Secret Cult Ballroom Free Multi-Level 40×30 Battlemap & Adventure

Specters of the Past

You arrive in a city celebrating some kind of grand masked festival, with loud performers and acrobats on busy streets, lined with market stalls selling fragrant foods. Re-enactments are loudly performed for watching crowds, portraying a group of evil vampire overlords being slain by vampire hunters, and the city being reclaimed by the people it once oppressed.

Drawn inside a tavern boasting extreme festival discounts, you’re approached by a tipsy, young nobleman who notes that you seem incredibly well armed, and, on top of that, move as if competent in handling yourself. He asks for your help, taking his mask off and introducing himself as Gento. He explains in a slightly slurred voice that he believes corruption has crept into the city. Officials are suddenly changing firm stances on policies, nobles are backing new and unusual ventures, and it seems like even academics are being affected–all to the end of taking the city backwards several generations, and removing the rights of its citizens.

Gento suspects something awful is taking place. He’s tracked some of the corrupt individuals, and has information that they’ll be attending a secret gala later that night. He even has the password to enter. He cannot risk getting himself involved and doesn’t know who to trust, but as outsiders he can provide you with the masks and robes you need–as well as the password–to sneak into the event. He needs you to figure out what’s going on, and, if need be, put an end to it while all the vipers are in one nest.

He says he can pay you well, offering you a small bag of diamonds from his pouch. Should you accept, he warns you not to eat or drink anything, and to trust no-one, before telling you the password “Rubrum Aurora” and giving you directions to the secret gala’s location.

When you arrive, you find yourself in the warehouse district of the town, far away from the riotous festivities. Should you enter the particularly plain building by the river’s edge, its unlocked doors waiting for guests, you are met by a group of men wearing long beaked masks and black robes. Once you give them the password, one among their number escorts you through the dusty warehouse to a lavish lower level. It is a hidden ballroom, with tables laden with delicacies and wines, and filled with the laughing murmurs of many wealthy guests. At the end is a timber stage, bordered by thick glass windows that provide a view under the river; fish swimming about lazily.

Once you’ve been there for a few minutes to enjoy the food and drink, a graceful man emerges onto the stage. He is wearing a red robe with a golden roaring lion’s mask, and two beautiful naked women by his side who only wear partial lioness masks. In one hand he holds a glass of bright red liquid, and his arrival is greeted with loud cheers by the guests.

After calming the crowd, he gives a charming speech about how the guests will have greater blessings bestowed upon them if they continue to aid the cause as they have. But to reap the even greater rewards of health and luxury, they must first prove themselves! The time has come for them to reap the fruit of everything they’ve been working towards, and the figure tells the crowd that they should rally their men and resources in preparation to retake the city tonight!

While the red robed man speaks, two large figures in black robes enter, dragging an unmasked Gento up to the stage and dropping him at the speaker’s feet. Gento is beaten and very injured, and the speaker looks down upon him. The man says “One among us has betrayed us”, but Gento spits that he has changed his mind and will not betray the city. The man shakes his head at this, and gestures to another robed figure, who begins rushing over with an ornate dagger on a crimson pillow.

If you attack the man in the red robe, you discover he is a vampire, and the women hanging off him are thralls. They fight back ferociously as the other guests begin leaving in a panic. Once the event’s hosts are defeated, if you question Gento he clears blood out of his mouth and says it is true, he was once among their number, but realized tonight that he couldn’t betray his people. When he saw you at the tavern, he thought you might be a sign from the gods, as you seemed strong enough to take down the vampire before it was too late. After your actions today, Gento vows to visit every church service from then on as thanks to the gods who sent you to save them.

Should you ask about the city’s vampire hunting guild portrayed in the celebrations, the man shakes his head and says they were the first to be infiltrated by the vampires. He had no-one else to turn to, and is sorry he had to keep you in the dark.

As your promised reward, he offers you not one but two pouches filled with diamonds, saying that they were the payment he received for betraying the people of the city. He apologizes, saying that the great service you’ve performed is priceless and he doesn’t know if anything can ever, truly, make up for it. However, he vows that he will spend the rest of his life working to atone for the mistakes he’s made, and if there is ever a way he can aid you in future, you need but ask.

GM’s Notes:

If your players do drink or eat anything, the food has been laced with vampire blood and they’ll feel a sense of friendship with the red robed vampire. Affected player characters have their stats boosted by the blood, but also a risk of addiction.

The red robes the vampire was wearing provide shade around the wearer when exposed to sunlight, and his mask was cast of solid gold. As such, it is highly valuable. The ornate silver dagger is a vampiric blade which siphons the life of those it kills into a glowing ruby on its hilt.

This adventure was written for our Fellspire Adventurer’s Guide. If you’d like 5 more adventures and maps for this location, plus even more info and world building for the city, lootable items, NPCs, and more, check out the guide this was written for!

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