Trying to start the party off with strong ties to Diamond Lake here's what I've got so far:
Rogue's cousin is Constance Grace.
Rogue's dragonchess buddy is the wizard.
Allustan's apprentice is the wizard.
Allustan's adopted "nephew" is the fighter.
Fighter's "classmate-at-arms" at the garrison is the cleric.
Monk was asked to explore because Istivin saw strange signs in the stars: an ear, a staff, and a large segmented serpent or somesuch.
Half-orc barbarian was fired from the Midnight Salute because Constance Grace started seeing him romantically (he's so uncomplicated and of course women always fall for the "bad boy"). Purple Prose didn't want to lose one of her best girls - no one will pay for an orc's girlfriend.
Constance Grace is kidnapped and they send Purple Prose her ear as proof.
She calls on her old doorman - the half-orc barbarian because she knows he would want to help (plus she's with child - maybe his).
Prose also calls the rogue because he's family. He recognizes her earring. As everyone is drawn in to the plot via acquaintances (hey, I know a guy that can help...) the monk shows up because he's heard rumors of an ear.
Well the kidnappers are keeping her in the old abandoned mine office. They are: a hobgoblin fighter, a goblin ranger/rogue, and a crazed bugbear cleric. The cleric has been infected with a Kyuss worm and is going insane from the Int drain. In the middle of negotiations he'll go crazy and start screaming of hunger, filth, and death, etc. and try to inflict wounds on anything close. He'll vomit up bile and dead worms in his death throes (before he transforms) and then raise up as a zombie 1d4 rounds later.
The goblin acts a sniper from the upper floor, and as soon as the bugbear loses it he's downstairs trying to take care of Constance (with a kukri). The party enters as he's taking her other ear and he escapes out a window and runs down a trail. This takes them to the Whispering Cairn. Thinking the goblin has escaped into the Cairn will draw the party in...
I'd like the goblin and hobgoblin to become recurring villians throughout the campain and possibly fight the party in the arena. I'd like to see the showdown between the goblin and half-orc when the half-orc notices that he's still wearing her ear as a trophy.
Any constructive comments? Suggestions? Praise? Curses?
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Why would Purle Prose pay the ransom for an earless lady of the evening at all? The way i see it the goblinoids could be in the pay of Balabar Smenk to find out what Constance knows about him and the other mine managers (He found out she was a spy for Lanod Neff). The entire kidnapping was just a ruse.
Behind the scenes they kidnapped Constance for Smenk - but the hobgoblin is looking for some extra cash. Prose isn't looking to pay a ransom, she's trying to contact the girl's lover and cousin to try and get her back safe. She cares enough about the girl, but can't afford a ransom.