Aeric
Explorer
I ran the first session of my new Forgotten Realms campaign last night. The party is composed of all evil types who are being drawn to the north by dreams. These dreams are being sent to them by a BBEG who wants them to be his agents in the world. This same BBEG, who is currently trapped in a block of ice, has a horde of orcs and other nasties ready to unleash on the Silver Marches. The leaders/commanders of this horde are a tribe of snow elves (modelled after the Nyss from the Iron Kingdoms, specifically the Legion of Everblight, for those familiar with the IK).
Anyways, on their long journey to the BBEG, the PCs were attacked by a group of dire wolves. These wolves were way too powerful for my piddly 3rd-level PCs, so the idea was to let one or two of the PCs drop to negatives, and then have the wolves driven off by a mysterious rider (one of the snow elves sent as an escort) once things looked particularly grim.
Well, the wolves were a little too good at dropping PCs, and one of them dropped from positive HP to below -10. Loathe to kill a PC in the first session of the campaign, I had to think quickly. I took him aside and told him that, as he lay on the edge of the abyss, dying, he heard a voice say "serve me and live." I intimated that it might be the BBEG. He accepted, and was brought back to -9 HP and stabilized, but also had a strange mark on his chest which looked like a white hand.
Shortly after I took that player aside, the snow elf showed up and drove away the wolves by firing a single Arrow of Slaying at them (killing their leader). The elf then rode away before anyone could get a good look at him, much less talk to him.
So now I have this PC who was saved from certain death by someone and has a mark on him. Obviously he owes someone something, but who? The BBEG? Someone else? Maybe the god of the snow elves who wants his people's servitude to the BBEG broken? If the BBEG, then what is the catch? I should also mention that the PC in question is a human weretiger (natural lycanthrope) monk using the Savage Progressions from the WotC site.
I need ideas, people!
Thanks in advance.
Anyways, on their long journey to the BBEG, the PCs were attacked by a group of dire wolves. These wolves were way too powerful for my piddly 3rd-level PCs, so the idea was to let one or two of the PCs drop to negatives, and then have the wolves driven off by a mysterious rider (one of the snow elves sent as an escort) once things looked particularly grim.
Well, the wolves were a little too good at dropping PCs, and one of them dropped from positive HP to below -10. Loathe to kill a PC in the first session of the campaign, I had to think quickly. I took him aside and told him that, as he lay on the edge of the abyss, dying, he heard a voice say "serve me and live." I intimated that it might be the BBEG. He accepted, and was brought back to -9 HP and stabilized, but also had a strange mark on his chest which looked like a white hand.
Shortly after I took that player aside, the snow elf showed up and drove away the wolves by firing a single Arrow of Slaying at them (killing their leader). The elf then rode away before anyone could get a good look at him, much less talk to him.
So now I have this PC who was saved from certain death by someone and has a mark on him. Obviously he owes someone something, but who? The BBEG? Someone else? Maybe the god of the snow elves who wants his people's servitude to the BBEG broken? If the BBEG, then what is the catch? I should also mention that the PC in question is a human weretiger (natural lycanthrope) monk using the Savage Progressions from the WotC site.
I need ideas, people!

Thanks in advance.