My Players owe a Genie a favor...

[Tim Statler]

Or more specifically, an Efreet.

While running Thornkeep: Sanctum of a Lost Age;

Spoiler:

The party enters the Hall of Graven Images, and the Quasit starts releasing the monsters from the paintings.
After releasing several other monsters, the Quasit releases the Efreet. The bard recognizes it and quickly yells for the party NOT to attack it. While it is hit with incidental damage from AoEs and splash (which is healed by the cleric channeling and not excluding it), the Bard successfully Diplomacizes it and stops the fight against it.
They promise to release it as soon as they solve the puzzle of the Sanctum.

During the next fight, against one of the BBEGs it goes badly for them, the Efreet is watching and asks if they would like his help for a later favor. The players seeing the hook the worm is on, still agree as long as it did not go against their moral code.

So now what I need is ideas for what the Efreet might need help with.

[deuxhero]

At the bare minimum, 3 wishs to benefit the Genie each

[MC Templar]

Step back from the specifics of the Efreet and approach this from a macro level.

What kind of acceptable offer/story hook could a Lawful Evil character provide, that a good party could consider.

Now, if you are looking to make them regret their decision, in the long run, have the Efreet be clever enough to present them something that serves it's own interests while subverting the interests of something evil, something the party could tell themselves they might have fought anyway.

• This could be obtaining an artifact or item that is presently in the hands of an evil creature that is a threat to a good community...
  ... what the Efreet plans to do with said item is left unstated, the 'quest' for the party is "thwart the evil creature and return this item to me"
  
• This could be using the PCs as pawns in a greater game than they can fathom...
  ...sending them to move an item or open a gate that is protected from evil in a way that the Efreet couldn't do it himself if he wanted. The PCs don't even need to be aware of the impact of their actions until much later, us it as a plot hook for the 'next' quest
  
• This could be gathering innocuous items or wealth for the Genie... items that the party knows they could really use in the near future, but, an 'equitable exchange' is not against their moral code
  
• Lastly, this could be a simple side quest that is terribly inconvenient for the PCs. One that forces them to leave their present location and the momentum and gains they've made, in order to do something mundane and beneath them in order to satisfy their debt...
  ...something they all don't want to do, because it is by definition pointless, but something they can't possibly rationalize as against a moral code... something the Efreet can present, for no better reason that he knows they are insulted by the quest and will hate it, but have to do it just because he makes them
  

(it's a creature of fire, that lives in a plane of fire, it's reasonable that it might have peculiar and alien motivations)

[Mikaze]

"His daughter was kidnapped and is being held for ransom" would be one that good parties could have some real fun with. Alternately, she ran away and needs to be found/rescued from whatever trouble she's in and brought back home.

Efreeti are major players in planar trade. PCs could be brought in to broker a trade agreement with some difficult merchants(other genies, particularly alien mercanes, someone even stranger...)

[Tim Statler]

MC Templar, those are pretty good and along the lines of my thinking (but not as nebulous as what I had.)

Mikaze, the Efreet has been trapped for several thousand years, so daughter probably wouldn't work. But I didn't know about the planar trade aspect, so that can be worked in.

Please keep them coming. I'm keeping notes

[the David]

So, the players are already helping the Efreet by releasing him from his imprisonment. He doesn't help them in battle, but is willing to in return of a favor?
1. The Efreet already owes them a favor.
2. When trying to escape the Efreeti should do everything possible to be succesful. Failure is not an option.

[Tim Statler]

The Efreet knows that failure is not an option and would have steped in eventually, but why not get something out of it. He is LE afterall.

And they have already worked out payment for freeing him.

[Tim Statler]

Bump

[Pizza Lord]

The efreet needs to reestablish himself back home after so long away. He says he'll get in touch soon. He decides to run a stable in the next round of arena fights in the City of Brass.

The next time the PCs reach town the efreet contacts them telepathically and says it needs a dozen people (mortals) to enter into the City of Brass arena. He sounds apologetic that it's such short notice, but he just found out that the entry is in 10 minutes or so. Yes, it's dangerous but it's not like he's asking the PCs to risk their lives, although come to think of it... they are pretty skilled.

Their favor isn't to fight for the efreet, only to quickly gather a dozen people to do so, although they can choose themselves. The PCs just have to mentally 'select' the chosen fighters in the time provided. If the PCs can't choose enough people in time, the efreet picks 'randomly' from NPCs in the area (meaning the ones most likely to die amusingly, though he won't say that.) If the party refuses, the efreet seems understanding and says he'll hold off on the favor for another time, it was short notice after all. Then 12 random and unlikely-to-survive NPCs disappear from their vicinity.

If the PCs do select themselves, and there are likely less than a dozen PCs, they will still have to pick obviously unqualified NPCs from the immediate area, like the stableboy, serving wench, town drunk, etc. Maybe one or two can be competent, like the gate guard or the innkeeper, but for the most part, make sure they're in a simple place like a village or roadside inn. Have some ready-made commoners ready to go and have them been met or spotted previously and prior to this.

Assuming the PCs go along, the group finds themselves in the fabled City of Brass, although in a sweaty, spartan training/preparation room with no windows. The efreet (magically disguised as a friendly-looking humanoid so as not to startle to NPCs, but who reveals his identity to the PCs with a friendly wink and tooth sparkle) explains the situation.

It's a 3 round tourney. Each fighter can only compete in one fight. The limit is 3 to 6 fighters per fight. That means if six of the twelve fighters enter the 1st match only three can be used in each of the 2nd and 3rd fights. If they only use three in the 1st match, then they could use six in the 2nd and three in the 3rd, or they could keep it even and enter four fighters in each round. The efreet says he'll leave such details up to the PCs, since they 'know' the other fighters better, having picked them.

The rules should be no weapons, armor, or items from outside the arena, they'll be provided by the city (excepting possibly spell component pouches or holy symbols). Spell-casting is allowed (none of the NPCs should be spellcasters, but it's possible for the PCs to have a follower, cohort, or have picked one who does if they were in the vicinity). This being a major planar trade city, any normal weapon or armor and shield should be provided (including exotic weapons if a PC is trained in such, none of the NPCs are though). Magic items can be used before the fight, like potions or scrolls, just not brought into the match.

I'd say have one fight be 2 CR below the party average, one be equal, and one be 2 above it. Don't say which is which necessarily and probably keep the opposing team at 4 creatures per match. None of the enemies should be weapon resistant though magic resistant should be allowed.

The enemy team should be a mix of other races. Maybe the first match is a pair of hobgoblin skirmishers, backed up by a drider or centaur archer (keep track of arrows), with a war dog. Another might be a shield-defending warrior backed by 2 polearm-wielding fighters and a mounted knight with a lance (his mount is not counted as a combatant because if the knight is defeated it won't attack). Maybe a goblin shaman with magic missile spells riding a giant scorpion (counts as a combatant since it will attack the PCs) and maybe a trident & net-wielding fighter, and a troll (doesn't have to be 'killed' only dropped for maybe 2 or 3 rounds to be declared out, or dropped last.) It all depends on what would be a good challenge rating.

Optimally, the PCs should choose to split themselves throughout the matches so as to avoid having NPC commoners alone in the fight. The efreet should be able to tell them the descriptions of which enemies are in which round (though not how strong they are), so they can make their own calls. They can come up with a plan to keep the NPCs alive if they wish, "You all get tower shields, hide behind them until we're done", or give them ranged weapons for support, or maybe reach weapons to stay behind the PCs.

In the end, it doesn't matter to the efreet if any of them die (though he does want to win he doesn't care if any of them die) the favor is paid. Assuming his 'team' wins 2 out of the 3 fights, he wins and has the living fighters healed and sent back home along with the bodies of dead fighters. If he doesn't win 2 out of 3, the favor is paid, but he's unhappy and just returns everyone home without healing along with the bodies of slain fighters. Since the people are fighting for the efreet, if they win, he gets the rewards, they get nothing. If you really want to rub it in, you can have slaves from his opponent arrive carrying piles of art and valuable gems which he has placed, "over there in the corner somewhere for now," with a dismissive gesture before he sends the PCs back home with a similarly dismissive gesture.