Help me round out my villain

[FunSize]

So in my D&D 5E game I decided to challenge myself by having the "main" villain be threatening through political power, connections, and intelligence rather than combat prowess or magic. Think less General Zod and more Lex Luthor.

So enter Countess Alexandra Lathir.Here's what the PCs know about her:

She was of common birth and had a controversial marriage to a prominent head of one of the larger provinces (it's a homebrew setting if that matters)

Her husband recently died and she was elevated to the head of her House. She and the Count had no children.

She employed the PCs to investigate an assassin's guild she expected were behind her husband's murder. They discovered the involvement of a third party (another villain who goes by the pseudonym "The Black Fox").

She is well loved by her subjects, both for her beauty and charisma and by her good works for the poor. Like, Princess Diana level.

She is aggressively pursuing Drow incursions into her city, and has enlisted the help of the Temple of Ares and a representative of the largest mage guild in the nation. This proved to be a popular move.

What the PCs do NOT know...

She killed her husband in an attempt to usurp power.

She has her eyes set on the throne of the nation.

The Black Fox works for her (the Black Fox, is, in fact, a decoy villain and head of the Countess's Quirky Miniboss squad)

She has amassed a small fortune's worth of magic items.

She has agents in Dwarven cults aimed to strain relations with the Dwarven nations (primarily in the form of a secret cult the PCs have run afoul with).

She knows the secret history of the Kingdom, which involved the use of forbidden magic.

She plans to stage several attacks to the aim of making the populace believe that the kingdom is destabilizing, discrediting other nobles.

She's about to start a golem factory and the raw material is human souls.


So... any suggestions? It will probably be a while before the PCs get enough information to figure out she's the one behind everything, and confronting her directly will be difficult or costly and may be not even be a solution (she has the good will of the people and a high level Cleric on call).

Eventually -- as they gain power and information -- the most likely actions would be to try to counter her plans, or find some "smoking gun" evidence to publicly discredit her.

[MintyNinja]

I don't know how helpful I'm going to be, but this idea stuck out to me and I can't let it go:

Have her use the Adventurers to commit some aspects of her plans. Minor things like delivering orders or secret weapons will be enough to paint their hands red and discredit their own discrediting. I think it would add an amazing layer of intrigue over everything even after the reveal because now the "heroes" are public enemy number one and the actual villain is even more sympathetic for trusting them before. Public opinion can be deadly.

[Geddy2112]

Looks like we have a classic case of an inside job used to get ahead. In respect to that, you already have a very well rounded example of the archetype. I would add in a couple of quirks that will link back to her more sinister aspects, like a slight phobia of dwarves, or some mini golems on her desk that most people would just mistake as novelty desk items, or a slightly awkward family portrait of her and her late husband.

Also, keep up the part where despite the fact she is the BBEG(big bad evil girl), she is doing good for the community and kingdom as a whole. Keeping out the drow and helping the needy are good deeds. Likewise, she should be genuinely affably evil, and her kindness/charisma a legitimate part of her, not just a mask she drops the moment she goes murdery. Even when she is sacrificing people to make golems, she does not have to be rude about it.

I don't know how helpful I'm going to be, but this idea stuck out to me and I can't let it go:

Have her use the Adventurers to commit some aspects of her plans. Minor things like delivering orders or secret weapons will be enough to paint their hands red and discredit their own discrediting. I think it would add an amazing layer of intrigue over everything even after the reveal because now the "heroes" are public enemy number one and the actual villain is even more sympathetic for trusting them before. Public opinion can be deadly.

100% second this. A great moment for the big reveal would be during the black fox bossfight, and when he is mortally wounded/cornered and they give the classic "This is for Count Lathir" and he says "You fools, the Countess murdered Lathir! I was in her employ, but she sent you to tie up loose ends"

[Coventry]

My piece to add:

At the time of his assassination, the Count was planning to murder the Countess. The PCs should find evidence and proof about that long before they track down and kill the Black Fox.

Her reaction to finding that out should be to send the PCs off to get proof - were there co-conspirators? (Yes, and the PCs get confirmation that the Count was out to kill her.) But in doing that work, they get the lead that gives them access to the Black Fox. "Yeah, I had contracts from both of them to kill the other. I found the Count, first."

[TheYell]

you mentioned she has eyes on the throne. that indicates there is a superior authority to the countess.

i suggest that once she knows the party is onto her trail she indicts them before a royal officer who issues warrants to arrest the party for treason. that gives them the choice to talk the royal officer around or to fight him and be outlaw. if they are outlaw you can throw everyone and anyone at the party. if they can persuade the royal officer to arrest the countess he can offer them the choice of persuading the people while he makes the arrest or confront the countess themselves as his deputies. if they choose to handle the people they have to confront a mob of innocent and misguided people and the officer is slain while making the arrest so they have to confront the bbeg too afterwards.

[Mutazoia]

Can't.....resist...."Black Fox"....reference.....