Looking for input for an as of yet untitled Daunton mystery

Graf · Sep 17, 2008

Please note: this adventure has not been approved yet. Everything below is -just- a 1st draft. (You'll note there's nothing presently on the wiki about the screamer, etc)

So I'm planning on running a bit of a mystery. I have the core thesis set up (below). Honestly the "adventure" will be fairly simple; I'd like to build it up a little bit on the front end using peoples hooks (or kickers - though only Palindrome's leaps out as being strongly inclined in this direction).

Which brings me to the question of who's interested in playing...?
(I invite everyone to provide feedback, but obviously if your already in another game you won't be able to join this one....)

The Screamer said:
1. The Daunton Screamer, a provocative sheet of paper that thumbs its nose at what it sees as the entrenched interests of Daunton, usually comes out once a week. It's been almost three weeks since it was last seen. There are rumors that Mayor Bunt has a bottle of the finest Ean wine on ice for the one month mark.

The following are well known facts about the Screamer (DC 15 Streetwise or automatic if you've lived in Daunton for more than 6 months)

Its a single large sheet of paper, double-sided. A few hundred copies usually appear once weekly. It's covered in unusual iconography, has a distinct (most would say "jarring") handwritten style,

Even fans of the screamer admit that it's not a pleasant read, filled with vitriol and hatred. While it saves most of its venom for personal attacks on the rich or powerful (or at least the moderately well off); the writer seems to loath everyone (citizens of Daunton are "over-fed pseudo-intellectual sheep", monks that help the poor are "self-righteous smug soul-traders" and so forth ).

Most people read the screamer for the "eyes" articles. Some articles are marked by an open eye as the first character of the text. They invariably feature information that is known to very few people. The issues that eyes articles address vary widely; a recent issue featured a pair of equal length: one discussing Mayor Bunt's gastro-intestinal issues and the other a secret ambassadorial visit from the Isle of O regarding Bacarte-based piracy.

The so called "eyes" articles have been proved right often enough that at least a small minority of the population simply takes them as fact; no matter how ludicrous the content. How the person or people who create the screamer get consistent access to such a variety of scoops is a mystery.

As is almost everything else about the screamer. The copies reportedly simply appear when no-one is looking, the authorship is likewise unknown.

[sblock=Arcana 15 assuming you make the streewise or have lived in Daunton for a while]The screamer is handwritten, and then copied using a simple set of magical inks that only last a few days before turning into smear. Though aficionados, and the library, have discovered that its relatively simple to make the inks last (for the rich price of 1gp you can buy a copy treated to be permanent (or as permanent as a normal sheet of paper would be) from a handful of booksellers; usually on sale a few days after the first version goes live).[/sblock]

So I suppose the question (other than what people think about the idea) is... who's interested in playing and how can we plug you into the story?

Halford · Sep 17, 2008

And this is why I voted for more than I character at start, up. Grrr, can I use my Living EnWorld character, this is the perfect game for his, surely we can put aside half an edition? No? Curses!

4th edition lends itself well to this kind of game especially with the use of skill challenges. Looks like a great setup Graf, I am a huge fan of mystery games and it sounds like it will enable an indepth exploration of Daunton.

Dunamin · Sep 17, 2008

I'm certainly interested!

As for hooks, Woe has grown up in Daunton, and if the Screamer has been around for some years he may have looked into it during city guard duty. I imagine some Dauntonians might make such complaints to the law, even if there's not anything illegal going on (especially regarding "eye articles" that damage someone's reputation).

Graf · Sep 17, 2008

Halford said:
And this is why I voted for more than I character at start, up. Grrr, can I use my Living EnWorld character, this is the perfect game for his, surely we can put aside half an edition? No? Curses!

4th edition lends itself well to this kind of game especially with the use of skill challenges. Looks like a great setup Graf, I am a huge fan of mystery games and it sounds like it will enable an in depth exploration of Daunton.

Thanks for the enthusiasm. If you're a mystery expert I'm doubly looking forward to getting your input on the adventure then...

Dunamin said:
I'm certainly interested!

As for hooks, Woe has grown up in Daunton, and if the Screamer has been around for some years he may have looked into it during city guard duty. I imagine some Dauntonians might make such complaints to the law, even if there's not anything illegal going on.

Complaints would be endemic I think. Even people who like the Screamer feel obliged to talk about how terrible it is.

Woe could have been involved in Mayor Bunt's less-than-successful attempts to intercept the Screamer (at one point soon after the screamer appeared a quarter of the guard was ordered to get up on a Sunday to try to "catch" the perpetrator).

It wasn't tremendously successful, though almost two dozen guardmen had to resign the following week after a double sized special edition filled entirely with abuses and embarrassments appeared (mostly bribery and shakedowns, but also marital affairs and a small mystery cult also were dug up).

The guards response to further orders to intercept the Screamer has been "unenthusiastic".

I think we'd either want Woe to have a sterling reputation for honesty, a past history of having helped two unusual arcanists who settled in Daunton about ten years ago, or... I can think of other stuff if that doesn't work.

Dunamin · Sep 17, 2008

Graf said:
I think we'd either want Woe to have a sterling reputation for honesty, a past history of having helped two unusual arcanists who settled in Daunton about ten years ago, or... I can think of other stuff if that doesn't work.

I would not recommend the first option - Woe may not be antagonistic but he's no knight in shining armor (though he may have claimed to be to get laid).

The second options sounds interesting, though! I'm all for PC relations that aren't necessarily based on meeting in a tavern.

Halford · Sep 17, 2008

Well I certainly would not call myself an expert, but I am trying to do something similar in Ends meat my LEW game.

garyh · Sep 17, 2008

Hrav will be going on the monster pirate adventure, but I do think this looks like a lot of fun, and would be a great addition to the setting.

Voda Vosa · Sep 17, 2008

The idea seems great, but there is something that ,maybe with my limited understanding of English, I'm loosing:
Which could be the motivation for the search of the missing writer? I mean, sure, he has good informants, and tells the truth (as we say here, with no hair in his tong) but it's just a mysteriously sensationalist paper publisher. I think there should be someone very interested in founding him, or limited to Dauton characters who could develop some sort of emotional feeling or duty feeling about the missing guy.

Halford · Sep 17, 2008

Well apparently the publisher has some way to gain access to insider information, if he is missing maybe a more sinister power now has access to that information?

The PCs need not have a reason to find the publisher themselves that is what patrons are for!

KenHood · Sep 18, 2008

Color me intrigued...

(I think that's a shade of blue.)

Palindrome is up for the task, assuming that a certain fat sluggard of a wizard forces him into the job.

Probably for no pay...

Though the mystery may involve entering the homes of the rich and famous. An event allowing one to case said homes for swag to be liberated at a later date, if one were so inclined.