Prior to the restart of the campaign, there were two groups of PC adventurers adventuring in Dwimmermount; ‘Rufus’s Raiders’ and ‘The Village People’. They had overlapping excursions and had cleared most of the 1st level.
Prologue 1 – Rufus’s Raiders
Several forays into the dungeon for the Raiders left them relatively unscathed (although several NPS were dead). They also had recovered the scarab of death, finished off Guran and the kobolds, and driven the orcs from the 1st level (and extorting Seger to give up his chest of treasure in exchange for a truce). Two of the Raiders (a Barbarian and Thief) had joined the “Dock Boys’ a criminal syndicate out of Adamas that had settled into Muntburg, and the Assassin had joined the Scarlet Brotherhood, an assassin’s guild out of Adamas. They had also managed to provide thousands of gold in donations to the churches of Tyche and Zeus (Typhon) and into the coffers of local taverns (building up their reserve xp).
The Raiders had almost spent as much time out of the dungeon as in. They travelled to Yethlyreom to sell magic items and to Adamas several time to obtain supplies, identify and sell magic items, and train. The fighter (gladiator) of the party became enamored with Emilisse Faith of Tyche, which played out over several sessions.
The Raiders never hired any traditional henchmen. When they started the campaign, I gave them 2 NPC members which joined their band, a thug fighter (who died) and factotum venturer named Isaac Stocker. They did rescue the dwarf Balfar, who joined their band before dying in combat. They did have several dogs and horses however.
I normally despise the very concept of a GM NPC, however Isaac served a very specific purpose. He was there to help the Raiders recognize their ability to shape the world. He also introduced them to the economic possibilities in the campaign world. Isaac had a goal – to discover the famous Moon Pool of Dwimmermount, and sell it’s magical water to the world, thereby becoming rich. He also provided the party with discounts and the benefits of a larger market in Muntburg. While the other party members spent their gold on their xp reserve, Isaac bought a townhouse in town. He asked the party to join him in a mercantile venture, which they did, resulting in profit for all.
Isaac was mostly silent in the dungeon. He had precise shooting, and was given to a PC to run during combats. When my son went to college and the Raiders campaign ended, Isaac was to become a catalyst to help restart the Village People campaign.