I have severe writer's block. I need HELP ! ! !

[furious_yeti]

This is what I have so far. There will be 3-6 players in this campaign. All with basic weapons.

"You awake to find yourself in a dreary, wet cave no bigger then a caravan wagon. The cave is illuminated by a single torch that appears to have been recently lit. There is only one opening in this dark hole. You notice that along with your footsteps are the footsteps of your companions lying beside you, however there are no footsteps leading out. As hard as you try to remember, none of you can recall arriving here. For now, all you hear is the scattered breathes of your fellow man, the slow methodical beating of your own heart and somewhere deep in the back of your clouded mind, a faded dark laughter of a man you can't seem to place"

It will then eventually be revealed that they all recall being at a tavern when a man buys them all a drink in celebration of the birth of his child. As they all drink the man laughs (yes that same laugh) and they all black out.

After they leave the cave, they see what used to be their town. It is now abandoned. Also, time has significantly passed (approx 1 year).

They all also notice that they are all wearing matching signet rings.

This is where I'm stuck.

Who could have done this? Why were they drugged? For what purpose? Why them?

I need some help guys. Thank you ALL in advance.

 

[Stormonu]

They weren't drugged so much as charmed.

The characters were mentally enslaved to help the man care for, protect and bring his son to power. The old man had given each of the PCs the signet ring they now bear, which had been enchanted with a powerful charm. The old man activated the charm when the characters drank to his child's birth. It's been at least 18 years now since that fateful day.

While they were charmed, each of the PCs had used their unique talents to help bring the local lands under the old man's sway, so he could turn it over to his son once he came of age. Under the charm, the characters have done things that, should they learn about them, might make them grimace. They've helped to upsurp the local king; they've conducted wars and assassinated those who got in their way.

Eventually, another band of heroes had gathered together to put an end to character's reign of terror. The PC's fought hard, but the old man and his soon-to-heir were forced to quit the field. The 'other heroes' were forced to retreat as well, and the PC's own henchmen spirited them away to the cave to recover from their wounds. When the character's wounds were healed, they also regained some youth and vitality, and age-wise, they seem only a year older from the last incident they remember.

However, something occurred during their rest that has broken the magic hold over them. Now the characters can either (willingly) attempt to return to their old life, attempt to set things straight, or perhaps slip out of the limelight and attempt to avoid drawing the ire of old enemies (and possibly former allies).

You could draw out the discovery of the character's former selves, and mayhap because of their regained youth, they may little resemble their former "wicked" selves (lack of scars, height/weight changes, etc.). In those 18 years, the characters could have established families, plots and other details that might hold surprises for the group even when they discover their "old" identities.

You could change the old man's son to a daughter, and now the PCs perhaps have a princess to rescue from her tyranical old father.

Perhaps the son could have rebelled against the father, and the PCs find themselves working to upsurp the old man and "his old cronies" or undo their actions under a son (now seemingly the son's age) they former sought to "put in his place".

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Who could have done this? Why were they drugged? For what purpose? Why them?

• A divine jester, who seeks to amuse the gods of his pantheon with his magnificent jape.
  
• A being for whom time is but another dimension, and has seen that these PCs have a fate to fulfill.
  
• A being who seeks to use the party as pawns- perhaps even as disposable decoys- in a deep arcanopolitical game.

 

[Stormonu]

Y'know, I like the idea of the divine jester, coupled with what I wrote above.

The jester god gives the old man the rings to aid in overthrow the old king. Then he revokes the magic of the ring to watch the mayhem of the PCs undo what has been done, either ending in the restoration of the old regime ("Twas all for nothing" rang the jester) or leaderless chaos to the realm ("So easily falls the house of cards" bowed the jester). Perhaps, after dealing with the old man, the characters might have to deal with the jester god's manipulation of their lives (Perhaps he intends to make pawns of the PCs again?).

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Michael Moorcock's character, Balo the Jester was the primary inspiration for that, but not the only.

D'ja ever see Eric the Viking?. There's a nice scene where the protagonists enter Valhalla and encounter the Asgardians they all worship...and they are but children, toying with mortals as part of a game.

(Strangely resonant with minis wargaming/RPGs as it happens...)

 

[Haltherrion]

Probably too late a reply but when you are stumped, rather than barking up that sterile tree, change the premise. Usually being stumped means you have taken a turn that doesn't appeal to your 'muse' (or your creative sense, or however you want to imagine it.)

Change the premise. THere is nothing sacrosanct with your initial concept. Work a new concept.

 

[kitsune9]

There are all sorts of reason as to why this happened to the PC's:

1. They are fated in some way. The PC's discover that they are part of some kind of prophecy and that the cave was to hide / protect them from the evil that has befallen the town. This was done because they will be sorely needed at a future time and the rings are the calling cards of the beings / person who did this and the town's fate was a sign of the things to come.

2. The PC's represent a threat in which they are pieces in a spiritual game of chess being played by the gods. The gods cannot directly kill the pieces on the board, but there is nothing in the rules about kidnapping them and putting them "out of the action" for a while. Of course, the PC's could represent an "ace up the sleeve". A diety that will need the PC's put them out of action himself.

3. The PC's are suffering from memory loss and as they explore, they will be able to reconstruct the events from the past year. You can have them actually responsible for the town's disappearance / destruction for good or ill intent. The rings are the clue that gets them to start the campaign. As they inquire and learn about the rings, then it leads to X, then to Y, and then to Z. You can do this Momento style where the PC's recover their memories backwards or you can work forward.

4. The PC's memory of the tavern scene is false. The town has been ruined / abandoned for ages but they are cursed when they played around with an artifact they found when exploring (which is now gone). They got that initial memory from the artifact, in which the PC's will come across other memories too of events that happened ages ago, but the price they paid was that the artifact took something from them, the least of all a year. They also find out that they are cursed in some way and unless they find that artifact, they will eventually meet an unpleasant demise and cause a lot of headaches to those near them.