Need Planning Help for Town Adventure

[Nyarlathotep]

Morning all!

I'm about to try something I've never had much luck with before... an adventure in town with some political intrigue. Since this is not my area of expertise, I come to you seeking any help or advice that you can offer.


The Party:
The party consists of 4 characters (28 point buy build and none are particular combat brutes)

Aedan, Half-Elf Fighter 2/Bard 2
Cara, Human Ranger 4 (with a wolf Animal Companion)
Talfin, Elf Wizard 4
Blackraven, Elf Fighter 3/Rogue 1

WARNING: IF YOU'RE A PLAYER IN MY CAMPAIGN PROCEED NO FURTHER!













The Situation:

A sage that the group had been consulting had been kidnapped by a "trade ambassador" from another nation. The PCs managed to track him down and capture the ambassador (who was possessed by an incorporeal fiend - from BoVD). They returned to town, but on the way one of the characters killed the ambassador while he was possessed, with a short sword to the guts. When they returned, they blamed the dead ambassador on a goblin attack and the sage (who didn't really see the execution) backed them up. They basically got away with it.

Now however, the nation that lost it's ambassador is sending a group to investigate the death. Unfortunately for the PCs, this nation has some plans for expansion and will want to use this as an opportunity to further their own ambitions. What I have planned is the following:

1) The ambassador's party arrives in town, is greeted by the existing rulers of the town and put up in their keep while they engage in their investigation.

2) While at the keep the ambassador will want to question the PCs as to what happened, wanting to implicate them in the death of the previous ambassador.

3) When the ambassador & his cohorts conclude their investigation, they'll leave but several members of the group will secretly remain behind. There are two "groups" who will stay behind. One is tasked with sabotaging what they can in the town and keep, the other is tasked with killing the sage and the PCs in retaliation.

4) Following the attack the PCs will be tasked with chasing down and capturing the ambassador and returning him to face justice.

The problem:

I need a way (and a series of encounters) to involve the group so that it doesn't seem like I'm just reading a huge narative to the group. Obviously at point 2, 3 & 4 there is some direct interaction for the PCs, I'd like some suggestions on things to involve the group when the new ambassador/inquisitor arrives and the days leading up to their being questioned.

Any suggestions or help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

 

[LostSoul]

Quick question: why would the ambassador & his cohorts leave some assassins behind to kill the PCs if they have not yet uncovered anything? Or have they already passed judgement?

Is your world low-magic or D&D standard? In a D&D standard world, they could simply cast Speak with Dead on the corpse. That doesn't spoil the adventure; it just means that the PCs are going to want to keep the body out of the hands of any priests around (all while keeping up their act).

But if the ambassador & his cohorts have already passed judgement on the PCs, they won't need to cast any spells. Or do much of anything, really, except give an effort just for show. The PCs should be able to pick up on this and realize what's up.

I see 3 ways to play this adventure:

1. The PCs are trying to dupe the ambassador into believing that they had nothing to do with his death. This involves a lot of running around, because of the spell Speak with Dead, as well as Bluff checks.

The first encounter has the ambassadors enter town. The PCs hear about this, etc. They also hear about the ways that the ambassador is going to get at the truth. The PCs will have to be pro-active in stopping the truth from coming out.

The second encounter has the PCs trying to make Bluff checks, etc. Lots of role-playing. Perhaps some problems that the PCs caused in the first scene will give them trouble here.​

2. The PCs have to realize that the ambassador has already passed judgement on the PCs, and now they have to uncover the assassins before they strike.

3. Introduce a third party. Perhaps the evil incorporeal fiend will re-enter the picture. Maybe he possesses the ambassador and thus wants to wreak revenge against the PCs.


Hope that helps.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Quick question: why would the ambassador & his cohorts leave some assassins behind to kill the PCs if they have not yet uncovered anything? Or have they already passed judgement?

Sorry, I should have spelled this out a little better. The ambassador has been instructed to ratchet up tensions. The nation he represents has imperial ambitions and will be working with (steering) goblin tribes that inhabit the pass seperating the two nations to assault the town. The ambassador's masters expect this assault will be put down, but that it will decrease the strength of the garrison to a level where they can march troops down and take the town without too great a loss.

Is your world low-magic or D&D standard? In a D&D standard world, they could simply cast Speak with Dead on the corpse. That doesn't spoil the adventure; it just means that the PCs are going to want to keep the body out of the hands of any priests around (all while keeping up their act).

The world follows the baseline established in the core rules, so it would be high-magic. The Speak with dead was going to be the way that the ambassador discovers that their representative was in fact assassinated by the group. I'm not sure how to rule the results as the victim was possessed at the time of his demise. I guess that the body is aware that it was stabbed, but it was blindfolded at the time and couldn't really see who struck the fatal blow.

But if the ambassador & his cohorts have already passed judgement on the PCs, they won't need to cast any spells. Or do much of anything, really, except give an effort just for show. The PCs should be able to pick up on this and realize what's up.

This is what I've been thinking is going to be the ambassador's plan. In the grand scheme of things, the death of their representative is a minor issue, but they want to use it to advance their own plots.

I see 3 ways to play this adventure:

1. The PCs are trying to dupe the ambassador into believing that they had nothing to do with his death. This involves a lot of running around, because of the spell Speak with Dead, as well as Bluff checks.

The first encounter has the ambassadors enter town. The PCs hear about this, etc. They also hear about the ways that the ambassador is going to get at the truth. The PCs will have to be pro-active in stopping the truth from coming out.

The second encounter has the PCs trying to make Bluff checks, etc. Lots of role-playing. Perhaps some problems that the PCs caused in the first scene will give them trouble here.​

2. The PCs have to realize that the ambassador has already passed judgement on the PCs, and now they have to uncover the assassins before they strike.

3. Introduce a third party. Perhaps the evil incorporeal fiend will re-enter the picture. Maybe he possesses the ambassador and thus wants to wreak revenge against the PCs.


Hope that helps.

Great advice! Thanks for that!

Anyone else have any suggestions?

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

Pretend for a moment that the PC's were innocent. The foreigners would still try to blame them. In fact they would try to "frame" the PC's.

They could attempt to plant "evidence" in their rooms.

The ambassador's "wife" (at least she claims to be his wife) could admit to having an affair with one of the PC's.

Someone could claim that the players were selling state secrets to the ambassador, but the deal went sour.

The ironic thing is that while all the possible accusations are false, the PC's can't prove that they were innocent, because they aren't.

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Pretend for a moment that the PC's were innocent. The foreigners would still try to blame them. In fact they would try to "frame" the PC's.

...

The ironic thing is that while all the possible accusations are false, the PC's can't prove that they were innocent, because they aren't.

Brilliant! Thanks for that

PS: My players will hate you for that...

 

[MavrickWeirdo]

Brilliant! Thanks for that

PS: My players will hate you for that...

My work is done

 

[EdL]

4) Following the attack the PCs will be tasked with chasing down and capturing the ambassador and returning him to face justice.

There is a potential problem here. Even in midevil times the concept of Diplomatic Immunity existed. Thus even with incontrovertible proof (hard to get), chopping the ambassador may be all the excuse the other nation needs. Even for a 'just war'!

 

[MaxKaladin]

I doubt step one is going to take very long. I imagine they will find out the basic story (that the ambassador was killed while under the protection of the PCs) very quickly on arrival if they don't know it before they get there. I imagine talking to the PCs would be the first order of business. That may well happen the day after they arrive.

If you want to occupy them, have them start taking heat from others who are upset that this has happened and that their town has been made to look bad and/or has attracted undesired attention. This assumes it was fairly public knowledge that the PCs were present when the ambassador was killed by "goblins". This ought to make the time it takes to do step one fairly sticky for the PCs and keep them from getting bored.

Another thing that comes to mind is something I was reading about yesterday. It seems to have been a fairly common tactic in the ancient world for a state that had suffered some offense like this to demand that the perpetrators be turned over for trial and execution. Refusing to do so meant war. It could be that your aggressive country will decide to demand the PCs be turned over or they will go to war and have a legitimate cause to do so if they PCs aren't turned over (either because their city refuses or because they go into hiding). Just an idea I wanted to throw out there.