Encounter: The Damsel In Distress

 

Written by Tony Hoffart
Illustrated by Danny Rupp

Level: Any
Magic: Medium to High
Keywords: Demon, Disguise, Deception, Seduction, Dungeon
Terrain: Tavern, Town, Dungeon, Remote Estate
Treasure: Moderate

Unsurprisingly the tavern is packed early, for it’s a rough’n tumble place where the gambling tables aren’t discriminating and the regulars don’t look too closely beyond sizing up one’s purse.  It’s also the perfect place for an adventurer to wind down and hear a bit of gossip from the locals around the bar.  The wenches are friendly, the drinks topped up, and even the most gruff warrior will make room at the table for another gambler with coins to spend; so the drinks flow, the bones roll, a bit of money changes hands, and before long one of you finds a lovely woman on your arm.

Her name, she tells you, is Desirae Turpis and she’s dressed in a threadbare gown that speaks of former wealth. She wears her neckline low, displaying her ‘intentions’ as obviously as the sign outside the tavern. She isn’t looking to share her life story, and is instead more interested in hanging among the most dashing men at the gambling tables. Tonight, it seems to be you and she delights in helping pull in the coins, and fetch drinks so that you don’t miss another big win.

And win you do! Into the small hours of the morning the money flows from the hands of other gamblers into your pocket. And as your winnings proceed, she becomes more and more excited; planting kisses, praising and buying drinks until you finally retire…

Special Note

The above narrative could also be played out as a role playing scenario around a simple gambling game. A simple game of dice would suffice, where the GM rolls secretly to determine the number the players must beat for each roll of the dice. The “fix” is simply that the GM would give the players an appropriate bonus to their rolls, without telling them, to greatly improve, but not guarantee, their winnings.

Background

Desirae Turpis, also known as The Desire, is a succubus – a seductive “demon” or shape-changer. Her agenda is to lure the PC’s away from town to a particular location where she can trap them. Once the players awake in the morning, Desirae is still there – only it seems the other “gamblers” at the table the previous night have decided to make off with the PCs winnings.  Interrogation of the innkeeper reveals a description of the thieves and the general direction they headed: an abandoned farmstead a few miles outside town. Desirae says she knows the place and can take the PCs there. It is, of course, a trap: what she really needs is their blood for a horrible ritual she is plans perform in the near future.

Tactics

The Desire’s methods include seduction, deception, and manipulation.  She will use force of personality as long as possible to convince the PCs to follow her to the farmstead, her charms focused on the most influential member of the party: who (once charmed) will do everything in their power to also convince the rest of the party that she can be trusted. If these subtle attempts at coercion fail, she will then up the ante and reveal herself a “victim” of the thieving gamblers and that they put her up to scheming to rob the PCs of all their wealth. If, in turn, this also fails then she will attempt to flee – and help her minions lay a trap at the farmstead as the party travels there.

By hook or by crook The Desire will lure the PC’s to the farmstead and the small dungeon beneath it. By this point, the PC’s may or may not have suspected her ruse but nonetheless, once they arrive at the farmstead The Desire will turn on the PCs as her minions appear springing the trap.  Meanwhile, she will flee into the dungeon while her minions engage the party on the surface. The precise nature of these minions should depend on the experience level of the PCs:

• The Desire should have at least one brutish bodyguard that never leaves her side as the battle proceeds. This could be a doppelganger, a possessed thug, or a fanatical demon cultist. This guardian will protect her with their own life.
• Several lesser minions (the gamblers) will also engage the party and be composed of agile, close range melee opponents that rely on quick blades over flashy magic.

Development

After the battle, the part will have to descend into a small, yet well defended dungeon that includes a shrine The Desire uses for her dark ritual. She needs the PCs blood (“the blood of a pure heart” perhaps) to release the apparition from The Desire’s heart and bring it fully into the material world. She believes that by doing so, she will have power over this daemon which will enable her plans to dominate the local populace. In any case, The Desire is an intelligent opponent that uses tricks and enchantments as the driving force behind her agenda. If at any time during the subsequent battles she feels like the end is near, she will attempt to flee. If successful, she will vacate the region entirely only to settle in another place where the locales don’t know the danger she brings.

Awards Findings And Treasure

If the players are successful at reclaiming their stolen property, they should be fairly well set up. There is also likely some additional valuable goods within the dungeon, and the GM should dress the dungeon accordingly. Finally, depending on how the PC’s “play their cards,” now that the farmstead is vacant, there could be a new land grant issued to the PCs from the local lords as a reward for driving her out of the region.

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