Henrik Refsnes

Bards are disappearing all over the region, one by one. While most would call this a blessing, someone will eventually pay to have it investigated. The players can learn about this farce in multiple ways, ranging from subtle hints to what even the ones barely present at the session should notice:

• A rumor circulates that an incredibly famous bard has disappeared (or better yet: the player bard’s nemesis. Yay!)
• An innkeeper complains that the regular entertainment hasn’t shown up and it’s up to the player bard to step in (are these things even bad?)
• Posts on the local billboard calls for a group of reliable adventurers to find out what’s going on with the missing bards. It’s right next to a note about free drinks on Saturdays, so a perception roll is warranted. 
• The player bard’s mentor and trainer has disappeared, at level up time no less (ok, that sucks.)
• In a surprising move, the College of Bards directly contract the player characters to investigate.
• The player bard is kidnapped because the player is conveniently not present for the session (hey, that’s not fair!)

The first order of business is to confront a group of thugs roaming local taverns kidnapping bards for coin. For such a simple setup a few obvious strategies come to mind (but don’t put it past the players to overcomplicate the matter):

• Beat the thugs up and make them spill the beans.
• Follow the thugs to the villain’s hideout, then beat them up, and the villain.
• Use the party bard as bait, follow the thugs, and then beat everyone up (no, not the bard).
• Beat the thugs up so badly they can’t speak, then wait for the villain to hire new henchmen and try again.
• Do nothing and wait until the player bard becomes a kidnap victim, then beat the thugs up with added vengeance. Everyone loves a revenge story.

Aside from multiple ways to beat up the ruffians—I mean resolve the problem—this adventure tidbit also supports the dungeon master’s choice of villain:

1. Behind door number one is a flayer of minds that wants to be the best bard there ever was. To achieve this it draws inspiration from every bard mind it can find, by slowly consuming them in its dungeon.
2. Behind door number two is a floating head with many eyestalks that has a penchant for poetry. It’s incredibly bad at it, unfortunately, and also needs external validation by experts in the field. Another thing it’s really bad at is taking criticism (even constructive) and tends to turn its hapless critics into stone.

Once the villain is dealt with and bards everywhere return to their annoying selves, the players can be left pondering the consequences of their actions. What were they thinking?