Plot Advice Please :)

[Ishmayl]

I'm DMing in my own world, Raiyn, and I just added in a plot element that I actually hadn't thought out too much, so now don't know what to do...

There is an ongoing war between the kingdoms of Alasia and North Lhaevia. We've been playing for about 4 months now, with the PCs just going on various little side quests. They finally got a taste of the real campaigne about 3 weeks ago, and then last week, the PCs were coming to the north to go to the King's birthday celebration in the capital of Alasia. WHen they were entering the city though, the castle was magically attacked, by a giant fireball (or something more powerful, I haven't decided yet), and I left them kind of at a cliffhanger. I need help to figure out what to do next. I'm thinking along the lines that the King is missing, and the advisors in the castle are asking for the aid of lots of people (conveniently, the PCs), but that seems kinda lame to me... any ideas? Thanks!
-Brandon

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Salutations,

How about the king died along with most of his staff. One staff member who was outside of the castle survived, and needs to quietly send some people to go gather the only existing heir.. who is currently fighting as an officer in the war.

Until the heir arrives, the staff member is keeping the death of the king a secret- and so should the party.

FD

 

[Darraketh]

Okay everyone thinks the king is dead but he is actually imprisoned by fire elementals, taken away when the fireball hit.

The prince, a poor leader and a bit of a fop, was not the king's choice for successor. The prince made a pact through an evil wizard, who is actually playing the prince for a fool, with the fire elementals.

Meanwhile the king really wanted his daughter to succeed him.

The PC's must now retrieve the prince.
Uncover the plot before the coronation.
Defeat the wizard.
And free the king.
Then one of the PCs gets a chance to marry the princess except that she is thirty years older than any of the PCs and always wears a veil so this is not readily evident.

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Just how Machevellian and twisted do you want this plot to be? I can hook you up, if you want.

Giant fireball engulfs the palace.
King looks as if he was killed.
His infant son and his brother has survived.
The brother approaches the party, with the infant in tow, and places the infant in the party's care.
"Above all, and on thy lives, thou must care for the babe, and ensure that he is not returned to these lands until his 10th birthday. Thou must secret him away, guard him, and ensure that his life and mind remain inviolate." He will put the half-melted signet ring of the King in the parties hand, and urge them to flee.
Getting out of the kingdom is a problem. Already there is someone claiming to be the king, claiming that he survived the fire. He claims that the brother of the king, and the infant son were slain in the foul attack, and blaims the wizard's guild.
As the party is fleeing, they are attacked by strange assassins, and in the next city, they hear news that the King (or is he?) has outlawed magic of all types, divine included. All found practicing any kind of magic are impaled.
The party will naturally try to figure out where they can hide this child. The PC's are not the targets of these assassin's, the child is. Let PC's awaken just as the assassin is about to smother the infant. A good place they may try to hide is in a lair they have previously cleared out, since they know that it has a fearsome reputation.

This can lead to a long term campaign, where the PC's can not afford to flaunt thier power, and must lay low with the infant, while they increase their power, and seek out who killed the king, who is masquerading as the king, and who is sending out these assassin's.

 

[XCorvis]

Originally posted by Warlord Ralts Just how Machevellian and twisted do you want this plot to be? I can hook you up, if you want.

I wanna play in your game. I don't suppose you live in St. Paul?

 

[Glussell]

Why not have the King get killed in the attack but the forces from North Lhaevia snuck in quickly and took the body and replaced the king with a Doppleganger/High Level Wizard/Some Other Shapechanger so he could slowly but surely lead Alasia to lose and surrender all of their land to North Lhaevia. Now the PC's must somehow find out about this after a while, like have the people close to the king complain that he "hasn't been himself lately", or whatever. This would of course lead to a great climactic battle in which the fake king is killed and the heir to the throne is given the crown and a hard fought battle must be waged now to win the war, since the imposter king did so much damage to the Alasian forces with his bad orders and whatnot.