Rattling the chains
| Recommended Levels: n/a |
| Author: Orri EiríkssonEmail: The city of Jangling Hinter: A place of terror, strict laws and the best chains in the multiverse. The greatest challenge of the inhabitants is attracting trade. Why would anyone want to travel to Baator just to buy one product, however good it is? Only the brave or the barmy. And still Jangling Hiter´s needs are far from fulfilled. Lately, the city is experiencing shortages of every kind. This means migration of any sane person. And that means the Kytons are unhappy. Nothing left to terrorize. There are hardly any places in the multiverse who can claim to rival Sigil´s trade connections. Sooner or later, every planar trader comes here, if only to step through the next portal. So if its trade you seek, Sigil seems like a logical choice. -Chains rattle in the night- Merchants have been disappearing from Sigil. Entire families and trading companies gone. The pc´s could become involved with the investigations in many ways. Working for the law factions, or any other faction which has strong trade interests (esp. the Fated and the Free League). Also, they might find their favorite supplier missing. Inquiries about the missing merchants reveal nothing – almost. A few terrified bubbers report the rattling of chains and evil laughter. The mercykillers are all unusually quiet about this. Normally, they'd be demanding direct action against whomever that was responsible. The truth is disturbing. A few high-up members of the Red Death have made an agreement with the Kytons. The Kytons get their merchants and the Red Death gets rid of a few undesirables. It´s justice for all. -The pc´s get involved- This situation is quite delicate. The best the pc´s can do at first is to find out who is responsible. Trying to rescue any merchants without outside help is literally suicidal and the DM should discourage that. Openly blaming the mercykillers is likewise not a way to live to a ripe old age. Stopping the kidnappings might be. -Caught red-handed!- Following is a scenario where the pc´s catch the Kytons red-handed. They are making their way through market ward, to meet a merchant who has sent them a letter, telling them that he has information for them and wants to talk to them. The merchant, an indep named John Flaw, has been trading with the Kytons a long time and is one of the biggest sellers of hiter chains in Sigil. On his last trip, he accidentally saw a few prisoners being led into the Kytons section of Jangling Hiter. Several Kytons have been dispatched to deal with him (more than several if the party is really high level, of course) and two mercykillers have tagged along with them to deal with any Harmonium patrols they might encounter ("This man is an escaped prisoner. We have an order to apprehend him."). The mercykillers are a couple, a wizard named Tyrgon and a warrior named Katherine. They will parley with the pc´s and try to convince them that they are apprehending a criminal. If the pc´s hint at knowing what is going on, the couple won't hesitate to turn the Kytons loose on them. -Conclusion?- If the pc´s manage to take either one of the mercykillers alive, they have a perfect opportunity to end the Red Deaths involvement. They can simply press charges. The Red Death will deny any part of the conspiracy and condemn the couple as traitors. Now, they only need to rescue the merchants.... |
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