I did some research on the subject, and I have an idea of what I want to go on in the adventure, but I don't think I know how to make it all secretive and fun.
I'm thinking of running a small side quest or full on low level campaign based on a string of Jack the Ripper type of murders. Dark stuff. I like it.
The adventure starts after a beautiful queen makes a public announcement of some kind or another, and leaves the public in awe of her unnatural beauty. (long story, but the has an unearthly beauty because as a curse because of an ancestor and blah blah blah....I'll tell you the story if anyone specifically asks.)
Anyway, her beauty leads one deranged man to kill women of ill repute. Either a prostitute, a b**chy noble, or a slutty serving wench or some sort. Anyway, he believes only someone as beautiful as the Queen should be as divine and respective as her. So he follows these women and leads them into a dark alley and strangles them, then slits their throat.
The body is found only the next day. And the PC stumble across the situation and either decide to help or get roped in. (money or some other deciding device. money works.) The first body is found in broad day light, not hidden, showing the killer hasn't really done this before, but the knife cut to the throat is clean, showing there was no struggle (the victim was unconscious) and also that the killer knows how to use a knife.
So I'm thinking the killer would be a butcher, but then if the PCs are smart enough, they'd make that call too. it could also be a deranged man, or a jealous woman, I haven't decided. There will be about 4 to 5 murders over the course of 2 weeks game time, and each murder will only take place about a mile or so distance from each other, possibly near a butcher, just to throw some suspicion.
I'm stuck on an outcome though. Who is the killer, and are his/her reasoning realistic? Is 2 weeks enough time for both the murders and the time to come up with a suspect? With such a clean killer, and it being based on an even now unsolved case, how could the PC find the killer short of catching him in the act. Would he be a fighter, rogue or maybe a wizard to throw the PCs off?
Gimme some tips guys! I'm all ears.
The first crime he could probably pin in his mind as "patriotism", because whoever he killed "spoke ill" of the Queen (perhaps as innocently as saying: "I want to look as good as the Queen!" jokingly said at a wrong time, in the wrongest of company). So he follows the victim and he slits her throat, and if he's a tailor, scissors could become a creepy theme.
As the crimes progress the infractions should become less and less "patriotic", if he kills a **** it's because she was trying to appear attractive to her sleezy customers, and how dare the prostitute take the gaze away from the Queen (and to do such improper things to boot!).
If he's a royal guard he could plead ignorance to his insanity until he's killed. He did it all for the Queen, all for the homeland, and all for her. He could remove the bulk of his evidence from the crime scenes if he has jurisdiction and he could set the party on a wild goose chase.
But when he gets caught, try to make it so that somehow the Queen can denounce him as being filth. So that way his fragile and unstable psyche can finally snap into pieces and he's dragged off stuttering and crying to the gallows that he did it all for her, because she's so beautiful, that he's the only one who deserves her, that he's the only one who ever truly cared.
And if you feel like being extra cruel, if it's a public execution. Make the rope a little too short so he does a little dance.
But that's just my input, hope it's dark enough for what you're working on.
I want the game to go about in its entirety like a thriller/Hitchcock feel. Not too much like a slasher flick, but still some amount of "Oh Crap" scary situation/atmosphere.
The Guard possotion is kinda cool too. A little authourity over the PCs would be nice to have for the killer to keep them away from himself and the crime scenes long enough for him to clean up or prepare for a new excuse.
I want the murders to feel kinda rushed too, almost like he doesn't plan them, they just happen. Although if he's a tailor or a guard I could belive that he would have to take the time to follow around the victem for a while and find a spot for the kill. Though I'd like the events to be around night time. There needs to be that air of mystery, or maybe a bystander sees him run off but doesn't see his face because of the dark. That and up to 5 hours of night whould keep his tracks, the body, cram and himself hidden long enough for him to get away.
But here's one problem I may have with the PCs. Though they may not think the tailor or guard to be a suspect, (the guard could be like the head inspector trying to find the killer, but never will because it's him), I just know most of my PCs will pick elves as their character race, even if they didn't know they're playing the mystery before hand. So how would I keep possibly 3 or 4 PCs getting their 4 hours of meditation before night fall and spending all night looking for the killer.
I was thinking also of making the Queen going on tour so to speak of the other kingdoms as if she's having meetings with all other lands, and the killer could follow her to other cities. (if he's a guard or something. this could fit into the guard's ability to be everywhere rather well for the story) He could be the Queen's head guardsmen/bodyguard, get around to other cities and possibly \away from the PCs for a while, and will always have a reason for being near a crime scene.
Or I could just have the whole campagin set in one city and the killer be a tailor. This makes for a single setting for the PCs, a constant guardsman that would not look suspicious if he's at every crime scene, and a cool killer with a signature that the PCs could follow up on.
Everyone, I wish to hear more of your thoughts!
(oh gods I wasn't clear enough with the wish and I hear everyone's thoughts.....always....)
lol
Or, the barber was possessed by some sort of spirit that passes on to another host when the barber dies... and another set of killings begin.
ya that is nice. I esspecially like the scissor theme if the killer is a tailor.
So how would I keep possibly 3 or 4 PCs getting their 4 hours of meditation before night fall and spending all night looking for the killer.
Or I could just have the whole campagin set in one city and the killer be a tailor. This makes for a single setting for the PCs, a constant guardsman that would not look suspicious if he's at every crime scene, and a cool killer with a signature that the PCs could follow up on.
Everyone, I wish to hear more of your thoughts!
Go with the single city, it'll keep the catch of the killer more important because the bodies of friends and family can begin to start dropping like flies.
I'm unsure if you want to prevent the PCs from meditation or allow them to have meditation before the killing. If you wish to prevent the meditation, have them have to save a man they know cannot be the killer (like a porter who arrived after the killings began) from a lynch crowd; or have them be unable to concentrate while a doomsayer preaches in the streets that this killer is no man, but a god of righteous fury purging the weak and impure.
If you however, want them to meditate, you could make their homebase a chapel that holds evening masses. It'd be safe, a glimmer of light in a city collapsing in darkness, and provide a stark contrast to the bleakness of the streets. And while the priests would try to keep in the street beggars and homeless in the chapel during the night so they won't be slaughtered, they probably wouldn't mind allowing out good samiratans who are trying to stop the killer.
You could also use a guard house if the party is joined enough with the town guard in their hunt of the killer; and it'd allow them to have ready access to the clues/evidence, and to let them know when another body is found.
For the rush jobs, crimes of passion; the killer can't be too clever in how he stashes the evidence/body. But the rushed nature can be great for confusing the players. He could kill a man in a graveyard and if he savages the body, get the party to search for ghouls when there are none to be found. If he hides the body of a warehouse worker in the meat warehouse, the party may blame and wrongfully inquisition the kindly old butcher. Just minor variations can send the party all over creation.
If innocent people get tortured or imprisoned by the PCs actions, make sure that some other people in proximity to these innocents become hostile. They won't talk, lest in defense of their friends, and they could even begin to implicate that the PCs themselves could be the killers.
As the situation gets more hostile and more and more people die, try to create a feeling of claustiphobia or collapse. Like that when it comes down to a few suspects, naming perhaps a minor noble, could lead to social unrest, riots, and hit squads being sent to kill the PCs for tarnishing his good name. Or how if they name Joe the haberdasher the killer, Joe is quickly executed (as he's just common trash), and some people who knew he was incapable of such evil turn him into a martyr. They use his death as a jumping off point, claiming conspiracy by the nobles, and then it's the French Reign of Terror.
Everything should be tense. Actions have consequences. And if the tailor is the killer, he should skin some flesh of the victims and be making a victory cloak in his basement out of the "leather". Because that's what you do with the fur and skin of animals, you make it something useful out of it.
Plus the trophy aspect is just sick.
Don't be afraid to follow the Jack the Ripper mythology to its conclusion: the killer may never be caught in the act or punished for his crimes. Perhaps the killer will be a recurring villain to the main characters.
Lastly: there are myriad ways to instill horror in a campaign: Call of Cthulhu does so with sanity checks and inevitable death, this path isn't open to DnD players because PCs are supposed to encounter horrible things and beat the stuffing out of them. You've already got a good start on a method for bringing suspence into the game. Your players have the capability to stop what is happening: if they can make it in time.
-Try to continuously work in the urgency of the situation, don't give players ten-minute breaks to discuss strategy every time they ask. Schedule time for them to discuss. Perhaps utilize an hourglass for these conversations.
-In addition to this: handouts can be very useful. Think Zodiac's letters to the police. Perhaps every few game days hand out a cryptic letter that informs the players and populace that the killer intends to continue, at least one more time.
-As the killer's reign of terror continues show signs of it in your descriptions of the city streets. Do they become more destitute and empty of travelers the longer things continue? Maybe they're just as crowded, but nerves are tighter-strung, and people are getting into fights, looting shops at night, etc.
-Finally, introduce a female NPC to the characters, or a few. Make one important, but not necessarily through item-giving or plot-advancing. Perhaps she's the tavern-keeper where the players are staying, or a barmaid at the tavern. Or a guardswoman. Someone capable, attractive, and engaging to the players. Kill her, or give the players a chance to save her. Chances are players won't react to a faceless prostitute or stuck-up noblewoman who they never met in game getting killed. But the friendly face that served them ales with a wink while they tried to sort all these killings out? Bad things happening to such characters may just give your players their very own "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoyo" moment.
Sorry for the TL/DR.
I like the idea of having the Queen being a suspect. Could throw in some "untouchable" aspect to the crimes I guess. "If the Queen's doing it, then how do we convict her or clear her name if she's innocent." I don't think it should be the Queen doing the killings though. There's bad blood in that bloodline, just not that bad.
Maybe one of the lady NPCs the PCs could grow to like and want to protect could be a priestess that works in the temple that the PCs are staying at for the time being. (almost laughably in vain though. My PCs sadly have no respect for clerics in game) The PCs feel a little more danger and they know that not even the faithful are safe from the now named killer, the "Ripper". (i just like the name for a serial nemesis killer dude guy... That is my inspiration anyway. Should give the PCs something more to fear. A name they may recognize from real history)
Anyway. keep em coming. And I hope I'm not freaking anyone out.
lol
Also be aware that you need like a bazillion npcs to run this properly (everyone could be a suspect, we wouldn't want our players to rule someone out, just he doesn't have a name or proper ocupation or background story...).
Inform your players that they will probably have to take detailed notes on each of the suspects.
I wouldn't use something like possession or the killer being under control of some evil cult, as I think a single schizophrenic killer is more terrifing than a bewitched person, who isn't realy responsible.
For a last sick twist: Have the killer be someone your pcs already know and honor. Maybe that hardened old veteran that they gossip with every evening in the tavern has darker secret. Or how about a female killer? This opens a new variety of motives (jealousy, schizophrenia ...)
Lastly: Make sure your players don't read this thread...
)
Lastly: Make sure your players don't read this thread...
Ya, I REALLY hope they don't figgure out I post here. I don't think they will.
My thoughts, on top of several other great ideas, are:
- Have the killer collect trophies. I'm thinking about hair, since all the victims have the same color hair as the "Queen" in the story. In my game, however, it'll be a Dutchess or something due to the political climate.
- Have the killer be someone close to the "Queen." Typically, in stories like this, the killer will eventually confess to, and try to kill the target of his rage/love/lust/etc. This would be the crucial point in the story, and the best chance for the party to catch him.
- Remember that insanity does not mean evil. No detect evil abilities will spoil the mystery.
- Check all the player abilities and make sure you've covered any that may make a solution too easy!
Also, I agree with the detailed maps/NPC's and information. If I do this, I'll have to really detail out the location in question.
I can hear my players now. First the Sheriff of Nottingham (withough Robin Hood) and now Jack the Ripper?!?!??
Eric the GreyI like the Idea of having the killer confess to the Queen and try to killer he as weall to try and stop himself from killing again. I would like to have a solid ending for this particular story arch. I would think the PCs would possibly be a little upset if there's no ending to the story and they don't find the killer.
What happens if the confrontaion between the killer and the Queen happens when the PCs are still looking for clues or don't reach her in time? I think the PCs should be forced into tight situations constantly in this type of game, so what if they don't make it in time? (the way this rulership works is that the first born daughter of the last Queen gets named as the rightful heir, story and campagin background, like a legend of Zelda kinda thing.) I could have the Queen's daughter be next in line and have to step up after the PCs aprehend the killer. The killer could then see her as the PCs drag him to jail and this could enrage him, forcing skill checks to keep him from lunging at her.... To be honest, I kinda wanted to have an assassination attept type of campagin as well, so this would fit in with that I guess.
I need to write what I'm reading down...
What I'm curious about though, is why does it have to be a "he"? You could probably really throw your players into a loop by making the barber a "she". She can either be in love with the queen, or insanely jealous that she can never be as beautiful, and killing all of her customers who try to be (by mentioning they want a hair cut that looks like the queen)
It might even be a good hint that all of the people who died resemble the queen in some way... some dress; same hair; same jewelry (although fake) stuff like that. What would also work, if you want your PC's to solve the crimes, is to get pictures. Pictures of the city, the queen, some important NPCs (anyone you want to make suspect; it'll help them narrow it down) and of all the murder scenes. That way they can look for visual clues.
Or they could be searching for a man and get lead around by a woman they think they can trust. The group I game with are all guys, so a female killer could trip them up something fierce.
I like all the ideas guys and possibly girls. Keep them coming. I just have to throw this run together and not have it fall apart by something that doesn't fit right with the killer or campaign.
EDIT:
Just got this idea while reading through the posts.
The killer could be a female tailor. One that works with scissors to cut fabrics and sewing skills. Her signature would be sewing the mouth shut. She sees the Queen one day and falls in love with her beauty or become jealous of her. After over hearing some women talking about how they want to be like the Queen, she follows her victim into an alley way and cuts her throat with the scissor.
Other instances can be she drinks at a local tavern, (possibly one the PCs frequent) and sees a slutty bar wench or prostitute and follows them to an alley, or finds a noble woman in the market who is extremely vain.
This could lead to her using scissors as a murder weapon, and actually losing the scissors in an attempt to flee before the guards arrive. She dresses as a man in a large coat and boots and even a fake mustache (too much?) and like the scissors, unknowingly drops the mustache in an escape. "Gasp! The killer must not be a man. All that work we did and we're back to square one!"
A skilled Ranger or fighter or even a rogue with tracking skills could find the boot prints aren't right in some way. And the dropped scissor or mustache would possibly be a HUGE clue for later on. Three clues, three murders, but it still seems like it's not enough. The first murder should be messy and quick, as the killer is inexperienced. As time goes on and there are more murders, they begin to get cleaner and methodical. I don't wantt o drop a huge clue like a dropped scissors or mustache untill mutch later, soI'll need some more clues, and more clues means more instances to leave tham behind.
Could it be that the killer is a DWARF? This opens up racial tensions, possibly some kind of snafu with the "dwarven consulate", etc.
Totally slipped my mind about the variety of Races that could be the killer. Hey, it's DnD after all!
And before anyone makes the joke, Dwarven women do not in fact have beards. I never understood that joke.
An Elven woman might be that vain, or maybe a Half-Elf but deffinately a Human. I wouldn't think a Half-ling or Gnome woman would be that vain either. But the killer does need to have some amount of strength to over power other women.
I do like the false beard though. I'll run with that insead of a mustache. Maybe she'll even wear a man's cap too. Something to hide her hair under.
Ya but I don't see a Dwarven woman acting out in this particular way. I never new Dwarves in either in game or PC that really cared what themselves or others looked like. Though I understand that if it's a Dwarven woman and she uses a fake beard then the PCs would get false information as it's easy to confuse a Dwarf female from a male from looking at their back.
And before anyone makes the joke, Dwarven women do not in fact have beards. I never understood that joke.
An Elven woman might be that vain, or maybe a Half-Elf but deffinately a Human. I wouldn't think a Half-ling or Gnome woman would be that vain either. But the killer does need to have some amount of strength to over power other women.
I do like the false beard though. I'll run with that insead of a mustache. Maybe she'll even wear a man's cap too. Something to hide her hair under.
Tolkien's dwarven women do, in fact, have beards. That's where it came from =p
Few comments. Make sure you paint a variety of characters as possible suspects. If you don't have the PC's interact with the tailor it's not gonna have much impact when they figure out who it is. Likewise if you put too much emphasis on interacting with the tailor it becomes obvious that he/she's important. Introduce a variety of characters and have them all act suspiciously. A guard might suspiciously remove evidence from a crime scene, but its because he doesnt want his wife finding out he was having an affair with the victim. A blacksmith has an unnatural blade fixation. The PCs see a butcher bury an old bloodstained knife in his backyard, but it's actually a sentimental ritual to him for some reason, maybe on the anniversary of his wife's murder. The queen tries to block them out of the investigation, because she wants the town to see her guard taking care of them, but she's too arrogant to explain her actions to the PCs.
Just a few random ideas, make sure they interact with a wide variety of NPCs, including the murderer, so it creates a bigger impact when they figure it out.
Maybe there was an innocent bystander to one of the killings, that she/he didn't kill but only knock out, because that said bystander never did/said anything about the queen (or rather nothing that the killer took wrong).
A quite strong clue could be the fact that all the women were customers at the same inn/the same tailor shop. Maybe she is not the sole proprietor of that said shop, but only works there as an assisstant or maiden.
In case your players get stuck: Have guardsman who is more interested in finding the killer then in obeying strict orders by the queen tip them of to a local area or even a shop.
Probably won't run this quest string for a while, but I thank everyone for their input. And if anyhone would like to take this idea, feel free. You just have to post how it went.
What I'm going to do is, have it be murders happening before the queen comes for a visit to a small hamlet. The heroes have to stop the murderer before the queen arrives in a week. One murder a day till they catch.
It's a pauncy tailor. He is creating a perfect woman to present to the queen. (There will be the rumors that the queen is doing it herself. As well as tidings about her being illegitimate. )
The Mayor doesn't want people catching wind that there is a killer out so he's spread rumors of a horrible wolf attack. So the killer kills with a knife/scissors, and then makes it look like a wolf attack. As he doesn't know that they don't actually think it's a wolf.
The people are whipped into a frenzy and their are regular wolf hunts going out and tons of pelts coming back. A possible side quest might be to take out a Monster Manual wolf that other adventurers found?
If someone would be into detailing out how this could be skill challenged up, that would be great. Or any ideas to help me in general.
Maybe some think he's killing the girls for her, so she can stay young and beautiful? I don't know.
No I havn't run the quest string yet. I havn't really been able to DM in a while as most of my players are MIA somwhere.
Hey Squanderdalfast, I think a good way to get the Queen's son mixed up with the murders would be to get him to stumble onto one of the crime scens just as a guard or adventurer comes along and pins the murders on him. The Paladin and her party would have to find a way to prove his innocens while fending off attacks from the villagers. The town thinks the killings are being done by wolves though, so I guess you'd have to throw in some way or the son to be suspected of the murder or murders.
Here is what went down with everything. As summarized as possible.
So the party meets a guy from the town of Hodgepodge, who starts to tell them a story about a town plagued by wolves. This sets of a flash back of the Murder Mystery Adventure.
In this Land there is an Emperor and 8 Kings. The Emperor refused to have sex with his wife, and so she, "for the stability of the land," had a child with the 4th King's son, George the Great. This begot Jared. (The Paladin's lover. The Emperor's "son.")
George the Great was a bachelor, however, with his father's failing health he decided to marry the beautiful Crystal Star. Crystal Star is rumored to gain her beauty from the killing of the innocent. She is also the party's best friend's cousin. She is coming to hodgepodge to give a talk to a number of diplomats in regards to arranged marriages and the importance of bloodlines.
A week before the talk a mysterious murder occurs. The Emperor suspects Crystal Star, and sends the Players to investigate. The defacto Mayor, old man Tom, who runs the livery has pinned the murder of farmer John on wolves.
A hunting party is sent out before the players arive.
The players investigate further and decide to dig up Farmer John's body. (With the permission of his wife, who doesn't believe wolves killed him.) They see he is dressed up, and has a single wound too his throat. A puncture and a tear. (The Tailor stuck scissors in his neck and ripped them out through the front.) This being the first murder he ran away.
I will probably use your idea, BuddhaKai, for getting Jared involved. He's come to see Crystal, in hopes of confronting George the Great on the rumors. Is George the Great his true father? Jared thinks so. George however hasn't come to the town. So Jared will seek out Crystal and accuse her of being a ****, and ruining George's true love, that between he and the Emperor's wife. (Which won't make sense to Crystal.) But will set Jared up to be in a place to find the 2nd or 3rd body, and get accused of the murder.
The Tailor thinking everyone is into the wolf theory will cover the rest of his murder in the markings of wolves. He bought the largest of the dead wolves the hunting party brought back.
I don't know how far we will get in this session but I will update accordingly and take any comments/help I can get. If we can figure out why the tailor is doing this, beyond being insane, I think that would be good. I also think, he might go to jail and come back to haunt the players later, as a more powerful villain?
The over all arch that I'm going for in the campaign is that Game Day 1 they killed the Mad Emperor and must now right their names, regain their honor. By doing major quests in all the 8 lands. They have flashbacks periodically showing the descent of the Emperor's mind. (He'd been corrupted by magical power and a lust for the Demonic.) As well as acting to flesh out some of the deeper relationships the Character backgrounds started with.
I like that the tailor bought the largest of the wolves. This gives me an idea that he could forge wolf prints to cover his own tracks, or that he could use the fur as a costume and make it look even more like a werewolf attack in anyone actually saw him. Then getting your other NPC into trouble with everyone thinking he's a werewol.
How do you plan on dealing with magic and the supernatural in this campaign? By level 6, speak with dead is available and there are certainly a lot of other ways in which magic can be used to solve mysteries. If the world is highly magical it is likely that a commoner will be found out relatively quickly or if it gets out of hand the royal investigation would likely call for a diviner. You should figure out just how much magic will be in your world. I am particularly interested in your curse on the queen.
I personally think it would be interesting if there was a greater supernatural element. Perhaps possessions, dark magic or other complicating factors. Maybe the female tailor is doing the killing, but unwillingly. Maybe there are multiple killers executing similar crimes throughout the city all being played by some master puppeteer (perhaps connected with the queen, which is why the party finds themselves blocked at various points).
Remember that Jack the Ripper is famous because of how the media caught on to it. Some sort of manifesto or letter, perhaps found with each victim or received prior to finding the body, eventually being addressed to the party members themselves, would go a long way in engaging the players.
I'd want the Queen to stay out of the investigation becuase of the conscription of a diviner. If the PCs have to find the killer then they should come up with idea and money to hire one. If the Queen gets involved in any way, then I feel like it'd be too easy if the royal investigators hired a diviner. And even though it's a mid to high magic world, I'd limit the number of practiced magic users to only a few per city. Magic is high, but i'd like to keep it sort of un-tapped. I dont want everyone, PC or NPC to run around casting high level spells, although they could learn them with time.
The Queen with the curse-
It's sort of a legend of zelda kinda thing. The first Rose Queen (her name was Rosemarry and she used roses in all her iconography, there by also giving the kingdom the name of Rose Keep) ran a war to find a relic. This relic was a magic rod, and after finging it she gave it to her migh mage to study and learn it's powers. The high mage was also the king, but the king had less influence over the people or the Queen herself. The first Rose Queen had raven black hair, fair pale skin and rose red lips, kinda like an selfish-ish Snow White. The Wizard trye\d to over power the Queen after the rod took over his force of will, and the Queen shattered the Rod into seven parts, the Rod of Seven Parts. After this happened, she banished the Wizard and lost her war, and subsequently lost her ruling power to have an army by the neiboring kingdom. (like japana isn't allowed an army of their own now.)
The first doughter of every queen from then on always has Black raven hair, fair pale skin and red lips, as a rememberance to the first Rose Queen. This doughter is then named the succesor heir to the throne of Rose Keep.
As for a curse, that's all I came up with. If anyone has ideas on how to flesh it out more, I'd welcome it.
Media-
I like the idea of giving letters to the guards about the killings. I had already planned on it. Should a letter be turned in directly to the guards before or after a murder, or should the letter be found on the bodies? If the PCs start to investigate, then I could address the letters direcly to the PCs then. That should make them unnearved, knowing that the killer klnows who they are.
I've seen a couple of home made adventures featuring a Murder Mystery, and I even own an AD&D module (L2, the assassin's knot) that deals with a duke's assassination, but I'm looking to try something a little darker for mine.
I did some research on the subject, and I have an idea of what I want to go on in the adventure, but I don't think I know how to make it all secretive and fun.
I'm thinking of running a small side quest or full on low level campaign based on a string of Jack the Ripper type of murders. Dark stuff. I like it.
The adventure starts after a beautiful queen makes a public announcement of some kind or another, and leaves the public in awe of her unnatural beauty. (long story, but the has an unearthly beauty because as a curse because of an ancestor and blah blah blah....I'll tell you the story if anyone specifically asks.)
Anyway, her beauty leads one deranged man to kill women of ill repute. Either a prostitute, a b**chy noble, or a slutty serving wench or some sort. Anyway, he believes only someone as beautiful as the Queen should be as divine and respective as her. So he follows these women and leads them into a dark alley and strangles them, then slits their throat.
The body is found only the next day. And the PC stumble across the situation and either decide to help or get roped in. (money or some other deciding device. money works.) The first body is found in broad day light, not hidden, showing the killer hasn't really done this before, but the knife cut to the throat is clean, showing there was no struggle (the victim was unconscious) and also that the killer knows how to use a knife.
So I'm thinking the killer would be a butcher, but then if the PCs are smart enough, they'd make that call too. it could also be a deranged man, or a jealous woman, I haven't decided. There will be about 4 to 5 murders over the course of 2 weeks game time, and each murder will only take place about a mile or so distance from each other, possibly near a butcher, just to throw some suspicion.
I'm stuck on an outcome though. Who is the killer, and are his/her reasoning realistic? Is 2 weeks enough time for both the murders and the time to come up with a suspect? With such a clean killer, and it being based on an even now unsolved case, how could the PC find the killer short of catching him in the act. Would he be a fighter, rogue or maybe a wizard to throw the PCs off?
Gimme some tips guys! I'm all ears.
This sounds like it would work great in a Steampunk setting. I wanted to include a "Jack the Ripper" type character in my new, Dreamworld setting. I hope you will go to my thread, "Your Votes Will Create This World", and vote in the latest Round II. Your advice will be welcomed. Thanks.
I'd want the Queen to stay out of the investigation becuase of the conscription of a diviner. If the PCs have to find the killer then they should come up with idea and money to hire one. If the Queen gets involved in any way, then I feel like it'd be too easy if the royal investigators hired a diviner. And even though it's a mid to high magic world, I'd limit the number of practiced magic users to only a few per city. Magic is high, but i'd like to keep it sort of un-tapped. I dont want everyone, PC or NPC to run around casting high level spells, although they could learn them with time.
My idea in bringing this up, is that there should be a good in-game reason why this doesn't end up happening. It will add to the intrigue. I completely agree that it shouldn't be that easy
There should be some power dynamic at play, even if it isn't directly related to the murders, just to complicate matters and hinder the players. Maybe the Minister of Defense is hoping to use them as a means to impose martial law and gain more power. Maybe he has convinced the queen that the murders should be allowed to continue so they can argue for a greater militarization under their current treaty. Maybe he is in league with the foreign kingdom, working to suggest that the queen can't control her populace and the city should be placed under the direct stewardship of a foreign governor. It could be the consulate of the foreign kingdom instead of someone inside the palace. They could even be working to highly publicize the murders, even if not directly involved. That would be quite the intrigue, to follow foreign agents who are in conspiracy but ultimately not responsible or connected with the murders.
I think you need to work on the negative aspects of the curse (as being a beautiful and graceful creature isn't exactly the worst thing that could happen). Maybe in breaking the Rod, it also broke the will of the queen (current and future) so that she is easily swayed and docile, which might explain the state of the kingdom. Maybe it has given her an obsession with the number 7. There could be seven murders that are offered as tribute to the Queen, and it opens up a lot potential symbolism. Seven cuts, seven roses left on the body, things of that nature. These are just suggestions but I think that the nature of the curse needs to be fully explored and connected in some way with the murders, so that it becomes clear that this isn't any ordinary serial killer.
I think you can mix up posting the murderer's letters. At the beginning they are probably left on the body or anonymously given to the town herald. As things get more involved they could be posted out in public, or show up prior to the murderers. Eventually as the profile of the PCs grows, they start finding letters addressed to them, although I would still start with them being posted publicly before eventually being slipped under their door.
That should creep them out. As for the curse, I just thought up an origin for it. My whole campagin world pretty much stemed from the Babylonian gods creating everything. Like in Babylonian history/myth, Druaga kidnaps Ki, the priestess of Ishtar and forces Gilgamesh to rescue her. Gilgamesh then gained power and rulership over Uruk which was pretty mutch the cradle of life here, and from there a girl is borne. This girl grew into a woman and set out to create her own kingdom away from the Babylonian gods, who had ignored the humans during a great time of war, leading to the humans to most likely abandon them. This woman founded a keep, and bore twin daughters. One child was blonde while the other had raven black hair. The raven haired child was to grow up to be the keep's Queen, but the Blonde child grew jelious. When they came of age to lead the keep, the blonde daughter killed her sister and became the second Queen. (the murder was thought to be a horrible accident) After a time she got married and gave birth to a raven haired baby girl. The Queen dies in child birth, and the former Queen, the woman who fled Uruk, named her Rosemary after her first daughter, as she resembled her so much. She became the first Rose Queen, ie- the one who shattered the Rod of Seven Parts.
And that leads us to an actual "curse". Maybe she's haunted by the memories of past Queens? I don't know what sort of importance this would have in-game, or with anything. Maybe the gods cursed her to always resemble the first would-be Queen who was murdered? This could possibly lead into a hidden meaning to the murders, but how would anyone know about the first Queen? Whould it be in the history books, so to say? The Rod Shattering took place a few thousands years ago. Reincarnation? Maybe she's a sucubus who wants to take revenge on whoever for being killed so many years ago?
And for the Foreign affairs- I like the idea but I'm not sure I could pull it off correctly. I like the idea of maybe someone allowing the murders as a power play to gain rulership. Maybe the Queen is unfit to rule and the new guy thinks he could do better? What would make him say she's unfit to rule?
All these questions are making my head hurt. I think I asked more then what i got answers to.
I personally don't think that you should have the rod shattering so long ago, dynasties typically don't that last long even without an eternally cursed Queen. It would also complicate things like you said, no one would know the curse. A few generations at most would be ideal in my mind. But it's your game and maybe you have a much better reason for your chronology
I have what I think might be a good idea for the curse. Tying in the whole rose theme, the queen cannot be touched, or else she will wilt away, becoming weaker and weaker. As it stands, the queen rarely survives beyond childbirth, since she is involved with touching both the father of the child and the child. As an addendum to this, perhaps the queen has the memories of all past queens, at least as dreams or nightmares (think of the same rose bush producing a beautiful rose every season, then wilting after being pollinated). I don't know how this might be worked in, but you could definitely just play up the rose angle in the murders. As an added bonus, a clue might be the rose pattern woven into the outfits of people around town, if you are still using the tailor.
As for what a contender for the throne would say, I would say it would be curse related most likely.
Anyways, there is a lot that you should think out before you start, because the players are going to throw your for a loop at some point and a little bit of background knowledge goes a long way (see bastardizing pre-made adventures)