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Tea Set Heist

Medanne (whispers bard/shadow sorcerer from Valnore, high elf, she/her)

Vanilla Chocolata (trickery cleric who worships the Tessvar Archfey, changeling, they/them)

Rollyn Galardir (rune knight wood elf from Valnore, he/him) Vira Vok (storm herald barbarian minotaur from Kastvar, she/her)

Skarn (thief rogue human from Previdian, any pronouns)

The party has been assembled as strangers through word of mouth to steal a tea set from a Previdian collection. The pay is four hundred gold per survivor if they successfully recover the tea set. It is spring almost twenty years before the start of the current campaign.

The war between Valnore and Previdian has been over for almost two centuries. Medanne remembers it well, doing terrible and necessary things during the war, but the others were born after peace. The human memory of the war in Previdian has long since faded, something Medanne has used to her advantage over the past few decades.

Skarn learned of the war as something that happened in the past, but Valnorian elves consider it living memory, which has led to various legislation and tension over what to do about the artifacts and items stolen from Valnore during the occupation.

Vira knows that there are repatriation acts but also underground illegal trade. Her business associates in Kastvar don’t deal in that trade though has dealt backwards in the trade. She’s seen things smuggled out of Previdian and into Valnore and was quietly encouraged to take this job. It’s above her pay grade as to why her associates choose to smuggle things out of Previdian and make less profit on their ventures, but it feels personal.

Rollyn and Vanilla find it easy to involve themselves in this job. Rollyn was born shortly after the war. His parents were involved in the war, living near Springrest and have opinions on the items stolen from Springrest during the war. He already wanted to prove himself and take on challenges, which it seems like this mission will be, but it’s also easy to take jobs that pay well and take things back from Previdian.

Meanwhile Vanilla’s coin purse is completely empty but they look fabulous in the four elaborate and expensive cloaks they have bought in town.

The party assembles in the basement of a small tavern in Drakefall Village. Drakefall Village is a couple days' travel from Stagheart and near the Tessvar Forest, running between the gulf and the Su’veka Grounds, an island for lizardfolk.

They are meeting a person called Caloran Blazaria. They had been given little information, only that this individual had a job for them that involved the retrieval of an artifact that they claim was stolen from their father during the War for Valnorian Independence. They were all told from their respective contacts that they will know Caloran when they see them.

For each of them it is evidently clear what their contacts meant as they move through this shady bar to the basement, where there are tables where illegal card games and a knife game are going on. In the far corner is a twitchy, nervous looking half-elf, half-fire genasi with buzzed short hair that glows like it’s burning. They have brilliant fire red eyes as they tug nervously at their collar. They are the only elven looking person in this room aside from Rollyn and Medanne.

Vira approaches first. Caloran stands up and asks if she’s the one they’re meant to meet. They were told to expect a minotaur and there aren’t many in Previdian. When Vira confirms she is, Caloran looks at the rest of the group and asks them all to sit down, serving them drinks.

Caloran explains that their father was a scholar in Silvrafel during the war who had a finely curated collection of tea sets. He adored every one of them and displayed them in his office and various libraries. During the continuous sackings of Silvrafel, many of his tea sets were stolen. Their father grieved over these tea sets, which had stories painted on each one, all unique historical tales. Their father was still talking about them on his deathbed.

Caloran didn’t think they would ever find any of them, considering them lost or destroyed or tucked away forgotten in Previdian attics, until they found this. It’s a pamphlet for a public auction that occurred three months ago. There is a wood print of some of the sale items, which includes a tea set. They tap that and say it’s that one.

When some of the party expresses doubt, they tap it again and point out a figure riding a horse throwing a spear, which Vira knows was in fact sold at that particular auction.

When Skarn tells Caloran that their father is dead and won’t love them more if they retrieve this tea set, Medanne asks them if they are attached to things. When Skarn say no, then she tells him to keep his mouth shut. There is the difference between loving items and grieving for what has been taken from you.

Caloran explains the conditions of the group’s job in Stagheart: in a few days time, the owner is going to be at the castle paying tribute to the queen who is in labor and due to have a child. If they can retrieve the tea set they will be rewarded four hundred gold each.

Vanilla marvels at how much clothing that could buy, with Medanne suggesting a party and Rollyn suggesting another cloak on top of the four Vanilla is already wearing despite the warm spring evening.

Caloran says they know that the tea set is in a particular collector’s house, though they weren’t able to get a look inside the house while masquerading as a gardener. They were fired rather quickly after setting a bush on fire. They saw a few guards outside but none inside, which led them to believe there are magical protections outside and inside the manor.

Medanne asks about the servants and is told that the collector uses several unseen servants.

Rollyn asks about family. When he mentions children, Caloran chokes on their drink and says that the owner isn’t married or has kids, though most of the party sees through their discomfort and realizes that there are rumors of this man having an illegitimate child somewhere.

Skarn asks where they can meet Caloran after they’ve retrieved the tea set, and Caloran says that they can meet them at the Wounded Rose, a popular tavern near the bard college that Medanne recognizes is frequented by Asa, a recent graduate of the Colma and one of Daveena’s proteges.

The party ends up in Stagheart a few days later, where everyone is celebrating in anticipation of the queen going into labor and having her second child. There are the golds and greens of the royal house everywhere, and the closer they get to the Palace District and nobility district, the louder the celebrations are.

Vira and Medanne know it will be a beautiful estate but they don’t know whose house it is. They do know the spots where the artful tree line has a shadowy area where the fence meets the palace district and another where the fence meets the city wall, where they could attempt to sneak into the noble district without alerting the guards. They could also climb up over the wall.

They decide to climb up over the wall from the northeastern edge of Stagheart. The walls are whitewashed and very pristine, tapestries displayed upon them with the heraldry of the Altiers. This won’t be an easy climb. There are guards that patrol the ledges, though less so than the city fences since it is an extremely difficult climb.

The group decides it would be easier to have someone climb up with a grappling hook and rope and the others follow climbing the rope instead of everyone attempting to climb at once.

Skarn, calling upon her skills as a thief, begins to climb the wall, grappling hook at the ready. They get to a ledge with rapid ease, which inspires Medanne to remark that while they might run their mouth off, they’re at least effective.

As Skarn climbs to the next ledge, it’s with an effortless swiftness. As far as she knows, he is unnoticed by the guards. From below, it is very impressive to watch. Skarn has reached a roost for griffins and flying transport animals. Skarn can see the tops of the guards’ heads as he almost reaches the final stone ledge.

Then she spies a guard emerging from one of the towers. He hesitates and has a few seconds of feeling his fingers slip before he is in freefall. For a second the party watches him begin to fall hundreds of feet before he instinctively catches one of the slighter footholds and swings himself around to grab a heavy metal spike of one of the tapestries. Skarn just breathes for a second.

This time, when Skarn tries to get up to the top of the wall, he ends up behind a pile of barrels that he can hide behind. As she drops down the rope, Vanilla casts Pass Without Trace and the rest of the party moves silently and soundlessly up the ropes. They move so quickly that the guards don’t even have a chance to begin their next trek between the watch towers.

Medanne thanks Vanilla, saying that they’re very useful. Vanilla says they like being useful.

Rollyn spies that the guards have left some cigarettes and playing cards behind and steals the cigarettes. Skarn notices this and steals the playing cards as well.

The noble district is gorgeous. There are well-manicured plants, with trees that are in springtime bloom and smell sweet. The streets are clean and well-paved. There is a collection of gorgeous and tall manors that stretch outward down multiple streets. There aren’t as many people walking around, everyone busy with the queen and the imminent child, but enough nobility that Vanilla stares longingly at their fashionable looks.

They find the house easily enough. It is painted a nice, dark, forest green that blends well with the colors of Previdian. There is a beautiful, tall fence going across the front of the house that reaches tall walls in the back that have painted Previdian murals. There are two heavily armored guards at the front gates, looking bored.

If there is one thing Skarn knows, it’s how to get into places like this. If there aren’t human servants, there is still going to be a servant’s entrance for food deliveries. When she goes around the back, she smirks that this is one of the last houses in the noble district.

Skarn discovers rather than a door in the wall, there’s a metal door built into the ground that leads into a tunnel. The door is locked but Medanne notices runes and realizes that Skarn will absolutely be hit with lightning as soon as they try to pick the lock.

Vanilla dispels the magic, which earns her a bow from Skarn. Vanilla bows as well, looking momentarily like Medanne, which makes Medanne silently reminisce about having to kill a man disguised as her back during the war.

Skarn unlocks the door with ease.

Vira goes first, with the others following behind into the tunnel, which is dimly lit by flickering arcane runes. It’s a sloped tunnel designed for carts. There are a couple yards before it slopes back up with an unlocked door that brings them towards the back of the manor.

Vira recognizes Kastvarian plants growing in little terracotta pots lining this brick walkway as the party sees a stone bench and a well-manicured garden that is pristine save for the scorched bush.

Rollyn realizes many of these plants are from Valnore and some exclusively from Springrest, which shouldn’t be able to grow there.

Vira spies a back door to the manor, made of stained glass. Neither Vira nor Medanne recognize anything that would alert them to this owner’s identity as they all slip down the garden path and closer to the house with the practiced ease of professionals.

The party can hear the guards, one complaining that it’s stupid that they have to be here while the other argues the lord has to be at the palace for the pregnancy. The first guard argues that it is stupid, what are the nobility going to do, help the queen give birth.

They skirt past a fountain and the burned shrubbery. Medanne is distracted by her amusement at the burned bush, but Vira, Vanilla, and Sharn notice when the glass on the door starts to bubble like it’s melting before it pops and cracks. The glass itself starts to move.

Slowly, a tremendous wyrm-like thing made of glass slithers out from the door. It doesn’t seem to notice them exactly, but it parks itself in front of the door as though alerted that something is amiss.

Vanilla whispers that they think they can do something before shifting to looking like Rollyn and casting Invoke Duplicity, creating a second Rollyn that walks to the left of the creature and calls to it that he’s here to rob the place.

The creature hisses like shattering glass. A man’s voice speaks from it, warning that any uninvited guests need to leave immediately.

When the party debates how to get past it without alerting the guards, realizing that all of the glass in the back wall of this manor is similarly enchanted, Medanne says that she can keep things quiet.

She casts Silence directly on the creature. Then she winks at Vanilla, telling them that she liked their earlier look better but this works too, giving them Bardic Inspiration.

Skarn leaps into the silence, momentarily deafened. He stabs the creature twice, both times knowing it should be making a tremendous amount of noise as she chips off pieces of glass from the creature and attempts to stab its heart.

Vanilla moves forward next. They move their duplicate as well, looking like Skarn now as they pull out their mace and strike the creature, their mace glowing with radiant light as they shatter more glass. Again, it should be loud but instead is silent within Medanne’s spell.

Vira rushes up, going into a rage that sends flickers of flame sparking off of her and burning the creature. Then she smashes it twice with her greataxe. Chunks of the creature fall to the grass and stone, splintering off its tail.

Rollyn pulls out a necklace that has a series of runes and stones on it, rubbing one. He begins to grow, expanding into a large version of himself and wading carefully into battle. Then he hits twice with his longsword, cracking its face practically in half.

It is clearly making agonized chittering sounds, silenced by the spell.

Skarn mouths something silently to themself and attempts to stab the snake again. This time she stabs an already shattered piece instead of the still living parts of the creature. Refocusing, she stabs with their back hand and this time the blade goes into its crystalline heart.

The glass creature shatters, sending glass shards so far in different directions that some land outside at Medanne’s feet with a quiet tinkling sound.

Skarn glances at Vira and nods, at which point Rollyn politely steps aside and lets Vira lower her horns and charge into and through the door, shattering it. She ends up in a pristine room. There are shelves filled with rich knick knacks.

Rollyn slaps Skarn on the shoulder and tells her good job, offering her a cigarette.

Medanne notes some things that are distinctly Valnorian in nature, though it’s hard to tell what is stolen and what has been made in recent decades. While there are occasional things from Striog and Kastvar, there seems to be traditional Valnorian drapery and tables.

She realizes that this is either a Previdian noble obsessed with Valnore or a Valnorian traitor. Rage flashes across her face. The party asks if they need to burn this place down, and she says first collect the tea set, but she won’t object to some wanton destruction on their way out.

There’s no heraldry, but the paintings are from every part of the world. This collector has a lot of Previdian art as well. When they inspect the parlor, there is an entire wall of Previdian swords. There is a shield above the doorway between the parlor and the study.

As they go through this first floor, they all begin to realize that this house is a museum to the war between Previdian and Valnore. Slipping into the dining room, there are displays of dishware and crockery, but no sign of tea sets.

They begin to ascend to the second floor. The first door they open leads to a small personal library. It’s much smaller than the other library spaces, with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with history books of Previdian and the war. The library is ornate, with a chaise lounge, with tables set about the room.

They do find some very nice, expensive-looking statuettes that are dotted and gilded with sapphires and gemstones, one forming a serpentine shape and another a bird about to go into flight.

Skarn rearranges the books out of order until the party decides to go to the next room.

Vira pushes open the next door. This time what they find is a study. It has a polished large wooden desk with a tall leather-back chair with the three-feet tall golden statues standing on either side of it. One is of a cat lounging and the other is a stag with diamonds for eyes.

There are smaller statues, which Vira takes two to mess with the set.

There are shelves filled with very nice, beautiful items. They are spaced out very carefully, clearly on display. There is a stunning necklace that glows with magic. There is a cloak that gets harder to look at the longer you try. There are two shining swords. There are chests and art on easels throughout the room.

In the back, in a small display near some windows there is a hand-painted tea set.

When Medanne casts Detect Magic, her eyes glowing purple, most of the items on display as well as the tea set itself are clearly magical in nature. She is just noticing that there are no traps when a mild voice comes from the shadows and says, “Very clever. But I assure you it isn’t warded. Why would I ward my own study?”

As Medanne gestures towards her companions and suggests for unexpected guests, everyone recognizes the high elf Lord Halca, a former Valnorian and now the Previdian king’s advisor.

Halca asks if they’re here to rob him and when Rollyn says it’s not stealing, it’s just reclaiming something, Halca argues that nothing here is stolen, simply taken during the war. He knew they would be coming for the tea set, he adds, touching it with graceful fingers and holding one of the tea cups as Medanne holds her breath. It was the only thing that would have inspired such interest. He claims that the sale was legitimate, since the tea set was looted long ago and then inherited through some families before being sold in an estate sale.

When Vanilla protests, Halca sneers at them and says that he knows what they are, little faerie, and that he won’t listen to someone wearing cloaks two seasons out of date.

As Vanilla wilts at the insult, Medanne hisses not to listen to him, the man has outdated history books and casts Dissonant Whisper.

Halca easily shakes off the spell, ignoring any pain, and sneers at her, asking if she expects him to change his mind. The truth is that the Valnorians are ungrateful and cowardly fools who never understood that Previdian could elevate them all.

Medanne hisses out that Previdian lost. When Halca complains that they wouldn’t have if the Valnorians had played fair, Medanne laughs and says that there’s no fairness in war. When Skarn tells him to shut up, Halca calls her a traitor and Medanne hisses out that the only traitor in this room is him.

Halsa says that he is going to return Previdian to its former glory.

Medanne starts to suggest Skarn could shut Halca up by fighting him before Skarn tells her that she’s annoying too. Medanne scoffs and says never mind before she winks towards Vanilla again, making them blush as Medanne asks them to keep being their marvelous useful self.

Halca touches the tea pot, which does have a story of the battle between the mortal races and the Sunken Ones. There is an image of Alaeymena and another image of shadows and darkness. Halca turns it so that the shadows are facing the party and says that they can have it if they really wish it. He says they can either leave with this and he won’t have them arrested or executed, or they can be subject to his guards.

He raises his hands and snaps his fingers. Around the party four inanimate suits of armor step away from the walls, looming over the group. Then he vanishes.

Vanilla rushes towards the tea set and can’t quite get there. They bow towards Medanne, shifting to look like her again and then casting Mirror Image. There are now five Medannes in the room, making her laugh in delight.

Vira charges and gores one of the animated armors. Her horns splinters part of its metal chest.

One of the animated armors rushes forward past Rollyn, who misses with his attack as its sword swings out and slashes into Medanne, lightning shocking her as well. Two other armors attack Vira, despite Rollyn and Medanne’s attempts to defend her, slashing and electrocuting her as well.

Another armor slashes into Rollyn as well, both strikes hitting home.

Skarn disengages and bolts, stealing the pen and the cloak before she gets close to the window beside the tea set. They look forwards the window, clearly ready to escape back out to the garden at the earliest opportunity.

Rollyn looks down at Medanne and asks if she wants him to carry her out the window. She asks if they’re jumping immediately and when he says no, tells him just to do his best and she’ll take care of everyone.

He scoops her up and rushes forward, taking two heavy hits from the nearest animated armors. He starts to step over the desk before Medanne urges him to step on it. He splinters it under his foot, many countless things splintering and cracking.

He reaches the window and starts to open it.

Medanne takes the opportunity to steal the necklace before she looks around at the group and tells them to try not to die, it’s really time to leave before she heals everyone with a Mass Cure Wounds. Then she winks at Vira, who is surrounded by three of the animated armors, and tells her to try not to die, darling, giving her bardic inspiration.

Vanilla steals the tea set. They ask Skarn if he wants them to get them both out of there, and Skarn points out Vira is in more danger at the moment. Vanilla runs over to Vira and Dimension Doors them both outside into the garden.

The animated armors lumber over. They concentrate on Medanne, who takes five sword attacks before she collapses to the ground.

Rollyn hits one back before he looks at Skarn and asks him to get Medanne out.

Skarn halfheartedly attempts to, but it mostly involves her dragging Medanne to the window and dropping her out of it.

Vira looks up, seeing Medanne tumble out of the window. She jumps forward and catches Medanne’s unconscious body as Skarn hops out the window after her. She lands, rolling her ankle badly.

Alone in the study, Rollyn looks at the animated armors. Then he lights a cigarette and tosses it onto the shattered desk, watching the sparks and flame immediately begin, before he jumps out the window as well.

Vanilla heals Medanne, who wakes up in Vira’s strong arms. She thanks them both and says while she would prefer not to have been stabbed quite so many times, at least she woke up to some lovely sights. As they all start to run for the tunnel, they can see the smoke beginning to billow out of the study’s window.

The guards spot the flames and race into the manor as the party joins the throng of fleeing bystanders amidst the chaos. Several of the group join in with the cries of dismay and speculation about poor Lord Halca’s fate.

By the time they reach the fountain in the middle of Stagheart, they can see the flames consuming Lord Halca’s manor. They reach the Wounded Rose, where only Caloran is waiting for them. They look relieved at the sight of the party, asking if they retrieved it.

When Vanilla thrusts the tea set at them and sourly says that it was dangerous for just a tea set, Caloran sighs in relief.

Studying their reaction, Medanne knows that their father didn’t die speaking of ordinary tea sets, but instead there was something more to his grief. This tea set radiated divination magic when she cast Detect Magic. She remembers her companions from the war, how many of them will die with the war and what they endured as the last thought in their mind.

This half-genasi, half-elf has a reckless glee in their eyes as they touch the tea set. They say that they hope to hire the party for similar rescues of other tea sets and items.

Medanne assures them that she cannot speak for the others, but she would be more than happy to assist. The tea set should have never been in Previdian to begin with.

Caloran says that they had heard good things about her from her associates, then admits that they’ve never heard of most of the others. Caloran adds that they did hear that Rollyn burned Lord Halca’s estate.

Rollyn mildly says he doesn’t know what they’re talking about, he has never been anywhere close to the estate. Caloran laughs and agrees.

They all drink to their success and Caloran tells them a little more about the tea set. If someone drinks from it, supposedly it will show them the scene depicted on the set and allow them to experience it.

As they all celebrate, in the hand-painted art of the tea set resting in Caloran’s bag, inside the art of the Sunken Ones, barely visible in the glaze, there is the image of two crossed swords pointing towards the advancing army, with two thorny vines holding the hilts that each end in a blooming rose.