My PCs went to Thay! I wasn’t expecting this! Help!

[d12]

My PCs went to Thay! I wasn’t expecting this! Help!

Last session my players cleaned out an underground lair in the High Forest serving as the HQ for a group of Red Wizard slavers. The Red Wizard operation worked like this – they captured orcs, centaur, ogres, giants, goblins and even more exotic critters like wyverns and razor boars and after drugging or charming them, sent them to Tyraturos (sp?) in Thay via a one-way portal. The other end of the portal was in a private slave-selling merchant’s HQ. I was expecting the PCs to destroy the portal, collapse the underground lair and go on their merry way.

So of course, they didn’t do that.

The PCs used the portal to go to Thay, kill the merchant’s guards and drive off the attending Red Wizard and kill his pet nightmare beast. The attending Red Wizard has floated off via a ghost form spell to alert the authorities that a dangerous bunch of elves and humans plus one svirfneblin and a big tiger came through his portal. The PCs haven’t left the portal room yet but they are defiantly going to go poking around the building, if not the city.

So how do the authorities respond to a bunch of adventurers causing havoc? More importantly, what is their first response? How do they organize their defenses? Do they evacuate the area around the portal building? Do they use squads of Iron golems? Devils? Have they been caught off guard? What?

Another question – what sort of interesting trouble could the PCs become involved in here? If they’re very clever I want this to turn into a real adventure as opposed to just “running around killing red wizards.” So, what’s something “heroic” they could accomplish in a Thyvian city?

 

[Darkness]

If I was a Red Wizard interested in keeping the peace in the region, I'd first send in a small horde cannon fodder (e.g., skeletons/zombies, summoned monsters, orc mercenaries) to deal with them.

(Note: Don't forget to scry on them during that battle, including the judicious use of lots of other divination spells through the scrying. 'cause if your creatures lose, you at least want to know what the enemies are capable of and what kind of magic equipment - e.g., strength and school of auras, at least - they have.)

If that suffices, good. If not, nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

 

[Orias]

What's something you could do fighting red wizards in the middle of Thay? Die.

 

[dagger]

It also depends on if the 'authority' is a rival of that particular red wizard. Remember, Thay might seem like a unified country from the outside, but in reality, it is quite different.

A rival of that wizard could hear news of his troubles and contact the PCs and make a deal with them (teleport them out after they kill the wizard or steal some special research he was working).

You have a chance to set up some very interesting adventures.

 

[Wippit Guud]

If they're in the middle of Thay, eventually they better find a way out fastm cause they'll be way outmatched, so be sure to set something up for them to use.

 

[Jaws]

Re: My PCs went to Thay! I wasn’t expecting this! Help!

My PCs went to Thay!

And all they got me is a lousy t-shirt!


Peace and smiles

j.

 

[hong]

If they're in the middle of Thay, eventually they better find a way out fastm cause they'll be way outmatched, so be sure to set something up for them to use.

They managed to take out a nightmare beast, which is a CR 15 critter from the MM2. I'm sure they'll have no problems escaping if they want to. If anything, the problem will be overconfidence....

 

[Wippit Guud]

Well, if they're that powerful, I'd epxect a couple of gates to open up...

 

[Mystery Man]

The PCs used the portal to go to Thay, kill the merchant’s guards and drive off the attending Red Wizard and kill his pet nightmare beast. The attending Red Wizard has floated off via a ghost form spell to alert the authorities that a dangerous bunch of elves and humans plus one svirfneblin and a big tiger came through his portal. The PCs haven’t left the portal room yet but they are defiantly going to go poking around the building, if not the city.

The first thing I would do if I were you, is go out and get the Unaproachable East if you havn't already.

 

[Wraithdrit]

This really depends on your style of campaign. If you run a hack and slash kill heavy campaign, you have plenty of opportunity to challenge your players with hordes of gnolls, wizard baddies, summoned nasties, and high level warrior types under wizard command.

If you run a very thought/plot heavy campaign, some running, hiding, and scheming to get back home is in order. Like above, the suggestion of another Red Wizard getting involved is good. Alternately they could be aided by the Rashemeni Witches' agents within Thay. The possibilities are fairly endless.

Hope that helps.

- Wraith