Darklords, what are they good for?

Discussing all things Ravenloft
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Ail
Evil Genius
Evil Genius
Posts: 3429
Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2003 7:33 am
Location: Egham, UK

Post by Ail »

Hi all,

I can tell you of my players in my campaign. They are new to Ravenloft, and more used to power-up campaigns where (I learned yesterday) wizards and clerics don't need to memorize spells and wizards get all the spells in the guidebooks as they go up a level!!! But that's another history.
Though we have been playing for 34 sessions now, in game terms only little more than a month has passed and I consider them still quite unknowledgeable about Ravenloft. Also, I think they haven't read books of the setting, safe that I let them browse certain parts of the campaign setting. I also gave them a general idea of Power Checks and Horror Checks at the start, but they don't have a concept of darklord.

So, currently, they are Strahd's employees. They've been summoned to his castle, the fact that it was called Castle Ravenloft surprised them a bit, and although they seem to believe he's evil, they gladly agreed to go on a mission for him in exchange for money and equipment (they are mostly good-aligned, but I find them with a lot of mercenary spirit).
Strahd's mission was to go investigate and make a report on the attacks the Gundarakite rebels are making on a village right at the entrance of the Dread pass, a sort of Balok last outpost before Gundarakite lands. They have to go and bring him a report. If they can destroy the rebellion there, great, but that's not the most important objective.


Now, the PCs are in Krezk, they've met rebels in yesterday's session, that had a conflict with a Balok group because they were being charged 3 times as much in a grocer's shop. That started a fight, one of the Baloks drew a sword but he was overpowered by two rebels who ran took it. They fled but were caught by the militia and the populace and were going to be put to death then and there for illegal possession of weapons.

Now, my players decided it would be a good thing to try and save the rebels. I applauded and the plan succeeded. But today, I was thinking in what they told me and I came to the conclusion that their idea was not exactly saving the rebels: it was merely to gain their confidence to infiltrate their band and later on betray them.....

and meanwhile, they are perfectly convinced they are doing the good thing

:twisted:

Guess that wouldn't have happened if they knew who Strahd was in the first place, so I really expect them to come into a moral dilemma later on.

Ail
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