For An Elf Maiden's Love!

[kengar]

Kengar, is that your dog as your avatar? He's adorable.

Yep, that's Zeke. Sweet as can be, but dumb as a box of rocks.

 

[LordVyreth]

Also, what does the wife-to-be think of all this? If she's the independent type the challenge is suitably long-lasting or impossible, she might just say "to heck with this" and run away to elope! Could make for a funny ending!

 

[Yellow Sign]

Man if being epic level is not good enough by itself!! I mean you have to be pretty good to reach that right?

Ok here are my thoughts.

Is there a evil wizard/sorcerer/cleric/blackguard that wants the elf maiden for himself?

Will the above said evil guy try an thwart the wizard on his quest?

Will the above said evil guy kidnap the elven maiden while the wizard is off on his quest?

hummmm...I would hope so!!

 

[mmadsen]

A player in my campaign has a female High Elf Druid; her brother, a powerful elven fighter, has been a member of the group, and is very protective over her. She is of high noble blood, and is in love with a powerful High Elf Wizard. In absence of their father, her brother has declared that the elf wizard needs to perform a great quest to prove that he is worthy of her love, and worthy of joining the ancient noble family. The wizard is epic level, and very powerful, as is her elven druid.

An interesting question -- with lots of interesting responses so far.

I enjoyed some of the allusions to other, similar stories:

• Slay a dragon -- or demon
• Ascend the throne of Gondor
• Odyssey
• Recover a Silmaril from the Iron Crown of Morgoth
• Travel to the nether world
• Seven years slavery -- after which the brother gives him the ugly sister
• Three impossible tasks

I also like Agback's point that it depends on the guardian-brother's goals:

• Does he want to inflict an humiliating defeat or backdown on a suitor of whom he is jealous?
• Does he want a wife in exchange for his sister?
• Does he want to extract the greatest possible benefit to his lineage/clan as the price of their daughter?
• Does he want to recruit the most helpful marriage-allies he can find?
• Does he want to ensure that his sister and her children enjoy the best material circumstances that he can arrange for them?
• Does he want to guarantee good breeding stock as the father of his nieces?
• Does he want to impose a non-reversible investment in the marriage to deter his brothers-in-law from philandering and divorce?
• Does he want to stage a vast-scale heroic actions as a kind of live-fire symbolic ceremony?
• Does he have only muddled ideas, and wonder what his father would do?

And I liked barsoomcore's list of broad ideas:

Real Estate
- clear out a formerly sacred site of blasphemous intruders
- restore a lost portion of the kingdom
- drive out unwanted invaders

Folks
- make peace with the hated rivals
- bring down the hated rivals
- embarrass the hated rivals
- rescue the loved ones
- impress the allies

Magic
- develop a new item
- recover a lost item
- steal a rightfully held item
- transport an item

Monsters
- slay the beastie, wee and timourous
- exterminate the race (drow, anyone?)
- render the kingdom safe from
- tame

I also liked frankthedm's point: they're elves; the task should take decades.


My first thought though was something that Teflon Billy touched on: how our hero completes the quest is as important as whether he completes or not. Maybe there's a subtle moral dilemma involved? Maybe he has to weigh the good of the elf kingdom versus his potential bride?

My second thought was that -- true to fairy-tale form -- the bride-to-be should help her potential husband overcome the challenges placed before him. Perhaps this backfires though?

 

[mmadsen]

Man if being epic level is not good enough by itself!! I mean you have to be pretty good to reach that right?

In SHARK's campaign, the corner butcher's tenth-level.