u/MaxBlazers

Alexandrian Remix

So my players got into a bit of trouble with the hell Knights and got captured by them.

They are now in the crypt with all their gear stolen.

There's about 100 people in there that the devils use for bargaining with the other factions. They're starved, angry and with all hope lost.

Among them there's a beaten and tortured Onthar Frume and Surkana (the druid oracle wife) who got her eyes ripped and tortured into compliance.

So I've got a few questions, what's some situation I can put them in in the prison, like events with the guards or the other prisoners.

For now I've got

Day 1 they ask for volunteers to disarm some anti-devil traps in the fortress, if no one volunteers they start whipping random prisoners (old people and kids also) until someone volunteers or someone dies.

Day 2 Baer (see below for the characters) enters to torture Onthar and Surkana, the first for fun the second to get some new prophetic visions

The Sorcerer is used as a test dummy for a torture lesson

Day 3 the party members that are Hellriders get called and can speak with Gideon Lightward (he was they're mentor, and first time they meet him in hell) and he tries to get them on his side (just exposition and roleplay)

Day 4 the Barbarian gets taken to a match with a demon for betting and fun, him with no weapons vs a balrgura.

Baer tortures the prisoners again

A kid snitches on whatever the characters are trying to do to get more food

Day 5 private meeting between all the Hellriders and Gideon, he tries to get them against each other.

The Paladin gets freed by Ikaia in a bargain with the Hell Knights and he discovers Ikaia is organizing an attack to free them with Liashandra

Day 6 the warlock gets a private letter from his Patron (Bel)

Ikaia and Liashandra start their plan and everyone gets freed

The day 6 event is like a countdown if they can't escape in 5 days

Characters

Ikaia: the vampire lord that is the main ally of the characters, he was a piece of shit but is now trying to get better and help elturel people to become their new leader when all is done.

The Paladin hates him cause he witnessed his attack that slaughtered Chauntea's church in the city (the Paladin is a champion of Chauntea), he's the only one that doesn't trust him one bit.

Liashandra: a demonic general of yeenoghu, she's the main demon force in the city and recently the characters made an alliance with her to help the city in exchange for devil blood and other demonic favours (it'll bite them back in some time but alas now she's helpful)

Baer: the devil that captured them, he's a lazy and sadistic piece of shit. His main job is guarding the fortress.

He's one of the two leaders remaining in the Hell Knights.

Veer: never nominated here but she's the other leader of the Hell Knights, a violent and temperamental devil that kills without esitation, she's a real zariel fan and tries to be like her. Basically a mini Zariel.

(If you'd like some more information on other characters just ask)

So now that the prison part is done the second question is: the hell Knights got the Shield of the Hidden Lord. What would they do with it?

I'm creating an ancilla malkavian that is inspired by Sherlock Holmes.

His story is that he inspired the literary character with his antics and then after the embrace he lost his memory (dominate bullshit) from before and reading A Study in Scarlet he saw himself in the book and named himself Scarlet.

But, about disciplines, I for sure want Auspex 5 (Heightened Senses, Premonition and for the last 3 I'm in conflict, I want 4 things and don't know which ones to get, they are: Sense the Unseen, Scry the Soul, Heart Laid Bare and Clairvoyance but I don't know which ones to get)

Other than that I have almost 0 idea on what to take, I will probably start with 3 in auspex 1 in either obf or dom and 1 in another disciple (we're using the extended ancilla character creation)

I'm taking the loresheet Descendant of the Ankou so I can also take Oblivion as a clan disciple after character creation, i wanted to invest in it a bit dunno what to pick (disciple and rituals both)

I definitely want something for combat but not that much, maybe potence 2 for prowess (using baritsu, a stick based English gentleman martial art)

Any other suggestion for this detective (I think the chronicle will be heavily investigation based btw)

So, my players are in Elturel for about 2 days (like 10 sessions irl) and the paladin has had the Shield of the Hidden lord (from now on just Shield) for all this time.

The paladin is an incorruptible type character, i've tried many times to get him to use the power of the shield and talk to Gargauth, but alas no luck in there.

I'm roleplaying Gargauth as having it full of this paladin bullshit, not wanting his power for anything, not even saving his friends.
One time the paladin got disarmed from the Shield and Gargauth used this opportunity to sever it's attunement, and after that it refused completely to let him attune or even use the shield.
I wanted to let the others try the shield and so Gargauth started speaking to them and planting ideas that the paladin is not enough and they should be using the shield.

Now the Paladin's player stated in private that he doesn't like this because it's not in the rules that an item (that he says should be a prison for Gargauth) should be able to completely bar him from using it.
He said he thought about it and he doesn't see any way to use the shield that doesn't end badly (whatever that means) and he feels that he's just carrying around an useless clump of metal.

More than anything he wants answer about what to do with the shield (at the start he even rolled a nat 20 on what the shield is, i've told what he could've got from it but obviously not everything) but I don't want to spoil anything i've prepared, i've just told him there are ways to get a "good ending" with the Shield.

Just so you know this player already played DiA with another master, it was not with the Alexandrian Remix tho.

Feel free to ask questions as i've probably explained it poorly.