Ramifications of Phandelver [SPOILERS]
I just finished running the Lost Mine of Phandelver for my D&D [2e] group. There were a couple little bits they chose to skip, like the dragon, the cult, and the orcs, after making informed decisions and prioritization. What surprised me, however, with the published adventure is the setup for further machinations and how long the party can adventure using this basic setup as the basis. Here are a few things that have been set up between them and me:
Relationship with the Dwarves.
The party did their part. They helped Gundrin Rockseeker find the lost mine and free his brother. For this, Gundren promised them "10 percent share of the mine's wealth once his operation there is up and running." I started looking at this from the point of view of a greedy dwarf (isn't that how we're told dwarves are?). Four out of the five party members are human. In my game, the Black Spider got away from the party after his troops were cut down. Gundrin is going to go after the Black Spider to get revenge for his dead brother. If that takes a long time, who cares? Dwarves are long lived. The longer it takes Gundrin to get the mine up and running, the more likely the party members will be dead (at least the humans) and the less he has to pay them out of his wealth.
Relationship with the Townmaster
It didn't take much for the party to realize the townmaster of Phandalin was a worthless, cowardly banker who wasn't fit to run the town. When they returned from the mine, they ran him out of office and backed Sildar Hallwinter for townmaster. In my mind, that makes a man bitter. Where can a bitter ex-townmaster turn for help? Well, Halia Thornton runs the Miner's Exchange, has been "working slowly to bring Phandalin under her control" since before the party arrived, and, oh, by the way, is an agent of the Zhentarim. These two will be up to no good while the party is away [see Quest below].
Relationships with Linene, Daran, and Sister Garaele
The party forged a great relationship with Linene from the Lionshield Coster. They also made nice with Daran Edermath, to the point where he invited one of the party members to join the Order of the Gauntlet. Finally, the priestess at the Shrine of Luck, Sister Garaele, asked the party cleric to join the Harpers.
Relationships at the Redbrand Hideout
Midway through the adventure, the party cleared out the Redbrand hideout after a showdown with Glasstaff and his cronies on the edge of town. They had saved Mirna and her children from the Redbrand holding cell. They then traveled to Thundertree and retrieved her family heirloom, giving it back to her instead of keeping it for freeing her from captivity. She is in the party's debt, without work, and without her husband (who the Redbrands killed before the party arrived in Phandalin). The party has asked her to start settling the ex-Redbrand hideout on their behalf. They hope to use it for their base of operations when returning to town.
Quest
The party will be away from Phandalin for a while. They may never come back, actually. One of the party lost a level to the wraith in the mine. After finishing the adventure, the party traveled to Neverwinter to petition a church to Restore the drained level. What would make a high level priest willing to cast Restore and give up a couple years of his life? A quest on behalf of the church, naturally. and not a simple one either. Enter the Tomb of the Lizard King. May the gods of Faerun have mercy on the party members' souls.
Relationship with the Dwarves.
The party did their part. They helped Gundrin Rockseeker find the lost mine and free his brother. For this, Gundren promised them "10 percent share of the mine's wealth once his operation there is up and running." I started looking at this from the point of view of a greedy dwarf (isn't that how we're told dwarves are?). Four out of the five party members are human. In my game, the Black Spider got away from the party after his troops were cut down. Gundrin is going to go after the Black Spider to get revenge for his dead brother. If that takes a long time, who cares? Dwarves are long lived. The longer it takes Gundrin to get the mine up and running, the more likely the party members will be dead (at least the humans) and the less he has to pay them out of his wealth.
Relationship with the Townmaster
It didn't take much for the party to realize the townmaster of Phandalin was a worthless, cowardly banker who wasn't fit to run the town. When they returned from the mine, they ran him out of office and backed Sildar Hallwinter for townmaster. In my mind, that makes a man bitter. Where can a bitter ex-townmaster turn for help? Well, Halia Thornton runs the Miner's Exchange, has been "working slowly to bring Phandalin under her control" since before the party arrived, and, oh, by the way, is an agent of the Zhentarim. These two will be up to no good while the party is away [see Quest below].
Relationships with Linene, Daran, and Sister Garaele
The party forged a great relationship with Linene from the Lionshield Coster. They also made nice with Daran Edermath, to the point where he invited one of the party members to join the Order of the Gauntlet. Finally, the priestess at the Shrine of Luck, Sister Garaele, asked the party cleric to join the Harpers.
Relationships at the Redbrand Hideout
Midway through the adventure, the party cleared out the Redbrand hideout after a showdown with Glasstaff and his cronies on the edge of town. They had saved Mirna and her children from the Redbrand holding cell. They then traveled to Thundertree and retrieved her family heirloom, giving it back to her instead of keeping it for freeing her from captivity. She is in the party's debt, without work, and without her husband (who the Redbrands killed before the party arrived in Phandalin). The party has asked her to start settling the ex-Redbrand hideout on their behalf. They hope to use it for their base of operations when returning to town.
Quest
The party will be away from Phandalin for a while. They may never come back, actually. One of the party lost a level to the wraith in the mine. After finishing the adventure, the party traveled to Neverwinter to petition a church to Restore the drained level. What would make a high level priest willing to cast Restore and give up a couple years of his life? A quest on behalf of the church, naturally. and not a simple one either. Enter the Tomb of the Lizard King. May the gods of Faerun have mercy on the party members' souls.