Fund-raising adventure help

[CrackedChair]

Ok, so I recently thought up an interesting adventure goal. To pay off a debt.

Basically, I put the adventurers into the setting by having a economic crisis ravage the land they are in. Their trading company is their only hope, and they have to give them the funds to support their providence.

I took the idea from alot of games I played in the past, notably, and weirdly, Pikmin 2. I thought the plot of that game was interesting enough to actually put into perspective in D&D.

Now, they are adventurers and as such, they are likely to go across several treasures a day, but I intend on making them start out at level 1 or 3 at most, so this is by no means an easy adventure. It's going to include 4 people, so teamwork is essential in saving the providence. I already planned out a few encounters and treasure holds, but the problem is...

The Debt they have to pay off is around 90,000 GP. So even with several magic items they got to sell, it's going to be a pain for them to even utilize them to pay it off.

So tell me, guys, how should I go about this?

[Goodberry]

Well, if the money is the main goal, you have to emphasize that. Have the money constantly challenged. Thieves want it, poor villagers need it, local temples expect tribute. There should also be a deadline so every expenditure puts them in danger of not having enough left to make the payment on time. Also remember that in a country in economic crisis, getting full price for magic/gems/art/etc. will not exactly be easy.

[hymer]

So tell me, guys, how should I go about this?

This may be too regional, but you never know...

There is a safe, made by Frantz Jäger in Berlin (or alternatively Francis Hunter in London, but then you have to realign everything to the left). It contains 3 millions in cash in a red suitcase, harvested over a decade carefully avoiding all taxes and tithes by the continent-spanning merchants' guild. That had no small part in causing the current financial situation. The merchants want to get the money out of the country before midsummer, and will use their guild ship, currently in drydock, to do so. The PCs must strike before that happens!
They will need a marshmallow, two lengths of twine, a risqué dress, a horn of blasting, and the notes for the national anthem. The heist begins twenty minutes past midnight.

[TheFlyingCleric]

If most of their loot is going to be filling this gaping black hole of debt, then you should account for that when giving out loot. Give them items that are of little value to Adventurers (like tapestries),but that their associates can sell to shady people with deep pockets to help pay off the debt. That way they can feel less guilty about keeping all the Magic Weapons and Armor

[Telesto]

Drop the debt notion. You have already stated that their trading company is their only hope, so use that as a constant and ever needy expense. At which point they must secure funds initially to help build it up, but gradually those funds increase for various reasons. Not only do you get the money is critical aspect brought up already, but there is no hard cap and it becomes a constant hook.

[CrackedChair]

So wait, the debt is going to build up ever so often? Hmm... I guess that could give a good hook for them to keep going out of their way to sell and plunder hoards.

Ok, we established our characters, we got ourself a LG Paladin, a NG Monk, a N Druid, and a CG Sorcerer. Pretty much 3/4th of the party is, if they do play in character, are probably going to put this money to a better cause, so that for sure will get the story going.

I've already planned a magic item they could use that is given to the party as a resource of last resort, a Bag of holding to shove most of their crap in when they peruse treasure holds of kobolds/goblins/bandits/whatever, and I took the liberty of putting a few roadblocks, such as thugs that want their loot they keep gathering for the trading company, several highwaymen who demand toll, and of course, dragons. They may not be big dragons, but still, I have to plan out how a young dragon encounter is going to plan out. Maybe they could stumble upon the lair of a young Gold dragon who will probably offer some of his hoard to this cause, at the expense of them undergoing some quest for him... got any ideas?

[Telesto]

So wait, the debt is going to build up ever so often? Hmm... I guess that could give a good hook for them to keep going out of their way to sell and plunder hoards.

Think of it like attempting to begin a major business during a period of economic instability. You're going to be the pirates who form the Trading Company, or the mafia which creates the black market which establishes itself as a merchandise distributor. Or even the honest people attempting to begin a decent business with the goal of helping the common folk and the nation, whatever the case you are establishing a business during a period of difficulty.

Lets use something like the East Empire Trading Company as an example. Beginning with a necessary fund for a ship, or just procuring one in some way, you become the merchants who will take on risky routes to get goods somewhere in a timely fashion. Over time repairs, employees, etc will cost you money which means a profit must be turned in order to build the business. Through piracy or favorablr negotiations you increase the number of ships you have, which leads to a need for protection. Timeliness and a "get anywhere" attitude lead to you being a desirable trading company which causes higher demands on the company to maintain timely shipping as people need you in 5 places at once. Pirates try to rob your vessels so you need gunships and protection, this leads to greater costs, which again the PCs are supplying.

Ultimately you succeed or fail, and the economy of your nation depends on you. Whether you fail slightly or catostrophically rests on the PCs, but ultimately success could lead to the greatest company ever seen, and a booming economy for the nation. Difficult decisions abound, negotiations become critical and, essentially you end up similar to the EITC in Pirates of the Carribean, negotiating for powerful artifacts and always trying to come out on top, for an entire nation rests solely on the PCs.

Edit- Oh, give the PCs complete control over it. Actually leave success/failure in their hands, and the livelihoods of tens or hundreds of thousands of people on their heads.