| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I found that Detective Desdelen Bolera is an interesting character with lots of potential to interact with the PCs and the main plot. I set her up as the star of Edgewatch (but also a semi-famous detective mystery novel author on the side!) who was assigned the missing graveraker investigation. Having her check in with the PCs occassionally about that allows for this piece of the puzzle to stay in their minds, so that when the final revelation in book 4 about framing the primarch for the crime comes, it has more impact.
I've arranged what she might do into separate episodes that can be sprinkled throughout the campaign. I'll be posting mine below but feel free to add more if you like!
These events happen the very next morning after the PCs finish the catacombs from book 2 and beat/arrest the Skinner. It's especially relevant if Bolera played an active role in that adventure, for example if the PCs invited her to accompany them in the dungeon to help.
No matter the exact circumstances, Bolera realises the PCs left behind something important: this could be some unexplored space in the sanctum, some skinsaw cult member who got away, some piece of evidence they didn't collect. She claims that if they strike while the iron is hot, that important thing will still be there for them to collect. If they wait a few days, it will very likely be gone. Her argument is: whoever is left in the dungeon will believe, rationally, that the Edgewatch is unlikely to return on the very next day, so they will expect to have some time to get back on their feet, re-establish contact with each other etc. But at the same time, they won't stay long because either some norgorberite cleanup crew or the guards are bound to show up eventually.
Her instinct is correct on both counts. It's not only the PCs that may go. The Gray Queen is heading there as well on this day to clean up any evidence. If the PCs killed the Skinner but didn't take her body, that will be the top priority target and she might give up other targets to ensure she gets this one. Any skinsaw cultists who weren't arrested/killed during the main raid are also in the area, especially Mobana and Violetta. They plan to abandon the base after a few days, just like Bolera predicted.
If the PCs follow Bolera's advice, they can arrest any stranglers and maybe indirectly witness the Gray Queen's work. They probably can't directly interact with her since her invisibility (Hidden Paragon ability) is too much for them at this level but there might be a bit of a race against her about who gets to evidence first. If she gets it before them, they might notice some corpses, equipment etc are gone (they were there just a minute ago!). The Gray Queen will not reveal herself or kill anyone while the PCs are there. She will probably kill any cult members she sees as a liability but only while there are no witnesses.
This happens when some little time has passed after the catacombs adventure. The exact circumstances can vary but four thing are certain:
• The Twilight Four needs to "clean house" by making certain witnesses or evidence disappear.
• The PCs are preoccupied with something else and not near the target(s).
• The Rumormonger takes on the mission, sends some of his clockwork assassins to do it.
• Bolera, by foresight or circumstance, gets wind of this and gets herself into trouble.
You can customise this however you like but below I'm providing a more detailed view of how it played out in my campaign.
In my campaign, the PCs didn't make time to properly interrogate Mobana after arresting her in the catacombs so Bolera, as expert interrogator, decided to do it herself. During the interrogation she realised Mobana's life was in danger and hid outside the Stoneshield House where Mobana was kept and waited to see what would happen.
While waiting she sent a letter to herself with her write-up of Mobana's answers. As is her habit, she only recorded the answers and relied on her good memory to remember the questions, which on any other day would be a good bet... but not today.
Here's the handout in case you need it (the implied questions are in brackets, it will be a fun exercise for your players to figure them out):
- [What were you doing before we arrested you?]
- Looking for Skinner but she was nowhere to be found. Did you arrest her too? Is she alive?
- [Do you have any suspicions on who could have made Skinner's body disappear?]
- Yes. The Skinner was part of the Twilight Four. Must be one of them.
- [What is the Twilight Four?]
- A conspiracy by the greatest norgorberites in the city. Our operations had been funding it.
- [How did you make money? Via the Copper Hand?]
- We made bank selling the belongings of our victims. We laundered them through many gangs, not only the Copper Hand.
- [You said "had been funding". What changed?]
- I am not sure what changed, but Skinner stopped sending the money to them and kept it in our vault.
- [The Copper Hand used a clockwork drill for their bank heist and we found another one in your base. Where did you get them?]
- They're called dig widgets. They were delivered to us to pass them on to the Copper Hand. No idea from whom.
- [Any connection to the Graveraker? That huge drill that was stolen?]
- I have no clue. We only saw these small drills.
- [In that pool of blood you were doing some ritual. What was the goal?]
- The ritual was meant to seal a deal with Norgorber. I was not told what exactly the deal entailed.
- [Was that ritual the reason for all the murders too?]
- Perhaps that was not the only reason for the murders, there could be more: to send a message. To create an atmosphere of fear out there in the city.
- [You've been very forthcoming about this. Why? Others would keep their mouth shut in your position.]
- Because I don't care for nothing no more. I'm on borrowed time now either way.
She noticed the clockwork assassins too late to save Mobana and tried to give chase but wasn't fast enough. However she did notice a tiny black stain on the pavement: it was due to a small leak from the toxic black ink that is their lifeblood (Vancaskerkin takes it from the kraken Levialar and uses it in all his clockwork creations and his newspaper). Using her detective skills (she literally went to every ink shop she knew of and asked to taste their ink) she traced it back to Bottles and Blots (see book 5).
She tried to outwit Hedul the dwarf but couldn't outwit Ixusoth the hyakume brainwasher controlling him. She was captured and sedated. Eventually Vancaskerkin came along and the interrogator became the interrogated. He asked her to join his cause, talked to her about solving mysteries together, fighting crime, dismantling capitalism, the proletarian revolution... whatever he thought could get her to cooperate. But she could not be cajoled. Because he found her attraction to mysteries endearing and because he felt like he owed her and the PCs some respect, he decided not to kill her but turn her into an asset instead. He asked Ixusoth to replace her eyes with green ones and delete all her memories that could pose a risk.
During this time, she is subject to a Veil of Privacy / Nondetection spell and a Hidden Mind / Mind Blank spell. On a failed scrying attempt, the caster sees a swarm of creepy green eyes gazing back at them. Attempts to use Sending or similar will probably fail since she's unconscious for most of her stay at Inks & Blots (except during the few minutes she talks with Vancaskerkin).
Vancaskerkin thought of an extra purpose for her: serve as a distraction. Force the PCs to go save her in order to take advantage of their absence to progress his other goals.
First, choose a suitable goal for him that he thinks might be disrupted by the PCs (In my campaign it was assassinating Violeta who was also arrested and kept at the Stoneshield House but another good option is the witnesses that were found alive in the catacombs). Then he stuffs a pack of demon dust in Bolera's pocket (side-effects include memory loss, which will make the PCs think this drug is the reason for Bolera's amnesia). After that, he makes Hedul move Bolera under the cover of the night to the Ivy District sewers where he sells her to morlocks (who will probably take her to Delirium's Tangle). Finally, allow the PCs to gain some hint about her whereabouts (in my campaign Vancaskerkin knew the PCs had access to the Sending spell so he timed Bolera waking up from the operation to coincide with the time Hedul would hand her off to the morlocks). Only then, with the PCs out of the way, can he send his agents to achieve the goal (probably the clockwork assassins doing another assassination).
In the unlikely event the PCs somehow get there before Hedul is gone, that might derail the campaign as they could trace him back to Inks & Blots. If they come later, they might find Bolera alone and tied up at the agreed-upon exchange point. If they are too late, the Morlocks have taken her and are headed to Delirium's Tangle. Here's a rouch sketch of how the chase could be run, if it comes to that: It takes 10 chase points to reach the Delirium's Tangle. The Morlocks automatically get 1 point every 10 minutes. The PCs need DC 20 to Track: they get 1 point on a success and 2 points on a critical success. Possible obstacles: Brainchild, oozes, gases, cave-in, washed away tracks. The Morlock party consists of 6 morlocks, each riding a giant stag beetle. If they somehow reach the Delirium's Tangle before they are overtaken by the PCs, use the 1e scenario Delirium's Tangle for inspiration. Possible encounters there: Green Slime, Yellow Mold, Shuffling Scythe Blades, Maze of Mirrors, Hound Of Tindalos, Misery Siktempora, Slithering Pit.
Through Bolera's green eyes, Vancaskerkin can attempt to spy on the PCs and Edgewatch. The PCs are likely to notice and investigate the green eyes. Bolera will insist her eyes had always been green and most people will feel inclined to agree. If the PCs suspect or accuse her openly she will get offended and their relationship might quickly sour. If they try to Identify Magic and/or cast (legacy) detect magic, it will take a DC 39 to notice faint traces of scrying/divination magic.
If they start researching at local libraries (Forae Logos in particular) for references to green eyes, a DC 34 Occultism check (or DC 36 Religion/Arcana) will lead them to discover the following passage written hastily with uneven strokes in the margins of a copy of the book "Fungi from Yuggoth":
Monster with green eyes all over. I am the last one alive hidden among the bookshelves. It will soon be my turn too. It has sealed all exits. It is going through the books one by one, reading them in seconds and burning them after. I am using the last of my strength to write these lines and teleport this book to the safest place I know. It is going to be my last and only legacy before oblivion embraces me.
The book's introduction mentions it is intended for the Library of Vista (a district of Magnimar). Problem is there is no such library and no one remembers there ever being one. If a librarian is asked, they will mention the book suddenly showed up on a shelf one day 700 years ago. Since the subject is the worship of Lrogg (a non-existent deity as far as they know) and it's referencing a non-existing library (as far as they know) the book has been categorised as "religious fiction". In reality, the monster reference is Ixusoth herself and she erased the library from existence and memory very thoroughly.
If the PCs start researching for monsters with many eyes and a proclivity for reading and erasing information, a DC 36 Occultism check will be enough to learn about Hyakume and realise green eyes is only one possible option; Hyakume with different eye colours exist.
A DC 40 Medicine check should be enough to reverse the eye operation - but access to Ixusoth's eye tank is needed to get Bolera's original eyes back.
Bolera is investigating the Graveraker disappearance. Because of her experience being abducted and taken underground, she suspects the real Graveraker was stolen by making it dig through the ground (and hiding the hole with illusion magic since Blune Bandersworth, famed illusionist, is one of her suspects). Investigating unusual underground digging activity, she hears rumours about some digging machine wreaking havoc at the Sewer Dragons' lair, perhaps because she knows Drandle Dreng of the Pathfinder Society. If her relationship with the PCs is good, she will invite them to help. If not, maybe the PCs learn some other way (someone else who Bolera told of her plan and is worried about her safety) and encounter her at the Sewer Dragons' lair or at the Halcyon Hog.
This is the final chapter in the series. Bolera is studying at libraries trying to figure out how the Graveraker can be powered by Proteans (as she learned in the previous episode) and how that power can be controlled remotely. She eventually comes up with the theory that it was the Radiant Spark, which is close to the truth, but wrong (could be a good way to foreshadow the artifact because it becomes important in book 6 for a different reason). If PCs show up and show interest in her research they might help in formulating the theory. Or Bolera might test them by asking questions to see if they can figure out what she's trying to research here based on everything that has happened before. In either case she eventually shares her theory with the PCs.
Days or weeks later, she realises her mistake. But now she's too close to the truth and Vancaskerkin, watching her progress through her green eyes, realises this. Bolera in turn figures out that whoever changed her eyes is spying on her and must be connected with the Twilight Four and the Graveraker disappearance. So she understands that this someone might murder her too to silence her. Therefore, she comes up with a plan to discretely share her findings with the PCs after her death. That way they will know but Vancaskerkin will not know they know.
In order to do that, since she's not sure how exactly the green scrying eyes work, she's using as many layers of obfuscation as possible: She's writing an encoded message hoping only the PCs can solve it. And she's doing it while averting her eyes from the piece of paper she's writing that message on. The code is based on a detective book. Ideally you need to make sure that Bolera is established to the PCs as either a well-known mystery novel author or avid reader well before this episode starts.
The handout should look something like this:
[code]
10LD
⮦16→0(3) ⮤12→4(5) ⮦13→3(4) ⮤1→3(5) ⮤3→1(2) ⮤10→1(3)
⮤2→4(4) ⮦8→2(3) ⮤6→5(2) ⮦9→5(3) ⮤7→1(2) ⮤3→3(5) ⮦7→1(5) ⮦1→3(3) ⮤5→2(3) ⮦2→2(3)
[/code]
Here is my attempt at making an authentic-looking handout.
The mystery novel is called Ten Little Dwarves (a reference to Agatha Christie's infamous "And Then There Were None"). Bolera is hinting at this with the "10LD" in her note. A PC who knows her well might immediately recognise it, otherwise a DC30 Society check or slightly lower Lore(Literature) or similar check should do it. After the PCs get their hands on a copy of the book, you should tell them that on the very first page there's a rhyme about 10 little dwarves. A PC who skims through the book realises the rhyme plays an important role in the plot. A PC who reads the book realises the book is about a killer who kills their victims based on the lines of the rhyme. Here's the rhyme:
Ten little Dwarves went out to dine;
One choked on a radish and then there were nine.
Nine little Dwarves powered on though it was late;
One lay down for a spell and then there were eight.
Eight little Dwarves visiting Greengold for resin;
To no avail, one would stay and then there were seven.
Seven little Dwarves chopping up sticks;
One was torn to pieces and then there were six.
Six little Dwarves playing on a hillside;
A giant ant stung one and then there were five.
Five little Dwarves excelling in law;
One got in the Brine and then there were four.
Four little Dwarves on the ark at sea;
A red bunyip swallowed one and then there were three.
Three little Dwarves walking in the zoo;
A bugbear hugged one and then there were two.
Two little Dwarves watching the sun;
One got his eyes frizzled up and then there was one.
One little Dwarf left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.
Bolera's code is confined to this rhyme. The next step is to realise that the rest of the code is instructions telling you how to move through the words and letters like it's a treasure map. Each instruction has 3 parts:
- • how many lines to go down or up
- • how many words to skip in that line
- • how many letters to keep from the word you landed on
Allow the players to think this through or give them hints for each part of the instructions with relevant skill checks.
The very first instruction says ⮦16 (starting from the first line, skip 16 lines). Then →0 (skip zero words, so you choose the first word of the line). Finally (3) (take the first three letters of that word, which in this case is the whole word "Two").
The pattern of instructions repeats until the message is formed:
two green eyes watch re-lay
radi-ant sp-ark no power giant exc-ava-tor
Here's the play-by-play of the fateful day. Most likely the following events will happen when the PCs are preoccupied with something, for example after arresting Flakfatter and are forced to guard him for three whole days at Hunting Lodge Seven.
Bolera is at her Edgewatch office late working on the Graveraker power source theory. Immediately after she has her "aha" moment, she begins planning for her likely assassination. She keeps her eyes on her research notes but takes out a separate piece of paper and begins writing the code on it. She has a few false starts and can't stay on the lines but she manages finish it. Then she gets out of her office and visits Sergant Ollo's desk where she makes some smalltalk (If questioned later, Ollo will describe her as distressed and distracted but at the time he does not realise anything is especially amiss). She expertly puts the crumpled up note in his pocket. She then goes back to her office, locks the door to protect the rest of Edgewatch and waits.
Meanwhile Vancaskerkin realises she knows too much and -if he thinks he can get away with it and the PCs cannot intervene- orders his clockwork assassins to kill her. The clockwork assassins stealthily climb the Edgewatch HQ from the side, locate the window to Bolera's office and pick it open. Bolera makes a futile effort to resist but she's stabbed through the heart in seconds (Medicine DC20 to understand how the wound was inflicted, on a critical success reconstruct her final moments). The clockwork assassins then carefully pick up all her research notes about artifacts and the graveraker power source (DC25 to notice her desk is weirdly clean, on a critical success understand what is missing). Finally they climb out of the window and put it back together so it seems that there was no forced entry at all (Perception/Crafting DC35 to notice the mechanism has been tampered with, disassembled and reassembled).
In Vancaskerkin's mind, this is his way of honouring Bolera's life. She loved mysteries so much it is fitting that in death she became one herself: a locked room mystery.
If the PCs are at Hunting Lodge Seven, Lavarsus goes there himself to tell them the sad news (between enemy waves). He is obviously distrought and his presence is much darker than the "mean boss tough guy" persona he's been putting up for them previously. He might stay and try to help with the defence (though he is woefully underleveled).
On the next day the funeral is held. This is a good opportunity for Ollo to give the note to the PCs. Alternatively Ollo does not notice it and the PCs will have to investigate him and find it themselves.
If the PCs manage to figure out Bolera's final message, they get one step closer to finding Ixusoth/Vancaskerkin and understanding the Twilight Four Plan. Since none of that is actionable, consider also rewarding them with something tangible, like a free investigative feat or similar.