Building on top of yesterday’s post I can turn a random NPC into someone that could easily become a patron for the PCs, turning “You all meet in a tavern” into something more interesting.
Let’s roll the dice and see who’s sitting in the corner of the taproom tonight.
The Profile: Silas One-Eye
- Last Big Score: He once sold the location of a rich Mithril vein to a dwarven mining guild. He’s been living off the royalties ever since, though he claims the dwarves “short-changed” him.
- Why He Retired: Silas developed a nasty, wet cough from breathing in too much dungeon mould during a three-week crawl in a lightless abyss. His lungs just can’t handle the deep air any more.
- The Legend He Lost: He is obsessed with The Mirror of Elsewhere. He’s convinced there is a version of himself in another world who never stepped into that mouldy tomb, and he’d give his last copper to find it.
- How’d he lose his eye?: He alludes to a romance gone wrong.
What the Locals Say (Rumours)
- The Truth: Silas is actually much younger than he looks; a magical trap in a Chronomancer’s tower aged him forty years in forty seconds.
- The Partial Truth: He is deathly afraid of the sound of bells. Most think it’s superstition, but it’s actually a psychological trigger from a trap that nearly liquefied his insides.
- The Lie: Patrons whisper that he is a secret agent for the Thieves’ Guild, keeping tabs on who comes and goes. In reality, he just really likes the tavern’s stew.
The Encounter
If your players approach him, Silas is likely to give them the Cynical Deflection (a 2d6 roll of 7). He’ll laugh off their questions about the Mirror, telling them, “Son, the only thing ’elsewhere’ is the bottom of this mug. Now buy a round or move along.”
However, if they mention the Mithril vein, he might just cough into a rag and give them a Partial Truth about how to spot “false walls” in dwarven ruins.
Hidden Items & Heirlooms
Old adventurers never truly get rid of their “work” gear-they just hide it better. If the players manage to pick Silas’s pocket, loot his room, or earn his trust, they might find one of these curios.
d20 Hidden Items & Heirlooms
| d20 | Item | Property |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The “Final” Potion | A dusty vial labelled “Drink in Case of Death.” It’s a powerful stimulant that can bring someone back to life with 1 HP but causes permanent exhaustion. |
| 2 | A Notched Piton | A climbing spike made of cold iron; it glows faint blue when within 30ft of a secret door. |
| 3 | Bag of “Calmed” Bees | A small pouch that, when shaken and thrown, releases a swarm that ignores the person holding the bag. |
| 4 | The Dead Man’s Finger | A literal mummified finger that always points toward the nearest source of fresh water. |
| 5 | Jar of Ghost-Grease | Applying this to boots allows the wearer to walk silently on any surface for 1 turn. |
| 6 | A Cracked Holy Symbol | Grants a +1 to saves against fear, but only if the user isn’t actually religious. |
| 7 | Collapsible 10ft Pole | Made of lightweight bamboo. Every veteran knows this is more valuable than a magic sword. |
| 8 | Whistle of the Bats | High-pitched; causes all bats in a 100ft radius to become agitated and provide a distraction. |
| 9 | Bottle of “Liquid Courage” | Extremely strong moonshine. Provides temporary HP but a massive penalty to Dexterity. |
| 10 | A Singed Map Fragment | Shows a “safe path” through a famous local dungeon-but the map is 20 years out of date. |
| 11 | Pouch of Fine Salt | Used for testing for invisible slimes or warding off minor spirits. |
| 12 | The Skeleton Key (Single Use) | It’s made of actual bone. It will open any non-magical lock once, then crumble to dust. |
| 13 | Mirror on a Stick | For looking around corners without getting your head chopped off. It’s slightly cracked. |
| 14 | Lead-Lined Box | Small and heavy. Contains a “dead” magical ring that Silas believes will “recharge” one day. |
| 15 | A Locket with no Picture | If looked at while dreaming, it shows the face of the person who will kill you. |
| 16 | Ever-burning Candle | Provides light but gives off no heat and cannot be blown out by wind. |
| 17 | Bag of Iron Spikes | Essential for jamming doors shut (or open) during a tactical retreat. |
| 18 | A Stuffed Owl | Its glass eyes actually record the last 10 minutes of what it “saw” if a command word is spoken. |
| 19 | A Deed to a “Ruined Keep” | Technically Silas owns a castle, but it’s currently occupied by a tribe of Orcs. |
| 20 | The “Lucky” Copper | A coin that always lands on the side the owner calls. |
“The “Inventory Trap”
Items like the 10ft Pole and Iron Spikes are often more useful than a +1 Dagger. If Silas gives one of these to the players, describe it as “well-worn” and “the only reason I’m still breathing.”
Quest Hook
To create a quest hook for Silas One-Eye, we can tie his “Ruined Keep” to his retirement reasons and the legendary Mirror of Elsewhere.
The Hook: “The Squatter in the Mirror” Silas leans in, his wet, mould-heavy cough rattling in his chest. He pulls a lead-lined box from his belt and slides it across the table.
The Situation:
Years ago, Silas used his Last Big Score to buy a deed to a borderlands keep. He intended it to be his retirement home, but he never moved in. Why? Because the Mirror of Elsewhere - the artefact he spent his life tracking-is built into the very foundation of the keep’s cellar.
When Silas finally reached the keep, he found it occupied. Not just by orcs, but by a “version” of himself from the mirror. This “Other Silas” is healthy, young, and has both eyes-but he is also cold, cruel, and is using the keep as a base to pull “Other” versions of local monsters into this world.
The Offer:
“I can’t go back there,” Silas wheezes. “That place… it smells like the same mould that’s killing me. But if you clear out that mirror-self of mine, the keep is yours. All I want is his lungs. Bring me the ‘Other’ Silas’s healthy lungs in a jar of Ghost-Grease, and I’ll sign the deed over to you.”
The Challenges
- The Mirror-Self: The boss isn’t just a high-level fighter; he knows all the party’s “standard” tactics because he’s fought “their” versions in his world.
- The Ruined Keep: The structure is unstable. Using heavy magic or explosions might collapse the cellar, breaking the Mirror and trapping the party “Elsewhere” forever.
- The Moral Choice: If the players find the “Other” Silas, they realize he isn’t necessarily evil-he’s just a man who didn’t get sick and is defending his home. Do they kill a healthy man to save a dying drunk?