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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lackhand" data-source="post: 6564044" data-attributes="member: 36160">My PCs are the bondsfolk of a newly-minted Baron, looking to clear 2 hexes in each direction so he can finish building his keep and settle into his retirement.Their patron is a nice blunt former adventurer with a lax policy towards his underlings and a broad-minded approach towards finders-keepers; his barony is a bit unsettled from the semi-permanent conflicts that rage across it, but that just makes it a beacon for adventurers eager to make a name.He disappeared.He's not political but his rivals are both skilled and powerful; what allies he could have are predisposed against him and do not trust him -- or the party!The party finds themselves in the position of playing a game to which they do not know the rules, with players they have not yet identified, with stakes they just spent three months developing a sense of ownership and responsibility for.And truly, the game goes deeper than they think; the actual schemes at court are a deep game being played for rulership of Dis (not quite, but very close to D&D's Iron City of Hell) by the current Dispater Asmodeus (close enough!) and his challenger, once-Dispater Levistus; the party's main adversary is a powerful warlock who is playing both sides of that struggle against each other, so bull-in-a-china-shop behavior by the PCs will bring them to the attention of the Iron City regardless.Currently, they believe their patron to be dead, failing to defend a colony of allies at the Battle at Seareach from an army of ogres and giants. However, he is not, and is instead held for ransom in the nearby foothills, at the steading of the hill giant chieftain. They will get this news when the mountain pass reopens after winter, though of course they cannot afford the ransom; hopefully pursuit of it will bring them to court, but if not, official recognition of their deeds will.Learning that the giants were intended to slay, and not capture their patron might lead the party to follow the trail to a few other giantish locations along the way.Unbelievably, however, this isn't what they're dealing with right now: instead, a circle of dark witches (in service to the Iron City) seeks to petition release of an ancient of theirs; they have laid potent enchantments across the half constructed ruins of the patron's keep, to make it the site of their ancient's second natality. The party seeks (without much success so far) to discover the prophecy (there isn't one, though the witches have bluffed that there is) which foretells this event and prevent it.Actually, this should come to a head next session, I'm really looking forward to it.</blockquote>

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