Waterdeep Adventures & Rumors

[kkortekaas]

Howdy Folks,
I'll be starting up a new gaming group shortly and I'm planning on starting the PC's in 3.5 Edition Waterdeep (large port city in the Forgotten Realms). Now, I would like to have the first couple sessions to be fairly freeform (no pre-set adventures planned) but to do that, I need a large amount of rumors and possible plot points to drop for the PC's to persue at their leasure.

So far, I've got one, which is why I need assistance. Can you help me come up with a bunch of threads for my PC's to follow?

News:
Increase of pirate attacks on merchant shipping in the waters around Waterdep. Ships sailing under the Dezlentry flag seem to be particularly hard hit.

Trigger
While travelling around the docks, a cry of pain can be heard from a nearby alley, assuming the PC's investigate, they find a fairly well dressed lad with a messenger bag being acosted by a group of thugs. During the assumed PC intervention, the lad runs off, but drops the bag which has a bunch of charts and stuff with the Dezlentry seal on some of the items.

What's Really Going On.
A lesser cousin in the Dexlentry is making a fortune selling route and manifest information to a pirate band.

[Diarmuid]

Bandits
Merchant Carvans coming to Waterdeep are reporting being robbed by bandits (people, orcs, goblins, whatever). The guard is stretched thin currently and is looking for volunteers to go hunt them down.

Trigger
Signs posted at various points in town.

What's really going on
Bandits are robbing people and the guard wants people to go eliminate them.

Missing Noble
Some minor noble has gone missing and his family is trying to find him.

Trigger
Overheard at a bar/inn by guards who work for the noble family.

WRGO
The kid got kidnapped for ransom
The kid decided to be stupid and try to go into Undermountain to impress a girl
The kid is in hiding to try and foster some increased attention/sympathy with his family.

[kkortekaas]

Lots of views, only one post. Come on guys and gals I know your full of good ideas.

BUMP.

[Notreallyhere77]

A group of bandits outside of town have been identified at knights no longer in service of a murdered noble, ousted from his lands after being accused of his murder and now preying on travellers for survival.

Are they guilty? Those who manage to parley say they claim innocence, but how does one know for sure? their banditry is not helping thier casue, but they spare the lives of their quarry whenever possible...

This one isn't world-specific, but I'm afraid I know little of Waterdeep. I'm more familiar with what's under it.

[Galsiah]

Some good rumors about particular masked lords and trying to figure out who they are/manipulate their ruling decisions.

Various cults ect. in the tunnel system under the city needing to be dealt with/joined (In the book City of Splendors: Waterdeep, there is a particular cult devoted to grafting monster parts to their bodies and becoming more powerful through further grafts)

Smuggling of various goods, said goods being kept in warehouses at the docks could be nice for sneakier characters

[Thrud]

News Drow have been infiltrating the city at night, planning to kill off the Lords of Waterdeep to soften up the city for invasion, so far they are only concentrated in one area of the city.

Trigger Most of the seedier bars in whichever area of the city you pick have people talking about these rumors

What's really going on A slightly cleverer gang than normal is using these rumors to scare a rival gang in their area into giving up their territory without a fight. Really it is just some somewhat clever half elven rogues running a gang, who are using disguise skill, black face paint, and a really big pair of brass balls, to take over a more powerful gang.




News People are disappearing for a few days, then returning with no memory of what has happened to them.

Trigger Someone has posted a reward for anyone to find their son who has just been kidnapped, though he will be returned again soon after the PCs start looking into the problem.

What's really going on A Red Wizard has perfected a delayed effect suggestion spell that lets him place subliminal triggers into people so that he can control them later on with a simple command. He is planning to use many of them in local political elections to get himself elected into a position of power, and/or help him track down one of the Lords of Waterdeep so that he can take his/her place.

Obviously this would be a pretty long running campaign hook as the main bad guy would be way beyond the capabilities of a low level party to deal with. His mind control spell should have major limitations, like he can only take over for a short time before the spell ends once he has triggered it. Or the effects are pretty minor if he wants to have a more long term effect (akin to a charm spell. They are just really friendly towards him). But once the spell is in place, given enough time, he could have an army (for a short time) that could cause all sorts of issues above and beyond fixing political elections.




News Wild animals have started attacking citizens in a certain area of the city at night.

Trigger The party gets attacked by wild animals in a certain area of the city at night. :smallbiggrin:

What's really going on A druid has been driven mad by the continuing growth of the urban sprawl which is waterdeep. He is using his magic to strike back against those who are destroying the balance of nature.




News There is a huge treasure in a terrible dungeon outside of the city for anyone brave enough to risk it.

Trigger I like taverns a lot. Tavern rumors are fun. :smallbiggrin:

What's really going on One of the Lords of Waterdeep has set up the dungeon crawl as a test. He is looking for some skilled individuals to work directly for him as his 'agents'. All kinds of further plots can ensue from this one.

O.K. that's enough from me.

[Shadowleaf]

What level are your players? It is one thing to create plot hooks for levels 1-5, and another entirely for levels 15-20.
Assuming somewhat low level:

News: The local Thieves Guild have tenfolded their activity in the city - robberies, thievery, murders, etc.

Trigger: The party witnesses a crime, the party and a city guard patrol chase after, but the criminal gets away. The party then hears the guardsmen discussing the increase in activity, and that someone needs to take out the leaders of the Thieves Guild.

What's Really Going On: Another Thieves Guild has its eyes on Waterdeep, and will stop at nothing to drive/exterminate the original Thieves Guild. It uses its members - disguised and acting as part of the original Guild - to do crime and blame it all on the original Guild, therefore bringing attention away from themselves, and onto the original Guild.

[kkortekaas]

My group is going to be composed of 4 level 1 characters. I'd offer up race / class info, but I'm playing a modified Iron Heroes / Forgotten Realms mash up and it probably wouldn't make sense