Diplomatie: Adventure Plot
DM version
Structure
Exposition
Greetings, and welcome to the Sandstorm Cave, rebels young and old.
It is here that the player characters will come together with two key figures and a handful of non-player characters who are a part of the Sandstorm Rebellion. They are aware of their homeland being on the brink of a war, and two insiders know just how small the edge on that brink is: Karim and a young woman introducing herself as Sharara.
Karim introduces himself as a military insider figure but any characters who come from Dar Al-Asifa or have reason to be familiar with the Asifan politics and military can identify him as the captain of the royal guard. For those characters that are intricately familiar because of a diplomatic or military background with a relation to Dar Al-Asifa this does not require a check at all, for others it is at the DM’s disgression to choose a DC. Sharara appears veiled and is harder to recognise even for those characters who are familiar with Asifan politics, but with a DC 15 or (at the DM’s disgression) higher for less politically invested Asifan characters, she can be identified as Nadirah, the daughter of Al-Qahir who is supposedly dead and mourned publicly by her father. If confronted with her true identity, Sharara will explain that she escaped the palace and faked her death with the help of someone very dear to her, although she keeps it a mystery who helped her. A DC 15 insight check reveals Karim being a bit uncomfortable at this retelling, although he will deny his own involvement if asked.
In a little known basement somewhere near the royal palace of Al-Qahir, a group of rebels has gathered to talk about the rumours of a war being about to start, and how to prevent it. Nadirah/Sharara is present as well as Karim to discuss the situation from their insider point of view. They know of the letter in the office, and share a secret path into the room.
Conflict
Before the rebels can disperse, soldiers storm the hideout. The players have to protect Nadirah/Sharara at all costs. Karim disappears just before the soldiers come in.
Rising Action
After the crashed meeting, the players sneak into the palace, and have to avoid guard patrols and traps on the way into the office as well as in the office. If they managed to protect Nadirah/Sharara they have additional information from her on what traps there are, how to deactivate them, the rhythm of the patrols, ...
They must find a letter to the minister of mining that contains all leaked information that has been gathered from the dwarven ambassador imprisoned in the palace as well as the warning that he will be “disposed” of come midnight.
Climax
The players must sneak to the ambassador and warn him. This is easier if they took the letters with them, as he will be horrified by what he reads, but without it deny being a prisoner at first. To him the prison cell looks like a normal guest room, he and his company are comfortable and well looked after, And he feels safe.
When trying to sneak him out, all routes are blocked, and Karim finds them, delivering them straight to Al-Qahir where they are surrounded by guards in the throne room. Karim hints at a way out — one the characters msut take if they want to survive the ordeal sooner rather than later.
Falling Action
Following the hinted escape route, the characters and the ambassador and his company can escape the palace and the city, weaving through narrow spaces and climbing walls, while avoiding patrols and chasers.
Resolution
Three options provided they manage to flee with at least the ambassador with them:
- They give the letter to any non-human official with an affiliation to the Archaic Council. This will get them a coin reward, a political reward, and a sanctuary. This leads to the ambassador being in prison during Dornenkrone: Plot Master
- They give the letter to the ambassador who keeps it a secret. They will still be given a coin reward, and he will be still acting as an ambassador during Dornenkrone: Plot Master who offers the adventuring party of that adventure a political reward
- Without the letter, they will be given a coin reward.
Components
Hooks
Nadirah/Sharara talks about the plans of war she heard from her father and a mysterious letter which she knows is there and is the key to starting the war.
Stakes
All members in the rebel group want to avoid war for deeply personal and instinctive reasons: in a war, people die. Whether it’s their own death they fear, or the death of their loved ones, or the moral codex they try to uphold...
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