D&D 5E Character Background Integration

[swgod98]

I have been running a group through the Lost Mines (LMoP) and we recently had a new player join us. It was relatively easy to have her join since the group was in Phandelin, but she came up with a background that has thrown me for a loop. Since she knew about the story up till now, she decided her background involved the Black Spider. Her parents were killed 6 years ago and she was left a note that had the Black Spider symbol on it. She has never opened the note to date...

Sooooooo...that leaves me with an interesting story to tell, but how can I handle this?! I can't come up with a good reason the Black Spider would have left a note for her after killing her parents...

Any thoughts?

She is a Forest Gnome. She was found by a cat after discovering her parents dead and the note left behind. This cat is another Druid who has been trapped in cat form. Said cat led her to a friendly Druidic circle, who took her in. She became a Druid of the Land and has had the cat as a follower since.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Her parents left the note, a desperate scrawl in the last seconds of their life to let their daughter know who was responsible?

Or do you mean, the letter is sealed (presumably with a wax seal and the black spider's seal in the wax) - in which case, if she's not read it, you could return the favour and throw her for a loop as the letter is a demand for payment from the drow for work done by her parents for him - they were maybe a little bit dodgy and fell in with bad company - that's why they died, last minute crisis of conscience maybe)?

Or - this'd really throw her - her father is BS, having had an affair with mama gnome. Papa raised her as his own, and they were both terrified of what would be born, but she turned out full on gnome. BS came to find daughter years later, parents refused, he left a note. Perhaps the doppelgänger was the one who killed them for its own reasons and he is actually delighted to see her?

Wheels within wheels...

 

[swgod98]

These are much better ideas than what I could come up with...and I was doing so good with the other players backgrounds! If anything else pops up here, I'll be checking in. Thank you!

P.S. The letter is sealed with the BS symbol.

 

[I'm A Banana]

The Black Spider doesn't have much in the way of motivation - you could always ask why does he want the Lost Mine? What was he doing with the parents that would lead him to the Lost Mine? Why does he think the character might help him?

One thing I can think of is that the BS didn't kill her parents directly - they died in service to him. Perhaps they wanted to re-start the Forge of Spells and saw the BS as a way to gain access. But something happened (possibly betrayal by the BS, but maybe just an accident), and they died. The letter is in the hope that the child wants to follow in the parents' footsteps - "When you are old enough to read this, come join me, and we will re-ignite the glory days of old Phandalin!" or somesuch.

 

[swgod98]

This is good too. I have a few new ways to consider using her background now. Thanks!