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Fendrikor
Learned Scribe
Australia
189 Posts |
 Posted - 25 Feb 2014 : 20:09:35
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Right.. well my group are currently doing Daggerdale 1372 in the year of wild magic. Though they are doing City of the Spiderqueen as the main plot arch (and are level 10. we are using pathfinder) i have injected a Zhentish underplot but i have found myself suddenly stumped.
I have ideas. but i want them nitpicked and improved.
... you see... since the begining of the campaign i have forshadowed that the Harper, Lirella Drumsinger, had been hunting down Zhents hideing out in the Tarkhen hills. They knew this, as one of the players studied for the winter under Elminster and in that time he came to become good friends with Kesselara the proprietor of the Red Rock Tavern (who is a Harper contact... and good friends with storm silverhand).
He himself is not a harper, as he has secured himself a position as the Court wizard and personal diviner to House Morn... however recent events have pressed him into service (namely the events of the city of the spiderqueen module) and he has since been on one failed Foray into the Dordrien Crypts.
Reforming the party, with heavy aid from the church of Lathander, he learned from Kesselara that a small contingent of Harper scouts headed out to a Backwater town called Caer Garrion on the borders of a small forest lake near Borderforest called Lake Alaron to meet with a Harper double agent, infilitrating the eldreth Veluuthra called Cyro the Crow.
However one day after the group departed, Kess recieves word via Silver Raven Wonderous figurine delivered message - from Lirella herself - that she believes Cyro's loyalty to the harpers had been compromised and that, he was infact, working for the Eldreth Veluuthra all along.
The players decide not to trouble the lord of Daggerdale with Harper buisness and head to Caer Garrion which they find empty bar for some Verbeeg looters (The module here in involving Caer Garrion is adapted from Dungeon 149) and Cyro himself who are busy plundering the town for anything the Elven terrorists can use.
The party drives Cyro away and kills his Verbeeg lackeys before putting together what happened in town. They find one of the Harpers (Who is a player) trapped in a Jail cell, drugged and unconcious, and learn from a distressed, somewhat incoherant local (the town drunk) that everyone in town was bewitched by a terrible song of sorrow that only comes at night.
following the Tracks they discover a muddy field just outside of town at the foot of a steep hill. They find Chains and Manacles, with a Broken key still half in one of the shackles trampled into the mud and a poor effort to hide the Tracks of the 100+ residents of town being marched off to the west (in the direction of the Tarkhen hills).
Tracking down Cyro first they Defeat - and Drive away - the Double agent again before discovering the Beast he used to lure out the people in the first place, a Twisted Dark-Tree monster called a Night Twist.
They kill that before heading back to town and resting till morning. At the Crack of dawn, they awaken and Scry for the rest of the Key, which they discover to be still on the 'Key chain' of a master set of keys hanging on the Belt of a Zhentish soldier camped with a dozen others of his kind in a clearing on the bank of the lake somewhere. They also notice all the slaves in Wagons and get the feeling the Zhents are well armed and organised.
Regardless, the party as a group cast as many defencive spells as possible before Teleporting right into the Camp as the Zhents eat their breakfast.
It was one of the most fun battles i have had in years. While the party hacked and slashed their way through the Zhentilar infantry (who were slowed with heat metal, and struggling to ready their weapons) the group Paladin Unhorsed and killed the Zhentish Captain as he charged at her in one blow causing many of the Zhents to route.
At the Climax of the battle, a Skymage appeared - highlighting the importance of why the Zhents needed the slaves (and were attempting to cover up takeing them). The Skymage fought on the back of a chainshirt barded wyvern... and i have to say, Share spell with a Mount like that is just amazing when the spells you are Shareing as 'Resist Electricity' and 'Stoneskin'
While the Paladin freed the Captives from their Wagons, and the Wizard, Cleric and Harper did battle with the Skymage - A Satyr (with 4 hunting hounds) returned (the Satyr a drunkard, dependant on the Zhents for Trists with the slave girls) putting many of the Slaves to sleep and releasing his hounds upon them. All the while, a Large Bank of Cloudkill (with Black Tentacles thrown in for extra nastyness) was slowly sweeping over the Campsight (thanks to the skymage).
In the end, a magical anomaly (thanks to Paizo's Critical hit deck) rendered the Skymages Wyvern uncontrollable - the beast Flying wildly away from the battle carrying the skymage with it.
The party has since taken the Slaves back to Caer Garrion and are not intending per-say to dish out retribution on the Zhents just yet as the Harper in their number is more keen at this point on hunting down Cyro (who stole his Harper pin as a Trophy after leaving him to go crazy and die in a Caer Garrion Jail cell).
But here in lays the part that i am stumped upon.
Cyro has retreated into Borderforest to report to none over than Saeval Calandra, one of the Eldreth Veluuthra Bladelords about his sucessful doublecross of the Zhents and the depopulation of Caer Garrion (he has no idea the people lived).
I imagine Saeval would be pretty happy with those results, using the Humans against the Humans to the Detriment of Both Human Factions is after all what the Eldreth Veluuthra are all about.
However i am unsure where to go from there for Cyro. The Elves have patience and can afford to lay low for another few years before strikeing again... after all, at this stage they do not want to draw too much attention in the form of reprisals. If the players (who can. and Will) Scry Cyro i imagine he will be at Saeval Calandra's camp for some time... this would give them a golden opportunity to Decapitate the Eldreth Veluuthra in Border forest by Accident almost... Even though Saeval Calandra is a skilled and competant assasin (Rogue 8/Assasin 4), The Eldreth Veluuthra are few in number and widely spread. i do not imagine there to be more than 4-6 people including Cyro staying at the camp at the time.. Thus far i am thinking:
Saeval Calandra (Rogue 8/Assasin4)
Cyro the Crow (Sorcerer 10)
Ranger or Wizard 9
3 Fighters or Rangers 4
Meanwhile for the Zhents:
I think it would be too easy for them to Scry the Skymage and be able to Teleport to Tethyamar Base, though at level 10 i should expect as much.
When the Skymage Regained control of his mount he returned to Tethyamar Base delivered his report to Kara Chermosk, the base commander.
She is a Shrewd woman, who has no intention of reporting her failures up the ladder to Fzoul Chembryl. To which end, she would be intent upon eliminating any possible threat to Tethyamar Fortress.
Rationally i would figure she would do the following steps:
- She sends the Skymage out to patrol the passes leading to Tethyamar base, invisibly.
- She has in her retinue a tiefling sorceress who is skilled in divination. The Diviner would attempt ofcourse to Scry 'the one who slew' the Captain leading the Slaving expedition. This may or may not succede but it would be simply done to gather if there will be a continued threat to Tethyamar base. in either case, this will be the Paladin.
- beyond this i have no idea what i should do as Kara Chermosk.
* In order to make Tethyamar Fortress playable for a 10th level group, i have kept all the Orcs and Ogres at level 1, but bumped up the level of the Zhentilar Infantry to match those they fought at the Caravan (Warrior 6).
* I do not want Tethyamar Base to be a dungeon so much as a Garrison. Which also leads to the idea that the party may, simply, Get the Freedom Riders involved.
* If this is the Case, It will take some convincing on the players part to have the Lord of Daggerdale ride a hundred or so Riders into dangerous Giant infested highlands to attack a mountain.
* Lirella Drumsinger has a rough idea where the Base could be. However she has just recently received 'False' information that the Base may be located in a part of the hills which is actually home to a clan of Frost giants who worship a family of Red Dragons. this could prove interesting as a plot for the players if they Scry Lirella drumsinger and find her captured by frost giants and in need of rescue before she becomes another Sacrifice to the 'Ash Bringers'.
Anyone have any thoughts or Ideas to Enrich / add to this?
Or perhaps can throw on another layer or two of intrigue to thicken the plot / defences at Tethyamar base?
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'Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup' |
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Kusghuul
Acolyte
Norway
33 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2014 : 00:19:45
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Cyro has infiltrated the Harpers. A simple detect evil spell would probably be one of the first tests, so Cyro should at the very least have some resources that would hinder scrying - such as a ring of nondetection. I'm not entirely sure how scrying works in Pathfinder, mind.
If you want the Zhentarim to act upon this, they could always met out revenge on the players. Hell, they probably wouldn't even need their diviner as they have the arguably best spynetwork in Faerun. Assassins spring to mind, or fooling the players into doing things for the Zhentarim. |
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Zhent / Eldreth Veluuthra subplot loose ends
