Aotrs Commander
2015-03-23, 12:20 PM
It's probably not all that often that you get a situation where it's the PCs who are having to be the assassins, and having to do two simultaneously...!
I am preparing for day-game next month, and I have naturally managed to pick something that is a bit... difficult to plot out to my satisfaction and my time is running a bit short. (It doesn't help I lost three-quarters of my quest-writing day time last week to a power cut.)
So, denizens of the playground, I come seeking some suggestions and input.
Basically, the premise of this particular party is the PCs are members of the Dark Lord's dirty black ops brigade. This adventure was set-up on the idea that the PCs would have to make two simultaneous assassinations, right in the middle of the opposition's psuedo-Roman capital city. (They're currently level 4 - this is my 3.Aotrs (3.5/PF -derivitive) - and I wanted to put something like this in before they get access to spells to make the job much easier!) This is intended to be difficult, since the very existance of the Umbra Vigilies is not known to the Northern Nations. (Which all means this advanture is a complete change of pace from their usual affairs!)
The crux, of course, was ascertaining why both these people have to go down and why simultaneously. Without falling back on the hoary old, boring, deus ex machine "destroy both the overlapping magical shield generators (sic)" trope.
After a brain-storming session on the playground's ponythread, what I have currently is this.
(This will take a bit of explanation, as the PC's boss says to them...!)
The PCs are assigned to go looking for a record of a prophecy (which is related to a meta-plot). Their boss explains that, during the Dark Wars some two hundred-odd years ago, the good gods and the Dark Lord were involved in a "prophecy war" in, which one side (usually the good gods) would attempt to engineer a beneficial prophecy to come to pass, and the other (most often the Dark Lord's forces) would try and stop it. The Dark Lord's force knew that there was a source for all the prophecies, but they never located it - and said capital city was razed towards the end of the war. After the end of the Dark Wars, and the fade of magic caused thereof, it became impossible to attempt this sort of thing, since the gods could no longer reach into the world to be able to meddle even as indirectly than that1.
One of the PCs offscreen by happenstance appears to have found something like suggests this prophecy record book might be found in a forgotten temple to the Oracles in what is now the sewer system of the city. While they are searching for that, they find out that they weren't the first ones to enter this forgotten temple to the Oracles recently. Someone else has been here first.
Basically, they find a different prophecy, one set in motion during the prophecy war by the Bright Lady and the goddess of magic (2/3 of the top trio of goddesses who are pan-pantheon and the Dark Lord's chief enemies) and the not-Roman god of Love. It was to unite two patrician houses and result in some sort of champion to defeat the Dark Lord.
Nominally, my current thinking is that Dark Lord's forces managed to wipe out one house completely, but couldn't get the others because the goddess spirited the last children away or something and the Dark Lord's force were prevented from finding them.
I will just copy-paste what I've written for this bit thus far.
“When the house of the boar unites with the [???], their union shall be thrice-blessed by Light, Magic and Love. Their bond shall be unbreakable e’en beyond death. Their legacy shall endure all darkness undimished for seven hundred and seven years and the fruit of their union shall in their design cast down the Old Darkness from its tower and cleanse the land of its shadow forever.”
The prophecy originally referred to the house of the boar (Hagandia Aper) and the [???], two patrician houses at the time, from whom the god and goddesses planned to have a champion arise. The Dark Lord’s forces got wind of it, however, and made a concerted effort to wipe out all of the both houses. They managed to completely destroy [???], but the goddesses spirited away the children of the [house of the boar] where they could not reach them; however, the prophecy was essentially broken.
Now the lone heir to the “house of the boar” is a Sirrus Hagandia Aper. Born from a lowly plebian family, he managed to nevertheless impress his teachers with his intelligence. He studied in Ciracan, and became a tinkerer and inventor, and also a innovative thinker. He has just enough acumen to create his own business to begin to sell his inventions – and equally importantly, his innovative ideas on organisation and management – to the general public. As is often the case, his ideas and ambitions streched beyond what he could afford, so he looked for wealthy backers. He found one in [?????], the heir and head of the [???] trading company, which carries considerable weight and resources throughout the Empire and its vassal-states and beyond.
What started as a business partnership turned into romance. After the passing of [?????]’s father a year previously, she inherited the company. The two plan to marry, and into doing so, fully and legally amalgamate their companies together. In doing do, Aper’s company will provide the inventions and ideas and the[??] will provide the financial funding in the business infrastructure to develop and promote on a much wider and grander scale. Even without divine interference, such an endeavour could eventually lead to essentially an economic revolution.
Elliaestyllyne realised that [???] meant that this old prophecy could be resurrected, and the interpretation slightly changed – and with a little tugging on the strings of fate and destiny, could be used to garner the same result, albiet from a different direction (Economic followed by technological and/or thaumathergical dominace of the Dark Lands.) Or, equally usefully, follow the original intention pof the prophecy.
Adamorus and Nvyllisaerie eagerly agreed to lend their aid once more, and the Bright Lady sent her cleric a vision to seek out and learn the prophecy, so that the churches could aid in it coming to pass.
In order to prevent this from happening, the PCs must prevent the union (meaning both the wedding and the merger) from happening. Killing Aper will end the “house of the boar”, but [?????] has sufficient capital available that she can simply purchase Aper’s company outright and both she and his sucessors would continue the venture in his name, making it a symbolic union nontheless. Thus, killing [?????] will be required as well, as this will default the company to her younger brother [????], who is much more closed-minded and averse to risks. (Eliminating her alone will just allow the gods to try again at a later date or perhaps only just delay the process and giving Aper time to prove his ideas to [????].
The PCs and/or their boss will recognise the merger/wedding thing, having known about it, but not really realised he hidden significance, and they also will thus know they'vve only got a few scant days to stop it: noi time to call for moe experienced help or back-up, the PCs will have to handle it themselves...!
So, as I've set it up, there's a credible necessity for the PCs to kill both targets before the wedding/merger, and in the pre-wedding/merger gubbins for the targets not to see each other from the point at which the PCs realise the midden is about to hit the windmill until the actual wedding (at which point, they will basically be far too well guarded.)
The bit I'm having trouble with is the necessity of doing so simultaneously. (The idea being the PCs will be forced - for once - to Split The Party (*gasp*) and deal with two things (possibly combats?) at the same time.)
My current angle of attack is the nominal "divine protection" thing. The idea being if the PCs kill, one the other will become unassailable for some reason, either because they are magically protected, or just a karking great wedge of angels show up or something.
I'm not overly happy with this solution, though, and this is really the point I could use some suggestions. I mean, I could go the "magic mcguffin that lets one know the other's dead, so they run off to where the PCs can't get them" route - which would work without having to have "direct" divine influence, but I'm not sold on that idea either.
The reason this is an old prophecy being re-used, and not just one that was recorded but that never came to pass was just so that the boss could say "I was there at the time, crapbaskets, we better make sure we get them both together, or they might squirrel the other one away like last time." (I'm even considering suggesting that maybe even the goddesses changed the prophecy retro-actively to allow this to occur.) I'm not tied to either idea. This could be chopped out altogether, and the prophecy just be one that was written but never came to pass at the time of the Dark Wars and is only now coming into play, provided that there is a suitably good other reason (and way fior the PCs to find out) they need to knobble the pair at basically the same time.
Obviously, whatever I end up going for, the PCs need to find out that they need to do that more or less right out of the gate, so they know for when they do the planning (which will be the "meat" of the adventure.) So it probably needs to be part of the prophecy.
Help and suggestions on how to approach this would be welcomed!
1Indirectly or through clerics is the best way the gods have of interacting in the material world. Manifesting as an avatar or in person (which only three of them are known to have done) is extremely dangerous, since the Dark Lord is quite capable of killing them permenantly in that state.
I am preparing for day-game next month, and I have naturally managed to pick something that is a bit... difficult to plot out to my satisfaction and my time is running a bit short. (It doesn't help I lost three-quarters of my quest-writing day time last week to a power cut.)
So, denizens of the playground, I come seeking some suggestions and input.
Basically, the premise of this particular party is the PCs are members of the Dark Lord's dirty black ops brigade. This adventure was set-up on the idea that the PCs would have to make two simultaneous assassinations, right in the middle of the opposition's psuedo-Roman capital city. (They're currently level 4 - this is my 3.Aotrs (3.5/PF -derivitive) - and I wanted to put something like this in before they get access to spells to make the job much easier!) This is intended to be difficult, since the very existance of the Umbra Vigilies is not known to the Northern Nations. (Which all means this advanture is a complete change of pace from their usual affairs!)
The crux, of course, was ascertaining why both these people have to go down and why simultaneously. Without falling back on the hoary old, boring, deus ex machine "destroy both the overlapping magical shield generators (sic)" trope.
After a brain-storming session on the playground's ponythread, what I have currently is this.
(This will take a bit of explanation, as the PC's boss says to them...!)
The PCs are assigned to go looking for a record of a prophecy (which is related to a meta-plot). Their boss explains that, during the Dark Wars some two hundred-odd years ago, the good gods and the Dark Lord were involved in a "prophecy war" in, which one side (usually the good gods) would attempt to engineer a beneficial prophecy to come to pass, and the other (most often the Dark Lord's forces) would try and stop it. The Dark Lord's force knew that there was a source for all the prophecies, but they never located it - and said capital city was razed towards the end of the war. After the end of the Dark Wars, and the fade of magic caused thereof, it became impossible to attempt this sort of thing, since the gods could no longer reach into the world to be able to meddle even as indirectly than that1.
One of the PCs offscreen by happenstance appears to have found something like suggests this prophecy record book might be found in a forgotten temple to the Oracles in what is now the sewer system of the city. While they are searching for that, they find out that they weren't the first ones to enter this forgotten temple to the Oracles recently. Someone else has been here first.
Basically, they find a different prophecy, one set in motion during the prophecy war by the Bright Lady and the goddess of magic (2/3 of the top trio of goddesses who are pan-pantheon and the Dark Lord's chief enemies) and the not-Roman god of Love. It was to unite two patrician houses and result in some sort of champion to defeat the Dark Lord.
Nominally, my current thinking is that Dark Lord's forces managed to wipe out one house completely, but couldn't get the others because the goddess spirited the last children away or something and the Dark Lord's force were prevented from finding them.
I will just copy-paste what I've written for this bit thus far.
“When the house of the boar unites with the [???], their union shall be thrice-blessed by Light, Magic and Love. Their bond shall be unbreakable e’en beyond death. Their legacy shall endure all darkness undimished for seven hundred and seven years and the fruit of their union shall in their design cast down the Old Darkness from its tower and cleanse the land of its shadow forever.”
The prophecy originally referred to the house of the boar (Hagandia Aper) and the [???], two patrician houses at the time, from whom the god and goddesses planned to have a champion arise. The Dark Lord’s forces got wind of it, however, and made a concerted effort to wipe out all of the both houses. They managed to completely destroy [???], but the goddesses spirited away the children of the [house of the boar] where they could not reach them; however, the prophecy was essentially broken.
Now the lone heir to the “house of the boar” is a Sirrus Hagandia Aper. Born from a lowly plebian family, he managed to nevertheless impress his teachers with his intelligence. He studied in Ciracan, and became a tinkerer and inventor, and also a innovative thinker. He has just enough acumen to create his own business to begin to sell his inventions – and equally importantly, his innovative ideas on organisation and management – to the general public. As is often the case, his ideas and ambitions streched beyond what he could afford, so he looked for wealthy backers. He found one in [?????], the heir and head of the [???] trading company, which carries considerable weight and resources throughout the Empire and its vassal-states and beyond.
What started as a business partnership turned into romance. After the passing of [?????]’s father a year previously, she inherited the company. The two plan to marry, and into doing so, fully and legally amalgamate their companies together. In doing do, Aper’s company will provide the inventions and ideas and the[??] will provide the financial funding in the business infrastructure to develop and promote on a much wider and grander scale. Even without divine interference, such an endeavour could eventually lead to essentially an economic revolution.
Elliaestyllyne realised that [???] meant that this old prophecy could be resurrected, and the interpretation slightly changed – and with a little tugging on the strings of fate and destiny, could be used to garner the same result, albiet from a different direction (Economic followed by technological and/or thaumathergical dominace of the Dark Lands.) Or, equally usefully, follow the original intention pof the prophecy.
Adamorus and Nvyllisaerie eagerly agreed to lend their aid once more, and the Bright Lady sent her cleric a vision to seek out and learn the prophecy, so that the churches could aid in it coming to pass.
In order to prevent this from happening, the PCs must prevent the union (meaning both the wedding and the merger) from happening. Killing Aper will end the “house of the boar”, but [?????] has sufficient capital available that she can simply purchase Aper’s company outright and both she and his sucessors would continue the venture in his name, making it a symbolic union nontheless. Thus, killing [?????] will be required as well, as this will default the company to her younger brother [????], who is much more closed-minded and averse to risks. (Eliminating her alone will just allow the gods to try again at a later date or perhaps only just delay the process and giving Aper time to prove his ideas to [????].
The PCs and/or their boss will recognise the merger/wedding thing, having known about it, but not really realised he hidden significance, and they also will thus know they'vve only got a few scant days to stop it: noi time to call for moe experienced help or back-up, the PCs will have to handle it themselves...!
So, as I've set it up, there's a credible necessity for the PCs to kill both targets before the wedding/merger, and in the pre-wedding/merger gubbins for the targets not to see each other from the point at which the PCs realise the midden is about to hit the windmill until the actual wedding (at which point, they will basically be far too well guarded.)
The bit I'm having trouble with is the necessity of doing so simultaneously. (The idea being the PCs will be forced - for once - to Split The Party (*gasp*) and deal with two things (possibly combats?) at the same time.)
My current angle of attack is the nominal "divine protection" thing. The idea being if the PCs kill, one the other will become unassailable for some reason, either because they are magically protected, or just a karking great wedge of angels show up or something.
I'm not overly happy with this solution, though, and this is really the point I could use some suggestions. I mean, I could go the "magic mcguffin that lets one know the other's dead, so they run off to where the PCs can't get them" route - which would work without having to have "direct" divine influence, but I'm not sold on that idea either.
The reason this is an old prophecy being re-used, and not just one that was recorded but that never came to pass was just so that the boss could say "I was there at the time, crapbaskets, we better make sure we get them both together, or they might squirrel the other one away like last time." (I'm even considering suggesting that maybe even the goddesses changed the prophecy retro-actively to allow this to occur.) I'm not tied to either idea. This could be chopped out altogether, and the prophecy just be one that was written but never came to pass at the time of the Dark Wars and is only now coming into play, provided that there is a suitably good other reason (and way fior the PCs to find out) they need to knobble the pair at basically the same time.
Obviously, whatever I end up going for, the PCs need to find out that they need to do that more or less right out of the gate, so they know for when they do the planning (which will be the "meat" of the adventure.) So it probably needs to be part of the prophecy.
Help and suggestions on how to approach this would be welcomed!
1Indirectly or through clerics is the best way the gods have of interacting in the material world. Manifesting as an avatar or in person (which only three of them are known to have done) is extremely dangerous, since the Dark Lord is quite capable of killing them permenantly in that state.