Dying Skyseer: They help the smugglers! How will Deorn and Delft react?

[selkirk89]

My party is currently having tons of fun with 'The Dying Skyseer'. Next thing on the agenda is to stop the smuggling operation - it is currently the morning of the 4th. They already had their meeting with Lorcan Kell, who told them he'd tell them where Wolfgang is if they stopped the smuggling deal. However, they felt very antagonised by him and so didn't want to make any promises. They know that a large wand smuggling deal is going to go down tonight involving a large sum of gold, they know that Nilasa was working for the family and that the family is involved in the deal, and they know that the base of the operation is somewhere in Pine Island. They did not track down the Waryeyes yet, so they don't know the precise location of Deorn's Wharf.

Now one of my players suggested that they should actually make a deal with the family: Contact them, tell them they've been tipped off, and suggest that they divide the cargo: The majority of the wands should be smuggled in at a different location, while only a small amount of wands is smuggled in at the original location and then confiscated by the players, so that it looks like they did their job. She figures that's the best way to do the exact opposite of what Kell wants, and the family would owe them a big favour this way.

I like the idea enough to allow it to work. I figure they will learn the location of Deorn's wharf one way or another, and then they'll probably try to propose the deal to him. The question is: How would Deorn react? Does he even let them approach him and talk, or does he just fight/flee since he figures he is going to get arrested? And then if the PCs get to propose the deal to him, will he go along and actually make a deal with law enforcement?

Alternatively, they could try to contact other family members, even Cippiano himself (they know the name from the Thinking Man's Tavern, and will probably make the connection). Would that work? Or is Cippiano too busy to listen to them at this stage?

The next question is: How do Saxby and Delft react, if they ever find out? I've played Delft as being very sympathetic to the PCs, but making a deal with criminals on something this big is a lot to swallow. Saxby, on the other hand, will want to get rid of the PCs at some point. Will she use this to kick them out of the RHC? Maybe even try to arrest them for it?

 

[takai]

Since the weapons are intended to arm the Cloudwood Brigands who are by extension agents of the Unseen Court, I'd say that would be devious tactics by a party that would like to support them. It is however not in Risurs best interest and the players should be aware that they're committing treason.

 

[RangerWickett]

I like this.

'Treason' might be a little strong. There are brigands in the cloudwood, not foreign soldiers. It would at worst be aiding criminals, not threatening the nation itself. Like, if you sell guns to drug dealers in L.A., that's not treason, even though the criminals are involved with Mexican cartels.

Smart PCs would probably go to Delft first and ask permission, arguing that the Kell Guild is worse than the brigands. I mean, that assumes the PCs are doing this because they want to knock Kell down a peg and get possible support from a more desirable criminal. If they're trying to fake it so they look like heroes and get to skim something off the top, well yeah, if Delft finds out he'd report them. Now, in adventure three Viscount Nigel Price-Hill runs his audit and would probably find out about this, but Price-Hill is willing to grant second chances.

As for the night in question, it would take some skillful negotiating to get Deorn to agree if the party shows up without any corroboration. If the PCs talk to a contact in the Family early enough, Cippiano would probably send a capo who would be known to Deorn's crew.

 

[selkirk89]

Thx for the reply RangerWickett. The motivation for my players is indeed to knock Kell down a peg (I think I played that theatre of scoundrels scene quite grim, so they really hate him now). They are debating if they should let Delft in on it or not, but at the moment they believe he'd just say no to it.

The mayor obstacle right now is that they only have vague information about the family - the house elf is the only good lead, but I think they might have overlooked that. Apart from that, they have two names (Deorn from the Note on Nilasa's body, and Morgan Cippiano), but they don't know how to contact any of them. One player has a contact in Pine Island, but it's a soldier, not a criminal, so he won't know too much about the family either. Basically, I'm hoping they will track down the house elf at some point, or else some name-dropping in taverns in pine island might lead them to another contact of the family.

 

[al_fredo]

Morgan is pretty well known, and not hiding. If they ask around in Stray River(?), they will probably find his coffee shop. Doesn't he contact the constables in this adventure himself?

I'd say Morgan is business man. Look, the RHC doesn't want the wands to go to Kell. Party wants to gain some favor with the Family. Ok, ask Morgan for help busting this up. Party says that they want the wands off the street, though, so after the RHC recovers 1 of 3 cases, a Family rep comes forward with the other 2 seeking a reward. RHC grants. So...

RHC is happy...wands off the street.
Morgan is happy, Kell didn't get $. They got some cash...and some relationships with the party.
Party got what it wanted.

Deflt may not like it, but could be convinced Kell or the brigands with wands was a bigger threat than giving the Family some money to help out. PCs could say that they faced an overwhelming force and thus needs the Family help on this one. Morgan/Family continue to be a non-threat/slightly helpful even in Adv5 [where I'm at], so feel free to play up the benevolent crime lord angle. Just remember to have them lob in a weird favor now and then, to keep the PCs thinking they are associating with criminals.

 

[mdusty]

It's something about that Theater of Scoundrels scene that makes players really hate Kell afterwards. Our group's investigation was nearly derailed by a couple of the players wanting nothing more than to seek revenge on Kell for that whole scene. Spent the whole rest of the session trying to get favors, allies, ect to storm the Theater, burn it to the ground, round up Kell's goons, ect. I thought I would have one player quit over the RHC and the police's inability to move against Kell at that point. They were very eager to make a deal with Cippiano if it meant going against Kell. I even had one player say that he'd rather save Jeoffery Baratheon's life over Kell's any day.

 

[RangerWickett]

Al_Fredo, it's the Family that's smuggling the wands in the first place. Family-affiliated criminals in Crisillyir stole them, they were shipped to Flint, and then the local Family branch buys them, then sells them at a mark-up to people in the Cloudwood, while keeping some for themselves.

Kell wants it disrupted to hurt his competition.

 

[selkirk89]

mdusty I completely agree! After the scene with Kell, my players also wished nothing more then to take him down. They asked Delft if they could raid the place with full RHC support - to buy time, Delft suggested that rather then starting a street war like this, they should gather evidence and come back much later when they are prepared.

I think if Kell had not told them he wants the smuggling operation to be stopped, they probably would have stopped it. Now, Kell telling them had the weird effect of them wanting the smuggling deal to go through, even if it's against being RHC officers, just because it's the opposite of what he wants. Which is fine by me, it's engaging roleplaying and that's all that matters. Shame about the wand battle though - that probably won't happen now.

 

[mdusty]

mdusty I completely agree! After the scene with Kell, my players also wished nothing more then to take him down. They asked Delft if they could raid the place with full RHC support - to buy time, Delft suggested that rather then starting a street war like this, they should gather evidence and come back much later when they are prepared.

I think if Kell had not told them he wants the smuggling operation to be stopped, they probably would have stopped it. Now, Kell telling them had the weird effect of them wanting the smuggling deal to go through, even if it's against being RHC officers, just because it's the opposite of what he wants. Which is fine by me, it's engaging roleplaying and that's all that matters. Shame about the wand battle though - that probably won't happen now.

That's true. My players were so focused on just killing or capturing.....no definitely killing Kell, that they practically sided with Morgan to help with the smuggling so they could get his assistance to defeating Kell. Thus no cool wand battle for my group either It was honestly quite the derail in the adventure. I almost had to dig up Book 5 and start running the 'take down Kell's Guild' mechanics they were so anti-Kell at that point. Maybe other groups weren't as bad off as this, or maybe I played Kell as a little too evil or something. I think having the players feel helpless around Kell while he was obviously in control did little to help their egos.

 

[selkirk89]

I think having the players feel helpless around Kell while he was obviously in control did little to help their egos.

Exactly. My players also jumped to the conclusion that Wolfgang has been captured by Kell. They don't think for one bit that Wolfgang actually went there on his own accord.

I think what also adds to this is that at this point in the adventure (we're not too far in with the other threads, just came down from cauldron hill), Kell is the only visible super-villain. It's a murder investigation that very quickly gets roadblocked by the head of a powerful thieves' guild with a taste for pain.