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Am I mistaken here?
My players are almost done with Cult Of The Caveworm. Now that I'm reading to Heavy Is The Crown more thoroughly, I can't help but notice how the authors force you as the GM to force the players as the pcs to go along with the whole "defend Rolgrimmdur from the Bloodbane Coalition" arc.
Meanwhile, it isn't clear how Narseigus intends to use the army he's amassed. Book 2 and 3 state that Narseigus is lying to the armies about his reasons for decending Kor Well. They believe he's going to find a way to lift the seals so that the Coalition can use the lift to ascend to Rolgrimmdur. Of course, we know that in Truth Narseigus is going to dominate The Avernal Worm instead.
There are two ork npcs in chapter 1 who realize the lie and believe this means Narseigus will lead the to their death.
About the second issue: this is nonsense. As one of my players already remarked, Narceigus would not have the Coalition use the elevator in the first place. He'd simply use The Avernal Worm to quickly excavate a tunnel large enough for the armies to breach into any sky citadel anywhere (doesn't even have to start with Rolgrimmdur at all, but I guess that's still yhe plan since the armiesare gathered this close now. (By the way, nothing is stopping you as a GM to simply replace the location of the Kor Well to be near Highhelm instead)
Narseigus would have told the Coalition that he'd find the means for them to assault the sky citadel without needing to cross Kor Well and its magical seals at all.
Now to the first problem: players like to go directly for the shortest path to victory. There certainly is one! Criss Drootorca Cavern, descend into the Kor Well, and sneak your way past the guard troops that are stationed there. None of that is too hard for a lvl8 party. The only real barrier is the party level; it's harder to fight Narseigus Wormcaller at only level 8. I find that a too reason artificial reason to hold my players back.
Granted, as a GM you can control how much of the layout of Drootorca Cavern and the Kor Well the party learns at which point, but even with only vague information they'd still try to put an end to Narseigus' life and only deal with the Coalition after that.
What incentive is there to give the party a really good reason to explore the Cavern first and disbable the seals on Kor Well before heading to Avernakus?
I think I'll have to come up with a better explanation. Something yhat does not sound too complicated is rewriting the seals in the Kor Well such that there's actually not three distinct magical barriers that cause harm, but that the entirety of Kor Well is flooded by some magical effect that causes harm. Comparable to pressure increase the deeper a character would descend into The Well. However, Narceigus engineered a few devices that can protect one from that pressure effect, though Narceigus got the only one that is capable of protecting one all the way to the bottom; the pcs must search Drootorca Cavern for enough lesser devices so that the party is at oeast capable of traversing the wing levels above the breach in the Well. Disabling one seal should now weaken the pressure effect throughout the Well. With all three removed the party no longer needs protection to descend all the way down. And there'd be no more guard at this level anymore; instead, a fight might have started as soon as the forces from Rolgrimmdur descend through ylthe elevator and reach the breach at Drootorca level.
I'd greatly appreciate any thoughts, opinions or critique from other GMs?
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I've also found the content of this AP to be quite disjointed and story-wise very difficult to follow without a lot of work on my side to connect the dots and remind the characters what is going on while foreshadowing what is upcoming.
Next Thursday will probably be my last or second-to-last in book 2 and I'm still figuring out how exactly to connect to Heavy is the Crown myself. I'll be interested to hear other's thoughts.
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In any case, in Cult of The Caveworm I had the party face Narseigus in Keth Soldur and replaced most of the events in Haggegraf with ideas of my own (infiltration of the Horologe!). And today I am replacing monsters in Narseigus' penthouse with more interesting ones.
I also thought that learning of the Wormcaller secrets would be way more fun if it were obtained by consuming (eating) worms that once held a person's mind. Think Baldur's Gate 3 might have been an inspiration on that point :)
Finally, I thought thought I should scatter some journal notes from Narseigus throughout the penthouse. I'll share them here.
== Narseigus' Journal ==
Lamashan 1th, 4680 A.R.
I proved my tutors wrong! These worms contain the living memory of the wormcallers of old. Their species predates earthfall by tens of thousands of years. Likely, they were already there before the Age of Serpents even began. My guess is they originally made up the ancient vault builders. After all, is it not they who are presumably the creators of the very cave worm species? I shall nurture this batch of worms until the end of my days. Such knowledge they contain! Such a shame they breed this slowly, it will take years before I have consumed it all..
Sarenith 18th, 4631 A.R.
My powers in wormcalling have grown to the point that I am confident enough to delve deeper into the darklands. I will venture from Nar-Voth into Sekamina and Orv, in search of the largest cave worms out there. It is time I mastered control of the great worms of this world..
Abadius 4th, 4678 A.R.
I was wrong! How did I never notice?! I traveled half the continent before discovering the presence of a worm of such proportions even I was left flabbergasted! For millennia, it lived right underneath The Five King’s Mountains, near my home of Haggegraf! Imagine what power I would wield if I’d be able to control that one. My powers as a wormcaller have grown considerably, and I have successfully been able to control smaller cave worms. Yet it is clear to me that I, Narseigus, The Last Wormcaller, will have to be careful, will have to prepare for years, decades to come, if I am ever to claim this queen among worms..
Lamashan 20th, 4684 A.R.
I have now become adviser to the monarchy of Haggegraf, and I expect nothing less than to become the sole Royal Adviser in the years to come. My plan to conquer all of The Five King Mountains with the greatest worm that ever lived under my spell was simply to alluring for our king to ignore. Haggegraf must slowly be directed on the path of war. But I still have a problem that must be solved: how to capture this great worm? If only I had discovered the location of its lair already! As royal adviser I should finally have the means to do so..
Kuthona 30th, 4713 A.R.
My advice to steer all of Haggegraf was a success. Its armies have grown, its people are mentally prepared to conquer all of the regions in and surrounding The Five King’s Mountains, both under sky and beneath earth. Its furnaces produce ever more weaponry. Other darklands species flock to my cause: xuulgath, orks, caligni, ... I speak with the king's voice! My powers as a wormcaller have risen to new heights.
And yet it is all for nothing if I cannot succeed in locating this beast’s nesting ground, which still eludes me! However, there is an unexpected ray of light: scrying spells have uncovered that this worm’s lair, wherever it may be, is also where the legendary King Taargick built his final tomb! How that came to be, I don’t understand, but what I do now is that the old Sky King’s Tomb is bound to hold treasures beyond imagination. Perhaps even decrees that grant the rightful ruler ship of all his domains. I am now even more pressed to track down the beast..
Arodus 8th, 4714 A.R.
The great worm is on the move! I heard it call Taargick’s name, and its own! Zogototaru. As I theorized, this worm is so intelligent that it is capable of speech. It is angry, something must have stirred it? Perhaps it is worth following its trail.
Abadius 14th, 4720 A.R.
It turns out that not only was the settlement of Guldenrege attacked by Zogototaru 6 years ago, but so too were The Candlestone Caverns. It spurred a revolt among some of the citizens of The Court of Ether against Queen Frilogarma, and they have come together in this “Cult of The Cave worm”’. The little fairies have taken upon themselves the task of summoning the great worm back into their home. Fools! I, Narseigus Wormcaller, have been searching and preparing for nearly half a century now, without success. And even if this cult were able to summon it, they still lack the means to cast a spell of domination upon the beast! Though that doesn’t appear to be any concern to them, these damn cultists really seem willing to give themselves to the worm instead of the other way around. Still, fey magic is powerful. What if they can, against all odds, accomplish something The Last Wormcaller has failed to do thus far? Fine. I will play along. Join their cult for a while. It had better be worth the trouble..
Arodus 5th, 4724 A.R.
I have done it! By leading this idiotic Cult of The Cave worm into breaking into Queen Frilogarma’s treasury, I have laid my hands on a most unique magical artifact called The Everywhen Map. It took much effort, but in the end I prevailed. The map is now attuned to Zogototaru. From its contents I finally learned of its location! The hellish magma chamber that is Avernakkus! The finest geologists of Haggegraf have always theorized that area was completely inaccessible, and how any lifeforms has been able to survive their is a mystery, yet it is clear that both the worm and King Taargick were able to make their way there. I can now finally proceed with my plans of conquest. Soon, all of The Shining Kingdoms and all below will hear of the name Narseigus Wormcaller! Alas, these damn cultists refused to let me keep hold of the map, they even dared to banish me from their midst! What could those little critters ever have hoped to achieve without my help?! Worse, they still got hold of my old notes for a summoning ritual. I cannot allow them to interfere with my plans. I must snare Zogototaru in my service and must do so within her lair. I will see to it that the summoning ritual is brought to a halt. And the cult will be buried forever..
Gozran 15th, 4724 A.R.
I have left instructions and the means to destroy The Cult of The Cave worm with a ulat-kini leader in a settlement called Whisper Stream near the Candlestone Caverns. Now that that is dealt with, I can finally commence on my master plan! The armies of Haggegraf have already been moved to Drootorca Cavern, where they have joined with the other darkland creatures under my command. From there, I will descend The Kor Well into Avernakkus. It will take some time to tunnel through the rock, and prepare the ritual that will bind Zogototaru to me. I expect 4 to 5 weeks, and the Worm will be mine! At Last! Then nothing will stop me from leading my legions to Rolgrimmdur. Our might will overwhelm the old fortress. And then comes Highhelm! Even prepared, King Borogrim’s forces won’t be able to stop Narseigus Wormcaller! I will become Golarion’s most legendary dwarf ever, greater even than The Sky King!
Gozran 16th, 4724 A.R.
I could not sleep tonight. Not because of excitement. I was troubled by the memories of my encounter with a group of travelers in Kheth Soldur. They interrupted my negotiations with the morlock queen, and challenged me to a fight! I was so confident of myself that I nearly lost my life during combat. One of them was able to steal my staff from me for a moment! Another one was clearly a witch pupil, one was shooting fire at me from a long metal rod and yet another one trying to pierce my skin with thorns. I can honestly say I have never met a stranger band. And then there was this little vermin, cheering in the back, dressed as a cave worm, and one dwarf, who clearly hails from Highhelm, but he wore next to his own clan dagger .. the legendary dagger of The Sky King! Did the Rivethun of Highhelm send this party after me? I saw divine light for a moment. Droskar protect me, do not let anyone, whether they are blessed by the Rivethun, Torag or King Taargick’s spirit, stop me now! I have started this journey a century and a half ago, today I will set forth to the place where my destiny will unfold. I deserve this! I won’t allow anyone to take it from me..
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Wow! Great stuff. Gonna yoink some of that for sure. We're just doing the penthouse ourselves now. I had to completely rejigger the Hagegraff part too...
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Wow! Great stuff. Gonna yoink some of that for sure. We're just doing the penthouse ourselves now. I had to completely rejigger the Hagegraff part too...We are going to wrap up Book 1 in a session or 2... what did you do to improve Hagregaf?
I devised a mission where they had to climb the Horologe tower (basically saving a lost kitty)!
The clock's outer bulk is designed to nullify spells, so you can't just fly in there.Inside there is an elevator central in the tower, everything is made out of metal, there are clockwork soldiers (including a mage!) patrolling.
There are Droskar priests (using the npc core book for statblock): they have communication stones by which they get the statistics of that day's industrial output on various parts of Haggegraf's economy. After doing some calculated manual math, they set the Horologe's smaller dials and bells to an updated rhythm. The Hryngar in the city are the only ones who can make sense of it :)
There's also a secret shrine to the godess Brigh from which the priests would learn more secrets of gears and clockwork. It would be quite the scandal if word ever got out they're worshipping another deity beside Droskar!
My players disrupted the clockwork so that the dials were a few seconds off. When they got back outside the whole city was watching terrified and in awe at their beloved tower that dictated their every move. The horror!
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Wow! Great stuff. Gonna yoink some of that for sure. We're just doing the penthouse ourselves now. I had to completely rejigger the Hagegraff part too...We are going to wrap up Book 1 in a session or 2... what did you do to improve Hagregaf?
Well basically, I felt like there wasn't much motivation to go to Hagegraf and no reason for the characters to be trying to get in the penthouse, and then the penthouse wasn't really a good size for such a prominent figure so:
On the trip back to Highhelm from the Court of Ether, I made sure the encounters (plus a few I added) really started to tell the tale of Narseigus and his plot. Upon arriving back at Highhelm they actually find a Highhelm patrol under assault by a scouting force from the Bloodbane Coalition. Lady Dux (a Taldan spy introduced in LO:Highhelm) holds a shindig to celebrate these heroes and then takes them aside. She introduces them to Bronwyll, who has come secretly through her contact with Lady Dux to recruit adventurers to help her bring down Narseigus. She's jealous because he took a promotion meant for her and she wants the help of outsiders to Hagegraff to get in the penthouse and find incriminating evidence of his diversion of Ministry of Magic resources for his plot with the Bloodbane Coalition. Lady Dux is convinced that the party should also find some information that could help them defeat the sorcerer that threatens all the Five Kings Mountains. Bronwyll provides a list of contacts in Hagegraff that should enable them to gain access to the penthouse...
After that, the Hagegraff story pretty much plays out as expected, but Bronwyll's actual plot at the end is to catch the heroes raiding the penthouse to arrest them and that's how she plans to get ahead in the political scene of the city. I planted the journal entry posted above as information the party found in the penthouse, and just added a few hints throughout that if my players look closely should help them understand that they can break Narseigus' spell holding Zogototaru in the third book by reminding the worm of his connection to Taargick.
For the penthouse map, I felt something much larger and grand would be a better location so I borrowed a battlemap conversion of the Scarlet Cathedral from WoW. Also, the players going through the city ended up making an arrangement with a local captain of the guard who showed up with even more troops to confront Bronwyll and her forces at the penthouse. Chaos ensued and a good time was had by all.
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Also, as I posted in the other thread, here's what I did for the start of Book 2 (the journey out from Highhelm to the Court of Ether)
Yeah so, first of all there's my travel/camping rules...
TRAVEL: I describe some basic elements of the environment they are traveling through and a "mood" and then allow the players to give the LoTR travel scene directors cut description of the scene to earn a Hero Point.
CAMPING: Watches are done in pairs and two players at a time do some social bonding.
Okay... and then 10 days through the darklands:
Day 1:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: excitement of exploring the unknown)... and then they encounter... An injured and starving draft lizard… the saddlebags bear markings of the pathfinder society and it is missing its teeth… it has a name written on a collar “Smaug”
b) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: exploring the unknown but tedious)...
c) CAMP SCENE ... (during one of the watches a wandering harrow deck reader passes the camp and does a reading for their upcoming journey)
Day 2:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: exploring the unknown but maybe being followed?)... and then they encounter...
Orcish runes on the floor (requiring orc language): a riddle.
Through the darkness I always pierce,
A guiding force, both calm and fierce.
In every place, I end the fright,
What am I?
[The answer is light.] This phrase opens the door to a tomb to an orcish community that was killed by the dwarves during the quest for sky tended by an orcish cleric that tells them the story
b) CAMP SCENE
Day 3:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: probably being followed) ... and then they encounter... a bone gnawed with many tiny bite marks
b) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: almost certainly being followed)... and then they encounter... a dead end... the intended road is blocked (search to discover dead toothfaries in the cave in), options: try to dig through, a path into what is obviously a predator hunting ground, or double-back to an earlier fork but possibly running into what is following them...
c) CAMP SCENE ... after both watches in the night, I describe a cut scene where we see a sorceror plotting with fish folk in sillouette, handing them an explosive device
Day 4:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: wary) ... and then they encounter... a snake pit trap
b) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: wary) ... and then they encounter... dretches?
c) CAMP SCENE
Day 5:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: the air seems a little fresher today) ... and then they encounter... the corpse of a dead pathfinder (smaug's owner)... and a toothfairy ambush ...
b) Chase scene after defeating the first wave as clouds more swarm the tunnels
b) CAMP SCENE
Day 6:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: exhaustion) ... and then they encounter... a major crossroads with a giant statue depicting a dark elf... researching reveals that dark elves never dwelt in the darklands and were a simply rumor started by lizardfolk to scare away uplanders
b) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: feeling of progress... a cavern of something wonderous) ... and then they encounter... a talking spider who speaks in riddles and fills in any lore gaps they failed to get from day 1-5
c) CAMP SCENE
Day 7:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: growing resolve) ... and then they encounter... a venedaemon lair with cacodaemon mooks ... discover a book in the collection about quest for sky from non-dwarf perspective
b) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: gradual increasing temperature) ...
c) CAMP SCENE
Day 8:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: getting hot in here) ... and then they encounter... a magma tube with a flame drake lair ... elements of flame giant settlement now long past including traps made of brass that careful inspection shows have been reset (by the upcoming morlocks) ... flame drake loot pile is obvious but will the party try? ...
b) CAMP SCENE sometime later
Day 9:
a) TRAVEL SCENE (mood: getting hot in here) ... and then they encounter... the morlock chase scene given in the AP...
b) First view of the endless gulf
c) CAMP SCENE
Day 10: traveling around the edge of the gulf and encountering the redcaps as told in the AP
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I like Iotrotk's ideas for justifying the expedition into Drootorca cavern & engaging with the coalition, as well as the seals. I think I have an idea to add a little cherry on top.
Put some more notes in Narseigus' journals, or maybe a lot of academic notes in his apartment, of him studying the military exploits of ancient wormcallers. And him noticing that the big worms were great at causing terror during wartime and breaking through fortified points, but not really good at occupation. Simply, a worm can't be everywhere at once. You need ground troops if you really want to persistently conquer a place.
So his plan is to use the worms to crack open Rolgrimmdur and fight any mid-level heroes that could give his army trouble, and use the army to actually take over the city.
This makes it clear that defeating the army is a valuable goal because it undermines his overall strategy, but not enough to defang him completely because he could still go and rampage.