```col-mdflexGrow=2.5===# Outline## What the Players Learn **Fighters or Cleric** types visiting Haven who spend time in either the taverns of [[settlement/the-north-corridor|The North Corridor]] or the hospices and inns around [[settlement/believers-lane|Believer's Lane]] may meet a ==husky, mustachioed man with shaggy blond hair, who introduces himself as the go-between for an anonymous employer who seeks the services of 1-4 discreet individuals to perform an unspecified (but guaranteed to be perfectly legal) task, in exchange for a rather large fee (or charitable contribution,== if a player-cleric prefers such a reward). If the players show interest, they will be invited to meet with the employer 24 hours hence and be given a room number and address of a cheap rooming house in [[settlement/the-commons|The Commons]] section (named [[landmark/duhms-rooms|Duhm's Rooms]]).If the players decide to attend this second meeting, they will arrive to find the same tall, blond fellow present. He will tell the players that the "employer" is in the next room, observing them through a secret panel. ==He proceeds to question the players in an attempt to establish their political interests, loyalties, and general trustworthiness.== If the answers given are satisfactory (see below), he will walk into the other room, and return momentarily - alone, but now garbed in the distinctive cloak of the [[organization/young-stallions|Young Stallions]]. Apologizing for his subterfuge, the young noble will indicate that he is their employer, and will swear the players to secrecy about the mission he then reveals. The priest is asked to find a house of worship located outside the city walls that will allow the cleric to perform a very private wedding ceremony, with none but the bride and those currently in the room present. When such a place has been located, the priest is to identify its location, and the date it is available, in a note left at this address. The others are to wait for instructions, stopping once each day at the place where the original meeting took place to check for messages. They are told that when the time comes, their job will be to rent a freight wagon, meet the lovers at a specified rendezvous point, and carry them to and from the city in a manner that will not arouse suspicion. The Stallion will refuse to disclose his actual identity, or that of his bride, and will warn the players not to follow him, or attempt to find out who he is. He will give the cleric an initial payment of 200 GP, out of which any expenses incurred in securing a temple's services are to be paid. The others are given 100 GP each, and asked to use some of this money to rent a small, covered freight wagon, and to purchase some cargo and empty barrels to carry inside the wagon. According to the actions taken thereafter by the players, the main body of the adventure will take place several days or weeks later.## GM's Notes The Young Stallion orchestrating this plot is [[person/antonio-berensten|Antonio Berensten]]. As noted in the character descriptions, he has fallen hopelessly in love with [[person/marita-maggia|Marita Maggia]], daughter of one of the Great Guildmasters, and they have secretly sworn their mutual affection. Though Marita longs for Antonio's caress, she is a deeply religious woman, and has insisted that they may not lie together until they have been truly married. Antonio thus has been desperately searching for a way to arrange this ceremony without revealing the differences between his political beliefs and personal feelings to the whole city.Because of the awkwardness of his situation, Antonio feels he dare not confide in his noble comrades, and thereby plays a lone hand in making these arrangements. Antonio is looking for accomplices who are non-residents of Haven and appear to be traveling alone or in small groups. If Antonio notices individuals who know him personally on the premises of an establishment, he will not approach a candidate, but will instead attempt to casually follow the other back to his lodgings, so that he can try to contact him at another time.On the day of the ceremony, Antonio's plan is to meet with his accomplices at some specified landmark in [[settlement/the-north-corridor|The North Corridor]], and to continue on to another predetermined spot in [[settlement/the-heights|The Heights]] where Marita will be waiting. The two lovers will then conceal themselves in the rear of the wagon, while the players pass through the city gates. If all goes well, the couple will be married, and ready to return to town within a few hours of their departure, and will disembark from the wagon separately at a point near the Shield Gate.Sounds easy, doesn't it? Well, that's the way the plan works if everything goes well, and goodness knows that should never be allowed to happen. To begin with, unless the love-struck Stallion is extremely circumspect in his actions, there is a good chance that some aspect of these deliberations and negotiations will be witnessed by someone whose curiosity will be piqued. - There is a 20% chance of such an occurrence during the initial meeting (remember, the description says that Antonio will not approach a party if he notices others who know him in the same establishment).- This chance rises to 30% if Antonio fails to make a WIS saving roll (11 or less on 2d12).If Antonio and the players are seen, roll d100 to determine what type of individual witnesses the encounter: - 01-40 [[person/mano-maggia|Mano Maggia]] (or more likely one of his associates);- 41-75 [[person/paul-de-la-riis|Paul de la Riis]] (or one of his confederates or informants);- 76-95 other acquaintances of Antonio's (e.g., [[person/gunter-geronde|Gunter Geronde]]). In this event there is only a 50% chance that the acquaintance will actually pursue the matter to find out what is going on);- 96-00 both Mano and Paul learn of the meeting.If Mano is the one who finds out, he will greatly increase his vigilance over Antonio and his sister. Thus, there is a 60% chance that he will burst upon the scene with weapon drawn and 5 or 6 city guardsmen behind him, when the lover's rendezvous actually takes place. Paul, on the other hand, is likely to try a more direct approach, like visiting the players and demanding to know what is going on. If he learns enough to affirm his suspicious, he will confront (and try to stop) Antonio (what happens from that point on is up to the GM's discretion, but Antonio would likely be in grave trouble if a fight broke out and he killed Paul.The second obstacle to the success of the plan is the step in which Antonio is to contact Marita to tell her where to rendezvous. There is a 2d20 percent chance that Antonio will not succeed in contacting Marita. If he fails, of course, Antonio and the adventurers will have to locate her after they meet, and may even have to go onto the premises of the Maggia estate to get her. This latter rescue should not be an easy one to pull off, for the estate is well guarded, and Mano's watchful eye is also likely to be a factor.Finally, it is possible that the players themselves may become, in Antonio's mind, an obstacle to the ultimate success of his plan. If they violate his instructions and try to discover who their benefactor is, or act in such a manner that Antonio somehow becomes suspicious of their intentions, he will resolve to kill them at the conclusion of the scenario to preserve his secret. He will not, of course, want Marita to discover his intent, and might even have to track the players down after the scenario is apparently completed. The players can avoid turning Antonio into a foe by following his instructions, and being straightforward and aboveboard in their actions, so just ignore them if they complain about the unfairness of the situation they bring on themselves.``````col-md**Start / Locations** - Inns around [[settlement/believers-lane]]- [[landmark/dhooms-rhooms]]**Key Participants** - [[person/antonio-berensten|Antonio Berensten]]- [[person/marita-maggia|Marita Maggia]]- [[person/mano-maggia|Mano Maggia]]- [[person/paul-de-la-riis|Paul de la Riis]]- [[person/gunter-geronde|Gunter Geronde]]---### World Anvil Metadata**Id:** 93731b17-b5e9-4347-81a9-304763198ad5<br>**Entity Type:** Article / plot<br>**Category:** Haven Encounters and Scenarios<br>**Tags:** FCoH-plot```