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View Full Version : How would you plot an assassination attempt against Boranel?



Postmodernist
2022-05-05, 02:41 PM
(Members of Alpha Squadron, do not read further.)

Hit me with your best assassination plots!

So, I'm running a heavily adapted 5e version of EoTLQ (decribed a little here). We're about 2/3rds of the way through EoTLQ, and I need a way to wrap up roughly two years of campaign action. An offhand comment made by a player about a cheesy movie he saw gave me a flash of inspiration - connect all the enemies the players have made over the course of the campaign, and have them all involved in a plot to kill King Boranel!

Now... how to accomplish that?

Some points:


The players have been run through all of The Forgotten Forge, Shadows of the Last War, Whispers of the Vampire's Blade, and Grasp of the Emerald Claw. We're mostly through Eyes of the Lich Queen. The Emerald Claw, the Lich Queen (as they've just discovered), Garrow (dead, presumably), Lucan (reflavored as their former ally and commander, survived the events of WotVB) and a reflavored Dura (about to return as an undead enemy in EotLQ, could survive, TBD), plus some general animosity from The Lord of Blades and his warforged allies.

The players have also run Chimes at Midnight and Quoth the Raven, so Viktor St. Demain is on their enemy list. He's currently alive and held in Hell's Heart asylum. Most of his crew is dead (but there's no reason they couldn't show up as undead, given the presumed alliance with the Emerald Claw/Lich Queen).


My overall thought is: post EotLQ, the players return to Sharn. After some rest and shopping, their primary contact asks them to investigate some strange developments - maybe weird thefts, or strange political disturbances, maybe a murder or something. Alternately, the players could discover these developments themselves, or a splash of both. They investigate, revealing more than initially anticipated. They go back to report to their contact, who maybe ends up dead. More exploration results in an encounter with Lucan. Maybe a chase sequence, a fight, etc. Ends with Lucan surrendering or dead, but not before he reveals more threads of the plot connecting Karrnath, the Emerald Claw, & the Lich Queen planning an assassination of Boranel.

The usual Bond/Batman bad guy plot is hinted at - there will be explosions all over the city at an appointed time, or a visiting set of dignitaries/outsiders will appear to be attacking the king, whatever. In the confusion, the assassination attempt is made. The players are somehow led to discover that St. Demian is the mastermind, coordinating everything for revenge against the players, and maybe promises from Kaius or Lady Vol of taking down House Medani leaders and being installed as their new leader after the dust settles. Right before they extract this info, the usual "but you're too late" message happens, and the craziness ensues.

Then the characters have to save the day... um, details forthcoming?

Other thoughts:


It's an alliance of convenience. Kaius wants peace, and maybe vampiric freedom. Vol has convinced him that removing his Brelish rivals might be a means to that end.

St. Demian wants revenge and promotion.

Vol wants to restore the Mark of Death and take revenge against the dragons and elves.


So... any ideas or inspiration? Movies or books to watch? Fun set pieces are welcome, but anything you might think (dialogue, double crosses, etc.) of would be appreciated. No bad ideas here.

Thanks in advance!

Kurt Kurageous
2022-05-06, 11:08 AM
Instead of directly targeting the leader, try targeting people in his circle like..

His personal physician/healer. Have them practice bad medicine. Lead/quicksilver poisoning, recommendations to take up dangerous sports, etc.

His butler/cook/chambermaid/dog-walker/etc.

Postmodernist
2022-05-09, 10:07 AM
Instead of directly targeting the leader, try targeting people in his circle like..

His personal physician/healer. Have them practice bad medicine. Lead/quicksilver poisoning, recommendations to take up dangerous sports, etc.

His butler/cook/chambermaid/dog-walker/etc.

Great suggestions! Unfortunately, while that's probably a more effective assassination mechanism, it's somewhat less of a big, explosive set piece/finale for a campaign.

Postmodernist
2022-05-26, 10:08 AM
Other thoughts:

I considered the Brelish "Swords of Liberty" being possible catspaws for the various villains. Emerald Claw agents stoking them up, maybe provided with literature and plans provided by St. Demian, etc. The aim would be to erode faith in Brelish government and provide an easy scapegoat for the real villains. I feel like they might be part of the "strange developments" the team might explore beforehand.

Some sort of large scale catastrophe (airship disaster a la the Hindenburg, explosion in the palace/parliament, bombs on select towers in Sharn going off and collapsing, etc.) also seems viable.

Would love more ideas!

Pauly
2022-05-27, 01:18 AM
1) The aim isn’t to kill King Boranel. The aim is to remove him from power. One way is to turn him insane and have him confined to an asylum. Motives could be the prince thinks the old man is past due or the trusted regent wants to usurp the throne while the next heir is still too young to assume power.
Alternatively permanently shape shift him into an animal/monster. Of course the party will be able to reverse this but shenanigans will be had in the meantime.

2) It’s all a false flag trap. Boranel himself is behind the plot and his personal safety is guaranteed. If there is collateral damage to hus inner curcle that’s a small price to pay. Motivation being either to try to get the genuinely disloyal to show themselves, or to unite the kingdom against a threat. The former may involve Boranel faking his own death for a while.

For the assassination proper something with an epic amount of property damage is required for a finale. Sink the boat, blow up the parliament, collapse the dam kind of thing.

3) It’s more a natural disaster than an assassination. Some truly epic Godzilla level monster turns up and for [plot reasons] is determined to kill Boranel. It’s al because someone with an axe to grind has given Godzilla the wrong information, but how do you reason with a rampaging Godzilla?

4) Boranel has entered a tournament to demonstrate how awesome he is. The bad guys have managed to sneak in a whole bunch of illegal weaponry/swapped Boranel’s kit for nerfguns and cardboard armor. The party have to enter the tournament and fight their way to him.

Postmodernist
2022-05-28, 09:49 AM
1) The aim isn’t to kill King Boranel. The aim is to remove him from power. One way is to turn him insane and have him confined to an asylum. Motives could be the prince thinks the old man is past due or the trusted regent wants to usurp the throne while the next heir is still too young to assume power.
Alternatively permanently shape shift him into an animal/monster. Of course the party will be able to reverse this but shenanigans will be had in the meantime.

2) It’s all a false flag trap. Boranel himself is behind the plot and his personal safety is guaranteed. If there is collateral damage to hus inner curcle that’s a small price to pay. Motivation being either to try to get the genuinely disloyal to show themselves, or to unite the kingdom against a threat. The former may involve Boranel faking his own death for a while.

For the assassination proper something with an epic amount of property damage is required for a finale. Sink the boat, blow up the parliament, collapse the dam kind of thing.

3) It’s more a natural disaster than an assassination. Some truly epic Godzilla level monster turns up and for [plot reasons] is determined to kill Boranel. It’s al because someone with an axe to grind has given Godzilla the wrong information, but how do you reason with a rampaging Godzilla?

4) Boranel has entered a tournament to demonstrate how awesome he is. The bad guys have managed to sneak in a whole bunch of illegal weaponry/swapped Boranel’s kit for nerfguns and cardboard armor. The party have to enter the tournament and fight their way to him.

Awesome ideas! I thought of a "false flag" thing, but feel like it'd be better to go with a distraction then the real assassination. I read a long time ago that during the Russian Time of Troubles (basically a civil war), there was briefly a "false" Tsar named Dmitri on the throne. Dmitri had been backed by Polish nobles, and kept a retinue of them around. When the boyars (Russian nobility) staged a coup, they claimed that the Poles were attacking the Tsar, so a fight breaks out between the home guard and the Poles. In the confusion, a handful of boyars head to where the tsar is and assassinate him.

I'm thinking something like that - there's a diplomatic mission from Thrane/Aundair/Aerenal/wherever, and a fight breaks out, allowing the real bad guys access to Boranel. The players have to realize what's happening, deal with the confusion, and then save the king. Oh, and there will still be explosions and falling towers and airships and stuff.

Pauly
2022-05-28, 03:24 PM
One reason I put the false flag suggestion in is if any of your players read the thread. I loved your reply because if they did now they have to work out if it’s a cross, double cross or triple cross.

Postmodernist
2022-05-30, 06:50 PM
One reason I put the false flag suggestion in is if any of your players read the thread. I loved your reply because if they did now they have to work out if it’s a cross, double cross or triple cross.

I couldn't possibly drink the wine in front of you, but you'd know that, so I couldn't possibly drink the wine in front of me!