Fantasy RolePlaying Adventure: Siobhan's Torc

What follows is background material for a scenario that will work in pretty much any roleplaying system, as long as the campaign has an element of fantasy. I originally wrote it for a LARP club, but there's no reason it couldn't be used on the tabletop. It is specifically designed so that the PCs won't be able to fight their way through: they must roleplay, and do it well, to find a solution that doesn't leave them vulnerable to all manner of unpleasantness. The unpleasantness, however, will not be life-threatening (unless the PCs decide that fighting will solve their problem). It will merely be embarrassing, inconvenient, or both.

All the PCs have to do is get a bit of jewelry for a lady.

To start the scenario, a comely lass will find the PCs and ask for help. She will introduce herself by saying, "Call me Siobhan." (pronounced shi-vohn) This is not her real name. Siobhan will be dressed well enough to be a maidservant to a minor noble, and will claim to have lost, through no fault of her own, a piece of valuable jewelry. She will not come out and say that the item was stolen from her. She will equivocate, implying that the item belongs to her employer/patron and if it is found to be missing, her employer/patron will be very angry. She will say things like, "If my lord discovered that I lost his torc, it would not go well with me." It's probable that her lord would be upset, if she had indeed lost his torc. Never mind that his lordship owns no torc, nor has he entrusted Siobhan with its care. He may not even exist.

If the PCs will agree to help her regain (gain, actually) possession of this item, the lady offers an advance of a gold coin for each party member, with the promise of more to come once the item is delivered. Siobhan will describe the item in detail, perhaps even draw them a very good picture of it, but will not help them look for it. She will claim to be in danger if it becomes known that she let the thing out of her sight for even a moment, so she can't be seen to be searching for it. Siobhan relies entirely on the adventurers' discretion.

Shortly after the party agree to help Siobhan recover the lost bauble, a merchant caravan will roll into town. The merchants will have many items for sale, including Siobhan's torc (or whatever). The asking price will be about twice the advance Siobhan gave the PCs. The party can do any of several things.

They could buy it at the asking price, hoping that Siobhan's reward will be greater than the difference. This is boring, and probably won't happen, but it's possible.

They could bargain with the merchants for a better price. If they try this, the price will come down, but will stick at just above the value of the advance.

They could try to steal the torc. If the PCs try this, it will not be easy. The merchants are watchful and have several toughs in their employ. Getting caught stealing could lead to all manner of excitement for the PCs, depending on how strict the laws are in your campaign world.

The PCs might try to trade services for the torc. They could gain employment with the caravan, but nothing that will pay for the torc in anything like a timely manner.

They could even decide to just take the advance and walk. If they do this, Siobhan will make it her mission to complicate the PCs' lives for the foreseeable future.

There are any number of other unexpected things your players might come up with. Be ready to improvise. But it's important that there be risks involved with doing anything illegal or dishonorable, and if the PCs are caught, there should be consequences.

Here's what's really going on. Siobhan is not what she seems. She is really a Sidhe of the Unseelie Court: a shapeshifting Redcap. The torc (or whatever item you choose) is real, and it has value as jewelry, but it's not Siobhan's. Siobhan has no connection with the item at all. It just caught her eye, and she decided she wanted it. Siobhan's true appearance is not that of a comely lass. Rather, she's a nasty-looking, clawed, fanged, gnome-looking creature with slim but wiry limbs and a perpetually bleeding scalp. She takes pleasure in sowing discord, and has chosen the PCs for her latest prank. She doesn't have murder on her mind, but she's more than capable of it if pressed.

If the PCs are successful in obtaining the torc, she will thank them profusely for it, take the torc, toss a knotted, jingling pouch to the party, and run hot-foot to her fictitious lord and master. By the time the PCs get the bag open, she will be gone. The bag, alas, is full of nearly worthless bits of tin or copper. When the PCs try to find Siobhan, she will have changed her shape. As a Redcap, she is capable of taking the form of any four-limbed creature up to the size of a pony, but must always have a piece of red headgear. Observant PCs might notice this subtle clue, much good may it do them.

If you want to add excitement to your PCs' lives, you can have someone else buy the torc just before the PCs do. This person could be anyone, but for extra special fun, it could be Siobhan in a different disguise (remember, she needs to wear a red hat of some kind). If the buyer is just an innocent person, perhaps the PCs can convince him to sell the torc (at a profit). If the buyer is a (re)disguised Siobhan, she will never agree to sell. If the PCs try to steal it from her, she will call for the watch and will certainly press charges.

For even greater high-jinks, perhaps Siobhan herself stole the torc. If this be the case, Siobhan will report the PCs to the true owner of the torc and sit back while the mischief unfolds. It's also possible that Siobhan stole the torc not from an earthly owner but from a powerful Sidhe lord. When he finds out the PCs have his property, he will certainly try to get it back. How he goes about this is will be up to the GM, but keep in mind that if the PCs behave correctly, this is a chance for them to forge a friendship with a powerful being.

No matter how these events unfold, Siobhan can become a recurring villain in your campaign. She will harass the heroes, but not harm them. She will be the one your players will love to hate.

As mentioned above, this scenario was originally meant for a LARP group. If you want to use it in your LARP, you will need these props and costumes. Even in a tabletop game, props add a lot to your gaming experience. Try to use the best quality props you can. A piece of card stock with "Valuable Necklace" written on it is much less satisfying for a player than an actual necklace, even if said necklace is cheap costume jewelry.

• The Torc (or whatever item you decide Siobhan wants)
• Various other valuable or useful items for the traveling merchants to sell (other items of jewelry, minor magical scrolls or potions, mundane tools and weapons, whatever fits into your campaign world)
  
• Coins for Siobhan to give the PCs as an advance
• Jingling bag of worthless metal bits
  
• One or more pieces of red headgear for Siobhan to wear
• Garb and weapons for Siobhan, the merchants, and their guards
• NPC staff members to play Siobhan*, the merchants, and their guards
  

* Since Siobhan is a shapeshifter, more than one NPC staff member needs to be able to play Siobhan if necessary.