Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Dakini 04-19-06, 10:33 AM	KJW - you'd better not be reading this! :) I've been running a solo campaign in a world of my own creation and it's been going well. So well that I'm worried that I'm going to mess it up. I am at a critical plot point and could use some advice on how to proceed. Background: PC is Sir Cobran Derithal, Knight-Emissary of Count Edwin Tuleros. Sir Cobran and Count Edwin used to adventure together and when Edwin was named a Count, Sir Cobran became his right-hand man when it comes to fixing problems, handling diplomatic negotiations, etc. County Wildwood is a new county (soon to be Duchy) on the Eastern border of the Kingdom of the Lakes, so there are lots of problems, ranging from minor (settlers who don't want to pay taxes) to large-scale (a marsh filled with hostile serpent folk to the South). My player is very creative so I try to give him a lot of issues to deal with and he's been doing great with everything I throw at him (this is part of my problem, needing to constantly try to challenge my player). Last Adventure: Last adventure was based on a Libris Mortis web enhancement I downloaded and adapted (Tarus's Banquet). In brief, Count Edwin got an invitation from a Count Tarus to a Spring fete with dinner and dancing. There were some rumors about Count Tarus, including that he was young and newly arrived in the area. Supposedly, his father had been quite ill and Count Tarus had returned over the winter to tend to him. His father had recently abdicated in favor of his son and the new Count apparently wanted to introduce himself to the local nobility. Count Edwin brought a visiting noblewoman as his guest and PC brought his wizard sister (his new cohort), Lady Corise. On the way to Count Tarus' estate they met up with another local lord, Lord Eric, accompanied by his younger sister, Lady Tyla. Everyone arrived at the manor, located on a hill overlooking a lake. Moments before sunset, Count Tarus appeared to welcome his guests. There was an elaborate feast with lots of heady wines, and then everyone adjourned into the manor for dancing. As the evening progressed, some of the guests disappeared into a side study to talk to Count Tarus and did not return, but the PC was pretty intoxicated and when told that they had just retired early, he was satisfied. PC eventually went up to bed and was awakened later by Lord Eric, who said that he couldn't find his sister. PC and Lord Eric started sneaking around the manor, and, to make a long story short, discovered that Count Tarus and his lover were actually vampires, Count Tarus' father had been dominated, etc. PC, Lord Eric, and Count Edwin manage to clear the house of wights, wolves, and rat swarms, and the PC even staked and beheaded Count Tarus's lover. However, once morning came, they realized that 4 people were missing: Count Tarus, his steward, the PC's sister/cohort Lady Corise, and Lord Eric's sister, Lady Tyla. The PC found a secret tunnel leading out of the manor and they were able to track footprints down to a hidden dock by the lake. Looking up the lake, they see a small boat in the far distance, going North. This is where the adventure ended. PC's plan: PC has told me that he intends to do the following: *Have Lord Eric take the surviving guests back to his Duchy and get some knights to return with to scour this County to make sure there are no more vampires. *PC, Count Edwin, and their squires are going to ride North along the lake. About 2 days ride North a river empties into the lake. There are villages along the river. PC thinks that the vampire and his companions will leave the boat at the mouth of the river and get into a carriage to follow the river to a larger town. PC intends to cut them off, kill the vampire, and rescue Lady Corise and Lady Tyla. Secret info: Unknown to the PC, Count Tarus was made a vampire by Rithmar, a cleric of Incabulos, a NE god with the domains death, destruction, dream, evil, hunger, madness, and pestilence. I would like to make Rithmar something of a behind-the-scenes recurring BBEG, so it would be good if PC could at least learn that there is someone behind Count Tarus. Rithmar was not at the manor; in fact, I don't even really know where Rithmar is right now. My problem: Well, I'm thrilled with how things ended up, but I never really expected Count Tarus to get away, let alone with hostages! So I'm not sure where to go next. Right now, Count Tarus (NE male human psychic vampire aristocrat 7/sorcerer 1) is in a coffin in the boat. He has Lady Corise (6th level wizard) and Lady Tyla (15 year old aristocrat) both dominated. The steward (NE male human warrior 4) is just loyal. I know Count Tarus wants to get off the boat! But I really don't know where he is going. I don't want Lady Corise to die or be turned into a vampire, but Lady Tyla is expendable. I would like to drop some hints about Rithmar if possible and I want something more than a couple of tracking and gather info checks, they find a carriage, and stake the vampire. I'm sorry this turned out to be so long. I would really appreciate ideas. Thanks! :)
Illion the Red 04-19-06, 11:03 AM	OK...lots of detail there - almost too much for me to muck through, but that's a good thing. Let's take a step back and think about the character's motivations. Would he go to the ends of the world to save his sister from the vampire? If so, that could be an entire campaign in and of itself with all manner of corruption and redemption themes. If not, what are his limits? Would it be an enjoyable adventure/campaign to test those limits? (Possible) Fun stuff to throw in his way: 1) Rithmar stops the knights on their way around the lake, posing as a simple cleric with an undead problem. There's nothing like a personal/duty conflict to muddy the waters. This would serve Rithmar on numerous levels: -learning this new advesary's capabilities. -giving his favorite vampire minion time to escape. -presenting himself as an ally and eventual trusted advisor for the fool. 2) Some sort of fleshcrafted corpse of his sister (wearing same clothes/signet ring/etc) washes up on shore. Cobran may (or may not) quickly learn of the deception, but either way it throws an interesting twist in his path. All the while, Count Tarus is doing his best to corrupt poor Lady Corise. OK, that's all I have so far. Hope it helps some :)
Arganis 04-19-06, 11:13 AM	I assume that as soon as word reaches the other nobility in the kingdom, Tarus' title, reputation, and land will be stripped and returned to his father. Is this correct? If so, Tarus' primary mistake during his escape (or Cobran's primary victory) is that Tarus did not leave the castle with a landed noble. I think Tarus might do one of the following... 1) Locate an out-of-the-way hiding place in which to keep his head down until the search for him blows over. or (and I prefer this one because it keeps the action thick): 2) Immediately attempt to usurp (by domination and subterfuge) a neighboring duchy/county. This might be particularly easy if he could beat one of the attending nobles back to his castle. The fact that he has Tyla and Corise at his disposal grants him an edge against both Lord Eric and Count Edwin, so their domains could be ripe for the picking. If Tarus goes for Eric's domain... a) No doubt they will arrive before Eric and an entourage of guests from the party. b) Edwin and Cobran will probably arrive before Eric too. That put's Eric out of the picture until they arrive. c) Tarus would probably avoid vamping Tyla so she could help him during the day. This leaves Corise as the most likely target of vamping. (Also, he could want both to be day-agents) d) Tarus' goal would be to infiltrate the upper echelons of the city as quickly as possible, using Tyla as his in, and possibly disguising himself as Eric. He would cast suspicion everywhere but towards himself. When Cobran and Edwin arrived he would use his power to turn the town against them. When Eric returned he would immediately try and dominate or vamp him. If Tarus goes for Edwin's domain... a) Eric and the guests are out of the picture... They will scour Tarus' domain and secure it. b) Tarus will arrive before Edwin and Cobran, unless your PC intuits their intended destination and they race home ahead. c) Tarus would probably avoid vamping Corise so she could help himd uring the day. This leaves Tyla the most likely target of vamping. (Also, he could want both to be day-agents) d) As above, except the Vamp would impersonate Edwin or Cobran, whichever worked best for his needs, and use Corise.
Tormsskull 04-19-06, 11:19 AM	How about Rithmar saves the day by killing the vampire count, thus gaining the trust of the PCs sister, the other lords sister, and hopefully the PC. Then Rithmar can start suggesting some things, and they should be seen as good advice coming from such an honorable fellow. Eventually have the PCs sister start remembering the day that rithmar destroyed the vampire count. She should be a bit hazy as she was dominated during that time, but something like the vampire walked towards Rithmar without fear, thinking they were allies. Rithmar nodded, as the vampire turned around, Rithmar staked him through the heart. The PC will probably be suspicious of Rithmar from then on out, which could be a good thing. Sounds like a good story so far.
vassalich 04-19-06, 11:27 AM	I think, that as a count, Tarus would have a good deal of legitimate (and, indeed, illegitamate) resources. Even if word reaches the other nobles in the kingdom, that may not be any guarantee that they would automatically side against Tarus in the first place. Rumor and slander are generally commonplace within the noble ranks, so they may not be so easily swayed by simply words, especially if they come from the lower social orders. This would not, however prevent some of them from poking around themselves. As for wanting to introduce a behind-the-scenes villan? While showing up personally isn't a bad idea (indeed, it avoids a recurring problem of most Final Fantasy games!), the value of personal correspondance should not be overlooked. It would be anathema for any messenger to open the sealed letters sent back and forth between his master and his frends. A well-developed network of stooges could serve such a purpose, and who would really expect a master vampire to send his orders by the post? When dealing with nobility, never hesitate to milk social intrigue for all it's worth. :)
Gyrofthewastes 04-19-06, 11:54 AM	But I really don't know where he is going. I don't want Lady Corise to die or be turned into a vampire, but Lady Tyla is expendable. I would like to drop some hints about Rithmar if possible and I want something more than a couple of tracking and gather info checks, they find a carriage, and stake the vampire. Hmm. How about this: Tarus probably expects that he is being pursued. So his immediate goals are twofold: I) Discourage pursuit, and II) Build up another power base. Tarus might know that his domination won't last forever. He might also suspect that the hostages are worth less to him if no longer living. So he races to a small village and tests his control by forcing them to publicly commit some atrocity (i.e. sacrifice children to Incabulos, that sort of thing). This has the advantage of creating ill-will against them. Perhaps he tries to gain local support/acclaim by dealing with these depraved individuals if he has enough time. The one who proves less willing (for game purposes let us assume it is Corise) to submit to his demands is tortured, hobbled (breaks both legs, or otherwise injures so the person cannot travel quickly), and left behind. Thus pursuers are forced to deal with the injured victim...who (if Tarus pulls it off successfully) might be imprisoned or otherwise in trouble with local authorities. Meanwhile Tarus, his retainer, and the remaining hostage try to flee to some remote location. Perhaps enough traces remain afterward to connect his journeys to a desecrated shrine where Rithnar worships. If it works, he can try to lay low for a while, create some servitors, and then try to use the Lady Tyla to turn Eric against Edwin.
Ormiss 04-19-06, 12:07 PM	Tough luck on that cohort; you've barely gotten your sister to go along with your schemes, and then she gets dominated by a vampire! This reminds me of a hilarious thread that went something like this: Q: "My DM wants my character to marry. Should I?" A: "Don't do it! It's a plot hook!" Anyway, I'll have to try to think like a vampire, here. The good thing is, he's got two upstanding ladies dominated. I wouldn't subject them to vampirism if I were him; they can serve him better this way, for now. Neutral Evil faiths are generally viewed with suspicion in a region where their church does not hold temporal power. As a result, I would suggest that Rithmar heads a section of the most powerful legitimate church in the current region you're playing in. Maybe his section is the inquisition, or the crusaders, or whatnot. So in truth, this section is rotted through the core, and because they have obtained so many benefits of freedom and individual governance through church politics, they are free to worship Incabulos freely within the organization. Outwardly, they keep up appearances to the exclusion of other tasks. This is what I'd do: 1) Send word to my patron, Rithmar, before leaving on the boat. We need to act swiftly. Grovel, if necessary, but ensure that he takes my request for assistance seriously. 2) Ask Rithmar to send a group of church emissaries (knights or whatnot) to "assist" Sir Cobran. These knights immediately get to work on cleaning away all the vile undead filth. In other words, they clear the crime scene of the evidence. Some of them would offer to go along with Sir Cobran on his quest. I'd also have Rithmar invite Sir Cobran to a friendly chat over some wine and nice food. You could play him as enigmatic or even suspicious, but my preference is actually to make him cordial and charming. If Sir Cobran has concerns about the legitimate faith of his nation, Rithmar might corroborate these concerns, and appear to be the first reasonable priest he's met. Anyway, just rambling, but all good villains drink red wine. 3) Clever as I am, I anticipate that Sir Cobran is likely to assume that I will flee to that town by the mouth of the river. Arriving in town well before him, I'll immediately make my presence known, subtly, but still overtly. When Sir Cobran arrives, it should be obvious that I've been here. Now, I'll immediately hire a caravan to escort me north along the river. After all, that's what fleeing people do, right? Now comes the decision... Hm. What I'll do is, I'll leave some vampiric trails (people drained of blood, or whatnot,) then dominate a local man, grant him eternal life, and buy him some nice nobleman's clothes. I'll order him to go north with the caravan, taking my steward with him. 4) Along with Lady Corise and Lady Tyla, I now immediately disguise myself as well as I can and hire passage on a ship going back to the port nearest to my holdings. 5) Arriving back at my stronghold, I now proclaim that Sir Cobran, Sir Edwin, and Sir Eric, in a drunken stupor, have assaulted my holdings and killed several of my retainers, along with more than one defenseless lady. Rithmar immediately backs me up and testifies to Sir Cobran's crude behavior and the bloody mess that his knights cleaned up when they arrived on the scene. Rithmar has been busy these days, using his powers of persuasion to gather eye witnesses to this event. These people now begin to step out from the foliage and raise their voices. So, with this in mind, you have Sir Cobran off on a quest to rescue his sister and Lady Tyla, which plays right into the hands of Rithmar and Tarus. After all, it appears that the good knight has skipped town, and why would he do that? His sister and Lady Tyla are right here. The confusion will be quite large, and when Sir Cobran returns after following a false trail, he will have a lot to handle. There are some flaws in this plan, especially considering that it would be easy to prove that Tarus is a vampire if push comes to shove, but that is part of the fun, I think. Besides, Rithmar would be outraged at such an accusation. At the same time, there are respected eye witnesses from the party who can attest to the fact that Sir Cobran was intoxicated, if not violent. How many people are aware of what transpired in Tarus' mansion? Did anyone outside see the monsters? Oh, and if Sir Cobran accepts the assistance of Rithmar's knights on his northward journey, they would turn against him at an opportune time. If they're killed in this manner, Rithmar would claim that he sent two of his knights to search for Sir Cobran and his villainous band, and that these knights were apparently slain in cold blood. With Lady Corise and Lady Tyla, weeping profusely, telling the story of the horrible acts of their beloved brothers, it'll take some effort to untangle this skein of lies. However things end, Rithmar would be introduced as an enigmatic enemy. The whole point of the plot is that, although a great deal of suspicion is likely to be levelled against Tarus, his clout and influence at this point (the two ladies, and Rithmar's backing) will provide him without enough benefit of the doubt that he can try to ensure that Sir Cobran and his comrades end up dead before the truth can be uncovered. With them dead, he will be the only one talking, and as long as he can handle Corise and Tyla somehow, he'll eventually get off the hook. Of course, Sir Cobran is likely to prevent this... One thing to keep in mind is, if things pan out this way, in my mind, the part that is the least likely to be entertaining is the journey north. What I'd do to counter this is to, uh... I'd have Tarus' steward and new vampire stir up some trouble, creating situations where Sir Cobran ends up fighting against bandits or whatnot, leading up to an invitation to an assault on the caravan wherein the steward and the vampiric "double" travel. In retrospect, these events can be claimed as evidence of Sir Cobran's outrageous behavior. Depending on how things turn out, Sir Cobran might even be taken into custody, and stand trial in the capital. If done correctly, that seems like it could lead to fun and interesting strategy, trying to turn the tables on the liars and provoke situations in which the truth could be revealed against the wishes of the conspirators. I hope these suggestions help somehow. I'd be most interested in hearing more about the campaign. :)
Arganis 04-19-06, 12:34 PM	Slick plan Ormiss. The only thing I don't like about it is that it tips Rithmar's hand as a villain rather early, even if he doesn't look like the master villain. I think making the head of the church organization one of Rithmar's pawns, and having him fill the role you describe for Rithmar, would be ideal, as one could then have Rithmar's fingerprints start showing up on all these pieces of the machine.
kelvinaw273 04-19-06, 12:39 PM	.... but then I can be a real b*****d of a DM. The 'BBEG' is just a lieutenant and you need to introduce the hint that there is a REAL BBEG above him. Your problem is that this BBEG is not willing to be revealed. Now, if our retreating vampire gets any hint that he is being pursued by the PC, he will need to set up a diversion. I would (1) head for the PC's home lands, extra-fast; (2) Esconce oneself in a castle/tomb/complex there; (3) raid the surrounding countryside at night, raise undead and generally make hell. When the PC arrives he can cleave nobly through the undead ranks and confront the resident vampire .... to discover it is his sister (told you I was a b*****d) with her spellbook liberally enhanced with necromantic spells. Once he has taken care of her, he will find the BBEG long gone, and just to add insult to injury Lady Tyla will appear unharmed and level charges of murder on him, saying that she and his sis were able to escape unscathed and fled straight home. When he came back he murdered his sister for {make up reason, such as having a love affair or squeezing the toothpaste tube inthe middle}. The murder charges are the hint that the BBEG is around somewhere still pulling the strings, and it is very personal too! The next step will be luring him into the open again, while he in turn is eliminating the opposition one person at a time. :D
Dakini 04-19-06, 12:53 PM	Wow - I am amazed at how quickly people have responded and with lots of great brainstorming! Thank you all so much. Tough luck on that cohort; you've barely gotten your sister to go along with your schemes, and then she gets dominated by a vampire! Yes, I know that was a bit heavy-handed, which is why I don't want anything really horrid to happen to Lady Corise. I have in previous solo campaigns been guilty of inflicting pretty serious damage to things/people near and dear to the PC, so I'm trying to get away from that. [He is still bitter about the army of frost giants that wiped out his town in a previous campaign...] This just sort of happened - I wasn't originally planning to capture Corise. I like the ideas about introducing Rithmar as a friendly member of a legitimate faith. One part of the PC's plan that I forgot to mention is that he is looking for a temple to stop in for healing. I hadn't thought of doing something devious with that! :plotting: I also love the idea of putting someone else in the carriage heading up the river. That plays into what the PC already thinks will happen and chews up valuable time while Count Tarus and Rithmar are spinning more evil schemes. Even if word reaches the other nobles in the kingdom, that may not be any guarantee that they would automatically side against Tarus in the first place. Rumor and slander are generally commonplace within the noble ranks, so they may not be so easily swayed by simply words, especially if they come from the lower social orders. A good point, especially when combined with the idea of Tarus returning and making eye witnesses to discredit the heroes. I have already established that these lands are far from the Central Dominions of the Kingdom of the Lakes; regular mail takes almost a month to go back and forth, so there is time for all of this to brew locally before anyone farther away knows. I assume that as soon as word reaches the other nobility in the kingdom, Tarus' title, reputation, and land will be stripped and returned to his father. Is this correct? Yes, this would be correct, except that the father is incompetent/dying, so not really a fit ruler. Lord Eric might want to exercise a claim to the county as it borders his lands but most likely the Queen would want to appoint a new noble (she likes to reward lands to loyal nobles). Once again, I appreciate all of the great suggestions! Makes my job easier. :)
Dakini 04-19-06, 01:01 PM	Once he has taken care of her, he will find the BBEG long gone, and just to add insult to injury Lady Tyla will appear unharmed and level charges of murder on him, saying that she and his sis were able to escape unscathed and fled straight home. When he came back he murdered his sister for {make up reason, such as having a love affair or squeezing the toothpaste tube inthe middle}. Oooh - more wicked ideas! :) Several of you are going on the lines of framing the PC and other heroes, which is definately an interesting approach that I hadn't considered... How are solving the problem of 'waking up' from domination though? I mean, it only lasts 1 day/level, so wouldn't Lady Tyla for instance 'wake up' and remember that Count Tarus was a vampire? Slick plan Ormiss. The only thing I don't like about it is that it tips Rithmar's hand as a villain rather early, even if he doesn't look like the master villain. I think making the head of the church organization one of Rithmar's pawns, and having him fill the role you describe for Rithmar, would be ideal, as one could then have Rithmar's fingerprints start showing up on all these pieces of the machine. Good point - I don't want to reveal Rithmar too soon as PC is likely to figure it out and slice 'n dice my BBEG before he even gets that interesting.
Ormiss 04-19-06, 01:23 PM	Yes, I know that was a bit heavy-handed, which is why I don't want anything really horrid to happen to Lady Corise. I have in previous solo campaigns been guilty of inflicting pretty serious damage to things/people near and dear to the PC, so I'm trying to get away from that. [He is still bitter about the army of frost giants that wiped out his town in a previous campaign...] This just sort of happened - I wasn't originally planning to capture Corise. Well, I didn't mean to imply that it was a bad thing to do. :) Besides, you mentioned even in the first post that you hadn't thought that Tarus would get away with the hostages, so it simply seems to be the logical outcome of the current events. Slick plan Ormiss. The only thing I don't like about it is that it tips Rithmar's hand as a villain rather early, even if he doesn't look like the master villain. I think making the head of the church organization one of Rithmar's pawns, and having him fill the role you describe for Rithmar, would be ideal, as one could then have Rithmar's fingerprints start showing up on all these pieces of the machine.Good point - I don't want to reveal Rithmar too soon as PC is likely to figure it out and slice 'n dice my BBEG before he even gets that interesting. Hm, yes, that's a good point. With that in mind, I would use Rithmar's lieutenant to fill the same role, while Rithmar worms his way into the confidence of Sir Cobran. I'd have Rithmar visit him while he's trying to clear the charges levelled against him, and seem most concerned and willing to ferret out the truth at any cost. "You must understand, Sir Cobran, that your accusations against Inquisitor Tarmiane are difficult to countenance. Still, I have gathered that you are a man of honor, and I am concerned that something is amiss in all of this... I would hear you out, so that we can get to the bottom of this." How are solving the problem of 'waking up' from domination though? I mean, it only lasts 1 day/level, so wouldn't Lady Tyla for instance 'wake up' and remember that Count Tarus was a vampire? The simplest method is to keep renewing the spell. It depends firstly on the ruling in the matter of duration and renewal: If you dominate someone who is already dominated, will the duration be replenished, or will nothing happen at all? If the former it's very easy to renew the domination every few days, just to be on the safe side. If the latter, you will need to secure the victim (tell her to go into a cell and then lock her up, for instance,) and then cast the spell when the duration is out. This is a risky business, of course, but better than letting them roam free. It also gives these ladies a window of opportunity for acting while not dominated every now and then.
Arganis 04-19-06, 01:26 PM	How are solving the problem of 'waking up' from domination though? I mean, it only lasts 1 day/level, so wouldn't Lady Tyla for instance 'wake up' and remember that Count Tarus was a vampire? I think you should assume that Tarus refreshes the spell regularly such that it will wear off [duration] days after they last meet. By that point, I imagine that Tyla will instantly, and in great detail, realize -exactly- what she's been doing the entire time, and why. Her eyes go wide, she delves into hysteria and runs to the nearest ally. When she gets her wits about her, she would probably fall into depression. Depending on what she has been subject to, and what kind of grief her actions have wrought, she may even become suicidal.