lvl 8- Heisting Gearspark

ACT I: The Setup – “A Favor for Valintine”

Theme: Mystery, Infiltration, and Discovery

Goal: Break into Gearwright’s Gadgets and access the portal to Merric Gearheart’s demi-plane lair.

Key Scenes:

1. Valintine’s Proposition
2. Valentine Calico She’s smooth-talking, a little sketchy, but dripping with charm. Says that she has a job but needs a few extra hands, breaking in and stealing an item of high worth from a local shop owner. Promises 400 gold a piece for their assistance.
3. Maybe includes a brief social encounter for haggling/information gathering/prep.
4. The Heist Begins – Gearwright’s Gadgets
5. A quirky little shop with magical gadgets, oddities, and suspiciously overengineered security. The Owlin shopkeeper is polite and a bit quirky, has met the players beofre and asks if there is anything he can help them with.
6. Optional roleplay or skill challenges to explore the shop, potentially triggering magical defenses or drawing suspicion.
7. Springing the Trap
8. Valintine activates a “shutdown trap,” freezing the automaton shopkeeper and opening the back portal to the demi-plane.
9. This is a Point of No Return moment—the characters are committed.

ACT II: The Score – “Vault of the Gearspark”

Theme: Exploration, Puzzle-solving, and Choice

Goal: Navigate the disabled but dangerous mechanical fortress, reach the vault, and loot it.

Structure:

1. Arrival in the Demi-Plane
2. The lair is a massive mechanical, dungeon-like machine, dark and humming with dormant energy.
3. Valintine will now tell the party her true objective; this is the lair of a Necronomiton Merric Gearspark, and she is seeking an item from within his vault. Her shut down spell has deactivated his defenses, but she will need their help in getting back out again. In exchange, they can take anything they want from his vault, any number of powerful items they couldn't get otherwise (including his volume of the book of vile deeds).
4. All traps are visible but inactive. Mechanical arms twitch. Lenses stare blankly.
5. Valentine has a map of the maze, something that did not come cheaply., and guides the party through the maze. Set a timer for 15 minutes, indicating how long they have before Merrick wakes up.

The Main Vault

• The puzzle remains solvable, but now the party must complete it under pressure.
• the Iron Golem deactivates once the correct sequence has been inputted.

Inside the Vault

The air inside the vault is unnaturally still, as if sound itself is held in suspension. The walls are smooth and seamless, made of dark alloy that seems to absorb light. Faint arcs of energy pulse through thin veins in the metal. Throughout the chamber are glass cabinets, each holding a unique item on display.

Items that can be found

• Part of The Pirate Queen's Astral Map
• Volume III: Necromantic Theoretics of the Book of Vile deeds
• Whirlsong, (Upgraded +2 Dancing Sword)
• Once wielded by General Kaen Thorne in the Bloodwater Rebellions, Whirlsong was named for the whistling melodies it sang as it spun through the air, slaying foes with unerring grace. Kaen fought with a broken leg from horseback, relying on the sword’s dance to defend him.
• Ability- saying a command word or gesutre causes this sword to pring into the air next you you. It functions as a +2 sword.
• Extra Ability: While active, the blade can make one additional attack per round (total 2 attacks as a bonus action), and when you are reduced to 0 HP, it will automatically intercept 1 melee or ranged attack per round.
• Vowgrip Bracers (Upgraded Bracers of Defense)
• These ancient bracers once belonged to Ilshari the Loyal, a monk who swore never to raise a weapon again after watching her monastery fall. Despite her vow, she protected others with such ferocity that her devotion imprinted upon the bracers themselves.
• Ability- While wearing no armor or shield, your AC increases by +2
• Extra Ability: In addition, when you take damage from a creature within 30 feet, you can teleport adjacent to that creature as a reaction once per long rest.
• Cloak of the Mirrored Path (Upgraded Cloak of Displacement)
• This shimmering cloak belonged to the drow duelist Yxorin Veilstep, a former assassin who escaped his house and walked the wilds of the surface. The cloak reflects the path not taken, dancing with echoes of the wearer's movement.
• Ability- you have advantage on hiding and stealth roles, and enimies have disadvantage on attacks against you.
• Extra Ability: While the displacement effect is active , the first melee attack that misses you each round causes the attacker to strike a mirror image, dealing 2d6 force damage to themselves.
• Leviathan Blade-
• This silver-edged cutlass gleams with starlight and leaves a trail of shimmering mist when swung. Once wielded by Quirie the Pirate Queen, it is said to have never struck the same place twice—and never missed when the stakes were highest.
• Lucky- once per day, if this sword misses it's mark, you can re-roll the attack. this ability can not be used again until after a long rest.
• Queen’s Gambit – Once per day, when reduced to 0 HP, you can flip a coin (or roll 1d4). On heads (1 or 2), you drop to 1 HP instead. On tails (3 or 4), the attacker takes 4d10 radiant damage.
• Moonsteel Aegis of the Shontari Vanguard (Special Drow Samurai Full Plate)
• Forged for the elite Vanguard of the Shontari Drow during the Dragon Wars, this enchanted armor blends near-weightless alloys with ceremonial honor. The famed duelist Shirasu Keth wore it during the Siege of the River Gates, moving like a shadow despite its heavy plating.
• Extra Ability: Grants advantage on Stealth checks despite being full plate. Once per long/short rest, you may cast misty step as a bonus action after taking the Attack action.
• Silverthread Warweave (Upgraded Elven Chain)
• Crafted by the tailor-mages of Velyria, this chainmail is woven from silverthread—a magically responsive fabric enchanted with protective runes. It once belonged to Lord Alvinar, elven explorer and court mage.
• Ability- this grants a +3 to your AC, in addition to your Dex bonus. this can be warn even if not proficient in medium armor.
• Extra Ability: In addition to its normal effects, it grants resistance to force damage and allows you to cast the sheild spell as a reaction without expending a spell slot, a number of times equal to your proficiency modifier,
• Kassira’s Final Word (Upgraded Ring of Spell Storing)
• This delicate platinum ring holds the last prepared spells of Kassira Dawnmind, the high priestess who sealed the Nether Rift. The ring glows faintly with the light of her devotion.
• Ability- you can store up to 5 levels worth of spells in the ring.
• Extra Ability: In addition to storing spells as normal, once per long rest, you may immediately cast any stored spell as a reaction when an ally within 30 feet drops to 0 HP.
• Verdance Reclaimed (Legendary Mage’s Armor – reflavored Staff of Power)
• This armor set, composed of bracers, a platinum-linked curiass, and enchanted silk threaded through living roots, was grown and forged by the Devallian druids in secret collaboration with mages—an alliance thought impossible. It was worn by the sorcerer-lord Calis Vire, who vanished defending the Iron Spire from planar invasion.
• Ability- grants a +2 to AC, spell attacks, and Spell Sav DC of the user. You also have 20 charges, which can be used to take the following actions (number of charges used also listed)
• 1-Dispel Magic
• 1- Legend Lore
• 2- Modify Memory
• 5- Hold Person
• 5- Dominate Person
• 10- Feeblemind
• 10- Animate Dead
• 10- Danse Macabre
• You regain 1d4+proficency modifier chargers after a long rest. If you use all the charges, the staff can not be used again for 1d4 days.
• Immovable rod
• Deck of Many fates
• manual of health
• tome of recorded knowledge
• tome of bathroom locations

1. Oh No... Smokey’s Dead.
2. The escape plan? Dead in the water. Valintine’s shocked:, as she had thought that Aunbrin was smokey, because of the grey blude skin... you mean to tell me Smokey was the Bear? and She's Dead?
3. Merric Gearspark: Necro-maton should wake up around this time, an advanced version of himself melding out of the walls to confront the interlopers
4. He is confused by the presence of the players. "The odds of you appearing in my fortress at this point in time are so insignificant as to be impossible. "
5. He is also very confused that smokey is dead and he was unaware of her passing, as he had proposed a deal and so he should have been able to sense her in her time of need... but he didn't, almost as if something had obstructed his vision..
6. These inconsistences and anomalies concern him, and warrant further study.. so he will give them 30 minutes to escape his awakened maze, to test them, allow the rats to run the maze. After that time, he will come to test them himself.

---

ACT III: The Escape – “The Maze Wakes”

Theme: Desperation, Chaos, and Consequences

Goal: Escape the now-living mechanical lair while it shifts and tries to kill them.

Structure:

1. The Fortress Awakens
2. Sirens echo. Lenses light up. Blades spin. Walls shift. The fortress starts to rearrange itself.
3. Power cores - a glowing conduit of power. when placed in labled sections of the walls, they will rotate sections of the maze. However if removed, the section will revert back to its original position.

Room/Hallway Descriptions

• Hallway 1 – Gear-Fused Archives Shelves of dusty scrolls and blueprints line the walls, fused into the metal. A successful Investigation (DC 15) reveals a partially intact map of the vault wing and a hidden power core (Universal Key) behind a loose schematic.
• Hallway 2 – Mana Leak Corridor Arcane sigils on the walls pulse weakly, leaking magic mist. If a spellcaster examines it (Arcana DC 14), they can siphon a charge into their focus, granting +1 to spell DCs for 1 hour. Overexposure (failed Con save) causes minor damage.
• Hallway 3 – Broken Automaton Bay Rusted, twitching Merric drones line the walls, some still active in loops. Searching the remains (DC 13) grants 2 Power Cores (universal keys), and a Circuit Tuner (Key Item: Grants advantage on rolls to disable mechanically based traps).
• Hallway 4 – Whispering Pipes Whispers echo through tubes embedded in the walls. If a PC listens for 1 minute, they receive cryptic clues about a trap location (advantage on next Perception to detect traps). Listening too long (3+ minutes) triggers a Wisdom save vs confusion.
• Hallway 5 – Crystal Relay Channel Floating power crystals pulse between wall-mounted sockets. Rearranging them correctly (Intelligence puzzle) activates a hidden lift leading to an otherwise inaccessible balcony with treasure (1 Power Core + 50gp in gemstones).
• Hallway 6 – Reflective Chamber Mirror-like walls show the party as their worst selves. A party member touching the mirror must win a Charisma save (DC 16) or be pulled in, switching places with a hostile Mirror Clone for 3 rounds.
• Hallway 7 – The Spindle Path Narrow catwalks spiral over a bottomless machine pit. A fallen construct rests across the way—searching it (Athletics check to reach) uncovers a Power Core.
• Hallway 8 – Security Conduit A dormant face panel flickers to life, asking three riddles. Correct answers open a shortcut and reward the party with a power core. Incorrect answers activate nearby traps or monsters.
• Hallway 9 – Furnace Gallery Pipes glow red-hot above. A loose valve can be turned (Strength check) to vent the steam and reveal a maintenance crawlspace, bypassing the walls of the maze in that section.
• Hallway 10 – Scrap Memorial A pile of defunct constructs, some carved with names or “last messages.” An Investigation check finds a broken AI core containing a voice recording from one of Merric’s former allies, revealing backstory.

Traps

A – Arc-Surge Conduit Trap
Arcs of lightning dance along the hallway from nodes on the wall. Obvious scorch marks telegraph the danger. Triggers on sound or movement. Dex save to avoid, or take 4d8 lightning damage.

B – Gravity Inverter Panel
When active, this hallway flips gravity. Signs of wear on the ceiling indicate what’s coming. Creatures fall up 20 feet unless they anchor themselves. After 6 seconds, gravity resets violently.

C – Trapdoor Gauntlet
Multiple floor panels clunk with an audible “reset” sound. Perception reveals tiny seams. Failure drops a character 20 feet into a shifting conveyor belt full of grinding gears (Dex save to escape).

D – Modular Spear Wall
Wall plates open and thrust long, mechanical spears across the hallway. They rotate and reset noisily. Dodgeable with a DC 15 Dex save. A mechanism can be jammed using a Key Item (like the Circuit Tuner).

E- Encounter, Roll 1d10:

d10	Monster (Plane)	Notes
1	Inevitable: Zelekhut (Mechanus)	Enforces planar contracts. Could be patrolling due to broken oaths. CR 8.
2	Retriever (Abyss)	A massive spider construct that hunts magic users. CR 8.
3	Barbed Devil (Nine Hells)	Infernal guardian trapped here by a faulty summoning. CR 5, but fights smart and gets buffs from lair.
4	Yugoloth: Mezzoloth (Neutral Evil Plane)	Insectoid mercenary. Works for Merric. CR 5, may be guarding a vault door.
5	Bralani of Autumn Winds (Arborea)	A trapped celestial fey, desperate for release. Could be ally or foe. CR 7.
6	Rogue Modron (Mechanus)	Broken logic unit gone feral. May try to "correct" party's actions. CR 5, but enhanced by Merric’s systems.
7	Astral Dreadnought Larva (Astral Sea)	Smaller spawn of the great beasts. Still deadly. CR 7.
8	Phase Spider Matron (Ethereal)	Protects a nest within Merric’s structure. Warps between dimensions. CR 7.
9	Rutterkin (Abyss)	Accompanied by demonic rot aura. Found in twisted storage section. CR 5, but packs show up in threes.
10	Roll twice and combine – A hybrid encounter or overlapping threat.

Puzzles

P1- Hall of Past Heroes

• Room Description-
• You step into a wide, domed chamber where fifteen shrines form a solemn semicircle around the walls. At the center of each shrine rests a statue, immortalizing one of the fabled liches who fought beside Vecna, and beneath each figure lies a goblet—unique in design, bearing marks of the lich’s origin and power. Faint arcane light pulses from runes beneath the floor, and an uneasy silence hangs in the air. At the heart of the circle stands Vecna’s statue, but unlike the others, his figure is twisted—mocked rather than honored. His face is sunken, burdened, his throne cracked, and his goblet brimming with black ichor. A plaque beneath reads, “All crowns grow heavier with time.”
• Above his head is a poem (give players the poem)
• 1. Vecna, The Immortal Emperor A skeletal elven figure in tattered regalia, slouched on a broken throne. His statue’s eyes are downcast, and the goblet below his feet bleeds shadow, symbolizing a burden he can no longer carry.
• 2. Corvyn, The Hand of Vecna Clad in blackened armor with one fist raised high, a coiling chain connects his wrist to Vecna’s. His goblet is iron-bound and chained to his pedestal.
• 3. Jasmyne, The Eye of Vecna Elegant and watchful, cloaked in illusion, with eyes carved like mirrors. Her goblet is carved crystal, always filled though no one refills it.
• 4. Kas Otoyama, The Death Herald A knight in jagged plate, sword planted before him, bearing a skeletal sigil on his chest. His goblet is rusted with blood, marked with holy runes now burned.
• 5. Thaladir Moonshadow, The Carrion Hunter A fierce Fenlir Tabaxi mid-pounce, bow drawn. His goblet is carved from bone, wrapped in sinew and etched with claw marks.
• 6. Wendigo, The Forsaken A twisted, hollowed creature hunched with hunger, bearing remnants of fur and antlers. His goblet is frozen over and rimmed with teeth.
• 7. Wyatt Winchester, The Imbued A halfling in a gunslinger’s pose, rifle raised to the sky. His goblet is sleek and metallic, engraved with tallies of his duels.
• 8. Annie Oakley, A deviously smiling women cloaked in gambler’s finery, one hand extended with a deck of cards, the other holding a blade. Her goblet is a chipped silver chalice, heavy with gold coins.
• 9. Sir Henry Ironheart, The Oathbreaker A massive Leonin in ceremonial armor, head bowed as if in prayer or shame. His goblet is shaped like a sacred vessel, but cracked.
• 10. Greta Steelfist, The Scourge A roaring Loxedon with battle scars and broken chains around her arms. Her goblet is dented, stained with the rage of a thousand battles.
• 11. Great Khan Temujin Windwalker, The Body Snatcher A meditating Tabaxi monk, half fading into a swirl of ghostly visages. His goblet is a simple wooden bowl, surrounded by three other empty cups.
• 12. Amenhotep Sunbearer, The Divine Pharaoh Wrapped in golden linens, arms crossed over a scepter and crook. His goblet is shaped like a canopic jar, glowing faintly with divine fire.
• 13. Nefertari Sandsinger, The Blood Line A regal woman of desert lineage, flanked by phantom descendants. Her goblet is a crystal vial suspended by strands of hair and blood-red thread.
• 14. Bran Wildheart, The Blight A horned figure draped in moss and vine, half consumed by bark, with roots spiraling from his feet into the stone. His goblet is made of living wood, sprouting fresh green leaves—the only cup that grows.
• 15. Merric Gearspark, The Necromaton A tortle split between flesh and machine, one eye glowing, the other a lens. His goblet is a hollowed-out gear, leaking black oil and blood.
• mechanics-
• by drinking the cup of bran wildheart, his statue moves and reveals the passageway to the next room.
• If they drink from the wrong cup, their statue comes to life and attacks the party.
• Clues-
• Valintine might notice the verticle clue in the poem if players do not

P2- Tumbling Corridor

• Room Description-
• A long cave like tunnel, filled with stalagmites and stalactites across the length, through they all jut out at odd angles that seem to defy gravity, even coming straight out of the walls.
• mechanics
• the room spins, causing the players to toss and tumble. roll 1d4 to see which direction it turns,
• 1- turns right 25 degrees- dex save to avoid a stalagmite
• 2- turns left 25 degrees- dex save to avoid a stalagmite
• 3- flips upside own- dex save at disadvantage to avoid a stalagmite
• 4- nothing
• inside the room are 2 Stoneback Lurker
• Solutions
• players must reach the other side in one piece

P3- Whispers End

• Room Description-
• A large circular room with a glowing orb in the center, so bright that you can not look directly at it.
• scattered around the room are statues of several figures in varius states of shock or fear. They are almost all members of the Herlend races, many in an old Herdlend uniform that reminds you of the statues in the Blight. The statues cast dark shadwos that rech towards the walls
• mechanics
• The stairs leading out are below the orb, but the light obstructs you from seaing it.
• Anyone who looks at the light takes 2d6 radiant damage
• anyone who attempts to walk towards the orb looses half movement for every 5 feet, until they cant move. Anyone moving away does so easily, as if their shadows are pulling them away.
• If they hide behind the shadows of the statues, whispers will lunge at them (but can not move into the light)
• Solutions
• they have to find a way to illumiate themselves, so that thier own shadow casts towards the orb and not away from it.
• Doing that, allows them to approach and find the stair case.
• Clues
• An inscription they had missed in their first inspection "Only those whose minds are illuminated may leave my Dungeon"

P4-

• Room Description
• You enter a narrow, gear-lined chamber dominated by a massive mechanical wall dial, shaped like a clock. At its center is a rotating brass wheel with a lettered input ring (like an old Enigma machine), with a number of different symbols.
• Flame – Represents power, destruction, or arcane energy.
• Skull – Represents death, undeath, or sacrifice.
• Hourglass – Represents time. The correct solution.
• Tree – Represents nature, life, or Bran Wildheart’s influence.
• Gear – Represents machinery, constructs, or Merric Gearspark.
• Crescent Moon – Represents illusion, secrecy, or Jasmyne.
• Crown – Represents kingship, authority, or Vecna himself.
• Feather – Represents memory, song, or Maria Canarry.
• Coin – Represents chance, trade, or Annie Oakley.
• Sword – Represents battle, vengeance, or Kas.
• Chain – Represents control, binding, or obligation.
• Each wall of the room has a vertical sequence of numbers and symbols as well
• give players the strips of paper with the sequence
• As you enter, the door behind slams shut, and the room begins to fill with water. You estimate you have 10 minutes before it fills completely.
• mechanics
• players have to push the correct symbol of the brass wheel (the hour glass)
• pressing the wrong symbol results in water rushing in faster (loose 1 minute)
• Clues
• valintine might recognize the words as a 5 by 5 cipher, and guesses that if they put them in the right order, they should find they form a word sequence

P5- Forced truths

• Setup: A sealed stone room with a plinth that asks the players personal questions. The exit only opens once enough truths are spoken.
• Mechanic: Players must answer 5 truthful responses (shared across the party). Lies, half-truths, or silence cause the walls to inch inward. After 3 lies, the party begins taking force damage and risks being trapped.
• Clues: Insight or Arcana checks reveal the room is enchanted with divination magic. The glowing rune circle on the floor gets brighter with each truth.
• Success: Telling the required number of truths causes the exit door to open. Failure: Continued lying leads to damage, pressure, and eventual entrapment.

P6- Vault of Whispers – Puzzle Summary

• Setup: A corridor lined with stone faces and blocked by magical barriers or traps. Whispering fills the air.
• Mechanic:
• To bypass each obstacle, a player must whisper a true personal secret into a stone face.
• Fake or shallow secrets trigger magical backlash (e.g., psychic damage, paralysis).
• Each party member must share at least one real secret to fully progress.
• Clues: Arcana or Insight reveals the faces feed on truth and vulnerability through divination magic.
• Theme: Encourages roleplay and trust; secrets may have future consequences.

P7- Hall of Silence

• Description: The hallway is long, narrow, and eerily quiet. Black stone walls reflect faint candlelight, but the flames produce no heat. As the players step inside, a heavy weight settles over them—as if the air itself is watching. An inscription carved above the entrance reads:
• “Let not joy, sorrow, fear, or fury pass your lips or eyes. Only the still may pass untouched.”
• Core Mechanic: Emotional Restraint Challenge Illusions manifest at intervals as the party walks through the hallway. Each illusion is tailored to provoke specific emotions: fear, guilt, anger, joy, sadness.
• If a player reacts emotionally in any way—shouting, crying, laughing, physically flinching, etc.—they take 2d6 psychic damage, and the hallway resets their progress to the last checkpoint.
• 3 Check Points for each player

Merrics pursuit

If the timer goes off, Merric Gearspark: Necro-maton will appear and engage the party with duplicates he has been creating based off the abilities he has seen them use as he observed them in the maze.

• He will be testing them, their abilities, and decision making.
• senjin replication
• Smokey replication
• Pearl Replication
• Aunbrin replication
• Be prolific in giving the players extra advantage, and allow for Meric to take notice that there is something influencing outcomes..
• If he kills a character, but they decide that it isn't their time, the Keeper is the one who intervenes, and helps the party escape.

Act IV: Returning Home

The party will escape via Valintines ship, The Ebon Cipher .

• It will take about 1 week of travel on the Astral sea to reach Sigil, The City of Doors
• roll on Ethereal Expanse- 4th Sea random encounter table if there is an encounter, 1d4 per day of travel (5 days)
• There they will run into Elara Shadowleaf , who was told by an old friend that they would need her here, and will guide them to a forgotten portal in a broken door frame, located in an alleyway of The Folds