A Small Heist [5e] IC

[J-H]

After a grueling, lucrative, and noteworthy adventure involving a green dragon, your group has taken several days off to rest, recharge, restock your supplies, and otherwise relax. One afternoon, a brown-haired human boy, around 10 years old, approaches you as you return to your inn. "You lot are the adventurers who fought that dragon recently, the grass-colored one, right?"

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You are in fact that group.

[Pyrophilios]

"It was more like a mint green with a hint of moss, but yes, we are them."

Barit had slumped into an empty chair and waved toward the waitress, indicating for a beer.

"You look a bit young to be an apprentice dragon slayer. So what can we do for you?"

[J-H]

“I'll stay away from dragons sir. Olivier Sandalwood paid me to bring you a message: Please come and visit him at his office this afternoon for a short job. He said the re-numer-ashun was good, whatever that means. He’s over in the Merchant District. I can take you there if you’re ready soon, or I can give you directions.”

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- "That sounds like a job offer. Leave the instructions with us and buy yourself some honey cakes." Barit replied, flicking a silver coin to the boy. Once the boy was gone, he turned to his friends: "Bet you a gold coin, they want something dead. Should we take a look or just do a divination. My scrying glass is hot and ready."

[Xav]

Raevis Human Moon Circle Druid AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 17 PIv: 10 PIs: 13 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- Or somebody, - Raevis answers laconically, meditating over the piece of fried meat. In was a little too early to embark on another adventure, in his opinion, but offers do not appear on order. - Have anybody heard anything about him?

[Frendle]

Breddo Toothwise Orc Fighter (Eldritch Knight) AC: 23 HP: 85/85 Int 1: Spd 20: PP 15: PIv 10: Pin 15 Conditions: -- Concentrating: --

Breedo stretches and looks blearily around the room, "Sorry, must have dosed off, you were sayin', about a guy in the merchant quarter? Never trust a merchant unless they leave the door to their shop open at night is what I say." Then he gives a toothy grin, "Maybe this guy leaves his shop open, let's go see."

Breedo looks a bit more awake, downs his beer and looks at the others. "Well?" he asks with another toothy grin.

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- "No scrying then? Fine by me, let's go." Barit was back on his feet before he had spoken the last words. With just a word and a gesture, he changed his looks a bit, to make him appear like a merchant himself.

[Bobthewizard]

Clip, Elf Artificer | AC: 20 HP: 75/75 | PP: 14 PIv: 19 PIs: 10 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 2nd: 3/3 Wands, Web: 7/7, Fireball 7/7, Paralysis 7/7 Repulsion: 4/4 Flash of Genius: 4/4 Conditions: Clip sits back in his seat, drinking with his friends. When the boy arrives and offers to direct us for a short job, Clip agrees. "A job sounds interesting. What do you know about this Olivier Sandalwood? Have you worked for him before? Does he treat you well." Clip thinks you can tell a lot about someone based on how they treat a messenger. As such, he offers the boy another silver coin to go along with Barit's.

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Olivier Sandalwood in Merchant District

[J-H]

Brus shrugs. "I go here and there, he doesn't try to stiff me. He pays well enough for me to know to not talk about who he sends me to talk to, no offense sir."

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- With that out of the way, Barit made to follow the directions to the merchant's house

[Bobthewizard]

Clip, Elf Artificer | AC: 20 HP: 75/75 | PP: 14 PIv: 19 PIs: 10 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 2nd: 3/3 Wands, Web: 7/7, Fireball 7/7, Paralysis 7/7 Repulsion: 4/4 Flash of Genius: 4/4 Conditions: Clip stands up to go with Barit. He's clearly excited to have something possibly interesting to do. "It seems good enough for me. Let's go see what Mr. Sandalwood has to say." He turns to the boy one more time, "What's your name? If we were ever to need an honest, discreet messenger, where could we find you?"

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Olivier Sandalwood in Merchant District
Brus, urchin that works for Olivier

[J-H]

"Brus. I'm around." He doesn't seem too interested in picking up new customers, for all that he is slightly awed by your magical gear.

Following the directions a little later, Sandalwood’s office is on the second floor of a sturdy stone building. There is no exterior signage, merely an enclosed staircase leading up to a second floor landing and door.

Spoiler: Passive Perception DC 15

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Passive Perception 15 or higher: Several of the steps and the doorframe have subtle runes worked into them.

Spoiler: Arcana DC 14

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They are runes of warding designed to bring ill-luck to any who approach with hostile intent.

[Frendle]

Breedo scratches his chin as he looks at the doorway and stairs. "Something is amiss here, I see glowing sigils, anyone else see it? What are they? I'm guessing this merchant locks his doors at night."

[Bobthewizard]

Clip, Elf Artificer | AC: 20 HP: 75/75 | PP: 14 PIv: 19 PIs: 10 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 2nd: 3/3 Wands, Web: 7/7, Fireball 7/7, Paralysis 7/7 Repulsion: 4/4 Flash of Genius: 4/4 Conditions: Clip had missed the runes, but when Breedo points them out, he looks them over and thinks he knows what they are. "I think they are runes of warding designed to bring ill-luck to any who approach with hostile intent. Good thing we are here as guests." He continues along with the others towards their destination on the second floor.

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Olivier Sandalwood in Merchant District
Brus, urchin that works for Olivier

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- Barit shrugged: "'Probably won't kill us' is good enough in my book", before rapping his knuckles three times sharply against the door, before trying the latch to enter directly.

[J-H]

The door is, in fact, unlocked. As you open it, you hear the voice of a slightly older man call out "Come in." You begin to walk in.

"Excellent, you must be the dragon-slayers. I am Olivier Sandalwood, and thank you for coming so promptly." Olivier is a human male who looks to be in his 50s based on the amount of grey in his hair, dressed in a fine suit and wearing several small and discreet magical items, including what you recognize as a Ring of Protection. He gestures towards a small sitting area containing a sofa and a number of chairs grouped around a coffee table.

His “office” does contain a desk as well as the sitting area, but it’s a large room, probably about 50x50. You see several book-cases holding what appear to be ornate books and scroll cases, as well as stands on the floor and hooks on the wall for displaying suits of armor, clothing, and weapons. Some hold items, and others don’t. Everything on display is unique, and most appear to be of high quality materials. Two very detailed statues of warriors flank the front door.

"“Thank you for coming so quickly. Word of your exploits and professionalism has reached my ears, as such things tend to, and I believe you are well-suited for a task I need completed with some urgency."

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- Barit smiled "Well, when a rich... I mean upstanding member of society calls, we certainly take note. What is it that you need our help with? You look like a serious collector. Do you need help picking up a... collectible? But be warned, our help certainly comes at a cost..."

[J-H]

Olivier smiles slightly. "I would expect nothing less. I'm hardly a charity case."

"As you can see, I am a dealer in items antique and unique. I maintain an inventory, but most of my business is based on knowing what is out there and on the market – or off the market – so that when my clients need something, I already know where to source it from. This includes magical items, a couple of which I intend to offer as payment on completion of my task for you. My experience is that people who live such exciting and dangerous lives as you do often value such things more than the gold they sell for."

"Bear with me a moment, as there's some context on this particular job. Have you been following the news from the Duchy of Eastland? It’s a couple of hundred miles east and two borders away from here. The main line of inheritance has died off, and there are several cadet branches who all seem to have roughly equal claims. All of them are scrambling to define and prove their exact degrees of relation and separation. It so happens that there’s a book here in town named “Nobility and Notables of the Sword Coast” that traces noble geneaologies for several nations, including the Duchy of Eastland, from a period about 500 years ago to about 200 years ago. It’s an original copy and can be proven as such, and is thus extremely valuable to the proper buyers as they attempt to push their claims to power.

It’s also in the hands of Eldaroth, a wealthy wizard – he used to be an adventuring type like you, very powerful and talented, but decided he liked wealth and parties better than running ragged on the road.
Eldaroth and I have had a few run-ins…and we grate on each other at a personal level. I am quite certain that if he knew I was interested in the book, he would prefer to burn it rather than sell it to me." Olivier grimaces at this.

"The thing is, he probably doesn’t even know he has the book. It was part of a collection of about 20 books that he bought at an auction two years ago. Most of the collection was arcane tomes and some historical pieces on ancient wizard-duel practices. He’s never shown any interest in politics, so the book should simply be sitting on a shelf in his library gathering dust. I want the book, and, in the interests of both peace and my safety, I don’t want him to ever even notice that it’s gone!

That means I need someone to break into his house, steal one book and nothing else, and then leave without him ever being the wiser.”

Olivier pauses after that long-winded expression to see if you have any questions so far. You can tell he's got more details to share.

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- Barit's smile grew wider "Oh, a mighty wizard. And a book that he won't miss. But you haven't tried to send an agent to buy the book on your behalf. So I assume there is another layer to this story, isn't there? "

[Xav]

Raevis Human Moon Circle Druid AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 17 PIv: 10 PIs: 13 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- Raevis nods: - To send a trader without him knowing, who's interested, looking for several books, and suggesting something else in return, if the owner isn't interested in money. Only the next step should be breaking in.

[Bobthewizard]

Clip, Elf Artificer | AC: 20 HP: 75/75 | PP: 14 PIv: 19 PIs: 10 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 2nd: 3/3 Wands, Web: 7/7, Fireball 7/7, Paralysis 7/7 Repulsion: 4/4, Flash of Genius: 4/4 Conditions: Clip listens along as Olivier explains the job. Clip isn't the best at reading people, and he's sure others in the group are better at detecting any untruths, but he is pretty good at putting puzzles together, so he looks at this as a puzzle, and there are several pieces missing. If there is an open chair, Clip sits down as he ponders the question. "This is interesting. Tell us more about the book. What does it look like? How did it get into the collection? How did you find out that Eldaron is in possession of this book? How do you know where he keeps it? How do we know he hasn't sold it already? Who else knows he has the book? None of this is to question your sincerity, sir. It's just that the more details we have, the better we can plan a heist... Sorry, that's too many questions. Please continue."

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Spoiler: Notes

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Olivier Sandalwood in Merchant District
Brus, urchin that works for Olivier
Eldaroth, wizard that has “Nobility and Notables of the Sword Coast”
Duchy of Eastland, main line of inheritance has died off

[Frendle]

Breedo looks at the merchant, then at his companions. "We can do this, but yeah, we need some more info."

"What kind of opposition can we expect? I think you'd rather have us not eliminate any of it, true?"

[J-H]

"If someone expresses interest in the book, then he'll realize he has it. Eldaroth is, in my opinion, a somewhat unpleasant fellow, but he is by no means unintelligent. Once reminded of the book, he's far too likely to associate it with current events and will seek to sell it to who knows which side in the possible conflict. I believe I'm the only person in town who keeps such detailed records of past auctions, so it's likely that nobody else in the city knows he has it at.

One of my long-time clients is involved, and I intend to make sure my client is the one who gets the book. I make sure my clients get only the best service, and sometimes that includes finding items for them before they even realize they have the need." Olivier gives a satisfied smile; he's obviously proud of his approach to business, and it has apparently made him relatively well-off, despite his obscurity.

"Unfortunately, his estate is very well warded, and since this needs to be discreet enough that he has no reason to even try to track down a thief, a straightforward burglary is out. If you're interested in the job, I have the details, a plan, and a time."

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- "Well then, I'm certainly interested to hear more about your plan. An undetectable theft inside a warded area sounds like a challenge." Barit listened intently.

[Frendle]

"Indeed it does. Tell us your plan, I think we are interested in taking this on." Breedo looks at the group, "Yes?" He looks gratefully at his Mithril armor and cloak and boots, "Good thing I'm a quiet sword slinger"

[Xav]

Raevis Human Moon Circle Druid AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 17 PIv: 10 PIs: 13 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- Raevis nods once again: - I'm all ears.

[J-H]

Olivier nods. "Good. There's a little bit of time to prepare, but not too much. Eldaroth has recently let it become known that he is seeking a bride. Tomorrow night, I expect him to attend a very well-attended ball at the Mayor’s mansion. Everyone who is anyone of high rank and social status, or who wants to be widely known as that sort of person, is likely to be there. Guests arrive an hour before sundown, and are likely to stay until midnight, so that is about a 6 hour span of time when Eldaroth will be gone.

His house lies in a relatively congested district, cheek-by-jowl with houses on either side belonging to wealthy individuals whom I advise you to not trouble, so it cannot be approached from the sides. His front courtyard and gates are well-lit and lack any cover, and he has at least one large metal golem posted there to deter unwanted guests.

He does have a back garden area which does not appear to be well-lit at night. Unfortunately, the garden is underneath his house wards. I’ve found out as much as I can about the wards on his property, and I’m afraid they add a great deal of complexity to the theft. Arcane sensors do not form within them, and disintegrate if they attempt to pass through the wards. Since he wards against this, I am fairly certain teleportation magics will be blocked as well. He has been observed to teleport to his house, so he can probably bypass that – which means if an alarm is triggered that somehow alerts him, he could return home almost instantly. My observer also seen birds hit the shimmer of the wards and be disintegrated, although the owls living in the garden of the Glovers two houses down seem to be able to pass through. I don’t think he wanted to make them mad by accidentally killing their pets and heraldric symbol.

I had someone toss a few grasshoppers and other bugs at the wards under the appearance of play, and I’m afraid to pass through them unharmed, you’ll have to be extremely small. Olivier holds up his thumb and finger, about 1/2” apart.

As it happens, a transmuter I know owes me a favor, and was able to prepare four spell scrolls that shrink a person down to such a ridiculously small size. The magic even shrinks equipment, so no worries about firing a tiny arrow and having it immediately resize to being a couple of feet long. The size reduction also has some a localized warping effect on magic, meaning that any magic you cast while under the effects will be miniaturized just as you are. Unfortunately, like other shape-changing magics, it wears off if you are sufficiently injured (in game terms, reaching 0 hp).

I propose to place you on the back fence in miniaturized form, then have you descend the fence, cross the yard, infiltrate the house, move to his library, which is probably on the ground floor based on my information, place the book into a Portable Hole which I shall lend to you, and leave without anyone being the wiser. I can also provide a spell scroll of Modify Memory to help cover a slip-up, but unfortunately only one. That's a spell people are reluctant to copy and sell.

In exchange for successful completion, I will provide an assortment of magical items, of which you may choose two. If you successfully complete the job without detection, I’ll add a bonus of another 1,000 gp or a Bag of magical Beans, which you will likely get more use out of than my customers will.”

Spoiler: Small Scale

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The party will spend the majority of the adventure shrunken to a height of approximately 1/2”. This makes the world and all its creatures much larger. All combat statistics are listed as normal to avoid creating confusion, but what would normally be 5’ squares correspond to 1/2” squares in the real world.

At a tactical level, feel free to refer to distances in feet. At an exploration level, descriptions will usually include the actual height as well as the effective height. For example, the 8’ stone wall in the back yard is 192 5’(1/2") squares high, or an effective distance of 960’!

Reaching 0hp, as with other shapechange spells, causes the spell to end. If you were to drop to 0hp and revert to your normal form inside a 1" wide gap in the walls, it would be most unpleasant for both yourself and the wall.

Consider also the possibility of collateral damage and leaving evidence behind. Fireball, for example, explicitly lights non-magical materials on fire. It may be risky to detonate a fireball indoors.

[Bobthewizard]

Clip, Elf Artificer | AC: 20 HP: 75/75 | PP: 14 PIv: 19 PIs: 10 Spell Slots: 1st: 4/4 2nd: 3/3 Wands, Web: 7/7, Fireball 7/7, Paralysis 7/7 Repulsion: 4/4, Flash of Genius: 4/4 Conditions: Clip continues to listen. At the mention of payment, he decides to ask if we could get any of the magic up front. "I'm not saying we accept yet. We need to discuss it first. But if we did, you know by our reputation that we would get the job done. And you might have some magic items that could help us. Perhaps we might have better odds if you paid that part up front." When Olivier describes the planned heist, Clip is skeptical but not completely dismissive. It might work. He speaks haltingly as if he is still thinking of what to say as he talks. "If he excluded the owls... perhaps... we could use that to our advantage.. Raevis, do you think you could get the owls to help us? Maybe we could shrink down and then ride them past the wards, then we could break in either through an open window, or possibly the chimney, or some other way from the roof." He has a few more questions about this miniature size but focuses on what might be the most important one. "If we are only 1/2" tall, how do you propose we get the book off the shelf and into a miniature portable hole? We couldn't even lift a book at that size."

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Spoiler: Notes

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Olivier Sandalwood in Merchant District
Brus, urchin that works for Olivier
Eldaroth, wizard that has “Nobility and Notables of the Sword Coast”
Duchy of Eastland, main line of inheritance has died off

[Xav]

Raevis Human Moon Circle Druid AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 17 PIv: 10 PIs: 13 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- On mentioning the owls Raevis' familiar shows his head out of his master's cape and looks around. Then hides again. The druid speaks: - I can become one myself, but I'd prefer to keep the possibility to shift.

[Pyrophilios]

Barit the Pretender Half Elf Djinni Bladelock AC: 17 HP: 66/66 PP: 14 PIv: 10 PIs: 10 Conditions: -- Concentrating: -- "Hah, that sounds incredibly fun. I'm definitely in. As for getting things in and out: I can take refuge in my ring and stash the book there. But yes, having owls at our beg and call would be a great support - especially if we encounter rats and spiders. But before we continue: Which items are you offering us beyond some magic beans?" Barit twirled his pact rod between his fingers like a baton.