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18
ideas/After-Crow.md
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@@ -93,21 +93,7 @@ from being extricated from the chamber, which is what
Rennick originally wanted. But now that Crow's dead, the
clones still aren't going to let him leave.
The PCs know that Rennick is somewhere in the basement of
the hall of speakers, and they know that they need to talk
to factol Darius.
OK, so here's what's missing from this picture:
* What are the original figments that helped protect Rennick,
in the beginning, before the clones manifested?
* What figments of the PCs imaginations will manifest, now
that they're in the chamber?
* What kind of mini-adventure is going to take place inside
the chamber? I should note that the chamber is as big as
it needs to be.
The PCs have entered the visualization chamber with the
intention of finding and extracting Rennick.

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# Distract Timon
When the PCs return to the courthouse to find the real Rennick, they are
met again at the reception desk by Timon Pherenikos, who hands them
**Form LUV-788 — Request to Enter into Matrimonial Union with Mr. Timon
Pherenikos**. Timon remarks, with mild puzzlement, "Huh — I don't think
this form is a figment of Rennick's imagination. Oh, well, I guess this
is the form I'm supposed to give you." It is not. Timon, the form, and
everything in the immediate vicinity of his desk are figments of the
**seducer-PC's** imagination — lingering residue from the party's
previous visit, when that PC tried to charm him. The chamber latched
onto the unfinished business and conjured the whole bureaucratic
romance.
The form is the trap. While the seducer-PC is being walked through
deeply uncomfortable questions ("Open Marriage?", "Mr. Pherenikos's
Eye Color?", "Prior Interactions With Mr. Pherenikos?"), Timon's
attention is fully occupied — and the other PCs may attempt to slip
past the reception and into Rennick's office down the hall. The longer
the form takes, the more time they have. Let the player squirm.
One question on the form is special: **"Does your foot fit in the
glass slipper?"** A glass slipper sits on Timon's desk. The
seducer-PC is a satyr, so his hoof does not fit, and if he is not
careful he will *break* the slipper. When that happens, Timon politely
summons an imp, who fetches a replacement from a closet down the hall.
There are many replacements. The closet has clearly been stocked for
this exact recurring fantasy.
The closet is the lever. Clever PCs may sneak away to tamper with it —
pre-shape a slipper for a hoof, substitute one sized for a different
party member, swap in a cursed one, or simply smash the whole
inventory. Emptying the closet is the cleanest win: when the imp
returns empty-handed, Timon has to leave his desk to investigate, and
the path to Rennick's office is wide open. Which was the goal all
along.

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```
================================================================================
FRATERNITY OF ORDER — OFFICE OF DOMESTIC AFFAIRS — FORM LUV-788
REQUEST TO ENTER INTO MATRIMONIAL UNION
WITH MR. TIMON PHERENIKOS
================================================================================
1. APPLICANT INFORMATION
Name (Print): [_________________________] Species: [_________]
Registered Tax ID Number: [___________] [ ] Planar [ ] Transitive
Current Marital Status:
[ ] Single [ ] Married [ ] Other
Number of prior matrimonial filings (any plane): [______]
2. NATURE OF AFFECTION
(Select all that apply)
[ ] Physical [ ] Emotional [ ] Spiritual
[ ] Financial [ ] Logistical [ ] Karmic
[ ] Other (specify): [_________________________________]
Declared Sincerity: [________] %
Observed Sincerity: [________] %
(Observed field to be completed by Mr. Pherenikos)
3. IS APPLICANT OF COMPARABLE ATTRACTIVENESS TO MR. PHERENIKOS?
Attractiveness of Applicant 1-10 [ ]
Attractiveness of Pherenikos 1-10 [ ]
4. PRIOR INTERACTIONS WITH MR. PHERENIKOS
Has the applicant, at any time, attempted to obtain Mr. Pherenikos's
attention, cooperation, or favor through any of the following means?
No Yes
a. Charm Spell or Effect [ ] [ ]
b. Mundane Seduction [ ] [ ]
c. Monetary influence or Gifts [ ] [ ]
d. Disguise or False Identity [ ] [ ]
e. Intoxicants [ ] [ ]
f. Other (specify): [______________________________________]
5. MR. PHERENIKOS'S EYE COLOR
[__________________________]
[ ] I couldn't be bothered to remember, and therefore am not worthy.
6. MR. PHERENIKOS'S BIRTHDAY
[___-___/_/____]
[ ] I couldn't be bothered to remember, and therefore am not worthy.
7. DOWRY VALUE [________] gp
Form of Payment:
[ ] Real Coin [ ] Real Gems
[ ] Imaginary Coin / Other Figments
[ ] Other (specify): [_________________________________]
8. OPEN MARRIAGE / PROPOSED ARRANGEMENT:
[ ] Strictly Exclusive
[ ] Mutually Open
[ ] Unilaterally Open — Applicant Only
[ ] Unilaterally Open — Mr. Pherenikos Only
9. PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENTS
[ ] Waiver of Joint Property Rights
[ ] Waiver of Joint Custody of Pets, Familiars, Summons
[ ] Waiver of Inheritance Rights
[ ] Waiver of Soul Ownership Allocation (Fiendish Contracts)
[ ] Other (specify): [_________________________________]
10. DOES APPLICANT'S FOOT FIT IN THE GLASS SLIPPER?
(to be evaluated and completed by Mr. Pherenikos)
[ ] No [ ] Yes
11. APPLICANT CERTIFIES THAT THIS REQUEST TO MARRY MR. PHERENIKOS
IS NOT A DISTRACTION TACTIC DESIGNED TO GET MR. PHERENIKOS AWAY
FROM THE DESK, THEREBY ALLOWING OTHER PARTY MEMBERS TO SNEAK
INTO THE OFFICE OF MR. RENNICK:
Applicant's Initials [_________]
12. NAME AND SIGNATURE
Name of Applicant: [_________________________________________________]
Signature of Applicant: [_________________________________________________]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMPORTANT NOTICES AND STATUTORY DISCLAIMERS (READ IN FULL)
A. Submission of this document does not constitute an engagement, betrothal,
romantic understanding, or guarantee of consultation with Mr. Pherenikos.
B. All fields must be completed.
C. Any false, misleading, speculative, paradoxical, or retroactively inaccurate
statement constitutes a material violation of Fraternity of Order Code
S17.4(c), irrespective of intent, awareness, or causal displacement.
D. Mr. Pherenikos reserves the right to file Form LUV-789 (Statement of
Reciprocal Disinterest) at any time, before, during, or after proceedings.
E. We politely request that you refrain from attaching paintings, sketches,
or other exaggerated depictions of your penis.
```

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# Modron Stat Blocks
## Modron Quadrone
*Medium Construct, Lawful Neutral*
**Source:** MM'25, p. 218
- **AC** 16
- **Initiative** +2 (12)
- **HP** 22 (4d8 + 4)
- **Speed** 30 ft., Fly 30 ft.
**STR** 12 (+1) **DEX** 14 (+2) **CON** 12 (+1) **INT** 10 (+0) **WIS** 10 (+0) **CHA** 11 (+0)
**Saves:** STR +1, DEX +2, CON +1, INT +0, WIS +0, CHA +0
- **Skills** Perception +2
- **Immunities** Charmed
- **Senses** Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 12
- **Languages** Modron
- **CR** 1 (XP 200; PB +2)
### Traits
**Disintegration.** If the modron dies, it disintegrates into dust, leaving behind anything it was wearing or carrying.
### Actions
**Multiattack.** The modron makes four Slam attacks or four Gears Launcher attacks.
**Slam.** *Melee Attack Roll:* +4, reach 5 ft. *Hit:* 4 (1d4 + 2) Force damage.
**Gears Launcher.** *Ranged Attack Roll:* +4, range 320 ft. *Hit:* 4 (1d4 + 2) Force damage.
**Habitat:** Planar (Mechanus)
---
## Modron Pentadrone
*Large Construct, Lawful Neutral*
**Source:** MM'25, p. 218
- **AC** 16
- **Initiative** +2 (12)
- **HP** 32 (5d10 + 5)
- **Speed** 40 ft.
**STR** 15 (+2) **DEX** 14 (+2) **CON** 12 (+1) **INT** 10 (+0) **WIS** 10 (+0) **CHA** 13 (+1)
**Saves:** STR +2, DEX +2, CON +1, INT +0, WIS +0, CHA +1
- **Skills** Perception +4
- **Immunities** Charmed
- **Senses** Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 14
- **Languages** Modron
- **CR** 2 (XP 450; PB +2)
### Traits
**Disintegration.** If the modron dies, it disintegrates into dust, leaving behind anything it was wearing or carrying.
### Actions
**Multiattack.** The modron makes five Slam attacks or five Electrical Discharge attacks.
**Slam.** *Melee Attack Roll:* +4, reach 5 ft. *Hit:* 5 (1d6 + 2) Force damage.
**Electrical Discharge.** *Ranged Attack Roll:* +4, range 120 ft. *Hit:* 5 (1d6 + 2) Lightning damage.
**Paralysis Gas (Recharge 5–6).** *Constitution Saving Throws:* DC 11, each creature in a 30-foot Cone. *Failure:* The target has the Paralyzed condition and repeats the save at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After 1 minute, it succeeds automatically.
**Habitat:** Planar (Mechanus)
---
## Decaton Modron
*Large Construct, typically Lawful Neutral*
**Source:** MPP, p. 36
- **AC** 16 (natural armor)
- **Initiative** +1 (16)
- **HP** 144 (17d10 + 51)
- **Speed** 30 ft., Fly 30 ft. (hover)
**STR** 18 (+4) **DEX** 12 (+1) **CON** 16 (+3) **INT** 15 (+2) **WIS** 15 (+2) **CHA** 11 (+0)
**Saves:** STR +4, DEX +1, CON +3, INT +5, WIS +5, CHA +0
- **Skills** Perception +8
- **Immunities** Charmed, Frightened
- **Senses** Truesight 120 ft., Passive Perception 18
- **Languages** Modron, telepathy 120 ft.
- **CR** 8 (XP 3,900; PB +3)
### Traits
**Axiomatic Mind.** The decaton can't be compelled to act in a manner contrary to its nature or its instructions.
**Combat Ready.** The decaton has advantage on initiative rolls.
**Disintegration.** If the decaton dies, its body disintegrates into dust, leaving behind anything it was carrying.
### Actions
**Multiattack.** The decaton makes three Tentacle attacks.
**Spellcasting.** The decaton casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13):
- At will: *detect magic*, *dispel magic*, *mending* (as an action)
- 1/day each: *plane shift* (self only), *protection from evil and good*
**Tentacle.** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. *Hit:* 15 (2d10 + 4) piercing damage, and if the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the grappled condition (escape DC 14). Until this grapple ends, the decaton can't use this tentacle against other targets. The decaton has ten tentacles, each of which can grapple one target.
**Lightning Rays (Recharge 6).** The decaton unleashes a barrage of lightning bolts from its eyes. Each creature within 30 feet of the decaton must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 38 (7d10) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save.

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Finding the Train Station
When the PCs enter the sea of gears, they encounter a monodrone.
The monodrone delivers a message:
> Audio Recording from Primus: Greetings, agents of Tymora
> and Rennick. I would like to discuss plans and negotiate
> the future nature of the universe. Please proceed to the
> nearest train station, the rail network will bring you to
> me. Ask the nearest modron for guidance to the train
> station.
Then, the monodrone resumes walking in the direction it
was walking in before. It is not smart enough to figure out
that it is supposed to provide guidance to the train station.
To get guidance, the PCs will have to run after the
monodrone and say "hey, can you take us to the train
station." The monodrone doesn't understand the request, but
it understands that something is wanted of it. The
monodrone says: "my superior can assist you." The monodrone
takes the PCs to its superior, a duodrone.
The PCs must again ask for the train station. The duodrone
says, "my superior can assist you," and brings the PCs to a
tridrone.
The tridrone is staring at a gear which is wrenching
erratically. The tridrone says, "Something is
malfunctioning. There is a strong chaotic influence."
The PCs must again ask for the train station. The tridrone
says, "my superior can assist you," and brings the PCs to a
quadrone. But this time, the tridrone is intelligent enough
to at least relay the request: the tridrone says to the
quadrone: "these individuals wish to go to a train
station." The quadrone says, "I can assist with that."
The quadrone then asks a few questions, and then brings
the PCs to the train station.
The Ring of Defenders
The train station is encircled by about 300 monodrones, 50 or
so duodrones, a dozen or so tridrones, and three quadrones.
They are not allowing anyone inside, interposing their bodies.
If anyone tries to push through, a quadrone approaches
and explains the situation:
> The train station contains a chaotic influence. It is
> causing a great deal of damage. Several modrons have been
> corrupted. We are quarantining the site to limit the
> damage. Please respect the quarantine.
The easiest way to get through the ring of modrons is to
say, "We too are corrupted by chaos. We should also be
quarantined." The quadrone takes a chaos reading, agrees,
and sends the PCs into the train station to be quarantined.
If the PCs force their way through, or teleport around the
lines, or the like, then as soon as they get too close to
the train station the quadrone says: "they are too close,
they are corrupted. Leave them." The modrons back away.
The Moon-Corrupted Quadrone at the front door:
Directly in front of the front door is a quadrone with the
moon card over his head. Both of his arms and one of his
legs have fallen off. He is using his wings to stay upright
on one leg. He explains, "I am corrupted by chaos. I cannot
withstand this level of chaos, I am falling apart. When my
first arm fell off, I tried reattaching it, but it just
fell off again and again."
If the PCs try to enter the train station, the modron says,
"I locked the door to enforce the quarantine." If asked to
unlock the door, the quadrone says, "I see that you should
be quarantined, you are corrupted by chaos. However, I am
afraid that without my arms, I am unable to unlock the door."
The best solution to this problem is to point out to the
modron that the moon card grants him three wishes. He wishes
to no longer be corrupted by chaos. The moon card vanishes.
He gets no more wishes, because he wished away the card that
was granting him wishes.
Now the PCs have to reattach the modron's arms and leg.
This can be accomplished with a simple mending cantrip, or a
good skill roll. Once this is done, the quadrone willingly
unlocks the front door.
The main hall of the train station:
The main hall is guarded by the following defenders:
the Bricklayer-corrupted Decaton, the Beast-Corrupted Quadrone,
and the Knight-Corrupted Tridrone. The Decaton will scream,
"My territory! This station is my territory!" and will immediately
attack. The other two corrupted modrons fight on his side.
The fight is unavoidable.
The boarding platform:
After defeating the corrupted modrons, it is possible to go
down the stairs to the boarding platform. On the boarding
platform is a giant version of the box of the deck of many
things. If the lid is removed, it becomes an entrance to
the same extradimensional space as was found behind the steel door.
At this point, Rennick can talk to the god of the Deck for the
first time. The two of them are very angry and frustrated with
each other. Have your PCs roleplay Rennick, and also the God
of the Deck. Let them negotiate.
The Train:
The PCs get on board the train. The train doesn't go anywhere.
After a while, presumably, the PCs will walk to the front of
the train, to see what the holdup is. At the front of the
train is a steam engine whose engineer is a Sun-Corrupted Monodrone.
The Sun card grants somebody the divine spark: they have the
potential to ascend to divinity. The monodrone has no idea
about this.
In front of the train is a length of track that extends about
15 feet out onto the surface of a gear, then it just stops.
The engineer is patiently waiting for the track to be repaired.
However, the track is not going to be repaired, because the
train station was built by the Bricklayer card, and the
Bricklayer card can only build one station, not an entire
rail network. The modrons will not fix it because this is
not where the train station is supposed to be.
The engineer is only a monodrone: not that smart. The answers
you get to any questions are mostly monosyllabic and trivial.
If you ask the monodrone about the Sun card, it has no idea
about it, or that it is even there.
If you ask the monodrone for its supervisor, it says, "my
supervisor can assist you." Then it transforms into a duodrone.
The sun card has given this monodrone its first step toward
divinity. If you ask it for its superior again, it transforms
into a tridrone. It can promote itself all the way up to
Primus.
When the modron takes the final step, promoting itself all
the way up to Primus, the surroundings change. The PCs
are no longer in a train station, they're in Primus's
installation.
Primus
The room that the PCs are in is a large room with a dais,
and on top of the dais a cylinder that looks kind of like a
hot tub, with Primus inside. Inside the hot tub there is no
water, only cables and wires connecting the building to
primus' body.
Primus has two "arms," but on closer look they aren't really
arms: they're very thick cables. There are two small
portals, one on either side of primus: one leads to the
positive energy plane, the other to the negative energy
plane. Primus's cables are tapped into the two planes.
Primus says to the PCs: "Greetings, agents of Tymora, and
Rennick #93."
This is probably the first clue the PCs have that the
Rennick they're traveling with at this point is not the
real Rennick. This may cause some consternation.
Primus says: "It matters not that this is not Rennick #1. I
can negotiate with this Rennick. His reasoning is almost
identical to the reasoning of Rennick #1. Therefore, any
deal struck by Rennick #93 will be accepted by Rennick #1."

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@@ -256,6 +256,8 @@ they don't have to fight Crow. If they refuse, they do.
## The Sea of Gears
// To be written.
## The Desk
The PCs enter a room with grey walls. In the center of the

13
sections/3-the-castle-with-the-steel-door.md
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@@ -76,6 +76,11 @@ over, the PCs are returned to Castle Green. There is no longer a steel
barrier preventing access to Green and the Deck. The PCs can go talk to
Green, and can negotiate to buy the Deck.
## Character Leveling
When the PCs begin this chapter, raise them to Level 3. Then,
at some reasonable midpoint of this chapter, raise them to Level 4.
## The Market Square of St Parnas
The PCs manage to leave the Museum of Orethys, with Joycie’s help. The
@@ -2412,6 +2417,14 @@ Omta which makes it possible for the PCs to communicate with Omta. The
PCs are navigating the labyrinth by asking Omta for what they need.
Green’s employees don’t have that option.
The PCs are supposed to be Level 3 at the start of this
chapter, and they're supposed to rise to Level 4 at the
midpoint of this chapter. Since Rescuing Green's employees
is likely to be a major focus of the first half of this
chapter, raising them to Level 4 after they rescue all of
Green's employees is a reasonable option.
### Ants are Taking the Castle by Force
The castle was built very close to an anthill containing intelligent

625
sections/5-the-carrion-bird.md
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@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
# The Carrion Bird
## Chapter Summary
In this chapter, the PCs arrive in the city of Sigil, where
they have been tasked with finding Rennick. This turns out
to be difficult: Rennick is in hiding, because he is
@@ -43,13 +45,31 @@ random events. Crow has concluded that Rennick is actually
a powerful oracle, who has not yet fully realized the extent
of his powers. Crow intends to take those powers for himself.
The PCs met Rennick near Castle Green. Shortly after
Rennick parted ways with the PCs, he was captured by Crow.
Fortunately, Rennick has a cautious personality, he values
his safety, and he plans for contingencies. A long time
ago, Rennick purchased a teleportation tattoo from Fell (see
"Uncaged: Faces of Sigil" for more information about Fell
and Fell's Tattoos). The tattoo was expensive, and for
years, Rennick had no occasion to need it. But when Crow
captured him, the tattoo saved his life.
When Crow put Rennick into a cell, he of course took away
all of Rennick's magic items, but he didn't realize the
tattoo was also a magic item. Rennick allowed Crow to
brag about himself and his plans, and Rennick learned what
Crow planned to do with him. Then, he used up the tattoo to
teleport away. Of course, Crow was furious and immediately
set out to recapture Rennick. Rennick knew he wasn't safe:
he immediately went into hiding.
Up until this moment, there have been very few NPCs in this
campaign who are unadulterated evil. Green is greedy, but
he has redeeming qualities, and he can be reasoned with.
Orethys was pure evil, but he is a historical figure.
Beshaba is evil, but she won't play a central role until
later. Crow is the first genuinely horrible person that the
PCs will face.
not a monster, and he can be reasoned with. Orethys was pure
evil, but he is a historical figure. Beshaba is evil, but
she won't play a central role until later. Crow is the
first genuinely horrible person that the PCs will face.
Do not tell any of this to your players. All of this will
unfold gradually, as the PCs search for Rennick, and explore
@@ -61,6 +81,11 @@ directions, and can pursue any one of several leads. The
DM will have to tie all of this together into a story that
flows together coherently.
## Character Leveling
The PCs should be raised to Level 5 before starting this
chapter.
## First Sights of the City
When the PCs emerge from the scrap dealer's tent, they step
@@ -109,6 +134,7 @@ After wandering around for a few minutes, they may start
to think about their objective. Before they have a chance
to get started, introduce them to Rico Sparks.
## Rico Sparks, the Tout
As the PCs gape at the bazaar, a Tout named Rico Sparks
@@ -194,20 +220,38 @@ He will always charge quite a bit for his services, but
his information is reliable and he tries to make himself
useful.
The PCs should probably ask Rico where to find Rennick.
Rico will ask the PCs, "what do you know about this Rennick?"
If the PCs point out that Rennick is a member of the
Fraternity of Order, then Rennick will point out that
the courthouse is the Fraternity base of operations. If
the PCs tell Rico that Rennick is involved in casino
regulation, then Rico will tell the PCs that all regulatory
agencies are located in the courthouse. It looks like
the courthouse is a good place to start looking.
The PCs probably have lots of questions about Sigil for
Rico. But there is one essential piece of information
that you must work into the conversation: you must
teach the PCs about portals and portal keys.
One way to work this into the conversation is to have Rico
ask about the metal wire on the PCs' arms: he says: "You
don't need those metal wires any more. That was just a
portal key. You guys know about portals and portal keys?"
Rico then explains: "Supposedly, every door and window in
Sigil is a portal to somewhere. Yes, interior doors too.
The thing is, most of those portals will never activate,
because nobody knows the right key. Key could be anything:
it could be a physical object like that loop of wire, but it
could also be a song, or a color, or even a mindset - you
name it."
Rico is a tool for you, the DM. You can use him to feed
the PCs little bits of information whenever you would
like to do so. He can help keep the story moving.
The PCs should probably ask Rico where to find Rennick.
Rico will answer that he doesn't know who Rennick is, but
he knows that any member of the Fraternity of Order, who
works in the department of casino regulation, is going
to have an office in the Courthouse. So the courthouse
is a good place to start looking.
## Taking Care of Pig
If the PCs brought Pig along, then Pig follows them for a
If the PCs brought Pig to Sigil, then Pig follows them for a
while, and then gets tired. He settles into an empty spot
at the bazaar and starts playing his mandolin, and attracts
a small crowd.
@@ -220,10 +264,9 @@ show up and ask the PCs, "does this ogre belong to you?"
The PCs will have to negotiate to rent a plot of land where
Pig can play his music.
Pig's artistry is good, he brings in enough money to pay
for food, shelter, the landlord, and maybe a little more on
the side. Pig is not picky about shelter, he doesn't mind
sleeping outside.
Pig's artistry is good, he brings in enough money to pay for
food, rent, and maybe a little more on the side. Pig is not
picky about shelter, he doesn't mind sleeping outside.
Of course, the real reason Pig is tagging along is because
the PCs promised healing. Sigil has many powerful priests,
@@ -254,6 +297,10 @@ play his music in the bazaar, mostly take care of himself,
and he will be *very* grateful to the PCs because he's
regaining his strength.
The PCs may decide that playing music is actually a
reasonable way to make a few coins. If so, Pig is willing
to join the troupe. Feel free to improvise here.
If the PCs ask Pig to fight in *this* chapter, Pig refuses:
he's humiliated by his weakness and doesn't want anyone
to see him fight in this condition. But that will change
@@ -271,13 +318,16 @@ for a guy named Rennick. Have you seen him?"
Sergei is a Xaositect who has learned through the grapevine
that Rennick has gained the ability to predict random
events. Sergei, like most Xaositects, thinks this is an
abomination. He is on a mission to find an kill Rennick.
Fortunately for Rennick, Sergei is not very efficient.
abomination. He is on a mission to find an kill Rennick. If
the PCs ask Sergei what he's up to, he explains, "killing
Rennick is only illegal if I get caught." Fortunately for
Rennick, Sergei is not very efficient.
Sergei insists that he is the president of the Xaositects.
He occasionally changes his mind and decides he's the
"chairman" of the Xaositects, or the "emperor", or sometimes
even the "factol."
even the "factol." No other Xaositect thinks that Sergei
is any of these things.
The other Xaositect, Jinn, is enigmatic. She refuses to
make any assertions about anything. She explains: " Suppose
@@ -304,10 +354,10 @@ Rennick. So, she's searching for Rennick. She has no idea
why.
Sergei calls Jinn "my secretary," or "my assistant," or "my
manservant." When he does, Jinn gets an irritated look on
her face, and sometimes she replies: "I'm not your servant."
Sergei knows how to push Jinn's buttons: "How do you know
you're not my servant?" Jinn has no answer for this.
servant." When he does, Jinn gets an irritated look on her
face, and sometimes she replies: "I'm not your piking
servant." Sergei knows how to push Jinn's buttons: "How do
you know you're not?" Jinn has no answer for this.
Sergei is a male bariaur, a LV4 fighter. Jinn is a female
water genasi. Her class and level are unknown - she has
@@ -332,96 +382,29 @@ just be in the right place. But it's not the right time
for her to do what she needs to do, so she's just hanging
around waiting, and looking for Rennick.
In addition to asking around about Rennick, the two
of them both enjoy drinking. Sometimes, when the PCs
show up, Sergei may already be passed out on the floor,
with Jinn just sipping liquor until he wakes up.
## An Appointment with Rennick
The courthouse is the base of operations for the
Fraternity of Order, of which Rennick is a part. The
main door of the courthouse leads to a large antechamber,
with a big receptionist desk. Working the desk is a
harried-looking man named Timon Pherenikos.
Timon appears human, however, he is actually the son of a
Human and an Oread. Timon's Oread heritage has left him
with two unusual traits: he's extraordinarily patient (which
is why he's the receptionist), and he smells slightly of
earth.
Timon points out that Rennick works for the department
of casino regulation. He explains: "the purpose of the
department of casino regulation is to inspect casinos
and certify that their games aren't rigged." He says,
"if you want to go see Rennick, you'll need an appointment.
And to get an appointment, you have to be a casino that's
applying for certification. Those are the rules."
Of course, the PCs will try to short-circuit the rules.
Timon won't allow that: He's a member of the Fraternity of
Order, and rules are rules. However, Timon is surprisingly
patient with people who try. For example, if try to pressure
him to let you through, he won’t, but he’ll explain why he
can’t, and he won't hold a grudge.
The PCs may try charm magic. Timon is zero-level, so a
simple “Charm Person” would succeed in bending him to your
will. However, the Fraternity has silent alarm systems in
place to detect the use of magic in the courthouse, and
moments later you’ll be facing a Harmonium patrol.
The Harmonium is used to outsiders trying spells like “Charm
Person” in the courthouse - it happens all the time. As long
as you were nonviolent, they’ll just take you outside, give
you a stern talking to, and let you off with a warning the
first time you try it. The leader of the patrol is actually
a little sympathetic: he too finds the bureaucracy to be
exasperating, but the rules are the rules.
In the end, the PCs's best course of action is to actually
play by the rules. If the PCs decide to go this route,
Timon is quite helpful: he is happy to assist people in
navigating the bureaucracy.
Timon hands the PCs a blank copy of form CM1-228: REQUEST BY
CASINO FOR INITIAL CONSULTATION FOR ACQUISITION OF
CERTIFICATE OF FAIR PLAY. This is the form the PCs will
need to fill out to get an appointment. The form is in an
appendix. It contains many questions that the PCs couldn't
possibly know the answer to. The PCs have no hope of just
filling it out.
The PCs may attempt to fill out the form with bullshit. If
they do so, Timon will look at the filled out form and say,
sympathetically, "If I send this upstairs, they'll just put
it in the circular file. You need to fill in real
information. Your best bet is to find somebody who has
actually run a casino before. Pay them for their help.
They will know what to do."
Now, at this point, the PCs should be thinking to
themselves: Green used to own a Casino in the city of Sigil.
What happened to Green's Casino? They should also be
thinking: Green's employees returned to the city of Sigil,
including Edric, the steward of Green's operation. If the
PCs fail to remember this, let Lada remind them.
## Rico Learns who the Incantifers Are
## The Hall of Records
## The Goblins in the Casino
In addition to asking around about Rennick, the two of them
both enjoy drinking. Sometimes, when the PCs show up,
Sergei may already be passed out on the floor, with Jinn
just napping or sipping liquor until he wakes up.
## Sending to Rennick
The PCs should at this point be of high enough level to cast
the spell "sending." This spell allows the PCs to send a 25
word message to Rennick. Each time the PCs cast sending,
Rennick can send up to 25 words back.
The PCs are now at a level where they can potentially cast
the spell "Sending." This is a very useful tool for finding
Rennick. According to the spell, one must be "familiar"
with the recipient. The PCs met Rennick at Castle Green.
Whether that's enough to constitute "familiarity" depends on
how the PCs interacted with Rennick. If they barely said
two words to him, then no, it's not enough. But if they had
a good solid conversation with him, then that's enough: he's
"familiar." Your judgement call.
Pretty much no matter what the PCs say, Rennick says:
Do not feel obligated: if the PCs can't cast sending, they
can still complete this chapter just fine.
If the PCs cast sending, then Rennick can respond with a
25-word response. Pretty much no matter what the PCs say,
Rennick says:
> Incantifer, Crow, plans to kill me! I'm hiding from him.
> He may be spying right now! Say nothing! He's listening.
@@ -440,8 +423,9 @@ If the PCs agree to help, Crow says:
> weaknesses. Choose spells. Raid my stash, buy right equipment.
> Hire mercenary from Ysgard. When prepared, contact me.
This tells the PCs the rough outlines of what's going on
with Rennick, but it leaves a lot of unanswered questions:
With that, the PCs now understand the broad outlines of
this chapter and what they have to do. However, that
still leaves tons of questions unanswered:
* What is an "Incantifer?" What are Crow's powers?
@@ -466,38 +450,419 @@ will result in Rennick saying:
> Stop casting sending, too dangerous. May be possible to
> trace you. I know you are smart. Info you need is out there.
Now, that's a lot of open-ended questions. Fortunately,
So Rennick refuses to answer any more questions. Fortunately,
Rico Sparks is a big help. Rico is a tout, an information broker,
so he knows how things work and where to find useful information.
He can do all of the following:
* Rico has heard of the incantifers. He volunteers to research them.
* He observes that Rennick's coworkers might know something.
* Rico observes that Rennick's coworkers might know
something.
* Rico volunteers to find out where Rennick's house is: he will succeed.
* Rico is confident that he can find out where Rennick
lives, when he's not in hiding.
* Rico doesn't know who the mercenary from Ysgard is, but he says, "based on the wording, it's clear that Rennick has somebody specific in mind."
* Rico doesn't know who the mercenary from Ysgard is, but he
says, "based on the wording, it's clear that Rennick has
somebody specific in mind."
## Sending to Green
Rico also amplifies what Rennick said about "Do not fight Crow".
Rico says:
Green is in Beshaba's realm, in the Abyss. Beshaba is
allowing him to stay there, even providing protection. This
is because she sees the Deck as bait that might lure Tymora
to her realm.
> Back in Saint Parnas, you guys were big fishes in a little
> pond. But here in the Cage, you're not in a little pond
> any more. There are people walking around on these
> streets who are archdemons in disguise. There are wizards
> who are famous all over the multiverse. There are
> servants of the gods walking these streets. If you go
> starting fights with powerful people, you're going to put
> yourselves in the dead book *very* fast. If this Rennick
> is so scared of Crow, then you would have to be real
> leatherheads to fight him unprepared.
If the PCs cast sending to talk to Green, Green will happily
answer their questions. He doesn't have any up-to-date
information about Rennick, but he knows general facts.
If the PCs ask Green about exactly what he's *doing* there
in Beshaba's realm, or if the PCs just start asking Green
more questions than you want, cut them off. Here's how: A
goddess is almost omnipotent in her own realm. Beshaba can
easily intervene in any sending spell cast into her realm.
The PCs cast sending and ask the wrong question. They get a
reply that's not from Green, it's from Beshaba:
> So, Tymora's little pawns are getting information from my
> little pawns. I think it's time for me to put a stop to that.
The caster recognizes the voice of Beshaba. The caster ends
up with a splitting headache, and two levels of exhaustion.
If they're stupid enough to try again, make it even worse
for them.
## An Appointment with Casino Regulation
The courthouse is the base of operations for the
Fraternity of Order, of which Rennick is a part. The
main door of the courthouse leads to a large antechamber,
with a big receptionist desk. Working the desk is a
tired-looking man named Timon Pherenikos.
Timon appears human, however, he is actually the son of a
Human and an Oread. Timon's Oread heritage has left him
with two unusual traits: he's extraordinarily patient (which
is why he's the receptionist), and he smells slightly of
earth.
When the PCs ask for Rennick, Timon says "to get an appointment
with the Department of Casino Regulation, you need to be a
casino representative, and you need to be requesting regulation
for your casino. Here's the form." He hands over a blank
CM1-228, "REQUEST BY CASINO FOR INITIAL CONSULTATION FOR
ACQUISITION OF CERTIFICATE OF FAIR PLAY."
This is where the PCs next "adventure" begins: a ludicrous
mini-quest in which the PCs have to actually fill out a
Fraternity form. This will be the PCs' first encounter with
a faction, and it is meant to highlight the absurdity of
faction ideology. The form is full of over-the-top
bureaucratic jargon and impossible questions. The form can
be found in appendix XYZ. Filling it out will be a
challenge.
Of course, the PCs will beg Timon to just let them go talk
to the Department, skipping the formality. That ain't
happening: this is the Fraternity of Order. Timon says:
"Rules are rules. If you want an appointment, you fill out
the form."
Timon is strict, but he's actually quite kind, and patient.
If the PCs want, they can try to befriend him, which works.
He still won't bend the rules, but he will be as helpful
as he can be within the rules.
The PCs may try charm magic. Timon is zero-level, so a
simple “Charm Person” would succeed in bending him to your
will. However, the Fraternity has silent alarm systems in
place to detect the use of magic in the courthouse, and
moments later you’ll be facing a Harmonium patrol.
If the PCs used charm magic, but were nonviolent, the patrol
takes the PCs outside, and gives them a stern talking to.
"I'm not going to throw you in jail, every damn clueless who
comes to the city tries that. If I threw all of you in
jail, there would be no room in the jail for anyone else.
But don't even think about trying that again." If the PCs
complain about the bureaucracy, the leader of the patrol
sympathizes: "Yeah, I know, their forms are completely
unreasonable. But the law's the law, and it's my job to
enforce it." In the end, the PCs's best course of action is
to actually just figure out a way to fill out the form.
The PCs may attempt to fill out the form with bullshit. If
they do so, Timon will look at the filled out form and say,
sympathetically, "If I send this upstairs, they'll just put
it in the circular file. You need to fill in real
information. You need to put down information from an
actual, real casino. You might want to go to the hall
of records and get an actual example of an actual form
CM1-228 filled out by a real casino, that might help.
The hall of records is the next building over."
It may occur to the PCs to go find Green's Casino, and to
look there for clues about how to fill out the form. It takes
Rico only an hour to locate the casino (finding
entertainment venues for tourists is the bread and butter
of touts everywhere.) The casino's real name is "The Golden
Hoard," and it's in the market ward, not far. Rico says
it's boarded up.
Another possibility is that the PCs may think
themselves: Edric, the steward, has probably filled out
this very form, and he's in town somewhere. Rico can find
Edric too, though it's not as fast.
Edric Says: "Green's Casino is called The Golden Hoard. It
gets reinspected every so often. I had to fill that form
out last time. Nothing has changed, you can just get the old
form from the hall of records and copy everything over. To
get that, you'll need the tax ID number for the casino. I'm
afraid I don't remember the tax ID number, it's been a
while. There's still some old paperwork at the casino
building, I imagine one of those old forms has the tax ID
number somewhere."
If the PCs go to the hall of records, they end up in
a room that looks like a library reading room, with a
giant desk. Behind the desk are many "librarians",
and a football-field sized room full of shelving units
packed with filing boxes. The PCs get in line, and
eventually get served.
The hall of records keeps the forms organized by:
* Date,
* Tax ID number,
* Form number.
Those are your choices. You can specify more than one
of these. If you ask for anything else - literally,
anything else, the librarians will just get annoyed and
will explain to you that you have to give them a tax
ID number, a date range, and/or a form number.
The librarians also say: "every form retrieved costs 10gp."
If the PCs say something like, "can we just see an example
of a form CM1-228," the librarian says, "I can bring you
all of the form CM1-228s. There are probably thousands of
them, remember, they cost 10gp each."
If the PCs say, "no we just want to see one," the librarian
looks increasingly annoyed and says, "No Fraternity member
is going to bring you a *random* form CM1-228. Randomness
is not how things get done, we don't do that here. You
can pick a form by form number, tax ID number, or date
range."
It *is* possible to get an example of a form CM1-228 while
only paying 10gp. The trick is to use a narrow date range.
"Bring me any form CM1-228 filed in the last 24 hours." The
librarian will look annoyed, go into the stacks, and return
saying, "none have been filed in the last 24 hours." Then,
the PC can say, "OK, bring me any form CM1-228 filed in the
last 48 hours." The librarian will object, saying, "this is
wasting my time," to which the PC can say, "I asked for one
form, and you refused to do that. Fine. I'm using your
rules: I'm giving you date ranges. You made the rules, now
you follow them." They can't object: they're the Fraternity.
If the PCs keep this up, they'll eventually end up with the
most recently-filed CM1-228.
If the PCs don't pull off this trick with the date ranges,
the other real option is to go to the Golden Hoard, find the
tax ID number, and come back to the hall of records. In that
way, the PCs can obtain a CM1-228 from the Golden Hoard, and
use it in the same way.
After the PCs obtain a CM1-228, they can copy the
information over from that form to their own form,
substituting their own name and signature. Then, they give
it to Timon. Timon says, "well, you signed this form
claiming to be the casino's authorized representative. I
know you don't actually work for this casino, so that's
misrepresentation."
But, if the PCs got the CM1-228 from the Golden Hoard, and
if Edric gave them the go-ahead, they can legitimately claim
to actually be authorized. Timon is impressed.
If not, Timon says, "It's misrepresentation, but that's a
civil lawsuit, and I don't have standing, so I can't call
you out on it. But, if you send this upstairs, it may come
back to bite you, in the form of a lawsuit. Your call.
Send it up or not?"
In reality, there's no risk of a lawsuit. Nobody is going
to check up on this.
Timon gives the form to an imp, who flies it upstairs.
The imp returns a few minutes later with a note. Timon
says: "your appointment is in 10 minutes. Take those
stairs, three stories up, go left, all the way down the
hall."
## Hazel Senjen, Rennick's Boss
When the PCs enter the Department of Casino Regulation,
they are met by Rennick's boss: Hazel Senjen. She is a
smallish human. Unlike Rennick, she's not a researcher
or a statistician: she's an administrator, she coordinates
the department.
She says, "You're the ones who filled out this form?"
She tosses it in the circular file. "I know this casino
doesn't need a certificate, so what's this about?"
At this point, the PCs can explain their mission, that
they're looking for Rennick. As soon as they say this,
Hazel looks at Lada, and says, "Wait - Halfling, priestess
of Tymora? Are you Lada?" Lada looks surprised and agrees.
Hazel says: "Good, Rennick told me that you and your friends
would probably show up, he was counting on it." Now that
Hazel knows who the PCs are, she trusts them and is willing
to share information.
Hazel can tell the PCs the backstory of everything that led
up to this moment. Her story will fill in a *lot* of the
missing pieces. You might want to print this whole story
out, and just give it to them.
> Many months ago, Rennick told me that he had discovered a
> new technology that allowed him to predict certain random
> events. Rennick told me that this would be a boon for the
> Fraternity of Order. I don't understand the technology, I'm
> not a mathematician, but Rennick was very excited.
>
> He also told me that he found a small box by his bedside,
> with dice on the cover. He was very suspicious of the box,
> but he tried to open it anyway. It wouldn't open.
>
> a few weeks later, he came to me looking worried. He said,
> "I think I've made a huge mistake. This technology is too
> dangerous. I wish I could put the genie back in the bottle."
> He also wished he hadn't told so many people about it.
>
> I said to him, "if it's so dangerous, why don't you just
> burn your notes?" He said, "you know the priciple of the
> idea whose time has come? Even if I destroy my notes,
> other scientists are going to rediscover it, and soon.
> This technology is getting out whether I like it or not.
> If it does, the universe is piked. I have to do something."
>
> He kept me posted on his progress. Through divination, he
> figured out the box contained the avatar of a god of
> randomness. He assumed this god had some interest in his
> technology, since the box appeared on the day he made his
> breakthrough. He decided he really wanted to talk to this
> god: he was sure a god of randomness could help him
> fix the situation.
>
> He also figured out why he couldn't open the box.
> The Lady of Pain doesn't allow other gods in the city.
> It was her power keeping the box sealed tight.
>
> So, he took the box out of Sigil, and opened it. He was
> really disappointed: it was a deck of many things. He
> wanted to *talk* to the god, not play cards. So he did
> more divination, and figured out: This god is *asleep*,
> the cards are its *sleeping* form. He realized he couldn't
> get this God's help unless he woke it up first.
>
> He said "to wake somebody up, what do you do? You agitate
> the ever-living shit out of them." He says, "I can use
> this deck to create predictable outcomes, instead of
> random ones, the same way a casino makes a predictable
> income from games of chance. That would violate this
> god's core priciples, using its tool, designed to dispense
> randomness, to create a predictable result. That should
> aggravate it enough to wake it up, I hope."
>
> I said, "Are you sure you want to deal with a pissed-off
> god?" He said, "I have to, this is important. I have
> confidence, I can handle it."
>
> He brought in a guy named Green to help implement his
> plan. A few months later, he was frustrated that the God
> wasn't waking up. "Green can agitate anyone, but it's
> apparently not enough." Then, he told me he had another
> idea, to raise this God's anxiety level further, but he
> refused to let me in on that part of the plan. I think
> he's crazy, deliberately provoking a god, but it's
> Rennick. When he decides to do something, he doesn't
> listen to advice.
>
> About a week later, he went to Saint Parnas to catch up
> with Green. He comes back two or three days later,
> totally in a panic. He's rushing around, saying, "a guy
> named Crow is trying to kill me. Capture me, barely
> escaped. Wants to turn me into a magic item. Going into
> hiding." He's telling me this, and frantically filling
> out forms at the same time. He says, "there's people, good
> people, who I think are likely to show up. Lada, halfling,
> curly hair, Tymora priestess. Can't remember other names.
> Help them. I have to run!" Then, he hands me the forms,
> makes me sign them, and then rushes out the door. Haven't
> seen him since. Been, what, a week and a half?
>
> Those forms are over here... there you go.
The story not only fills in a lot of information about the
past, it also reveals some things about Rennick.
He also thinks he can handle an angry god, which tells you
something about his inflated sense of self. He also isn't
good at listening to advice. He can't remember the PCs'
names, only Lada - he respects her, because she's a
theoretical fortunologist like Rennick. But she's the only
one he bothers to remember. Overall, it paints a picture of
a man who is self-important.
Hazel hands the PCs the two forms that Rennick filed in a
panic: XP3-907, "REQUEST FOR TEMPORARY ABSENCE DUE TO
CREDIBLE THREAT TO LIFE", and COI-441, "AUTHORIZATION TO
VISIT PLACE OF BUSINESS DESPITE REGULATORY CONFLICT OF
INTEREST."
The "Request for Temporary Absence" is mostly just
silliness. The idea that the Fraternity would have a form
to request permission to go into hiding from a psychopath is
deliberately ludicrous. But the "authorization to Visit
Place of Business" contains a critical clue: the place of
business in question is Green's Casino, the Golden Hoard.
Why would Rennick, while fleeing from Crow, want to go to
casino that's closed? What could possibly be at a closed
casino that would help him deal with Crow? It doesn't make
sense. The form itself says: "Show producer may
have information which may pertain to my safety." Why would
there be a show, and a producer, at a closed casino, and
how could a show's producer protect Rennick from Crow?
If the PCs haven't visited the Golden Hoard yet, it's
definitely time for them to do so.
## Rico Learns About Crow
This is a good time for Rico Sparks to show up and say, "I've
learned a little information about the incantifers.
20gp for research plus 5gp for the conversation."
Here are the points of information that Rico can
contribute at this point:
* Who the incantifers are: a small sect of wizards who
capture individuals, rip the souls out of their bodies, and
use that soul to build orbs, which he says is some kind of
very powerful magical item that can rapidly cast spells. He
knows that Crow has four orbs. He doesn't know what they
can do.
* He tells the PCs that there are three known incantifers
who occasionally show up in Sigil: Crow, Peregrine, and
Albatross. He has no idea how to contact any of them.
* He says that all three of the known incantifers are wanted
by the mercykillers. Apparently, the mercykillers attempted
a raid on the tower sorcerous a few years ago, but couldn't
get inside.
Finally, Rico promises to keep looking for information on
Crow. He says he's sure he can find more.
## The Goblins in the Casino
## Rennick's House
At some point, Rico says, "I've located Rennick's house."
(Research cost: 20gp.)
By this time, Rico is fond of the PCs. If the PCs say
they're going to Rennick's house, Rico says:
> Okay, but really, be careful. Crow might be watching
> Rennick's house.
>
> Back in Saint Parnas, you guys were big fishes in a little
> pond. But here in the Cage, you're not in a little pond
> any more. There are people walking around on these
> streets who are archdemons in disguise. There are wizards
> who are famous all over the multiverse. I *really* doubt
> you guys are strong enough to fight Crow. If you go
> starting fights with powerful people, you're going to put
> yourselves in the dead book *very* fast. If this Rennick
> is so scared of Crow, then you would have to be real
> leatherheads to fight him unprepared.
>
> So go and investigate if you have to, but please, keep
> a low profile, and get out of there fast as you can.
## The Mercenary from Ysgard
## The Greatest Show in Ysgard