I have an announcement: I finally have a clue for the direction of the big adventure path for the blog. It took me most of a year, but we picked up from where we left off in Into the Scraplands. We took the next step in our globe-trotting voyage to the city-state of Mainspring, featuring a thrilling heist story.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mainspring

The adventure starts on the Sea of Green off the western coast of Habesha. Fionnuala has contracted the Silberberg Free Navy to convey the players to the city of Mainspring, and now they stand on the deck of the brand-new, enchanted armed schooner Fairwind.  Read the following to set the scene.

It is a brisk winter day, even for August in the Southern Hemisphere. The air is thick with the smells of salt, fresh paint, and new tar. The crew, a motley band of mortals and fey, seems to be in good spirits despite the long and mostly uneventful journey out from Slanach town. Your captain is a young, quite pretty female Saytr named Amaya Nicolson, who sings sea shanties with perfect pitch as she handles the wheel.

Let the players role-play with each other and the crew for 10 to 20 minutes. If the players talk to Amaya or the crew, they find that they feel a mix of excitement and apprehension. No foreign vessel has visited Mainspring in living memory, and the crew is abuzz with rumors about the city of Mainspring.

Once the roleplay starts to slow down, read the following.

“Ship off the port bow,” shouts the man in the crow’s nest, followed by a panicked, “By the lady, she is bearing down on us at impossible speeds.”

Approaching from the direction of the shore is a ship slightly larger than the Fairwind, with a black hull made of iron, masts made of iron, and a smokestack belching black smoke. There are no sails or rigging on her masts, and she seems to be sailing right at the ship under her own power. If the players use a spyglass or another magnifying device, they can see cannons being run out and marines in red jackets and black shako hats massing on deck.

In Medias Res

After establishing the opening scene of the adventure, cut to a flashback of Fionnuala briefing the players at Le Château Des Rêves a week earlier.

The little state room you’ve been led to is too white and crammed with porcelain princess-themed knick-knacks on shelves lining the walls. Amidst the crockery sits Fionnuala, bedecked in green, in pleasant spirits with a table laden for tea before her. She smiles and says warmly, “My dear children, do come in, sit down, and partake of the tea whilst we talk of your new assignment.”

Once the players are settled, she explains the situation as described in the Setting the Stage section, using her trademarked sweet-godmother voice.

The Grand Undertaking requires additional manufacturing capacity and must be implemented quickly, or the Undertaking will not be ready before the prison fails and Faolan is free to turn The Feengrenze into his canvas.

There are only two realms capable of providing the required metal-making capacity in such a short time: The kingdom of Karak-Guld and the city-state of Mainspring. The dwarves’ massive foundries would be preferred, but since politics in Karak-Guld are stuck at a crawl, they will have to try instead to negotiate with the clockfolk.

This is where the players come in: they are to travel to Mainspring immediately and, by any means necessary, convince the queen of the clockfolk to align her nation with the undertaking.

Fionnuala can provide the players with the following information about Mainspring and the Clockfolk.

• The clockfolk are living constructs made of metal and porcelain.
• The clockfolk speak a language similar to Lyonesse English.
• According to her scouts, their society has access to advanced metallurgical techniques on par with those of the Giblidiki gnomes.
• Her scouts also report that the clockfolk, despite being constructs, emulate human behaviour to an uncanny degree, seemingly for no reason at all, which unsettles her greatly.
• She has encountered clockfolk only a few times, all in the last 100 years; they always seemed to be pursuing some mission and were unable or unwilling to deviate from it.
• The clockfolk barely trade with the outside world. They send only one brig a month to Val-Fable filled with well-made metal ingots to trade for foodstuffs, tea, thread, and cloths, and a barque to New Mountainheart to trade for coal and charcoal a few times a year.
• As far as she knows, no ship has been allowed to dock at Mainspring’s harbor for decades. Those who try are escorted or chased away by Mainspring’s small navy. She has prepared letters of introduction that should allow you passage to the city itself.
• Mainspring was founded by a sidhe toymaker, formerly in the service of her sister, Titania, named Aedan. She remembers Aedan from the few times they met as a rude, fat, and ugly creep who made some very inappropriate advances towards her.
• The current ruler of Mainspring is a girl named Charlotte Evermore. She knows little about Charlotte other than that she is quite pretty and never leaves her palace.
• She has already hired a ship and crew, formed a small staff of diplomatic aides fluent in English for the players, and secured several gifts for Queen Charlotte. They are waiting at the town docks for your arrival.

If the players show an unwillingness to go, Fionnuala will smile and mention that, of course, there is the matter of your compensation if helping ensure the survival of their world does not suffice. She will ask the players to name their price; she can get them anything that they so desire, within reason: Fionnuala, at this point, is willing to reward the players with one very rare magic item each, 6000 gp each, or a major clue or other information regarding a personal quest, and strongly suggests that they might earn much more if they continue to help with the Grand Undertaking.

Heave To For Inspection

Back in the present, the mysterious warship has caught up with the Fairwind and is pulling alongside. Read the following

The black smoking warship is so close now you can see every detail, the dozen cannons pointing right at you, the 24 musketeers on deck ready to fire, even the name painted on the black iron hull, Nemesis.

Suddenly, a strange, whistling-sounding voice calls out from the ship. If any of the players understand Lyonesse English, they understand the shout as, “Heave too and prepare for inspection.”

If the players look to Captain Amaya, she shrugs and suggests that they do what the Nemesis’s commander commands. Nemesis has the Fairwind outgunned 3 to 1, and Amaya doubts the Fairwind could make a dent in her metal hull. Regardless of what the players do, she will order the crew to stand down and signal their acquiescence to the demand.

4 minutes and a short boat trip later, the captain and commander of the Nemesis are on board with a small party of marines, which is likely the first interaction players will have with a clockfolk. Read the following

5 blocky metal men finish climbing the side ladder and now stand on deck. 4 of them are square-shouldered marines in red metal jackets and black metal pants, wearing shako-style hats that make them look like giant tin soldiers. The 5th is wearing a fine metal captain’s uniform, comparable in style to Captain Amaya’s.

The captain of the Nemesis will introduce himself as Commander and Captain Ayden Harvey of Her Majesty’s Paddle Frigate Nemesis and will demand to speak with whoever is in command of the Fairwind. Silently, or not, the crew makes it clear that it’s the players who are running the show, and it will be up to them to convince Captain Ayden to let them through to the city without blasting their ship to bits.

• Captain Ayden uses pirate captain stats, and the Marines use veteran stats.
  • All checks are to be made against the stats in his stat block.
  • This encounter is intended to establish tone, not combat. Captain Ayden will not pursue a fight unless gravely insulted or attacked, and the encounter is designed so that the players cannot win.
• Captain Ayden comes off as a pretentious and ambitious stick-in-the-mud whose loyalty to her majesty is unwavering and who will not tolerate attacks on her majesty’s honor or his own honor. He should seem like he is gunning for a promotion that he should know he is never going to get, or impress a woman who will never say yes, no matter how hard he tries.
  • He was designed to have a secret crush on her majesty, and when he gets angry, he unwittingly betrays this sentiment (which is also due to his programming).
  • If the players attempt to bribe or otherwise try to sully their majesty’s honor, he will snap at the offender and challenge them to a duel on the spot.
• Captain Ayden is under standing orders from Aedan himself to stop any ship approaching Mainspring to ascertain their intention and inspect them. If the ship has no business proceeding to Mainspring, he is to escort it away from the harbor.
  • He was built to believe that most ships have no business proceeding to the mainspring unless they are diplomatic envoys bearing gifts for the monarch.
  • If the players show him the letters from Fionnuala, he will begrudgingly allow the Fairwind to pass and apologize to the players for the inconvenience.

Portside Side Show

Once the players convince Captain Ayden to let the Fairwind through to the city, the ship will be escorted for another 30 minutes before reaching the Mainspring Caldera. Read the following

Before you is a massive half bowl, seemingly carved into a massive coastal ridge. Along the slopes, you spy buildings made of brick. From many of the buildings, smokestacks sprout. You cannot discern any rhyme or reason for the layout of the city, as if buildings were toys laid out by a young child and then abandoned

Once the Fairwind is at the dock, the Nemesis will hover just off her port side like a vulture awaiting its prey. Captain Ayden will insist that the players and staff wait aboard while he fetches them a carriage.

While the players wait, the Fairwind will draw a strange crowd. Clockfolk who are designed to serve as the sort of people you expect to find at peirside gather at the Fairwind’s berth, gawk at the Fairwind for maybe half a minute before returning to what they were doing, only to start gawking again several minutes later. To make matters stranger, it’s the same crowd of people, over and over, standing in the same positions, as if they cannot decide whether to gawk or work. They never get closer than maybe 5 feet from the gangplank.

• Play up the uncanniness of the crowd; the players should be somewhat unsettled by the clockfolk’s nature and should be wondering what’s going on.
• The crowd will disperse if the players try to interact with the crowd. The onlookers know that messing with Lord Commander Ayden Harvey would bring only trouble.
• Be sure to call attention to the following members of the crowd; they may prove useful to the players later.
  • An older-looking clockfolk with one eye, a pipe, and a Popeye-like chin in an old blue mariner’s jacket. Something about him shouts harbormaster.
  • A group of boys, 10-13, in flat caps, brown tunics, and trousers. They look like the sort of kids who would skip school and cause trouble for fun or profit.
  • A shifty-looking fellow in dark clothes and a bandana around his neck that screams thief. He is the one persistent gawker who does not leave when the rest scatter.

After about 20 minutes, Captain Ayden returns with a carriage pulled by 4 mechanical horses to personally escort the players to the golden palace. If the players reject, he insists so firmly that it’s the least that he can do for inconveniencing him so much, definitely not an excuse to try and impress the object of affection(wink, wink)

A Tour Through the  Uncanny Valley

Read the following as the carriage rumbles off.

The carriage ride is unexpectedly smooth as you exit the docks into the city proper. Your unexpected escort, Ayden, is in high spirits as he lists off Charlotte’s virtues with the enthusiasm and wistfulness of a paramour describing the object of his affection.

The carriage ride takes about 20 minutes, and until then, they have Ayden as their incidental tour guide to the city. All the while, unless stopped by the players, Ayden waxes poetic about Queen Charlotte, making no effort to hide his affection for his queen.

Along the way, the players will notice odd things about the city.

• There is no rhyme or reason to the city layout; factories are next to homes and places of worship, warehouses are blocks away from factories, and the waterfront.
• The city looks worn: peeling paint and decaying brickwork everywhere, and most of the clockfolk look worse for wear, with their clothes chipped and flaking.
• The Clockfolk on the streets are making very poor imitations of human behaviour.
  • A man stands sweeping the same continuously as they ride on by
  • Homemakers exchange money with street vendors selling what appears to be fruit and vegetables, but they buy nothing.
  • Two clockfolk stand arguing loudly, but repeat the same three lines in the same order as the carriage passes.
  • A clockfolk mother repeatedly scolds a child who never reacts, never blinks, and never changes posture.
  • A man tips his hat to every passerby, even when no one is there.
• There is a massive statue of a fat sidhe with blushing cheeks, a thick chin, a receding hairline, a bulbous nose, and beady eyes in regal attire.
  • If asked about the statue, Ayden will confirm that it is a statue of their bastard former king Aedan.
    • If asked why they do not tear it down, he will simply answer, “We cannot,” as that is a legitimate answer to the question in and of itself.
• Ayden will try to avoid answering questions about why the clockfolk act so strangely, brushing them off, changing the subject, or ignoring them.

After being driven through the city, read the following.

On a high seaside ledge overlooking the city and harbor stands the palace. The golden palace is overwhelming to behold. It is a massive 3-story building, and every inch of it is covered in gold and embellished with the sort of decorations found on the most expensive cuckoo clocks, music boxes, and bird cages. It is the sort of building that you cannot believe someone actually lives in. A high iron fence surrounds the compound. You can make soldiers in red jackets and silver helmets patrolling the metal gardens on mechanical horses.

Tea in Charlotte’s Birdcage

Once the carriage stops in front of the golden palace, Captain Ayden will insist on accompanying the players, leading them to where her majesty is waiting. From that moment on, until they come face to face with Charlotte, he is preoccupied with ensuring he looks presentable and will not speak unless spoken to

• As he leads the players through the palace, he will pass several servants and three pairs of dragoons standing guard. The servants and the soldiers refer to him as Lord Harvey.
  • If the players ask about his title, he admits that his proper title is Lord Ayden Harvey, captain and commander of Her Majesty’s Navy.
  • As they pass by the soldiers, their “Lord Harvey” seems a little forced, as if they are not pleased to see him.

Eventually, Ayden will lead the party, practically blushing from nervousness, to a small state room. Servants will open the door for them, revealing the queen. Read the following

There is a table set for tea, and behind it is a young woman about 19 years old. She is as pretty as the dancer atop a music box with golden curls and a white dress. She is smiling primly with a slight hint of sadness.

Behind her stands a man dressed in the same uniform as the palace guards, but much fancier, with golden shoulder pads, trim, and a plume on his helmet. He scowls, but it is unclear if he scowls at you or Captain Ayden, who is caught between being over the moon and scowling at the bodyguard.

Captain Aydan will bow to his sovereign and announce the arrival of the players, at which Charlotte will thank him, which will cause Aydan to stammer out an overly complicated ” you’re welcome, much to the chagrin of the bodyguard, before leaving. Charlotte will then invite the players to tea and refreshments after the servants have taken their coats. She introduces her bodyguard, Lord Benjamin Woods, captain of the royal silver dragoons and her sworn protector, before engaging the players in light conversation.

• Everything that Charlotte does, she does with a melancholy meekness, as if she were a wild bird whose wings had been clipped and forced to live in a cage.
• Charlotte is desperate to know about the world beyond her gilded cage, and spends most of the conversation asking the player increasingly specific questions about their adventures and homelands.
• If the players ask, she can relate to them a cut-down version of her backstory.
• She was born in London, the daughter of an importer of middling wealth who provided her with a comfortable childhood.
• Her father was wealthy enough to buy a commission when the Crimean War broke out. He served as a captain in the Light Brigade. That was before she was born.
• Her mother traded her for her father’s safe return from the war before she was even born.
• She always knew that she was different from an early age, as if she had only one foot in the world.

• If the players try to get her to commit to the Grand Undertaking or any political matter, she will reply, “I cannot, for without my husband, I have no power to accept.”
• If they try to bring up the strange behaviour they saw in town, she evades and changes the conversation.
• Lord Woods is also in love with Charlotte, although, unlike Ayden, he keeps a little bit better hidden and, more importantly, he is not programmed to love her.
  • Of course, his program prevents him from confessing his love.
  • He considered the fool Ayden as his primary rival for Charlotte’s heart.

Once it becomes clear that the players cannot proceed with their mission, Charlotte humbly apologizes for not agreeing to their terms. She bids them good day, invites them for tea tomorrow, and tells them they shall have an escort to their ship. Lord Benjamin will look at this turn of events with consternation directed at the players.

After the players leave the palace, likely while riding back to the Fairwind, inform them that one of them feels something in their coat pocket. If they investigate, they find a note written on a napkin in flowing ornate script. It reads thus

I do apologize for the way I had to express my sentiments. There was no other way to make them known. I am bound by puppet strings that cannot be seen or felt, but enslave me to my late husband’s will nonetheless. If you so desire to make a friend of Mainspring fulfill this one impossible request, kidnap me and bring me to the fairy godmother; there is no other way.

Straight Answers

Read this aloud once the players return to the Fairwind.

The ship is as you left it, except the crowd has dispersed, the novelty seemingly worn off. All that remains of the crowd is the shifty man in the dark clothes, leaning against a wall, flipping a coin, and the group of boys. However, on the ship, something has changed; the man you pegged for the harbor master is sitting on the deck, conversing easily with Captain Amaya and “smoking” a pipe.

Captain Amaya will introduce the clockfolk he is talking to as Gregor Thompson, the harbormaster. He is an amiable, easygoing sort who speaks with a slight Scottish accent. He is also the first clockfolk who will give them straight answers about the strange behaviour of the clockfolk and the city.

• If they ask about the strange repeating patterns in the citizenry behaviour: Aye, so ye noticed. Me kind are not like you in that we do not have free will; we each have a role to play in society and are compelled to act in certain ways by the gears in our chests.
• If they ask about why the nobles seem tight-lipped about it, there seems to be an agreement among the nobs to ignore their lack of free will simply because it makes it easier for them to pretend to rule over us.
• If they ask about the man in the dark clothes lurking across the pier: That’s Lenny Byrne, he’s a member of the Bad Penny Gang and a professional housebreaker, that’s his role in society. He is probably casing your ship for a robbery.
• If they ask about the boys making trouble nearby, Tom, Dick, and Harry are rascals. They do nothing but make trouble, and their folks are flat broke to boot. I bet they’d do anything for a few pennies.
• If they tell Gregory about the note, I ain’t surprised by that. Our poor queen is stuck in that gilded monstrosity of a music box on the bay, just as stuck as we all are. What we would give for true free will. (Conspiratorially) So you’re going to do it? I can help any way I can.
• Gregory knows everything about the harbor and a good deal about the ships that sail it. He can only speculate on the capacities of the Royal Navy ships, but he can inform them of the following.
  • The Navy has 6 ironclad steam frigates; each is as fast as an arrow and armed with 24 guns.

Chapter 2: Gruntwork

From here on, there is no premade plan, no series of scenes to guide the players. They have a puzzle to solve: breaking Charlotte out of her private prison and escaping to Slanach, and a box full of potential puzzle pieces: the city of Mainspring, their gear, and their character features. Creative thinking and problem-solving are to be rewarded here.

Deadlines

The players do not have infinite time. Captain Amaya calculates that they could stay for 7 days if they were forced to make a mad dash to Slanch town when they leave; even then, they would be on starvation rations by the time they get to Slanach. The Fairwind could leave them here and go back north to resupply at one of the nearby enclaves, but it would be a week-long trip, and the players would be stuck in the city.

More concerning are Lord Woods and Harvey. They are powerful men with very jealous hearts. They can barely tolerate each other, let alone the players. The longer they stay in Mainspring, the more suspicious they will become, especially Benjamin, who will be sitting in on every meeting they have with Charlotte and listening to each refusal she makes. Gregor Thompson will give the two lords a week at most before either of them does something bad to the players, which he has no clue about.

The Obvious Solution

The players will likely conclude early on that the best solution is for Fionnuala to come to Mainspring herself and speak with Charlotte. If you have run the earlier adventures in the adventure path, they will have a Mirror of Communion and knowledge that Fionnuala carries one too on her person at all times. However, things are not quite so simple. Fionnuala sent the players to Mainspring because she was about to travel to Faerie to try to guilt her little sisters into helping her deal with their father once and for all.

When the players call, they find her in the middle of the eternal ball held at Titania’s palace of Bailenagréine. Through the glass, they can make out the other attendees and hear the ballroom music in the background.

The interruption nonpluses Fionnuala and sweetly asks how the conference went.

As the players explain the situation, her mood darkens, and her mask slowly slips, revealing a side of her she usually keeps hidden at all costs. Once the players have finished their explanations, read the following.

Fionnuala seems to be on the verge of throwing a tantrum. “Oh, poopy poo,” she says, stamping her foot so loudly you can hear it through the glass. “To think just before I left on a diplomatic visit to the courts of my stupid, selfish, and thoughtless baby sisters, I would send my prized underlings in blind on an impossible mission,” she ranted, “I should have known that something was not right about the city.” Seemingly composing herself a little, she says testily, “Well, your orders still stand; you are to bring Mainspring into the undertaking by any means possible, bring the girl to Slanach, and I will make all due haste back home.

Before Fionnuala has a chance to hang up, an impossibly pretty 18-year-old girl with golden hair snatches the mirror, demanding to know who her little sister is talking to. There is a struggle before the connection cuts off. Unbeknownst to the players, their conversation drew Titania’s attention, which in turn sparked a spat between the sisters and led to the breaking of Fionnuala’s mirror. Except for the sending spell, Fionnuala will now be out of reach.

The Obstacles

Of course, what would any heist story be without seemingly impossible odds, and the odds facing the players are pretty steep. Be sure to let the players know what challenge they face through environmental context, NPC interaction, and any other way you can think of.

The Lord Benjamin Woods and Her Majesty’s Silver Dragoons

The Silver Dragoons are the best soldiers in Mainspring, and they should scare the players. Each is a peerless mounted warrior, armed with a carbine, pistols, and a saber. It would only take a few to overwhelm the players completely, and there are over a hundred of them guarding the Golden Palace. The commoners of Mainspring speak of them with awe; any boy they meet dreams of one day joining their illustrious ranks.

Her Majesty’s Navy

Her Majesty’s Navy is small, with only 8 ships, but 6 of those 8 ships are ironclad paddle frigates just like HMS Nemesis, and the remaining two ships are big colliers. Worse, the paddle frigates have a slight edge in speed over the Fairwind, assuming the crew of the Fairwind does everything in their power to make their ship faster. Otherwise, it is no contest; Fairwind would be overtaken and blown to bits by cannon fire. The mere presence of the HMS Nemesis makes the Fairwind crew nervous, and they will make their discomfort known to the players.

The Mainspring Police Department

The MPD is a carbon copy of London’s Metropolitan Police Department circa 1860. That is a problem in itself, given the Metropolitan Police Department’s reputation for extreme professionalism, competence, and near-omnipresence in London during its early years. However, what should really trouble the players is the presence of a dozen hypercompetent detectives within the force, clearly inspired by Sherlock Holmes. Assume that any crime more severe than purse snatching will draw the attention of such a detective and demonstrate their deductive skills to the players early.

The Advantages

It is not all bad news and impossible odds; the players have two significant advantages.

Queen Charlotte

Queen Charlotte will invite the players to tea at 3 pm sharp every day while they are in the city. At every such teatime, she will try to pass along as much useful information as she can to the players using the same napkin trick. She is fairly bright and quicker on the uptake than Lord Wood, so the players can, through subtext and implication, suggest info that they might find useful for her to pass along.

Also, the players will have limited access to the palace and grounds during the hour of teatime, just enough to explore the rooms adjoining where teatime is being held. Charlotte will try to hold teatime in different rooms to facilitate this.

The Palace Staff

The palace staff loves their queen. She treats them much better than Aedan ever did, and it tears their gears out seeing her stuck in the palace. Moreover, they have a little bit more free will than the average clockfolk, to facilitate some of Aedan’s more unusual requests. So long as the Silver Dragoons are not around, they will freely converse with the player character, answering all their questions to the best of their abilities. They are also willing to perform small tasks for the players, such as misdirections, deliveries, and distractions, so long as they do not entail a significant risk of bodily harm.

Potential Opportunities

The city and its environs have plenty of potential tools that the players could possibly use to their advantage, assuming they can discover them. Note that none of these opportunities are mandatory for the player’s success. Players do not need to use any specific opportunity. Success comes from combining any two or three of them creatively.

The Love Triangle

Benjamin Woods and Ayden Harvey both love Charlotte, both know the other loves Charlotte, and hate each other because of it. It is only the programming enforced upon them by Aedan that keeps them from acting on their emotions. However, the players and Charlotte can use this to their advantage in a few ways.

• They can use the love triangle as a distraction; lavishing attention on either will focus the other’s ire. Likewise, the distraction of being Charlotte’s current beau will hamper the work of either man.
• They could also force the rivalry to boil over to open hostility, at which point either of the two paramours will demand satisfaction and a duel. The duel will take place at the official dueling grounds outside the city, attended by most of the city as spectators, and most of the navy and the dragoons will serve as witnesses and honor guard for the two participants. However, Charlotte herself will not be in attendance, as her clockwork will not allow her to leave the palace.

The Bad Penny Gang

The Bad Penny Gang (Aedan was never good at names) is a purpose-built criminal gang of housebreakers, smugglers, and other miscreants and malcontents. They’re not very good at crime, since they were also designed to be easily caught by the police, but they are relatively competent. If the party contains a rogue or a character with a criminal background, he can weasel his way into the trust of Lenny Byrne, who can make introductions.

• The Bad Penny Gang can be a distraction for the police; they would be more than willing to go on a crime spree in exchange for some gold coins.
• The players can hire members of the Bad Penny Gang to help with the heist or its preparations.
• Among the ranks of the Bad Penny Gang is a competent forger who just so happens to own a printing press. He can make all sorts of highly authentic false documents for the players.
• Players can also buy equipment from the Bad Penny Gang to aid the heist.

Tom, Dick, and Harry

The three delinquent boys who hang around the harbor may not be useful of themselves for a heist, but having a pack of young miscreants can prove incredibly useful for preparing for one. For example:

• They know a lot of the rumors about everybody in town, having spent their days getting into trouble with everybody.
• They know all the local troublemakers, young and old alike, for a few pennies, they can recruit other boys or point out Members of the Bad Penny gang.
• For a few pennies, they can serve as a willing distraction for the police, the Navy’s marines, or the Silver Dragoons.
• The three boys are remarkably agile for clockwork people and easily get up to the roofs of most buildings, assuming there is mischief to be made.

Gregor Thompson

Harbormaster Gregor Thompson is likely already in on the plot and a useful font of information about the docks. He has heard countless rumors about the other folks in Mainspring and knows everything about what’s going on on the waterfront. The following bits of information may be useful to the players.

• Good Ship Diamond is overdue on a trip up to New Mountainheart for coal and charcoal for her majesty’s navy and should have arrived the day before the players arrived. When she does arrive, security at the naval base will be much more lax than usual.
• He knows which ships of the navy are on patrol and which are in harbor.
• He has also heard rumors that black-hulled ships are skulking about just beyond the city waters.

AK Holmes and Sons chemicals

Mainspring is a city built upon mines and foundries, and as such, there is a colossal demand for explosives. AK Holmes and Sons Chemicals is a factory located in the heart of the city that, among other things, produces nitroglycerin and black powder in industrial quantities for the mines and military. Security at AK Holmes and Sons is relatively light, with only 6 watchmen to guard the entire facility, and they’re mostly there for show. Aedan’s programming ensured that no clockfolk would steal explosives under any circumstances. If the players raid the factory, they can acquire 50 sticks of dynamite worth of liquid nitroglycerin and up to three barrels of powder. However, such a brazen robbery would almost certainly be linked to the player characters by the Police almost immediately unless the players are smart.

The Good Ship Diamond

The large sailing barque Diamond is one of a few bulk freighters that make the trip upto Sliberberg, trading metal and machine parts for coal and charcoal for Her Majesty’s Navy. The Diamond arrives in Mainspring on the morning of the third day at a berth almost right next to the Fairwinds and, under normal circumstances, starts unloading almost immediately. The confusion caused by longshoremen unloading the coal would make it trivially easy for the players to sneak into the navy docks or mess with the coal itself. The ship will then immediately depart on its return voyage.

The Fairwind’s Cargo

The Fairwind’s hold is packed with gifts for Charlotte, created by the finest craftsmen in New Mountainheart and the Royaume des Rêves. The goods in the hold are worth roughly 3000gp and could be traded for local currency if the players can find a buyer.

The Geothermal Plant

Every single bit of machinery in the city is powered by geothermal steam from a single massive geothermal power plant in the middle of the city, right across the plaza from the giant statue of Aedan. This naturally includes the machines that wind all the clockfolk. Steam from this geothermal plant is distributed throughout the city via a series of large pipes in man-sized service tunnels that run throughout the city, including the Golden Palace. Certainly, a disaster there would require an all-hands response from the police, the army, and the navy to fix the plant. Better yet, it’s unguarded, for what Clockfolk would be crazy enough to destroy the source of their life.

Hobarhed the Terrific’s Traveling Bazaar

Late in the morning of the fourth day, a caravan arrives at the city and sets up camp at the edge of the Caldera. The djinni merchant leads the caravan, Hobarhed the Terrific. He always wanders around the city but never sells anything, and he always hopes someone will buy something eventually.

• Hobarhed the Terrific has several magic items for sale in his bazaar, including.
  • 1d4 items from the arcana common table
  • 1d4 items from the Arcana Uncommon table
  • 1d4 items from the implements uncommon table
  • 1d4 items from the relics uncommon table
  • A ratty carpet of flying priced at 20000 gp
  • All tables and item prices are from the 2025 Dungeon Masters Guide.
  • Charlotte will be very interested in whatever items are available at the bazaar, especially the carpet of flying; she might even be able to provide the players with money to purchase them on her behalf.
• For a fee of 500 gp, Hobarhed the Terrific can cast one of the spells from the dijini spell list
• For a fee of 700 gp, Hobarhed the Terrific can smuggle Charlotte out of the city disguised as a arabian dancing girl to one of the nearby coastal enclaves for the Fairwind to pick up.
• He is also a willing buyer of anything the players might have acquired, legally or illegally, during their adventure.

An Interloper

On the morning of the third day after the players arrive in Mainspring, the Royal Navy will sortie to intercept a fast-moving vessel entering the outer harbor. The ship—a black-sailed brigantine called the Thresher, flying the colors of Na Madraí Dubha, a company of notorious mercenaries-pirates operating out of Manyrevel —turns away the moment the navy commits to pursuit and retreats to international waters.

Over the next few days, until the players leave the city, the Thresher will hover just outside Mainspringian waters. It will not reenter Mainspringain waters, will not engage with the navy, and will always slip away from the Paddle Frigates before they even change course to intercept.

A quick Rundown of various parts of the city

In this adventure, the city is more a backdrop for the players’ antics as they try to pull off a heist than a living, breathing place. With time, a precious resource, they are going to spend most of their time going between the Fariwind and the Golden Palace. Still, it is useful to have some details about what they can find in various parts of the city if the players ask. Here is the rundown on the various districts of the city

The docks

• Ships, including the Fairwind
• Longshoremen
• Usually empty Warehouses
• Dismal Tenements
• The working class and the poor
• Quiet desperation

The Naval Base

• Drydocks
• Barracks
• Naval storehouses filled with powder, shot, and repair parts
• Sailors and Marines
• Casual suspicion and piercing glances

Aedan’s Square

• The giant, ugly statue of Aedan
• A small neogothic Cathedral, packed on Sundays
• The mess of pipes that is the geothermal plant
• Merchants sell any mundane thing the players can imagine, so long as it’s made of metal.
• Shopping housewives
• Policemen
• Humdrum existence

The Mine District

• Mine entrances
• Founderies
• AK Holmes and Sons chemicals
• Housing of all kinds
• The city university
• Miners and factory workers
• Soot everywhere
• Hustle and bustle

The Strand

• Mansions
• The Golden Palace
• The upper crust of society
• Breathtaking views of the harbor
• Gardens that terminated in long climbs up or down
• Casual snobbishness and superiority complexes

Everywhere else

• Row Houses
• Small shops
• Ordinary people
• A general sense of normality with slight uncanniness

Encounter table

As the players wander the city, use the following table to add a little spice and highlight the absurdity of the whole city.

d8	Encounter
1	A policeman chases a member of the Bad Penny gang around the block multiple times until the chase suddenly stops, with the constable seemingly losing the perp. The crook is “tiptoeing” away mere feet away, in full view, while the constable stares straight past him as if he no longer exists.
2	The bell rings 13 times at the city cathedral. Dozens of clockfolk stream into Aedan’s Square, where they stand silent and stock still for 15 minutes until they disperse.
3	A group of children is playing catch with a ball, their movements perfectly coordinated—they never miss, never fumble, and never laugh.
4	A man keeps falling off his clockwork horses and then getting back on while the horse obliviously keeps moving at a steady walking pace. The man never reacts to the fall with surprise or pain; he simply stands, dusts himself off, and resumes climbing on as if nothing happened.
5	The whistle blows at the factories. The workers stream out of the shops and march down the street in a perfectly synchronized single-file line back to their homes.
6	A street performer has drawn a crowd to his badly performed act. Nobody in the crowd seems amused by the performance, but they clap anyway in perfect synchronicity.
7	A clockfolk man in a straitjacket rushes the players, babbles about some sort of conspiracy theory involving Aedan the toymaker and aliens, before running off. A group of orderlies runs up, complaining mildly that it must be 3:30 again, and Mr Cuckoo always does this at this time.
8	A clockwork tree near the players is on the fritz, and a workman is trying to repair it.

Rumor table

Rumors can be picked up from dockworkers, palace staff, street vendors, Bad Penny Gang members, taverns, or the boys (Tom, Dick, and Harry). Clockfolk repeat rumors with eerie consistency.

d20	Rumor
1	“They say the Queen takes tea every day at the same hour, no matter what’s happening in the city. Fire, riot, flood—tea comes first.”
2	“The palace servants know more than they let on. Not like us, mind—you can talk to them proper, if the soldiers ain’t about.”
3	“There’s a big factory right by the statue that makes blasting stuff for the mines. Hardly anyone watches it—no one ever steals from it.”
4	“If the steam ever stopped, the whole city would freeze like a wound-up toy.”
5	“Them Silver Dragoons are unbeatable—unless they’re all busy showing off at the same time.”
6	“Two big lords fancy the Queen. Everyone knows it. No one says it. That’s how you know it’s true.”
7	“There’s a gang what does crimes because they’re meant to. Bad at it, though. Police always catch ’em—eventually.”
8	“A foreign trader comes every so often with carpets, lamps, and impossible promises. Never sells a thing. Still comes back.”
9	“The navy ships are faster than anything afloat. Don’t matter how clever you are—once they’re moving, you won’t outrun ’em.”
10	“The boys down by the docks know everything. Trouble is, they don’t know which bits matter.”
11	“Coal shipments are a mess. Always short, always late, always someone else’s fault.”
12	“There’s a big ship that comes in from the north every few days. When she unloads, no one notices anything else.”
13	“The Queen was never meant to rule alone. That’s why she can’t decide things—not really.”
14	“Some folk say the guards hate Lord Harvey. Smile to his face, spit when he’s gone.”
15	“You can buy papers that say anything if you know the right fellow. Stamps, seals, the lot.”
16	“The big statue? Don’t look at it too long. Gives some folk ideas they can’t act on.”
17	“There are steam tunnels all over town; we use them to run the machines that turn our keys.”
18	“If something goes wrong badly enough, everyone shows up to fix it. Police, soldiers, sailors—everyone.”
19	“The Queen wants out. Anyone who says otherwise is lying, or afraid.”
20	“Free will’s a funny thing. Some say you can borrow it if the city’s distracted.”

Chapter 3: Housebreaking

It is important to point out that the Golden Palace and its grounds are not a traditional adventure site. There are no traps, there are no tricks. There are barely any enemies aside from the terminator-like Silver Dragoons. The point of the dungeon is not to explore or get loot; it is to grab Charlotte and make a run for it.

From the perspective of a raid/heist location, it stands out because players have ample opportunity to explore the entirety of the grounds before the actual heist. Charlotte will take any opportunity to get the players on the palace grounds, from teatime to dinner to tours. Also, most of the NPCs, including their target, are willing to help with the plan.

As such, the rooms and points of interest in this section of the text are intentionally light on details, with just enough to describe what the players experience while they sneak (or flee) through them.

Servants

Servants are omnipresent throughout the grounds and palace, and their hearts ache for their beloved queen, who treats them like real people, not toys. They cannot do anything to help her directly, but word has spread quickly after Charlotte had one of the maids stick the initial message into one of the players’ jackets. They will help the players any way they can, so long as they do not ask when one of the Silver Dragoons is present.

SIlver Dragoons

The Silver Dragoons are the ultimate killjoys. They would love to help Charlotte, but their programming prevents them from doing so and forces them to actively stop the players from helping. If one of the dragoons encounters the players on the grounds during an official visit, such as teatime, they will politely ask them not to wander about the grounds and escort them back to her Majesty. If they spot the players at any other time, they will raise a hue and cry before attacking. If they hear any loud noises, such as gunfire, they investigate. Refer to the adversary roster in Appendix B for the behaviour of the various groups of dragoons.

Lord Benjamin Woods, the Lord Protector

Lord Woods is a wildcard. He wants to help Charlotte fulfill her wish for her people’s freedom more than anything in the world, but he is also hardwired to keep her within the confines of the Golden Palace’s grounds. Worse, he wants the glory of being the one to free the clockfolk and the affection of his queen that would come with such a deed.

From the moment the players first meet him, Lord Woods considers them rivals for his lady’s attention and resents their presence. There is a very small chance that Lord Woods will help if Charlotte explains the situation to him and orders him to do so, but the players should not count on it, especially if he sees one of them as a romantic rival. But his default response to the players’ misbehaving is to attack them on sight and order his dragoons to him.

Charlotte

The other wildcard is Charlotte herself. Even though she is powerless to run her own country or leave the palace grounds, she still has a surprising amount of authority on the grounds of the Golden Palace and complete freedom to go where she wills, except the third floor of the palace. The servants obey Charlotte’s wishes, and the Silver Dragoons obey her commands as delivered via Lord Woods. If the players can communicate their plan to her, she will do her best to facilitate it, misdirecting the Silver Dragoons, positioning herself to be easier to “abduct”, and spilling details about the Silver Dragoons’ operations.

The Palace Grounds

The following are points of interest on the palace grounds. Assume distances between any two points of interest can be covered in less than ten minutes of walking.

1. The gates
   1. Tall iron fence, imposing gates with lots of fancy ironwork, and stone gatehouses
   2. 4 silver dragoons are stationed here at all times, day or night.
      1. The dragoons will stop and challenge anybody who comes near the fence, regardless of who they are.
2. The Golden Palace:
   1. Two L-shaped wings, covered with golden plates, and excessive fretwork. Looks like a mad mashup of a dollhouse, cuckoo clock, and an ornate birdcage
   2. See the next section on the Golden Palace.
3. The Grand lawn
   1. A football-sized expanse of grass, well trimmed.
   2. Hard to cross unseen.
4. The Carriage House
   1. Utilitarian building of brick with golden roof tiles
   2. A handful of well-made carriages, clockwork horses, and a small forge inside
   3. Access to the city’s steam distribution tunnels in the basement
   4. 1d12 servants here at all times, tending to the horses and the carriages.
5. The guest house
   1. Smaller-scale version of the Golden Palace
   2. Well-furnished suites, never used, covered in dust
   3. Nobody here
6. The cliff walk
   1. Stunning view of the harbor, fanciful topiaries, a low stone wall, and a 5-story drop to the sea below.
   2. Two mounted dragoons patrol regularly
7. The Pond;
   1. Small pond surrounded by seasonal plantings and a stone path
      1. The pond is just over 6 feet deep in the middle.
8. The gardens
   1. Maze of real and fake plants tastlessly arranged, hedges, and stone paths
   2. 1d8 servants are tending the garden during the day.
   3. There are 1d6 dragoons here at all times.
   4. The garden has plenty of places to hide.
9. The barracks
   1. An imposing grey stone building, hidden in a copse of trees
   2. Spartan interior, bunk rooms, common rooms, stables
   3. 40 Silver Dragoons are off duty within the building

The Golden Palace

The Golden Palace is as much an exercise in bad taste on the inside as it is on the outside. The halls are plated in gold; each room is laden with gaudy embellishments to excess, all carefully arranged by Aedan to project what he thinks is an aura of majesty. With him dead, it is simply a tasteless, comfortable cage.

The following room descriptions, like the grounds descriptions, are designed for brevity and ease of use at the table.

Running the Golden Palace

• Each floor is 12 feet tall from floor to ceiling.
• Unless otherwise specified, the rooms are well-lit with oil lamps and candles.
• Unless specified otherwise, the doors are unlocked and made of oak.
• Unless specified otherwise, the windows are unlocked.
• Many of the rooms and halls are carpeted. Players have an advantage on stealth checks made in carpeted rooms.
• Many of the rooms on floors 1 and 2, and the lounge and workshops on floor 3, have some light soundproofing. While it is not enough to completely muffle screams or a gunshot, it can effectively limit the range of sounds. All Perception checks to listen through walls and doors are made with disadvantage for both players and silver dragoons.
• If a room key and dice roll specify that a specific named NPC is present in this room, do not roll for their location until at least 20 minutes of in-world time have passed.
• There are two hidden staircases behind false wall panels, as marked on the maps, that lead from the basement to the third floor. They are not locked. All the servants know where they are, and none of the dragoons know about the secret staircases.
• Be sure to remind the players that, despite how much she hates it, this is Charlotte’s home, and they are here to liberate her from it. While she will not mind small items going missing if they will help fund her escape, they should not be trying to stuff their pockets full of loot, especially not from her own chambers.

Room Keys

Floor 1 Map

A1 Foyer

Description: The room is covered with gaudy, ornamented gold paneling from floor to ceiling. There is a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Stairs lead upward to a second-floor balcony, two hallways lead off from under the stairs, and a pair of double doors in the far walls.

NPCs: 2 Silver Dragoons at all times. There is a 3-in-6 chance that 1d4 servants are here.

A2 First-floor hallway

Description: Walls covered in gold inlayed rare wood paneling covered in gold leaf. A deep maroon carpet covers the floor.

NPCs: 1 out of 6 chance that there is a dismounted Silver Dragoon on an errand, 4 in 6 chance that there is at least one servant here cleaning

A3 Ballroom

Description: Blue tile floor with gold inlays. Vibrantly painted wooden panels with precious metal inlays depict Aedan’s supposed victories—a small, slightly raised stage at the far end. Three small chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Double doors lead outside.

NPCS: Two silver dragoons stand guard on the other side of the door outside. 1 in 5 chance that 1d6 servants are sweeping and dusting

A4: Salon

Description: Walls covered in wallpaper, white with gold detail. Plush white carpet. Heavy overplushed mahogany furniture. Cabinets with a few curios. Soft lighting.

NPCS: 2 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

Treasure: Most of the curios are nothing special, mostly common zoological artifacts. However, there are a few pieces that can be easily pocketed and are worth 200 gp each. To find them, a DC 14 Nature check is required to scan the shelves.

A5 Theater

Description: Dark red painted walls. Rows of chairs facing a small, low stage with a curtain.

NPCS: 1 in 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

A6 Blue State room

Description: Blue walls with golden moulding.Plush blue carpet. Mahogany tables with matching chairs with plush cushions. Cabinets with cards and dice. 2 large paintings of Aedan in golden frames

NPCS 2 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

Treasure: Ironically, the frames are worth more than the paintings. Each frame is worth 300gp and weighs about 150 pounds.

A7 Green State Room

Description: Green carpet with gold patterns. Green wallpaper with golden patterns. Green leather armchairs and a mahogany salon table. Bookcase

NPCS 2 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

Bookcase. None of the books is real; they’re just leather spines with the titles of pretentious 19th-century novels (Crime and Punishment, War and Peace, etc.).

A8 Dining Salon

Description: Green Carpet. White wallpaper with golden mouldings. Mahogany dining set. Large cabinet with plates and flatware. A chandelier hangs over the dining table.

NPCS: At mealtimes, Charlotte can be found here with Lord Wood, 0-4 other gentry guests, and two silver dragoons. Otherwise, there is a 4-in-6 chance that 1d4 servants are setting the table.

Treasure: The items in the cabinet are worth 1000gp in total

A9 Sitting room

Description: Chocolate-colored carpet, white and chocolate wallpaper, gold moulding. Chocolate colored couches and recliners

NPCS 2 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

A10 Washroom

Description: White tile, golden bathroom fixtures, light covering of dust.

NPCS 1 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

A11 Red State Room

Description: Red-patterned rug, red wallpaper with gold moulding. Large meeting table made of imported wood with matching chairs.

NPCS 2 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

A12 Yellow State Room

Description: Gold tiled floor, gold plated walls, solid gold couches and tables.

NPCS 2 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

A13 Metal Aviary

This room is where Aedan demonstrated his latest mechanical birds to his guests.

Description: Brass and gold cages from floor to ceiling, tile floors, and metal birds of all descriptions

Birds: The birds are loud

Npcs: 1 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room and winding the birds

A14 Smoking Lounge

Aedan did not smoke, yet it was fashionable in Victorian England to have a smoking room, so he decided to make his smoking room a pun.

Description: Thick clouds of smoke, smoke-stained maroon wallpaper, dingy golden fittings, cabinets filled with vases and bottles, and lounge furniture.

Npcs: None

Treasure: There are also 6 bottles of very fine brandy in a cooler cabinet.

A15 Feasting Hall

Description: Gold from top to bottom, a long wooden table with matching chairs, and gold chandeliers.

Npcs: 1 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room.

A16 Clock Room

Description: Stark white walls, wooden floors. Dozens of clocks of all descriptions hang from the walls.

Npcs: 1 out of 6 chance that 1d4 servants are cleaning the room and winding the clocks

Treasure: Each clock is worth about 20 gp, but most are very bulky

Basement

B1 Kitchen

Description: Hot air, brick walls, tiled floors, countertops and cabinets, large brick ovens, lots of cooking utensils, pleasing scents, shouting, and a general sense of hustle

Npcs: There are 2d20 servants in this room at all times

B2 Pantry

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, cold temperatures, shelves filled with food, hanging flanks of meat, slightly dark

NPCs: 2 in 6 chance that a servant is fetching something for the kitchen

B3 Servants corridor

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting

NPCs: 3 in 6 chance of encountering a servant

B4 Laundry

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting, piles of dirty linens, tables with stacks of folded linens, tubs filled with soapy water

NPCs: During the day, there are 4 servants washing clothes in this room at all times

B5 Storeroom

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting, shelves of boxes, tins, and jars, sheets, and cleaning supplies

NPCs: 3 in 6 chance of encountering a servant fetching supplies

B6 Servants Dormitory

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting, bunk beds, small footlockers, winding machines against one wall.

NPCs: 1 in 10 chance of encountering anybody here during the day. At night, the entire palace staff can be found here.

Treasure: There is about 150gp worth of valuables among the servants’ possessions

B7 Junk room

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting, piles of broken furniture, and mechanical bits

Npcs: 1 in 12 chance of encountering anybody here.

Junk: Players can spend time digging through the midden for anything useful. Roll a d20 on a result of 15 or above, and they find a random piece of adventuring supplies or weapon from the Player’s Handbook. Otherwise, they find bits of furniture, clockfolk parts, and random bits of unidentifiable mechanisms.

B8: Coal Storage

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting, a mountain of coal

NPCS: None

B9: The boiler room

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dim lighting, oppressive heat, boilers, and sweat

NPCS: 8 servants are stationed here at all times to man the boilers

B10 Undercroft

Here is where the palace stores the bit of furniture Aedan grew tired of

Description: Brick walls, brick floor, dark, cloth-covered furniture of all descriptions

Access Point: There is an access point to the city’s steam tunnels behind a large wardrobe in the back wall.

NPCS: 1 in 20 chance that the players encounter anyone here.

Second floor

C1 Second Floor Hall

Description: Gold-plated walls, gold moulding, scarlet carpet on the floor

NPCS: 1 in 6 chance Charlotte is passing through, 2 in 6 chance that there is a servant on their way to some errand on the second floor, 1 in 12 chance of encountering a silver dragoon.

C2 Solarium

Description: Blue wallpaper with golden details, gold moulding, blue carpeted floor, big gold-framed paintings, big picture windows, and comfortable furniture

NPCS:  2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room. Three silver dragoons are outside on the balcony.

Treasure: the paintings are worth 600gp but require multiple people to carry out

C3 Music Room

Description: White wallpaper with golden details, gold moulding, carpeted floor, a grand piano, and various other musical instruments.

NPCS: 1 in 6 chance Charlotte is sitting at the piano, looking glum.  There is a 2-in-6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room.

C4 Sewing Room

Description: White wallpaper with golden details, gold moulding, white carpeted floor, cabinets, work tables, and half-completed projects

NPCS: 1 in 4 chance Charlotte is half-heartedly working on an embroidery project.  2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room or working on fixing the queen’s clothes

C5 Royal Bedchamber

Description: Red wallpaper with golden striping, gold moulding, red carpeted floor, canopy bed, much too large for Charlotte, with silk sheets, vanity

NPCS: During the day, there is a 1-in-12 chance that Charlotte is here in some state of undress. A 2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room

Treasure: The mainspring crown jewels are located in the vanity. They are worth 1200gp in total.

C6 The Royal Wardrobe

Description: Floor-to-ceiling mirrors, dressing dummies, wardrobes, racks of clothes, dresses in Charlotte size in every style  and color of the rainbow, ugly suits in +++ sizes

NPCS: 1 in 20 chance Charlotte is being dressed in the room.  There is a 2-in-6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room.

C7 The Royal Baths

Description: Gold fittings, white tile, white papered walls, a plus-sized bathtub

NPCS: 1 in 20 chance the room is occupied and being used for its intended purpose.  2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room

C8 Trophy Room

Description: Golden shelves lined with gold trophies, carpeted floor, big picture windows

NPCS: 2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room

Trophies: Most of the inscriptions on the trophies read along the lines of, “I am the best,” and “The only non idiot in the room.”

Treasure: The collection of trophies is worth 400gp for their metal value

C9 Library

Description: Floor-to-ceiling bookcases of mahogany, gold moulding, green carpeted floor, and comfortable chairs, with a stack of books by a chair looking out the window

NPCS: 1 in 6 chance Charlotte is half-heartedly reading a book.  2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room

Stack of Books: The stack contains Around the World in 80 Days and 20000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne, The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Misérables by Alexandre Dumas.

C10 Treasury

Door: The door to this chamber is locked; a DC 24 check with thieves’ tools is required to unlock it. Only Lord Woods and Charlotte have keys to this room.

Description: White walls, olive colored carpeting. Chests and strongboxes

NPCS: 1 out of 10 chance that Lord Wood is depositing items in this room

Treasure: There is between 20000 and 45000 gp in 1000-pound trade bars here

C11 Lord Wood’s chamber

Door: The door to this chamber is locked; a DC 15 check with thieves’ tools is required. Lord Wood has a key, and the servants have a single master key to this room.

Description: Red wallpaper, golden mouldings, blue carpet, two large windows, spartan furnishings, writing desk with a book, winding station

NPCS: Lord Wood “sleeps” in this chamber at night; he is rarely found here during the day. There is a 2-in-6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room during the day.

Book: Lord Wood’s journal. It’s a combination of reports on the day-to-day operation of the Silver Dragoons, wistful fantasies of Charlotte and him together as lovers, and frustrated ramblings about not being able to save Charlotte or even profess his love for her.

• Charlotte is completely unaware of the journal’s contents and would be mildly shocked to learn that her bodyguard loves her.
  • Charlotte could leverage this to get Lord Wood to assist.

C12 Drawing room

Description: Beige wallpaper, golden mouldings, scarlet carpet, cabinets of art supplies, easels, framed still lifes.

NPCS: 1 in 6 chance Charlotte is trying to whittle away the hours drawing a still life. There is a 2-in-6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room.

C13 Lavatory

Description: White tile, gold fittings.

NPCS: 2 in 6 chance that a servant is cleaning the room.

D1 Third-floor corridor

Description: Gold-plated walls, gold-tiled floor, dim lighting

NPCs: 1 in 10 chance that a servant is cleaning here.

Third floor

D2 Workshop

Door: The door to this chamber is locked with a lock that requires a dc 20 check with thieves’ tools to unlock. Charlotte and Lord Wood have keys to this room.

Description: Gold-plated walls, gold-tiled floor, workbenches, tool boxes, half-finished projects covered with oxidation, trash on the floor, lots of dust

Treasure: Everything in this room is tarnished to oblivion and is effectively worthless

D3 Finishing shop

Door: The door to this chamber from the hall is locked with a lock that requires a dc 20 check with thieves’ tools to unlock. The door from the workshop is unlocked. Charlotte and Lord Wood have keys to this room.

Description: Gold-plated walls, gold-tiled floor, workbenches, paint cans, inert half-painted clockwork creations, and toys. Lots of dust

Treasure: Everything in this room is tarnished to oblivion and is effectively worthless

D4 Model Room

Description: Gold-plated shelves, gold-tiled floor, models, and toys. Lots of dust

Models: Models of ships, structures, vehicles, and various mechanical toys. Multiple models look like clockfolk. In one glass case is a porcelain doll that is a perfect recreation of Charlotte.

Treasure: The models in this room are worth up to 1200gp to the right collector

D5 Record Room A

Door: The door to this chamber is locked with a lock that requires a dc 20 check with thieves’ tools to unlock. Charlotte and Lord Wood have keys to this room.

Description: Floor-to-ceiling file cabinets, gold-tiled floor. Lots of dust

Cabinets: the cabinets contain meticulous records of each Clockfolk’s life and mechanism in Aedan’s sloppy, sprawling handwriting, with bits of shorthand and abbreviations. Reading a single clockfolk’s record takes an hour and requires a DC 15 intelligence check to understand.

D6 Supply room

Description: Floor-to-ceiling file shelves of rusted parts, gold-tiled floor. Lots of dust

D7 Observation room

Door: The door to this chamber from the hall is locked with a lock that requires a dc 20 check with thieves’ tools to unlock. Charlotte and Lord Wood have keys to this room.

Description: Gold-plated walls, gold-tiled floor, massive scrying machine.

Scrying equipment: The scrying equipment can be used to observe the life of any clockfolk anywhere in the world. The equipment requires a DC 18 Arcana check to use

D8 Record Room B

Door: The door to this chamber is locked with a lock that requires a dc 20 check with thieves’ tools to unlock. Charlotte and Lord Wood have keys to this room.

Description: Floor-to-ceiling file cabinets, gold-tiled floor. Lots of dust

Cabinets: the cabinets contain meticulous financial and supply records in Aedan’s sloppy, sprawling handwriting

D9 Lounge

Description: Gold-plated walls, gold-tiled floor, tasteless, arranged golden lounge furniture, blueprints strewn about

NPCs: 1 in 10 chance that a servant is cleaning here.

E1 Roof and Observatory

Description: Gold-plated Mansard roof, golden roof railing, and a small observatory made of gold.

Observatory: The small observatory’s door is unlocked. The building is just big enough to comfortably fit 5 medium-sized creatures or one very fat man. The telescope is capable of 260X magnification. Curiously, the telescope is pointed at the city and not the stars.

NPCs: 5 silver dragoons stationed here at all times, keeping watch over the Grand Lawn and the gardens

Chapter 4: The Flight of the Fairwind

If the players have reached this point, they have successfully freed Charlotte from her cage and are now making their getaway. What happens next is largely a matter of improv and reaction, because the world stops waiting for the players to make their move and might actively chase them.

Uh, how badly did we screw up?

The scale and speed of the response to Queen Charlotte’s abduction will largely depend on how clean the grab and getaway were. For concrete examples, we can use the following scenarios to guide how various groups and NPCs react.

Clean Getaway

The players got in and out without alerting the Silver Dragoons, likely using the cover of night to mask their movements.

It will be hours before Lord Wood notices that Charlotte is gone. The moment he notices the Queen is gone, he will order his dragoons to search the entire city with the police’s help. He will assume the players are holed up somewhere in the city, trying to hold the queen for ransom. If the Fairwind is no longer in the harbor, Lord Wood will assume that its absence is some form of misdirect to distract him from searching the city, plus he does not want Ayden to have the glory of rescuing her majesty.

Once the authorities realize the ship is gone and Charlotte is no longer in the city, the navy will be mobilized to search the surrounding seas. It will be several days before they catch the scent.

Overall, a clean getaway can net the players a lead of 2 to 5 days if they are smart, and complacency is now the enemy.

The Close Shave

The players got in and out with the girl, but they left evidence of their passing in the form of spoor, dead dragoons, or a witness not in on the plot, or did not take adequate steps to ensure the dragoons would find out. It won’t take long for the Silver Dragoons to notice Charlotte’s gone, maybe an hour if the players are lucky.

Upon realizing that Charlotte is gone, Lord Woods will assemble his entire company, a process that will require up to 20 minutes to rouse, dress, arm, and mount the forty men who are off duty. The situation then proceeds as in the Clean Getaway scenario.

Overall, if the players are smart, a close shave getaway can net them a day’s lead.

The Hail Of Bullets

The players got the girl, but now they have to flee with the Dragoons close behind. Depending on the path they fled from the Golden Palace (by land, down the cliff, by air), the Dragoons respond in different ways.

• If they escape by land, the dragoons mount a pursuit on horseback. See Cut to the Chase for more details.
• If they escape down the cliffs, they open fire in mass with their carbines, trying to shoot the players while doing their best avoid hitting Charlotte.
• If they escape by air, they unleash withering volley fire in an attempt to force the flying entity to land.

In any event, the Dragoons send a rider to the Navy Base to request that the Navy blockade the harbor to prevent the Fairwinds’ departure if she is still in the harbor.

Unless the players have put plans in motion to disable or misdirect their pursuers, the best lead they can hope for is half an hour and a sudden cut to either a land or naval chase scene.

Everything hit the fan.

The players triggered an alarm before they got the girl. Now things are quickly going downhill. The players can expect mass response from the dragoons, police blockades, and the navy, ready to pounce.

If they somehow manage to get away, they will not have any lead time.

The Left Field

The players managed to get Charlotte out of the palace in such an unorthodox way that the writer of this post could not consider it. It will be up to you to determine what happens next.

The Holdup

Not necessarily a scenario in and of itself, it’s more of an add-on to other scenarios. Many of the opportunities around Mainspring can be used to stall or outright disable the various factions that could pursue them. Depending on how cleverly the players use the resources at their disposal, they could add hours or even days to their escape, at your discretion.

What About Charlotte?

Unless the players got away scot-free in the dead of night, Charlotte might be more of a hindrance than a boon as they make their way through the city. Charlotte has never been outside the Golden Palace, and unless the players literally take her by the hand, she is almost certain to get separated from the players and lost in the city. Worse, if things do go wrong, she will almost certainly panic and make things harder for the players by hanging onto one of them or fleeing in a random direction.

Once the escape transitions from overland to sea, Charlotte becomes mellow and withdrawn, rarely leaving her cabin, and when she does, she rarely speaks. In truth, she spends all her time praying that they can avoid the Royal Navy if the players can give the navy the slip.

Cut to the Chase (Scene)

If things go wrong enough for the players, they will likely have to make a quick getaway by horse or carriage with the dragoons in hot pursuit if things go badly enough.

Starting the chase

It should be assumed that if the players decide to escape overland during the Hail of Bullets and the Everything Hits the Fan scenarios, they automatically start a chase through the city with the police and the Silver Dragoon in pursuit. However, it only takes the wrong person recognizing Charlotte to raise a hue and cry, and any errant policemen, sailors, or other supposedly good Samaritans nearby to set off a chase. Keep this in mind if the players are unlucky enough to encounter members of the gentry, military, or the police.

Running the Case

Fortunately, most modern roleplay systems include rules for handling chases, and I recommend using the ones your system provides. However, there are a few things you must keep in mind in this case.

• The Dragoons are fast and well-armed: a chase involving the Dragoons is a pursuit by cavalrymen armed with carbines and revolvers, riding mechanical horses. If the players are on foot, they will be overtaken if they simply run.
• The opposition is smart and coordinated: players are not safe if they end the chase by losing line of sight. Police officers and Dragoons will immediately start a dragnet in the area and call in reinforcements by blowing whistles and bugles.
• Charlotte cannot run: Charlotte is very much a pampered princess and completely unfamiliar with things like running. If the players are on foot, one of them will have to carry her to safety, which might, at your discretion, cause disadvantage on certain checks.

This chase should end when the players either break pursuit, reach the Fairwind, or are forced into a confrontation that fundamentally changes the escape. Once the players are no longer being actively pursued through the streets, move to the next phase of the flight.

Chase Complications

Anyone who has seen a chase sequence in a movie knows that it’s the complications and how the characters deal with them that make a chase sequence fun.

​

D12	Complication
1	A wagon or other large obstacle blocks the player’s way. If the players are on foot, they must make a DC 10 Dexterity check to get around it; otherwise, the obstacle is treated as 10 feet of difficult terrain. If they are in a land vehicle, they must make a DC 14 check to navigate around it safely, or the vehicle takes d4 damage
2	There is a crowded street ahead. The players need to make a DC 10 Dexterity, Charisma, or Strength saving throw (their choice) to navigate through the crowd. Or else the crowd serves as 20 feet of difficult terrain. If the players are in a land vehicle, they must make a DC 10 Charisma check to order the crowd out of the way. On success, the crowd moves out of the way; on failure, the crowd stays put, and your speed is halved as the horses refuse to run down civilians
3	Somehow, a group allied with your persuers has gotten in front of the players. If the players are on foot, they must make a DC 10 Dexterity or Strength saving throw to force their way through the group. On failure, they receive 1d8 piercing damage. If the players are in a land vehicle, they need to make a DC 13 check with land vehicles to make a quick course change, or one or more pursuers jump aboard
4	Curses, there is a roadblock or a dead end ahead. The players need to find another route quickly. The players must make a DC 14 perception check to find a new route. On Failure they collide with the roadblock for 1d6 damage.
5	Off in the distance, bells ring, bugles sound, and whistles blow. More pursuers are coming. In 1d4 rounds, additional forces join the chase
6	You do know how it happened, but Charlotte slipped from your grip or fell off the carriage or horse. You will have to go back and collect her before continuing.
7-12	No complication

Flight on the High Seas

The stakes do not end when the players return to the Fairwind and set sail. There are at least 8 days of travel between Mainspring and Slanach town, and once the Mainspringians realize that Charlotte’s no longer in the city, the Royal Navy will sortie in either search or pursuit if the players leave the city under a hail of bullets. The paddle frigates of the Royal Navy are fast, a whole knot faster than the Fairwind, well-armed, and sport 12 cannons apiece. Still, they can only steam at full power for 2 days before they need to stop for a lengthy refueling process that can take hours, which is the player’s biggest advantage in a chase on the high seas.

When the Navy Sorties

Whether the Royal Navy sorties at all—and how quickly—depends on how the escape unfolded:

Clean Getaway: The Navy is not immediately mobilized, if at all. Depending on how well the search of Mainspring went, Lord Wood gives the order to the navy to mobilize a day or two after the players leave the city, and all available ships spread out in a broad and thorough search pattern, hoping to find the Fairwind trail. The likelihood of interception is negligible.

Close Shave: The navy will sortie before the day is through. As in the previous scenario, the navy adopts a broad search pattern, but this time focused on the north, increasing the chance of intercepting the fairwind.

Hail of Bullets / Everything Hits the Fan: The navy sorties as soon as possible. There are 1d4 frigates in the harbor, including the Nemesis and the coiler Endurance, and they depart as soon as the frigates can build steam in their boilers. Fortunately for the players, this will take 1d8*10 minutes to cold-start the engines. Once out of the harbor, the frigates will fan out in the general direction of the Fairwind’s last known heading in hopes of overtaking the ship with their speed. There is a relatively high chance of intercept.

Cat and Mouse

The Fairwind cannot hope to stand against a single Mainspringian Paddle Frigate in a straight fight. The Fairwind is built of wood and is armed only with a ram and catapults. The player’s goal should be to avoid the Royal Navy at all costs, or failing that, escape. The stakes are high, the tension is high, and nothing separates the players from their pursuers but the vast open sea.

The Pursuit Clock and the Escape Clock

To reflect the tension of a real manhunt or naval search, we use two progress clocks, à la Blades in the Dark.

The first is the 6-segment Pursuit clock, which represents how close the navy is to an intercept, based on the clues the players have left in their wake. At 0, the navy is searching blindly; at 2 to 3, they have a rough idea where the Fairwind is; at 4-5, at least one navy ship is closing in on the Fairwind’s position. At 6 segments full, at least one paddle frigate is in visual contact with the Fairwind and attempting an intercept. This clock is to be kept secret from the players and updated no more than once per day.

The second is the escape clock, an 8-segment clock that tracks how far the players are from Slanach town and safety. This clock increases by one day for every day the Fairwind sails due north from Mainspring. The players should know the approximate value of this clock.

The escape clock always starts at zero. Depending on how clean their escape was, the pursuit clock starts at the following values.

• Clean Getaway: 0
• Close Shave: 1
• Hail of Bullets / Everything Hits the Fan: 2

Losing Ground

The Navy gains ground on the players and increases the pursuit clock by 1 when the players take foolish risks that make them easier to find or when bad luck rears its head. Increase the Pursuit Clock by 1 when the players take actions that make them easier to track, or when circumstances outside their control work against them.

• The Fairwind is spotted and identified by a vessel heading southward.
• The Fairwind puts into any port along the Hasheban coast.
• The Fairwind is identified by those on the shore or in port.
• The players leave identifiable debris or witnesses to their passage.

Gaining Ground

The players gain additional lead and reduce the pursuit clock by 1 when:

• When the Navy is forced to refuel every other day.
• The players deliberately alter course, delay, or double back.
• Severe weather disrupts search efforts.
• The players successfully hide the Fairwind’s identity from observers.

Signs of Pursuit

Once the pursuit clock reaches 3 or higher, the players start to see signs of the Royal Navy on the horizon, even if they have not spotted a paddle frigate.

• Black plumes of coal smoke on the horizon
• Occasional peals of cannonfire
• Ship running lights in the distance.

A Second Follower

After the players depart Mainspring, they may, on rare occasions, glimpse the black sails of a brig-rigged ship on the very edge of the southern horizon.

This is the Thresher pursuing the players and their ship. The Thresher is too far away to harm the Fairwind, nor does it have the speed to catch her. Yet somehow it appears with unsettling regularity, no matter how they try to evade the Royal Navy or what storms may come their way.

The Wild Seas

Once per day at sea, roll on the Wild Seas table or introduce a sign of pursuit.

D12	Complication
1	A storm sweeps in out of nowhere, buffeting all ships on the sea and hammering the Royal Navy’s inexperienced crews badly. Reduce the pursuit clock by 1.
2	The Fairwinds encounters a fellow ship from the Slibergian Free Navy who agrees to run interference. Roll a d6. On 1-2, the ship fails to distract the navy, 3-4 reduce the pursuit clock by 1, 5-6 reduce the pursuit clock by 2. If the pursuit clock is at 0, the interference prevents the pursuit clock from increasing for one day
3	A dense bank of fog has rolled into the area. Decrease the pursuit and the escape clock by 1
4	The fairwinds encounters a pirate ship right on its course. They may be open to negotiations, but if they fail, start a naval battle and increase the pursuit clock by 1
5	The lookouts swear they could see coal smoke on the horizon. Increase the pursuit clock by 1 if the players do not change course or take any action to evade detection.
6	The inexperience of the clockfolk navy in open sea operation has resulted in a collision or other delay, decrease the pursuit clock by 1
7	A strong southern wind fills the Fairwind’s enchanted sails. At the end of the day, increase the escape clock by 2.
8-12	No complication

​

Ending the pursuit

The pursuit can end in one of two ways.

If the Pursuit clock reaches zero after being 3 or greater, the Navy loses all the trail of the Fairwind completely and is forced to return to square one in their search. It is unlikely that they will be able to intercept before the players reach safety unless the players do something very stupid.

If the Pursuit clock reaches 6, a Royal Navy Paddle Frigate is closing in with the intent to board the Fairwind, retrieve Charlotte, and take the ship, crew, and players into custody. The chase transitions to a stern chase using your system’s rules for naval combat, and the players will have to figure out a way to disable or escape the Frigates. What happens if the Fairwind does not escape is an exercise left to the GM and the players.

The Good News (assuming the players need it)

Fionnuala has been keeping an eye on the situation ever since she left Bailenagréine the night of their arrival. She has hired a squadron of the Siberbergian Free Navy led by the brand new 5th rate ship of the line Thorn’s Revenge to meet the Fairwind and escort it into Slanach Town if the need arises. The bad news is that the squadron is much slower than the Fairwind and will only intercept their course two days out from Slanch Town.

If things are looking particularly dire, she might be inclined to use her powers to create an opportunity for the players to escape. Fionnuala’s intervention can:

• Reduce the pursuit clock  by 2
• Prevent the pursuit clock from increasing for 24 hours.
• Prevent an interception outright once

Home Free

The chapter ends when the escape clock is filled. The players have given the navy the slip and are now sailing into Loch of Slanach.

Chapter 5: Fairytale ending

Having escaped Mainspring and evaded the Royal Navy to the safety of Slanach town, the players and Charlotte are subjected to a full royal welcome. They are escorted into the harbor by Thorn’s Revenge and her squadron. They are escorted to the castle in a golden carriage, escorted by a company of Fionnuala’s household knights as the entire town looks on. The adventure is nearing its end, but there are still some loose ends to tie up. The player’s roles might be supporting in these last few scenes, but they are no less important.

Audience with the Fairy Godmother

The players are escorted to the throne room of Le Château Des Rêves, where Fionnuala awaits on her throne, looking every bit the archetypal fairy godmother in her flowing green gown, silver embroidery shifting like leaves in moonlight, her wand resting lightly against the arm of her throne. She is pleased that the players have returned with Charlotte in tow. She then turns to Charlotte and asks, “What so troubles you so, child, that thou risked everything to seek audience with me?”

Charlotte curtsies politely. She then takes a deep breath and states in no uncertain terms her terms for Mainspring joining the grand undertaking. She demands that Fionnuala make her and her people one, true, free people rather than a single enslaved human girl and a city full of toy people. Make her one with her people and free them and her from their directives so that they can live, love, and grow as real creatures free to choose their own way. Do this, and Fionnuala will have their foundries at her disposal.

Fionnuala will be slightly taken aback by such a request, but will quickly recover. She says she is all for transforming Charlotte and the Mainspringians into her own improved version of Clockfolk, but she thinks granting them free will after decades of rigidly structured lives is a bad idea. She argues that Charlotte’s people will not know what to do once they are held responsible for their own actions, and the city will descend into chaos from which it will never recover. She cannot abide inflicting such a fate on what are innocents in the truest sense of the word.

She offers to use her power instead to give each clockfolk alive today, including Charlotte, a happy, predestined fairytale life. They will not need free will because every decision will have been made for them, and it will be so subtle that no one will notice they still lack true free will. The best part is it will only be for a few generations, a soft landing of sorts for the Clockfolk after centuries of misrule and absent rule.

Charlotte will understandably be conflicted by Fionnuala’s seemingly genuine concerns. She wishes for the freedom she once knew as a child, but Fionnuala’s offer is oh so tempting and sounds absolutely pleasant. And as she had for over a century, she freezes, unable to move forward. She looks towards the players, pleading with them to come to her aid one last time.

Moral Tug of War

This is not a battle of checks and dice rolls but of words. Charlotte has been conditioned to be passive and never stand up for herself her entire life. The players will have to convince Charlotte to stand by her convictions and force Fionnuala to grant her original wish.

Fionnuala will attempt to win Charlotte over to her way of thinking by:

• Trying to tempt Charlotte with promises of a perfect fairy-tale life, just for her, that she could design right now, a perfect Prince Charming, made-to-order children, a peaceful and happy reign with no risk of future pain or heartbreak.
• She will also try convince Charlotte that free will leads to disaster. She will use specific examples from her own personal history, namely her father, vague allusions to examples sourced from your favorite fantasy novels, to try to convince her that free will will always lead to disaster.
• Appealing to her age, suggesting that Charlotte is merely still a child, and that, as the adult in the room, her job is to determine what is best for Charlotte.
• Guilting Charlotte into seeing things her way. The world is careening towards disaster, and yet she has the gall to ask for such a selfish and reckless wish to be inflicted upon her people?

It is up to the players to counter these arguments and to convince Charlotte she is in the right. This is an intentionally open-ended challenge. The players will have to use their wits and their knowledge of Charlotte’s personality to convince her that Fionnuala’s offer will be an equally suffocating cage for her and her people. Emphasise to the players that there are no wrong answers here, just weak arguments.

An insight check, DC 18, gives the players a tantalizing clue. Fionnuala’s opposition to granting the clockfolk true free will seems to stem from fear of what happens when there is no script, rather than disgust, a fear seemingly derived from her childhood. She will deny this, of course, but her denials will sound very hollow and forced.

When Charlotte finally makes up her mind, Fionnuala, begrudgingly, agrees to grant the wish, warning that Charlotte bears full responsibility for every ill thing that will happen to her people from now on. She rises and taps Charlotte three times on the shoulders and head with her silver wand. The air shimmers, and the change takes effect. Read the following

Charlotte drops to her knees, clutching her chest. Before you can even think to rush to her, Fionnuala raises her hand and says, “There is no need; her wish has been granted, the changes are merely taking effect.” Before your eyes, she starts to change, her skin turns porcelain white, her hair turns from blond to gold, the key that once protruded from her back disappears, her green eyes take on the sheen of emeralds. As suddenly as the moment came on, it has passed, and Charlotte rises back to her feet, transformed and looking rather befuddled by her new form. She looks more like a porcelain figurine than a human.

Fionnuala returns to her seat and pronounces that the wish has been granted: Charlotte and the Clockfolk are no longer one enslaved girl and a city full of toys that presume life; they are now living porcelain dolls with clockwork innards, as free as any other sentient species that roams the world. They can grow up, grow old, eat, drink, sing, love, and reproduce to their hearts’ content. Fionnuala seems quite pleased with her handiwork, remarking that Charlotte looks absolutely adorable in her new form—like a living doll—though the dress and hairdo clearly will not do. Still, there will be time to correct that before tonight’s banquet.

Enter two Clowns

Before anyone can react further, a commotion erupts at the doors of the throne room. Lord Aedan Harvey and Lord Benjamin Woods burst inside, brandishing sabers and shouting about rescuing Charlotte from her wicked abductors. Both men have been transformed into Fionnuala’s newly improved clockfolk—porcelain-white, human-proportioned… and completely naked.

So hyper-focused on the heroic rescue scene playing out in their own heads, neither has noticed their transformation, nor the inconvenient disappearance of their clothes. Worse still, each is actively attempting to sabotage the other’s rescue attempt, desperate to claim sole credit, honor, and Charlotte’s affection.

When roleplaying this scene, lean fully into the absurdity of their quixotic quest and rivalry. Use the hammiest acting you can manage. Their rivalry should be cartoonish, overwrought, and utterly incapable of acknowledging reality. This is slapstick embarrassment, not titillation.

Regardless of what the players do, the outcome is the same.

Charlotte begins to laugh—at first quietly giggling, then openly. It is the first time she has laughed in over a century. The rest of the court soon joins her laughter, and even by Fionnuala herself, who seems genuinely amused… and perhaps pleased to have two more excuses to play dress-up.

Only once the court’s laughter reaches a fever pitch do the two men finally notice their state of undress. Their bravado collapses instantly into mortified panic.

Fionnuala, still smiling, orders the two fools escorted to the wardrobe to be dressed at once. She then bids Charlotte to follow as well—after all, that threadbare escape outfit will not do for a royal banquet.

Turning back to the players, Fionnuala informs them that they are free to do as they please until the festivities begin that evening.

Conclusion

That night, Fionnuala hosts a massive feast/ball for the players and Charlotte. At Fionnuala’s insistence, Charlotte is wearing a very traditional, very ornate, and very pink fairy-tale princess outfit, complete with a gauzy, multi-layered dress, a conical hat with gauzy streamers, and glass slippers. Lord Wood and Harvey have also gotten a makeover. Lord Wood is dressed as a 16th-century nobleman, and Lord Harvey is dressed in a 17th-century admiral’s uniform. None of them looks entirely comfortable in their outfits.

When the players speak to Charlotte, she tells them that the Fairy Godmother, as she refers to Fionnuala, has taken an interest in her and apparently decided to take her under her wing as a sort of mentor/adoptive mother. She does not feel entirely comfortable with this arrangement, but has decided to stay for at least a little while. Fionnuala has promised her that she will spare no expense in educating her in the ways of queenship and in supporting her now-free people. She needs the help, and if things go badly, she can always go north to Sliberberg.

As if to illustrate the point, Fionnuala spends the whole night hovering near Charlotte as if she were the belle of the debutante ball.

Lords Wood and Harvey are even less comfortable in what, to them at least, are archaic outfits. They mention this to the players whenever they are in earshot and reveal that Fionnuala and Charlotte gave them no choice: it was either what they were wearing now or jester costumes. They spend the night awkwardly flirting with Charlotte and silently fuming when she gives any other man attention.

As the feast reached a crescendo, Fionnuala proposed a toast to the players who had braved much to bring young Charlotte and Mainspring into the undertaking as valuable junior partners. She then says she will honor the promises she made to the players at the beginning of the adventure.

At her signal, pages will carry out chests, cushions, and platters with their requested rewards.

Then her tone softens, just a little sad. She explains that she was forced to abandon a delicate diplomatic mission to her baby sisters’ courts to return home and resolve the Mainspring question. Necessary though it was, the ancient laws of the fey are very clear: by making such a request of her, the players now owe her a favor. However, her lips betray her, and she smiles as she says this.

Before the players depart Le Château Des Rêves, Charlotte seeks them out. She has a reward for them, the only reward she has at hand to give. She promises them they will always be welcome in Mainspring, asks them to have tea again, and, as a final token of her gratitude, hugs each player, saying it’s been years since she hugged anyone.

Appendix A: New Monster

Lord Wood, Captain of the Silver Dragoons

Medium construct, lawful good

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• Armor Class 18 (masterwork breastplate)
• Hit Points 217 (29d8 + 87)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
19 (+4)	20 (+5)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	12 (+1)	18 (+4)

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• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities: charmed, exhaustion, stunned, poisoned, paralyzed
• Senses passive Perception 11
• Languages Mainspringian English
• Challenge 11 (7200 XP)

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Calvary. Bonus action. Lord Wood orders his mount to move up to its speed and take action. That action can be the Dash or Disengage action, or any action printed on the mount’s statblock. If Lord Wood takes this bonus action, the mount does not move or take any actions on its own turn.

Commander. While in a 30-foot emanation originating from Lord Wood, Silver Dragoons have advantage on their first attack roll each turn and on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Actions

Masterwork Saber. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (4d6 + 4) slashing damage.

Brace of Masterwork revolvers. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 100/200 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (2d12 + 5) piercing damage.

Multiattack. Lord Wood makes three attacks using his saber or revolvers in any combination.

Ready, Level, Fire. Recharge(6) Lord Wood designates a target within 120 feet to any ally Silver Dragoon within a 30-foot radius. Each dragoon may make one carbine attack without advantage

Reactions

The Crown’s Bulwark. When a creature the Lord Wood can see attacks an ally silver dragoon within 5 feet of it, Lord Wood can trade places with the creature and take the attack in its place.

Silver Dragoon

Medium construct, lawful good

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• Armor Class 17 (breastplate)
• Hit Points 104 (19d8 + 19)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
13 (+1)	13 (+1)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)

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• Skills Animal Handling +4, Athletics +4, Insight +4
• Damage Resistances poison
• Condition Immunities exhaustion, charmed, stunned, paralyzed
• Senses passive Perception 11
• Languages Mainspringian English
• Challenge 6 (2300 XP)

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Calvary. Bonus action. The Silver Dragoons orders its mount to move up to its speed and take an action. That action can be the Dash or Disengage action, or any action printed on the mount’s statblock. If the Silver Dragoons take this bonus action, the mount does not move or take any actions on its own turn.

Formation Tactics. When a Silver Dragoon is within 5 feet of another Silver Dragoon that isn’t incapacitated, it gains +1 on attack rolls, damage rolls, and AC.

Actions

Saber. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.

Multiattack. . The silver dragoon makes two weapon attacks. If both attacks target the same creature and at least one ally silver dragoon is within 5 feet of the target, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) piercing or slashing damage.

Carbine. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (3d6 + 1) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) piercing damage. Reload (1). The carbine can be fired once before requiring a reload. The silver dragoon cannot reload this weapon while mounted.

Brace of Cap and Ball Revolvers. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d8 + 1) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) piercing damage.

Reactions

Shield of the Crown. When a creature the silver dragoon can see attacks an ally silver dragoon within 5 feet of it, the silver dragoon imposes disadvantage on the attack roll.

Appendix B GM Aids

Useful Sources of Additional Advice for Running Heists

• So You Want to Be A Game Master, by Justin Alexander, Chapter 3: Raids and Heists
• Scenario Structure Challenge #4: Heists https://thealexandrian.net/

Adversary Roster

A large part of the tension in Chapter 3 of this adventure, as in any good heist story, revolves around preventing the Silver Dragoons from noticing the players and raising a hue and cry that would draw an overwhelming force to stop them. While it is possible to intuit how the various groups of dragoons will behave at the table if you have experience running these sorts of adventures, for the rest of us, an adversary roster, a concept devised by Justin Alexander of the https://thealexandrian.net/ blog, can be a useful tool for running these sorts of adventures.

Location	Action group	comment
Grounds area 1	4 Silver Dragoons	If they hear gunfire or a hue and cry from areas 2, 3, or 4 on the grounds map, 2 of them peel off to respond. It will take 1d6 rounds for them to arriveIf attacked, one will peel off to raise a hue and cry at the barracks
Grounds area 6	2 mounted Silver Dragoons	If they hear gunfire or a hue and cry from areas 2, 5, 7, or 8, they rush to respond to the threat. They will take 1d6 rounds to reach the fightIf attacked, they will raise a hue and cry and stand their ground until reinforcements arrive
Grounds area 8	1d6 mounted Silver Dragoons	If they hear gunfire or a hue and cry from areas 2, 5, 6, 7, or 8, then 1 third their number will hear and respond. They will take 1d6 rounds to reach the fightIf attacked, one will peel off to raise a hue and cry at the barracks
Grounds area 9	40 Silver Dragoons	Will only join the fight if somebody physically goes to the barracks to rouse the sleeping dragoons
A1	2 Silver Dragoons	If they hear gunfire, loud noises, or a hue and cry from areas A2, A3, A4, A6, A7, A11, or A12, they will rush to investigate. They will take 1d4 rounds to reach the fightIf attacked, one will peel off to raise a hue and cry at the barracks
A3	2 Silver Dragoons	If they hear gunfire, loud noise, or a hue and cry from areas A1, A3, A4, A6, A7, A11, A12, C1, C2, or C3, they will rush to investigate. They will take 1d4 rounds to reach the fightIf attacked, one will peel off to raise a hue and cry at the barracks
C2	2 Silver Dragoons	If they hear gunfire, loud noises, or a hue and cry from areas C1, C3, C4, C6, C7, A1, A2, or A3, they will rush to investigate. They will take 1d4 rounds to reach the fightIf attacked, one will peel off to raise a hue and cry at the barracks
E1	5 silver dragoons	If they hear gunfire or a hue and cry from the third floor or from area C2. Two of their number will rush to investigate. They will take 1d6 rounds to reach the fight. If attacked, one will peel off to raise a hue and cry at the barracks