The Debacle of the Burgled Budgie
Info
table-of-contents
Introduction
Link to original
Starting the Adventure
The Investigation
The Confrontation
The Conclusion
Maps
Windlewood Manor
- First Floor
- Second Floor
- Roof
Store & Warehouse
Dramatis Personae
- Lady Elizabeth Windlewood - the victim
- Herbert Spillwyrt - the “bird-napper”
- Karvatticus Fletcher - exotic animal dealer
- Jane Goodthorn - a maid
- Robert Smith - a footman
- Higgins - the butler
- Beatrice - the MacGuffin
- Pemma Stoutfoot - cashier
- Tibbles - an unusual cat
Note: What follows is based on the The Debacle of the Burgled Budgie module from Pandamancer (full credits, below). It has been changed to fit the world of Antheros and the Haven Irregulars campaign.
Background
Six weeks ago, Karvatticus Fletcher, renowned gnomish exotic pet trader and joint proprietor of Percival’s Pet Emporium, captured an amazing bird. He found it in the southern jungles: a beautiful budgie, he thought, with red and orange plumage… perhaps a new subspecies? Pleased with his fortune, he brought it back to the city and began seeking a buyer. A young and brilliant wizard, Herbert Spillwyrt, approached Karvatticus about buying the bird; he secretly realized the “budgie” was in fact a fledgling phoenix and wished to acquire it as a familiar. Although Herbert’s haughty demeanor and forceful haggling rubbed Karvatticus the wrong way during negotiations, they eventually reached an agreement and Herbert left to secure the funds to complete the sale. While Herbert was out, local aristocrat and wealthy widow Lady Lady Windlewood showed up at the shop and offered to buy the bird for Karvatticus’s original asking price (plus a generous tip!). Without regrets, he immediately sold the bird to her, leaving Herbert bitter and birdless.
Upon learning this, Herbert set about tracking the animal and its new owner via divination magic while developing a plan to extract “his” bird. He bought a birdcage identical to Lady Windlewood’s, a set of thieves’ tools, and a “normal” blue budgie, which he recolored with his magic to match the plumage of the young phoenix.
Last night, Herbert made his move – in the middle of the night he teleported into Lady Windlewood’s study, picked the lock on the birdcage, and swapped the mundane budgie for the phoenix (whom she had named Beatrice). As he made the swap, muttering aloud to himself, he heard someone attempting to enter the study. In his panic, he immediately teleported back to his warehouse without thinking to clean up the evidence of his crime. He placed Beatrice in the new cage and used his recolor spell to disguise her as an ordinary blue budgie.
The one who interrupted Herbert’s heist was Jane Goodthorn, a new scullery maid in the mansion. She was on her way to a secret tryst with a fellow servant (Robert Smith, a footman) when she heard strange noises coming from the study. Nothing seemed amiss when she peeked inside, and she continued about her business without informing anyone of the odd noises.
This morning, when Lady Windlewood went to feed Beatrice she realized the bird was not her beloved pet and flew into a panicked rage, summoning the guards to investigate. The captain of the guard, while privately convinced that the bird is the same and the old lady has gone nuts, agreed to help her “investigate” by bringing in an independent team of adventurers on contract. He’ll deputize the PCs to figure out what’s going on while his guards handle “real” police work, and Lady Windlewood is more than happy to pay a princely sum for the return of her beloved pet.
Running the Adventure
This adventure is intended for four 5th-level PCs and should last 3-4 hours. As with any adventure heavy on investigation, feel free to throw the PCs a bone if they are stuck for too long and don’t seem to be enjoying it. This adventure is fairly RP-heavy, so make sure your group brings characters who can work together and roleplay. We can’t predict every player choice, so familiarize yourself with the NPCs and be ready to improvise! Additional information about most of them can be found in Appendix D.
Credits
Writing, design, map, and illustrations: Anna Gibbons
Editing and layout: Timothy Gibbons
Maps created using Dungeon Painter Studio
Special thanks to family and friends for playtesting and feedback.
Thanks for Playing!
For more exciting adventures, settings, and mechanics, visit us at Pandamancer.com
table-of-contents
Introduction
Link to original
Starting the Adventure
The Investigation
The Confrontation
The Conclusion
Maps
Windlewood Manor
- First Floor
- Second Floor
- Roof
Store & Warehouse