Hello. A couple nights ago my team managed to clear the Thistletop dungeon (with a little help from Gogmurt) and stopped Nualia before she could figure out how to release Malfeshnekor. They explored a bit of the 2nd dungeon, and avoided the room Bruthazmus is in (as I explained that it sounded like someone was having "fun" in that room), and only fought the tentamort and Lyrie before heading to the 3rd level, where they fought a yeth hound and Nualia. Afterwards, the PCs chased off any nonThistletop goblins, learned of Nualia's backstory (with the PCs and their players all rightfully mortified, our sorcerer in game fighting the urge to throw up and our Batman-like elf rogue crying for Nualia).
So, Orik and Bruthazmus were not encountered. I can write Orik off easily-he wanted to leave by the time the PCs arrived, and if they encountered him I would've have him come as an ally if they played their cards right. But since bugbears in Pathfinder are known to be excellent stalkers and murderers, and with Bruthazmus having his opportunity to get the PCs snatched from him due to his...distractions, I figured it would be perfect to put him into Skinsaw Murders.
The question is, which part do I think is the most likely to do so? I would like to think that the first part, possibly after the asylum but before the farmlands, would be the better place to put him in there, possibly giving him a class level or two to buff up his level to make him more of a challenge.
Any advice or suggestions would be great.
You could have him skulking around Sandpoint doing a couple of grisly murders, which just happen to coincide with His Lordship's murders. And/or maybe have him lurking around until on or more PCs are outside town in a vulnerable state and have him ambush them.
It's partly a matter of what Shalelu is doing, as he may care more about her than the PCs.