mirthcard vs. megamania
I Left My Harp In Satan's Disco
An nice antipasto for 4-6 characters of levels 1-4
(this scenario will work best if there is at least one female character in the party)
The Set-Up:
While traveling along a seaside road, the players come across a man on his knees weeping next to the remains of a broken cart. All of the wheels have been smashed, no horses are to be found and a few tidbits of what must have been the cargo lie scattered about the wreckage. When approached, the man will frantically beg for help while fitfully trying to explain his predicament through intermittent sobs, his voice muffled by his hankerchief.
The man is a merchant named Omnios who was just attacked by a band of satyrs
(Picture #4). They took off with his money, his cargo of rare spices, dried fruits, nuts, cured meats and fine wine and (worst of all) his two beautiful young daughters, Gynomeo and Plastexia. He tells the heroes that his only concern is for his daughters.
If they will rescue the girls, then they can have any and all of the gold and goods of his that they can recover from the mischievous fauns. In addition, Omnios promises to later pay the group well from his coffers at home. The only landmark that he can remember being in the vicinity is the ancient Arena of Rhetes
(Picture #2), a gaming and betting locale from the olden days that lies a few leagues away near the shore. Omnios suggests that the arena is probably where the satyrs are residing.
What's really going on:
Omnios and his two daughters did get ambushed by a group of three satyrs named Nyx, Taureion and Kriazo. And the satyrs are living in the old arena. However, the man the party thinks is Omnios is actually the satyr Taureion wearing a
Hat of Disguise in order to lure the party back to the arena. The real Omnios is actually being held captive at the arena with his daughters.
The three satyrs just recently set up home at the Arena of Rhetes, which they love for its overgrown greenery and its closeness to the sea and a minor trade road. Honestly, all they want to do is have one gigantic, ongoing party. To that end, the fauns have kidnapped and charmed a choice few travelers in the last couple of weeks to party hard with them. Besides the merchant and his two daughters, there are four other captives here - a builder named Stias, his wife Hygateia and their two (apparently ineffectual) bodyguards, Allosko and Enkroxos.
One key item that the satyrs gained from the capture of Stias was the massive
Lyre of Building (Picture #3) he was transporting for the owners of his current jobsite. The satyrs have put their combined music knowledge into studying the strange instrument and have begun using it to make minor changes to the arena's structure. There are now only a few windows high up towards the tops of the arena's walls, and there is but one door by which to enter the building.
The Main Event:
As the party draws close to the Arena of Rhetes, they will just barely begin to hear the sounds of revelry over the sounds of the waves crashing nearby. The Arena is difficult to breach, but if the players try the front door they should have no problem gaining entry. Once inside, a dizzying array of action will take place.
As the players make their way in, they will be greeted by the sight of an ecstatic celebration taking place on the center grounds. Wine flows freely, grapes, cheese and other foodstuffs are being consumed in abundance, laughter and music fills the air and quite a bit of flesh is exposed for all to see. The music that the party hears as it enters the Arena comes from the Pan Pipes of Nyx and Kriazo and Will Saves will ensue. For those that have not succumbed, Taureion, in his guise as Omnios, will try to charm the party with his pan pipes.
If any of the party is still not charmed, the satyrs will scatter and make their way to the
Lyre of Building, while the players to try and make sense of what is happening. Once they get to the instrument, one of them will play a tune and seal off the front door, leaving the high windows as the only means of egress
(Picture #1) if the players want to try to get out later.
The fauns will then begin a seige on the minds of the players by running, hiding, taunting and generally "messing with" them. One tactic they will use is to exchange the
Hat of Disguise several times as they try to confuse the players by pretending to be one or another guest. This whole process should be really annoying and full of off-the-cuff role-playing nonsense. Make it truly fun and frustrating at the same time.
The End?:
The final goal of the players should be to get themselves and the other innocents out of the Arena with little to no bloodshed. The satyrs certainly don't want bloodshed, either. However, they do like the free food, drink, shelter and revelry.
If the group is plucky, they could try to strike a deal with the satyrs to help them make the Arena into the sort of party place they want it to be.
Or the players could just try to beat some sense into them (although this certainly isn't encouraged by me through the tone that I've set).
Regardless, in the end, Omnios will try to repay the players in some fashion, but since he never made the original promises, he can't be bound to them. Stias will try to reward them as well, but his main concern is getting the magical lyre to his employers ASAP.
Finally, what will the players do with the satyrs? They can't just leave them be, because they will just start doing the same thing over again and again. But killing them just seems wrong. Hmmm....