[DM only/Spoilers] Adventure 2 & 3, need advice

[Shilubi]

So, i would like some comments on the big picture in adventures 2 and 3, because i'm not happy with what happens (so perhaps i missed something...).

First, to sum it up:
McBannin is golden cell, i guess rank 4, and has Creed, Kell, Saxby and the arsonist brothers at hand.
Caius is copper cell, rank 4.
Caius dropped McBannin some items, despite their secrecy protocol.

First problem:
When the RHC is on McBannin trail, why don't he orders Saxby to put them on hold. MacBannin has no doubts the PC might succeed uncovering him, and he is ready to kill them if need be. Why not try the peaceful solution first?

Second problem:
Sidjhen has the knowledge/memory from Xambria and Caius. But no more.
And he is still able to make the connection with Saxby? She is golden cell, and cells are supposed to be kept separate.
Only solution i can imagine is that when Caius went to MacBannin to drop the items, he ran into Saxby at Macbannin laboratory. (But then Kaja should know to, because she remembered Caius...and then Saxby should know that Kaja knows about her, etc...)

If i'm wrong, or you've been there and found a way around, please share

Thanks!

 

[RangerWickett]

The meta answer is that we hadn't fully worked out the details of Saxby at the time when I wrote Dying Skyseer. Also the fact that a perfectly clever and secretive organization would leave the PCs nothing to discover, so there wouldn't be much of an adventure.

A more in-world explanation is that Macbannin assumes he has things under control. He's having Creed do damage control all through adventure 2, trying to track down the documents Wolfgang has because they'd lead to him. Then when the PCs show up with the skyseer, he figures it'll be easy to kill them, but the arrival of the military keeps him from just murdering the party while they're being 'cleansed' on the way down.

Then he figures, okay, we have to silence the skyseer, so we'll use those creepy critters we have which people will assume are bleak gate monsters. And we've got the perfect ambush to kill the constables if they do manage to find Wolfgang.

Once those efforts fail, Macbannin realizes that he's compromised. The only way to try to maintain secrecy is to kill the PCs, after which he can get Saxby to implement some cover story where they'll pin the PCs as the malcontents who were trying to get vile magic from Cauldron Hill, and that he managed to stop them. It's much easier to sell that story if the PCs are dead.

They assume that Saxby can't just call the party off.



As for Sijhen and Saxby, Caius would have been told, "If you get in trouble in Flint, Saxby is working for us. Show her your ring and she'll get you out of trouble." He doesn't know how she fits in with everything else, just that she's involved somehow.

 

[Shilubi]

Thanks for your answer!
It's precious to be able to discuss with the creator...

On meta level, i thought so. No prob

For in-game matters, your explanations are fine, but i prefer acts my players will be able to deduce.
You can have one unexplained thing, but more and they won't like it: i must provide them with a logical sequence of events, so they have a chance to understand what's going on, or at least be able to say "i knew it"/"how did we missed it, it's (retrospectively) obvious!"

For McBannin:
Saxby will get order from MacBannin to find them something else to do.

That's the classical righteous cop vs sleazy hierarchy situation:
The squad will be suddenly affected to another case by Saxby herself some time after they get back to the HQ after the danoran consulate (i have a small city adventure ready).
If they comply, i will tease them with the main case till they get back to it. (for example the coach driver coming to a milita station for testimony and the station warning the RHC)
If Saxby learns about it, she will lay them off (making them surrender their badge, stay grounded at home etc...), forcing them to work for once without the RHC aid/shield.(only contacts and prestige)
Also a good way to show them Delft covering/helping them.
And when they have enough proof to compromise MacBannnin, Saxby will change her mind and side with them, even telling that it was MacBannin that asked her to put them on hold, but she never imagined etc... but she will warn MacBannin at the same time. Have to show like she's a sucker for powerful people attention.

So we go back to the canon situation where MacBannin will face the RHC hoping Stanfield will quell things after.
But the chararacters will be at least suspicious of Saxby, and the glorified guard duty between 2 and 3 is even more easily explained because of their insubordination.


For Sidjhen:
After MacBannin demise, Caius is given task by OB's top tier, on top of his golden cell responsibilities, to keep tab on the Colossus cell inquiry. For this, he is also put in contact with Quital with who he shares intel.
He is given info (thanks to MacBannin spirit?) that he mainly has to watch for Kell/Kaja/Saxby and asks Quital for teams on hold to remove them if need be. That's ok with canon story.

My twist:
Caius makes himself known to Saxby, as her new superior (showing her his ring), to make sure Saxby will sap the RHC investigation on MacBannin's aftermath.
She is very reluctant to obey/help Caius because she doesn't know him and because she don't want to be associated with the conspiracy any more (it's now clear it's unlikely she's working for some hush hush govermnement op as she thought she was). So she gives only minimal info/service: she has some material from the laboratory but don't disclose their location, and she agrees to help divert the investigation because it also protects her, but no more.

So now Sigjhen kowns about Kell, Kaja and Saxby (Quital is protected by the geas), the teams on hold, and who might have the star map.

What does it change? Saxby knows about Caius. No big deal as he will end up dead pretty soon after the squad meets him. However Saxby will be paranoid after that, she will indeed prepare a fast way out, just in case...
And if the squad tries to put Caius under arrest, Saxby now has very good reasons to put him free.