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Message: <blockquote data-quote="atom crash" data-source="post: 2297623" data-attributes="member: 22162">I'm running a modified version of Green Ronin's Freeport setting. On the night of the next full moon (2 weeks to the day), the Sea Lord and his cronies will christen the newly finished lighthouse as dignitaries from around the world look on in awe. When the light is turned on, the Yellow Sign will be displayed across the night sky and onlookers will go mad. Once someone goes insane, they'll spread the insanity to everyone they contact. When the insanity hits critical mass (maybe a week or two tops; I'm taking a cue from Stephen King's The Stand and the film 12 Monkeys for how long it might take a highly infectious disease to spread across the world through a busy port city), He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will be drawn forth from an alien realm to walk the world again.The PCs at this point have circumstantial evidence against the Sea Lord. He has a mark of the Yellow Sign on his thigh; he claims he was caught by pirates and branded as a young man. They don't have anything but a hunch, though, that pegs him as the head honcho of the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign. Little do they know he's not even the head cultist; they haven't a clue who's really pulling the strings. The PCs have decided that the Sea Lord is the BBEG and all else be damned.What troubles me most is that even if they could convince everyone that the Sea Lord is a genuinely evil person with really bad plans for everyone, they have indiscriminately killed several people (guards attempting to protect the Sea Lord and innocent bystanders as well) to get at the Sea Lord. So they pull a really stupid move at a gala society ball, no less, meant to celebrate how wonderful the lighthouse will be and to honor the PCs with medals for service to the city. I just don't see anyway of pulling this one out.The Sea Lord is the most powerful person in the city. He's supposed to be untouchable. But the PCs just don't get that. And he doesn't have to prove that he's innocent. He's protected by the law. His law. And it's no secret among the city's people that he's a crooked player when it comes to politics. But that doesn't mean he deserves to die.It seems there's only one recourse. The captain of the guard is a fighter/paladin who doesn't know his boss is crooked. But even if they can convince him that the Sea Lord is a bad dude, he won't be very forgiving of the murder of several of his guards and several more innocent bystanders.If the PCs die, no one is going to resurrect them. Campaign over. I'll take blank character sheets with me to the session so they can roll up some new characters. Few people would have the resources for resurrection. And after they've shown they have no respect for the law -- or the city's elite -- the few people who would have supported them won't touch them with a 10-foot pole now. If they are sprung from captivity before being executed, they could possibly stop the plot, but they still wouldn't be welcome in town. And I'm afraid they'll try to fight their way out, killing more people who are just doing their jobs and not really part of any secret evil plot.</blockquote>

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