Need a plot twist

[muddman]

Hello all,

So here is the situation: the group is in Baltimore and the death of the local Warden has thrust them into the role of White Council reps. They are having a huge meeting with the city's other accorded factions to discuss the state of the city.

White court vamps: hate them
Red court: steering clear to avoid breaking the truce
Ghoul clan: love them
Summer court: don't care one way or the other

They're also going to introduce a local werewolf clan leader as a free holding lord.

But that all seems kind of dull, I'd like a twist at the end. I have a few ideas, but I'm curious what other seasoned Dresden Files GMs can come up with 

Any suggestions are appreciated!

[Becq]

Perhaps near the end of the meeting, a bedraggled messenger can arrive with a message for (Faction A) that (Leader of Faction A)'s (relative/love interest/trusted lieutenant) was recently found dead, with strong influence pointing to (Faction B).  (Faction A) immediately howls for (Faction B)'s blood, and only the players can stop a fight from breaking out then and there.

Perhaps Faction A is the White Court and Faction B is the Ghouls (which makes it more interesting, because the aggressor is friendly to the players, so by trying to keep peace the players may appear to be taking sides with the murdurers).  Up to you to decide if the situation is as it seems or if Faction B is actually being framed by Faction C in order to foment a war/discredit one side or the other/sit back and eat popcorn.

[Silverblaze]

Could always have winter cause a problem. 

Introduce human monster hunters crashing the party.  Have them kill or maim a few representatives, then bid a hasty retreat.  The White Council would have egg on their face because they are supposed to watch out for humans and stuff right?

[hank the ancient]

^this!

It would be amazing if you cooked up caricaturized redneck hunters.

[Becq]

"Hey, Zeke!  D'ya think the taxidermist can mount up this here vampire head fer me?  Look at it.  It ain't cut up, or bloody, or nothin!"

[eri]

Up to you to decide if the situation is as it seems or if Faction B is actually being framed by Faction C in order to foment a war/discredit one side or the other/sit back and eat popcorn.

In that case, wouldn't it be more in character for the White Court to play the part of Faction C? They're not really the type to fly off the handle and cry for blood either...
Love the idea of the Ghoul clan as faction B though.

[Aubri]

With that much power in one place, I don't think any sane faction would try to start something directly, even rednecks. They wouldn't get two shots off before they ate thirty-one different flavors of "blam".

However, with that much power gathered in one place, having one group pull something and try to pin it on another would work just fine. Especially if subfaction A1 makes it look like faction B is trying to frame faction C for killing a member of subfaction A2. Or maybe B makes it look like A1 is trying to frame C for killing A2. Plotception! (For extra fun, in the second scenario, the White Council is B.)

Depending on the PCs' position, they can either act as the investigators who "manage" to pierce the first layer of deception, "uncovering" the false solution that the real perpetrators want them to find, or (more Dresden Files-y) they can realize that the official investigation came to the wrong conclusion because they're constrained by politics which the PCs, as free (well, free-er) agents, can dig past to the truth.

[Becq]

Wait ... uh, A1 is framing ... uh B at C3's request ... uh ... carry the one and...

Make yourself a scorecard.  Or a diagram, or something. 

[Silverblaze]

#1 I am a redneck/nerd

(click to show/hide)

aspiring writer, party animal, gamer, comic geek etc.

irl.    We're plenty crazy if one of our family got hurt - don't matter if it was a person, monster, or deity that "done wronged my kin"

#2 hunters can be zealots.  They really don't have to be religious zealots either....or rednecks 

#3 that much power in the room?  Pipe bomb! Or molotov...  Pretty sure the white court adn fae are going to be hurt pretty bad.  Then fire guns through the windows.  Hope they kill something then bid a retreat calling consequences to make escape easier.

#4 put aspect "blitzkrieg" on them for a bonus to the attack and another one forthe fleeing.

It's viable.  May not be the best, but it is viable and presents plenty of politics.

Who ordered this attack?
Why wasn't security better?
etc etc.

[Richard_Chilton]

Have someone say to one of the PCs:
"Okay, I didn't want to, but I'll take that deal you offered last Sunday."

The twist? The PC didn't see the NPC that day - or offer any deal.

Is the NPC up to something or is there someone (or something) going around impersonating the NPCs.  For best effect, have it be one of the least effectively magically NPCs (one who might have be fooled) talking to the least magical PC (easiest to fake).

If the NPC isn't using Deceit to fool the PCs, then it could something from the Nevernever looking like the PC - but that's a bit boring.  The PCs represent the White Council? So make it a minor talent.  Someone who has Rituals:Photomancy and nothing else.  Or maybe it's a mundane who is good at makeup and can do a Superb job of impersonating the PC.  Maybe it's one of the PC's relatives - posing as him either to cause trouble or to live the exciting life that the PC lives.  And as long as the person has some sort of minor talent then person making the offer falls under the bailiwick of the White Council - making it the PCs' problem to hunt them done and deal with it.

Richard

[noclue]

I would reveal how the warden's murder was a plot to bring these folks together at this meeting.

[Richard_Chilton]

At the end of the meeting, have one of the powers say: "And of course it goes without saying that the Basalt protocols are still in place" with everyone else agreeing.

Problem: this is the first that the PCs have heard about the Basalt protocols.  Do they reveal their ignorance by asking?
And do the Basalt protocols exist, or was there a pre-meeting where the other factions agreed to screw with the White Council by inventing a new protocol and getting the PCs to agree to them sight unseen?

Richard

[muddman]

Thanks for the advice, everyone, great ideas! I'm actually going to blend a few suggestions.

During the meeting, word will arrive to the death of a red court representative, apparently at the hand of mortals. The reds freak out and demand the white council reps reign in their 'charge', or else they will. The reds storm out, which will basically end the meeting.

Investigation will reveal a swat team style raid, killing several half vamps and the red court emissary. They knew what they were doing and took their lone casualty away with them before setting the building on fire. Clues will lead the team to a sect of the vinotori ubrorum (I'm sure I misspelled) sect here to respond to an attack on the NY Warden. They travel and find the NY Warden dead, overwhlemed by red court vamps. A few clues lead them to a red court hideout to throw down with the vamps.

Timeline-wise, this will line up with the big throw down between the Red Court and the White Council talked about during Dead Beat. I'm even considering them finding directions to travel to sicily through the ways so they can join in on that cluster mess that cut down 3/4 of the wardens in just a couple of days.

Any more suggestions?

[Richard_Chilton]

Police involvement.

Guns going off, buildings burning down, people (or RCV posing as people) dying - there's a lot of room for the mortal authorities to get involved.  Especially if the PCs travel to a new city where they don't have contacts with the police.

Maybe there's a police investigation into the dead Warden - and as the PCs are getting nervous one of the cops has a quite word with them, revealing that he worked with the dead Warden and that he will straighten things out.

Of course he could be telling the truth, lying, be a RC plant, or anything like that.

Richard

[fantazero]

Everyone in that meeting is blown up by someone your group thought was on "their side" and blames it on your group.

Get someone in your group you know will go with it, and have them reveal that they are a traitor and have the meeting be the "Trail" of your group by those groups