ZEITGEIST Question about starting Zeitgeist

[RangerWickett]

I'm sharing two 8 MB images of those maps with you via Google Drive. If your email has changed or you otherwise don't get notified, let me know.

 

[jacktannery]

Brillo, thanks!

 

[jacktannery]

Need some advice about Adventure 3 Digging for Lies.

PCs have knocked Xambria out at the Gala. They suspect she planned it all, and wants to be captured to be brought to the RHC HQ, so they decide not to bring her there and instead to Exorcise her. The Spirit Medium takes over Weber's office and gets everyone in a trance, and they enter the spirit realm and seek out Xambria's mind.

Any advice for how to resolve the adventure and square this with the final encounter in the module?

 

[hirou]

Need some advice about Adventure 3 Digging for Lies.

PCs have knocked Xambria out at the Gala. They suspect she planned it all, and wants to be captured to be brought to the RHC HQ, so they decide not to bring her there and instead to Exorcise her. The Spirit Medium takes over Weber's office and gets everyone in a trance, and they enter the spirit realm and seek out Xambria's mind.

Any advice for how to resolve the adventure and square this with the final encounter in the module?

First of all, both the ritual at the subway and the kill squad for Lady Saxby will trigger at 6pm (? don't remember the exact time) whether Xambria is in HQ or not. Sidjen knows that, but your party is extremely unlikely to deduce that without your intent. Second, Sidjen doesn't particularly need Xambria's body, while Xambria (as I read it) is too heavily affected by him to actually survive the exorcism. Third, Gidim explorer IMHO is the most intelligent and dangerous enemy of the party besides Nicodemus himself (and I refuse to believe that it's a mere coincidence that both of them are "ideas incarnate").

As far as the specific actions go... In my version Sidjen basically threatened the party with mass terror attack on Flint. Gala encounter proves that he can easily summon Gidim warbeasts (apparently routinely ignoring the 5 minute summoning rules of Zeitgeist world, which should at least baffle the party a bit). The rituals are already primed, which will unleash hell on Earth in most vulnerable locations of the city - hospitals, schools, crowded factories... That is, of course, unless the party is reasonable and will cooperate with poor lost traveler, who is not particularly evil by design... BTW, can I interest you with some juicy stuff about your boss?..

Basically, Sidjen is actually in pretty comfortable position here. He has information to bargain for (Ob's operation, Saxby's involvement), he has a very real hostage (Xambria) and some potential for threats (it's up to you how real they are) and in the end he's extremely hard to restrain. In the worst case, he can almost surely slip away in the midst of exorcism, dropping a hint about Saxby's dark deeds. Party hurries to HQ, all hell breaks loose, in the confusion Sidjen is likely to obtain the Star Map he's after.

 

[jacktannery]

Good advise hirou - I will follow it and let you know how it goes.

 

[hairyscotsman2]

The hand outs are good quality, but not essential

 

[jacktannery]

---duplicate post---

 

[jacktannery]

Well I did exactly as you proposed hirou and it went really well!

After the Gala, PCs restrained Xambria on Weber's desk and conducted a ritual to enter the Spirit World led by the Spirit Medium. They donned the costumes of the Ancients and dressed up as Ancient Judges. They compelled Sijhen to explain her actions. Then they summoned the spirit of the Voice of Rot and asked for his help in defeating Sijhen. The Spirit Medium made a pact with the Fey Titan (see below, based on another thread here). It's going great!

Divine Boon: pact with the Voice of Rot
* the ability to channel necrotic energy (details to be worked out; Not interested in providing another attack power, something more interesting. It should feel ancient, fey-like and dangerous)
* control corporeal undead (details to be worked out, in combat any amount equal to your level by concentrating fully?)
* you can only eat food that is already rotting
* whenever you are at 0hp your body becomes limp but your head jerks about and your eyes strain to see what’s going on. All you see while in this state, the Voice of Rot knows. And if you ever go below 0hp or die or regain consciousness, a half-rotted snake will slither out of your mouth and observe the surroundings.
* (optional) Tiran's spirit wolf takes on the appearance of a mangy, rabid wolf with watery yellow eyes.
* gain power: defeat Sijhen (twinned psychic and physical attack). Takes a standard action, auto hits and auto destroys, and Xambria's soul becomes loose and Tiran can merge it with another living creature of his choice who is present if he wants, or else it dies.

One question! The influence of the Voice of Rot over the undead in the Zeitgeist world: is undead not a Bleak Gate thing? Or are some undead aligned with the Voice of Rot? Any ideas?

 

[RangerWickett]

I don't recall which groups read these posts and which ones are safe to post spoilers in, so I'm hedging on caution.

[sblock]Undead are powered by negative energy, which actually comes from Nem, the plane of ruin. However, the Bleak Gate is home to many undead spirits. Corporeal undead are rare there.

In adventure 11 there's a chance to recover the lost eye of the Voice of Rot, which allows you to control spirits. The one eye he has now lets him control corporeal undead. Basically, he's in charge of Rot, so any decaying body is under his purview.

[/sblock]

 

[jacktannery]

Update: PCs have made a deal with the Voice of Rot and trapped Sijhen in the Spirit World in the Museum. Then they left to the RHC HQ to warn Saxby and the rest of the HQ that Sijhen was probably planning an invasion there to get the Star Map. Saxby thanks them and get's the help of Carlao's team to grab the map, artefacts, and other documents into cases and get them to safety, while the PCs evacuate the rest of the HQ.

But, the PCs suspect Saxby is up to no good, because Sijhen hinted as such. So they follow her and Carlao's team through over the rooftops then by carriage into a dead-end by the Old City Walls. They find a secret passage and follow Saxby through the old city catacombs, surviving a Obsucrati Kill Squad ambush and deadly traps. Now they are about to find out where Saxby is headed - and they want her to be heading to see Leone Quital (who they have a grudge against since the last adventure). Their aim will be to break into the secret Obscurati hideout, steal the Star Map and possibly screw up Leone's plans somehow, then escape back to Sijehn, kill the alien once it lets its defences down upon seeing the Star Map, and place Xambria's soul into Finona's body to create a super-archaeological-head-of-flint-museum and possible later love interest.

So, does anyone have any ideas for Leone's secret obscurati hideout in the tunnels of the city? I have looked through Adventure 5 so I know about all that. Ideally I want the PCs to find Leone, discover some crucial information which will foil a plan Leone is hatching AND make them really want to get on the that train in adventure 4, then leave without fighting Leone.