Odd jobs 3, It keeps getting stranger.

Sorry for being scarce the last week and a half. I am working on something big and not using Chatgtp as a ghostwriter. The bad news is that it won’t be ready for at least a week. The good news is that I have more odd jobs to tide you over. Prepare for some ones shots with strange plot twists and quirky characters.

The Case of the Stolen Canopic Jars

Job Posting

Archaic Notice: A retrieval job is at hand. A set of canopic jars has been purloined. Details include a description of what was stolen, a sketch of the stolen jars, and a drop-off point for the reward.

Encounter 1: Tracing the Thieves

Setting: The bustling streets of Sliberberg, filled with whispers and leads waiting to be uncovered.

Description: The players receive a sketch of the canopic jars—beautiful, intricately designed containers used in ancient rituals. They must gather information about who stole them and where they are now.

Challenges:

Performing successful Investigation or Streetwise checks (DC 15) to gather clues.
Speaking with various informants, each with a piece of the puzzle.

Role-Playing Notes:

NPCs range from a shady merchant who saw the jars being smuggled to a young street urchin who overheard a conversation about the Dead Rabbits, the city’s fey mafia.

Encounter 2: Infiltrating the Auction

Setting: A dimly lit, opulent underground venue hidden beneath the city’s surface.

Description: The players learn that the jars are up for sale at a secret auction held by the Dead Rabbits. The venue is heavily guarded by bandits and thugs, and the jars are secured in a back room.

Challenges:

Disguising themselves and blending in with the auction attendees.
Navigating through the auction to reach the back room without raising suspicion.
Dealing with or avoiding the guards protecting the secured room.

Role-Playing Notes:

The auction hall is filled with dangerous characters, including notorious criminals and wealthy collectors.
Players can use Stealth, Deception, or Persuasion to gain access and avoid detection.

Potential Actions:

Players might create a distraction, such as faking a fight or causing a commotion elsewhere in the venue.
They could attempt to bribe or deceive the guards, or use magic to sneak past them.

Encounter 3: Escaping the Auction

Setting: The auction hall, now in full swing, with high stakes and heightened tensions.

Description: After retrieving the jars, the players must exit the auction without drawing attention to themselves. The auction is in progress, making stealth and clever maneuvering essential.

Challenges:

Remaining unnoticed while carrying the canopic jars.
Avoiding or dealing with any suspicious characters who might recognize them or the stolen items.
Potentially facing a high-speed chase or combat if they are discovered.

Role-Playing Notes:

The atmosphere is tense, with attendees deeply focused on the auction. Any sudden moves could trigger suspicion.
Players can use distractions, invisibility spells, or other creative means to slip away.

Finale: The Mummy’s Reward

Setting: A secluded, ancient-looking drop-off point shrouded in mystery.

Description: The players deliver the jars to the specified location, where they are met by a servant of the mummy who owns the jars. The servant, a stoic figure dressed in ancient garb, inspects the items carefully.

Possible Rewards:

500 gold pieces
A magical item (such as an Amulet of Health or a Scroll of Protection)
A favor from the mummy, which could be called upon in future adventures.

The Sentient Swarm

Job Posting

Notice: Help needed at Greenleaf Gardening Supplies. Unspecified animal problem disrupting business. Reward offered.

Encounter 1: Arrival at the Shop

Setting: Greenleaf Gardening Supplies, a quaint and colorful shop filled with exotic plants and gardening tools, situated in a bustling part of Sliberberg.

Description: As the players approach, they find the shop unusually quiet. The door is ajar, and the shopkeeper, a frantic woman named Elara Greenleaf, stands outside looking worried.

Challenges:

Entering the shop without getting stung.
Assessing the situation with the swarm of bees buzzing angrily around the flower displays.

Role-Playing Notes:

Elara is desperate and worried about the bees damaging her business but equally concerned for the well-being of the plants and the bees.

Encounter 2: Communicating with the Swarm

Setting: Inside Greenleaf Gardening Supplies, filled with vibrant flowers, buzzing bees, and a tense atmosphere.

Description: The players must figure out how to communicate with the swarm. The bees are non-verbal and must spell out words using their collective movement, either in the air or on the walls.

Challenges:

Convincing the swarm to allow customers back into the shop.
Avoiding any actions that could harm the bees, plants, or the store.

Role-Playing Notes:

The bees are intelligent but cautious. They need reassurance that their new home and the flowers they love will be safe.

Possible Approaches:

Persuasion: The players can use Persuasion (DC 15) to calm the bees and assure them of their safety.
Magic: Using spells like Speak with Animals or Animal Friendship can help communicate with the swarm.
Creative Solutions: Players might offer to create a special section of the shop for the bees or find them a new home nearby.

Challenges:

Negotiating a solution that satisfies both the bees and the shopkeeper.
Ensuring the shop remains functional for business while accommodating the bees.

Potential Outcomes:

Success: The players successfully communicate with the bees and establish a peaceful coexistence.
Failure: The bees become agitated if mishandled, leading to potential stings and further disruption.

Resolution: If the players successfully negotiate with the bees, they agree to move to a designated area within the shop or nearby garden.

Possible Rewards:

200 gold pieces
A selection of rare plants or herbal remedies
An Amulet of Natural Speak, allowing the wearer to communicate with plant-based creatures once per day.

Notes for the DM:

Encourage players to use diplomacy and creative problem-solving.
Ensure the encounter emphasizes the need for a peaceful resolution, highlighting the players’ role as mediators.
If players struggle, Elara can provide hints or additional tools, such as calming incense or knowledge about the bees’ preferences.

The Haunted Mansion

Job Posting

Notice: Help needed, exorcist or detective, at a mansion in Wachehalten. Address provided.

Encounter 1: The Haunted Mansion

Setting: A grand, yet eerie mansion in the upscale neighborhood of Wachehalten, with signs of recent habitation but an unsettling atmosphere.

Description: The players arrive at the mansion to find it dimly lit, with flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows. They are greeted by John, a wealthy newcomer, who appears agitated. As they speak to him, he is suddenly possessed by the ghost of Myrna O’Malley, a young half-elf woman of noble birth who was murdered a few weeks ago.

Dialogue: John (agitated, then suddenly changing demeanor as Myrna possesses him):

“You must help me… I mean, help us. This house is haunted… no, I am the one who needs help! I was murdered, and my killer is still out there. You must find them and bring them to justice!”

Challenges:

Understanding the conflicting desires: John wants the ghost gone, and Myrna wants her killer brought to justice.
Investigating the mansion to gather clues about Myrna’s murder.

Encounter 2: Investigating the Crime Scene

Setting: Various rooms in the mansion, particularly Myrna’s bedroom where she was murdered.

Description: The players examine the relatively undisturbed crime scene. Myrna’s ghost can provide limited information: she saw the killer in a mirror, noting that he was large and tall, likely a bugbear.

Challenges:

Investigating the bedroom and other key areas for evidence.
Making successful Investigation checks (DC 15) to find clues like bugbear hair, a distinctive footprint, and signs of forced entry.

Role-Playing Notes:

Myrna can possess John to point out specific details or react to the players’ findings.
The players might also need to interview any staff or neighbors who might have seen or heard something.

Possible Clues:

Bugbear hair found near the mirror.
Large muddy footprints leading away from the scene.
A scrap of cloth that matches the attire commonly worn by a known local thug.

Encounter 3: Finding the Perpetrator

Setting: Various locations in the city where the bugbear hitman, Keegan, might be hiding out, including shady taverns and known criminal hangouts.

Description: The players track down Keegan, a bugbear hitman living large off his recent payday. He’s not hard to find with the right Streetwise or Persuasion checks (DC 15). When confronted, he tries to flee but can be captured or persuaded to talk.

Challenges:

Locating Keegan through investigation and social interactions.
Confronting and capturing him without causing too much public disturbance.

Role-Playing Notes:

Keegan is initially defensive but will spill details under pressure, revealing he was hired by Myrna’s brother, Rian.

Encounter 4: Confronting Rian

Setting: Rian’s luxurious townhouse, filled with signs of his newfound wealth.

Description: The players confront Rian, Myrna’s brother, who is shocked and tries to deny his involvement at first. When pressed, he becomes defensive and, if cornered, may try to fight his way out.

Challenges:

Confronting Rian and extracting a confession or evidence of his crime.
Dealing with any potential combat if Rian and his guards resist.

Role-Playing Notes:

Rian is cunning and may attempt to bribe the players or offer them a share of the inheritance to let him go.
Myrna’s ghost will be present, possibly causing supernatural phenomena if Rian refuses to confess.

Finale: Justice for Myrna

Setting: Back at the mansion, where Myrna’s spirit awaits the players’ return.

Description: The players return to the mansion with Rian, either in custody or after having dealt with him. Myrna’s spirit, now at peace, can finally move on.

Possible Rewards:

300 gold pieces from John for exorcising the ghost.
A magical item from Myrna’s personal collection (such as a Ring of Protection or an Amulet of Health).
A deed to a small property in the city as a token of gratitude from Myrna’s family.

Notes for the DM:

Emphasize the investigative nature of the adventure, encouraging players to piece together clues.
Balance the supernatural elements with the detective work to create a compelling narrative.
Provide opportunities for role-playing and moral decisions, particularly regarding how to handle Rian and the revelations about the family dynamics.

The Lost Statue

Job Posting

Notice: Treasure hunter for hire needed. Apply at Silverwing Keep in the upper city.

Encounter 1: The Duchess’s Request

Setting: Silverwing Keep, an opulent castle-like mansion in the upper city, with gleaming silver accents and a grand, inviting aura.

Description: The players are introduced to Duchess Kaida von Silberflügel, a young silver dragon who has taken human form. She is elegant and regal, radiating the charm of a fairytale princess. She explains her passion for collecting royal artifacts and tasks the players with finding a rare statue of one of Mountainheart’s earliest kings as a young man. The statue has been missing for centuries, and Kaida has heard rumors that it is somewhere in the city.

Challenges:

Accepting the quest and understanding the significance of the statue.
Gathering initial clues or directions from Kaida or her retainers.

Role-Playing Notes:

Kaida is gracious and generous, eager to see the players succeed.
She might offer some initial clues or a magical item to help them on their way.

Encounter 2: The Search Begins

Setting: Various locations around the city where magical and historical research can be conducted, including libraries, antique shops, and mage guilds.

Description: The players must track down the location of a statue that has been missing for 500 years. Regular methods prove ineffective, so they need to rely on magic and historical research. They might use spells like Locate Object, Divination, or consult with sages and historians.

Challenges:

Making successful Arcana or History checks (DC 15) to gather information.
Using spells or magical items to aid in the search.
Piecing together fragmented information from various sources.

Role-Playing Notes:

Encourage creative use of magic and skills.
Introduce NPCs like eccentric historians, knowledgeable librarians, or mysterious fortune-tellers to provide hints.

Possible Clues:

An old map showing the city’s original layout, including areas now underwater.
A journal entry from an explorer who saw the statue in the ruins.
Magical scrying revealing glimpses of the underwater ruins.

Encounter 3: The Underwater Ruins

Setting: The submerged ruins of the original city of Sliberberg, located under the city harbor, filled with ancient structures and dangerous aquatic creatures.

Description: The players dive into the harbor and navigate through the underwater ruins. The area is fraught with dangers, including strong currents, hostile sea creatures, and unstable structures. The players need to use their skills and resources to search for the statue.

Challenges:

Navigating the underwater environment and avoiding hazards.
Making successful Perception or Investigation checks (DC 16) to locate the statue.
Dealing with underwater threats like aggressive fish or collapsing ruins.

Role-Playing Notes:

Emphasize the eerie beauty and danger of the underwater ruins.
Provide opportunities for players to use water-breathing spells, potions, or magical items.

Encounter 4: The Mermaid’s Treasure

Setting: A small grotto within the underwater ruins, adorned with various trinkets and treasures collected from the surface.

Description: The players find the statue in the possession of a young mermaid named Seraphina. She has a collection of interesting things from the surface and refers to the statue as her “prince.” She is lonely and fascinated by the world above the water.

Challenges:

Convincing Seraphina to part with the statue, either by trading something of equal or greater value or promising her companionship and the opportunity to explore the surface.
Making successful Persuasion checks (DC 18) to negotiate the trade or promise.

Role-Playing Notes:

Seraphina is kind-hearted but firm in her attachment to the statue.
She is genuinely interested in the surface world and values companionship highly.

Possible Trade Items:

Rare or magical trinkets from the players’ inventory.
An enchanted item that fascinates Seraphina.
A promise of regular visits or a magical means for her to safely explore the surface.

Finale: Returning the Statue

Setting: Back at Silverwing Keep, where Duchess Kaida eagerly awaits the players’ return.

Description: The players return to Kaida with the statue. She is overjoyed and rewards them handsomely, praising their bravery and resourcefulness.

Possible Rewards:

500 gold pieces.
A magical item from Kaida’s collection (such as a Cloak of the Manta Ray or a Ring of Water Walking).
Kaida’s favor, which might grant them future quests or assistance.

Notes for the DM:

Emphasize the blend of adventure, negotiation, and role-playing.
Provide creative solutions for the players to navigate underwater challenges and negotiate with Seraphina.
Ensure the players feel rewarded for their efforts and leave room for potential future interactions with Kaida and Seraphina.

The Frost Giant Bounty

Job Posting

Notice: Bounty hunters needed. Frost giant Isknuser is wanted alive for unspecified crimes against the king of the cloud kingdom. Deliver his still-living head to the king for a substantial reward.

Encounter 1: Cassidy the Hobgoblin Bounty Hunter

Setting: A bustling tavern in the city’s bounty hunter district, decorated with wanted posters and trophies from various hunts.

Description: The players meet Cassidy, a spirited redheaded hobgoblin who is the queen of the city’s bounty hunters. She looks like she stepped out of a fantasy western, complete with a wide-brimmed hat and a leather duster. Cassidy informs the players that Isknuser has taken refuge on the high glaciers between Mountainheart and the Hexmarches, guarded by a dozen orc mercenaries. She emphasizes that they must bring Isknuser back alive to claim the bounty.

Challenges:

Accepting the quest and understanding the need for capturing Isknuser alive.
Gathering supplies and preparing for a harsh journey.

Role-Playing Notes:

Cassidy is friendly but no-nonsense, with a hint of a Southern drawl.
She can provide additional tips or equipment if the players seem unprepared.

Encounter 2: Navigating the High Glaciers

Setting: The high glaciers between Mountainheart and the Hexmarches, during a fierce blizzard.

Description: The players must navigate through a treacherous blizzard while being ambushed by orc scouts. The harsh weather and difficult terrain make the journey perilous, and the orc scouts add an element of danger.

Challenges:

Making successful Survival or Nature checks (DC 15) to navigate through the blizzard.
Fending off attacks from orc scouts who are trying to impede their progress.

Role-Playing Notes:

Emphasize the biting cold and low visibility, making navigation and combat more challenging.
Orc scouts can use hit-and-run tactics, making the players wary of ambushes.

Possible Solutions:

Using spells like Control Weather or Find the Path to mitigate environmental hazards.
Setting up protective barriers or using stealth to avoid orc patrols.

Encounter 3: Confronting Isknuser

Setting: A high glacier, where Isknuser and his remaining orc mercenaries have made camp.

Description: The players find Isknuser, a formidable frost giant, shouting random words in Giant before a giant wall of smooth stone. He seems deranged, shouting something about a great treasure, adding to the challenge of capturing him alive. The players must subdue Isknuser and deal with the remaining orc mercenaries.

Challenges:

Subduing Isknuser without killing him, which might involve using non-lethal combat techniques or spells.
Battling the orc mercenaries who will defend their leader to the death.

Role-Playing Notes:

Isknuser’s erratic behavior can be confusing and dangerous, adding to the tension.
The orcs are fiercely loyal but can be intimidated or persuaded to surrender if their numbers dwindle.

Possible Strategies:

Using spells like Hold Monster or Sleep to incapacitate Isknuser.
Negotiating with or intimidating the orcs to stand down.

Finale: The Cloud Kingdom

Setting: The grand hall of the cloud kingdom, a majestic palace among the clouds, filled with storm giants and adorned with treasures.

Description: The players deliver Isknuser to the silent, fuming storm giant king. It quickly becomes clear that Isknuser stole the king’s voice. The court mage performs a ritual to restore the king’s voice, and once his voice is returned, the king expresses his gratitude before resuming his wrathful grip on Isknuser.

Challenges:

Ensuring Isknuser remains alive and subdued during the journey and the handover.
Interpreting the king’s silent gestures and communicating effectively in the grand hall.

Role-Playing Notes:

The cloud kingdom is awe-inspiring, with an air of regality and power.
The storm giant king is initially silent but expresses profound relief and gratitude once his voice is restored.

Possible Rewards:

1,000 gold pieces each for the players.
A magical item from the king’s treasury (such as a Frostbrand or a Belt of Giant Strength).
The king’s favor, which could lead to future quests or assistance.

Notes for the DM:

Emphasize the epic scale of the cloud kingdom and the tension of delivering a living, dangerous bounty.
Provide opportunities for creative problem-solving and reward players for non-lethal strategies.
Ensure the players feel the weight of their actions and the impact of restoring the king’s voice.