It’s time to don your best working clothes. You have to help prepare a surprise for the lord of the house’s anniversary! Be warned though: your help is not the only secret the other staff members are keeping.
In this session the adventurers will need to sneak through a garden party and into the main house, clear a blocked tunnel to reveal the moon, and escape the were-toads they have unwittingly released.
Setting:
This narrative takes place in the Undercity; an underground hive of fatal political back stabbings, high stakes dinner parties, and nobility with less morals than you can count on one hand. If you would like more information on the setting, I go into more detail here (TBA).
Specifically, this session takes place on a plateau in the upper parts of the city, near the ceiling. It houses a mansion belonging to the Menichelli family, who are throwing an evening party for the anniversary of the family business. It is being hosted by Lazlo and Charlotte Menichelli, the current married heads of the family.
Story Beats:
Blending with the audience
Clearing the way
Dealing with the consequences
Blending with the audience:
The adventurers have been hired by Gergely Matok, the butler to the Menichelli family, under Lazlo and Charlotte, the current heads. He needs discreet, prompt assistance in order to prepare a surprise for the family during the event.
Meeting with the adventurers outside of the grounds, he informs them as part of the anniversary the family has promised a rare view of the moon. A luxury in an underground city. However there is a complication in that the original shaft to the surface has become blocked by some sort of creature that must be dislodged. Should either the guests or the gossiping staff find out, it would spell social disaster for the family, who would lose face in such an event. Therefore the adventurers must not be discovered by either staff or guest.
If the adventurers do not already know each other, then a suggested opening is each party member belonging to a different recruitment agency who have responded to this last minute job. Despite multiple persons turning up, each will be paid the agreed amount for completing the job therefore there should be no pay disputes between party members.
Gergely ushers the adventurers in through a side gate into the edge of a lavish garden party, with lights floating above elegantly dressed patrons discussing the goings on of the day. The scene suggests an out of touch aristocracy, and is strikingly opposed to the general neon aesthetic of the city below. Gergely attempts to guide the adventurers toward the house before a white gowned figure with a diamond laced mask approaches, and politely demands that Gergely go and fetch more wine for their guests.
He attempts to protest, but his words are caught in his throat as he habitually obeys and strides away into the crowd. This leaves the adventurers with Charlotte Menichelli, who does not recognise them as either guest due to having no mask or servant who are all carrying trays of food and drink. The adventurers must now think quick if they are to avoid being escorted off the premises by security.
Assuming they don’t immediately get escorted out, they find navigating the crowd they go through several such instances of being recognised by (quite drunk) guests who think they’re the adventurer’s best friend, servants who treat them with suspicion due to thinking they’re trying to cut in on their territory, and being called to decide who is right in an argument about wine pairings between two parties who are on the verge of dueling. This continues to the mansion, where after talking their way past security they find a brief moment of respite and lighter crowds.
The interior of the mansion is home to polished floors, and candle lit paintings. On entry they are once again greeted by Gergely leading several other servants with small crates of expensive looking wines (Promising one to the party for a job well done). They direct the adventurers toward a grand staircase, and provide instructions on how to find another stairway on the landing to the upper levels where the shaft is located.
Clearing the way:
The upper levels appear to be closed off to general party guests, and so the adventurers will need to avoid the guards as they make their way up to the dusty attics. Breaking or otherwise bypassing a locked door to gain entry the find a ceiling of stone in place of a regular roof, and a darkened narrow shaft that presumably leads to the surface.
Looking up the shaft no one is able to see anything, as all is obscured by thick dust that gently falls down. Any attempt to dislodge the dust results in a number of smaller dust creatures1, who attack the party for disturbing their slumber. They fight dirty2, and seek to blind the adventurers, while creating as much noise as possible to draw the guards here and throw them out; one even attempts to sneak through the door.
If reinforcements arrive, they throw the adventurers out although leave the dust devils where they are. This will be a game over unless they can shake off the guards before they are taken outside.
Upon defeating the dust devils, and re-examining the shaft there is a small amount of diffuse moonlight shining on a badly cracked and bent mirror barely enough to reach the adventurers, with none at all fully reaching the garden party below. To complete their mission, they will need to replace the mirror.
The mirror is of a particular sheen that could be replicated by a quality household one, such as could likely be acquired from a bedroom below. If the adventurers think of this option, they can canvass the rooms below, and attempt to sneak a large mirror past the guards and back up to the attic to replace the damaged one. A spellcaster of some description alternatively may be able to bypass this repair altogether.
Such a quick and easy solution would be met with screams.3
Dealing with the consequences:
A cutaway from the adventurers to the party below shows a grotesque scene, standing before a shocked crowd, Gergely’s skin is bulging with slime as they morph into a large were-toad. Around the edges of the scene, several more members of the staff morph in similarly abhorrent ways before all descending on the party overwhelming the unprepared guards.
Hearing a crash followed by what could either be a groan or a croak downstairs, the adventurers should understand that now is the time to leave. Upstairs offers no respite, as the crashing sounds louder and more toads are drawn to the noises.
When they make their way out of the attic, they are greeted by the sight of a toad in their way and in the process of swallowing a screaming guard whole like a fly. It doesn’t immediately notice the adventurers, preoccupied as it is, however if they dally it will. Engaging this one on its own shouldn’t be a problem, however hanging around will draw more crowds until eventually they are drowned in slimy bodies.
Heading downstairs the adventurers will pass by pockets of guards holding out, or guests pleading for their lives. In the main hall, they will witness a larger than average were toad standing above Lazlo and Charlotte Menichelli, who are making a desperate effort to bargain.
Seeing the adventurers, Charlotte will attempt to convince them to intervene, offering to pay triple whatever their current rate is. The giant toad (formerly Gergely) is blocking the entrance, and will attempt to eat the adventurers anyway irrespective.
Mechanically, they will attempt to charge the adventurers to swallow them whole and simply take any damage thrown at them. Smaller toads will emerge from surrounding rooms, which should force ranged characters to reposition from time to time.
Defeating Gergely will allow the adventurers to exit the building in moderate safety, with the additional possibility of a cheque signed by the Menichellis.
Additionally, they deserve that bottle of wine from earlier (if they spot the crate left by the door), given all they’ve put up with tonight.
What did you think? Any ideas, feedback, want me to expand, or do you intend to use this in a session? Let me know!
This session was originally written with D&D in mind, and the original prompt for this session was unhappy servants, and werewolves.
Cowritten/Edited with the assistance of Alsanna.
Dust Mephits in D&D 5e terminology
Pun intended
Note: This will happen irrespective, it is a consequence of the moonlight and not the timing.