To say that someone who orchestrates the bounty and manhunt on the party with a cursed coin is the string master is likely not giving them due credit. It’s something that few people can do well and in complete secrecy and it do it to this scale and magnitude – well it must be a work of an artist.
So prepare yourselves, grab a coffee to go as we are not nearly done with tonight’s adventure!
The String Master
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The party absorbed the unnamed mans words and shifted anxiously, tension thickening in the stagnant air of the courtyard. A setup. A carefully crafted story meant to write them as thieves in a crime that never occurred.
The man’s smirk deepened. He slowly loosened the clasp of his cloak, letting it fall open, revealing a sash lined with delicate silver embroidery—a mark of high station, but worn subtly enough to avoid unwanted attention.
‘You misunderstand,’ he said smoothly, ‘the vault wasn’t robbed, because it never needed to be.’
The words hung in the air for a heartbeat too long. Then, realization struck like the tolling of a bell.
The string master, the person calling the shots and twisting the story – someone within the king’s own court – had no interest in the vault’s treasures. They weren’t after gold, nor jewels, nor the ancient artifacts locked behind enchanted barriers. What they wanted was something already outside those grand doors. Something in the party’s possession.
A relic, A weapon, A key. Something that they needed desperately enough to kill the party and take it from their corpses.
Whatever it was, they had it, and they had never known its value – until now.
The man started to hum as the party asked for more information. ‘If I do, you’ll have few choices: leave this city quietly and live, or stay and become hunted again, or work with me to bring the real villain to justice.’
The party exchanged glances. They had fought for their lives since the moment they’d stepped into this tangled web. Retreat was not an option. ‘You were chosen,’ he continued, circling them like a man used to being in charge. ‘You were the perfect scapegoats – troublemakers with enough skill to disappear if need be, but reckless enough that nobody would question your supposed ambition. The theft was fabricated because they needed a reason to pursue you. If the bounty hunters can’t kill you then hopefully they tire you out just enough to hand over what they need.’
His grin was razor-sharp. ‘Why am I telling you all of this? Because I have something they want, too and I won’t be parting with it.’ The weight of his statement settled. This wasn’t just a revelation – it was an alliance forged in quiet desperation.
The question wasn’t whether they could trust him. It was whether they could afford not to.
Thanks for stopping by tonight as we continue this adventure more. Leaving it at a point with a lot more to add but hopefully enough to keep the appetite high for this adventure. So don’t forget that I will continue to expand this adventure each day we continue here at my tabletop so make sure you don’t forget to come back daily to stay up to date. And lastly, as always, don’t forget to roll with advantage,
The Brazen Wolfe
Brazen Wolfe Tabletop 