|
Author
|
Comment
|
rweston
Memunite
(11/25/03 3:35 pm)
Reply
|
Blaming the Water Temple...
Hello all,
I'm looking for some input on this situation.
My players have reached the CRM, and have systematically whiped out the Main Gate (map A) and all the trogs & forces of the Earth Temple.
Wounded, low on healing & concerned about unloading treasure & stocking up on disposable magic/scrolls/potions etc they have retreated to Rastor.
Before leaving the Earth temple they wrote "Water Temple Rules" and "Down with the Earth Temple" all over the shire & walls.
Smart, I thought, given the proximity to the Water Temple this was brilliant - even though they don't really know the layout of the elemental temples.
Given the background of the CRM everyone would just assume that the Water Temple was feuding with the Earth Temple - perhasp hiring outside mercenaries to takeout the earth temple.
Fits - the big guns will ignore it, in a week or so start recruiting new followers to rebuild the temple. I can work with this.
Then of course, they made their way back to the main gate to head for Rastor, as they were leaving they stopped & wrote all over the walls of the main hall "Death to all who oppose the Water Temple" and "The Water Temple Rules over All".
Hmm - this is a bit harder.
I'm guessing Hederack & Co would be mildly pissed if they thought the Water Temple was attacking the Gate Garrisons.
I'm thinking about removing the leader of the Water temple & promoting the Koa Toa - & adding a letter to such effect in with the water temple documents.
How would you folks handle this?
I would think there would be an understanding - the elemental temples can fight amunst themselves, but if they mess with the gate or bridge garrisons they get slapped down by the Outer Fane.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Rory Weston
|
msherman
Kalkydrite
(11/25/03 3:48 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Blaming the Water Temple...
I would view this as just more of the same; the gate complexes are weak, and Hedrack shouldn't really care too much about them. One of the other temples will clear Water from the main gate soon enough; such is the circle of elemental destruction. Eventually, either some temple will secure the gate, as happened at the South gate, or multiple temples will reach an uneasy truce, and a new neutral gate force will be installed.
The bridges are another matter, but only just a bit; even there, some give and take is accepted by the Fanes, I'd think.
|
smetzger
Memunite
(11/26/03 9:33 am)
Reply
|
Re: Blaming the Water Temple...
Quote:
I'm guessing Hederack & Co would be mildly pissed if they thought the Water Temple was attacking the Gate Garrisons.
I'm thinking about removing the leader of the Water temple & promoting the Koa Toa - & adding a letter to such effect in with the water temple documents.
This is certainly an option. But then H. may also think this shows great initiative by the Water Temple leader.
Perhaps a better choice to show the complete chaos of the CRM for what it is. Naquent thinks its bad form for the Water Temple to be attacking the gate complexes and thus punishes the leader in some way. H. thinks it shows initiative and rewards the leader in some way. Varachan sides with H. because this then bolsters his precarious position.
The net result is the gate complexes get restocked at the usual rate and the CRM is still a chaotic mess.
Some things you need to decide.
How long does it take for word to get to the inner fane about this? My guess would be 2-4 weeks.
How accurate is the info when it does get to the inner fane?
Does the inner fane even believe the info?
How long before the inner fane rewards/punishes? I would say another 1-2 weeks.
|
 Infiniti2000
Cherub
(11/26/03 9:45 am)
Reply
ezSupporter
|
Re: Blaming the Water Temple...
Both great responses. I agree and find little difference between the temples and the bridge/gate complexes. The fact that Oamarthis complains about raids from the WT and the ET is proof of this. However, the WT will definitely try to find out who is blaming them. Kelashein will either be pissed or will be happy about it. I'd play it by ear though and try to work a good response in depending on what the party does. Maybe she will send Kadiss out to Rastor to talk to the PC's, thanking them for their work and encouraging it even further.
|
rweston
Memunite
(11/26/03 1:28 pm)
Reply
|
Re: Blaming the Water Temple...
Thanks everyone,
Lots of interesting ideas here - and I found more detail in the adventure under reinforcements on projected ways to handle the problem.
I'm currently planning tohave the water temple forgoe their plans to attack the Fire temple. Instead they are going to occupy the main gate & Earth temple areas - Kadiss & folks into the main Gate - the spy (moonwick?) from map B is going into the main gate - and ?Nilbool? will be assigned to the Earth temple caves along with some of the Skum - as reinforcement come along they'll fall under the command of the Water temple. The Water folk don't know who did it, but they'll be happy to take the opportunity as what little evidence there is already points to them and makes them look strong.
Now - I still plan to have some letters from Hederack & Naquent to the new "Main Gate" commanders & the Water Temple leaders - but as was suggested probably nothing drastic in the way of punishemnt - unless they don't hold on to what they've claimed.
As for how soon the Outer Fane & Water Temple hear of the attacks:
My players wipe out EVERYONE in the main gate & the Earth Temple. There were no survivors. They then retreated - resting & hiding in the manticore cave for a day before leaving for Rastor.
While they were resting in the Manrticore cave I rolled on the wandering monster table.
1st encounter - 5 warriors allied with the Temple. The players hid succesfully & the guards went by, nervous.
2nd encounter - a temple priest & 3 guards. Again they hid successfully & the group passed by.
The group was hiding in the manticore cave - so there were two possible routes for the temple folk to have come from, in this case I randly rolled & both came from the main gate - which had been wiped out.
Both groups were headed towards the North bridge/water temple, and one has to pass through the slaughtered corpses left behind in the earth temple to get to either.
So I've got guards & a priest who know that both the gate & e.temple are wiped out, and they will be in a position to report to both the water temple & the North bridge complex.
I figure the wandering priests are probably "Obex/Tharidun" cleric rather than "Elder Eye" clerics - I would guess they are coming in from outide or perhaps making the rounds for delivering messages for the Outer Fane.
I also assume that The Outer Fane delivers messages by mephit - the mepits get blessed & flit about with messages from Naquent or Hederack.
I'd guess messages would go in/out every d6+1 days
So conceivably the north bridge & water temple would know of the attacks within a day, Omarthis would report the incident as an excuse to ask for more troops - so I figure the Outer Fane would know fairly quickly.
That's my thoughts - thanks you guys for all posting so quickly - lots of good ideas. Of course all this may not play out very soon - the players are going to start looking for "hidden" ways in - they figure it was adwarven mine there should be hidden dwarven entrances the bad guys wouldn't know about - which is cool - the longer they take before returning to the main gate / earth tmeple the more replacements I'll have waiting for them.
Thanks,
Rory
|
Okay -- Your Turn
Email This To a Friend
Topic Commands
Click to receive email notification of replies 
Click to stop receiving email notification of replies