Campaign gone horribly wrong

[mps42]

It all seemed do simple. But then, the things taht fail the worst often do. Brief synopsis (sp?):
Characters were investigating rumors that a certain local legend might, in fact, be true and a long-lost family of brothers may have been found. They investigated and found the rumors to be true, investigated the family crypt which they found to be overrun by the walking dead. Upon dispatching the foul beasts they returned to town with the news and artifacts proving the existance of the family and their tomb. The local deacon, who had given them the job, was ecstatic (sp?) and they returned to the tomb with the church's blessing to investigate further. Not much else was found and they returned to town again to find that the deacon has been most foully murdered and all artifacts apparently destroyed or stolen.
What went wrong: the PC's were SUPPOSED to query the local townsfolk to find that the mayor, who claimed to be descended from the family was, in fact, not and that evidence that he was not a blood relative of the family could cost him his position, which he covets heavily, then go confront him after making a covert foray into his upstairs study. What they DID was query the NEW deacon, who was in league with the mayor, thus alerting him that they knew, or at least suspected, that he was not what he claimed to be. The mayor, therefore, did destroy the evidence found previously (which he had taken from the new deacon) and hired some muscle to go sack the ruins and tomb for any remaining artifacts. The PC's, in trying to find further evidence against the mayor, went back to the tomb again and got wiped out by the hired muscle, every PC died.
What, if anything, can be done to try to save this situation and, if it can't be saved, how do I continue from here?

 

[wighair]

Are they all dead? If so you could run it again! Let a few years pass in the campaign world. Maybe the new PCs are related to the others or perhaps the fallen PCs have just been added to list of disappearances. Now the Mayor has got an even tighter grip on things and the town is a far more dangerous and evil place than it was before. They could meet the same characters, but they have changed, lost hope or fallen to "the dark side". Maybe some allie they had has met some grisly end.

A question? why was the deacon killed if he was already in league with the mayor?

Maybe you could use this too. the Deacon's spirit might still be around as a ghost that could come to the aid on the new PCs still in a rage over his betrayal by the Mayor. A nice roll reveral for him.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The plans of mice and men.

Have the players come back to life and be given the task of righting the wrongs done to the dead. The spirits of the dead could 'rise dead' on the party and inform them of a woe is me story of how evil the mayor is and how he stole their land and titles and that he is planning stomething big. You can also tie it back into the plot by having something important in the tomb.

 

[Valmur_Dwur]

Hello,

First Are the players really hung up on their pc's?
If not then start over and I wouldn't even start them in the same area.
If they are then WHY O' WHY did they fight to the bitter end?

Not knowing how you have things set up I can't comment morethan that. If you know next time that going to the tomb may cause fatalities then have a goat herder or townfolk sidle up to the party and give them a clue or two about something not right with the mayor and the new deacon. Something along the lines of the mayor never attended church services but that there new deacon is seen over at the mayor's house 3 times a week. Plus the last deacon, rest his soul, was kinda out of it after he did a big deal over this families supposed heritage. Come to think of it it did sem the last deacon died in his sleep shortly after that.
\
Did that make sense?

Cheers!

 

[Bihor]

the PCs could cumback as ghost, but the don't know it and see every body as ghost , they have to find what realy append. When they resove the mistery there soul could be free at last.

 

[mps42]

clarifications

The original deacon, the one who hired the PC's, was NOT in league with the mayor to cover up the truth. That deacon was killed by the Mayor to get the evidence against him and silence him and was then replaced by a NEW deacon who is using his knowledge of what the mayor is doing to futher his own plot to try to become heirophant.
Yes ALL the PC's died, they were entirely outclassed by the Mayors' hired goons.
I was thinking about maybe using this to transition the characters into another adventure in another world that I am creating, using their "deaths" to transport their spirits to the new world. Is this too contrived? Would you, as a DM try to continue or move to the new world? Would you as a player be more interested in teh new world with your old char or old world with a new char?

 

[loxmyth]

Well first of all, I'd talk with the players. That goes without saying. But other than that, I wouldn't ressurect the party without a good reason. If you can come up with one then great. Otherwise, I think it would feel too contrived. However, if all the players are fine with it, then who cares right?

If no one minds starting a new campaign, I suggest you do that and save this scenario for another time. Personally, I'd tie it in with their next adventures somehow, but that's a personal preference for closure.

 

[Valmur_Dwur]

What loxmyth said

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The 'start over and run it again later' suggestion is a good one, and I agree with it. However, I will give you another option, simply for variety.

The players are dead, so run with it.

The players find them selves in the after life. They meet up with the other poor bastard who was murdered, who explains to them the following.

1) The Mayor commited the murder.
2) The new deacon is in on it with them.
3) The deacon 'ex-communicated' them, or provided the thugs with special weapons that prevent normal ressurection.
4) The players are currently in the Ethereal, and are trapped there until they accomplish some DM Approved quest.
5) Death while in this un-natural state means oblivion. If they die, they are gone.

If the players can fight their way back to the land of the living, they get a second chance. However, if they just murder the mayor without explanation, the local folk will assume that not only are they murderers, but Foul Demons from Beyond the Grave!.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[blargney]

You could have the characters all wake up from this really bad dream where they were killed to a man by the henchmen of an evil mayor.

You can decide that they started dreaming at whatever point is convenient.. I'd either 1) knock off a couple of levels and say that it's actually six months earlier, and they'd only dreamed that they'd gained the experience or 2) go back to the day before the TPK and say that they all wake up with a terrible premonition of their own deaths. This second option could be courtesy of the ghost of the dead Deacon.

-blarg