I’ll start my thoughts with a bit of detail behind Ryda’s mindset, and then I’ll go into my own. As evilbob has pointed out, every single encounter she’s had with NPC’s has been an ambush, so she is innately paranoid and distrustful. She’s upset about losing people she was supposed to help/protect (not that she’ll show those emotions, she keeps those bottled up, very unhealthy) She hates being told what to do, and right now, she’s fed up, and calling the druids bluff. Good people don’t murder in cold blood, and she was raised that Tharashk was full of good people. If she dies, then she’ll have unveiled an evil person there and she’ll have helped clean up the House.
Mez’s mindset is fairly similar to evilbob’s. I was having a great time in the first 2.5 rooms. I was a bit put off by the spontaneous ambush, but I can deal with that. I was really like WTF, and the second ambush in the same room, and yes, everything there was dealt with, but it left a very sour taste in my mouth, especially the intentional killing of Pis, and the resulting “oh my, I never killed a PC before” comment. It was known what would happen the second they decided to ignore Unit 16’s mark and much more dangerous threat. I always try to run my NPC’s with a bit of self preservation. They are “living” people, and they’d like to stay that way. IMO, watching your boss get 2 shot and having a pissed off warforged breathing down your neck, your first thoughts should be saving your own butt, not ducking down and slitting that guys throat, knowing you’ll be crushed as a result.
The half-orcs up top was pretty much the last straw, I know what they are trying to do, and I can’t fault them for doing it, but I feel as if I’m reading a story of an adventure, not actually participating in one since all my decision are “cake or death” It’s been brewing for a while, and I’ve tried to focus on the next encounter, the next encounter, that one will be better, but it hasn’t lessened my frustration, in fact, it increased it. I don’t want to stiffle Vel’s story, but it’s not fun being a part of it, so I’m stepping back. If this was an IRL game, I’d come up with something else to do on those nights, lord knows I’ve done that. But this is a game to me, and games are supposed to be fun, when it looses that, it’s time to stop.