The Scarlet Masquerade
Olivia Voldaren has invited the group to an elegant royal ball being thrown in the Red Rose Kingdom of Respite. Representatives from every Rose Clan have been invited, although Olivia has been ambiguous with regards to what she wants from the group while there.
After finishing up their business with Xander and the Baloth, the Dads have gathered their things for the voyage. It's a two-day trip to Respite aboard Olivia's Ironclad, followed by a four-day journey to the lands of the Scarlet Throne by carriage.
Voyage
On the night of the 27th, Olivia offers the Dads a meal that reeks of garlic. A Nature check will reveal it's to make their blood less appealing to Vampires. A History or Arcana check from anyone who's lived in Respite will realize tonight is a Blood Moon. The moon Loc is full tonight, bolstering Blood Magic, Pact Magic, and Necromancy. It also causes Vampires to experience far stronger blood cravings than usual. Olivia instructs the party to stay in their room(s) for the night, and ignore any loud noises they might hear.
If the warning is ignored, it will be discovered that Olivia has steered her ship The Bladedancer into Ironsider territory, picking a fight with pirates to satiate her and the rest of the bachelorette party on their blood. Any investigators will roll Stealth (DC=16) to either slip back into their cabin(s) undetected or get a closer look. If spotted, they roll Initiative with the Vampires and the Pirates (2d4 Swashbucklers). Annie, Marnie, and Elena will roll a Wisdom save against attacking any party members, with advantage if they ate the garlic-laced food. They roll the save every time blood is spilled.
Carriage Trip
While traveling in Olivia's flock of carriages, the party are warned not to stray from the path. The Blood Moon is over, but the Ulvenwald is in the tail-end of the most dangerous time of the year; Mating Season. Every species of monster, hybrid, and kimaera is on the prowl for something to fuck, eat, or kill. For each day of travel, roll a Percentile.
1-10: 1d8 Dire Wolves
11-20: 1d8 Griffins
21-30: 1d6 Hippogriffs
31-40: 3 Owlbears
41-50: Kipine & 2 Griffins
51-60: Land Kimaera
61-70: Mountain Kimaera
71-80: Aquatic Kimaera
81-90: Primeval Owlbear
91-100: Nightmare
The Town of Craiova
The last day of the trip will take place in the Redrosaen town of Craiova, with the ball beginning at sundown. Craiovans treat the Vampires with either great reverence (bordering on worship) or pure abject terror. The weather is cloudy & overcast, with a strong chance of rain in the evening. As the Dads make their way through town, they attract a fair amount of attention. People come to them for information or updates. A nearby job board reveals a truly staggering number of Missing Person posters, old & new. The youngest looks about 6, the eldest in their 50s. Men, women, tielfings, aasimar, but the majority of missing persons are humans. Also on the numerous job boards:
Posters of Missing People (many of them children)
Notices for Rose Knight Recruitment (good money, higher social standing, great respect, and the opportunity to fight back against the monsters lurking in the dark)
Need Help Making Ends Meet? (see Heathcliff Bromhall at the Silver Nail Tavern)
Calling for Hunters (monster hunting expedition in the Ulvenwald)
Olivia gives the party freedom to explore until 3pm, when the preparations for the ball will begin. A small child follows them, excited to see adventurers for the first time. His name is Micah, and he offers the party everything he has (15 silver pieces and 34 copper) to rescue his big brother Anca (9 years old) who went missing a week ago. He takes them back to the job board and finds them Anca's poster.
If the party agrees, Micah takes them to his house. It's a small cottage overlooking cornrows, with flowered vines along the sides, and toys scattered on the lawn. A basic Investigation check reveals none of the usual telltale signs of monster attacks. No claw marks on the walls. No broken roof tiles. No doors or windows ripped off their hinges. Only a check of 18 or higher will pick up on the shreds of white fur caught on the vines. Whatever took Micah did so without violence.
The Ball
Voldaren Manor is vast, expansive, intimidating, exquisitely furbished with art pieces, and smells of iron. Paintings hang in every room of esteemed vampiric nobles dressed in scarlet. Notably absent are any paintings of Olivia herself. The manor has 4 floors, 14 bedrooms (8 masters and 3 servants), 7 bathrooms, 2 dining rooms (1st & 3rd floor), art galleries on the 1st and 4th floor, a trophy room on the 2nd floor, and secret passageways on every floor.
When evening comes, the guests will begin arriving. Representatives from every Rose Clan have come to mingle, gossip, dance, party, and fuck. Each noble is announced upon arrival, although only family names are given. Every guest wears a mask to disguise themselves. Among those rumored to be attending are:
Anastalia ("Tala") of Clan Talwar
Ulric and Raphael of Clan Ivanova
Ariel and Falka of Clan Malikov
Wolcroft and Lucius ("Lux") of Clan Faustus
Dulcetta and Vivian of Clan Falkenrath
Alaster & Malakai of Clan Voldaren
Odric and Lavinia of Clan Tepes
Danitha of Clan Capashen
Dagan, Darius, and Alexander ("Xander") of Clan Morningstar
The ball presents ample opportunities to dance with fancy nobles. Olivia tasks the party with locating as many of the heirs as possible. She wants to get a feel for how their respective campaigns are going. Some are fairly easy to find on the dance floor, others might be engaging in chit-chat at their tables. A few of them go out of their way not to be found, due to their dislike of the attention. Raphael, Vivian, and the twins are resistant, and will try to pick the Dads' brains for information. Lux, Lavinia, and Falka are hiding out in the mansion itself. Roll percentile for each heir to discern how well their efforts are going.
As the ball goes late into the night, a thunderstorm begins picking up outside. Most begin retiring into bedrooms, art galleries, or the trophy room. When the party members find rooms to rest in, they can make themselves comfortable. The storm begins getting worse, and the house begins making noises. More than just the sounds of merriment or music or thumping. A Perception check (DC=15) picks up the howling winds coming through cracks in the walls, rolling 20 or higher picks up faint screams from outside. The source of the screams becomes more apparent only if the window is opened. A child's voice cries out from the dark forest.
Plot type
Mystery/Political Intrigue
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