Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 5673122" data-attributes="member: 386">When the state is a handful of guys in the middle of a monster-infested wilderness, you have to choose your battles.If the PCs killed a villager's goat, that would be one thing; in this case, there was a fight between two strangers.  One used excessive force, killing the other.  You don't want to let people think they can get away with random violence in your town, but it's not like the stranger who was killed was part of the community.Do you really want to risk your life and the lives of your (all-too-few) men to get justice for a crazed stranger who attacked another stranger?  Don't forget, if you lose too many resources, the village will fall.All you really need from the PCs is for them to show the villagers that they respect your authority, even if they don't.  A simple fine - 100 GP, a lot of cash to your average peasant - could do it.  Your leverage over the PCs is that you can cover up the murder when more paladins show up.  Not that you have to cover up the crime; you can lie to the PCs.  Blackmail is great as long as it's more efficient for the PCs to keep paying instead of killing you.</blockquote>