Lord Ruken ir’Clarn (LE male human aristocrat 2) is a radical in the Brelish parliament. Rabidly opposed to the monarchy, he constantly schemes to remove the crown’s influence from Breland once King Boranel finally passes. In 996 YK, the ir’Clarn Expedition lured King Boranel’s adventurous daughter Syra into the jungles of Xen’drik. Only the intervention of the now-famous thunder guide Garret Halstrom prevented her death in a staged drow ambush.
This time, ir’Clarn has hired a corrupt thunder guide named Thrush Xivdrad to recruit ogre mercenaries in an effort to kill Syra. If the PCs do not already know Syra, she may be traveling with them under an assumed identity, or Thrush may mistakenly identify one of the PCs as Syra and attack.
This encounter takes place somewhere in the Thunder Sea or along its coasts, where Thrush has used his native ties to recruit his band of thugs. If the PCs are visiting a Seren isle or wandering through the coastal Xen’drik jungle, Thrush sends his recruits to burst from the vines and attack the PCs from the front while he snipes from the rear and remains unnoticed. He intends that any survivors blame restless Thunder Sea natives.
If the PCs are launching an expedition with a night of merriment at the Death’s Glitterdust in Sharn, then the villains lurk outside on the Bridge of Giants and mug the characters when they exit. Again, Thrush attempts to snipe from the shadows so that Syra’s death is blamed on the enemies she made during one of her previous adventures across the Thunder Sea.