I had several storylines planned out depending on how the players reacted on the encounters. This thread details the choices my players made and the story they unfolded.
I will share the general story and mechanics in this thread so others can play a similar quest.
It might be a little long and sadly no pictures, but please hang in...
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The quest was intended for two heroes starting out from scratch...
My players selected the barbarian and elf.
Both heroes start in the skull throne room from Rotwk. It's not on the board; just laying by itself on the table.
A stone door has just slammed shut behind them. There is no escape!
On the throne sits the final end-boss, surrounded by his skeleton minions!
This is in fact near the end of a quest - we never hear what happened before this point. That's irrelevant! No Mentor's introduction or story besides the above two lines.
The heroes kill the boos and his minions and finds a secret door to the next chamber (the stone room from Atoh). It contains the stairs, a weapon rack and two chests.
The heroes loot the chests and find 100g each. Then they search the rack and finds <two items you decide will fit you well>. In other words they may each choose two pieces of equipment of their choice.
Barb took a battle axe and helmet. Elf took crossbow and helmet.
Now the fresh players are geared up and ready to start the "real" quest... They enter the stairs... Congratulations heroes; you have completed your first quest! Now head back to the nearest city!
*****
The heroes have killed the deathlord and escaped his castle. A couple of days later they reach the city of a small kingdom. The wilderness board are placed outside the normal board. The heroes enter here.
*****
As soon as they enter the city gate they are surrounded by guards (mercenaries). Seeing their bloodsplattered clothes they are accused of the murder of prins Magnus (I couldnt think up a name!).
The players are given a choice: accept the arrest, fight to kill or fight to knock out. They choose knockout. Reducing guards to 0 Bp equals K.O. instead of kill.
The 8 guards however overpower the heroes knocking THEM out instead!
*****
The heroes awake in prison. They can see the next room. Two guards guard the door. They see two plates with food, restoring their Bp.
They are giving another choice: Wait and see what happens or try to escape. They try to pick the lock (had they searched for secret doors they would have found an old escape tunnel - oh well...).
They finally pass the Mp-test and pick the lock, K.O. the guards.
Escape into the streets or explore the castle? They explore the castle and finds an imbecile ogre in the next room. He guards the prisoners equipment. And another door!
Are you prisoners?
Uhmm... No? Can we have that stuff?
I guess. As long as you aren't prisoners.
Uuh... thanks mate. so what's behind that door?
This door leads to the king's chamber! But noone sees the king without my permission!
Can we see the king?
I guess... Come on
The heroes meet the king. The misunderstanding is resolved. The wise king realizes they are just common adventurers and not assassins.
He explains that he thinks he was the intended target and not his poor son. Forces of chaos has infiltrated his small kingdom. Believing himself to be the next target, the heroes are hired to solve the murder mystery!
All guards are now neutral instead of hostile.
*****
They leave the castle and explore the city. Each room is a house and the corridors are streets. Some houses just have guards or other commoners. One house have a dwarven merchant.
In one of the houses they find a gang of orcs and a strange orc statue tied up with ropes. Looks like they have been dragging the statue along!? The heroes quickly kill the orcs and discover a city map. Three houses are marked with a chaotic symbol. The heroes decide to examine those houses.
*****
The first house has a corpse and another gang of orcs tearing the place apart; apparently looking for something. They are killed.
Next house has an elf being attacked by more orcs. The heroes help him and kills the orcs. The elf is grateful and reveals a secret room which contains a magic cloud of visions. He also tells of his own visions; a mage surrounded by chaos, somehow involved with the murder plot... His visions are fading!
The heroes enter the cloud and sees a vague vision of a mage entering a secret door by using a mystic word. Now knowing the word they are ready to enter the final house
***
The heroes say the mystic word to open the secret door to the third house. They find a mage clad in black, surrounded by four statues of chaos warriors. One of the statues are half alive and turns fully alive as the heroes enter. The mage scream: Fools! How dare you try and stop me!
Boss fight: Each time they wound the mage another statue comes alive! When all is killed they take his head to go see the king.
***
They present the head and other evidence to the king. He is pleased. Not because you killed the murderer, but because you killed THE ONLY MAN WHO COULD HAVE STOPPED HIM!!!!
The real king was killed months ago and replaced by a chaos lord. The prince was beginning to suspect and was assassinated... But not before he had called for help to the powerful black mage. He had the ability to turn the forces of evil into stone. He had passed an orc village and turned their chieftain. That's why the orcs were searching for him in the city!
As soon as you entered the city the chaos lord decided you were the perfect pawns to unravel the plot against him!
NOW DIE!!!
The chaos lords and all guards attack the heroes.
The lord is killed and the guards recover from their hypnotic grip, instead hailing the heroes as saviors of the city.
THE END
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Had they killed the guards instead og K.O.ing them there would have been less guards in the final battle.
There were always only ever 12 guards in the city at any time.
Had they decided to kill the king (impossible) in the beginning (for some reason), or had they successfully escaped the guards, the plot would have been about the heroes to PROVE their innocence.
the quest wasn't hard in terms of killing and combat, but really fun and exciting because of the complex plot and choices to be made throughout...
Feel free to use this plot or ask any questions
).