So, here's the situation: My group has entered a plane where all sentient races are dying out, as the local gods and goddesses of fertility, nature, lust, love, etc are either missing or going mad. As such, whenever people enter this plane from another, they are naturally more fertile than the denizens of this realm...and are hunted as such.
The group has been a little...reckless, and because of that, the citizens of a nearby village has recruited a Huntress to try and kidnap the heroes so they can help repopulate the village. The Huntress has gotten the assistance of the dryads and the wood nymphs of the forest the heroes are planning to go through, and laid a cunning trap. I was planning out my tactics for this battle when it occurred to me: When fighting to capture and not kill, the heroes are at a tremendous disadvantage, and it's highly likely they will be caught. My Co-DM pointed out that with our current group, the reactions may be so mixed that the group may not fight, or at least, they may not all fight.
The Group consists of:
Female Human Wizard - Chaotic Horny
Female Changeling Ardent - Unaligned (Closer to Neutral Good)
Male Half-Elf Sorcerer - Unaligned (Leaning Chaotic Good)
Male Half-Orc Seeker - Chaotic Horny
Male Elf Ranger - Neutral Good (Also very chaste)
Male Half-Giant Battlemind - Unaligned
Male Revenant (Thri-Kreen Abomination...long story) Swordmage - Unaligned (Chaotic Neutral)
The players are all mature, and I've known all but two of them for years (the ones playing the Half-Orc and Elf) so I know they can handle just about any subject, no matter how adult with enough maturity to have fun and not freak out, but enough immaturity to still be able to crack jokes. (We've done worse things than this on PURPOSE over the years.)
The group's recklessness included such things as not checking for a safe route, not investigating the dangers of this strange realm, and deciding that the Dryad Forest that surrounds the now derelict Temple of Lust makes an acceptable shortcut. The Huntress is waiting in ambush, having recruited three Wood Nymphs, three Wisps, and a score of Hamadryads (Minions). While in any other circumstance, the heroes could wipe the floor with the monsters in a straight fight, the Huntress' team isn't fighting for the standard victory via beatdown. Every creature here has a way of entrapping someone or luring them into said traps. The Huntress has a Domination ability, the Wood Nymphs can seal someone in a tree, the Wisps can force people to move into traps and other disadvantageous positions, and the Hamadryads are in charge of all the myriad pit and rope traps laid around along with an ability that more or less buries someone up to their neck in the dirt and loam of the forest.
The encounter has been tweaked to be only a moderate challenge, that is: It's under the level of the group currently, even accounting for the traps and terrain modifiers. None of the enemies have serious resistances or immunities. And yet, I chose every creature (except the Huntress, who is Human) along the theme of being Fey-oriented, and likely to be found in a Dryad Forest, and their combined skills seem devastatingly capable of capturing, imprisoning or brainwashing a group of unprepared adventurers. I'm not about to pull my punches either: I made it very clear that this entire realm was exceedingly dangerous if you aren't careful.
My problem is this: Suppose the unspeakable happens and all the heroes do get caught by a village intent on repopulation? What the heck do I do then? At this point, my Co-DM and I agree that between roleplaying and how the dice may turn, it's a fifty-fifty split as to whether the group can win this fight or not, and since if they win, it means the story continues as planned...if they lose, I'm not sure how I should handle that.
Do I have the village lock them in chains or stick them in the stocks? Do the villagers beg and plead for their help? Attempt to brainwash them with potions or magic? I envision the village as formerly a very Good-aligned community, but they've grown desperate as the years drag on with little to no children being born. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.