Fads as a Plot and Story Element

Fads make great story plots or even building block elements to stories.  I mean, seriously, I tire of hearing about and suffering through poor story plotting.  Sickly, prosaic, frequently repeated, and trite quests.  How many times can you run that plot that revolves the ruins next to the little village?  Rats in the cellar?  Undead in the graveyard?  The collector that wants you to acquire something for him?

All those and more like them make for boring conflicts.  Now if you are new and haven't played through them then its wonderful.  You've not been through them for the nth time.  Otherwise, hell, after the 3rd, 5th, or hell, even the 2nd, you are feeling a little under challenged.

So, grab something from real life that extends a bit beyond the norm.  One of the easiest of those for plotting elements is a fad. Fashion is vogue, as they say and great for plotting.  Motivation is the key to all plots, they say.  Why did your collector want you to travel off to barren, dangerous places to rob barrows?  Because he was looking for magic?  Gold?  Some bit of information that leads to another plot?  Nah.  Its because its in fashion!

In this case, something has sparked interest and excitement among the wealthy about the culture of the barrow builders.  This fad, this wave of thinking has them wanting to do some or all of the following:

• Collecting Souvenirs
• Exhibitions/Parties showing off the souvenirs, paintings, maps, tales, etc.
• Displaying items to demonstrate wealth, influence or prestige
• Tales and Legends
• Arrange parties about the unveiling of specific souvenirs, such as revealing a corpse from its wrappings for the time or opening a closed casket or container
• Tours of the specific area
• Desire to be interred or handled in the same fashion (funerals)
• Buried in the same way or with designs based on them
• Dissections or handling in the same manner
• Medicine made from their parts or elements used of the interment
• Fake souvenirs or items
• something modern can be used to resemble something old, like modern mummified ibis being portrayed as ancient ones.  Or, just mummies in general.
• Mercantile interests in buying/selling

All of these can be employed as story elements to build encounters and plots.  I haven't tried to list them all but think about the possibilities.  What if the fad was clothing instead?  How much has our fascination with clothing driven our economy and social influences?  Cars?  Phones and other electronic devices?