Ilse of Side-Adventures

[Zombie Boots]

**Semi-spoilers you’ve been warned.**

So my D&D campaign has been on hiatuses for the last month or so and I’m just jumping back into the game. I find myself at a creative loss. My players a group of 5-6 (depending on the day) have just finished up the Crimson Sun-set in Tides of Dread and are now embarking on the Lightless Depths.

However throughout the Tides of Dread a series of side quests that they’ve/I’ve created have popped up. Most notably Churtle has been thrown to the local tribe of LizardFolk on the main-land and the PCs wish to stage a daring rescue for the little cook. I’d like this setting to be somewhat memorable instead of just a random encounter in Lizardfolk ruins, but not sure what to spice it up.

Second on the list: A traitorous Yaun-ti Cleric has turned coat and is now in fact a PC character. Since the Yaun-ti Sorcerer from the Crimson Fleet attack has actually escaped along with a few of his comrades I’m planning on having Sorcerer come harass the PCs for revenge... somehow.

Lastly I dislike how after “Tides of Dread” Avner simply drops off of center stage. I’d really like a reason to bring this character back into the foreground. Perhaps have something happen to him involving the Dragon Eel? The PCs have been eyeing this Infamous Monster for a while now.

So I am suffering from a mild writers block at the moment and have come to the STAP boards to see if any suggest/ideas can get my creative juices pumping again. So any advise at all is very much appreciated, please and thank you.

[Matthew Vincent]

Zombie Boots wrote:

I’d like this setting to be somewhat memorable instead of just a random encounter in Lizardfolk ruins, but not sure what to spice it up.

Legacy of the Savage Kings contains a good Lizardfolk lair. Maybe you could give a bit more Olman feel to the ruins.

Detailed tiles for the entire dungeon are available here (I printed out the entire thing, taped it together, then covered unexplored sections... my players loved it.)

Alternately, you could use the troglodyte lair in Lightless Depths (i.e. using Churtle rather than other clues as a hook into the next adventure).

[Savage_ScreenMonkey]

Thats pretty cool. This was something that I really wanted to do when I run this. The Isle has lots of cool possiblities for side-trek/mini adventures.

Avner is a power hungry little bastard. Perhaps he has discovered some kind of powerful Olman relic/artifact and he plans to use it to secure his place as the ruler of the Isle. Maybe he falls in with Demogorgon via the same demon that Vanthus made a pact with. Perhaps he just fed up with the PCs stealing his thunder and hires some assassins or frames them for some kind of crime that they didnt commit.

[carborundum]

Avner riding into town on an Ankylosaurus he's subdued with an Olman crown just popped into my head :)