D&D General Forced Marriage backstory

[Princelucianus]

Hi to who reads this.

The adventure I'm currently playing is SKT.
One of the player's background (elf) is ''Fled from Neverwinter X years ago because my family planned a marriage without my consent. I went to Silverymoon and joined the Lord's Alliance, got a life etc, etc''.

Now the party is close to Neverwinter and want to visit a famous pub.....
Anyway, I need to do something with this backstory without derailing the story but still keep it open for later use....

So I'm basically asking if anyone has a good idea what he/she would do with it!

Thanks.

 

[Blue Orange]

I'm assuming your player is OK with this since they put it in themselves.

Some random elf runs into them and gives them a hard time. "Oh, you disgraced the House of Llyrlantalaslirlonancanwe..."

If you want to be really bad the person they were supposed to marry gives them a hard time, leaves in a huff, and possibly becomes a recurring villain...

 

[pukunui]

I would make it a brief social encounter. Members of the PCs’ family and/or the betrothed’s family come to bother the PC.

Depending on how the group handles the situation, they may be able to mollify the upset NPCs or they could end up angering them. If the latter, the NPCs might try to hinder the PCs in some way, although I wouldn’t have it lead to combat.

EDIT: Unless you want to have the scorned betrothed person (or a member of their family) "demand satisfaction" and have a duel to the death (or first blood) with the runaway PC.

 

[aco175]

I was thinking a 3rd party someone that knows both sides and might be neutral in the situation. It can be something simple like showing the PCs a poster with a reward for information where the other family can find the PC. It can just be something like, "Dude, they are still pissed at you. You need to flee before they find you." You could have the brother challenge the PC to a duel or demand gold to satisfy the insult.

Just have some ideas and maybe a combat planned if the PCs decide to pursue the lead and spend the night dealing with it.

 

[J.Quondam]

What if the marriage happened anyway, by some deception on the part of the PC's family (eg, some sort of imposter like a doppelganger, simulacrum, hat of disguise, etc)?
As a result now there's someone or something masquerading as your PC back in their hometown. That could set up some sort confusing encounter, for example a mistaken identity situation, etc) when they visit.
Depending how the party pursues, it could end as little more than an awkward social encounter, or it could escalate into some huge scandal for the families involved.

 

[jgsugden]

I'd go for a right angle: The PC runs into themself with their spouse - a Changeling caught wind of the situation (or facilitated the escape) and filled in the PC's shoes. The spouse discovered it, but was smitten with the Changeling (perhaps for all the wrong reasons), and now they've convinced everyone that the Changeling is the PC. They want the PC to disappear so that they can continue the act. If the PC agrees to stay disguised and hidden, the Changeling will still try to eliminate the PC later to make sure the secret isnever found out. If the PC investigates, they'll find that there is an underworld empire building under the PC's name ...

 

[Mad_Jack]

Is there somewhere in the adventure where it might become necessary (or at least the "easiest" option) for the PC to have to go to either their ex or someone close to that person for something they need (especially if a previous encounter with them in the pub didn't go so well)?

On the other hand, perhaps one of the obstacles in front of the party is trying to accomplish whatever their goal is while trying not to be discovered by people involved with the elf's former betrothed.

 

[Dire Bare]

Be careful . . . just because your player made this a part of their character's backstory, doesn't mean they want to meet their arranged bride/groom, or have this story catch up with them. Talk to your player first. What do they want to happen?

If your player is game . . . the jilted spouse could start a vendetta against the PC, or someone from their family could. Goons could be sent to kidnap the PC and drag them back to the altar . . . Or perhaps simply the PC can never go home again, but what if there is a dark threat to their family and friends back home, that only they and the party can stop?

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

While I like @J.Quondam's solution better, here are my thoughts... Sure, a social encounter could end in violance and so on if the main problem was that the families were insulted, and all the arranged marriage was just a part of family strategies without any feelings... But if you aren't against some drama.... what if this wasn't the case?

On the way to the inn, they see a statue of the fiancé, a bright young person who made a lot of good things for the city, and died young. If they investigate, they learn that the person commited suicide by drowning when he or she learnt the betrothed fled rather than accept to meet him or her, because he/she was lovestruck at the sight of a portrait sent by the family (and uninformed that the potential partner wasn't interested at all and fed lies by the "marriage organizers"). They will later learn at the pub, through a bard saying a tragic song, about the sad story of the revenant that haunt the streets around the docks at night, crying the name of his/her beloved.

Sure, the party could do nothing about it (he isn't a dangerous revenant, after all, he is just there, being miserable) and continue on their merry way. But I bet they'd want to have a social encounter, either to convince the revenant to let it go and depart for the other side for good, or to mercy-kill it (for XP, if they are on the insensitive side).

[that's harsh if the forced marriage line in their backstory was just written without thinking about it... I'd only do that if I am sure the player is onboard with that].

 

[Quickleaf]

Hi to who reads this.

The adventure I'm currently playing is SKT.
One of the player's background (elf) is ''Fled from Neverwinter X years ago because my family planned a marriage without my consent. I went to Silverymoon and joined the Lord's Alliance, got a life etc, etc''.

Now the party is close to Neverwinter and want to visit a famous pub.....
Anyway, I need to do something with this backstory without derailing the story but still keep it open for later use....

So I'm basically asking if anyone has a good idea what he/she would do with it!

Thanks.

What if in the interim their would-have-been spouse was forced to marry a giant? And this spouse want to do their duty but really doesn't want to marry the giant, so they ask the PC(s) for help creating a political quagmire to nix the wedding.