Nidgit
2022-08-11, 01:55 PM
In our home game, the party has just encountered a bound Arcanaloth that will shortly be freed as soon as the party gets a MacGuffin they need for other reasons. The Arcanaloth bears the party no particular ill will and has actually won some cautious sympathy through their dialogue, so they're looking to make the best of the situation. In exchange for statblock information on the current BBEG, the party has agreed to answers two more questions truthfully and to completion, with the caveat that neither question can be about any of the party. What kind of thing does the Arcanaloth ask?
The Arcanaloth has been bound in an empty tomb for a millenia and is naturally curious about the world, but won't ask anything too simple because they're about to be freed anyway. She has a grudge against an Ultroloth but has no reason to believe the party knows anything about this rival or the Lower Planes (and they don't). And she can't ask anything about the party in front of her, though it's just a verbal agreement and she might be able to wheedle some information out anyway.
Ultimately this is just about building further trust so the Arcanaloth can get the party to trade favors for additional aid, but she still wants to maximize her gains. As a DM, I want the party to feel a little uneasy at what she's learning but not so much that they're unwilling to keep talking to her. So what type of questions would you ask if you were playing an Arcanaloth in this situation?
The Arcanaloth has been bound in an empty tomb for a millenia and is naturally curious about the world, but won't ask anything too simple because they're about to be freed anyway. She has a grudge against an Ultroloth but has no reason to believe the party knows anything about this rival or the Lower Planes (and they don't). And she can't ask anything about the party in front of her, though it's just a verbal agreement and she might be able to wheedle some information out anyway.
Ultimately this is just about building further trust so the Arcanaloth can get the party to trade favors for additional aid, but she still wants to maximize her gains. As a DM, I want the party to feel a little uneasy at what she's learning but not so much that they're unwilling to keep talking to her. So what type of questions would you ask if you were playing an Arcanaloth in this situation?