The Clockwork Menagerie

Unravel a beastly conspiracy amidst a festival darkened by intrigue.

In the bustling city of Elvencraft, an unprecedented mingling of magic and medieval technology sets the stage for a grand festival where beast folk and humans celebrate their unity. However, the festivities take a dark turn when a monstrous creation—a chimera of magical and technological elements—stirs havoc. The party discovers it when they stumble upon a secret cabal intent on using these creatures to disrupt the delicate balance of power between humans and beast folk. Their journey takes them from gaily-lit streets through shadowy alleys to the hidden sanctums beneath the city, where they must decide whether to destroy the creatures or find a way to return them to their natural forms.

The World

Context

Elvencraft thrives on a unique blend of high magic and medieval technology, creating a vibrant urban jungle. This world sees magic-infused technologies assist in everything from laundry to urban transport. The blend sometimes births unforeseen and unnatural phenomena, including rogue magical creatures fused with clockwork technology.

Concept

Magic interwoven with medieval technology, creating sentient clockwork beasts.

Impact

These creatures serve as both wonder and threat, blurring lines between beings and machines, causing political tensions over control.

The Plot

Summary

Players find themselves in Elvencraft during its annual Festival of Unity, a celebration of peace between humans and beast folk. The joyous atmosphere is shattered by the appearance of a chimera, a hybrid of magic and clockwork, wreaking havoc. Investigating, the party uncovers evidence of a conspiracy led by a hidden faction aiming to use these abominations to sow discord. Clues point to secret workshop-laboratories scattered underneath the city. Racing against time, players must decode encrypted blueprints, combat more chimeras, and navigate political webs to prevent an all-out war. They must decide whether to dismantle the creatures or use a mysterious spell to separate their components, each choice leading to different alliances and enemies.

Complication

The chimeras are controlled by a hidden faction within the city.

Hook

A rogue chimera disrupts the Festival of Unity.

World stakes

Risk of political collapse and war between Elvencraft races.

Personal stakes

Challenged to preserve friendships and alliances.

The Acts

Act 1

Summary:

Players attend the festival and witness chaos unfold as a chimera disrupts the celebration. They engage in an initial skirmish with the creature, uncovering a broken emblem suggesting sabotage. A local informant hints at an underground faction. Players follow clues leading through the city's bustling districts to a shadowy informant.

Location:

Festival square—a bustling medley of magic and steam technology.

Challenge:

Combat with a malfunctioning chimera.

Objective:

Uncover clues about the chimera’s origin.

Set Back:

Suspicion falls on players as potential saboteurs.

Revelation:

Evidence of sabotage implicating internal factions.

GM's Guide:

Start with high energy at the festival. Balance combat with investigation by using NPC interactions. Keep clues subtle yet compelling to guide players naturally. Introduce beast folk cultural nuances to flesh out the world.

GM's Move:

The chamers begin targeting key political figures.

Act 2

Summary:

The investigation leads players into the city's underbelly, discovering secret rituals fusing beasts with magic-tech. Confronting hostile faction members, they find encrypted plans outlining city-wide sabotage. Interrogation of captured faction members reveals more planned chimera attacks. The race to decode these plans pushes players to ally with peculiar allies, like a rogue clockwork engineer.

Location:

Underground workshop-laboratory packed with arcane machinery.

Challenge:

Decryption under duress and combat with faction enforcers.

Objective:

Decode and disrupt the sabotage plans.

Set Back:

Decoding error leads to an unexpected detonation.

Revelation:

City-wide scale of the sabotage conspiracy.

GM's Guide:

Focus on tension and intrigue. Use faction interactions to explore politics. Keep pace tight through timed challenges to decode plans and survive sabotage attempts.

GM's Move:

More chimeras emerge under faction control.

Act 3

Summary:

Players infiltrate the heart of the faction's operation revealed to be a hidden clocktower. They face the faction leader, who offers them a choice: a new peace through dominance or to risk all for autonomy. Meanwhile, a final chimera, larger and more powerful, is released. The PCs must navigate shifting alliances and use their acquired knowledge and technology to counteract the threat.

Location:

Hidden clocktower: ancient magi-tech hub.

Challenge:

Surviving the faction leader's ultimatum and a climactic battle.

Objective:

Stop the final chimera, save key politicians.

Set Back:

Additional chimeras target allies, needing help.

Revelation:

Faction’s true goal is unification by subjugation.

GM's Guide:

Maintain high stakes by emphasizing the looming deadline and potential consequences. Allow player choices to deeply affect relationships with city factions.

GM's Move:

Ultimatum forces choice between faction’s offer or personal beliefs.

Climax:

Players decide the creatures' fate, shaping Elvencraft's future alliances.