Rewards for PCs

[Ail]

Hello,

In the last session, my players finally defeated the effigy of Ivan Szimin, and they realized that at least in the former Gundarak they are now heroes.
The session had to end just after the fight, so I delayed all rewards to the next session. Two of the players already told me that they were going to cash-in their new status by bedding a few girls, and I might let them do that, but my question is more: what kind of rewards should I give them? How could I make them feel really important for one day or two?

I do want to let them savour the triumph for sometime.... no more than one day in game terms, actually, because of the story development, but I want them to feel that it is really worth to do good things and that even though these moments of triumph last for just a glimpse, they are still worth the many months of hardship they spend in between.

I guess this has to be more emotional than simply earning material goods.

Any ideas?

Thank you

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I think you've already got the right idea. Make them feel important by telling them they are. If they want to bed some local women, let them. Have old ladies come up and give them fresh baked bread. Have men clap them on the back and share an ale. Toast them, compliment them, thank them. Have some kind of local leader personally tell them they have done a great deed. (When I did something like this, I used the Mayor of Mordentshire). Since this is gundarak, and the local leaders would be barovian, you may have to get a bit creative. Maybe there's a village elder who was the mayor back in the "good old days" under Gundar. You could use the opportunity to make contact with a thankful resistance cell (Ardonk, himself?) Or maybe just the local Gundarakite priest of the Morninglord (or Erlin), who could also reward them with a small token, like holy water or a promise of free healing. (or even a healing potion or two.)

[Jester of the FoS]

Gotta agree with Gonzoron here. Have the people's reactions really reflect their opinions. Perhaps have a few songs told about them, tales and the like in bars.
Maybe even name a street after them.

[Ail]

Thanks guys, a couple of good ideas there. Funny that you mentioned Ardonk. That's possibly what's going to make them feel less than heroes after one day or two.

In fact, I had thought that Ardonk will call them on the next day to a hidden camp in the woods where he'll thanks them and try to make them join the rebellion. The trick is that they came to these parts under a commission from Lord Strahd and midway decided to forget it and help the rebels as I had expected they would. But one of them actually did not, and in secrecy from the others warned the guard in Zeidenburg of their plans. This solved a problem of mine because in fact I wanted Strahd to use them as bait to find Ardonk... and when, or if, they accept his invitation, Strahd's plan will be fulfilled and he'll make this point very clear to them. They are to survive the encounter, but Ardonk is not. Let's see how this turns out......

As for songs in taverns that's another good idea, as I was especially waiting for a bard moment to tell the tale of a magic ring they found within this adventure.

[Lord Cyclohexane]

I've also always liked the "pregnant women naming their kid after a PC", *especially* if you plan to have the PCs return to the town at some point in the future. It's easier to hook the PCs into rescuing the kid if (s)he is named after one of them.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Wow... that's really good. I have to steal that idea...

Reminds me of another that I used once. The PCs met a couple small children shortly before defending a town from a small Falkovnian attack force. After the PCs saved the town, they saw those same children playing, and they were mimicking the PCs. (The boy had found a stick and was twirling it around like the Ranger who weilds a Quarterstaff, and the girl was flinging around a belt like the female Bard who weilds a whip.)