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Aggah-Shan has stolen a ledger which belongs to the Balacazar crime family (Ptolus, p. 102). He’s been using the ledger to blackmail and manipulate them, and they want it back. But if they just send their own agents and something goes wrong, Aggah-Shan will be able to cause them a lot of trouble. What they need are patsies who can take the blame (and bear Aggah-Shan’s wrath).

Enter the PCs.

GROUNDWORK

In my own Ptolus campaign, the PCs came to the attention of the Balacazars when they flubbed the “Smuggler’s Daughter” adventure (Ptolus, p. 563) and woke in chains as Malkeen Balacazar’s prisoners. The PCs became very intimidated by the Balacazars as a result, and vowed to (a) avoid them as much as possible and (b) stay on their good side if at all possible.

This laid the original foundtation for this side adventure, which was designed to (a) foreshadow the White House, (b) possibly reveal Aggah-Shan’s involvement with the chaos cultists, and/or (c) provide an alternative vector for discovering the Mrathrach Machine.

Having your PCs similarly get entangled with the Balacazars and/or their thugs is a great way to set up the groundwork for this mission, but it’s not required: If the PCs have any sort of reputation in Ptolus as either heroes or hired help, that’s more than enough justification for the Balacazars to select them for the gig.

ADVENTURE HOOK: THE MISSIVE

Maystra Balacazar sends a messenger to the PCs. The messenger carries a sending token. When he spots the PCs, he’ll use the sending token to send a message to Maystra, wait fifteen minutes, and then deliver Maystra’s Note (in order to give Maystra and Fesamere time to reach the Yellow Wall ahead of the PCs).

PCs who succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check notice the man watching them (from across the street, at the bar, etc.). If they succeed on DC 18, they notice the messenger wears a Balacazar family ring.

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MAYSTRA’S NOTE

We have a sphere of mutual interest.

You have talents I would find useful.

I have an offer you need to hear.

Come to the Yellow Wall.

M. Balacazar

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THE YELLOW WALL

The Yellow Wall is a tavern located in the Rivergate District (Ptolus, p. 323). It’s built up right against the city wall, and the wall above it has been painted yellow, off-setting the grain paint and trim of the restaurant itself. The tavern is owned by Fallaster Nobrand.

WATCHER: A Balacazar master thief (Ptolus, p. 612) lounges near the door of the Yellow Wall. When he sees the PCs approaching, he’ll head into the tavern and give a head’s up to everyone inside. A DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check notices the man eye them up and then slip into the tavern.

ENFORCERS: Six Balacazar thugs are mixed into the crowd. DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Insight) checks to notice them.

ARKHALL: Arkhall Vaughn (Ptolus, p. 105), the Balacazar’s archmage, is sitting at the bar. He uses detect magic to scope out the PCs, noting any magical items or abilities they have. He’s particularly looking for anything that might allow them to spot invisible intruders. (If he does, Fesamere will be careful to keep her distance during the heist. If not, there’s a 50% chance she’ll get too close and probably be automatically spotted.)

If the PCs have previously interacted with Arkhall, he’ll be using a disguise self spell to conceal his identity.

THE PROPOSAL

Maystra Balacazar sits with her sister Fesamere at a table along the wall of the tavern. A DC 12 Wisdom (Insight) check notes that the tables nearest them are conspicuously empty. (They’ve been cleared out to prevent eavesdropping.)

THE BRIEFING:

• Aggah-Shan stole a porcelain doll that was a gift to the Balacazar girls from their mother. (Lie)
• The doll itself is not particularly valuable, but they belief Aggah-Shan is using it to target them for scrying spells. (Lie)
• They need someone to break to the White House and steal the doll for them. (True, from a certain point of view)
• If Aggah-Shan caught Balacazar agents trying to infiltrate the White House, he’d cause a lot of trouble for the family. (True)
• They need someone to do the job who has no connection to the Balacazars, so that they can be plausibly denied if anything goes wrong. (True)
• Aggah-Shan has temporarily left town. For how long, they’re not sure, but it’s created a window opportunity. The PCs need to do the job tonight. (True)
• They are offering to pay 5,000 gp to break into the White House’s vault and retrieve the doll. (True)

They don’t care if the PCs steal other material, too. (That might even be for the best, since it will hide the true target of the heist.) But they will caution the PCs that the more they take, the more resources Aggah-Shan is likely to put into tracking them down.

MAYSTRA BALACAZAR

Appearance: Tall and lithe, with dark hair and olive skin.

Roleplaying Notes:

• Impatient and distrustful, but willing to hide it.
• Fiery temper if provoked.

Quote: “Enough! I am a daughter of the Balacazars. I am not to be trifled with.”

Background: Ptolus, p. 104

FESAMERE BALACAZAR

Appearance: Dark, olive-colored skin. She dyes her hair golden blond. A slight build and very fit.

Roleplaying Notes:

• A calming influence.
• Playful; perhaps even flirtatious.
• Decadent and self-absorbed.
• Fiercely loyal to her family, but has no interest in the family business.

Quote: “Let’s not all rush to a hasty judgment. I think we’d all prefer a softer touch. I know I do.”

Background: Ptolus, p. 104

Key Info: She’s at the meeting primarily so that she’ll be able to clearly ID the PCs during the heist.

THE REAL PLAN

THE PORCELAIN DOLL: The doll never belonged to the Balacazars, they’re just aware that it exists. The doll actually contains an idol of madness (see below).

FESAMERE’S GAMBIT: When the PCs break into the White House, Fesamere will follow them invisibly. Her goal is to retrieve the Balacazar Ledger in Area 10 of the White House and then leave, preferably with neither the PCs nor the White House guards ever knowing she was there.

The ideal is that the PCs will (a) clear a path and (b) draw attention. Whether they get spotted or just leave evidence behind, it will take heat off the Balacazars.

PAYMENT: If the PCs steal the doll, the Balacazars will happily pay them the agreed to price. (The idol of madness is valuable in its own right, after all.)

IDOL OF MADNESS

Wondrous item, rare

A small, humanoid statue of violet stone. The head seems oddly enlarged and its arms and legs are both longer than the porportions of a human would suggest. (It depicts a Titan Spawn of Lithuin.)

One holding the idol hears a constant, maddening mumur of voices coursing through their mind. The statue opens the bearer’s mind to the mad whispers of the Tainted Dreaming. The bearer gains advantage on Dreaming Arts, Chaositech, and Chaos Surgery checks.

Anyone benefiting from this advantage or sleeping with the idol must make a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or suffer a long-term madness. If they fail the save by 10 points or more, they instead suffer an indefinite madness.

Go to Part 5: Mrathrach Table Raids