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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Quickleaf" data-source="post: 6351075" data-attributes="member: 20323">Always takes a wise (crazy) DM to ask the players what they think <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 was kind of thinking of it as an ACT TWO of the dwarven stronghold story, in the literary sense where ACT TWO is about figuring out more about the heroes, putting them in a spot where they need to decide where they stand. ACT ONE was clearing the stronghold, discovering its tie to the dwarven PC's ancestors, and returning to Arcadia to rally troops to reclaim it.ACT TWO is when the Infinite Staircase tests each of the PC's commitment to marching this army of dwarves, offering them portals to the place or person they most desire along the way. You could use what you know about the PCs to guesstimate what this is for each of them, of you could have a lillend guardian at the base if the staircase asks them about their greatest desire in order to ve allowed access to the Staircase. A smart player is going to figure out where the missing dwarves have gone, since the same thing is happening to them. I would probsbly make the dwarven PC immune to this effect since he is going *exactly* where he mists desires already. Not a charm effect, just a tempting opportunity that they won't ever get again (least not thru the Infinite Staircase). What does marching this army of dwarves to reclaim a Bytopian stronghold matter to the other PCs? Maybe something matters more and they're willing to take action to secure what they desire even if it means leaving the dwarves behind/vulnerable or comes back to bite the dwarf PC in the ass later? Maybe they find their own ideals in line with the dwarf PC's mission and sacrifice for their friend?ACT THREE is about hearts and minds. Since the dwarf wants to establish a mining operation and active stronghold with dwarves from Arcadia...well, that just screams there's a possibility for the stronghold to slide I to Arcadia. As peaceful as the Bytopians are, they don't want that, and you might introduce some nice dilemmas with local Bytopians making their livelihood off of the ruined stronghold & it's mines (e.g. repurposing massive stone blocks for home building, small operation of gnomes working mine,). Bytopians might trust the dwarf PC if he implements Bytopian (rather Arcadian) laws and gains the goodwill of neighboring Bytopian communities. This might involve some non-lethal sabotage of their caravan by agents of Bytopia, rigorous debates and moral dilemmas, and quid pro quo type quests on Bytopia to gain goodwill. Alternately, if the PCs really want to shift the stronghold back to Arcadia, you could out a forge of owner within it that might explode (or other dramatic effect) if it were to shift planes severely damagin site in abytipia unless forge is dismantled, you could have them engage in land cessation negotiations (i.e. if you give Bytopia X, Y, and Z then we'll let you inhabit the stronghold and if it shifts to Arcadia so be it), you could have some evil agent working to exacerbate the conflict between Bytopians and Arcadian dwarves.</blockquote>

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