The Thieves' Symphony

A daring medieval heist unfolds as players infiltrate a music box factory to stop an untimely assassination.

The players are tasked with infiltrating Harmonium Industries, a clandestine medieval music box factory, to prevent an assassination scheduled within the next 24 hours. The factory's labyrinthine layout presents an intricate challenge, as players must navigate past guards and traps to access the hidden office of a scheming noble. Unlike most heists, the sting in this adventure is that every music box isn’t just a playful construct; it carries a sinister signal that can disrupt vital communications across the city if activated. In an urban environment where the mastery of clockwork has surpassed the need for magic, mistrust runs deep. As the plot unfolds, the adventurers will unmask traitors amongst allies, solve mechanical puzzles, and come face-to-face with a revolutionary device threatening the stability of urban life. Their choices will determine if the music stops prematurely or crescendos to a widespread conspiracy.

Campaign Image

The World

Context

This world has mastered mechanical innovations, creating devices mirroring magical outcomes, like automated vehicles and complex alarms. Urban life revolves around these inventions, creating class divides between skilled artificers and manual laborers, fostering espionage and industrial sabotage.

Concept

Steampunk-like mechanical mastery without magic.

Impact

Creates vast economic disparity between artificers and laborers, fueling espionage and sabotage.

The Plot

Summary

Harmonium Industries, known for producing complex musical devices without magical components, houses a dire secret—a revolutionary device that manipulates communication infrastructures, placing the city in jeopardy. Within the next day, an assassination tied to this device is scheduled to occur, threatening the stability of the urban center while also implicating innocent parties in political subterfuge. Players must gather intelligence, identify traitors, and prevent this attack within a sprawling, gear-laden factory. As they delve deeper, they must decide whether to dismantle the device, leak its secrets, or repurpose it for allies. The music boxes, initially appearing as mere curiosities, become symbols of power and control, escalating the tension between technological progress and societal implications.

Complication

Discovery of a traitorous factory insider actively sabotaging the mission.

Hook

A cryptic message warns of an imminent assassination within 24 hours.

World stakes

The misuse of technology destabilizes the entire communication network.

Personal stakes

Players are accused of sabotage and face arrest.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

Within the bustling factory of Harmonium Industries, players receive a desperate plea for help—the manager, Johan, believes an assassination is imminent within the next day. As they explore the music box factory, they must covertly gather clues among surreptitious employees and decipher mechanical schematics hidden within expressive musical motifs. The air hums with tension as old alliances begin to fray under the weight of the impending plot.

Location:

Harmonium Industries — a vast, bustling factory with music-making devices.

Challenge:

Navigating a secure environment filled with patrolling guards.

Objective:

Locate the mechanical schematics hidden in the factory.

Set Back:

An ally is apprehended, implicating the players.

Revelation:

Mechanism can disrupt city communications.

GM's Guide:

Focus on immersing players in the factory's unique atmosphere—describe the rhythmic thrum of mechanical gears and emphasize the urgency of their mission. Keep tension high by hinting at unseen dangers and encourage creative problem-solving as players investigate. Engage with NPC interactions to reveal interpersonal conflicts and seeds of suspicion.

GM's Move:

Security tightens, patrols increase as suspicion grows.

Act 2

Summary:

Having uncovered the potential of the factory's mechanical contraptions, players must now navigate deeper into Harmonium Industries' labyrinthine structure, uncovering a conspiracy involving high-ranking city officials. A traitorous factory insider is revealed, orchestrating the assassination for personal gain. Players must ingeniously bypass heightened security, negotiate with suspicious workers, and piece together fragmented messages to thwart the insider’s plans.

Location:

Upper offices within the factory, filled with hidden compartments.

Challenge:

Uncovering secrets amidst heightened surveillance and suspicion.

Objective:

Identify and confront the factory traitor.

Set Back:

Key evidence is destroyed, complicating the investigation.

Revelation:

A known businessman is behind the assassination plot.

GM's Guide:

Increase tension by showing the world tightening around the players—lockdowns, secret passages closing, and whispers of a traitor among the ranks. Encourage players to use strategic thinking, blending investigation with stealth. Highlight the moral complexities as players encounter others with conflicting goals.

GM's Move:

Factory lockdown isolates key areas, trapping everyone inside.

Act 3

Summary:

The players, having identified the mastermind, must decide how to stop the plot and whether to expose the sinister music box technology. Infiltrating the Master Conductor’s chamber, they face a culminating showdown with the traitor, whose motives reveal deeper societal discord. The adventurers must choose whether to disseminate the truth or secure temporary peace, each decision rippling authenticity into the societal fabric.

Location:

The Master Conductor's chamber, overflowing with music and intrigue.

Challenge:

Deciphering and disabling the sophisticated mechanical device.

Objective:

Prevent the assassination and secure or expose the technology.

Set Back:

Players must sacrifice vital resources to prevail.

Revelation:

The prototype serves greater threats beyond the city.

GM's Guide:

As the final act crescendos, build to a thrilling climax with rapid action and moral ambiguity. Encourage players to consider long-term impacts of their choices. Facilitate intense combat or negotiation scenes, ensuring every decision weighs heavily.

GM's Move:

Mastermind deploys a deadly prototype during the climax.

Climax:

Players expose and eradicate the threat, influencing the city's power dynamics.