Gun fight at the ok corral D&D style

[dingle]

I have a town in my campaign (D&D 3.5) that is split between two factions and they are coming to blows. I was thinking the factions could be chaotic Neutral and Lawful Evil (that should put the the paladin in the party at a condrum). The problem is the party is 11th level, I envisage the factions buying in high level mercenaries probably CE and LE to help with the fight. What are they fighting about? It would have to be something big to pay such high level mercenaries.
The LE gang will be basically the wyatt earp gang (with the law on their side and the CN the clantons).

 

[Rhun]

Keep in mind, the mercenaries that are being hired don't have to be of the same alignments as those they are working for...after all, mercenaries fight for cash. If they are getting paid, they are usually happy.

As far as what they are fighting over? It could be anything. Maybe somebody struck gold nearby, and they are fighting for the mining rights. Maybe someone on one side found or unearthed a powerful magic relic, and the other side wants it. Or hell, maybe one of the CN guys kidnapped the LE leader's sister and married her, and that's what it is all about.

 

[Quartz]

I have a town in my campaign (D&D 3.5) that is split between two factions and they are coming to blows. I was thinking the factions could be chaotic Neutral and Lawful Evil (that should put the the paladin in the party at a condrum).

Deliberately messing the paladin like this is bad form.

As for the subject of the quarrel, control of trade is always good. OTOH you could have two liches or vampires or other powerful undead that simply don't like each other and use the living as proxies.

 

[dingle]

Deliberately messing the paladin like this is bad form.

I wanted to merge the bounderies between right and wrong to see how the party acts, and how they tackle the situation.

 

[dingle]

I think I'm going to go with a diamond mine the Clanton gang have discovered, they have attempted to press a claim to the mine but it was rejected on a small technicality and the Earps gang bribed the Judge to approve their own claim on the mine.
The Clantons have now made an allliance with a group of Drow (a local baron already has an aliance with the Drow) to split the profits if the Drow help them protect the mine.

 

[ajanders]

You'd better think about your party very carefully before you get too invested in this.
The paladin's code might very well lead him (and the rest of the party) to walk away and let both sides kill each other.

Make sure the party will tip the scales one way or the other and make sure they know it: that turns the issue for the party into "what winner do we pick and what do we get for it?"

Donations to the Church of Pelor?
A renunciation of their evil ways?
A yearly tribute paid to the paladin or organization he sees fit to designate?

You've obviously got some very interesting potential repercussions here...you may want to help the party open their eyes a little, or they may let both sides kill each other to death, then walk in and take the diamond mine for themselves.

 

[dingle]

Thanks Ajanders. The party is led by a LN Cleric of St Cuthbert. He has taken it upon himself to try to bring Law and order to the surrounding towns and villages. The town its self is a mixture of alignments and I'm expecting a few innocents will be caught up in the cross-fire, so the party will have to do something. I'm thinking they don't have to actually take sides they could become a third party.
The real adventure will be with the Drow and their links to a local Lord. I'm expecting this adventure will be more of a lead to the big one.