THE GRAND MASQUERADE | a hyper-sexual gothic horror adventure (D&D5e)

[PhantomPistoleer]

THE GRAND MASQUERADE

a hyper-sexual gothic horror adventure using Dungeons & Dragons 5e rules

SETTING OF OUR TALE

The Domains of Dread, sometimes collectively known as the Demiplane of Dread or Ravenloft, are a series of demiplanes located in a remote corner of the Shadowfell and hidden from the rest of the plane by thick walls of mist.  Our dread tale begins in Dementlieu, the Domain of Decadent Delusion.

DEMENTLIEU -- THE DOMAIN OF DECADENT DELUSION

Every night brings another glittering affair in Dementlieu, whose citizens live glamorous and exciting lives. They enjoy the finest clothes, elegant jewels, grand ballrooms—and most extravagantly, the Grand Masquerade hosted by Duchess Saidra d’Honaire every seventh day at her island estate. Everyone who is anyone attends the duchess’s balls, and everyone who longs to be someone tries to wrangle an invitation or sneak in uninvited. But Duchess Saidra’s wrath upon those who dare to set foot where they don’t belong is truly horrible—and inevitably fatal.

The domain of Dementlieu consists of the city of Port-a-Lucine, which embraces the murky waters of Pernault Bay and Lucine Bay, as well as shifting scraps of fog-shrouded suburban areas around the city. Port-a-Lucine is a festering mire of rot and decay hidden beneath a glittering facade of decadent wealth. Everything appears more valuable, more solid, and more wholesome than the actuality, and everyone behaves as if the illusion of grandeur and prosperity were real.

Everyone in Dementlieu sweats to get by, but admitting to reality means social ruin. The poorest citizens struggle to maintain a middle-class appearance, scrounging through garbage heaps at night to find wares to sell in their shops in the morning. The members of the true middle class pretend to be titled aristocracy, but they wear much-patched and mended clothes, and starve for a week to host a ball that barely passes as lavish—by recycling table scraps into mysterious pâtés and cleverly disguised dumplings. The real aristocracy of the domain exists solely in its Darklord, Duchess d’Honaire.

Anyone who lets the mask slip meets a grisly end. When an “aristocrat” at the duchess’s masquerade loses a button from a fraying coat, the duchess pronounces the impostor’s doom and the unmasked pretender crumbles to dust. When a struggling merchant fails to keep up appearances, the resulting fall is less public but no less final. Left with no home and no livelihood, these wretches inevitably fall prey to the Red Death. This mysterious spirit haunts the poorest parts of town and drains every glimmer of life from its victims—and is embodied by Duchess Saidra.

OUR HEROES

Players will assume the roles of characters pressed into action by a secret organization.  Characters are induced to act by the fear of blackmail and the promise of riches.  Our heroes begin play as first level characters with a standard array.  Additionally, heroes may start with two additional bonus feats.  Be warned: this will not be a combat-heavy campaign.[/list]

SEX IN OUR WORLD

More than anything, sex in Dementlieu is transactional.  It's not unusual for the citizens of this domain to participate in sex work to make ends meet.  Despite that, under ordinary circumstances, sex is a private affair.  But on the days of the Masquerade, the streets are filled by citizens participating in masked sexual deviancy and degradation, degeneracy the only escape from the mass delusion of grandeur.  Characters would perceive things like adultery, prostitution, group sex, public sex, and exhibition as generally not abnormal.

THE SYSTEM

The game uses modified 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons rules.  Characters are not expected to participate in combat and can probably resolve combat through diplomacy or even fleeing.  The general rule is, if you find yourselves in combat for more than one round, you're doing it wrong.  You may use any published source book or adventure module for character creation.

THE PACE

Players are expected to post with some frequency but they are not expected to draft long posts.  Indeed, a short post will often suffice.

CHARACTER SUBMISSION

Character submissions should be simple and to the point.  No real history should be provided.  There should only be a deceit, a scandal, and a hook.  The deceit describes how the character is a fraud.  The scandal describes how the character could be blackmailed.  The hook describes a way that other characters might know them.  Example:

NAME:  Father Mauricio
TYPE:  Variant Human Rogue Acolyte

THE DECEIT:  Father Mauricio, the beloved priest, is not actually a priest.  He's learned just enough about being a cleric in the Temple of Ezra to pass as a devoted servant to the Lady of the Mists.  Though he doesn't believe half the things he says, he enjoys church life.

THE SCANDAL:  Though he's friendly and affable, the good priest is a notorious womanizer who sometimes abuses his position of trust by bedding mourning widows.

THE HOOK:  Loss in Dementlieu is very common.  You or someone you know has probably met someone who found comfort in the arms of this amorous priest.[/list]

[PhantomPistoleer]

Inhabitants of Dementlieu know the following facts:

• The city’s decadent "aristocrats" keep a busy social calendar, fluttering like butterflies to multiple events each day: museum and art gallery exhibitions, concerts and play performances, orgies, brunches, luncheons, teas, dinners, and especially balls.
• Every week brings the preeminent social event of the city: the Grand Masquerade, hosted by Duchess Saidra d’Honaire. Invitations are coveted, and attendees outnumber the invitations.
• Nothing in Dementlieu is as it appears. Everyone pretends to be wealthier than they are. Magical illusions hide disrepair, and lies great and small fill everyday communication. Everyone knows these truths, but no one dares speak of them.
• The day-to-day administration of Port-a-Lucine rests in the hands of Lord Governor Marcel Guignol. He hears counsel from a group of five advisors drawn from the ranks of the aristocracy, including Duchess Saidra. With this council, he writes laws that a small city watch helps him enforce. He also serves as the sole judge when those laws are broken.
• Decorative masks are a common accessory in Dementlieu, worn at social events and in daily life alike. Many people know their neighbors by their masks better than by their faces.

[Laughing Hyena]

I plant my flag in the name of interest and am ready to play in this bizzare masquerade. 

[Laughing Hyena]

NAME: Salvatore Barone
TYPE: Human (Variant), Bard, Spy

THE DECEIT: Barone is a talented performer that in truth makes his money via forgery, fraud, theft and selling others secrets and there is always a high demand for dirt on other families.

THE SCANDAL: Salvatore's family ends with him and he bears a very heavy debt to the Law of Port-a-Lucine. To pay it off he must steal from others and gather as much riches as he can.

THE HOOK: Barone has talent forging and stealing invitations for the right price. It's possible to have been visited by him in his personal spree of theft or to have need of his illicit services.

WIP

Lineage: Human, Variant
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Bard
Background: Criminal (Spy)

STR: 8 ; DEX: 16 ; CON: 14 ; INT: 10 ; WIS: 12 ; CHA: 16

Hit Dice: d8 ; Hit Points: 10 ; Armor Class: 14

Lineage ASI: +1 Dex, +1 Cha

Proficiency Bonus: +2
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skill Proficiency: Deception, Performance, Persuasion, Slight of Hand, Stealth
Tool Proficiency: Gaming Set, Musical Instrument (Violin, Lute, Flute), Thieves Tools
Languages: Common, Elf

Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords


~Feats~

Actor: +1 Charisma, Advantage on Deception and Persuasion when trying to pass yourself off as another person. You can mimic the speech of another person do long as you have heard them speak for a minute. A contested Insight versus your Deception can be done to see if they notice the mimicry in your inpersonated speech.

Observant: +1 Intelligence, If you can see a person's lips and understand the Language they speak, you can read their lips. You gain a +5 bonus to Passive Perception and Investigation Scores.

Linguistic: +1 Intelligence, You learn three Languages of your choosing. You can create written ciphers and others cannot read them unless you teach them or they pass a Intelligence check against a DC equal to your Intelligence and Proficiency bonus or use magic.


~Inventory~

Pouch of 15 gold
Crowbar
Entertainers Pack - (Backpack, Bedroll, Candle [5], Costumes [2], Rations [5], Waterskin, Disguise Kit)
Dark Commoner Clothes
Leather Armor
Dagger
Longsword


Spell Save DC: 12 ; Spell Attack Modifier: +5

~Spell Slots Per Level~ 1st: 2

~Spells Known~

Cantrips: Mending, Message
1st Level: Disguise Self, Illusory Script, Silent Image, Sleep

[Ixy]

Draft removed, moved below

[PhantomPistoleer]

NAME: Salvatore Barone
TYPE: Human (Variant), Bard, Spy

THE DECEIT: Barone is a talented performer that in truth makes his money via forgery, fraud, theft and selling others secrets and there is always a high demand for dirt on other families.

THE SCANDAL: Salvatore's family ends with him and he bears a very heavy debt to Dominic d'Honaire which he must pay off. Those whom can help eliminate that debt hold a considerable amount of power over him.

THE HOOK: Those under the thumb of Dominic d'Honaire or seeking the services of the talented musician will find themselves working with Salvatore Barone.

I think the scandal and the hook need some work.  The Dread Lord, Saidra d'Honaire, doesn't have any family to speak of because she murdered them.  That was her great evil act that created this particular realm.  You wouldn't know that, of course, if you hadn't read Van Richter's Guide to Ravenloft.

[PhantomPistoleer]

NAME:  Lydia Bishop
TYPE:  Half-elf sorceress

THE DECEIT:  Lydia is publicly known as a painter and sculptor, but the source of her abilities-- artistic, beauty, and power-- is a pact made with an extraplanar being to which she's promised her soul.  If her contract was gone, she'd be a homely brewer's daughter.

THE SCANDAL: She murdered an eccentric and reclusive noble and framed him up as 'her patron' so she could take his wealth, only to inherit paste and glass jewels, mortgaged properties, and an atticful of worthless antiques.

THE HOOK: Lydia has painted portraits of many figures in society, in all manners of activity and dress, and is rumored (falsely) to have bedded Duchess Saidra as a reward for a fine likeness.

The Deceit is awesome.  The Scandal is delightful.  The Hook is pretttttty good.  I think it would be better if there was an invitation, like, "Perhaps Lydia has painted one of you."

[Laughing Hyena]

I think the scandal and the hook need some work.  The Dread Lord, Saidra d'Honaire, doesn't have any family to speak of because she murdered them.  That was her great evil act that created this particular realm.  You wouldn't know that, of course, if you hadn't read Van Richter's Guide to Ravenloft.

I have it right here and quite aware of Saidra's backstory. I was referring the former dark lord whom was also mentioned in the same book as an adventure hook. Dominic D'honaire whom was capable of controlling people with dominating gazes and powerful suggestions.

As I recall he was last mentioned being trapped in a mental asylum in Port-a-Lucien but still has his powers (minus the darklord). I had hoped to play off that and expand it to where he is trying to regain his spy network and naturally his power again. I'll rewrite my stuff.

Done so.

[Ixy]

NAME:  Lydia Bishop
TYPE:  Half-elf sorceress

THE DECEIT:  Lydia is publicly known as a painter and sculptor, but the source of her abilities-- artistic, beauty, and power-- is a pact made with an extraplanar being to which she's promised her soul.  If her contract was gone, she'd be a homely brewer's daughter.

THE SCANDAL: She murdered an eccentric and reclusive noble and framed him up as 'her patron' so she could take his wealth, only to inherit paste and glass jewels, mortgaged properties, and an atticful of worthless antiques.

THE HOOK: Lydia has painted portraits of many figures in society, in all manners of activity and dress, and is rumored (falsely) to have bedded Duchess Saidra as a reward for a fine likeness.  Perhaps she has painted one of you.

Character sheet v1

[Lyrical]

is this friendly for people that are new to 5e? I have a bit of experience with TTRPG's in general but limited on 5e. Also, do we need to use D&D Beyond for character sheets?

[PhantomPistoleer]

is this friendly for people that are new to 5e? I have a bit of experience with TTRPG's in general but limited on 5e. Also, do we need to use D&D Beyond for character sheets?

Yes, it shouldn't be too bad because we're not doing a lot of combat.

We will use character sheets, but I would prefer to use the board for that.  

[Lyrical]

Yes, it shouldn't be too bad because we're not doing a lot of combat.

We will use character sheets, but I would prefer to use the board for that. 

Okay, let's give it a go... Here's my submission. I know I didn't entirely understand the The Deceit/Scandal/Hook aspects.. but I wrote something down for it. Suggestions/pointers welcome.

NAME:  Tempest (Lady Lana Briarwood)
TYPE:  Tiefling | Rogue

THE DECEIT:  Noble's daughter... But look at those horns (another scandal!) So, she was sent off to study at some private school... As far as her family is concerned for the last several years that is where she is supposed to be.

THE SCANDAL:  Well it's written above... She is not in school, instead she's still in the city, never left it to go to school and she's been living off her wits, quick hands, and perky tits. At this point she's owned by a man in the higher ranks in the local Thieves Guild.

THE HOOK:  Her presence is both a shame and a political black mark for her noble father. Especially because she's not his daughter. Lady Briarwood had an affair with a demon/devil resulting in the birth of her demi-demonic daughter Lana (Tempest, as she's known on the streets)

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/111874245

[Dream Lover]

Although it is not standard, would you allow a Wolwere PC?

https://www.fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Category:Wolfwere

[PhantomPistoleer]

Okay, let's give it a go... Here's my submission. I know I didn't entirely understand the The Deceit/Scandal/Hook aspects.. but I wrote something down for it. Suggestions/pointers welcome.

NAME:  Tempest (Lady Lana Briarwood)
TYPE:  Tiefling | Rogue

THE DECEIT:  Noble's daughter... But look at those horns (another scandal!) So, she was sent off to study at some private school... As far as her family is concerned for the last several years that is where she is supposed to be.

THE SCANDAL:  Well it's written above... She is not in school, instead she's still in the city, never left it to go to school and she's been living off her wits, quick hands, and perky tits. At this point she's owned by a man in the higher ranks in the local Thieves Guild.

THE HOOK:  Her presence is both a shame and a political black mark for her noble father. Especially because she's not his daughter. Lady Briarwood had an affair with a demon/devil resulting in the birth of her demi-demonic daughter Lana (Tempest, as she's known on the streets)

https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/111874245

Dementlieu is a weird place.  Failing to acknowledge a bastard child would probably be a bigger faux pas than having a bastard child.  I think the deceit, the scandal, and the hook could all be reworked.

As for the deceit, maybe she was sent to a private school that was little more than a criminal syndicate that trained students in stealth and burglary, not because Tempest was an embarrassment to the family, but because her parents could really use the money to maintain appearances.

Maybe the scandal could be that this "noblewoman" is actually a slave because her parents sold her off to the highest bidder.

The hook is what could possibly connect your character to other characters.

[PhantomPistoleer]

Although it is not standard, would you allow a Wolwere PC?

https://www.fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Category:Wolfwere

No, sorry.

[Dream Lover]

No worries!

[Lyrical]

Dementlieu is a weird place.  Failing to acknowledge a bastard child would probably be a bigger faux pas than having a bastard child.  I think the deceit, the scandal, and the hook could all be reworked.

As for the deceit, maybe she was sent to a private school that was little more than a criminal syndicate that trained students in stealth and burglary, not because Tempest was an embarrassment to the family, but because her parents could really use the money to maintain appearances.

Maybe the scandal could be that this "noblewoman" is actually a slave because her parents sold her off to the highest bidder.

The hook is what could possibly connect your character to other characters.

thanks for the feedback,  I will fix it up when I get home from work

[Lyrical]

resubmitted outline but sent via PM to make sure i'm doing it right before I post it again

edit.. heard back from Phantom so resubmitting updated character concept

NAME:  Tempest (Lady Lana Briarwood)
TYPE:  Tiefling | Rogue

THE DECEIT:  Tempest as a noble's daughter was sent to a private school but it was actually just another family in the city. There she was trained by hired professionals to be a thief and a pleasure servant.

THE SCANDAL:  The patriarch (grandfather) of the Briarwood family owed favors to several other powerful organizations. One of his stipulations was that he gave his daughter to a demon that another family owed a debt too. The resulting love-child (Tempest) was then to be given to another family as a means to buy their silence for some completely different reason.

THE HOOK:  Her grandfather is no where to be seen now, rumors say that he might be dead or just simply shacked up with some young woman he's become enamored with. Tempest is working on making connections in the shadows with spies, thieves, and other nefarious types.

www.dndbeyond.com/characters/111874245/pL7f1t

[PhantomPistoleer]

https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=354785.new#new

All right, if you want to post, you can go ahead and post in here.

The new layout of the site is kind of confusing, so please bear with me.

[Ixy]

Lovely post, Lyrical!

[Saric]

Planting an interest flag here.



For those new to Ravenloft it's a bunch of pocket dimensions that each act as prisons/realms for some great evil. In Dementlieu the Dread Lord (said ruler/prisoner) Saidra d'Honaire is bound inside the city of Port-a-Lucine and, while the nobles all pretend to have land in a country side called Chateaufaux, there actually isn't an outside to the city. I'm going to repeat that to be clear but out side the city walls is a wall of magical mist that you can occasionally catch glimpses of empty land, meadows and forests, but if you walk into it you ether wander around for a few hours before coming out right where you started, end up in an entirely different prison realm where magic and technology and even the laws of physics could all work different, or end up fighting monsters in the mists and if you win or run you get one of the first two options. So there's no villages, no farms, no county manors, but everyone pretends like there are. This means that food is incredibly scarce and basically nobody has any income but everyone is constantly trying to pretend like they're rich while starving and shivering because they can't afford firewood ether. And if you let the act down for even a moment Saidra murders you on the spot.

So the rule for the inhabitants of Dementlieu is that literally everyone is something other then what they pretend to be and lives in constant fear of being found out. Including the player characters. Also most people in Ravenloft, or the Demiplanes of Dread as they are otherwise called, are soulless shells of people created to enhance the prison realms and basically just ignore anything that doesn't make sense, unable to even think to question it. Player characters are ether kidnapped from other planes of existence or reincarnated from souls that could have been originally kidnapped hundreds or possibly thousands of lives ago and are just recycled endlessly because the Dread Powers that rule the Demiplanes of Dread enjoy endlessly torturing the captive Dread Lords, many of whom have themselves lived endless lifetime of false hope and pain, and one of the best ways to do that is throw some good old fashioned heroes at them. Also the Dread Powers like corrupting innocent souls and the righteous so kidnapping them to fight or fall prey to the Dread Lords is a win-win, ether they break and fall to evil or they can be reused again in another life time and possibly another realm or the same one.

[PhantomPistoleer]

Planting an interest flag here.



For those new to Ravenloft it's a bunch of pocket dimensions that each act as prisons/realms for some great evil. In Dementlieu the Dread Lord (said ruler/prisoner) Saidra d'Honaire is bound inside the city of Port-a-Lucine and, while the nobles all pretend to have land in a country side called Chateaufaux, there actually isn't an outside to the city. I'm going to repeat that to be clear but out side the city walls is a wall of magical mist that you can occasionally catch glimpses of empty land, meadows and forests, but if you walk into it you ether wander around for a few hours before coming out right where you started, end up in an entirely different prison realm where magic and technology and even the laws of physics could all work different, or end up fighting monsters in the mists and if you win or run you get one of the first two options. So there's no villages, no farms, no county manors, but everyone pretends like there are. This means that food is incredibly scarce and basically nobody has any income but everyone is constantly trying to pretend like they're rich while starving and shivering because they can't afford firewood ether. And if you let the act down for even a moment Saidra murders you on the spot.

So the rule for the inhabitants of Dementlieu is that literally everyone is something other then what they pretend to be and lives in constant fear of being found out. Including the player characters. Also most people in Ravenloft, or the Demiplanes of Dread as they are otherwise called, are soulless shells of people created to enhance the prison realms and basically just ignore anything that doesn't make sense, unable to even think to question it. Player characters are ether kidnapped from other planes of existence or reincarnated from souls that could have been originally kidnapped hundreds or possibly thousands of lives ago and are just recycled endlessly because the Dread Powers that rule the Demiplanes of Dread enjoy endlessly torturing the captive Dread Lords, many of whom have themselves lived endless lifetime of false hope and pain, and one of the best ways to do that is throw some good old fashioned heroes at them. Also the Dread Powers like corrupting innocent souls and the righteous so kidnapping them to fight or fall prey to the Dread Lords is a win-win, ether they break and fall to evil or they can be reused again in another life time and possibly another realm or the same one.

Just to clarify a small point.

There are actually NPCs that do have estates in "Chateaufaux," though most do not.

[Saric]

Just to clarify a small point.

There are actually NPCs that do have estates in "Chateaufaux," though most do not.

Is that a change you're making or did they change something since Van Richten's Guide?

The entry about Chateaufaux there reads: "The people of Port-a-Lucine speak as if Dementlieu included a large swath of countryside called Chateaufaux, where nobles summer at their estates and prosperous farms and villages send goods for sale into the city. But no one has been outside the city, no goods arrive from beyond the city, and Chateaufaux does not exist. The Mists creep close to the walls of Port-a-Lucine, occasionally exposing shifting patches of forests and meadows, but nothing more."

You're the DM so obviously anything you want is subject to change, I'm just trying to find out what's accurate now.

[PhantomPistoleer]

Is that a change you're making or did they change something since Van Richten's Guide?

The entry about Chateaufaux there reads: "The people of Port-a-Lucine speak as if Dementlieu included a large swath of countryside called Chateaufaux, where nobles summer at their estates and prosperous farms and villages send goods for sale into the city. But no one has been outside the city, no goods arrive from beyond the city, and Chateaufaux does not exist. The Mists creep close to the walls of Port-a-Lucine, occasionally exposing shifting patches of forests and meadows, but nothing more."

You're the DM so obviously anything you want is subject to change, I'm just trying to find out what's accurate now.

I am aware of what Van Richten's Guide states, but the Grand Masquerade published adventure states unequivocally that one of the NPCs actually has an estate in Chateaufaux.  Hence, the correction.

[Saric]

I am aware of what Van Richten's Guide states, but the Grand Masquerade published adventure states unequivocally that one of the NPCs actually has an estate in Chateaufaux.  Hence, the correction.

Ahh! I didn't even know there was a module. I wonder why the disconnect?