through the city that he had thrown off the shackles of undeath and fully embraced the prophecy of the tablets, as Dajarmube had done so recently. But instead of full embracing his divinity and leaving his people to fend for himself, has chosen to take Wednesday as his queen consort, sharing his power so that he might remain among his people and make recompense for his past misdeeds. He then announced an end to the seven punishments, and that a week of celebration would follow a wedding feast.
Yes, this changed Walkena from a Lawful Evil patron to a Lawful Neutral one, with possible a greater chance of becoming Good in the future. I ruled that both Walkena and Wednesday had become 'quasi-deities' and could remain on Golarion without triggering repercussions so long as their divine influence doesn't reach farther than Walkena's already had. Anything more would require them to leave the Material plane or risk angering Gozreh or potentially destabilizing the prison of Rovagug.
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The reaction from my players was quite ... ecstatic. They had grew very attached to Wednesday over the three sessions she was present with the group, and now had little to no reason to despise Walkena. One of them actually picked up the holy weapon of Dajarmube and became her new High Priest (he is a transmuter wizard with the druid dedication).
So, back to the problem. Walkena was supposed to be the petulant god-king-child that sought out Osibu and attempted to seize it for its riches and secrets, and Dajarmube was supposed to intervene to a degree and make Walkena back off, and eventually go home without remembering the events. How am I going to resolve this and keep the events in Osibu relatively on course?
Well, remember the Imp and contract that got broken through Wednesday's (and Pharasma's) interference. That's how. We've got a contract devil shorted payment and a legion or two of devils eager to get to a hidden city of riches and secrets as payment for their services, in a city that is hidden from most means of divination, so a planar incursion and brief invasion might go completely unnoticed. Not to mention how such an attempt, and success, might bring to its status in the Nine Hells.
Thoughts?