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Chosen of Bane
Senior Scribe
USA
552 Posts |
 Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 02:31:30
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I need help from some creative scribes.
I am currently DMing a campaign in the Moonsea Region. The PC's are only level 2 at the moment and are in Phlan. Recently, they freed a bunch of slaves who were being transported through the region. The slaves were meant for a Cleric of Bane that belongs to the Zhentarim and he discovered who it was that freed 'his' slaves.
So, here is where I screwed up...
The Cleric of Bane and some cronies spied on the party and figured out their capabilities as well as what in they were staying at. The night they planned to bust into the in (with use of the silence spell) and attack the PC's in their sleep the party decided to throw me a curveball. They picked that night to stay at the Cemetery on the north end of Phlan in order to investigate a recent theft of two bodies (plot hook for something else that they bit on immediately). The only person that didn't go to the library was our Bard of Sune. She is very...err...promiscuous, and stayed at the in with some random guy.
So, the Zhents attacked the inn, and discovered no PC's, so they waited in ambush for the PC's to arrive in the morning. It happened and the PC's eventually won a hard fought encounter.
Now, the way I royally screwed up is... I had a brain fart and totally forgot that the Bard stayed at the inn until after the combat. I just conveniently placed her in a room that was untouched by the Zhents. I know this was extremely foolish of me, especially since they took their time in scouting out the party and figuring out who they were and where they stayed.
So, I need a little creative help as to why the Zhents would not have disturbed her room when they attacked the inn in the middle of the night? We ended the session immediately after the encounter because it took longer than we thought and it was very late. So, now I have two weeks to figure out a plausible reason for the Bard to be alive.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 02:50:52
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ok, quick ideas off the top of my head :
they spared her cause they have plans for her...maybe she is like a sleeper agent or something...maybe she is dominated or charmed for some purpose
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the leading Zhent is actually the brother/father/etc. of the cleric and spared her otherwise
or
the leading Zhent is in love/lust of the cleric
or
the random guy she was with was actually a high ranking Zhent agent and they left him alone to his fun |
Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
Edited by - Kalin Agrivar on 21 Sep 2006 03:16:32 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 02:57:30
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| Or the random guy that she spent the night with just happened to be a fairly powerful wizard that decided to impress her by whisking her off to some alternate reality for their tryst, thus allowing her to return and be surprised at what happened. Or perhaps he was an extraplanar creature that was disguised, but still with similar powers of planar travelling. |
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 03:00:16
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Or perhaps he was an extraplanar creature that was disguised, but still with similar powers of planar travelling.
ewww...like some devil/baatzu minion of that pit fiend that used to rule Zhentil Keep  |
Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 03:27:15
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| Hey, what do I know . . . I swapped out one of my player's character's fiance with a Malaugrym that he nearly didn't detect before the wedding . . . poor Meriden . . . |
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Kalin Agrivar
Senior Scribe
Canada
956 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 03:29:46
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
Hey, what do I know . . . I swapped out one of my player's character's fiance with a Malaugrym that he nearly didn't detect before the wedding . . . poor Meriden . . .
I did something similiar but the players's wife was replaced by a greater doppleganger from the Unseen.. |
Kalin Xorell El'Agrivar
- High Mage of the Arcane Assembly
- Lore Keeper of the Vault of Ancestors
- 3rd Son of the Lord of the Stand |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 03:42:52
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quote:
Originally posted by kalin agrivar
they spared her cause they have plans for her...maybe she is like a sleeper agent or something...maybe she is dominated or charmed for some purpose
It might be interesting to see if she actually had something implanted in her mind that isn't even an ongoing domination or charm, so much as a program that will play out at a given time. Then all memory of it is erased . . .
Hm . . . |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4702 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 04:07:56
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I perfer a simple soluction if posible.
She was in a place that the Zent agents would not enter, perhaps the NPC escroted her to private rooms that the Zents did not know about.
You are talking low level here, things like planers or demons realy messes with the story line.
I know over looking a few rooms might be a problem, however I also can not see Zents routinely expected to search every room in the building. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Conlon
Learned Scribe
Canada
132 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 04:42:07
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My solution would fall more in line with Kentinal's. Why make it more complex than it needs to be?
It would be completely obvious to everyone in the inn if there had to be a direct line of sight at all times between the Zhent agents and the party members. They would be tripping over each other every time someone had to go to the loo. Most likely, the agents would have placed one or two "eyes" inside and a few outside, creating a perimeter of the building so no one could slip out. They would be confident that their quarry would be in their rooms, and would most likely assume that they would stay there.
Follow the K.I.S.S method! That's what the bard of Sune did! (with some modifications and additions) |
My hopes are ashes, my dreams are dust. All my intentions mean nothing unless they are followed by action. |
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Na-Gang
Learned Scribe
United Kingdom
348 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 10:45:02
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| What about when they searched the Inn (magically scrying or physically or whatever) they only caught sight of the Bard's manfriend while she was otherwise engaged under the covers or underneath him or whatever... a lucky coincidence but that's often what gets Bards and Rogues through the night. As it were. |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 11:00:07
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| The bard might just have been in a different room, one the Zhents didn't know anything about. Since they spied on the characters and were relying on older data, hence they didn't go to the cemetary, the bard could've been busy in room 14, while the Zhents "knew" the characters to be in rooms 11 and 12 |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Thangorn
Seeker
New Zealand
84 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 12:58:57
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make the bard roll two saves.. dont tell em what for..
1. will save vs suggestion spell
2. will save vs forget spell
then let the fun ensue as the bard unwittingly leads the party right into the zhentarim's hands. But then again I love escape plots where PCs have to use brains instead of gear ;)..
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Ex-A Land Far Away (ALFA) DM/Builder
Faerunian Canon Despot |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 13:24:50
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I did not quite catch it - didn't the player of the bard speek up during that time? I assume the bard is a party member but an NPC?!
Whatever, my ideas are the following:
1. she (the bard) desided to follow the others to the investigation (along with the random guy or without him) but got lost in the dark city streets and desided to turn back to the inn to wait for the others return. Reaching the inn she notices trouble inside and tries to gain an advantage over "whatever" is going on by climbing through an open window of the inn (the one she comes out of of course) instead of entering through the main door. Before she can make it the fight is allready over.
2. she and the random guy had a romantic night in HIS room, leaving hers as well deserted. Do to the silence spell they did not notice the Zhents. Until they got dressed and ready the fight was allready over.
3. the random guy was a Zhent agent, knocking the bard uncontious, telling the Banite however he killed her already. In truth he plans to return to her later to pick her bound and gaged body up in order to earn some extra cash by selling her to his slaver-friend. However, after the fight turns "ugly" for him he runs, leaving the bard in her room where she, by than woke up and managed to escape the rope only to appear after all the fighting is over.
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Beirnadri Magranth
Senior Scribe
USA
720 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 15:20:02
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| it makes sense for you to ignore a room where two ppl are in bed if it isnt where or who (maybe they dont see her at first) or how many you are looking for. |
"You came here to be a martyr in a great big bang of glory... instead you will die with a whimper."
::moussaoui tries to interrupt::
"You will never get a chance to speak again and that's an appropriate ending."
-Judge Brinkema |
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Halidan
Senior Scribe
USA
470 Posts |
Posted - 21 Sep 2006 : 18:28:43
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I believe in the KIS principle - Keep It Simple.
1) The Zhents just missed her. They flat out didn't see or notice her.
2) The did see her - but because she was with some other person (possibly involved in romantic activity) they didn't realize she was the bard. Perhaps they just didn't view her clearly, or the were distracted by her obvious charms.
3) She and her partner were located in a different part of the inn than the rest of the PC's and the Zhents wouldn't have been able to make a safe and/or quick get-a-way if they assulted her as well. Or perhaps they tried to reach her and couldn't make it without being seen.
Perhaps an inn employee or guest spotted strangers walking in the hall, but didn't make the connection with the assault. Perhaps this witness can even have seen something key to tracking down the villians (like a tatoo or distincive scar) and talking with the PC's might jog their memory.
I think the simpler you make things, the easier it is for them to be believable.
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"Over the Mountains
Of the Moon
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
Ride, boldly ride,"
The shade replied,
"If you seek for Eldorado!"
Edgar Allen Poe - 1849 |
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Reefy
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
892 Posts |
Posted - 22 Sep 2006 : 00:43:34
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Fairly similar to some of the previous suggestions, but maybe the guy she was with was someone the Zhents recognised as too powerful to meddle with so left them alone.
I think there are plenty of viable reasons why they would have left her alone, many of the suggestions would work fine. |
Life is either daring adventure or nothing. |
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I screwed up, help bail me out...
