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[Let's Read] Historica Arcanum: The City of Crescent
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 8973303" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/CP0uDCn.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>The final act is the shortest of the book. At this point the PCs will assault the stronghold of their adversary as a dungeon crawl. One dungeon is the Janissary Hideout, the other the Ottoman Imperial Harem. It is possible in the Ghost of March route for the PCs to assault both if the Janissaries haven’t been won over to the Sekban’s side. If the PCs sided with Mejid, the Janissary Hideout will be the final dungeon as the Janissaries and Sekbans banded together for one last stand. In both playthroughs the PCs may have the aid of an NPC ally in assaulting the stronghold: if they sided with Mejid then Aziz Sefa Bey will join the party. If the PCs sided with the Ghost of March then one of three factions will lead an assault on the Palace once their favored Prince is secure: Alemdar, Ahra, or Hano will fight directly alongside the party.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sQMsQhc6wQ" target="_blank"><strong>The Janissary Hideout</strong></a> stands out among the two dungeons, as I can’t find the map for it here or elsewhere in the book. There are six major locations, and many of them are riddled with traps: there’s the entrance, the labyrinth which forces skill checks to find the right door and random encounters with Janissaries of various types; an inner chamber where a guard can pull various levels to activate all kinds of traps throughout the hideout from spontaneously combusting stairs to raining arrows; an armory filled with silvered weapons, guns, and a magic +1 trident and shortbow; trapped hallways with locks that fill the corridors with fire, poison gas, and rot bringer monsters; and Ahra’s personal chamber. She will make her last stand alongside two Janissary Conquerors (the strongest type of Janissary), and the room will fill with poison gas that she and her allies are immune to. If the Ghost is allied with her the two will make a Lord of the Rings reference before fighting:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But in a Mejid route where the Sekbans and Janissaries aren’t aligned, the Ghost of March will show up after the PCs have killed Ahra and fight them.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ikQBHid.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-rXk7HblhI" target="_blank"><strong>The Ottoman Imperial Harem</strong></a> by contrast is much more detailed, being a 24 room dungeon crawl complete with a map. The rest of the palace isn’t detailed as the Bostanji have thoroughly barricaded the main entrance, so the PCs make use of a secret passage. There are various means of sneaking in through disguises and contacts the Ghost/Ahra has in the Harem, although during the regicide mission several of these options will be cut off due to heightened security. In addition to noncombat servants and staff members, the hostile encounters include various White Sentinel guardsmen along with some of the women themselves who are accomplished spellcasters in their own right. The three princes have their own rooms, and will come willingly with the PCs based on certain circumstances: one will leave if he thinks the PCs have a chance at killing Mejid b/c he views his older brother as a threat to the Empire, another is a Janissary sympathizer and will join if Ahra and the Ghost joined forces, and another will join no matter what.</p><p></p><p>Bergüzar’s room is heavily warded and can only be accessed during the regicide mission,* although the book contradicts itself and says that the PCs can meet her in the room during the kidnapping mission. Her room is a mage’s delight, filled with books covering a variety of supernatural topics along with a table full of spell components and furniture covered with scrolls and mechanical contraptions. If the PCs are infiltrating the Harem to kidnap a Prince and do not wish to kill her, she will seek them out and invite them to her chambers to learn their intentions and if they understand the gravity of things.</p><p></p><p>*Truly unbreakable doors. Sounds like a case of video game logic.</p><p></p><p>But if the PCs have intentions of killing her, she’d have found this out via divination and her chambers will contain Certain Community agents hiding in hopes of ambushing the PCs. Bergüzar will instead be found in the Garden of the Purest with Mejid to fight the party and their ally.</p><p></p><p>The Garden of the Purest is the “boss arena” for the Ghost of March route during the regicide mission, where the Padishah will be waiting for the PCs here in this otherwise scenic area. However, he has a few tricks up his sleeve. First are four Ottoman cannons in the four corners loaded to fire once each time. Additionally there are four flower patches whose plants are magical and have various hazards: one patch generates an antimagic field by absorbing spells cast and explode in force damage if they absorb too much; another patch grapples hostile targets, a third are sunflowers which shine and deal radiant damage, and a fourth are flowers that emit misty darkness. Last but not least there is a gate where two Bostanji guards will enter every five rounds, but if locked the door will be broken down in 5 minutes via a battering ram.</p><p></p><p>There are several examples of boxed text for Mejid to perform a Villainous Speech, with context depending on which NPCs are allied with the PCs and whether or not Bergüzar is there to aid him. Here’s one example:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>You know, the PCs are supposed to be the stars of the show. I get that Alemdar has a legitimate personal grudge against Mejid, but he ain’t one of the PCs.</p><p></p><p>If Bergüzar was spared and is freed from the Pact of Suleiman, she will ask the PCs if Mira is safe. She will realize that in order to avert the doomed vision she must leave the palace and take on a new life. With one heartfelt speech the Queen will depart the palace with the PCs.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Waw79Ye.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFKm0VbxsEw" target="_blank"><strong>And now we cover the possible endings.</strong></a> There are a lot of ways the City of Crescent adventure path can resolve, and the book gives broad outlines based on the fate of several characters and decisions made by the PCs. Some interesting options include:</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If Bergüzar is still bound by the Pact and Mejid’s opposition is cut down, then he will use his wife’s abilities to learn the deepest secrets of the world powers to turn them against each other. As Europe and Russia grow weak the Padishah will set in motion plans for a New World Order and Eternal Empire. Reality-breaking arcane powers cause the lands of the Ottoman Empire to slowly come undone, and his son is born with magical talents unheard of in world history. Bergüzar is devastated, knowing her prophecy of the world ending will come to pass.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If Mejid is still on the throne but the PCs sabotaged his plans in some way (such as ensuring Mira lives or freeing Bergüzar from her Pact) then his master plan comes undone and will leave him in a deep depression. His rule will be strict and stern, without mercy as he knows he is ruling over an Empire destined to die.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If the PCs take something akin to the Yes Man route in Fallout New Vegas and end up killing Mejid along with both the resistance leaders and/or not getting a new Prince securely on the throne, the Ottoman Empire’s decline will be greatly hastened in comparison to the real world. The specifics are vague, but the book alludes to the domino effect of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination that eventually led to World War 1 as a potentially chaotic consequence.</li> </ol><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Va74FF5.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Confined to a chapter all their own, these are short adventures the PCs can take during the sandbox segments of Acts I, II, and possibly III although they’ll be pretty overleveled for most of them by then. The Side Quests are split up based on faction, and have Tags detailing the adventure style, relevant Professions, and Recommended Level. There are 21 Side Quests split between six factions: 4 for level 2 PCs, 10 for level 3 PCs, 5 for level 4 PCs, and 2 for level 5 PCs. Each quest has material rewards, almost always gold pieces and sometimes a magic item on top of that.</p><p></p><p><strong>Ahra</strong> has three side quests for the party. The first one is a mystery looking into a sickness afflicting the Janissaries, where a doctor they’ve been visiting is a warlock and pro-magic zealot who’s been using magical poisons made under the guidance of a djinn. The next quest involves looking into an underground auction of magic items that the aforementioned doctor was planning to attend, and during the auction a magic mirror believed to belong to Roxelana is suddenly stolen by an Egyptian spy working for Kavalan. The PCs can gain favor with other factions depending on what they do in regards to how they resolve the auction and the heist. The final quest involves visiting the safe house the spy was using, where the PCs can search for clues to find out that the spy network is researching a powerful memory alteration spell to take control of Aziz Sefa Bey’s mind and thus the Certain Community. This final quest can also earn the favor of said Community despite being an Ahra-involved quest.</p><p></p><p><strong>Giannis the Cut</strong> has four missions for the PCs. The first is a museum heist where the PCs are to break into a museum and take a painting of Dionysus and Hermes out of the vault. The painting is actually magical, and is enchanted to be incredibly heavy in the hands of sober people. There’s a Greek text on a nearby slab as a clue, and the gods will start talking to characters who are drunk as they abscond with the painting. The second quest has the PCs depart for a Byzantine excavation site to steal a valuable magical crystal. In addition to arcanists part of the archeology team, there’s a group of bandits plotting to raid the camp. The crystal is actually a Pearl of Power, and PCs who keep it for themselves will earn Giannis’ disapproval. The third mission is socially intensive, where Giannis is in need of hiring specialists to infiltrate a rival smuggling operation, but Giannis needs blackmail material as leverage to encourage their cooperation if financial offers fail. The PCs must learn the secrets of said candidates, with more rewards for more secrets; if the PCs find all three secrets a magical fortune teller working for the rival syndicate will attempt to ambush the party.</p><p></p><p>Giannis’ final mystery is rather interesting. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is visiting Pera Palace on a book tour, promoting his latest work that takes place in Istanbul. Agatha Christie is also there along with a bunch of socialites. Giannis wants the PCs to steal a valuable piece of jewelry from Erline Read, Doyle’s muse who inspired his latest novel. However, Erline is stabbed to death during the events, kicking off a murder mystery! The PCs must somehow solve the mystery and take the jewelry without raising suspicion on themselves.</p><p></p><p>The actual murder is Agatha Christie, who was jealous of Erline in being Doyle’s primary inspiration. She killed Erline via a hidden kitchen access with a stolen dagger from another attendee, and then planted evidence in his room to try and implicate him.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Lies We Told:</strong> Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie didn’t visit Istanbul until the early 1900s, and Pera Palace was built in 1895. Additionally, Doyle was born in 1859 and Christie 1890.</p><p></p><p>The book also mentions that this Side Quest isn’t really a side quest, for the reward is “continuation of the main questline” as the PCs succeeding cause Aziz Sefa Bey to learn about their talents and thus later approach them to take them to the Palace. Uhhh, I feel this is the kind of thing that should be noted in Act II, given that it’s not referenced anywhere earlier in the book. Or better yet, just substitute completing it with a real reward and more esteem from Aziz and thus Mejid.</p><p></p><p><strong>Hano the Widow</strong> focuses on hunting dangerous monsters and people. The first quest involves hunting an Albasti, or Devourer of Dreams, that is feeding on the city’s homeless population. The second quest involves looking into evil spirits haunting a graveyard which are actually tiny fey known as scavengers. The party can get them to leave the graveyard by competing in a variety of silly little games, and PCs who humor them have the scavengers lead the party to a real monster, a bichura, haunting a tree. The third quest involves looking into an apparent murder at a house. The actual perpetrator is a djinn who possessed the body of a helpless woman.</p><p></p><p>[spoiler=Content Warning Sexual Slavery, Child Death]The woman was trafficked into sex work and ran away from her pimp when she discovered she was pregnant. Several months after the baby was born the pimp and his minions located her. When they broke into her house they tried to kill her and killed the baby, but the woman survived when a djinn possessed her and killed the slavers.[/spoiler]</p><p></p><p>The djinn obviously doesn’t care for the welfare of the possessed woman, and if the PCs fail to exorcize him then Hano will kill the woman and the djinn, prioritizing the death of a monster over the safety of an innocent.</p><p></p><p>The final quest Hano has involves looking into some missing bounty hunters who were looking for a monster seen around <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanahmet_Square" target="_blank">Sulanahmet Square.</a> The bounty hunters were frozen to death by a karbuga, who has taken the form of a young girl and claims that she was only fighting to defend herself. The text does not say one way or another if she’s telling the truth or lying; Hano has been tailing the PCs, and once again if they stay their hand out of mercy she will do what the PCs cannot.</p><p></p><p>It may just be me, but harm to children is a recurring theme with Hano. It also feels at odds with her backstory in her being so ruthless against the possessed woman and child-monster. I do understand that in the real world trauma doesn’t necessarily make one a better or more empathic person (in fact it can often do the opposite) but it goes against her earlier characterization of not wanting others to suffer like she did.</p><p></p><p>For the new monsters, the Albasti is a CR 4 fiend who can take on alternate forms, specializes in melee attacks, and has a ranged “dream devourer” attack that deals psychic damage against a sleeping target and afflicts them with a disease that puts them in a nightmare-filled coma. Karbugas are monsters that were originally people who were affected by too many ice spells over time. They automatically lower surrounding temperature and put out small flames, and have a damaging melee attack that deals cold damage and a rechargeable AoE breath weapon that shoots out a flurry of icicles. Scavengers aren’t very dangerous, being CR ¼, and they have features akin to low-level Rogues such as a 1d6 Sneak Attack and Cunning Action albeit given reflavored names.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Council of Ninth Life</strong> don’t really have any linked themes. The first quest involves tracking down a djinn that has been poisoning the city’s cat population. It’s a rot bringer djinni that can impart diseases with but a touch. The second quest is hardly a quest at all, and just involves looking for a ghost in the Undercity’s chariot race tracks who knows the location of a powerful magic item. He can only answer with a cryptic saying that he longs for the “death of Justinian.” The third quest leads on from the second, where Sheraf realizes based on the ghost that the item is in the Maiden’s Tower, which in earlier times was used to quarantine people when plagues spread through the city.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6eMhVOC.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/T66uV69.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/fcHbdQ5.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>It’s still quarantined, and the PCs have to find a way past the Bostanji guards in order to enter. The Tower is a 16 room dungeon crawl whose first half appears like a typical building with no monsters or hostile creatures, but it does have some traps. But the true dungeon is a hidden magical art gallery that was built by Yutba, a dragon of Turkish mythology, and who also managed to capture the ghost of a woman by the name of Helena whose father was the Roman emperor Constantine that Yutba held a grudge against. Located behind a magical doorway, the true dungeon has eight rooms portraying living scenes throughout history, and each one has its own creatures, traps, and in some cases treasures. For example, the Karakorum Timescape appears as the war tent of nomads, and undead warriors will offer to test the characters with various competitions such as an archery contest, drinking contest, or a magical duel. Solving the various puzzles of the timescapes will weaken Yutba’s stats and abilities. The dragon is located in the final room and has stats as an adult black dragon, who even if substantially weakened is pretty deadly for PCs given this side quest has a recommended level of 5 and they likely expended quite a bit of resources earlier on. The final treasure of the dungeon is the Crown of Sargon. This adventure doesn’t mention what rewards the Council gives for the PCs if they return the Crown to Sheraf, which is a bit of an oversight.</p><p></p><p><strong>Chique Manu’s</strong> quests tend to be more light-hearted save for one horror-focused one. The first quest has him hire the PCs as bodyguards while attending a high-stakes poker game. One of the people Manu wins against is a sore loser and attempts to kidnap the man via carriage, possibly setting off a chase scene. The second adventure has the PCs meet with Manu during the Festival of Candles when a shadowactor performer’s spell rebounds, causing several shadows to come to life. One of them steals Chique Manu’s ring, a family heirloom that belonged to his grandfather. The PCs must track down and defeat the shadows to win the quest.</p><p></p><p>The third quest is horror-related, as a painting in Manu’s possession once portrayed a burning monastery with children standing outside. The children vanished from the painting, and Manu wants the PCs to find either the original painter or the monastery portrayed. Not of any concern for its creepy nature, but the fact that a magical painting will fetch a princely sum among collectors. The PCs visit a village that holds the monastery’s ruins, or find the painter who lives by himself in a house on an island. The reality of the situation is that a Naziat, an angel banished from heaven and tasked by God to collect souls, is the responsible party. In a twisted interpretation of its mission, the Naziat manipulated an orphan at the monastery to burn it down so that it could collect the souls of the dead. The Naziat still haunts the survivor who lives in the village, and will attack the PCs if they snoop around too much.</p><p></p><p>The final quest has Chique Manu asking the PCs to rig one of the spectral chariot races so he can win a lot of money while betting. As they are incorporeal, this requires some out of body thinking: clever use of spells or abilities that can affect undead in some way are possible, as are rigging the physical chariots with a Woodcarver’s Tools check.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Ghost of March</strong> has three related Side Quests outside of the tasks he wants the PCs to do for him initially in Act II. The first involves looking into the murder of a Sekban who a Speak with Dead spell reveals was killed by someone with “the eyes of an eagle.” There’s a village of people whose forms have been mutated by magic in a network of caves the PCs can investigate, where a tiefling known as Byzas offers to meet with them by a lake. But Byzas is ambushed by a group of ghouls and an Obur, and is beyond magical saving. His last words will mention that someone known as Eve is dangerous and hates humanity.</p><p></p><p><em>Obur</em> is a new monster type; they are the twisted forms of knights of the First Crusade, turning to arcane magic to gain power. Obur are vampire-like cannibals who have an everlasting hunger, can attack with a poisonous grappling tongue, and can swallow Medium and smaller targets.</p><p></p><p>Tying into the second quest, the PCs can learn that a woman known as Eve was raised by an elven druid and pacifist known as Greenhat who doesn’t want to take sides in the upcoming revolution. Eve was rescued from a life of slavery by Greenhat, and the two of them can be met at his home, a cabin in the Undercity. Eve doesn’t like the Ghost, feeling that his goals of liberation will simply “bring the world above into the Undercity.”</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>And even in these Side Quests we get some rail-roaded results! What if the PCs are diplomatic and pretend to agree with her? What if they somehow manage to prevent her from running away?</p><p></p><p>The third quest of the Ghost of March involves the PCs returning to the Ghost, who mentions that the garden is a mythical location among the denizens of the Undercity, where it’s said that it has a tree that grows one fruit that will bestow whoever eats it with unimaginable power. But Constantine IV told the Undercity inhabitants to never eat the fruit upon pain of having their society sealed off from above and thus condemn them to a slow death. The Ghost knows where the garden is and will bring the PCs there, where Eve has gathered supporters to preach her hopes and dreams. She wishes for freedom for non-humans by destroying human domination of the world and bringing about a new order where non-human spellcasters are in control. The followers will flee upon sighting the Ghost, but Eve will attempt to grab the fruit only to have it wilt away in her hands. She will then fight the PCs with summoned undead, although the Ghost of March will stand back and watch the battle play out and only interfere if the PCs “are in dire straits.”</p><p></p><p>Once the PCs defeat Eve, a spirit will come from the ground, and the Ghost of March will speak with him:</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Thoughts So Far:</strong> For the Ghost of March route, the City of Crescent spares little expense in setting up a suitably climactic finale. The garden in which the PCs fight Mejid is full of secondary hazards to keep them on their toes, and I like the varying tactics offered for PCs to infiltrate the Harem along with the motivations of the Princes. I also like the outlines for the various endings and fates of major characters.</p><p></p><p>But for Mejid’s route, the assault on the Janissary headquarters pales in comparison. This Act feels unfinished given the lack of a map, and the fight with Ahra (and possibly the Ghost) only has poison gas and some improvised weapons to take advantage of as the major environmental hazards. Doesn’t really stack up against magical plants, cannons, and summoned guards.</p><p></p><p>Additionally, there’s the fact that the narrative is assigning Alemdar Pasha/the Ghost of March a bit of main character status. In the final battle he wishes to be the one that delivers the final blow to Mejid; in the Tower of Justice he and Mahmoud II deliver barbs against each other while fighting; and at the end of his Side Quests he has a conversation with a spirit who asks him to not let the city fall. That last part would’ve been more impactful if delivered to the PCs instead.</p><p></p><p>I do get that prepublished adventures can’t take into account the myriad backstories thought up by custom-made PCs, and the campaign’s politicking and factions have it so that most major characters have a lot of history with each other. But these little touches steal the spotlight away from the PCs at times.</p><p></p><p>As for the Side Quests, I overall like them and the concept. They’re pretty short and when it comes to combat rather easy as only one of them is an actual dungeon crawl with several battles. But I do have my criticisms which I outlined above; additionally there are no Side Quests associated with parties working for Mejid/Certain Community besides some incidental outcomes in Ahra’s.</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we finish this book in detailing the bestiary and Alternate History Toolbox!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 8973303, member: 6750502"] [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/CP0uDCn.png[/IMG][/CENTER] The final act is the shortest of the book. At this point the PCs will assault the stronghold of their adversary as a dungeon crawl. One dungeon is the Janissary Hideout, the other the Ottoman Imperial Harem. It is possible in the Ghost of March route for the PCs to assault both if the Janissaries haven’t been won over to the Sekban’s side. If the PCs sided with Mejid, the Janissary Hideout will be the final dungeon as the Janissaries and Sekbans banded together for one last stand. In both playthroughs the PCs may have the aid of an NPC ally in assaulting the stronghold: if they sided with Mejid then Aziz Sefa Bey will join the party. If the PCs sided with the Ghost of March then one of three factions will lead an assault on the Palace once their favored Prince is secure: Alemdar, Ahra, or Hano will fight directly alongside the party. [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sQMsQhc6wQ'][B]The Janissary Hideout[/B][/URL] stands out among the two dungeons, as I can’t find the map for it here or elsewhere in the book. There are six major locations, and many of them are riddled with traps: there’s the entrance, the labyrinth which forces skill checks to find the right door and random encounters with Janissaries of various types; an inner chamber where a guard can pull various levels to activate all kinds of traps throughout the hideout from spontaneously combusting stairs to raining arrows; an armory filled with silvered weapons, guns, and a magic +1 trident and shortbow; trapped hallways with locks that fill the corridors with fire, poison gas, and rot bringer monsters; and Ahra’s personal chamber. She will make her last stand alongside two Janissary Conquerors (the strongest type of Janissary), and the room will fill with poison gas that she and her allies are immune to. If the Ghost is allied with her the two will make a Lord of the Rings reference before fighting: But in a Mejid route where the Sekbans and Janissaries aren’t aligned, the Ghost of March will show up after the PCs have killed Ahra and fight them. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/ikQBHid.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [URL='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-rXk7HblhI'][B]The Ottoman Imperial Harem[/B][/URL] by contrast is much more detailed, being a 24 room dungeon crawl complete with a map. The rest of the palace isn’t detailed as the Bostanji have thoroughly barricaded the main entrance, so the PCs make use of a secret passage. There are various means of sneaking in through disguises and contacts the Ghost/Ahra has in the Harem, although during the regicide mission several of these options will be cut off due to heightened security. In addition to noncombat servants and staff members, the hostile encounters include various White Sentinel guardsmen along with some of the women themselves who are accomplished spellcasters in their own right. The three princes have their own rooms, and will come willingly with the PCs based on certain circumstances: one will leave if he thinks the PCs have a chance at killing Mejid b/c he views his older brother as a threat to the Empire, another is a Janissary sympathizer and will join if Ahra and the Ghost joined forces, and another will join no matter what. Bergüzar’s room is heavily warded and can only be accessed during the regicide mission,* although the book contradicts itself and says that the PCs can meet her in the room during the kidnapping mission. Her room is a mage’s delight, filled with books covering a variety of supernatural topics along with a table full of spell components and furniture covered with scrolls and mechanical contraptions. If the PCs are infiltrating the Harem to kidnap a Prince and do not wish to kill her, she will seek them out and invite them to her chambers to learn their intentions and if they understand the gravity of things. *Truly unbreakable doors. Sounds like a case of video game logic. But if the PCs have intentions of killing her, she’d have found this out via divination and her chambers will contain Certain Community agents hiding in hopes of ambushing the PCs. Bergüzar will instead be found in the Garden of the Purest with Mejid to fight the party and their ally. The Garden of the Purest is the “boss arena” for the Ghost of March route during the regicide mission, where the Padishah will be waiting for the PCs here in this otherwise scenic area. However, he has a few tricks up his sleeve. First are four Ottoman cannons in the four corners loaded to fire once each time. Additionally there are four flower patches whose plants are magical and have various hazards: one patch generates an antimagic field by absorbing spells cast and explode in force damage if they absorb too much; another patch grapples hostile targets, a third are sunflowers which shine and deal radiant damage, and a fourth are flowers that emit misty darkness. Last but not least there is a gate where two Bostanji guards will enter every five rounds, but if locked the door will be broken down in 5 minutes via a battering ram. There are several examples of boxed text for Mejid to perform a Villainous Speech, with context depending on which NPCs are allied with the PCs and whether or not Bergüzar is there to aid him. Here’s one example: You know, the PCs are supposed to be the stars of the show. I get that Alemdar has a legitimate personal grudge against Mejid, but he ain’t one of the PCs. If Bergüzar was spared and is freed from the Pact of Suleiman, she will ask the PCs if Mira is safe. She will realize that in order to avert the doomed vision she must leave the palace and take on a new life. With one heartfelt speech the Queen will depart the palace with the PCs. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Waw79Ye.png[/IMG][/CENTER] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFKm0VbxsEw][b]And now we cover the possible endings.[/b][/url] There are a lot of ways the City of Crescent adventure path can resolve, and the book gives broad outlines based on the fate of several characters and decisions made by the PCs. Some interesting options include: [LIST=1] [*]If Bergüzar is still bound by the Pact and Mejid’s opposition is cut down, then he will use his wife’s abilities to learn the deepest secrets of the world powers to turn them against each other. As Europe and Russia grow weak the Padishah will set in motion plans for a New World Order and Eternal Empire. Reality-breaking arcane powers cause the lands of the Ottoman Empire to slowly come undone, and his son is born with magical talents unheard of in world history. Bergüzar is devastated, knowing her prophecy of the world ending will come to pass. [*]If Mejid is still on the throne but the PCs sabotaged his plans in some way (such as ensuring Mira lives or freeing Bergüzar from her Pact) then his master plan comes undone and will leave him in a deep depression. His rule will be strict and stern, without mercy as he knows he is ruling over an Empire destined to die. [*]If the PCs take something akin to the Yes Man route in Fallout New Vegas and end up killing Mejid along with both the resistance leaders and/or not getting a new Prince securely on the throne, the Ottoman Empire’s decline will be greatly hastened in comparison to the real world. The specifics are vague, but the book alludes to the domino effect of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination that eventually led to World War 1 as a potentially chaotic consequence. [/LIST] [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Va74FF5.png[/IMG][/CENTER] Confined to a chapter all their own, these are short adventures the PCs can take during the sandbox segments of Acts I, II, and possibly III although they’ll be pretty overleveled for most of them by then. The Side Quests are split up based on faction, and have Tags detailing the adventure style, relevant Professions, and Recommended Level. There are 21 Side Quests split between six factions: 4 for level 2 PCs, 10 for level 3 PCs, 5 for level 4 PCs, and 2 for level 5 PCs. Each quest has material rewards, almost always gold pieces and sometimes a magic item on top of that. [B]Ahra[/B] has three side quests for the party. The first one is a mystery looking into a sickness afflicting the Janissaries, where a doctor they’ve been visiting is a warlock and pro-magic zealot who’s been using magical poisons made under the guidance of a djinn. The next quest involves looking into an underground auction of magic items that the aforementioned doctor was planning to attend, and during the auction a magic mirror believed to belong to Roxelana is suddenly stolen by an Egyptian spy working for Kavalan. The PCs can gain favor with other factions depending on what they do in regards to how they resolve the auction and the heist. The final quest involves visiting the safe house the spy was using, where the PCs can search for clues to find out that the spy network is researching a powerful memory alteration spell to take control of Aziz Sefa Bey’s mind and thus the Certain Community. This final quest can also earn the favor of said Community despite being an Ahra-involved quest. [B]Giannis the Cut[/B] has four missions for the PCs. The first is a museum heist where the PCs are to break into a museum and take a painting of Dionysus and Hermes out of the vault. The painting is actually magical, and is enchanted to be incredibly heavy in the hands of sober people. There’s a Greek text on a nearby slab as a clue, and the gods will start talking to characters who are drunk as they abscond with the painting. The second quest has the PCs depart for a Byzantine excavation site to steal a valuable magical crystal. In addition to arcanists part of the archeology team, there’s a group of bandits plotting to raid the camp. The crystal is actually a Pearl of Power, and PCs who keep it for themselves will earn Giannis’ disapproval. The third mission is socially intensive, where Giannis is in need of hiring specialists to infiltrate a rival smuggling operation, but Giannis needs blackmail material as leverage to encourage their cooperation if financial offers fail. The PCs must learn the secrets of said candidates, with more rewards for more secrets; if the PCs find all three secrets a magical fortune teller working for the rival syndicate will attempt to ambush the party. Giannis’ final mystery is rather interesting. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is visiting Pera Palace on a book tour, promoting his latest work that takes place in Istanbul. Agatha Christie is also there along with a bunch of socialites. Giannis wants the PCs to steal a valuable piece of jewelry from Erline Read, Doyle’s muse who inspired his latest novel. However, Erline is stabbed to death during the events, kicking off a murder mystery! The PCs must somehow solve the mystery and take the jewelry without raising suspicion on themselves. The actual murder is Agatha Christie, who was jealous of Erline in being Doyle’s primary inspiration. She killed Erline via a hidden kitchen access with a stolen dagger from another attendee, and then planted evidence in his room to try and implicate him. [B]The Lies We Told:[/B] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie didn’t visit Istanbul until the early 1900s, and Pera Palace was built in 1895. Additionally, Doyle was born in 1859 and Christie 1890. The book also mentions that this Side Quest isn’t really a side quest, for the reward is “continuation of the main questline” as the PCs succeeding cause Aziz Sefa Bey to learn about their talents and thus later approach them to take them to the Palace. Uhhh, I feel this is the kind of thing that should be noted in Act II, given that it’s not referenced anywhere earlier in the book. Or better yet, just substitute completing it with a real reward and more esteem from Aziz and thus Mejid. [B]Hano the Widow[/B] focuses on hunting dangerous monsters and people. The first quest involves hunting an Albasti, or Devourer of Dreams, that is feeding on the city’s homeless population. The second quest involves looking into evil spirits haunting a graveyard which are actually tiny fey known as scavengers. The party can get them to leave the graveyard by competing in a variety of silly little games, and PCs who humor them have the scavengers lead the party to a real monster, a bichura, haunting a tree. The third quest involves looking into an apparent murder at a house. The actual perpetrator is a djinn who possessed the body of a helpless woman. [spoiler=Content Warning Sexual Slavery, Child Death]The woman was trafficked into sex work and ran away from her pimp when she discovered she was pregnant. Several months after the baby was born the pimp and his minions located her. When they broke into her house they tried to kill her and killed the baby, but the woman survived when a djinn possessed her and killed the slavers.[/spoiler] The djinn obviously doesn’t care for the welfare of the possessed woman, and if the PCs fail to exorcize him then Hano will kill the woman and the djinn, prioritizing the death of a monster over the safety of an innocent. The final quest Hano has involves looking into some missing bounty hunters who were looking for a monster seen around [URL='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanahmet_Square']Sulanahmet Square.[/URL] The bounty hunters were frozen to death by a karbuga, who has taken the form of a young girl and claims that she was only fighting to defend herself. The text does not say one way or another if she’s telling the truth or lying; Hano has been tailing the PCs, and once again if they stay their hand out of mercy she will do what the PCs cannot. It may just be me, but harm to children is a recurring theme with Hano. It also feels at odds with her backstory in her being so ruthless against the possessed woman and child-monster. I do understand that in the real world trauma doesn’t necessarily make one a better or more empathic person (in fact it can often do the opposite) but it goes against her earlier characterization of not wanting others to suffer like she did. For the new monsters, the Albasti is a CR 4 fiend who can take on alternate forms, specializes in melee attacks, and has a ranged “dream devourer” attack that deals psychic damage against a sleeping target and afflicts them with a disease that puts them in a nightmare-filled coma. Karbugas are monsters that were originally people who were affected by too many ice spells over time. They automatically lower surrounding temperature and put out small flames, and have a damaging melee attack that deals cold damage and a rechargeable AoE breath weapon that shoots out a flurry of icicles. Scavengers aren’t very dangerous, being CR ¼, and they have features akin to low-level Rogues such as a 1d6 Sneak Attack and Cunning Action albeit given reflavored names. [B]The Council of Ninth Life[/B] don’t really have any linked themes. The first quest involves tracking down a djinn that has been poisoning the city’s cat population. It’s a rot bringer djinni that can impart diseases with but a touch. The second quest is hardly a quest at all, and just involves looking for a ghost in the Undercity’s chariot race tracks who knows the location of a powerful magic item. He can only answer with a cryptic saying that he longs for the “death of Justinian.” The third quest leads on from the second, where Sheraf realizes based on the ghost that the item is in the Maiden’s Tower, which in earlier times was used to quarantine people when plagues spread through the city. [CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/6eMhVOC.png[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/T66uV69.png[/IMG] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/fcHbdQ5.png[/IMG][/CENTER] It’s still quarantined, and the PCs have to find a way past the Bostanji guards in order to enter. The Tower is a 16 room dungeon crawl whose first half appears like a typical building with no monsters or hostile creatures, but it does have some traps. But the true dungeon is a hidden magical art gallery that was built by Yutba, a dragon of Turkish mythology, and who also managed to capture the ghost of a woman by the name of Helena whose father was the Roman emperor Constantine that Yutba held a grudge against. Located behind a magical doorway, the true dungeon has eight rooms portraying living scenes throughout history, and each one has its own creatures, traps, and in some cases treasures. For example, the Karakorum Timescape appears as the war tent of nomads, and undead warriors will offer to test the characters with various competitions such as an archery contest, drinking contest, or a magical duel. Solving the various puzzles of the timescapes will weaken Yutba’s stats and abilities. The dragon is located in the final room and has stats as an adult black dragon, who even if substantially weakened is pretty deadly for PCs given this side quest has a recommended level of 5 and they likely expended quite a bit of resources earlier on. The final treasure of the dungeon is the Crown of Sargon. This adventure doesn’t mention what rewards the Council gives for the PCs if they return the Crown to Sheraf, which is a bit of an oversight. [B]Chique Manu’s[/B] quests tend to be more light-hearted save for one horror-focused one. The first quest has him hire the PCs as bodyguards while attending a high-stakes poker game. One of the people Manu wins against is a sore loser and attempts to kidnap the man via carriage, possibly setting off a chase scene. The second adventure has the PCs meet with Manu during the Festival of Candles when a shadowactor performer’s spell rebounds, causing several shadows to come to life. One of them steals Chique Manu’s ring, a family heirloom that belonged to his grandfather. The PCs must track down and defeat the shadows to win the quest. The third quest is horror-related, as a painting in Manu’s possession once portrayed a burning monastery with children standing outside. The children vanished from the painting, and Manu wants the PCs to find either the original painter or the monastery portrayed. Not of any concern for its creepy nature, but the fact that a magical painting will fetch a princely sum among collectors. The PCs visit a village that holds the monastery’s ruins, or find the painter who lives by himself in a house on an island. The reality of the situation is that a Naziat, an angel banished from heaven and tasked by God to collect souls, is the responsible party. In a twisted interpretation of its mission, the Naziat manipulated an orphan at the monastery to burn it down so that it could collect the souls of the dead. The Naziat still haunts the survivor who lives in the village, and will attack the PCs if they snoop around too much. The final quest has Chique Manu asking the PCs to rig one of the spectral chariot races so he can win a lot of money while betting. As they are incorporeal, this requires some out of body thinking: clever use of spells or abilities that can affect undead in some way are possible, as are rigging the physical chariots with a Woodcarver’s Tools check. [B]The Ghost of March[/B] has three related Side Quests outside of the tasks he wants the PCs to do for him initially in Act II. The first involves looking into the murder of a Sekban who a Speak with Dead spell reveals was killed by someone with “the eyes of an eagle.” There’s a village of people whose forms have been mutated by magic in a network of caves the PCs can investigate, where a tiefling known as Byzas offers to meet with them by a lake. But Byzas is ambushed by a group of ghouls and an Obur, and is beyond magical saving. His last words will mention that someone known as Eve is dangerous and hates humanity. [I]Obur[/I] is a new monster type; they are the twisted forms of knights of the First Crusade, turning to arcane magic to gain power. Obur are vampire-like cannibals who have an everlasting hunger, can attack with a poisonous grappling tongue, and can swallow Medium and smaller targets. Tying into the second quest, the PCs can learn that a woman known as Eve was raised by an elven druid and pacifist known as Greenhat who doesn’t want to take sides in the upcoming revolution. Eve was rescued from a life of slavery by Greenhat, and the two of them can be met at his home, a cabin in the Undercity. Eve doesn’t like the Ghost, feeling that his goals of liberation will simply “bring the world above into the Undercity.” And even in these Side Quests we get some rail-roaded results! What if the PCs are diplomatic and pretend to agree with her? What if they somehow manage to prevent her from running away? The third quest of the Ghost of March involves the PCs returning to the Ghost, who mentions that the garden is a mythical location among the denizens of the Undercity, where it’s said that it has a tree that grows one fruit that will bestow whoever eats it with unimaginable power. But Constantine IV told the Undercity inhabitants to never eat the fruit upon pain of having their society sealed off from above and thus condemn them to a slow death. The Ghost knows where the garden is and will bring the PCs there, where Eve has gathered supporters to preach her hopes and dreams. She wishes for freedom for non-humans by destroying human domination of the world and bringing about a new order where non-human spellcasters are in control. The followers will flee upon sighting the Ghost, but Eve will attempt to grab the fruit only to have it wilt away in her hands. She will then fight the PCs with summoned undead, although the Ghost of March will stand back and watch the battle play out and only interfere if the PCs “are in dire straits.” Once the PCs defeat Eve, a spirit will come from the ground, and the Ghost of March will speak with him: [B]Thoughts So Far:[/B] For the Ghost of March route, the City of Crescent spares little expense in setting up a suitably climactic finale. The garden in which the PCs fight Mejid is full of secondary hazards to keep them on their toes, and I like the varying tactics offered for PCs to infiltrate the Harem along with the motivations of the Princes. I also like the outlines for the various endings and fates of major characters. But for Mejid’s route, the assault on the Janissary headquarters pales in comparison. This Act feels unfinished given the lack of a map, and the fight with Ahra (and possibly the Ghost) only has poison gas and some improvised weapons to take advantage of as the major environmental hazards. Doesn’t really stack up against magical plants, cannons, and summoned guards. Additionally, there’s the fact that the narrative is assigning Alemdar Pasha/the Ghost of March a bit of main character status. In the final battle he wishes to be the one that delivers the final blow to Mejid; in the Tower of Justice he and Mahmoud II deliver barbs against each other while fighting; and at the end of his Side Quests he has a conversation with a spirit who asks him to not let the city fall. That last part would’ve been more impactful if delivered to the PCs instead. I do get that prepublished adventures can’t take into account the myriad backstories thought up by custom-made PCs, and the campaign’s politicking and factions have it so that most major characters have a lot of history with each other. But these little touches steal the spotlight away from the PCs at times. As for the Side Quests, I overall like them and the concept. They’re pretty short and when it comes to combat rather easy as only one of them is an actual dungeon crawl with several battles. But I do have my criticisms which I outlined above; additionally there are no Side Quests associated with parties working for Mejid/Certain Community besides some incidental outcomes in Ahra’s. [B]Join us next time as we finish this book in detailing the bestiary and Alternate History Toolbox![/B] [/QUOTE]
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