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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 463175" data-attributes="member: 6294">Woo hoo! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />Though I should mention that CotRE is a little unusual: lots of players (operating on a rotating basis) and a light, sometimes almost farcical, tone.Mind you, if you think of it as ToEE2 without the rampant character death, you'll probably feel right at home <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />. I actually had assumed you had, given that you mentioned them under the Pholtus entry for potential enemies.  In any case, they could be a nasty surprise for a party that is kitted out to fight evil.  I'm not sure if the moral quandary would work or not - the Liberators may be a little too brutalised by their previous struggles to quibble over breaking a few celestial heads - particularly if all that happens is the Celestials get banished from the Prime.Though maybe, if those Celestials had been called, rather than summoned ... I would suggest having the Pholtans move in that direction: don't be surprised if that alone makes the PCs more interested in looking into the Troll King ("what do the Pholtans know that we don'?").  This would be particularly true if someone matching Tau's description is seen accompanying the Pholtan forces.  Which brings me to your next point ... To start with the last question, Tau might not need to "give up" anything.  There are a lot of ways of getting information out of people, and a Lawful Neutral church will not be averse to trying all of them, I expect.  Mind reading magics, torture, compulsion spells - they're all of use (consider the use of a poison that reduces Wisdom, followed by compulsion magics against the reduced Will save).I agree that the Church needs Tau: he's a powerful figure, he has the trust of the Tenha, and he is friends with the Liberators.  The only problem is how to get him back "in the fold".  Compulsion - powerful magical ones - might be the easiest way.Now normally the Church might not stoop to such tactics (or maybe they would), but in a situation like this, where Pholtus' Will is presumably very clear, I'd expect the ends to justify the means.So the Church "re-educates" Tau, causing him to "see the light".  He then leads an attack into the Troll King's territory.  That should draw your players like flies to honey ... and then they will want to stick around, doubtless being suspicious of this "reformed" Tau.Or maybe Tau really does see the light.  I mean, what's a Priest to do if his own God tells him that he must obey?  Can he really believe that his own conscience would take precedence over his God's commands?  And if he does, where does it leave him? (obviously ultimately he could become the first cleric of the Tenha God, but in the short term?)If Tau is brainwashed / persuaded to rejoin the fold, then I suggest that the emotes be made the key to restoring him to himself.  Perhaps he learned something critical before he was captured, and experiencing the emotes again would unlock that hidden knowledge.But in any case, with or without Tau, I think now is time for the Pholtans to begin to move.  There are still sufficient evil forces in the area for them to portray their act as a virtuous crusade, but at the same time those forces have been weakened enough to make Pholtan victory all but assured - except, of course, for the Lierators. It's not clear to me if the Stone was actually destroyed, or just driven off ... but in either case, I would surmise that the Iuzians can strike back through a number of options:1.  Hit them where they aren't.Launch random terror attacks on the populace.  If you massacre a few villages, you'll hurt the LoT just as much as if you attacked directly.2.  Impersonate themThe forces of Iuz can issue a false call on the LoT's behalf, calling for an army of volunteers to assemble at a certain point to help them clear out the rest of the land.  The LoT would almost certainly have to go there, for fear of a massacre.  But the Iuzian plan is simpler than that: they just want to lumber the LoT with providing food and lodgings for their several hundred volunteers (which should keep them busy) and maybe even work a couple of spies or assassins into the recruits.3.  DisappearOernight, all Iuzian agents vanish from Tenh.  Where are they?  What are they doing?  What will happen now that any kind of authority has completely vanished?This kind of sudden action will have two effects: one, the PCs will get jumpy when they can't find their enemies; and two, run them ragged trying to restore order to everywhere at once.Those are just some thoughts, anyway - see what you can do with them.</blockquote>

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