What's in the Chest to Get Rid of an Unwanted Lord?

[Lord Lemming]

I'm running a game in my homebrew setting/campaign where the party started off as 7-year-old kids. The first session had them meeting, getting into little kid's adventures, and growing up to 12-year-olds with slightly better stats.

BTW, if any of my players are reading this, I suggest you stop before you get spoilers.

In the intervening time, the town (which is a little, peaceful town on the edge of civilization, the closest thing this world has to the Shire) gets taken over by a minor noble from elsewhere with some martial skill, weapons, and about a dozen similarly armed goons. The town COULD kick them out if they were roused, but like the hobbits of the Shire they aren't accustomed to fighting off outsiders, so the 'lord' and his gang stick around. Events turn so that the party is determined to get rid of the 'lord', and they're told by a traveling bard (who is secretly more akin to a minor deity) that there is an object hidden in a chest buried at the edge of town which can help get rid of the unwanted head of the town. The kids go off to find the chest, and when they do, accidentally awaken an undead skeleton, which has the chest lodged in its rib cage. And that's where I left off the last session.

So, my question is: What is in the chest, that the bard/minor god thinks can be used to get rid of the 'lord'?

The chest is small enough to be lodged in the skeleton's rib cage, so the object isn't particularly large.

The bard is powerful enough that she COULD simply kill the lord and his retinue without difficulty, but she doesn't want to. She wants the lord to leave, and not want to come back, preferably without the townsfolk cottoning on that SHE was the one responsible.

Ideally, the object inside the chest should be something that provides the party with options as to its use. For instance, the party might have the option of using it to drive the Lord away OR kill him. Which would be dark for a band of 12-year-olds, but fertile land for drama.

Whatever the object is, it should provide the party kids with agency when it comes to its use. Got any ideas?

[Theoboldi]

An important crown or other piece of regalia that would give its owner legitimacy as king where this minor noble is from. In fact, he came here to find it and settled for ruling the town when he couldn't do that.

Will the PCs give this to the noble to fulfill his quest so he returns home, at the cost of him potentially gaining much more power and becoming a threat in the future? Will they seek out a more worthy noble in exchange for their help in driving off the conqueror? Will they get it into the hands of a weaker neighboring region, so that the noble leaves and goes after them instead?

[Lord Lemming]

An important crown or other piece of regalia that would give its owner legitimacy as king where this minor noble is from. In fact, he came here to find it and settled for ruling the town when he couldn't do that.

Will the PCs give this to the noble to fulfill his quest so he returns home, at the cost of him potentially gaining much more power and becoming a threat in the future? Will they seek out a more worthy noble in exchange for their help in driving off the conqueror? Will they get it into the hands of a weaker neighboring region, so that the noble leaves and goes after them instead?

That's an idea with some legs. I'm not sure it's a perfect solution, but it beats anything I've come up with so far.

[MesiDoomstalker]

A family heirloom, cursed by his ancestors. It's presence brings about bad fortune and he had it buried when he moved in. The heirloom is mildly sentient; it seeks the 'lords' destruction but has limited direct agency. The PC's can confront the lord with the item directly, to scare him off, or go for spoopy and sneak the thing inside the lord's house (and retrieve it when its inevitably removed and then return it to the lord's possession).

[smasher0404]

Documents that prove the Lord is illegitimate, particularly some ancestry document that shows that the Lord was actually born to some commoner family, or that the noble family had their Lord replaced several generations back by an imposter and that X npc is the true descendant of that bloodline.

Bringing it to the capital of whatever kingdom the noble is from (presumably the same kingdom that the children are from) will potentially remove the nobles political power. It could also be used as blackmail material directly. Using it as blackmail material directly makes the kids a powerful enemy that can't move directly against them. Going to the capital removes a lot of power from said enemy, but is a quest in and of itself.

[Telok]

A deed to a small keep and the surrounding lands, medium-far away. The bullies leave, the pcs leave, or the entire town relocates without the bullies.

Alternately a damaged treasure map. You can just barely make out the warning signs. They'd rub off if you're rough with it.

[Angelmaker]

Proof that the bandit murdered a very beloved person in this region.

They can either use it to blackmail him "I know what you did last summer style" or tell the village about it to rile them into action.

[paddyfool]

Perhaps you could keep it simple, and make it some kind of mechanical spider golem, or a magical token that summons a giant spider of some kind, EDIT: or a wand of Summon Swarm, or it could simply be full of normal spider eggs and cobwebs, /EDIT and the bandit Lord secretly has severe arachnophobia? (Seems an appropriate toy for 12 year old adventurers, as well). Only question is how nasty they might get in exploiting this weakness.

EDIT 2: Or, going with the idea that others have had of incriminating evidence, the box might contain an intelligent dagger that the Bandit Lord used to murder someone... but they have to persuade the dagger to tell them what it knows, and not just assume they're being handed a tool to kill him with. And, of course, this dagger could also be a MacGuffin in some larger scheme.

[kitanas]

A wand of magic missile, or some other low-level damage spell. PC's being PC's, giving them that sort of combat edge is likely to convince them to stand up to the 'lord'.

[Kelb_Panthera]

Clear evidence that the noble isn't actually a noble.

Impersonating nobility is a capital crime in most medieval realms so taking clear proof of such to the local baron, duke, what-have-you that controls the region this and several other towns occupy should immediately result in a warrant on the "noble" and a contingent being dispatched to deal with the issue.

He'll be way too busy dodging anything like a real official for the rest of his days to bother this village again... unless he seeks revenge against the party responsible.

___________________________________________

Alternately, patents of nobility and clues to the location of a rightful lord to the village and its surrounding areas so that the party can seek him out and install him while deposing the usurper.

A device that reveals a shapechanger's true nature. If it turns out he's not human, not only will the townsfolk suddenly be much less willing to tolerate him, some if not most of his own men may well turn on him.

In the same vein as the previous, a device that will banish outsiders. Poof him back to his own world and out of yours and the problem's solved for a good while.

[Kaptin Keen]

Obviously, it's his guilty conscience. Doesn't really matter what it is, precisely - could be an artifact that shows people who they are and what they could have been, or it could be a toy horse that reminds the lord of his childhood, or .. whatever.

[Bohandas]

Perhaps some sort of long acting potion of Crushing Despair

[Kol Korran]

What is in the chest, lodged at a dead man's chest bones?

A heart of course! Also a dagger, a symbol and a ring.

A strange and beautiful looking heart- made of oak and leaves, softly humming. A thin, long dagger, almost like a needle, it's blade a deep red. A symbol on a chain, the image on it quite worn down, or scrubbed off? And a ring, beautiful and exquisite, bearing the crest of the town... These items habe a tale to tell.

The heart once belonged to a fey (A dryad? A nymph?) who long ago toyed, fooled and played with the males of the small village. At first those were pranks, but slowly they became more cruel, more malign...

At last a group of young adventurers set out to find this strange threat, but they were caught in her charms and tricks. Worst of all fell the holy man, a servant of a rare bard-like-deity. The young beliver fell for the fey's charms whole heartedly, falling deeply in love with her, giving himself to her completely. So completely in fact, to forgo his faith and devotion, and actively join his beloved cruel play as it pleased her so... Seeking to prove his love and faith for her, he went into the town and stole the ring of the lord's daughter, who was said to be the most beautiful in the region, and a subject of envy and dislike of the fey. This betrayel of trust shook the town, and brought great sorrow upon it. In their anger and sorrow, they raged against the deity-bard, and ruined the small shrine made for it, cursing and abandoning their worship.

Yet deity bards are, by their nature, lore keepers and have long memories. She did not like what was done to her servant, nor his fall from faith. Tricking them both she appeared as another adventurer sent to stop them, only to turn their tricks on them at the opportune moment! They fey, alarmed at the sudden divine appearance, thought her lover betrayed her, and stabbed his chest with her needle like dagger, the blade piercing his heart, drawing it in. The quickly dying young man, seeing both his deity and beloved, pulled the dagger and with his last strength stabbed her dead.

Yet simple death was not enough a pubishment for either, thought the deity-bard. Keeping their souls on the brink, the deity spoke with both, to devise a punishment, a lesson, and an opportunity:
- The Fey would not die. Her soul shall remain in her heart, yet it would be locked away, blocked from nature, in a chest with a thin layer of lead, to block her powers. Her only companions will be the items symbolizing what she harmed- the man's life, his faith, and the town.

- The fallen cleric, so wanting her heart to be his, shall have it lodged in his undead body. (The skeleton), and the dagger harboing his life's blood shall remain close, to the faith he forgotten, and the heart he yearned for, and the theft that marked his fall.

- The town? Fell of the deity's favor, for awhile. And a spell was put upon it, to never visit a certain cave and grove. Not until the deity will decide it's time. Perhaps a new generarion, one that doesn't know rhe story, will prove more... adequate and worthy of the deity's favor?

Each of the items may hold some powers of classes and so on. Some may also have some intelligence/ emotin to them, and possibly communicate somehow (Especially the heart, possibly the dagger/ symbol?) The items (and personalities behind them) know the deity may test them, to free their souls, but... the fey may also want revenge, or be half mad. The priest may be divided still, or ashamed, or still in love... Most likely though, they may seek to help the party, either by info, power, or otherwise, but at the same time keep secrets hidden from them, trying to make their own desires come true.

Oh, and the daity bard? Sure, she is now testing the bound souls, but she is also testing/educating the kids, and possibly- the town itself. (The ring especially may come to play here- The Lost Ring of the most beautiful daughter! Who may still be around... just older and possibly... different than she was then?)

I'll let you work out the details, but I think there is enough here to work with.

[Lord Lemming]

What is in the chest, lodged at a dead man's chest bones?

A heart of course! Also a dagger, a symbol and a ring.

*Snip*

I quite like this little plot, and I'll try to incorporate some elements of it somewhere, even though the cosmology of my setting would make it hard to include as-is. There aren't any fey, for one thing.

[FabulousFizban]

The unwanted lord. Is in the chest, was that clear?

[Lord Lemming]

The unwanted lord. Is in the chest, was that clear?

About as clear as the way I phrased my question. XD

[Fiery Diamond]

About as clear as the way I phrased my question. XD

I actually understood your question before opening the thread, so there's that.

Hm... So many ideas already. I can't think of any.

[johnbragg]

A powerful magic sword. An old-school 1E magic sword, the kind with a personality.

A snobbish personality--it will not sully itself to be borne by a commoner, it must be taken to the local lord, who will surely reward the finders justly.

The sword longs to do great deeds again, to ride in the scabbard of a great knight who will ride far and wide in search of great evils to defeat.

When they see the bard again, the bard can hint. Maybe the Baron kills the great dragon and buys himself a Duke's crown. Maybe the great dragon kills the baron. Either way, ...

"May the Gods watch over and keep the Baron--far away from us."

[paddyfool]

@Lord Lemming,

I'm guessing you've had the next session by now. What did you go with?

[Angelmaker]

@Lord Lemming,

I'm guessing you've had the next session by now. What did you go with?

Seconded for curiosity´s sake.

[SirGraystone]

A shield guardian's amulet.

[ExLibrisMortis]

A golem manual. A literal book with instructions on making a golem from household materials (clay is traditional, I believe, but leaves, sticks, straw, and mud will do).

[Hopeless]

Make the chest separate from the skeleton, however once night falls it reanimates and heads after the chest.
You give the chest to the "noble" explain they need to head to a much larger settlement to find someone capable of unlocking the chest.
Since its enchanted they can't break it but maybe a mage in the next town can unlock it.
Since your characters have no idea the skeleton will reanimate to chase after the chest it really isn't their fault it turns up.
If he's really that greedy he'll be unwilling to hand over the chest and even if they do destroy the skeleton it will simply reanimate the next night and head after the chest again, and again...

They actually need to get a remove curse cast on the chest followed by a ceremony spell on the skeleton remains to finally put it to rest.

However the curse will effect whoever opens the chest as that remove curse merely allowed them the chance to send the skeleton to its rightful rest.

The contents don't matter if the curse leaves the bearer of the chest with an uncontrollable urge to retain the chest no matter what it holds.

Would that work better for you?

[Max_Killjoy]

Reading the thread title, I had the urge to say "an arrow".

Because an arrow in the chest usually gets rid of someone.

[Lord Lemming]

@Lord Lemming,

I'm guessing you've had the next session by now. What did you go with?

I wound up going with Theoboldi's suggestion, the first suggestion, a piece of regalia indicating kingship of some far-away land.

The first major conceit of this game is that the players start off as kids that grow into adulthood over the first couple sessions. The second major conceit is that there's another kid, an NPC who's wrapped up in the plot and who stays in the general area who is, unbeknownst to himself and the players, actually a demigod. How this kid's morals develop hinges in part on what the party chooses to do in moments of crisis; and how a demigod's morals develop is a matter of no small importance.

With that mind, matters develop so that the party's shenanigans and the bard's behind-the-scenes manipulations lead to the 'lord' and a couple of his thugs getting surrounded by a mob of annoyed townsfolk. The lord becomes aware that the kids found the crown, but is enraged when they trick him into taking possession of a facsimile of sticks wrapped up in cloth instead. At this point, he's unwilling to leave without a fight, even if it means he'll likely be killed. So the bard poses the question to the kid who actually has the crown, if she's going to give it to the lord or not, pointing out blood will be spilled if she doesn't, and that it's not her job to worry about the potential, unknown consequences in some land half a world away.

Note that at this point, the kid's hate the lord, considering that at this point he's been making everyone's lives harder, and just threatened them in order to coerce compliance out of the woman who serves as their tutor. If they stand back and do nothing at this point, they get to watch the 'lord' get his comeuppance at the hands of a mob. Ultimately though, they choose to hand over the crown, and the 'lord', having just received a message that the town is done with his crap and having better opportunities waiting for him back in his homeland, leaves without further fuss.

[OldTrees1]

I am now imagining an empty chest.

Some desperate fool goes searching for the chest because everyone is counting on them.

When they discover it is empty they are understandably stressed. Everyone is counting on them bringing back the Lord's bane. They can't return empty handed, that would cause everyone to fall into despair. And yet there is nothing in the chest.

Inspiration strikes. They go into the nearby woods and pick up a sturdy branch. They return home claiming this branch is some legendary club. This gets everyone hopeful and energized. They have the Lord's bane, now together they can defeat the Lord.

Not long thereafter the mobilized peasant army breaches the Lord's home and the Lord flees the province rather than get his head caved in by the Lord's Bane.

The moral? Even an empty chest can defeat the Lord.

[ATHATH]

Er, why would some of these suggested items (documents that prove that the lord isn't who he says he is, for example) be in the chest of a giant skeleton?