I like a lot of your ideas Rich, and I like what Gill suggested.
Some thoughts that occurred to me.
1. At the bathhouse, the PCs witness a murder or something else they shouldn’t – perhaps a secret meeting in the steam room.
At the bathhouse they might view events which seem perfectly innocuous, though somewhat strange or out of the ordinary. Only later do they find a body, or the appearance of a murder without the corpus or corpora delicti, but with plenty of supporting evidence that something very bad, maybe even brutal happened. Then they would have to figure out what exactly occurred based upon their own observations and some investigative work. The crime might have been real and would then lead them to a suspect or suspects (involving the wider storyline), or it might have been a plant or a set-up in order to lure them into a trap or along a false trail.
Another thing I thought of regarding the bathhouse. Suppose there is the common or public bath and smaller areas for private patrons or clients. The PCs may have been allowed access to the private areas only to discover that the water they are bathing in is full of small but poisonous serpents, toads, fish, perhaps even water insects or arachnids. (Which they only discover after disrobing and entering the water, which might be cloudy from mineral or warm springs.)
Then again they might find that the water they bathe in is filled with a powerful contact drug or hallucinogen, which they can absorb through their skin.
2. The PCs need to report in regularly to Dulicitus and co. at the Golden Bean Tree coffee house in the Khanduq of the Nightingale’s Song. While meeting their patron, the PCs are witness to a visit from heavies seeking to extort protection money from Yasmina. The Golden Scimitars have already got the Blue Monkey and many of the artists running stalls in the khaduq on their list of “clients”.
The PCs might discover that there is a split among the Scimitars. That there is a young, brash, popular fellow in the group who is peeling away work from the main group, and that he had originally done so clandestinely, but is now working openly. It could lead to an interesting role play situation, and an opportunity for the PCs to insert a man into the break-always, or to somehow work the two groups against each other. As the group seeks to expand operations into new areas this would be a perfect time for a split as one faction seeks to expand cautiously and without stirring up a lot of new enemies, but the younger or more ambitious man seeks to his old leaders, grab power for himself, or maybe even start his own rival criminal organization.
3. The PCs get caught up in a street fight between two rival guilds or families. They can intervene on one side or the other, help the City Watch break up the fight or keep well clear
This situation reminded me of a device I often use called the Counterparty. I'm gonna write up a thread about it in another forum but basically the idea is a party who are rivals to the party you are running in your game (the party of your players). It doesn't have to be a direct one to one correspondence, but the rival party does have to be either adversaries or in direct competition with the PCs. For instance here is a
Party (of my players), and here is that party's
Counterparty. If the counterparty is filled with generally friendly competitors, then they are Rivals. If they are dangerous rivals then they are Adversaries. If they are sworn or blood enemies then I call them Nemeses. Of course these categories of competition can change or alter over time.
I'm not speaking of the Scimitars though they could potentially employ the Counterparty or the counterparty could even be enemies of the Scimitars. To the PCs the counterparty could be potential rivals, adversaries, nemeses, or even unlikely allies.
In any case I think this situation is perfect for the counterparty.
4. Kaham al-Vizhon, proprietor at the White Palm tavern – a popular meeting place for influential Old Quarter merchants – is having an affair with Beatus, an actor and friend of Iancu Petronas, behind his wife’s back¬. The Golden Scimitars have found out and are blackmailing Kaham. The hapless barkeep has been forced to install a pair of Golden Scimitar spies on the staff so they can keep an eye on guild goings-on.
You know the party could be victims of the same basic tactic. The Scimitars find out about the party, how they operate, who they normally protect and like, work with, etc. Then they plant a person, maybe an orphan or girl who needs help, and the party seeks to help them. All of the time the scimitars are using the plant to spy upon the party so as to anticipate their moves, etc. Another interesting role play opportunity and another set of mysteries as the PCs try and figure out who is leaking info or how they are being anticipated or thwarted.
Get luck Rich. You've got a really interesting and well developed world and setting. Your players probably have an awful lot of fun when you guys play.
