Best way to overthrow a dwarven city?

[Bud the CHUD]

So I have been frequenting these forums for years now and I have finally run into something that has not been discussed yet. So here's the scenario:

The campaign is designed around The Four Horsemen pantheon. There are greater goods that exist but only to maintain larger evils in their cages. We are a less than lawful group led by myself (Anti-Paladin looking to raise nation of the dead). The lands are still under contest at the end of a great war. Cults, political corruption and scrubbing, and class rebellion is not uncommon (perfect time to start a nation of the damned amirite?). While seeking information on ascending into a Graveknight to further serve Apollyon I have stumbled upon an Orb. This Orb allowed me to speak with a bearded devil (daemon? I forget which) who I am now in contract within exchange for information on my ascension. I need to secure a gem large enough to hold some 10,000 HD of creatures and in return I must provide a worthy sacrifice once per year and when I raise a mindless undead they must be tethered to his name as an offering.

"There lies a dwarven city where in a massive diamond hangs overhead. This gem will more than suffice for what you need."


So, enough of the back story, here's the question. Considering you know what I know, how would you secure said diamond. 12th level party, no alignment restriction.

We have considered:

political subterfuge to start an internal conflict and capatilize on that to take control of the city
raising undead to siege the city and forming a fictional enemy to the dwarves then "slaying" the enemy to gain their trust then applying numnber 1
becoming a deacon of Appolyon or general getting Apollyon's Ring
infecting myself with mummy rot and wandering around the lower slums and marketplaces to spread the disease the while their healers slots are occupied with remove curse and cure disease we come in offering help continue tro spread the disease and finally killing them off top to bottom



Any ideas?

[With a box]

wightcalypse
pic (summon/create/buy/whatever) a rendom wight and left it at city

[Extra Anchovies]

12th level party? Disguise yourselves, enter the city, Dimension Door to the diamond, grab it, Teleport away, remove disguises, done.

Although a wightocalypse would also work if you want a head start on the nation of undead.

[Blackhawk748]

I would recommend sicking a good sized group of ghouls on them, as they can do the spawn shenanigans too, albeit poorly on dwarves, though ghouls are easier to get than wights. Shadows are always a good option too. Otherwise id say you guys have a heist to plan, Extra Anchovies plan is a good framework

[Extra Anchovies]

I would recommend sicking a good sized group of ghouls on them, as they can do the spawn shenanigans too, albeit poorly on dwarves, though ghouls are easier to get than wights. Shadows are always a good option too. Otherwise id say you guys have a heist to plan, Extra Anchovies plan is a good framework

Thanks! Getting ahold of a wight isn't too hard for a 12th-level party, though. From the SRD:

A character with negative levels at least equal to her current level, or drained below 1st level, is instantly slain. Depending on the creature that killed her, she may rise the next night as a monster of that kind. If not, she rises as a wight.

The only difference between default negative level death and death via wight is that if a wight kills you, you rise in 1d4 rounds rather than the next night. Enervate a commoner, carry the body around for a bit, once it wakes up cast Command Undead (or control undead, I forget which lasts longer), and take it to the city. May need to do it with more than one with at a time, though.

[Juntao112]

Minor quibble: You don't overthrow a dwarven city, you undermine it.

[aethel27]

Bring in a darkspawn horde?....hmmm....


cause attacks by "drow", "dreugar", and other monstrous underdark....hmmm add in some flesh golems or better yet a multitude of wax golems of the dwarven guard and add in a shadow or wight to the mix and see what happens in the chaos get into the city and steal the diamond, Transmute Rock to Mud on key points will also help with teh chaos.

[Grayson01]

You send in a Big old Dragon works every time.