Brother Daffyd— An Unreliable NPC

I’ve got a bright idea. I’m not sure that it’s a GOOD idea but it is shining bright in my brain. This idea is to make the main NPC of the adventure, Brother Daffyd, unreliable and, with that, present an option to the Referee as to whether to treat this character as a patsy or as a conspirator in the plot of the antagonists. As is well known, there is a fine line between clever and stupid, but what I hope will prove to be a clever bit is to build in enough material for the Referee to choose, either from the start or as they go, whether their particular version of Brother Daffyd is crazy like a fox or just plain crazy.

To this end, I’ll be adding in notes to specifically call out behaviors that I hope will render Daffyd less than trustworthy: a certain nervousness, shiftiness, an assortment of clues that could be read either pro or anti, depending upon the reader. Whether this particular angle is explored by the players will be entirely up to them but, if they do, I think it will add more richness to the scenario. We shall see.

Some particulars:

• Brother Daffyd claims to have written, in a trance, an encoded message to the Abbot. He claims he won’t be able to read it until the time is right. Is it an elaborate encoded message or just gibberish?
• He keeps the message in a small satchel which he clutches to himself and never lets leave his sight. Also in the satchel is a message, written conspiratorially, claiming to tell of a soon to come attack on the Abbey. If discovered, he will claim to have found it and kept it as proof of his prophecy.
• He will insist on taking the road even though the road is watched and the antagonists have planned an ambush there. He will say no time can be wasted “galavanting” in the wilds.
• He has a hard time looking anyone in the eye and is quick to fall back onto claims of divine authority.