by angellethedemonne
Rix Springtail is a simiah with a plan. As an underling in the Last Gasp Cartel, they hope to prove themself by pulling off a daring heist of the Red Pearl, a precious dwarven artifact on display at a grand feast in Arn Gaal Keep tonight. The keep is located at the border of two rival dwarven kingdoms: Urokthan and Vaelgir, and the pearl is guarded by both clans, equally distrustful of the other, as both require mutual use of its magic to refine the purest adamantium steel, and neither wants the other to have exclusive access to it. Rix has proposed a plan for this heist to their boss, Laszlo Gavaleir, and was given enough gold to hire a squad for the operation. Should they fail, they will be disavowed by the Last Gasp, and left to their fate should they be captured.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-NAPr57738bLolh0pcwQhO3iL2tUxtac/view?usp=drive_link
Players may choose any of these pre-generated characters to play as, though generating their own characters will be fine as long as they have a reason to participate in the heist, such as taking payment from Rix to do so. They may also use the pre-generated characters and modify their loadout if they wish, by changing heritage or domain cards, etc. It is recommended that one player play Rix Springtail, and the rest of this document assumes their presence in the story. However, the GM can allow another character to take on Rix’s role and replace them in this document for that character. The GM should read the following character introductions to players who have not made a decision on their character yet. Print out the Pre-Generated character sheets and have players choose their desired sheet. They will need to mark one handful of gold, mark two Hope, and respond to their Background and Connection questions.
Rix Springtail
They are a sweet-talking, devious Simiah Rogue or Sorcerer with few scruples. They will do whatever it takes to impress their cartel, but their love of reckless trickery has a funny habit of catching up with them.
Kento Lilac-Eye
He is Rix’s longtime partner-in-crime and easily accepted his part in the heist. Kento is a serious Goblin assassin for the Last Gasp and can be played as a Druid or Ranger.
Rowan Bootleg
He is a mercenary pirate hired by Rix solely because he can pass well enough as an Urokthani Dwarf. He is inexperienced in covert operations but he’s earnest, at least. He can be played as a Bard or Guardian.
Altin Scrag
They are a performer for a local circus that Rix thought would be useful as a distraction at the feast. Rix hasn’t bothered to tell Altin about the true purpose of the heist, only that they are a distraction for it. Altin is a Ribbet Bard or Sorcerer.
Velya Emberbeard
She is a former Vaelgiri field medic, but now has enough disdain for her people that she’s willing to take Rix’s offer to betray them for personal gain. She is a Dwarf Wizard or Seraph.
Gobor the Lug
He is by all accounts the dumbest person you’ve ever met, and who in their right mind would think he’d be a good idea for a covert heist? Rix got him as a “bargain bonus” for hiring one of the others, who swear he is so stupid that no one would suspect him of anything. He is a Giant Guardian or Warrior.
Rix Springtail has fostered a drinking relationship with Prince Hargrim Bloodforge, a drunken disappointment to his father, King of Vaelgir. Hargrim told Rix much while drunk in the border town of Arn Gaal.
Hargrim was assigned the task of guarding the Red Pearl by his father, with whom he has a strained relationship.
The Pearl is kept in the keep, always guarded by an equal weight of Vaelgiri and Urokthani dwarves.
The Vaelgiri and Urokthani do not trust each other, and each suspect the other of wanting to steal the Pearl.
There will be a grand feast tonight in the keep, hosted by the prince himself. Various dignitaries and military leaders will be there, and it will be a raucous affair.
Hargrim gave Rix an invitation with a plus-one to the feast. (In a 2-player adventure, the invitation does not have a plus-one.)
Rix has a simple four-step plan for the heist.
Get the entire party into the keep, past the guards. Only Gus (and one other) can use the invitation to enter the keep. They will have to help the rest of the party into the keep once inside.
Discover the exact location where the Pearl is being held and any details about its surveillance.
Distract the guests so all or most of the party can access the area where the Pearl is stored.
Improvise when things inevitably blow up.
The party meets in a secluded encampment beyond the keep where they prepare for the operation. An unassuming galapa named Henrig is ready to drive the getaway carriage, hidden in some foliage. Party guests will begin arriving in about an hour, so the group has time to discuss their plan of attack. Take some time to introduce your characters and offer any input on your character’s plan.
The main entrance is guarded by a pair of quarreling dwarves: one an Urokthani and the other a Vaelgiri, both adorned with their traditional plate armor. No doubt they will act with more decorum when the guests arrive. How does each dwarf’s armor differ from the other’s? What distinguishing features tell the two types of dwarves apart?
There are multiple ways for the party to get into the keep from here. Rix and their plus-one can enter legally and pull the others up from a window. The party can forge more invitations, or steal some from arriving guests. The party can claim that they are part of a circus that Hargrim paid for to entertain the guests at the feast. If they pass through the main entrance, they will be asked to hand over their visible weapons. Players should make an Action Roll to get into the keep and another Action Roll to attempt to avoid handing over weapons. Later, players can make another Action Roll to attempt to recover their weapons if they gave them up.
The energy in the Great Hall is vibrant and warm. Exposed rafters line the ceiling. Eight locked doors lead to other areas of the keep, and most are also guarded. What food and drink items are most in abundance here? What do the decorations look like?
When the party arrives at the feast, implement the Arn Gaal Grand Feast Encounter.
This is an encounter where the adversary is the environment, and you must complete a Progress Counter of 12 to proceed. This represents how distracted the guests at the party are. You can make Action Rolls to describe how you attempt to make distractions, but beware–if you do the wrong thing, you may start a brawl, which can be distracting, but will be hard to extract yourself from. In addition, you must still figure out a plan for once the guests are sufficiently distracted by gathering information. That said, the subject of your heist, the Red Pearl itself, is on display for all to see behind Prince Hargrim’s seat at the head of the table.
Hargrim recognizes Rix and will want to drink with them. Rix will have to play along as Hargrim’s friend to avoid suspicion.
On closer inspection, with a successful Action Roll, the Pearl is revealed to be a fake. Hargrim can also be convinced easily to give up this information. An Urokthani dwarf approaches a player during “A Tempting Offer, Yes?” Her name is Derlita Sauwn. She offers information about the location of the Red Pearl and its surveillance. In return, she asks the player to manipulate a political incident involving Prince Hargrim, and make sure that the scandal becomes public. If pressed, she might suggest that Hargrim has been noticed flirting with the Urokthani princess, Enil Ironhand. Should the player accept and fulfill the request, they receive her information.
Derlita Sauwn Information
The Pearl is stored deep in the lower levels of the keep. She indicates one of the many doors in the Great Hall and explains the route or gives the players a map.
The Pearl is guarded by a security golem that is activated when the Pearl is lifted from its podium.
There are a group of guards standing at the only entrance to the Pearl’s chamber. They do not have a key to the chamber. The key is split in two. One half is held by Prince Hargrim, and the other by Princess Enil.
Hargrim can be tricked into sharing this information with enough ale and charisma, or players can glean it from guards here and there. Players can influence an affair between Enil and Hargrim to tick down the Countdown, which satisfies Derlita’s side quest and makes their keys easier to steal when they leave the feast and are not around so many people.
When the Distraction Countdown triggers, the PCs may exit the feast to pursue the Pearl. If they try to seek the Pearl before the Distraction Countdown triggers, they will be caught by guards and thrown into cells. They will then have to escape prison and not be recognized as escapees from here on out.
The PCs will have to figure out how to get past the Red Pearl Guards Encounter without ending up fighting the entire keep. An alarm bell can be rung near the guards. If rung, it will summon archers that attack from a high vantage or behind small windows. Guard disguises may be stolen from the nearby dormitory, where guards may be sleeping.
The PCs will then be able to enter the chamber where the Pearl is located with the dual key, but the moment they take it, the Red Pearl Golem Encounter will begin. If they manage to swap the gem with the fake or use some other method of trickery, the encounter will not occur. If they manage to steal the gem without triggering the golem, and then trigger it later, they will have to make an Agility Roll to stay ahead of the golem as it come crashing after them.
After this, the party must escape unnoticed with a Progress Countdown (6). If there is enough time left in the session, the PCs are intercepted by Rowan’s traitorous crew in the Arn Gaal Pirates Encounter, where the pirates have captured Henrig, their getaway driver. Apparently Rowan shared a bit too much about the prize he was after tonight. After this, the PCs are able to escape on the carriage
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