ATG Mission 9.1 - Assassination at the Points
Previously on Liters of Tomorrow-
After returning to the town of Tellenor after defeating the dangerous psionic dragon known as Malavoor Doh'Malis the team grabbed a drink at the Blizzard Hops Tavern and Distillery. The man known as Ijin Matsushige traveled with you and joined you for a drink. At the tavern was a Tiefling woman putting on a bit of a show with her maracas and beautiful singing voice. As the crowd let out their familiar shout of "HOPS!" as hops and the team entered the tavern the tiefling woman's eyes grew wide and she took out a parchment and quill.
After his drink Ijin excused himself to walk the town to get the lay of the land and experience the pleasant small town atmosphere of your hometown. Stopping on the street to have a conversation with the always curious nine year old Petey Pollivar, Ijin was surrounded by shimmering portals. A platoon of TVA troopers stepped out and surrounded you demanding your surrender and to place you under arrest.
With the whisper of "Run" to Petey you deftly reached into your coat for a smoke bomb and with one motion set it off and misty stepped behind one of the troopers gaining surprise. With some shouts from Petey and some excellent perception and battle awareness the rest of the team readied for battle. The TVA was something the rest of you had dealt with before.
With the arrival of Adventure Team Grimm the lead investigator grew panicked and shouted for backup into his helmet. Moments later a giant mech fell to the ground towering over all but Karnac who had shifted into Treant form. The battle hung in the balance for a few moments one another portal opened, this time of gold and sparking energy, and out walked Cog the warforged who was trapped in the future. With the team reassembled and with the help of Ijin and the Tiefling bard lillith, the mech and troopers were defeated. As you collected yourselves one last portal opened and a finely dressed human woman stepped out with a clipboard and an air of authority. She placed all of your cases on probation and claiming that the evidence against you was not conclusive promised no further interference for now.
Exhausted after a whirlwind couple of days you all headed back to your new headquarters the Owlbear's Egg and got some rest. You spent the following morning eating, shopping, and relaxing. The guards had some questions about the Stullius Stirge case which was still ongoing and their were some strange mercenaries in town. Before you could deal with those things Trusilla Fane the regional director of PACT, approached you with a worried look on her face. Let's head back their now to the Duke's conference room in Castle Kelleborne. . .
Plot points/Scenes
Assassination at the Points -
Trusilla Fane, The Duke, and Derek Jondunlass have brought in Ontus Jostle who is a bit of an expert in elven history and Drow foreign affairs. They have spent the last couple weeks decoding the documents left by the Morendath Ever'rend. They are a group of mercenaries and spies who have spent the last 3 years working with Lamborginus and the Knight's of Aventador. As Ontus explains all of that was part of a greater darker plan these particular drow have been formulating for a decade. He lays out the documents and points to several pieces of parchment written in a complex cipher. "This war between Lamborginus and Penthos was just the first step. As you see here they mention the Durrilan Thelypteris Concordat of SF 341. Mr. Akuma would you please explain the significance of that?"
"Looking at their most recent missives you can see here they mention a festival taking place in the points this week. The Festival of White and Gold, it is an annual festival originally presented to honor one of the greatest treaty achievements of all history. Of course the points being the points it is nowadays an excuse to drink heavily and gamble even more." You see him begin to huff and murmur about the ills of society. Trusilla gets him back on track with a "Ah-hem..." He continues "Anyway they mention an elven diplomat by the name of Garizon Opan Thelypteris. He is a baron of House Thelypteris and a descendant of Perrilan Thelypteris the original signer of the Concordat." He looks up as all of you begin with dumb questions. "I see by your dull eyes and your mammalian need for chewing your cud that you do not understand the significance of this. If this Morendath Ever'rend assassinates Garizon and blames Lamborginus or Penthos you could draw the entire forest realms into this conflict. I won't bore you with the details of the web of treaties between all of those kingdoms but suffice to say you would have a continent wide conflict that benefits only one group, The Morendath Ever'rend and whatever plans they have for the underdark." "Considering the wealth of skills adventure Team Grimm possesses you are uniquely qualified to travel to the points and prevent this assassination and you only have a few days to do it. Baron Garizon Thelypteris arrives in the morning and will be at the festival for only two days."
The duke looks at Vom Fass and says "Mr. Fass our teleportation circle is at your disposal, there is a receiving circle at the Peace Arena." The Duke leads you into the big open room of the castle library. The familiar face of Anton Yellis glowers at you as he sees you approaching. "Duke Kerrigan I must protest at this group of individuals entering our fragile and precious library you see - " The Duke cuts him off with "Enough Anton, this is a matter of some urgency go prepare the teleportation circle. Anton brightens up a bit at the prospect of all of you leaving town and stalks off towards the corner of the room that has a set of polished double doors. At this point Cog hangs back a bit and admits that he needs to stay behind on this one. He and Trusilla Fane are heading to Agrimor's Stronghold to check on something.
The teleportation room is a circular room with curved wood paneled walls all made of light cherry wood. The Circle itself is inset into the floor and surrounded by a few steps except for a small ramp in the middle leading to the doors which is used for carts hauling books or supplies. The circle has the familiar maze of runes carved into it's stone surface. The runes are all painted in a teal color and glow a little as people enter the room. The librarian Anton walks to a panel and sets coordinates for the city known as The Points.
As you all gather on the circle and it begins to fire up you see Cog and Trusilla wave to you one last time. As the scene fades and the six seconds it takes for the spell to be complete you see a brief flash of purple smoke from behind Cog. The Top Hat Man puts his fingers to his lips and then touches Cog's head. As you lose sight of them you see Cog's eyes go from the familiar blue glow to a shade of purple and then the scene shifts to a darker room. A long curtain is drawn back and an attractive fire genasi woman in fishnet stockings and a long tailed coat like a magician's bows and welcomes you. "Greetings travelers! Welcome to the Points and more importantly the Enchantment under the sea casino!" Her hair is all black curls and her skin is a ruddy red with bright yellow pupils and black eyes. With a flourish she motions to the wide double doors about ten feet away and they open on their own. Beyond you see a wide open room filled with gaming tables and rows of devices with handles on them. Hundreds of people of all species gather around tables drinking and either shouting for joy or slamming their fists in distress.
The Enchantment Under The Sea Casino
The ceiling is a good 20 ft tall and the walls move with hundreds of illusions portraying a section of sea with sunlight beaming down into it. Fish and sharks move about and dolphins play as multicolored jellyfish hover in the background. Hundreds of denizens roam about the slot machines and tables that fill the room. [DM Note: There are three main rooms to the Casino, this is the Under the sea room, the next largest one is the Beach Bum room and the last is Triton's Delight. The Beach room is much brighter and has umbrella drinks and palm trees. The Triton room is darker and much sexier with a black light vibe. The servers and dealers are dressed much sexier and the Slot machines have illusions of much more adult material. The team should look for an informant or contact the Point Guard. They need information on the parade route and any strangers in town. A tall order since thousands of revelers crowd the city this time of year. If anyone wants to gamble see the casino games page under traditions.]
Themes
Double Vision
Ijin as you follow the rest of the team and sit down in the tavern/Casino you look around you. As a reflex you scan the area for strange, interesting, or dangerous figures or situations. Groups of all races and manner of being move about the room in states of revelry, angry displays of bravado or just drunken melancholy. You think to yourself of all the similarities between your world and this odd alternate reality you have been dragged to. Just as you are about to give yourself the all clear signal you see another pair of eyes looking back at you. Of course that is not the most alarming part often you lock eyes with another rogue or paladin doing the same thing in this situation. These eyes are your eyes. A man at another table looks exactly like you and he looks at you. His hair is different, unlike your pulled back mane he has a close cropped haircut and a tight black beard. He wears simple leather armor that looks easy to move in but certainly not shiny and new, it's seen some use.
Roll a perception check. [DC 15 or above , you see his eyes and the muscles under his eyebrows twitch ever so slightly. He is just as surprised as you are and you can tell.] He looks at you coolly and totally under control of himself. He points to a door on the balcony above and mouths the words "Two minutes" then he gets up from the table and disappears.
As you walk through the doorway you feel a knife at your throat. In a hoarse whisper he angrily says "What are you? Doppleganger? Disguise spell? Polymorphed? Spill it." As you attempt to explain yourself or construct a working lie he pulls out a small stone and waves it up and down you. "So you are not magicked in any way, are you really just a guy who looks like me? Let me introduce myself, I'm Ijin Matsushige." Our Ijin's Story is thus: "I am a kind of independent investigator. I've been looking into the Morendath Ever'rend for several months now. I was hired by Arma Penchant a minister in Stoneport. I uncovered some documentation that I stole from a Drow operative and it listed several payments to mercenaries who operate here in The Points."
Ijin will suggest that Ijin meet him at the top of the constellation building in the morning after the team resarches the parade route and speaks to people about town. In reality he is going to use the Maycroft building to kill the baron. He is going to leave a trap for Ijin to frame him for the assassination!
The Jolar Skinners -
No matter which tavern or bar they are at there are a group of mercenaries in town known as the Jolar Skinners. This group of powerful sellswords and warriors has left their army contracts and banded together to use the chaos of the current war to rape, steal and pillage the other parts of Penthaheim left behind. Most of them were contracted by one of the armies to act as soldiers but either defected or were left behind due to injury. Now they roam the middle of the country in loose bands looking for cheap or free beer and push around the denizens of small towns for weeks on end until their fun is over.
Most of the group is made up of humans, dwarves, and half orcs who are skilled fighters and rangers. Many of then come from the barbarian tribes of the Aerodon steppe. The Jolar settlement is known for producing skilled fighters and barbarians.
They will goad and bully anyone in their way and they are not afraid of starting a fight. They are harassing the denizens of Tellenor, stealing coin, hitting on women in a lewd way and even flaunting the Kerraguard who are not at their best right now after the occupation.
You hear a slam of the side door of the tavern and a woman runs out tears in her eyes. The door slams open once more and a muscular human man rushes out with a hungry grin.
"Come on Love, we aren't finished yet! Let's find a private place to continue this..."
Let the team explore the points and tell them all about the parade and festival the next day. The parade starts at noon and their will be fireworks and magical illusions that will help obstruct vision so that our assassin can kill the ambassador. The elven ambassador will ride an open carriage in the middle of the parade since he is the guest of honor. As the team tries to find the shooter they will be attacked by the crimson Vettel mercenaries. Need a good street battle map and tall building battle map, plus tokens for Roll20. Next up is the control rod flaring to life and point down into the city! The team will need to move down into the depths where the control rod will create dangerous scenarios for them to fight. Dozens of different alternate versions of themselves will begin to show up to stop and kill them. Alternate reality versions of Dendrick but completely evil and dangerous. Alternate reality versions of Lich Cog, Storm GIant Hops, Evil Mew, dragon Vom Fass, Khalesite Spawn Karnac and more!
Ijin as you follow the rest of the team and sit down in the tavern/Casino you look around you. As a reflex you scan the area for strange, interesting, or dangerous figures or situations. Groups of all races and manner of being move about the room in states of revelry, angry displays of bravado or just drunken melancholy. You think to yourself of all the similarities between your world and this odd alternate reality you have been dragged to. Just as you are about to give yourself the all clear signal you see another pair of eyes looking back at you. Of course that is not the most alarming part often you lock eyes with another rogue or paladin doing the same thing in this situation. These eyes are your eyes. A man at another table looks exactly like you and he looks at you. His hair is different, unlike your pulled back mane he has a close cropped haircut and a tight black beard. He wears simple leather armor that looks easy to move in but certainly not shiny and new, it's seen some use.
Roll a perception check. [DC 15 or above , you see his eyes and the muscles under his eyebrows twitch ever so slightly. He is just as surprised as you are and you can tell.] He looks at you coolly and totally under control of himself. He points to a door on the balcony above and mouths the words "Two minutes" then he gets up from the table and disappears.
As you walk through the doorway you feel a knife at your throat. In a hoarse whisper he angrily says "What are you? Doppleganger? Disguise spell? Polymorphed? Spill it." As you attempt to explain yourself or construct a working lie he pulls out a small stone and waves it up and down you. "So you are not magicked in any way, are you really just a guy who looks like me? Let me introduce myself, I'm Ijin Matsushige." Our Ijin's Story is thus: "I am a kind of independent investigator. I've been looking into the Morendath Ever'rend for several months now. I was hired by Arma Penchant a minister in Stoneport. I uncovered some documentation that I stole from a Drow operative and it listed several payments to mercenaries who operate here in The Points."
Ijin will suggest that Ijin meet him at the top of the constellation building in the morning after the team resarches the parade route and speaks to people about town. In reality he is going to use the Maycroft building to kill the baron. He is going to leave a trap for Ijin to frame him for the assassination!
The Jolar Skinners -
No matter which tavern or bar they are at there are a group of mercenaries in town known as the Jolar Skinners. This group of powerful sellswords and warriors has left their army contracts and banded together to use the chaos of the current war to rape, steal and pillage the other parts of Penthaheim left behind. Most of them were contracted by one of the armies to act as soldiers but either defected or were left behind due to injury. Now they roam the middle of the country in loose bands looking for cheap or free beer and push around the denizens of small towns for weeks on end until their fun is over.
Most of the group is made up of humans, dwarves, and half orcs who are skilled fighters and rangers. Many of then come from the barbarian tribes of the Aerodon steppe. The Jolar settlement is known for producing skilled fighters and barbarians.
They will goad and bully anyone in their way and they are not afraid of starting a fight. They are harassing the denizens of Tellenor, stealing coin, hitting on women in a lewd way and even flaunting the Kerraguard who are not at their best right now after the occupation.
You hear a slam of the side door of the tavern and a woman runs out tears in her eyes. The door slams open once more and a muscular human man rushes out with a hungry grin.
"Come on Love, we aren't finished yet! Let's find a private place to continue this..."
Let the team explore the points and tell them all about the parade and festival the next day. The parade starts at noon and their will be fireworks and magical illusions that will help obstruct vision so that our assassin can kill the ambassador. The elven ambassador will ride an open carriage in the middle of the parade since he is the guest of honor. As the team tries to find the shooter they will be attacked by the crimson Vettel mercenaries. Need a good street battle map and tall building battle map, plus tokens for Roll20. Next up is the control rod flaring to life and point down into the city! The team will need to move down into the depths where the control rod will create dangerous scenarios for them to fight. Dozens of different alternate versions of themselves will begin to show up to stop and kill them. Alternate reality versions of Dendrick but completely evil and dangerous. Alternate reality versions of Lich Cog, Storm GIant Hops, Evil Mew, dragon Vom Fass, Khalesite Spawn Karnac and more!
Structure
Exposition
The White and Gold Parade -
[DM Note- The parade route is as follows: It begins with the floats and marchers at the Loiwar Port and moves north along the wall and then East to Mointair. The parade marches north up King's Street and stops for twenty minutes at the bridge fortress so the Parade Master can give a speech. The western side of the street carries the parade north and It then button hooks down the Eastern side of the street moving south and then East again towards the Deasert District and then ends at the Enchantment under the sea casino which is the larger building on the dry river bed. In front of the bridge fortress as the Parade Master, Garizon Opan Thelypteris, gives his speech the assassin will fire a long bow fitted with an arrow made from Stoneport Steel that was given to Lamborginus and the Knights of Aventador. This implicates the Aventadors and the Archos Divinus in the Barons killing. One of the tall buildings on the King's Street will be the perch for Ijin Matsushige of our world.]
You hear the banging of dozens of drums and wail of horned instruments as the parade begins to move through the packed streets of The Points. The smell of hundreds of street carts full of fried meats and vegetables as mixes with the sugary smell of fritters and cakes, an assault on the senses. thousands of onlookers crowd the streets excited to get the festivities started. Parents with small children outfit them with colorful painted hats and goofy costumes. Most of the crowd pull out ceramic mugs full of ales, lagers, mead and wine. Many of the grizzled veterans of these festivities have flasks in hand as they look around for tussle or an argument. You are all experienced travelers at this point, you've seen enough large cities and festivals to know where this is headed. The early afternoon sun will heat up the streets and by dusk this city will be strewn with drunks and disorder.
Roll perception checks: The Point Guard as they are known don't look much better than the crowd. Some of them are also holding flasks already, you don't trust them much to keep the peace once the blood alcohol level redlines.
The first part of the parade is several local marching bands that play reasonably well. Clearly not a college of bards or serious musicians. The next section is a group of floats pandering to the local taverns and breweries and they get a roar from the crowd. The carts are pulled with teams of horses or mules and they are decorated with paper crafts of alcoholic beverages and are staffed with scantily clad men and women.
The middle section of the parade is led with a regiment of elven warriors. None of whom look happy to be here. Clearly they drew the short straw or are being punished for falling last in their division for cleanliness or marching time. A large white and gold float flying dozens of elven house flags has a huge white wooden throne upon it. In it sits the Baron Thelypteris himself. He waves to the crowd and has a big stupid grin on his face.
Conflict
Locating Ijin the Assassin-
Once Ijin finds the room and assaults it bad Ijin will try to teleport away while guards stream in framing Justin.
The Constellation Building on King's Street
The Constellation building is one of the younger building's in the points located right on King's Street on the Western Side. It is a five story tall rectangular building with White stone walls framed with huge beams of redwood criss crossing through them. Each floor has wide windows facing the East and West. The top floor has a red painted pagoda style building dominating it. Wide sliding doors can be found on a wide patio section with potted plants all around it. These doors are locked [DC 17] The upper floors of the building contain office space and several apartments. It is all rented by wealthy ministers or elven royalty who keep apartments here for frequent vacations in The Points. The owners of the building are an elven company called Silver Oracle. The upper three floors are reserved for the main patriarch of the family Elzario DuSoong. You notice the smell of rich elven tobacco, a very different thing than Karnac's pipeweed. The furniture is all crafted from finely polished Inorian Redwood and everything looks clean and put away fastidiously.
Moving through these rooms an investigation check will reveal pictures of his family and significant other but plenty of articles of clothing and other recorded illusions depicting DuSoong with a purple tielfling woman performing all manner of sex acts.
-A rack of fine elven wines stands against the northern wall, and an expensive liquor cabinet holds centuries old elven whiskey.
-A bottle of rum stands on an end table, several drops stain the top of the table. A history check reveals that this rum is common sailor fare and doesn't jibe with the rest of the apartment. [DM Note: Hiding in the back bedroom are several Jolar Skinners looking to attack the party! If they keep them busy for several rounds the team will not have time to stop the assassination.]
The Maycroft Building on King's Street
The rival building to the constellation built in the last twenty years by the wealthy Maycroft family. It was built on the ruins of a much older building and the Maycroft's know quite well what they are hiding underneath. They have their own entrance into the ancient city below. It stands opposite the Constellation building on the East side of King's Street. [DM Note: This is where Ijin has set up his sniper's perch. He has hired many Jolar Skinners to patrol both buildings, they are instructed to watch for any adventuring parties or investigators and rough them up. He has told them nothing of the assassination just paid them to keep others busy. In the top apartment are the Crimson Vettel, specifically placed here to keep the team busy long enough and then blame Justin for the Assassination.]
The top several floors of the Maycroft building are made of a white stucco with light colored wood framing, it has a very Mediterranean coast type feel. Several windows face King's Street and sunlight dapples the rooms inside. You notice a strong cigar smell as you enter as well as a strong incense. Maybe too strong, as if someone is trying to change the smell in here. On the top floor their are several skylights made of glass and a wide patio surrounds the top floor, perfect for looking out upon the city at night or to observe the parade.
Investigation checks reveal -
-Stubs of cigars smoked recently, the ashtrays on the end tables and desk. Mixed in is a smaller tighter cigarette rolled in dark brown paper.
-On a table is a card propped up and folded in half with the inscription "For Ijin" on it. [DM Note: The paper is coated with a fast acting sleep potion if anyone touches it. It feels wet to the touch. Roll a DC17 Constitution saving throw. Success leads to one point of exhaustion, failure leads to 1d12 rounds of sleep!]
-The Crimson Vettel is on the roof waiting to pounce through the skylights!
-Tanaheim Ijin is in position to fire his arrow at the Baron! [Reminder that the arrow is rigged to look like the metal from Stoneport and the rest to look like Aventador weapon]
Rising Action
Underneath the Maycroft Building
There is an entrance to the underground catacombs and ancient city streets below the building. The Maycroft building has a strange circular opening that is built into the center allowing higher floors to look down upon the floors below. The ground floor has a circular mosaic depicting an ancient castle lording over a woodland. It is created of sparkling crystals and minerals that are commonly found in the mining territory near the city. Underneath this mosaic is an entrance into the ancient city catacombs. A PC can smash through the mosaic with three DC 18 strength checks, or they can search the room for a secret switch that opens a door in the side of the mosaic and a staircase leading down.
Underneath The Points are the ruins and catacombs of an ancient elven city from the second age. Down here are the Herradym Shades, former people who lived and worked in the city long dead. There are also constructs and mechanoids that can be turned on or set loose. These are large constructs powered by ancient shard rock orbs that act as batteries.
There is an entrance to the underground catacombs and ancient city streets below the building. The Maycroft building has a strange circular opening that is built into the center allowing higher floors to look down upon the floors below. The ground floor has a circular mosaic depicting an ancient castle lording over a woodland. It is created of sparkling crystals and minerals that are commonly found in the mining territory near the city. Underneath this mosaic is an entrance into the ancient city catacombs. A PC can smash through the mosaic with three DC 18 strength checks, or they can search the room for a secret switch that opens a door in the side of the mosaic and a staircase leading down.
Underneath The Points are the ruins and catacombs of an ancient elven city from the second age. Down here are the Herradym Shades, former people who lived and worked in the city long dead. There are also constructs and mechanoids that can be turned on or set loose. These are large constructs powered by ancient shard rock orbs that act as batteries.
Informants at The Points-
Trum Kezler - A shifty looking Gnome man with long white hair. His Left eye is just a dark blue orb. He claims it allows him to see in six directions at once. It doesn't but he does have excellent perception. He wears a dark brown heavy knit shirt and a lime green coat. He plays at being the affable drunk but in reality he knows everything that happens in the city.
Netta Green Hand - A human woman who looks a lot like Adrien Barbeau with a corset that shows off her ample cleavage. She wears a heavy long black coat with a wide collar and red pants. Her left hand is a bright green clawed goblin hand. She claims she lost it in battle and a sorceror's wild magic explosion attached a new one in southern Ventenheim.
Schist Gravilon - An earth genasi man with teal green mineral spikes for hair. His skin is a dull green and brown and has a slight transparent sheen to it like a crystal. He wears a red velvet coat and has bard skills to hide his information gathering. He often whips out an Ocarina or mouth pipe to play a ditty.
Information to gather
Trum Kezler - A shifty looking Gnome man with long white hair. His Left eye is just a dark blue orb. He claims it allows him to see in six directions at once. It doesn't but he does have excellent perception. He wears a dark brown heavy knit shirt and a lime green coat. He plays at being the affable drunk but in reality he knows everything that happens in the city.
Netta Green Hand - A human woman who looks a lot like Adrien Barbeau with a corset that shows off her ample cleavage. She wears a heavy long black coat with a wide collar and red pants. Her left hand is a bright green clawed goblin hand. She claims she lost it in battle and a sorceror's wild magic explosion attached a new one in southern Ventenheim.
Schist Gravilon - An earth genasi man with teal green mineral spikes for hair. His skin is a dull green and brown and has a slight transparent sheen to it like a crystal. He wears a red velvet coat and has bard skills to hide his information gathering. He often whips out an Ocarina or mouth pipe to play a ditty.
Information to gather
- Ever heard of the Crimson Vettel? Mercenary group that just came to town.
- Influx of Jolar Skinners, those guys are bad news steer clear.
- I've seen a drow man and a Woman, they were dressed like bad news.
- Heard of a guy renting apartments in The Mointair District right along the parade route.
Jango Fist are employed by Obun Gillory to look into things as well. Obun doesn't trust the Point Guard and uses his own private security force to check on things. He may enlist the team if they don't put things together fast enoug.
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