Decadent, dark, huge. It has other names but all its inhabitants just call it "the City." The City is old -- historians have different stories about its founding, and they only agree it was hundreds and hundreds of years ago. It has a nominal government, but actually wealth and magic are the true rulers here. Some of you might live in the City, some of you might be visiting, but all of you are here right now. And you've just worked together to successfully execute the theft of a spectacularly mediocre painting.
It is called "False Chanterelle." The artist's name has been lost and it is hundreds of years old, though it has been remarkably perserved. It is extremely valuable, shamefully perverse, mildly significant, and not very good. None of those are the reasons you've stolen it.
The reason is that, on the night of its theft -- and it must be stolen, not borrowed, bought, or given -- on the night of its theft, if you hang it on the northern wall of a room bathed in moonlight, it will create a portal to the Maze of the Blue Medusa. The Maze is said to be a place of fabulous, unbelievable wealth and incredible magic.
"False Chanterelle" has traded hands within the seedy underground of the City multiple times. Some have become fantastically wealthy with the plunder they've taken from it... others have never returned. Your plan is to be in the former category, among any other reasons you have to enter the Maze of the Blue Medusa.
All of you know each other. All of you believe in the basic competency of your teammates at their chosen professions. You all worked together to steal "False Chanterelle." Some of you have probably worked together before, too. And you are moments away from hanging "False Chanterelle" on the northern wall of this room, bathed in moonlight.
The default reason for you to enter the Maze is fantastic wealth, but practically anything you want could be inside the Maze. Are you looking for a family member who disappeared into the painting 5 years ago? Do you want to kill the Medusa for your holy order? Are you looking for an amazing, rare spell that is only rumored to exist inside the Maze? Do you seek the Tears of Time? Do you want to find the Hall of Unverifiable Teapots? If you want to think up a non-standard reason for going in, please do! But remember in Lamentations, you get most of your XP for looting and plundering, so try not to create a character averse to those activities.
You will all probably be able to deduce out-of-character that these legends are important and more true than other rumors you've heard. That's fine! Your characters probably don't consider them important or even real, but almost all have heard them, or some variation of them:
- The reptile people have a land, far away, called the Neonate Empire. They worship demons. They practice abominable magics. They make dark pacts with evil powers. They're all twisted extra-dimensional mutants. And even worse than that, depending on who you talk to. (Most people are pretty racist against the reptiles.)
- Thousands of years ago, the world was united under an empire that worshipped three Goddesses. This empire was at war with a bunch of lizards called the Reptile Empire. Almost no one knows (and even fewer care) what happened to them.
- An island people in the oceans, very far away, have a literal stairway to heaven on their island. The place is considered a dreadful primitive backwater though, so no one in the City really cares.
- Somewhere there is a room called the Hall of Unverifiable Teapots, with one teapot per adventurer who has ever sought it. If you find this place and drink from your teapot, you will become immortal.
- There is a magical artifact called the Tears of Time. If used, it can permanently alter the past.
This module includes nudity, sex, a fair amount of violence, and a lot of really weird stuff. If anything makes you feel uncomfortable please let me know. I don't intend to be explicit, and neither should any of you, but weird things can still happen.
I might pause for a moment or two while reading. I'll try to avoid this but there's a lot of material, so bear with me.
Everyone should bring along two retainers. They're level zero, give them any job and name you want but they're here at least partially for the money. Regardless of their job, they'll carry torches and loot for you.
- Why did you select _________________ to plan the theft of "False Chanterelle" for you?
- What part of the plan did you think _________________ would excel at?
- What, during the theft, cemented your trust in __________________?
- What made you consider betraying ________________ and what ultimately made you decide against it?
- How do you know ______________ will help you stave off your creditors if this harebrained scheme doesn't work?
- What makes you sure "False Chanterelle" will be safe here, in _________________'s home?
- What is the phase of the moon?