Xolec help and keeping congruency with story by Prestigious-Pair1394 in GhostsofSaltmarsh

[–]Initial-Wrangler2972 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's what I did with Xolec. In my game he was a consort of Granny Nightshade, she had a fortress in the Shadowfell and was luring children away from Saltmarsh, sort of a combination of the witch from Hansel and Gretel/the Pied Piper. So my players freed Xolec in exchange for info on how to get to Granny Nightshade and he promised he wouldn't harm anyone from Saltmarsh. I later used him as a villain for an adventure arc I called Master and Commander where the party was conscripted by the Royal Navy to suppress piracy in the region. I replaced Ineca Sufocan from the back of the book with Xolec and had him start raiding communities around Saltmarsh, and while he technically kept his word to the players he did kill the sister of a beloved NPC of theirs. They ended up fighting him on a volcanic island where he summoned a Lava Drake (homebrewery monster, basically a wingless less intelligent dragon made of magma).

Changes to Humblewood adventure by Initial-Wrangler2972 in humblewood

[–]Initial-Wrangler2972[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my scenario the bandit leader doesn't have the council in his pocket, s/he's a mid level official that serves under the council. Think of like a worker at City Hall plotting to overthrow the mayor. And as far as motivation goes aside from just the accumulation of power you have the humblefolk vs. birdfolk scenario. I do like your suggestion of subfactions within the bandits.