Borca adventures plan

[DustBunny]

Perhaps, after that point, the cathedral becomes infested with necromantic detritus (forsaken shells, crawling claws, etc.) hostile to both the Gargoyle and anything else that gets too close. The spirits of the Ezra-like victims congeal and awaken into a phantasmagorum as the cathedral's sinkhole level plunges, and they maliciously phantom shift everyone into perceiving the twisted impression of the cathedral that has formed in the Near Ethereal.

That definetley works better, especially as a phantom shift can permit a lot more things and events - like the PCs having to free the victim spirits trapped in a Dante's Inferno landscape to escape.

It also allow the tensions to build - as the potential sinkhole approaches 'critcal mass' people start getting edgy, strange manifestations start out small but grow, people have minor visions and nightmares, and the DP's start to take an interest in a new plaything. This is why Ivana has to go out and have a 'meet and greet' despite knowing someone is after her - to try and defuse things.

And when critical mass is reached (with the PC's, G and Ivan and Ivana) inside - boom. The doors slam shut, the shift occurs, and the DP's sit back to watch with popcorn and beer.

[Manofevil]

What if, at the last minute, Ezra manifested and worked a miracle?

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Canon nitpick: someone needs to ingest Borrowed Time once a day for seven days before becoming dependent on it. OTOH, Ivan's a matricidal sadistic murderous madman, lying is not out of the question.

Oh, and for more ideas on Ivan's tactics, I'll just drop this here and walk away.

[Joël of the FoS]

It also allow the tensions to build - as the potential sinkhole approaches 'critcal mass' people start getting edgy, strange manifestations start out small but grow, people have minor visions and nightmares, and the DP's start to take an interest in a new plaything. This is why Ivana has to go out and have a 'meet and greet' despite knowing someone is after her - to try and defuse things.

And when critical mass is reached (with the PC's, G and Ivan and Ivana) inside - boom. The doors slam shut, the shift occurs, and the DP's sit back to watch with popcorn and beer.

Exactly what I have in mind!

I think we have a solid scenario coming. The players will never guess that their holy church will turn into that mess

Joël

[Joël of the FoS]

What if, at the last minute, Ezra manifested and worked a miracle?

That risks being a little Deus Ex Machina?! What are you thinking?

At one point a ray of light from the main statue strikes the Gargoyle, making it unable to fly? Or something like that?

Or less heavy handed : when they are wondering which of the dozen Gargoyle is the killer, a ray of light from the main statue strikes the Gargoyle?

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Canon nitpick: someone needs to ingest Borrowed Time once a day for seven days before becoming dependent on it. OTOH, Ivan's a matricidal sadistic murderous madman, lying is not out of the question.

As a remedy to that, perhaps he does give them Borrowed Time, claims that the PCs are all going to die without Mercy, then has his agents give them more Borrowed Time in the guise of Mercy. That way, he can use the fear of Borrowed Time to truly get them hooked by mistake.

Nostalia can reveal that Borrowed Time shouldn't work after one dose, while still recommending that they play along. Alternatively, her informants can warn her a while after her meeting with the characters, causing her to track them down and stop them from consuming any more "Mercy." This gives them an opportunity to figure out they are being duped on their own, then saves them from the inevitable should they not notice.

[Manofevil]

What if, at the last minute, Ezra manifested and worked a miracle?

That risks being a little Deus Ex Machina?! What are you thinking?

At one point a ray of light from the main statue strikes the Gargoyle, making it unable to fly? Or something like that?

Or less heavy handed : when they are wondering which of the dozen Gargoyle is the killer, a ray of light from the main statue strikes the Gargoyle?

Well how much of a sinkhole of evil can be created in a place consecrated to Ezra without Ezra taking notice and acting?

[Joël of the FoS]

Canon nitpick: someone needs to ingest Borrowed Time once a day for seven days before becoming dependent on it. OTOH, Ivan's a matricidal sadistic murderous madman, lying is not out of the question.

As a remedy to that, perhaps he does give them Borrowed Time, claims that the PCs are all going to die without Mercy, then has his agents give them more Borrowed Time in the guise of Mercy. That way, he can use the fear of Borrowed Time to truly get them hooked by mistake.

Nostalia can reveal that Borrowed Time shouldn't work after one dose, while still recommending that they play along. Alternatively, her informants can warn her a while after her meeting with the characters, causing her to track them down and stop them from consuming any more "Mercy." This gives them an opportunity to figure out they are being duped on their own, then saves them from the inevitable should they not notice.

Ivan can lie about it indeed, but Nostalia can lie too by pretending to having saved the heroes.

Ivan will make sure the heroes will learn about the awful thing that is Borrowed Time. The heroes will learn much later that it was a seven day thing (if I keep this 7 days option), and find Ivan lied to them.

Nostalia will gain points with the heroes if they think she saved them.

Everybody lie ... but the pcs will see it much later

[Joël of the FoS]

What if, at the last minute, Ezra manifested and worked a miracle?

That risks being a little Deus Ex Machina?! What are you thinking?

At one point a ray of light from the main statue strikes the Gargoyle, making it unable to fly? Or something like that?

Or less heavy handed : when they are wondering which of the dozen Gargoyle is the killer, a ray of light from the main statue strikes the Gargoyle?

Well how much of a sinkhole of evil can be created in a place consecrated to Ezra without Ezra taking notice and acting?

Interesting idea. But since Ezra is a creature of the DPs, that will be another case of everybody lies

[DustBunny]

Interesting idea. But since Ezra is a creature of the DPs, that will be another case of everybody lies

Heh, the name Ezra is very similar to Eliza from DX:HR
And one of the warnings she gives Adam is "Just.... be careful Adam. Because everybody lies"
Words to live by in Borca.
Everybody Lies Soundtrack

Out of curiosity though, are any of the PC's priests/worshippers of Ezra? You could have some serious 'crisis of faith' things going on. And even if the PC's are safe, you would have seriously panicked NPC priests/clergy scurrying around the cathedral.

Maybe even a few even become broken ones if they can't handle it, resulting in spawning of radical 'mini-cults'/'fire & brimstone' preachers as they react to events.

[Manofevil]

Interesting idea. But since Ezra is a creature of the DPs, that will be another case of everybody lies

Heh, the name Ezra is very similar to Eliza from DX:HR
And one of the warnings she gives Adam is "Just.... be careful Adam. Because everybody lies"
Words to live by in Borca.
Everybody Lies Soundtrack

Out of curiosity though, are any of the PC's priests/worshippers of Ezra? You could have some serious 'crisis of faith' things going on. And even if the PC's are safe, you would have seriously panicked NPC priests/clergy scurrying around the cathedral.

Maybe even a few even become broken ones if they can't handle it, resulting in spawning of radical 'mini-cults'/'fire & brimstone' preachers as they react to events.

That's what I'm talking about. If this gets too dark and too terrible, forget crises of faith, you're going to have a complete Corewide SHATTERING of the faith. It's gonna get out how Ezra couldn't or WOULDN'T stop this and the church(es) of Ezra is going to fall to pieces. I have images of Ezran devotees getting visions of Ezra being raped by the Dark Powers after this. I also bet other faiths like the Lawgiver could take advantage, too. I guess what I'm saying is this is not just one of those weekend in hell scenarios, but one that would have very serious implications for the future of the faith. I guess it all depends on how much the DPs have invested in the Ezran faith. If your DPs wanna kill it, or you don't care, I guess it's up to you.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

The gods of Ravenloft are distant--if not totally fabricated--so it would seem out of character to me to have a clear intervention. Doubt is more amusing than certainty.

After the Grand Conjunction, some among the Lawgiver's faithful started to think the Lawgiver might have died, but the majority rejected this, and the Iron Faith survives. While a horror house happening in the Grand Cathedral would certainly pose some torturous questions to the faiths of many individuals, I suspect that some explanation would surface that would satisfy most, especially if heroes laid the issue to rest. One might say that Ezra worked through them to fix the problem.

The Nevuchar Springs sect might try to justify its version of the faith by pointing out the evils befalling another sect, and it seems quite likely that they would make further claims about the Time of Unparalleled Darkness. In fact, rather than shatter the faith, this event could just cause a major demographic shift within it. That would be a fun crisis.

[Joël of the FoS]

That's what I'm talking about. If this gets too dark and too terrible, forget crises of faith, you're going to have a complete Corewide SHATTERING of the faith. It's gonna get out how Ezra couldn't or WOULDN'T stop this and the church(es) of Ezra is going to fall to pieces. I have images of Ezran devotees getting visions of Ezra being raped by the Dark Powers after this. I also bet other faiths like the Lawgiver could take advantage, too. I guess what I'm saying is this is not just one of those weekend in hell scenarios, but one that would have very serious implications for the future of the faith. I guess it all depends on how much the DPs have invested in the Ezran faith. If your DPs wanna kill it, or you don't care, I guess it's up to you.

Interesting, I already played the Ezra schism-prevention card in my campaign, but that can be complementory.

The aftermath can be shattering indeed.

[Joël of the FoS]

This starts to have an impact on the church image! People in Levkarest talk, here's some of the wild rumors :

- Ezra punishes the unfaithful and those woman surely deserved it (false)
- The church's top clergy hides something sinister, I do not trust this masked priest (Severin) (false)
- Ivana kills these woman to keep eternally young (That is what the PCs think for now. False, it started 1 1/2 year ago when the Cathedral was finished, and Ivana is ... ±70!)
- Levkarest has a crazy killer problem (true in a way)
- The Cathedral was built on an old forgotten cemetery (false)
- Ivan is killing those woman as they remind him of his cousin Ivana (false)
- The ermordenungs kill everybody that look like Ivana so she is the only one with that pure look in the church (false)
- The Falkovnians are secretly in town and they are brewing trouble. Someone saw them around the church and at the (possibly)
- A vampire lurks in the Cathedral's Crypt

[DustBunny]

A lot of it depends on how many witness what occurs inside the cathedral during the phantom shift. If it's the major players and only a few nobody NPC's, then rumors may run rampant but it will quickly fade. And the rumors would often be more fantastical than the truth. If there are minor external events due to the shift (a blue glow, funny noises, etc) then things would become more widespread as more people see them.

Imagine a group of worried priests huddled outside the cathedral trying to calm the crowds which has gathered (The priests were not inside due to being at the 'meet & greet'). When it is over you have the PC's and a few insane noviate acolytes (who are gibbering about the monsters coming out of the walls) stroll out. Depending on how things play out the PC's could be hailed as potential saints in the making (with all the attention that draws) or chased out of town by an impromptu inquisition.

The phantom shift is good in this regard as once it's over everything returns to normal. You still have G's aftermath, but that could easily be explained as evil attempting to defile Ezra's holy place, etc.

If you keep the direct witnesses to a limited number, the shockwaves can be mitigated somewhat. If anything it could be interpreted (incorrectly) as a minor divine event which increases the faith as opposed to splitting it - imaginations are fertile and there is no reason the political factions wont try to spin it in their favour by dropping their own rumors into the mix.