D&D 5E Need input on what to do next in my campaign!

[generalchaos34]

Hi! Ive been running six PCs through the Lost Crown of Neverwinter, a few small enounters of my own make to put the setting togehter, and we just finished Gauntlgrym Gambit (a pretty decent short adventure I might add) They have a coded map to gauntlgrym that they need to decipher, something which I plan to include a trip to the Waterclock Guild Crypts. Im about to have them get captured by the Ilayabandruen and be sent to fight some werewolves and let them meet the last power group, the Shades....and im kinda sketchy about what to do next and branch it back to the crypts themselves (it seemed like such a cool idea for a dungeon I couldn't pass it up) Im leaning toward having the founder of the Waterclock Guild either still being alive or having left a detailed library of code breaking or maybe I can have them pay a visit to the Temple of Oghma and try to talk to the mad priest whos locked in the library? Im kinda stuck. Any of you guys have any ideas to throw in, theres a world of possibilities and i just cant decide on one way to go.

Note: They are 5th level and 2 of the PCs are Devils Pawns (one is a revenant so im making him being an escaped experiment of the Thayans) and one is a Pack Outcast.

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

How are planning on having them captured? Be VERY careful about that - players will generally pull out all the stops to avoid capture, and you may find that they escape capture (or some of them do) or you rail road them.

Other than that, I don't really understand the situation well enough to give constructive advice.

 

[generalchaos34]

How are planning on having them captured? Be VERY careful about that - players will generally pull out all the stops to avoid capture, and you may find that they escape capture (or some of them do) or you rail road them.

Other than that, I don't really understand the situation well enough to give constructive advice.

Im just looking for random ideas that will spark a dangerous chain of events in my mind.

Im just trying to get from point a to point b without using too much cliches. I was actually tempted to try the old "mysterious patron" type deal with a hooded figure offering wealth for a few simple jobs (that will of course begin a chain of events the PCs are unaware of) who would end being one of the Shades trying to get the PCs to wipe out Thayan influence. But again, I may enter the realm of cliches, thankfully, my group isnt too well read, i wonder if i should plunder some novels.

About being captured, the best idea ive had was to have them cornered by a very angry corrupted treant (a bit of an in-joke, im afraid) and have them saved by the Eladrin, who want to get a look at the map they have, I figured if its 20 archers who decimated a lvl 15ish monster who was whooping their butts they would gladly surrender without feeling too forced