##### **VANTHELION HALL: GROUND FLOOR – FULL ROOM KEY** ### **FOYER** **Description:** A vast, opulent entry chamber with black marble flooring, crystalline chandeliers suspended by magic, and columns carved with scenes of celestial figures in masquerade masks. A butler dressed in a long indigo cloak stands near a guest book. **Features:** - **Passive Perception 14+:** Notice a faint shimmer in the corners of the ceiling—magical scrying sensors. - **Arcana DC 15:** Identify the enchantment as _scrying eye_ connected to an unseen watcher. - **Investigation DC 17 (Guest Book):** Names are magically rewritten every few minutes. **NPCs:** - **Greeter (Disguised Mage):** Offers champagne and inspects guests subtly with _Detect Magic._ - **Masked Nobles:** Engaging in idle chatter; some are double agents. **Secrets:** - Whispering the phrase "Moonlit Clemency" to the bust of a lion-headed angel temporarily disables magical surveillance (10 minutes). **Checks & Consequences:** - **Deception DC 16 or Performance DC 14** to bluff your way past subtle questioning. - Failure triggers suspicion; two guards follow the party discreetly. **Boxed Text:** > “Golden light spills across marble floors. A pair of masked stewards check invitations. Laughter, music, and the scent of rare perfume float from deeper within. On the grand staircase above, a string quartet plays a haunting waltz.” **Features:** - Entry point; all guests (and party) are checked here. - Stewards (Insight +5, Deception +2) inspect invitations and glance for weapons. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Invitation Required:** Without one, Persuasion/Deception DC 17 to bluff entry (guards will escort to gate on fail). - **Smuggling:** Sleight of Hand DC 16 to conceal a weapon or illicit item. Failure leads to subtle marking (chalk on shoe hem—DM clue). **Social Scenes:** - Lady Ravelle or Lord Grell may make a grand entrance, pausing to size up new guests. - Early NPC opportunities: Giselda greeting, The Whisperer eavesdropping, Olly offers to “lose” a suspicious item for a price. **Secrets:** - Floor mosaic conceals a magical glyph—Detect Magic DC 15. (Alarm triggers if someone draws steel here.) ### **BALLROOM** **Boxed Text:** > “Crimson curtains drape gilded windows. Mirrored walls reflect a hundred swirling masks. Musicians play as dancers whirl. Tables overflow with delicacies. The hum of gossip and intrigue is everywhere.” **Features:** - Central party space. - Dance floor, tables for mingling, platform for performances. - Two disguised guards (Stealth +6) circulate, watching for trouble. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Blend In:** Performance or Deception DC 14 to avoid standing out. - **Pickpocket:** Sleight of Hand DC 15 to swipe a key, pass, or note. On fail, target spots attempt (draws attention). **Social Events:** - Lady Ravelle announces the riddle contest here. - The twins stage a prank (pie catapult, illusion, or loud joke) as a distraction. - Rival crew can be seen (roll Perception DC 13)—Reynard flirts, Sable cases pockets, Mina performs. **Secrets:** - A masked servant may pass secret notes here (Perception DC 13 to spot). - Chandelier rigged to fall (investigate with Investigation DC 16). **Description:** A grand domed chamber lit by floating motes of light. A dozen couples dance to an invisible orchestra. A massive tapestry depicts a historical war—one that subtly changes over time. **Features:** - **Insight DC 13:** Many guests are tense, eyes flicking to the upper balcony. - **Arcana DC 15:** Identify the self-playing instruments as minor conjurations. - **Perception DC 16:** Spot a blood-red mask above the fireplace—symbol of the Hollow Flame syndicate. **NPCs:** - **Ravonel (Steward):** Tall, powdered wig, unnerving gaze, secretly a vampire spawn. - **Eladrin Emissary (Feywild):** Distracted, drinking heavily. Knows a secret exit. - **Masked Tiefling Pair:** Smugglers with forged invitations. **Secrets:** - Dancing within the innermost ring of the ballroom (after being invited) allows overhearing key intel: "The vault opens only when the moonlight breaks the glass serpent." **Checks & Challenges:** - **Performance DC 13:** Impress dancers, gain access to inner circle. - **Sleight of Hand DC 15:** Steal a key from Ravonel. - **Failure on above checks:** Results in social embarrassment and loss of disguise bonus. ### **GALLERY HALL** **Boxed Text:** > “Domed ceilings arch over velvet-lined displays. The Mask of Shadows rests on a glass plinth, lit by shimmering blue glyphs. Two guards and a grim captain watch the crowd, hands never far from sword-hilts.” **Features:** - The Mask of Shadows is displayed here (until midnight). - Two guards (Veteran), Captain Henric (Elite), magical alarm glyphs, invisible ward (Arcana DC 17 to sense). - Gallery cases with valuable art objects. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Case Alarm:** Investigation DC 18 to spot alarm; Thieves’ Tools DC 18 to disable. Magic glyph requires Arcana DC 20 or Dispel Magic. - **Distraction:** Social scene (Performance/Deception DC 15) to draw eyes away for 1d4 rounds. - **Disguise as staff:** Deception DC 15 if in servant garb. **Social Events:** - Guests gossip about the Mask’s legend, past theft attempts, and who is watching whom. - Lord Grell openly disparages Ravelle (“It’s a gaudy bauble, unworthy of legend!”) **Secrets:** - Clue to vault combination (“Luck favours the trio, but fortune is found in the shadow’s second gaze”—see R 3.2) - Secret: A painting swings open to reveal a code fragment (Perception DC 16). ##### Gallery Paintings In the **Private Gallery**, one painting appears to shift based on emotional state. When a player is calm or introspective (Insight DC 13), it flickers to display: > "Three turns and none true; the serpent coils from right, then left, then strikes." **Interpretation:** This is the directional order for the safe (Right, Left, Right). Additionally, hidden beneath the frame of this painting (Investigation DC 16) is a silver plate engraved: “Begin at three and two-fifths.” **Features:** - **Insight DC 13:** While observing calmly, the painting flickers to display: > "Three turns and none true; the serpent coils from right, then left, then strikes." - **Interpretation:** Clue for directional order (Right, Left, Right). **Interactable:** - **Investigation DC 16:** Hidden silver plate beneath the frame reads: > “Sterling three, two, five.” - **Arcana DC 14:** Painting radiates minor enchantment reacting to mood. **Failure Consequence:** Touching the canvas directly without calming first triggers a backlash (DC 12 Wisdom save or be frightened for 1 minute). ### **DRAWING ROOM** **Boxed Text:** > “A hush fills this room, lined with oil portraits and deep chairs. The fire crackles. Nobles converse in measured tones, sharing private words under the watchful gaze of ancestors.” **Features:** - Retreat for high-level negotiations, blackmail, or plotting. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Eavesdrop:** Stealth DC 13, Perception DC 14 (gain rumour or secret). - **Social Chess:** Persuasion/Deception DC 16 to win favour or fish for dirt. **Social Events:** - The Whisperer invites a PC for a private “business opportunity.” - Lady Corrine seeks someone to deliver a note. **Secrets:** - A hidden drawer (Investigation DC 15) holds a blackmail note (see “favour” event). --- ### **DINING HALL** **Boxed Text:** > “An immense table stretches beneath banners of House Vanthelion. Silver, crystal, and wine. Servants glide among the guests, refilling goblets. The conversation is lively—and sometimes dangerous.” **Features:** - Food, drink, drunken nobles. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Poisoning/Prank:** Sleight of Hand DC 14 to spike a drink or plate (for Baroness Vilda). - **Sober Up:** Constitution DC 12 to avoid being tipsy. - **Notice rival crew:** Perception DC 14. **Social Events:** - Baroness Vilda “accidentally” spills wine on a rival. - The twins rig a salt shaker to explode with illusionary confetti. **Secrets:** - Clue to combination (a toast references the number of guests at the “last supper”—see R 7.2). --- ### **LIBRARY** **Boxed Text:** > “Bookshelves soar to the ceiling, dimly lit by lamps and the crackle of a single hearth. The air is thick with dust, ink, and secrets. Several guests browse, but a masked poet quietly recites a verse at the window.” **Features:** - Collection of rare tomes, hidden passage (behind bookshelf), clues. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Find Secret Door:** Investigation DC 16, Perception DC 15. (Book on “Stonework” tilts the shelf.) - **Unlock Passage:** Sleight of Hand DC 14, Arcana DC 13 (if magically sealed). - **Find combination clue:** Investigation DC 13, Insight DC 14 (find poetry reference for L 2.1). **Social Events:** - Elin of Sable trades a rumour for a secret. - Lady Venla seeks a forbidden tome. **Secrets:** - Hollowed book with the combination clue: “Double debts weigh most. Yet the poet's sigh counts for a single more.” (2.1) - Second passage to servant corridor (hidden, DC 17). #### Private Gallery: **Description:** Dimly lit hall of magical paintings. Each canvas has an illusory frame showing historical, sometimes prophetic, scenes. **Features:** - **Arcana DC 14:** Paintings respond to viewer’s emotional state. - **Perception DC 15:** One painting depicts the players—moments from now. **Secrets:** - Touching a specific portrait causes a temporal flicker: players glimpse a future where the party is captured. **NPCs:** - None visible. A ghost (former painter) may appear if the wrong painting is tampered with. **Checks:** - **Wisdom Save DC 13:** Resist psychic backlash from interacting with temporal painting. --- ### **KITCHEN & SERVANT CORRIDOR** **Boxed Text:** > “Steam, clatter, and a dozen busy voices echo from the sprawling kitchen. The smell of fresh bread and roasting meat is overwhelming. A halfling in a mouse mask barks orders from atop a barrel.” **Features:** - Olly, the halfling chef, is king here. - Doors to wine cellar, servant corridors, secret hatch. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Bribe Olly:** 10 gp (or a clever story) buys access, info, or disguise. - **Stealth through staff:** Stealth DC 14 (hustle as a servant). - **Find passage:** Investigation DC 13. **Social Events:** - Rival crew uses kitchen for disguise swap. - Staff gossip about guests, guards, and odd deliveries. **Secrets:** - Fake servant pass (Perception DC 13 to spot a forgery). - Secret note: “Turn the fire bottle in the cellar for a secret way out.” **Description:** Dimly lit hallway lined with barrels, crates, and laundry carts. The scent of roasted meat and soap lingers. Walls are narrow, causing sound to travel. **Features:** - **Perception DC 12:** Notice footprints leading into a cold pantry door. - **Investigation DC 14:** Find a delivery manifest with inconsistencies (missing crate). **NPCs:** - **Zellin (Young Server):** Nervous, stammers, carrying a suspicious wooden box. - **Mia (Cook):** Sharp-eyed, loyal to the steward. **Secrets:** - The box Zellin carries contains documents smuggled in—encrypted invitations to a secret meeting in the basement. - A vent above the corridor leads to the study (Dexterity (Acrobatics) DC 15). **Checks:** - **Persuasion DC 14 or Intimidation DC 12:** Get Zellin to talk. - **Failure:** Zellin runs and alerts a guard. --- ### **BARRACKS** **Boxed Text:** > “Spartan cots, racks of polished arms and armour, and a heavy smell of sweat and oil. Off-duty guards dice for copper; a large half-orc sergeant scowls as you enter.” **Features:** - Three off-duty guards at all times; change every 20 min. **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Blend in:** Deception DC 17 (with disguise), else challenged. - **Steal equipment:** Sleight of Hand DC 15, with Perception DC 15 from guards to spot. - **Gain info:** Bribe DC 15, or Intimidation DC 13. **Social Events:** - A guard boasts about the new “decimal dial” vault. **Secrets:** - Key to hound kennel is in the sergeant’s footlocker (locked, Thieves’ Tools DC 14). --- ### **GARDENS/MAZE** **Boxed Text:** > “Lanterns hang from sculpted trees. Hedges wind into a labyrinth of shadows. The laughter and music of the ball fade here, replaced by the distant howl of a hound.” **Features:** - Possible escape route (to basement tunnel). - Patrol of magical hound (see stat block). **Obstacles/Checks:** - **Dodge Hound:** Stealth DC 16, Animal Handling DC 14 to calm. - **Secret Hatch:** Investigation DC 16, clue from wine cellar. - **Find tryst or NPC:** Insight/Perception DC 13. **Social Events:** - The peacock and stag mask lovers plot escape. - The twins hide here after a prank. **Secrets:** - The garden shed contains old blueprints (map of secret passages). **Description:** Moonlit hedges shaped like mythical beasts. A marble fountain gurgles at the centre, and ancient statues line the outer wall. **Features:** - **History DC 13:** The statues represent forgotten deities of duality. - **Perception DC 15:** Find faint footprints near the wolf statue—someone used it recently. **Secrets:** - The wolf statue conceals a riddle: > _"What walks masked, speaks true, and hides flame beneath frost?"_ (Answer: "Spy" or "Liar") - Answering correctly opens a concealed passage to a viewing tunnel overlooking the basement vault. **NPCs:** - **Masked Cleric:** Pretending to give blessings, actually mind-reading guests. - **Two lovers (NPCs):** Can be bribed or tricked for info about suspicious movements. **Checks:** - **Insight DC 14:** Sense the cleric is probing mentally. - **Religion DC 12:** Notice the blessing gesture is reversed (a mocking symbol).