It is a bit too late to backtrack on things now, so I can't really just say "Oh no, X really happened", because they players took actions because of it. I know details are sparse, but I don't feel like detailing the entire campaign so far with stuff that may or may not be useful. I'll answer questions as I can.
So, anyways, Homebrew campaign. A flood of letters got sent out, asking for ransom for parents/sibling/blah blah. Most of those that received the letter, including an NPC inside the party, have gone home to check on things. They have found that nothing is wrong, everyone is safe, and that the ransom letters are worthless.
I had something else planned with an attack on one city that was the main center of the letters going out, but that doesn't exactly work when suddenly everyone is home. My only other idea was a massive distraction, using it to buy time for something or just try to create general panic.
I'm not sure exactly which direction to take this that actually makes sense.
The NPC left solo, as it was a 'family matter' and the players didn't feel like butting in at that point.
The party just learned of these letters, and are currently going back to the town that they were sent from to see what is going on. They know some local pirate gang activity has been going on with a ship sailing secretly in the dead of night near the town, but otherwise haven't found out anything else.
The group is taking a break as two are on vacation and the next session isn't for 2 more weeks when everyone is back in town. I've been thinking about this since the last session, since they only just found out about the letters near the end of the night and decided on a course of action. They spent the day in the town, used 8hrs for crafting and other things before waiting for a stakeout of the ship they have heard about. They didn't use any of their time investigating the town (yet), are decided to see what was up with the ship before going forward.
The ship is unrelated currently, just a local goblin gang using the distract to ship some illegal-ish wares unless I come up with a better idea.
You could always listen to the players ideas and pick one. I saw a meme somewhere (paraphrased) "the best plot/trap is one where you(the DM) have no idea how it ends/should-be-solved, but just let the pcs try things until they try something that you think is just crazy/funny/smart enough to succeed."
The memory is always the 2nd thing to go with age, I just wish I could remember what was 1st...
I'm not sure what it is exactly that you want help with. What's the problem? What was your original plan and how was it derailed?
- Most of the letters are irrelevant except for one that lured a key NPC into an ambush where they were killed.
- Because these various people were at home they weren’t in position to deal with something else - theft, political intrigue, whatever.
- Someone point the finger at the PCs saying they were responsible for the letters, and they have problems as a result.
- The NPCs who went home were subjected to some sort of mind control by the dopplegangers who have replaced their families.
- The entire thing was dreamt up by some bored teenagers, and the party get dragged into chasing down the perpetrators, distracting them from the real threat.
- Most of the letters are irrelevant except for one that lured a key NPC into an ambush where they were killed.
- Because these various people were at home they weren’t in position to deal with something else - theft, political intrigue, whatever.
- Someone point the finger at the PCs saying they were responsible for the letters, and they have problems as a result.
- The NPCs who went home were subjected to some sort of mind control by the dopplegangers who have replaced their families.
- The entire thing was dreamt up by some bored teenagers, and the party get dragged into chasing down the perpetrators, distracting them from the real threat.
-to mix previous ideas, the fakes precede real kidnappings, with the purpose of sowing confusion and chaos as people don't only get kidnapped, but it's difficult to know which claims are true and then properly mount responses as people are flooded with threats of unknowable reliability.
-threats can be tied to deadlines that don't allow going back to check on family.-It can all be tied to people preparing a major operation against the nation, to a prank by kids, or some greedy wizard breaking gold on selling Sending services.
If enough people left the initial target that an attack is no longer an interesting option, then transition to a less violent take over of the location. If the chief goal of the attack was raw violence and mayhem, then those same forces should be attacking travelers returning home, spread out like bandits around the city. If the intent is a takeover, then the forces should move in and takeover, maybe working with organized crime groups to displace local government while they're weakened.
This is also a good opportunity to replace people with fakes. Attacking them on the road and assuming their identity means you have a good gap in time to exploit and the ransom plot is a sufficiently jarring scenario to explain any behavioral discrepancies.
I'd let the goblin thing play out. Maybe they're supplying the pod people and their wares would indicate as much. Crates of disguise kits, or disguise self scrolls and wands, maybe food that the local residents would never eat. After that event is resolved, people are getting packages with thumbs and signet rings and such of the people who appeared not to have been kidnapped when checked on. If the party doesn't pursue at this point, then the ransomers start selling their prisoners as slaves trying to cut their losses.
Over time it would become obvious that the pod people attempted to exploit the ransom scheme to take control of some key positions in the city and to buy cheap slaves off of the ransomers who couldn't get their demands met. The ransomers have likely been infiltrated by the pod people pushing them to an overly ambitious scheme in the first place.
How about: the kidnappings were done by a magical ritual that didn't quite work, and it merely stole part of each victim: their soul. The letters were readied in advance for delivery by imps or something.
The victims' bodies are possessed by demonic forces which gradually take over from the initial personality until one day each one walks glassy-eyed out into the sea / bursts into flame / ritually kills himself / goes berserk / etc.
So the PCs have to find out what's happened, hunt down the perpetrator and restore the souls before their NPC's kin (or whoever else matters) dies.
Thank you all for the ideas. You have all come up with a better idea than I could have with far more time to think about it.