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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aristeas" data-source="post: 3070136" data-attributes="member: 41008">Well, you know these people better than I do, but:1) If her parents have given their word that she'll marry the man, and she doesn't, there can be all sorts of ramifications of the broken promise. If they signed a paper contract the spurned suitor might sue them. Even if they didn't, they've likely made an enemy, and since you conveniently made him a wealthy and influential merchant, he's an enemy who could make things very difficult for them financially and socially.2) Honestly, I doubt it's going to matter what other incentives you provide. You've offered her the option of a quiet life of luxury, and you've established bad consequences for her family if she declines. If those two things are enough to make her feel that the character would quit adventuring, she will, and if they aren't nothing else will be either. You want to avoid piling on the pressure, because it'll just feel like railroading.3) This is going to be a problem. You described both of the other players as combat-and-tactics focused, meaning they're going to be bored out of their gourds by an entire adventure focusing on somebody  else's arranged marriage. I would either a) have some fightable evil afoot across town for them to deal with, which involves them in the betrothal story because they want their healer for an adventure and she's got other things on her mind (which also makes the tension between adventuring and the quiet life more concrete in her head), or b) have something be not-quite-right about the suitor and have the other two be investigating it.4) I'd be wary of it. I'd be miffed if a DM pulled this particular plot device on any of my female characters. True, you did ask her if she was interested in a plot about arranged marriage, but that's a plot about marriage is one thing and an entire adventure about pressuring her to retire is another, especially when it occurs in a three-part series where the two male characters get exciting plot things. But then, as a rule I go out of my way to avoid sexism as a plot device in roleplaying. In my experience it always turns out cliche, and nobody really enjoys dealing with it, and it's easy enough to say that in this fantasy world, women are just treated as people. Unhistorical, but so are dragons.5) Not sure. I'd consider something relating to his totem spirit and his relationship with it, and explore his connection to the spirit world a bit.</blockquote>

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