The Golden Hourglass

312SaTGoHo

The Setting – City Emago

Westley Parn is the biggest merchant, and black market dealer in the city. What ever you want to have, learn or have done he can sell it to you. So prominent is his influence and growing power that the city guard leave him alone, as they too are one of his customers.

However, sometimes the price he asks for is odd. A secret, a single ring, a name or a trinket. Something that almost no one would miss. But they all are part of his plan and a master of planning he is.

The Target – The Golden Hourglass

Westley Parn has requested that the bring him the Golden Hourglass. IT is a work of art from a dwarven glass blower, an elven carpenter and a gnome enchanter of some renown. Its the size of a tankard and its true purpose is unknown, but it’s said that who ever owns the hourglass fall to madness and paranoia before, eventual and preventable death. As such the hourglass is locked in a padded chest, guarded by several guards and never stays in the same place more than one night if they can help it.

The Path – Unknown…. for now

The Hourglass is on its way out of the city. Taking an unknown path but the people who are hired as guards for the escort of the artefact are the well known Brenthan Brothers. The city has somewhat wide streets and a sewer system that runs under the city itself.

The People – The Brenthan Brothers

The Brenthan Brothers are in fact, brothers. Mrs Brenthan had seven boys and two girls. While the girls followed in their parents footsteps to run a shop the brothers joined the military one after another. Eventually they left the military to start a mercenary group which grew past just the brothers. Their influence spread and soon they had many cities they worked out of.

Bryce, Kryn and their sellswords are the two who were approached to escort the golden hourglass out of the city.

Kryn is extremely professional and thorough and leaps to attention at the slightest sense of danger. Kryn is the second oldest Brenthen boy and as such constantly lives in the shadow of his older brother. Because of this he strives to be seen as better, and he is even if the others don’t see it. Yet.

Bryce on the other hand relaxed and calm to the point of being seen as lazy. He is the youngest and at times prefers to use his fame as a Archer and swordsman to win the hearts and affection of the public.

The Consequences and Twists

Rumour of the priceless artefact leaving the safety of the manor it resided in has spread wide. There are more parties than Westley Parn and the mercenaries with a vested interest in the golden hourglass. But will they be able to beat the parties to the punch line or will the artefact fall through their fingers like grains of sand.

Thoughts

Oh boy. The second surprise for this weekend. A double event! I hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew but we will have to see.

The heist format is a bit harder to plan for. Many blogs and other experienced DMs ask for a general “What, where, who, when and why” format which describes the scene and what can happen. But not to the same degree as what we create normally. This Means the success and enjoyment of the adventure is purely in their hands.

So in order for us to facilitate this adventure we need to look at three parts, traditionally two but hear me out.

The Planning and Execution of the plan. But if we want to double down there is two halves to the planning.

Scouting and mapping. Understanding the location, drawing a map, watching movements and the like. To know how to pull off a heist is to know the pattern of what you want to steal.

The preparations. Buying goods and equipment, the bribing of guards, innkeepers, peasants and merchants, infiltration of a party lost. What ever you need to do to pull it off.

The execution. The doing, game time. Following the plan as a team or group of individuals, it happens, to achieve the plan. This can be daunting to a DM as its nearly full improv. But if you can pull it off, its worth it.

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