The Show Must Go On!

Welcome, fair poets, playwrights, and prestigious prodigies. The journey from Dnalgne has been arduous, but arrival at Acirema is imminent. The Deepsdog, which you sail on, is a large ship that contains 100-odd colonists, including you. Your job in establishing a home in this new land is to provide the entertainment. Seek inspiration, but be ready to change course at a moment's notice, for this world has more unknowns than knowns.

The ship bell tolls as the shouts above deck grow louder. The (# of players) of you follow the crowd whom you spent your last 66 days in close quarters with. You’re told to help set up tents by the leader of this expedition, Captain Christopher Newport. Once the necessities are done with, you’ll be given time to work on your performance. You’ve been given 10 days before other colonists decide you’re worthless. Write quickly, or be sent out into the unknown wilderness of Acirema.

"The Show Must Go On!" is a semi-realistic D&D One-Shot Adventure designed for 3+ players. It lacks a lot of combat, but it makes up with its roleplay. The goal of this adventure is to put on a performance to entertain colonists. There are around 100 people living in this colony. There will be a scoring system for the performance at the end of the 10 days. Time will go by quickly, so the players must spend their time wisely. Every day a new event will occur, potentially altering the performance or the environment.

The Map

Camp Acirema

Open full size

Events

The following are events which occur during the 10 days. These events have an impact on the final score. Not all events need to be played. The following are the events, listed with the must-occur at the top and the rest at the bottom.

The Plague

You're awoken, "KEEP YOUR FAITH IN GOD. HE WILL SAVE THE LOYAL FROM THIS BLACK DEATH." Exiting your tents reveals a large crowd around Brother Ebedmelech. "AGNES ARBOR HAS FAILED GOD. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THE HEATHEN UNLESS YOU WISH TO SHARE HER FATE."

This event begins in the morning. Players may ask any colonist what is going on, and they will respond with something like: "Agnes went out to collect some herbs for Greg. She seems to have become the host of a plague, leaving her far too exhausted to do any work. Anyone who went near her also started to grow bluish-black bulbs all over thier body."

A quarentine has been set up around the medical building. Virginia Montagnier,

The Murder

Your woken up by a loud scream coming from the Labor Tent area. You all go running and find yourselves at Francis Scobee and Matew Hanson's tent. Matew's been killed, and Francis is screaming. Who could have done it? Was it Francis, or someone else near by? Best find out what the others are doing.

This event begins in the middle of the night at 12:30. Matew, a lumberjack, has been murdered. He was killed by Xaspar Tertant, the jealous blacksmith apprentice. Hector Johnson is at the scene as well as Grace Hopper and a few others. Hector will recommend the party to question the bystanders, and he will remind them that anyone could be lying. Information that can be given by anyone who the players please includes:

• Grace and Matew were in love.
• Terry Egan and Robert Lanker live in the tent to the right.
• A group of people were playing Papers and Paychecks that night.

The following is information given by specific people. When they tell information about other people, they will say they got this information from the person they are talking about it.

• Terry Egan: Returned to tent at 10:30 after closing the gates. Robert Lanker was not back yet, but they split up to close the gates.
• Robert Lanker: Returned to tent at 11:30 after closing the gates. Returned and found Terry Egan fast asleep. Noticed people were still up and chatting around the campfire.
• Francis Scobee: Was up playing Papers and Paychecks with Ivan Jandep, Qora Yeleen, Mary Ospar, and Xaspar Tertant. He noticed a 5 figures enter and leave the tent area throughout the play time. Francis left to get his taxes. Ivan left to use the bathroom during the break. Xaspar left twice, not sure why. Mary was called to clean something up so they took their break then. Qora left three times, once to refill her canteen, the others for unknown reasons. They finished and he returned to his tent at 12 to find Matew dead.
• Ivan Jandep: Was up playing Papers and Paychecks with Francis Scobee, Qora Yeleen, Mary Ospar, and Xaspar Tertant. He left once to use the bathroom. Francis left once, but Ivan forgot why. Mary was called away and then left a second time. Xaspar left twice, once to get his plastic money tracker card from his tent, the second time for an unknown reason. Qora left three times, once for the bathroom, the second time to get something from her tent, the third for an unknown reason.
• Qora Yeleen: Was up playing Papers and Paychecks with Francis Scobee, Ivan Jandep, Mary Oscar, and Xaspar Tertant. She left three times, first for the bathroom, second to get her canteen from her tent, and the third to refill her canteen. Francis left once to get his taxes. Ivan left once and walked toward the tents. Mary left twice, once because she needed to help someone, the second time to refill her canteen. Xaspar left twice, once in the direction of his tent, the second in the direction of the nearby tents (includes Matew Hanson’s tent).
• Mary Oscar: Was up playing Papers and Paychecks with Francis Scobee, Ivan Jandep, Qora Yeleen, and Xaspar Tertant. She had to leave twice. The first time she was called away to clean up the dinning area. The second time she left to refill her canteen. Francis left once in the direction of the tents. Ivan left once to use the restroom. Qora left three times. Once to get her canteen, a second time for the restroom, and a third for an unknown reason. Xaspar left twice. Once to get something from his tent, and a second time for no reason he did not say.
• Xaspar Tertant: Was playing Papers and Paychecks with Francis Scobee, Ivan Jandep, Qora Yeleen, and Mary Oscar. He had to leave twice. Once for his plastic money tracker card from his tent, the second time he heard a noise and went to investigate (others will deny or say they forget if they heard a noise). Francis left once in the direction of his tent for an unknown reason. Ivan left once to use the bathroom. Qora left three times. Once for the bathroom, a second time back to her tent, and a third toward the tents (In the direction of Matew Hanson’s tent).

They players may choose who they think is the murderer(s). If they choose incorrectly, the person they convict will cower and deny they did it no matter what. If they chose Xaspar Tertant, then he will fight back. Use the commoner stat block for him.

The Funeral

The sky and the mood darken as you all join the group gathered around the forge. Captain Newport slowly steps up and says, “Tonight we mourn the passing of (Whoever died). They were a great (Insert dead person’s profession). The colony of Acirema will never forget their contribution. Tonight, a few people will step up and say a few words. We will end with a song or poem by our bards, (insert player names), as we send their body up in holy fire.

This event begins in the evening, 10:00. Someone has died, whether it is a result from an event, or from a natural cause. The challenge of this event is coming up with a song or poem about the person who died. If the characters need a little information about them, Captain Newport will tell the player their likes, dislikes, and quirk. They will be given a little time to come up with their song and speak with Captain Newport.

After Brother Ebedmelech has said a prayer, Hector Johnson pushes you all toward the front. Your time has come to sing your hymn.

Players may gain a permanent bonus to their final score if they please the crowd with their song/poem. At the end of the performance, read the following.

As your song ends, someone pushes the body into the flaming forge. As the corpse is consumed in silence, a mote of light floats lazily into the sky. After a few more minutes of silence, the crowd disperses, and you all return to your residences.

Rat Problem

Geoffrey Tingleton, the inventory manager, is sprinting right at you. “Hail, bards! I have a slight problem and could use a little help.” He starts walking in the direction of the food stores. “You see, a few giant rats have broken into our meat locker, and I need someone to take them out before they eat all of our food! Please, get in there and deal with the problem!”

This event happens at 10:00. Four giant rats have broken into the meat freezer, and they are rapidly consuming all of the meat. The players must deal with this problem. The room s 20 feet by 20 feet with a 5 ft by 5 ft walk in freezer that contains the meat. Four giant rats, use the giant rat stat block, are inside consuming the food. Players are rewarded with +10 to their finial score, and at dinner, Geoffrey will announce the players help.

As the last rat collapses with a painful screech, Geoffrey pokes his head into the room. “AH! I see you have slain all of the rats! Many thanks!” He says as he quickly enters the room. “Hopefully we won’t have another problem like this for a while!

Lost Scouts

Hector Johnson, Captain Christopher’s right hand man, waves for your attention. “Okay, we have a slight problem that I’ll need your help solving. Our scouts, ________ and _________, haven’t returned, and they were deployed yesterday morning. Everyone else is kind of busy, so I’ll need your help finding them. They’ve been sent to explore westward, so I’d suggest looking in that direction. Go now, before they are too far gone!”

This event happens at 10:00. ________ and ________ have been brutally attacked by a bear and are currently in its cave. One their way through the surrounding forest, they have made a clear path by leaving Xs in trees they pass. The party only needs to follow these Xs for about an hour. After that, much of the bushes and trees have been disturbed. Signs of a battle are evident. This is where the scouts fought the bear. In order to find the trail, the party must succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence(Investigation) check or a DC 10 Wisdom(survival) check to find a trail of blood and marks that indicate dragging on the ground. After following these tracks for 10 minutes, the players will happen upon a cave.

The Colonists

The following is a list of notable colonists. It includes their name, profession, likes, dislikes, and quirk. I would add more, but alas there is no space.

Colonists

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NAME	PROFESSION	LIKES	DISLIKES	QUIRKS
Luc Montagnier	Doctor	Hurt people healed	Zombies	Atempted necromacy, failed horribly, scarred from it
Captain Christopher Newport	Expedition Captain	Rapping	Quiet people	Hearing loss from cannon fire
Brother Ebedmelech	Priest	God	Demons, devils, hell, etc...	Believes his holy book was blessed with life
Greg Carvor	Botanist	Carnivorous plants	Really big mushrooms	Has nightmares about large mushrooms
Agnes Arbor	Botanist Apprentice	Flowers	dead bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc...	Always wears flowers in hair
Nicolas Steno	Geologist	Gems	Sailing	Has a pet rock named "Dwayne"
Nedrog Yesmar	Chef	Food	Surprises	Refuses to talk or give any hand motions
Francis Scobee	Lumberjack	Full Beards	Goatees	Growing a massive, braided beard, called his masterpiece
Matew Hanson	Lumberjack	Ale	Wine	Dreams of running a brewery, in a relationship with Grace Hopper
Mothac Nikra	Librarian	Old books, scrolls	Secrets lost forever	Can't wait to write the first stories of this land
Ylime Yahs	Apprentice Librarian	Horrers	Fairies and Unicorns	Stereotypical Emo
Grace Hopper	Nurse	Fantasy stories	Death, undead	In a romantic relationship with Matew Hanson
Xaspar Tertant	Blacksmith's Apprentice	gossiping	giving gifts	Secretly loves Grace Hopper
Hector Johnson	Advisor	Tricky problems	Games of luck	Brings a book of crossword puzzles with him
Robert Lanker	Heavy Lifter	Giving thanks	Romance	Isn't that smart, but he's very kind
Terry Egan	Heavy Lifter	Seeing people scratch heads	Not being able to do something	Scratches his head really often, he's bald.
Wayland Goihbiniu	Blacksmith	Stories about mythical gear	Any religion	Hates any god or greater power like a god.
Ivan Jandep	Cobbler	Fashion/Fashionable things	Dirty clothes	A true fashion king
Qora Yeleen	Woodcarver	Small figurines	People breaking artwork	Makes miniature people and creatures out of wood.
Mary Ospar	Cleaner	Windy days	The smell of dead things	Game Master for Papers and Paychecks.
Greg Dangah	Soldier	Fancy swordplay	Daggers	Often fights ghosts with his weapon.
Geoffrey Tingleton	Inventory manager	Organized things	Big rats	Afflicted with OCD

Scoring

Players are scored, ultimately, by you. How many people they please or anger may have an outcome. Referancing events will also give players a higher score.

Plot type

One-Shot