ZEITGEIST Asrabey vs Ekossigan, advice please.

[Fallen star]

So I'm running Zeitgeist under 5e rules. I'm in adventure five, and we're about to go to the Bleak Gate compound this week. But after getting Ekossigan's location from Gale, they decided to simply tell Asrabey where he is. The told Asrabey, and I quote, "he's your problem, we don't have time to help you."

I searched through the adventure, but I can't find a contingency for this. I know Asrabey is too important and can't die. I know Asrabey is strong enough to handle Ekossigan, but not him plus 30-odd fey, plus Gale. And I really don't want Gale to die yet. I can think of three possible solutions.

A. Asrabey simply beats Ekossigan and his small army, maybe getting injured in the process. Gale escapes.

B. Ekossigan beats Asrabey but leaves him alive. Maybe Ekossigan forces Asrabey to join him in his assault on the ob, and the party finds him there.

C. Ekossigan figures out Asrabey is coming for him (because Gale told him) and gives Asrabey the slip, or speeds up his ritual.

Any other suggestions on how I should handle this?

 

[Mrpereira]

In 3.5 (the one I have) it states that Asrabey asks for the King's help because he is bound by the law of the unseen court from taking on Ekossigan.

So it might be Asrabey's problem, but he made it the King's problem by invoking the old rites. And I am pretty sure the King could make it the pc's problem. The alternative, in my opinion, would be a lot of hanged children and Ekossigan entering the Bleak Gate.

 

[Andrew Moreton]

Mrpereira is correct in how the published version works things , and the King does rather expect the pc's to handle this. Other options
If still around the B-team are sent to help him , this still lets you run the encounter.

You don't want Gale dead so thats easy she survives. If the pc's like her maybe she gets a message to them revealing she is under Ekossigans control and that motivates them.

As I as a GM like consequences I would go with Asraby attacks, fails and is driven off all the children get murdered and the Fey break into the dreaming then either there attack is a total failure which puts the Ob on full alert for the pc's and persuades more native predators to come and lurk around to ambush the pc's or it takes place at the same time as the pc's attack but as the Fey have gone mad the attack concentrates on the pc's and they still have to fight Ekossigan.

Oh and the ghost of the dead children haunt them

 

[arkwright]

It's a great shame to waste content; I think you should give the party a second chance at the Gallo encounter. How about a variant on Option A.

Asrabey beats Ekossigan; but as Ekossigan dies, he embeds his madness and his prophecies in Asrabey. Also, telling him Kasvarina is inside the Bleak Gate. Copy-paste some Asrabey abilities onto the Ekossigan statblock, and now the PCs have to fight Asrabey of Winter. Gale escapes and warns the PCs- plus there's all the fey disturbances.

Alternatively, you could perhaps do something 'lighter'. Asrabey goes off and fights Ekossigan on his own. He discovers that he is unable to beat him, because Ekossigan is prepped. Full of shame, Asrabey is forced to return to the party and ask for help, acknowledging that his strength is insufficient. Angered at having to make such a shameful request, Asrabey's opinion of the party tanks. This might affect future adventures.

Overall, it's tricky for me to suggest a solution as it depends on how you think your players will react. It's entirely possible they will get quite pissy if you both have Asrabey fail and make the encounter difficult because they left it to him.

Also, here's an Ekossigan of Winter token I made. Also, Summer Gale.

 

[gideonpepys]

Asrabey goes to confront Ekossigan and is told that the Ob hold Kasvarina in the Bleak Gate. Stunned, he allows the murderous ritual to go ahead and joins Ekossigan and his fey warband in their assault, but they are decimated by the Ob's defences (in particular by Quital's storm of steel).

The first the party learns of this is when a badly injured and Asrabey interrupts the Peace Conference, telling his story. Protocol prevents the king from punishing him, and he is forced to respond to to his request for aid.

Added colour:

The PCs find a nearly dead Ekoissgan of Winter staggering about in the Bleak Gate, shrapnel embedded in his face. Ob shadow killers are harrying him.

Gale has been captured and is held captive by Quital along with Kasvarina.

That's what I did anyway. (Well, sort of: my party went to confront Ekossigan and I had Asrabey turn on them anyway. They had to flee and the kids all got murdered. Heh heh heh.)