A forgotten Drow house cast in exile by strong magic over a couple 1,000 years ago, mysteriously has awakened in the Underdark under Neverwinter Woods. Two Drow brothers seek revenge on Sword Cost and have summoned Yogoloths to steal a phylactery of an ancient Dragolich from the high wizards of Neverwinter, with the intent to unleash it against the city and the rest of the region. They invoked the help of the Cult of The Dragon to complete the ritual. The adventurers were sent to track down, retrieve, and take back the phylactery from a secret ritual location deep in the Woods. Upon arrival, it was discovered the Wearer of Purple attempted to double cross the Drow. The Cult of the Dragon wanted to complete the ritual on their own and allow the Dragolich to destroy both the Drow house and rule Sword Coast. The cult then learned the power of the two brothers. The Cult of the Dragon sect was sealed in a small mine and the phylactery remained with the Drow brothers. The Drow brothers retreated back to the Underdark but don’t have the ability to unleash the Dragolich. And their plot of revenge is slowly revealing itself. But through their deception of power, they’ve convinced fragments of the Many Arrows orc tribe to unite and ransack villages and cause havoc while they struggle to amass power in the Underdark to rise above. They are secretly funding the Zhents for information about the area, political power, and what has changed over 1,000 years. My question is what other “stuff” would the Drow brothers need from the Zhents? The adventurers are tracking Zhents now which will lead to a meeting place but not sure what the Zhents would be trading (other than information). Any creative ideas are appreciated.
Most of the "stuff" could be military and political information.
Military: What "upgrades, discoveries, and new magics" have been discovered and developed over the last 1,000 years? That's a TROVE of information. The more they know, the more the Drow can make sure their forces are geared to win and not the equivalent of a spearman vs. a tank.
Political: Nations have come and gone. The powers that be are not the powers that were back in the day. They seem to be involved in this already, but would really want more so they can find out who they need to get leverage on to make things go their way.
AgileDm gave good answers, but I have some ideas that may be a little quirkier. Maybe they’re looking for something they miss from 1,000 years ago. Like a favorite thing, maybe go Citizen Kane and have it be their version of Rosebud, basically some childhood toy, that the zhents have sitting in a warehouse somewhere because they don’t think it’s really worth anything.
Or they want a recipe for their favorite food.
Or the location of where a beloved mentor is buried.
Basically something personal and sentimental. It seems like they’re on a suicide mission, so give them something they want to resolve. It can help make them more 3-dimensional characters.
Here’s our adventure so far:
A forgotten Drow house cast in exile by strong magic over a couple 1,000 years ago, mysteriously has awakened in the Underdark under Neverwinter Woods. Two Drow brothers seek revenge on Sword Cost and have summoned Yogoloths to steal a phylactery of an ancient Dragolich from the high wizards of Neverwinter, with the intent to unleash it against the city and the rest of the region. They invoked the help of the Cult of The Dragon to complete the ritual. The adventurers were sent to track down, retrieve, and take back the phylactery from a secret ritual location deep in the Woods. Upon arrival, it was discovered the Wearer of Purple attempted to double cross the Drow. The Cult of the Dragon wanted to complete the ritual on their own and allow the Dragolich to destroy both the Drow house and rule Sword Coast. The cult then learned the power of the two brothers. The Cult of the Dragon sect was sealed in a small mine and the phylactery remained with the Drow brothers. The Drow brothers retreated back to the Underdark but don’t have the ability to unleash the Dragolich. And their plot of revenge is slowly revealing itself. But through their deception of power, they’ve convinced fragments of the Many Arrows orc tribe to unite and ransack villages and cause havoc while they struggle to amass power in the Underdark to rise above. They are secretly funding the Zhents for information about the area, political power, and what has changed over 1,000 years. My question is what other “stuff” would the Drow brothers need from the Zhents? The adventurers are tracking Zhents now which will lead to a meeting place but not sure what the Zhents would be trading (other than information). Any creative ideas are appreciated.
Most of the "stuff" could be military and political information.
Military: What "upgrades, discoveries, and new magics" have been discovered and developed over the last 1,000 years? That's a TROVE of information. The more they know, the more the Drow can make sure their forces are geared to win and not the equivalent of a spearman vs. a tank.
Political: Nations have come and gone. The powers that be are not the powers that were back in the day. They seem to be involved in this already, but would really want more so they can find out who they need to get leverage on to make things go their way.
View my StartPlaying.Games profile to see my games!
AgileDm gave good answers, but I have some ideas that may be a little quirkier.
Maybe they’re looking for something they miss from 1,000 years ago. Like a favorite thing, maybe go Citizen Kane and have it be their version of Rosebud, basically some childhood toy, that the zhents have sitting in a warehouse somewhere because they don’t think it’s really worth anything.
Or they want a recipe for their favorite food.
Or the location of where a beloved mentor is buried.
Basically something personal and sentimental. It seems like they’re on a suicide mission, so give them something they want to resolve. It can help make them more 3-dimensional characters.
Awesome. Thank you.
poison and/or power
My youtube channel