D&D 5E Need Help with Side Quest

[pukunui]

Hi all,

I am currently running Tales from the Yawning Portal as an episodic campaign set in the Realms. Using Waterdeep as a base, I sent them to Amphail for the Sunless Citadel. We've just finished that adventure, so next they'll be heading up the Long Road to Mirabar for the Forge of Fury.

I was planning on just handwaving the journey, but one of my players came up with an idea for a side quest: his PC, Elvraema, is a half-drow cleric of Eilistraee. His idea is that Elvraema wants to take a detour to Yartar, where there is a guy her deity wants her to kill. This guy, Tholzar Brenner, is a corrupt watchman who works for the drow, hunting down renegades on the surface, which is why Eilistraee wants him dead.

According to the player, Tholzar is a knight who is somehow associated with Zhengyi the Witch-King. (I said Zhengyi was supposed to be long-dead but that perhaps he was making a comeback, as so many other NPCs are in the 5e era). Because of this association, Tholzar has undead as bodyguards.

Not a bad start. But it needs fleshing out. I am thinking I might borrow a few ideas from the city's entry in SKT, as well as the "Dark Dealings in Yartar" side quest in PotA. Namely, I'd like to bring the all-female Hand of Yartar thieves' guild into the scenario somehow, even if the PCs just use them to locate Tholzar. "Dark Dealings" involves a showdown in a cemetery. That might work for Tholzar. I can't imagine he'd be allowed to waltz around town with undead minions in broad daylight, so maybe he hides them in the cemetery or something.

I'm wondering if maybe I should give Tholzar some warlock powers to reflect his association with the Witch-King. Perhaps he found one of the Witch-King's books and has obtained some of his power, like in that Drizzt novel.

In case it matters, the party consists of the following (all 3rd level):

Half-drow life cleric
Moon elf fighter / rogue
Human champion fighter
Gold dwarf open hand monk

(There's also a half-elf evoker wizard, but his player won't be present for this session.)

Anyone got any ideas?

Ideally I'd like this to only take half a session at the most, but if it ends up taking a whole session, that's OK.


Thanks in advance!

- Jonathan

 

[Quickleaf]

Where my mind first goes is... Not all drow renegades are good guys.

So, Tholzar justifies his treacherous dealing with drow as keeping the city Yartar safe from evil drow running about.

Might be interesting to have him on the trail of a drow renegade who tries to play on the drow PC's sympathies but who is actually "a really bad dude." This presents the PCs with a more nuanced view of Tholzar, and the possibility of some PCs considering helping Tholzar track down this particular renegade...even while plotting to put Tholzar out of business.

I'd further complicate matters with Tholzar – who apparently has *many* folks who want him dead – have a plan set to go into motion on the event of his death. Classic villain type stuff: "If I die, the secret of such-and-such dies with me." or "If I die, my men will poison so-and-so."

 

[pukunui]

Thanks [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]. I'm not very good at intrigue, but I like the idea of making Tholzar more nuanced, so he's not just some cardboard cutout that the PCs can kill and forget about.

 

[Eltab]

The Thieves Guild decides to use the PCs to clean out the graveyard crypt where those undead bodyguards are kept out-of-sight.
Tholzar won't go out and about without them, so he's out of the picture for a while (until he can Raise Undead and perma-control them).
This gives the Thieves Guild time to do something he won't like but cannot interfere with.

The PCs can encounter both villain groups later on, when a really cool idea has come to you.

 

[pukunui]

I think I'd prefer it to be a one and done sort of thing. I hadn't actually intended to run any side quests for this campaign at all, but I didn't want to say no, as I would like to encourage my players to take more of an interest in the setting and all that.

I'm just mostly coming up blank on this one.

I am thinking that perhaps Eilistraee has indicated she wants this guy stopped more than she wants him dead. That should make it so assassination isn't the only solution.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

Riffing off Quickleaf; Maybe have the party at an Inn/Bar and a peasant bust in asking for help from an 'evil band of renegade drow.' of course the PCs take the quest. But have Tholzar be in the bar/inn with them and he offers to go along and help, because killing renegades is his whole jam, but he gives the party a fake name. this gives the PCs a chance to talk and get to know Tholzar -- which is always so much fun when PCs get to know BBGs -- they catch up to the 'evil band of renegade drow' who are in the middle of doing something evil and renegade-y. and when they confront them to fight one of the renegades calls Tholzar by his name.

 

[SmokeyCriminal]

Maybe have the 'evil band of renegade drow' be all-female...hint hint

 

[pukunui]

Hmm. That seems complicated. I think I'd prefer something more straightforward.

The idea is that Tholzar helps hunt down good drow who've escaped the Underdark. The PC, Elvraema, is the daughter of one such renegade. This is why she wants to get this guy.

But perhaps he isn't necessarily doing this service willingly. What if he's being blackmailed into helping the evil drow hunt down their runaways. And maybe he doesn't kill them. Maybe he captures them for delivery back to Menzoberranzan or wherever.

I'm thinking that, as a knight, it makes the most sense for Tholzar to be either an active or retired member of the Shield of Yartar, the city's defense/police force. If he has undead minions, I don't think they would openly accompany him when he goes about his business in the city. Instead, perhaps he keeps them hidden away in his home, and maybe he can summon them to him in times of need.

This still doesn't get me much closer to a usable scenario, though. Let's see ...

The PCs go to Yartar. They need to find Tholzar. They can openly ask around for him, but doing so might attract his attention. Or maybe they can attempt to contact the Hand of Yartar and find out about him without attracting any unwanted attention, but this will cost them.

If Tholzar finds out that people are looking for him, maybe he goes in search of them to find out what they want. Or just sends spies to watch them. If he doesn't find out, then maybe the PCs can surprise him at his home (or at another place of their choosing).

Or maybe they find out that he has caught someone and is going to be handing the renegade over to a drow party from Menzoberranzan at a specific time and place, and maybe they can disrupt this meeting. This way they could have the opportunity to rescue someone who might become a useful ally down the line.

 

[aco175]

How long is this 'side quest'? You have one player missing from the game and if the game is only to take one session you need to think quick and simple. I would not want to have the player come back next week and not be finished with the travel to the adventure quest. I live the idea of a player coming up with an idea for something to fill travel with and something to do when one player is not there.

I would come up with a few simple ideas and a few encounters to fill in the time. Are the other townsfolk ok with a drow coming into town, or has the guard gotten all/most folk to distrust them? Would the innkeeper tell the guard when they see a drow? Perhaps another non-drow worshiper of Eilistraee makes contact (and makes a good NPC friend for later quests) and needs help. A secret basement hangout near the river docks contains a few rooms and a torture chamber depending on how bad you want the guard. Finished helping the NPC out and you are on your way. Set something up for the return, or leave another thread for another PC to want to explore on the way back.

 

[pukunui]

The player has said he's fine with just a half-session.