I am excited to share this week’s post. Since starting this endeavor, it has been my goal to share things that would help spark ideas with GMs and ultimately make the process of running their games easier.

This week’s plot hook is one that I stole from my dear friend Mike Capron’s Fantasy Hero campaign, all the way back in 1988. I have used this thread, or some version of it, in pretty much every campaign I have run as an adult. As always, this is system agnostic and could easily be dropped into the TTRPG of your choosing.

Act I

At some point early in my adventuring party’s career, I will have them meet a stranger. This generally occurs as a means to break up a period of overland travel. For instance, the group may literally be headed from their starting town to their first adventure when they cross paths with a lone traveler.

Sometimes this fellow is broken down by the side of the road and requests aid, sometimes he asks to camp with the party for the night, and sometimes he’s simply passing by. It does not matter how the traveler meets the party or how long he spends with them.

He will introduce himself as “Cedric Farnum”. The stranger should seem completely non-threatening and polite. He should appear a bit foppish but have a couple of telltale hints that there is something more to him. Perhaps he has striking eyes, his sword is of fine quality, or his boots are not quite as worn as one would expect for long-distance travel. If asked about any of these things, be sure to have a logical answer prepared for him.

Whatever the means of introduction, and whatever transpires while he is with the party, Cedric will not linger long. Even if he spends a night camping with the group, he will be up early, thank everyone for their hospitality, and head on his merry way.

Act II

The second part of this plot hook will involve waiting for a bit to let things breathe. 2-3 game sessions are generally sufficient. For instance, if your party had been on their way to an adventure when they met Cedric, perhaps wait until the party returns to civilization with their spoils.

Making their way through the bustling city, the party will spy a wanted poster. The poster reads:

WANTED

Dead or Alive

Morgan Ravenswing

The Imperial Highwayman

There is a hefty reward being offered for this individual. However, that is not what catches their eyes. There on the poster is the spitting image of the stranger they knew as “Cedric Farnum”. If you happen to have a player who is religious at taking notes, this reveal is a great way to reward them. In that case, I might just describe the person and let the player take the credit for the recognition.

If the party inquires with any locals about this Morgan Ravenswing fellow, they will receive all sorts of information. The most common tale will be that he and his band of cutthroats are notorious for ambushing travelers on their way to and from the city. Some of the townsfolk see him as a villain while others seem to view him as something of a local folk hero. Build what you want from there and don’t be afraid to ham it up.

Should the party mention to any local authorities that they believe they have met this fellow before, they will be very interested in the details. They will pester the adventurers with all sorts of questions regarding where this took place, as well as how large of a band Ravenswing had with him. Hearing that he was by himself and did nothing to accost the party will leave the officials somewhat uncertain regarding the validity of the claims.

Once again it’s best to sort of let this whole thread go cold. I’ve never had a party want to immediately pack up and search for this highwayman, though I suppose it could happen. Most often the party will move on to their next adventure and largely forget that this ever happened.

Over the course of the next adventure or two, it can be fun to drop in little reminders. Perhaps they see more wanted posters or perhaps they stumble upon a band of nobles in their skivvies, who claim to have been robbed by Ravenswing. However you go about it, I find that it’s a fun exercise. It reminds players that other events are happening in your world, outside of whatever they have been up to.

ACT III

Finally, we have arrived at the payoff. There are really only 2 keys to pulling this off. You want to make sure that since the initial meeting, you have brought up Morgan Ravenswing enough that everyone will immediately know who you are talking about. You will also need to have let things go cold enough that the party isn’t expecting to meet a highwayman around every corner. If you manage to nail both of these, you’ll have a memorable encounter on your hands.

As the party is returning from or heading to their next adventure, they cross a small bridge heading to a crossroads. Up ahead, a wagon blocks the road, surrounded by odd planks and debris. A figure stands atop the wagon, waiving frantically to the party.

“Hello. Hello, my friends.” the figure calls, once the party is within earshot.

By the time that they can hear the greeting, you may describe the figure as a tall, slender fellow, dressed in flamboyant, colorful attire. His clothing is a mixture of fine silks, velvets, and lace, adorned with intricate embroidery and shimmering jewels that catch the light with every move he makes.

His hat, adorned with an ostentatious plume of feathers, sits at a jaunty angle atop his head, giving him an air of casual elegance. He is, as surely your party will have guessed, Morgan Ravenswing, the Imperial Highwayman.

Perceptive characters will immediately be aware that they are surrounded. While the exact numbers are hidden within the woods, there are clearly quite a few other people out there. From those that can be seen, it’s clear that they are armed with bows. While they are not directly aiming at the party, they have arrows knocked.

By this stage in their careers, most parties will likely be itching for a fight. Ravenswing will attempt to reassure them that he merely wants to talk. At the same time, sufficiently describing the number of archers in the woods is likely to give even the most trigger-happy party members a moment of pause.

Where you take it from here is up to you but allow me to point out a few different options:

The Highway Robbery

My least favorite option. If the party is too big for their britches or it works best for your story, this could devolve into a fight. Ravenswing & his band will fight the characters if need be. A victorious party will be allowed to head back to town and collect a bounty. Should Morgan Ravenswing and his band win, they’ll not kill the party unless absolutely necessary. Instead, party members will be stripped down to only what is required to maintain their modesty. The highwayman will express his disappointment in the party and leave them, bound, and gagged, for someone else to find.

The Philanthropist

If the party can keep their cool long enough to hear Ravenswing out, things will get interesting. The party will be led deep into the forest, to the band’s secret hideaway.

The highwayman will apologize for the surprise but claim that it was necessary due to not knowing how the party would react. Once everyone is calm, he will explain that he has been following the party’s actions for some time and is reaching out to them for help.

In this scenario, Morgan Ravenswing is essentially a Robin Hood type character. He’s a philanthropist who has wrongly been labeled a criminal. Yes, he may occasionally bend or break some laws. However, he always does it with the best of intentions.

Having some knowledge of the “big bad evil guy” of the campaign, the highwayman and his gang have waylaid the party specifically to provide them with vital information and to lend their support in the future.

This is a very cinematic twist, that often leaves players squirming with excitement. Build on it from there.

The Dread Pirate Roberts

In a shameless riff on The Princess Bride, the highwayman reveals that he is not the only “Morgan Ravenswing” but rather that a number of different people have taken up the mantle over the years. As with the last option, he’s a bit of a philanthropist but for some reason must step down from the role.

Having watched the party for a while now, he believes that one of the party members would be the perfect candidate to take on the persona and continue carrying out good deeds across the empire.

Final Thoughts

I hope that you find something here that inspires you in some way for your game. If so, please drop me a note down below and let me know what you would do. I appreciate you taking the time to stop by.

If you would like to see more of my maps with plot hooks, you may find them here.

That’s all for now. Have a great week and don’t forget to daydream a bit if the week gets you down. We all share an amazing hobby, and those fantastic places can be a great escape! Good gaming.