pukunui
Legend
OK, after writing down numerous options and running through them with the three members of my family who will be playing in this campaign (my wife and two of my daughters), I have settled on the following:
Act I: [Insert pithy name here]
The campaign begins with fresh-faced 1st level wannabe adventurers somewhere on the Sword Coast (probably Waterdeep). They meet Volo and impress him enough that he asks them to look for a missing friend of his. This friend went to explore the fabled Sunless Citadel and never came back. So the PCs gear up and head off to take a look.
I will have to make Volo's missing friend be one of the two people the evil druid has enthralled, so that they have to go through the entire adventure before finding the friend.
When they return to Volo for their reward, he admits he's a bit short on cash and so gives them the deed to an old tavern in Port Nyanzaru! He bought it when he was there recently on his book tour. In fact, he will also give them a copy of his Guide to Monsters for free, telling them they'll need it if they decide to go exploring in the jungle.
Act II - Chult: Welcome to the Jungle
The PCs are robbed of some of their wealth by Aremag on the way to Port Nyanzaru. Furthermore, when they arrive at their new address, they find it is in need of repair. So what do they do? Maybe they take part in the dino races to make a quick buck. Maybe they team up with the Flaming Fist. Maybe they do some other odd jobs around the place. Here would be a good place for Faroul and Gondolo to tempt them with a dragon's treasure hoard, and for Musharib to tempt them with riches from Hrakhamar. Wakanga might also ask them to fetch Vorn's shield guardian, and maybe Azaka will ask them to fetch her mask from Firefinger.
I can potentially still work in the later part of the Dragon Heist storyline, with a fireball erupting outside their new home and an investigation that leads to the temple of Gond in Port Nyanzaru, where they see a little model of a Lantanese submarine and also find out about the Lantanese nimblewrights. Jarlaxle and co can be in town at this stage. There can still be a hunt for a hidden cache of treasure that the Amnians had to leave behind. Perhaps the trove is hidden in one of the Old City ziggurats.
Act III - Chult: The Next Level
Now that the PCs are established in Port Nyanzaru as hearty adventurers, the death curse strikes! Jessamine the merchant prince asks for their help because she is suffering from the curse. Maybe even one of the PCs could be at this point, if any of them have died on their previous forays into the jungle.
They must find their way to Omu. I'll probably go with the route I used the last time I ran this: Eku is their guide and takes them to Orolunga (via Mbala) to consult with the oracle. From there, they cut across the Aldani Basin to Kir Sabal, where they find they have to go fetch a black rose from Nangalore so they can fly above the jungle to find Omu that way. They can also meet Mwaxanare, whom they will have heard about while in Port Nyanzaru, and can decide if they want to help restore her to the throne or not. Depends on how much they end up liking or disliking the merchant princes, I guess.
They go to Omu. They deal with Ras Nsi, who will hopefully have been a (distant) thorn in their side so far. I'd like to play up the yuan-ti as shadowy antagonists to get them more interested in dealing with Ras. (Of course the naga oracle will also try and get them to promise to kill him to help restore the balance in Chult.)
Act IV - Tomb Raider
They explore the Tomb of the Nine Gods to find and destroy the Soulmonger. I may tone down the deadliness a little. I've seen suggestions elsewhere to make the "haha you're dead!" traps be more "haha you're maimed!" instead. I might do something like that.
Act V - Lost City of Mezro
Assuming the players aren't sick of the jungle yet, I can run the Lost City of Mezro adventures so they can help Artus bring Mezro back and restore Ubtao and all that. Could be a fitting way to wrap the campaign up. If they are sick of the jungle by this point, though, I can always wrap it up after the Soulmonger or just send them off somewhere else. Perhaps they can go to Waterdeep with Wakanga's cleric buddy to delve into Undermountain for treasures to send back to him. Given how long it took this group to play through our last campaign, this is years away, so I needn't worry too much about it.
But now at least I have a decent overall structure, and I can start planning for the opening and the like!
Act I: [Insert pithy name here]
The campaign begins with fresh-faced 1st level wannabe adventurers somewhere on the Sword Coast (probably Waterdeep). They meet Volo and impress him enough that he asks them to look for a missing friend of his. This friend went to explore the fabled Sunless Citadel and never came back. So the PCs gear up and head off to take a look.
I will have to make Volo's missing friend be one of the two people the evil druid has enthralled, so that they have to go through the entire adventure before finding the friend.
When they return to Volo for their reward, he admits he's a bit short on cash and so gives them the deed to an old tavern in Port Nyanzaru! He bought it when he was there recently on his book tour. In fact, he will also give them a copy of his Guide to Monsters for free, telling them they'll need it if they decide to go exploring in the jungle.
Act II - Chult: Welcome to the Jungle
The PCs are robbed of some of their wealth by Aremag on the way to Port Nyanzaru. Furthermore, when they arrive at their new address, they find it is in need of repair. So what do they do? Maybe they take part in the dino races to make a quick buck. Maybe they team up with the Flaming Fist. Maybe they do some other odd jobs around the place. Here would be a good place for Faroul and Gondolo to tempt them with a dragon's treasure hoard, and for Musharib to tempt them with riches from Hrakhamar. Wakanga might also ask them to fetch Vorn's shield guardian, and maybe Azaka will ask them to fetch her mask from Firefinger.
I can potentially still work in the later part of the Dragon Heist storyline, with a fireball erupting outside their new home and an investigation that leads to the temple of Gond in Port Nyanzaru, where they see a little model of a Lantanese submarine and also find out about the Lantanese nimblewrights. Jarlaxle and co can be in town at this stage. There can still be a hunt for a hidden cache of treasure that the Amnians had to leave behind. Perhaps the trove is hidden in one of the Old City ziggurats.
Act III - Chult: The Next Level
Now that the PCs are established in Port Nyanzaru as hearty adventurers, the death curse strikes! Jessamine the merchant prince asks for their help because she is suffering from the curse. Maybe even one of the PCs could be at this point, if any of them have died on their previous forays into the jungle.
They must find their way to Omu. I'll probably go with the route I used the last time I ran this: Eku is their guide and takes them to Orolunga (via Mbala) to consult with the oracle. From there, they cut across the Aldani Basin to Kir Sabal, where they find they have to go fetch a black rose from Nangalore so they can fly above the jungle to find Omu that way. They can also meet Mwaxanare, whom they will have heard about while in Port Nyanzaru, and can decide if they want to help restore her to the throne or not. Depends on how much they end up liking or disliking the merchant princes, I guess.
They go to Omu. They deal with Ras Nsi, who will hopefully have been a (distant) thorn in their side so far. I'd like to play up the yuan-ti as shadowy antagonists to get them more interested in dealing with Ras. (Of course the naga oracle will also try and get them to promise to kill him to help restore the balance in Chult.)
Act IV - Tomb Raider
They explore the Tomb of the Nine Gods to find and destroy the Soulmonger. I may tone down the deadliness a little. I've seen suggestions elsewhere to make the "haha you're dead!" traps be more "haha you're maimed!" instead. I might do something like that.
Act V - Lost City of Mezro
Assuming the players aren't sick of the jungle yet, I can run the Lost City of Mezro adventures so they can help Artus bring Mezro back and restore Ubtao and all that. Could be a fitting way to wrap the campaign up. If they are sick of the jungle by this point, though, I can always wrap it up after the Soulmonger or just send them off somewhere else. Perhaps they can go to Waterdeep with Wakanga's cleric buddy to delve into Undermountain for treasures to send back to him. Given how long it took this group to play through our last campaign, this is years away, so I needn't worry too much about it.
But now at least I have a decent overall structure, and I can start planning for the opening and the like!