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More one shot idea planning (part 4): A new family member from an estranged side of the family has shown up at the door, asking for aid

DO NOT READ IF YOU WISH TO PLAY!

So I wrote a list of 15 one shot ideas, then narrowed it to five, and then narrowed it to three and did a pageish on each one (here is the oneish page on "A new family member from an estranged side of the family has shown up at the door, asking for aid"). Now I've selected my favorite (which I admittedly knew from the beginning). You can read part 1 hereread part 2 here, and read part 3 here, but I've copied it and built on it in this post.

The Job (in short):

Deal with Frid Rosewind and/or what he has brought with him.

The Locations:

Windsport:

  • The Rosewinds founded Windsport on the Tra Sea on the east side of the island nation of Cuilinn
  • Originally the Rosewinds made money on a brisk shipping business, but as more competition moved into this lucrative port, their funds have gone down. While they are still wealthy, they are far from the moguls they once were and live in a somewhat rundown mansion on the edge of town called Rosewood
  • The favorite local tavern in town is called The Blue Whale
    • One room
    • Dank
    • Smells of the sea
    • Gorgeous bartender who brightens up the place
  • The Rosewinds have the means and influence to bring most things to Windsport, but it can take time
  • Based on this map of Collinsport, but here is the final map

Rosewood:

The Patron:

Either the family itself or the mayor

  • The Rosewinds
    • There is a mayor of this town, but the Rosewinds are also seen as an authority in town.
    • Reward: continued or heightened clout
  • The mayor (Arryn Kelro)
    • Elf, middle-aged, female, tall, elegant, silver hair, ice blue eyes, dark brown skin, careful with her words
    • There is a mayor of this town, but the Rosewinds are also seen as an authority in town. 
    • The mayor reports to the governor of the state of Enaim, Daniel Cuidachta, who reports to the king of the nation of Cuilinn, Craolachan Mericea
    • Reward: money and political favors

The Important NPCs:

Frid Rosewind

  • Frid Rosewind, an elven family member from the Rosewind side who 200 years ago went to the west side of Cuilinn
  • He is middle-aged and walks with a cane
  • Black hair
  • Pale skin
  • Brown eyes
  • 6 foot
  • Lean
  • He appears to have Rosewind family heirlooms, at least remarkably similar items to those in a painted portrait that hangs in Rosewood
  • He is very gallant and formal and seems remarkably out of place and at home at the same time
Loomis Hollingshead 
  • A human servant of the the Rosewinds
  • He is roughly in his late 30s
  • Sandy blonde hair
  • Pale skin
  • Blue eyes
  • 5'8"
  • Muscular
  • Nervous fellow, but has gotten quiet recently
  • One of the last servants of the Rosewinds, his family has served the Rosewinds for generations, but the Rosewinds haven't been paying him well recently
Arryn Kelro
  • Female elven mayor
  • Middle-aged
  • Silver hair
  • Ice blue eyes
  • Dark brown skin
  • 6'4" 
  • Careful with her words
  • Respects the Rosewinds, sees them as key political figures
Margaret Winters
  • Female human bartender at The Blue Whale
  • Mid-20s
  • Auburn hair
  • Green eyes
  • Tan skin
  • 5'2"
  • Big smile, always happy to greet others, dreamed of getting out of town to a bigger city
  • Descended from the Winters family, an old Windsport family that once rivaled the Rosewinds but fell out of favor with them about 200 years ago

The Timing:

The arrival of Frid Rosewind

The Potential Timeline:

  • Before game play
    • Frid Rosewind wanted to marry Josette Winters, but since she was a human, his family would not allow it. Desperate to find a solution, he went into the forest to seek a witch, Angelina. He begged her to find a way for him and Josette to be together forever. However, Angelina was evil and turned him into a vampire, simply explaining that all he had to do was turn Josette and they could live together as vampires forever. She then vanishes in a puff of smoke
    • Frid ran to Josette to try and find a solution, but upon seeing him, she fled and ultimately fell from a cliff as she ran from him
    • Frid's family found him as a vampire at the top of the cliff and subdued him, locking him in a hidden compartment in the mausoleum that they had been using to stash treasure
    • These actions caused a split in the family, and some went west
    • The Winters family always suspected the Rosewinds of being responsible for Josette's death and the relationship between the families soured with the Rosewinds cutting the Winters out of business deals, causing them to slowly fall from grace
    • 200 or so years later, Loomis Hollingshead, looking to get some funds to compensate for his slashed salary, went grave robbing. He broke into a mausoleum on the anniversary of Frid being locked down there (magic allowed him to enter that day) and found a hidden compartment. In that compartment, he found a staircase down to a lair. In the lair, he found treasure beyond belief, but also a coffin with iron chains around it. Thinking this could be a boon, he opened it, but a vampire emerged and bit him.
    • Frid is awakened by Loomis and turns him into a servant and a food source
    • Loomis plots with Frid for Frid to be welcomed into the Rosewind home
      • If he is not welcomed, Loomis tells Frid of The Blue Whale as a place to stay
  • During game play
    • Option 1: Frid arrives at the house and is welcomed
      • Day 0: He spends the night in the house, snooping about for any hint to his true identity. His presence draws wolves to Windsport
      • Day 1: Before dawn, he sneaks out back to his lair to hide from the sun, consuming some animals along the way. Loomis will say he went for a stroll in the woods
      • Day 2: The next night, Frid announces he is going to The Blue Whale where he encounters the beautiful Margaret Winters who looks remarkably like his deceased love, Josette whom he was not allowed to marry. Late in the night, he stalks and abducts Margaret
      • Day 3: Margaret is discovered missing and the Rosewinds are forced to act
      • Days from then on depend on what the Rosewinds discover
    • Option 2: Frid arrives at the house and is turned away
      • Day 0: He goes to The Blue Whale and encounters the beautiful Margaret Winters who looks remarkably like his deceased love, Josette whom he was not allowed to marry. His presence draws wolves to Windsport
      • Day 1: Before dawn, he sneaks out back to his lair to hide from the sun, consuming some animals along the way. Loomis will say he went for a stroll in the woods
      • Day 2: Late in the night, he stalks and abducts Margaret
      • Day 3: Margaret is discovered missing and the Rosewinds are forced to act
      • Days from then on depend on what the Rosewinds discover

The Set Pieces:

  • Weekly family dinner
  • Frid Rosewind arrives
    • The Rosewind family sits down to their weekly family dinner. Amidst the talking, a loud knock resounds through the poorly kept Rosewood. At the door is a face the entire Rosewind family recognizes, for an astonishingly similar one hangs in their hallway. The person at the door claims to be Frid Rosewind, from the eastern Rosewinds (whom the western Rosewinds lost touch with centuries ago). Frid shares his sob story of going against his family in a matter of political business and becoming estranged from them. Now finding himself destitute, he decided to seek out the only other family he has: the Rosewinds of Windsport. Does the family invite him in or send him elsewhere?
  • Family makes a choice about whether to let Frid Rosewind in
  • Bizarre and concerning events occur
    • Packs of wolves have been heard (starting day 1)
      • Investigate: Buzz about town
    • Animals are turning up dead (starting day 1)
      • Investigate: Buzz about town, can view the animals and will see that they have been slashed and blood is everywhere, but a high investigation check will show that it's not as much as you'd expect
    • A young woman (Margaret Winters) has gone missing (starting day 2)
      • Investigate: Visit Margaret's home and discover it looks as though she opened her French doors and simply walked out. A 15+ check will show other footprints near her doors that accompany her footprints. A 20+ will reveal that there are cane marks. She also has a diary that reveals she heard the wolves and felt an odd pull towards them
  • Either the mayor contacts them or the family decides to act
  • Frid's secret is uncovered
  • Final confrontation with Frid

The World:

Magic:

  • Some magic is believed to come from the goddess Bandia, but it is also known that magic some comes from darker places
  • Magic is viewed with some caution, but it is far from illegal
Races:
  • I imagine this world to just be elves, half-elves, and humans
  • Elves are the ancient species of this land and humans came from a foreign land about 1,000 years ago and have intermixed
  • Even though there are no legal barriers for any species, societally, elves typically are richer and more elitist (though some humans believe in their superiority as well).

Religion:

  • Curses, demons, witches, etc. are very much believed to be a thing
  • Magic alone is not enough to be considered to make you fearsome, but it can be a factor
  • Curses etc. are believed to be unholy and have no place in the religion of the world
  • The religion is monotheistic, worshipping the goddess Bandia (whose symbol is a bright yellow sun)

The Players:

Requirements:

  • One of the races below
    • If born into the family
      • Elf: Elves are the ancient species of this land and humans came from a foreign land about 1,000 years ago and have intermixed. Richer more elitist
      • Half-elf: Elves are the ancient species of this land and humans came from a foreign land about 1,000 years ago and have intermixed
    • If married into the family
      • Elf: Elves are the ancient species of this land and humans came from a foreign land about 1,000 years ago and have intermixed. Richer more elitist
      • Half-elf: Elves are the ancient species of this land and humans came from a foreign land about 1,000 years ago and have intermixed
      • Human: Elves are the ancient species of this land and humans came from a foreign land about 1,000 years ago and have intermixed. Some believe in their superiority as well
  • Class
    • A class from the player’s handbook
  • Background
    • Any of the player's choosing
  • Alignment
    • Any except chaotic evil
  • Level
    • 6
  • Content
    • Homebrew Content and Critical Role Content on, rest off
  • Stats
    • Roll 4d6, remove the lowest dice result, add up the remaining numbers 
      • Get in touch if your character feels too weak or too OP (I trust your gut to know if it feels one way or the other)
  • Party size
    • 3-5

Things to work with me on:

  • What items the characters have:
    • This is somewhat flexible
    • Given, the family is old money, so it's plausible that they'd have quite a bit
    • However, with magic being somewhat suspect, magic items are rarer in this world
    • Also, since the family lives in town, they likely wouldn't have too many adventuring items, but I could be made to believe there are some family heirlooms
  • Some suggestions as to why Frid's presence and the following events disturb the players:
    • Character desires to return the Rosewind name to glory
    • Character is on Frid's side in the political disagreement that he says landed him destitute
    • Character is a closer follower of Bandia
    • Character is friends and/or lovers with Margaret Winters

(Prompt by me)

"Roll a D20 for Photography Skill (34/365)" by JoAttribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic.

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