Pathfinder Adventure Path: Curse of the Crimson Throne, Chapter Six: "Crown of Fangs" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

 

Here we are at the conclusion to what’s widely acclaimed as one of the best fantasy RPG campaigns ever written: Curse of the Crimson Throne: Crown of Fangs!  As discussed in my reviews of previous chapters (and my campaign journal), I ran CotCT as a live tabletop campaign using the PFRPG hardcover version.  This review is on the general adventure as depicted in the monthly version along with the backmatter that issue includes.  Overall, I found the final instalment a worthy conclusion to everything that had gone before.  I might have liked a bit more politics and a bit less fighting, but some things are in the DNA of D&D, and there’s plenty of material in the setting to help a GM to customise things to taste.

 

Let’s start with the cover: Seltiyel, originally the Iconic for the Eldritch Knight prestige class and later for the Magus.  You can’t go wrong with Wayne Reynolds, and the image really pops—the scene of a Gray Maiden riding on a dragon in the background doesn’t hurt!  The inside front cover is the usual “Korvosan Hierarchy” chart, though it’s always interesting to see the increasing number of skulls indicating those who have died.  The inside back cover is “Enemies of Korvosa”.  This has some spoilers on it, so is best kept to the GM.

 

James Jacobs’ foreword mentions that Tito Leati, the adventure author, turned in a much fuller-than-expected map of Castle Korvosa, but that the location shouldn’t be treated like a room-by-room dungeon crawl.  Instead, the GM should try to get the PCs on to the important bits.  More importantly, it includes a handful of paragraphs on the final fate of the AP’s many minor NPCs (like Amin Jalento, the Soldados, etc.).  Finally, it has a couple of paragraphs on the next AP, Second Darkness.

 

The first major piece of back matter is “Relics of Kazavon” (6 pages), providing a write-up of each of the seven surviving pieces as a major artifact.  The tales of how each was hidden is really interesting and evocative, and there’s a ton of adventure hooks here if a GM wishes to pursue them.

 

Next is a “Harrow Deck of Many Things” (6 pages), which includes a two-page spread of the cards suitable for photocopying.  A harrow deck of many things has a lot more cards than a traditional deck of many things, but each card is given a rules explanation to go along with its effect (certainly saving a lot of debate!).  I unfortunately missed my chance to use this in the game.

 

The “Pathfinder’s Journal” fiction instalment (6 pages) continues Eando Kline’s adventure to follow the directions of a mysterious wayfinder.  This time he’s in Urglin, and the writing here makes an excellent source for anyone who wants to set an adventure in the Orcish city.  There are some really funny lines but some real heartache too.  I’m keen to have these in a collected edition someday.

 

The “Bestiary” (10 pages) contains a wandering monsters table for the area where the last part of the adventure is set and then proceeds to introduce four new monsters (each with two-page spreads).  Akaruzugs are very flavourful constructs powered with soul energy from a crucified corpse (ghastly but cool!); Belier Devils are leech-like but super intelligent devils capable of possessing the bodies of others); Contract Devils are Hell’s lawyers and have become important in many Pathfinder stories; Mobogos are giant frog-monsters worshipped by boggards.

 

Last, there are two pages presenting Level 14 versions of the Iconics.

 

SPOILERS!

 

Let’s get to the beginning of the end!  The adventure starts with a half-page “Adventure Background” and “Adventure Synopsis” that sets the scene.  Korvosa is still a city under the oppression of Queen Ileosa’s army, with the resistance hidden in the Gray Distract.  Unbeknownst to all, her quest for eternal youth and immortality (through a bloody cool ritual linked to the Runelord Sorshen) has taken her out of Castle Korvosa and to an ancient Thassilonian structure called the Sunken Queen far to the west of the city.  Ileosa left behind a simulacrum in the throne room which, so far, has tricked even her own allies to thinking she’s still in the city.  It’s a clever plan because, as we’ll see, once the resistance (aided by the PCs) gets into a position to launch an assault on Castle Korvosa, they end up trying to depose a tyrant who has already abandoned her throne!

 

Part One (“Return to Korvosa”) has the PCs contacted by Vencarlo Orisini through dream magic and asked to return to the city so the resistance can move on the queen.  There’s a brief section here on what’s happening in Korvosa (the construction of huge statues, collection of blood samples, etc.) that’s useful context for later events.  The PCs will need to use Disguise or Stealth to move about without being constantly attacked by Gray Maiden patrols, though at this point, the PCs are tough enough to shrug them off.  (I think when I ran this part of the adventure, I had to use the Troop rules to provide even a smidge of opposition)  Anyway, Cressida Kroft hands the PCs a list of eight concerns she wants addressed before the rebellion can reveal the lawful seneschal (Neolandus) is still alive and make a move on Castle Korvosa.  The main scripted bits are confronting a new “masked hero of the people” named Trifaccia who has been turning Korvosans against the rebellion (a great use of an evil vigilante with a high-powered twist) and learning that Ileosa’s secret consort, the Gray Maiden Commander Sabina Merrin has learned the truth about her liege and is ready to turn against her—but first she has to deal with a black dragon that remains loyal!  It’s an excellent character arc for Sabina, and some exciting scenes (I had them occur off-screen involving rebel leaders because my PCs spent so much time in Scarwall, but I imagine they would have worked well)

 

Part Two (“Assault on Castle Korvosa”) is beautifully misleading because the players may think they’re about to have the big final battle of the whole campaign, and thus use their very best one-time-only items and buffs, only to discover they’ve been duped!  Although the castle is laid out in incredible detail (down to the servants’ rooms and dirt pipes, with plenty of information non-adventure related), I think the foreword is correct that it’s best to treat the assault on Castle Korvosa as an opportunity for the PCs to plan a surgical strike to get into the throne room as quickly as possible.  With the group having just come off of the truly massive Castle Scarwall, they probably don’t need another ponderous dungeon crawl to glean every scrap of treasure and XP possible.  Highlights include the final fate of Ishani Dhatri (bound to an akaruzug; poor guy!), the bloodmage Togomor (he and a demon have clever, nasty tactics!), trying to survive a belier devil named Sermignatto (1d4 Con drain is no joke), a Red Mantis leader named Mistress Kayltanya (3 pages is probably too much though for battle fodder), the ghost of the king’s brother Venster, the possible creation of a Harrow Deck of Many Things (described above), and more.  I love that the adventure creates a handout for the infernal contract between Ileosa and Hell.  In short, for an intentional misdirection, this part of the adventure is really well-written and full of interesting content. And of course, the moment when players realise the “Queen Ileosa” they’ve just defeated (a mite too easily!) isn’t the real thing is one to remember.

 

Part Three (“The Sunken Queen”) is the real climax.  The setting is evocative and well-described (an ancient Thassilonian temple tipping precariously into the mud of the Mushfens).  Ileosa’s minions (dread wraiths and  some CR 8 clones) aren’t nearly as deadly in this original version as they are in the PFRPG hardcover version, and I’m curious if many groups found the final battle (against what’s effectively a villainous bard) pretty manageable, especially if they had Serithtial.  Only if PCs have the misfortune to lack the skills or magic to stop the ritual and the blue dragon Kazavon is resurrected will they *really* be in trouble—that guy is over the top at CR 25!  A half-page makes some suggestions on how to conclude the campaign and what happens if Ileosa wins (as regrettably happened in my game), and then there are two more pages on potential ways to continue the campaign (I tend to think future storylines may be anti-climactic, but if everyone’s having fun and wants to continue, it’s nice to have options).

 

And I guess that’s it for Curse of the Crimson Throne.  Even though I primarily used the hardcover version, I was glad to have these original monthly issues to help me flesh out some bits and see some different ways of handling things.  I’ve only run two (and a half) Pathfinder adventure paths so far, but I have no reason to disagree with the consensus that this is the best written of them all.  May the people of Korvosa enjoy their hard-won freedom, and tyrants like Ileosa everywhere face a reckoning.  Sic temper tyrannis!