Right, first time poster here.
I used to DM years ago for a group that eventually disbanded. I've recently started again with several work colleagues and friends after 5-6 year hiatus. We started with the Lost mines of Phandelver and moved on to Hoard of the Dragon Queen.
I've always liked to give my players free reign to direct the story as I've never wanted to be the kind of DM to force direction onto my players. I prefer to have a living world whereby if my players choose a certain path that veers from a campaign I'll improvise and go with it.
Needless to say all has been good up until the travelling episodes following the caravan. Basically they decided just before the stop where they meet the Harper and the Red Wizard to engineer a plot to stall the treasure wagons and force them to stay behind as the wagon train moved on. Soon after, they ambushed said wagons and looted them... They victorious headed back to Greenest to return some loot and pour money into helping the town grow.
All well and good, except Skyreach Castle should now technically be laden with treasure and heading to the Well of Dragons. I've had several side plots going with my characters with one over arching plot.
currently I have them doing the hidden shrine of tamochan from the tales from the yawning portal book. This was after they had returned and the reason why they headed slightly south into a more jungly vale was because the wild Mage of the group, (a hermit with no name that had come across a box in the mountains which unknowingly released a small part of the essence of the dead god of magic Mystra into his being and that's why he is a wildmage; player does not know this,) has been drawn to the temple because unknownst to him another object with a part of Mystra is hidden in there.
The main homebrew plot is that Szass Tam has been engineering certain NPCs whom are the Chosen of the gods and has been breaking down thier essences to power a collection of vessels that Szass Tam will use to become a god. Recently he found the Chosen of Tiamat was the son of Frulam Mondath and used his powerful magic to affect her mind and install himself as the child's father. As he was posing as a Wyrmspeaker when the child reaches of age he sacrificed him to 'Tiamat' at a cult celebration. He distilled the boys essence and as it proved to be too powerful, Szass Tam took the essence to the Doomvault (Dead in Thay from yawning portal book) and has split the essence into different humanoid constructs that are alive with part of the essence of the Chosen but do not have their strength. His plan is to all these constructs to live lives and grow more powerful so that he can harvest these essences in the future. One of my player characters unknownst to them is one of these vessels. He genuinely believes that he is the son of Ethomiel (Szass Tam) and Frulam Mondath. He believes that on his dads death bed he confessed being a member of the cult and asks him to look into it. Szass Tam is using him to help spy on the cult. (I plan for a session or two in the Dead in thay adventure too)
Plan is that Szass Tam is assisting the cult secretly to all parties and plans to steal Tiamats being or essence once she is summoned and either beaten or weakened. Thereby expanding the campaign to fighting god-like Szass Tam.
Problem I have now.... is where do I go after they leave the shrine of tamochan and they will be level 7ish... I want them to be 9th level when they travel to Thay for Dead in Thay.
I used to DM years ago for a group that eventually disbanded. I've recently started again with several work colleagues and friends after 5-6 year hiatus. We started with the Lost mines of Phandelver and moved on to Hoard of the Dragon Queen.
I've always liked to give my players free reign to direct the story as I've never wanted to be the kind of DM to force direction onto my players. I prefer to have a living world whereby if my players choose a certain path that veers from a campaign I'll improvise and go with it.
Needless to say all has been good up until the travelling episodes following the caravan. Basically they decided just before the stop where they meet the Harper and the Red Wizard to engineer a plot to stall the treasure wagons and force them to stay behind as the wagon train moved on. Soon after, they ambushed said wagons and looted them... They victorious headed back to Greenest to return some loot and pour money into helping the town grow.
All well and good, except Skyreach Castle should now technically be laden with treasure and heading to the Well of Dragons. I've had several side plots going with my characters with one over arching plot.
currently I have them doing the hidden shrine of tamochan from the tales from the yawning portal book. This was after they had returned and the reason why they headed slightly south into a more jungly vale was because the wild Mage of the group, (a hermit with no name that had come across a box in the mountains which unknowingly released a small part of the essence of the dead god of magic Mystra into his being and that's why he is a wildmage; player does not know this,) has been drawn to the temple because unknownst to him another object with a part of Mystra is hidden in there.
The main homebrew plot is that Szass Tam has been engineering certain NPCs whom are the Chosen of the gods and has been breaking down thier essences to power a collection of vessels that Szass Tam will use to become a god. Recently he found the Chosen of Tiamat was the son of Frulam Mondath and used his powerful magic to affect her mind and install himself as the child's father. As he was posing as a Wyrmspeaker when the child reaches of age he sacrificed him to 'Tiamat' at a cult celebration. He distilled the boys essence and as it proved to be too powerful, Szass Tam took the essence to the Doomvault (Dead in Thay from yawning portal book) and has split the essence into different humanoid constructs that are alive with part of the essence of the Chosen but do not have their strength. His plan is to all these constructs to live lives and grow more powerful so that he can harvest these essences in the future. One of my player characters unknownst to them is one of these vessels. He genuinely believes that he is the son of Ethomiel (Szass Tam) and Frulam Mondath. He believes that on his dads death bed he confessed being a member of the cult and asks him to look into it. Szass Tam is using him to help spy on the cult. (I plan for a session or two in the Dead in thay adventure too)
Plan is that Szass Tam is assisting the cult secretly to all parties and plans to steal Tiamats being or essence once she is summoned and either beaten or weakened. Thereby expanding the campaign to fighting god-like Szass Tam.
Problem I have now.... is where do I go after they leave the shrine of tamochan and they will be level 7ish... I want them to be 9th level when they travel to Thay for Dead in Thay.