Battle of the Bands

Structure

Exposition

Welcome to the world of Erilar, to the continent of Zacan and the city of Mergewater, the capitol city of the country of Lyrinthia. It is a couple of nights before the summer solstice and the festival known as the Carnival of Creation is gearing up to go into full swing as the summer solstice is used as a celebration for the head god of the High-Seven, Noarae, the goddess of creation.
The festival lasts for three days and three nights, in which the entire city shuts down, more or less as people take the time off to celebrate. There are feasts, dancing, performances, shows , art displays, and most importantly for the adventurers in this story, music.
The Carnival of creation is officially a celebration of Noarae, but is an unofficial holiday of one of the lesser gods in the pantheon, Sonos, god of Music.
You, as a band, find yourself entering the city of Mergewater to take part in a battle of the bands in town. A quick way to gain fame, fortune and fans. Following a poster that you have seen through out town, you are on your way to the Merchant District of Mergewater to a tavern known as the Shining Oak Tavern. It is the venue of the battle of the bands and is offering to house and feed any bands who take part in their battle. The top prize is 1000 gold and the coveted Golden Lyre trophy, renowned by bards all over Zacan.

You find yourselves walking through the currently decorated streets of Mergewater. The main streets are fine, but some of the alleyways can get rather narrow for those brave enough to venture into them On your way from the main gates of the city to the Market District, where you will find the Shining Oak Tavern, you pass several street performers, jesters, jugglers, illusion mages all entertaining passers by. Several vendors are pushing their wares on you as a group as you pass through, selling fresh carnival food, colorful clothes, masks and costumes too.

Vendor Wares & Prices

Toffee Apple - 1cp
Sticky Bread - 5cp
Fruit Pastry - 1sp
Festival Cake- 5sp
Glazed Meat - 1gp

Costume Clothing - 5gp
Festival Mask - 5sp - 3gp

Upon heading north, into the center of the Market District of Mergewater, the party will see a large town square with a large clock tower to the north east, roads leading north, west, south (where they came form) and south-east. In the center of the square if a large market with stalls set up selling even more carnival treats and other festive wares. To the north west is the Shining Oak tavern, where the Battle of the bands is meant to be taking place.

The Shining Oak Tavern

Upon entering the Shining Oak, the party are immediately hit with a perfume that smells of lavender and other herbs coming from incense sticks that is used by the bar to mask some otherwise nasty smells that can gather during the festival from some of the tavern-goers. The bar is covered in oak wood, helping solidify it's name as the Shining Oak. The jousts in the ceiling are made from oaken logs, with vines and leaves intricately carved into them.
The tavern itself seems rather open and spacious. Often used be merchants, traders and common folk during the year. However, during the Carnival of Creation, the tavern becomes one of the number one music venues in the city. The architecture has some great ambient acoustics, which is aided by a large marble fireplace in the far corner of the tavern that emits a green flame that gives off a mesmerizing musical tone. This tone can change by issuing a command word and the note you want. Bards use this to tune their instruments or get a note for singing.
It's at this point the tavern owner sees the group enter and walk out from behind the already busy bar to personally welcome the party in.
Show Spoiler

He is a human male in his late 30's, early 40's tanned skin, well kept facial hair that he has had styled into a goatee with a longer, styled mustache. He wears very elaborate and colourful clothes and a plumed cap, much like many of the performers and a lot of the other bards in the tavern. However he is wearing a gryphon-skin coat that embroidered on it is the crest of one of the noble families of Mergewater. As the tavern owner walks over to the party, every motion he makes has a theatrical flair to it, even his voice as he says:

Ah! My friends! I see you all carry instruments with you. This is splendid! You are most welcome here are the Shining Oak Tavern.
Allow me to introduce myself; I am Brio Volante, owner and proprietor of this magnificent venue that you currently find yourselves in.
I assume you are all here for the Battle of the Bands that's happening over the next few nights, yes?
Oh, that is absolutely fantastic. We had a last minute disqualification. Turns out the band known as "You Too" was made out of Mimics and Dopelgangers, so for the safety of my customers, they simply had to be disqualified. That leaves an opening for you fine individuals to join and take their place.
What do you say, can I sign you up? What can I put you down as?

• If the players, for whatever reason decline, the tavern owner will try and convince them by mentioning the prizes up for stake and that all bands entering will receive free room and board over the festival, as well as one round of drinks on the house per night.
• If the players confirm that they are here for the battle of the bands, he will mention the perks as mentioned above and will ask for the band's group name and individual names. Use this as an opportunity for the players to introduce their characters to one another, if they have not already done so already.

As the party settle in to the tavern, a gnome woman jumps off of a stool from working on 4 humanoid figures, almost twice her height, that remain hidden under large sheets.

"So, a new band huh?" She Scoffs, looking the party up and down, judging them all. "You'd better not be trying to win. You're only going to be leaving here disappointed." She says with a chuckle "You're going to be up against me and my automatons, and I've got them to have perfect pitch and rhythm. Natural voices simply can't compete with the artificial~!" She gloats spinning around waving the back of her hand to the party "You're going to lose to the great Florence and her musical automata!"

Show Spoiler

As Florence is walking away, the lead singer of another band walks over and stops Florence from walking any further away from the party. The man is a human. Tall with a stubble and purposefully unruly hair. He is wearing some fine and colorful clothes that sport another one of Mergewater's Noble House's crests on it. Different from the Volante crest.

"Newcomers, eh?" He asks with a smile "Don't let little old Flo, over here intimidate you. If memory serves, her robots malfunctioned last year and almost blew this place sky high."

Florence starts to look flustered and retorts

"Those were simply the prototypes Everything's working fine this year Rick!"

Rick, the other band member grins

"Ah, good. The more competition, the better. And lets hope there's no more accidents. The idea of the festival is to celebrate the creator, not find new ways to meet her!"

Rick laughs and walks away, Florence, looking more meek than before, being shot down somewhat by Rick's comments

"Don't know why he's so arrogant. He's been in this competition 5 years now, and has only come in second place 4 years in a row. He's never even won! Anyway, I'll see you newbies later on."

Florence leaves the players be.

The players have the opportunity to interact with the various other bands:

Florence & Her Machines
Florence, who the party has met and 4 warforged hidden under sheets
Arrow-Smith
A band made up from local blacksmiths and fletchers. The group is all male, consisting of 3 humans, a halfling and a dwarf

Falling Stones
A mixed choir containing dwarves who are originally from Vogrhia. This band contains Kassilynn Coppercloak 
Earth, Wind & Shire
A Male Earth Genasi vegetable merchant,  a female wind Genasi dancer and a halfling male docksworker.
Bows & Roses
Lead singer is Rick, Phoenix the Unforgiven from the The Rook and Raven  and 3 other humans make up this band 
The Fey Fighters
5 wood elven musicians, all hailing from the Emerald Wilds. They were people who once guarded the entrance to the feywild.
Daft Monk
Two male monks with pale skin and indeterminate race, either human or elf wear brightly coloured monks garb and a full face mask, one domed and made of wood, the other silver and is more like a knight's helmet.
There is also last year's champions there as special guests. Two Goliath brothers in a band known as "They're almost Giants".

Brio soon jumps onto the stage, taking a bow, announcing the rules to the audience. The bands will be pitted against each other in a tournament style battle for the coveted golden lyre. The bands are not to physically fight each other. Any band that gets into a physical or magical altercation with another band otherwise the band that starts the altercation is eliminated from the competition.

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• Mention the Golden Lyre giving off a harmonic radiance that gives +1 CHA when ever they are within close proximity (15 feet) of the Lyre

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As the song is coming to a close, there is a loud crash, and some loud gasps as a member of the crowd shouts:

"He took the Golden Lyre! Quickly! Don't let him get away!"

A few of the bands start to move their way towards the door, pushing past the crowd of patrons that make up the audience and clientele of the Shining Oak. Brio announces to the bands who have not immediately given chase:

Who ever brings the Golden Lyre back to me will automatically get you into the final round of the competition! Get that trophy back!

Whichever band retrieves it will automatically go through to the finals of the competition. (meaning they'll at the very least get the runner up prize as a reward with a chance of winning the top prize legitimately, and so the other bands can still compete if the party fails miserably at what's to come)

The players at this point can either chase after the thief, or stick around to see if there are any clues.

Looking for Clues

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Clues:

• Map left on table

Witnesses:

• One overheard him talking about going to the temple district later that evening
• One saw him looking at a map a his table
• One saw him chatting with the lead singer of a rival band earlier in the day
• one recognized him and knows that one of his associates works at the Rusted Cask Alehouse

Additional Info: List Info here
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Chasing the Thief

The thief bursts out onto the streets of Mergewater. The party would have to push through a crowded festival street to see a circle that has been made by the rival bands, trying to surround the thief. By the time the bands head onto the street there would be multiple copies of the thief, each of the copies run in a different direction.
Have the players make a skill check investigation/perception/arcana DC15

• On a pass, the players would spot the real thief and manage to start chasing after him - Go to "Chase B"
• On a fail, it occurs to the players that all of the copies are likely illusions and the real thief is still inside.
• That leads to another skill check of the same DC and skills to find the thief inside.
• On a pass, they find the thief inside - Go to "Chase A"
• On a fail, the thief is gone. - Go to "Investigation."

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Chase A:

The thief has been found out that he was using the commotion outside as a distraction and had not yet left the Shining Oak, the party would see the thief upon reentering the tavern, who would then attempt to flee for real this time out the rear exit of the tavern.

• If the players try to apprehend him there and then the thief will vanish, being simply an illusion. The thief will then attempt to escape through an upstairs window at the expense of a spell slot at the final confrontation.
• A DC15 perception check/passive perception is needed to hear the thief escaping through the upper window, if failed, go to Investigation.
• If the thief was spotted heading out the upper window, he lands in the market square and starts running. go to Chase B

If the thief succeeds in escaping out the back of the building and the party follow, he would make his way round to the front of the tavern, to the market square. Go to Chase B. If the party do not chase after him, go to Investigation.

Chase B:

The Thief heads to the road that leaves to the west of the market square, but quickly makes a left turn and heads south down an alleyway. As the players peruse the thief a large cart moves through the city street, slowed by the festival goers crowding the street. A DC15 Acrobatics check is needed to get past

Obstacles

• The thief makes a sharp turn down a different side-ally. Make a DC10 DEX saving throw or take 1d4 bludgeoning
• Thief spills oil to slow the party, DC10 saving throw to keep going
• The thief will take to the roof tops, DC10 Athletics or Acrobatics to make it on to the roof. On a failed throw, they will take 1d6 falling damage and the party will have to look for an other way up or will have to follow the thief on ground level
• A beggar blocks the path DC10 Athletics, Acrobatics or Intimidation check. Succeeds automatically if money is tossed to them.
• A rival band, who are behind the party shouts "Stop! Thief!", this prompts any nearby on-duty guards in the crowd to over zealously attack the nearest party member running past them with a spear (+3 to hit 1d6+1 piercing damage on a hit)
• As the party venture into the crowded festival street DC15 Athletics, Acrobatics or Intimidation check.

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If the players attack the thief at any point and impact him, a sheet of parchment will fall out of his pocket telling them to meet at a warehouse in the temple district, with an attached map (written in another language?) -----------------------------------------
If the majority of the party fail 3 times the thief will get away and a rival band who were following the party suggest to either look around or return to the Shining Oak to look for clues. (go to investigation)
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After the Chase/ Investigation

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The Warehouse

Warehouse text goes here
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• Mention Noble Crest, same as Rick's
• Enter Warehouse
• Confronted by thief
• Fight Thief
• If thief dies go to "Investigation: Warehouse"
• If the thief lives, he escapes into some smuggler's tunnels (Go to "Chase: Tunnels")

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Investigation: Warehouse

Notes go here

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• Rick Roll Puzzle
• Opens Safe
• There's the Lyre
• Chased by Rival Bands
• Get to tavern or fight
• Who ever starts fight is disqualified.
• Go to "Epilogue"

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Chase: Tunnels

Text goes here

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• Into tunnels
• Caught and chased by tunnel rats
• fight?
• If thief is in fight, he escapes and drops note on backup location
• If the chase continues, tunnel rats try to stop both parties
• Once lost the tunnel rats. The thief leads party to 2nd hide out (go to "Hideout")

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Hideout

Hideout Text

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• Traps
• LOTS of traps
• final confrontation with thief
• Rick joins to collect Lyre and is caught in the act.
• Back to tavern
• Go to "Epilogue"

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Epilogue

In the Shining Oak Tavern

text
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• Battle of the bands Final
• Prize given out

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After everything is found and brought back, it turns out that the mastermind behind all of this would be the lead singer of another band who has come in 2nd place 4 years in a row and has staged this whole thing to get the trophy for themselves.

Plot type

One-Shot Adventure