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Message: <blockquote data-quote="al_fredo" data-source="post: 6223733" data-attributes="member: 81597">We continue! So after they got extorted for the Doctor's whereabouts, the party decided to go to sleep! HA! They were pretty beat up. Anyway, I awake them on the morning of the 6th with a few developments. 1) At tremor, stronger than the last few, wakes you out of bed.2) Delft updates you on a factory accident, that has the mark of Gale. Danoran foremen, 3 critically injured, 1 dead. [This is because the Vekeshi Mystic advocated violence]3) The note from Cippiano: He has a lead on the dragonborn brothers (who escaped) and will set them up, in exchnage for a crate of wands that were confiscated during the Smuggler's Wharf encounter. [That sequence I handled poorly. PCs totally avoided the ship battle, and got all the wands...and Morgan wasn't that mad. I figured I had a chance to add in a "help the case, but do something shady" event here. Morgan's help is good, he gave the PC's a freebie already.]4) Casual convo from Sven working on a forgery case for Lady Inspectress Margret Saxby. [Sven is a contact of a PC, another RHC officer. I wanted to get Saxby more involved before next mission...and also give a shout out to possible handwriting experts, if they need them].They go to the Church first, and find the Doctor there...and the Kell guards leave. Though suspcious at first, they buy his story. They look at the documents, and learn about the financial irregularities and possible large construction project...and LeBrix's investigation into witch oil. I told them that more research back at HQ  could probably uncover more. Then the assassins strike!  I've got 4 PCs, and ran the encounter as written. Creed is a bad ass...and he dropped my fighter multiple times. In fact, he failed his 2nd death save, so he almost 'died'. The party retreated to the back corner of the church, and really the fighter was the only target out in front. Wolfgang was at full strength, and they healed him, so Creed couldn't get him. Finally, someone hit him with radiant damage, and he got bloodied and fled.[Great fight...but it's usually a challenge for me running combat in 'Darkness'. Sure, it's easy to apply the -5...but the "targeting what you can't see" is a tough and clunky rule. We have a Darkvision person in the party, so the Normal vision people knew where targets where....but their characters didn't. How do you handle this? Perception to target...and if miss, wasted attack?]So, then Leone arrives. [Does the party know anything about him??] They also have the 4 henchmen in the church with them, so they'll likely question them (which goes no where)...or some how use them in negotiation. [Which I don't know how to handle. Leone wants the Doctor/Documents, and he offers the life of a hostage (if it gets the far)...how should I work in the 4 henchmen? Is the deal the hostage for Doctor+documents+4 henchmen? Big ask! Maybe I should bring in more than one hostage. Ideas?]They hear Creed and Leone discuss that Kell set them up. They see that shadow guy = Officer Porter. But at this point in time, my party has Zero clue to Macbannin, so the docs are key (or capturing the arsonists).  Leone's presence further clouds the issue as to who is behind this all.   We stopped there, before the parlay! Whew!   Action points and a few dailes were burnt. Also, I should have had one of the players play Wolfgang...bouncing between sheets and stats while managing the map was too much. I recommend printing it out and handing it off. My players assumed at the start, that he was useless like Nevard, then I started kicking some butt with him. </blockquote>

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