The Beggar's Bodega (Campaign)/The Story So Far

X Worldbuilders:

GM James R

Case 1: The Case of the Corpse Astray

Client: Themselves (after being ambushed on a train ride)

Investigators: Ardemas, Roscoe , Mallen, Floux, Mauv, Dash

The Mystery: Pirates were being hired to collect corpses (that they themselves would generate in pirate-y schemes) and drop them off at Noble House in The Tangle.

Suspects:

• Precia Cointongue, famous pirate captainess and hired-hand.
• Donastra Valeri, resident and heiress of Noble House
• Lugo, the man the bodies are delivered to

Under the Mask:

• It turned out that the bodies were being dumped into the basement of Noble House, where they were being used to feed a massive tangle of flesh and bone. The sentinels snuck down and found Donastra entranced with a magical book named "Zelgrieb's Notebook of Dissection". Luckily for the players, they induced the inquisitors of Waukeen to enter the building, finding and arresting Donastra. The Book was then taken back to the Bodega where resident scholar Roscoe determined the book was influencing Donastra negatively with its own insidious magic.
• Follow up investigation and interrogation with locals of the area revealed the Valeri's dirty legacy, which resulted in Donastra's mother being banished from the family blood line and sent to live in squalor with her mason husband, who was actually the architect of Noble House. Sentinels believe the motivation was vengeance against her own family.

What they Missed:

• Donastra came across the insidious book in the first place thanks to a demon, Uxorioth, who was possessing her.

Case 2: The Case of the Dripping Throne

Client: Shawm Luzzechi (Jason Z. from Brooklyn)

Investigators: Mallen, Floux, Anastasia, Hari

The Mystery: A traveller in the city who was just hoping to purchase flutes was killed seemingly at random. But soon it became clear that while Shawm was randomly picked, the murder was anything but spontaneous.

Suspects:

• Eel and Lee, Fisherman
• Crow the Beggar
• Julianna Fishhall the Guild Leader and Sorcerous Adept
• The Badlanders

Under the Mask: It turned out that Al'Adeaf's fishing guild was actually run by a small sorcerous cabal who sacrificed human lives in exchange for a bountiful catch. Shawm may have been a random death, but he was only the latest in a long line of random deaths which helped the fisherman of the city catch great bounties. Is one life a month a reasonable trade for a hundred thousand people staying well fed? Well, ultimately the team decided it was a worthy trade, but they wanted a say, becoming a mediator to make suggestions of who to sacrifice for future months.

Case 3: The Case of the Sin Drinker

Client: Nightwatch Commander Antonio Teldi (Sam M. from Baltimore)

Investigators: Floux, Ardemas, Mauv

The Mystery: When a Nightwatch Commander believes he is being hunted down, the team works together to track down the killer, but more importantly, the killer's motivations that lead the team to re-think everything they know about Commander Teldi.

Suspects:

• The Pickle Vendor
• Vampires?
• Teldi Himself
• Merano's Pickles

Under the Mask:

It was the wife of the Pickle Vendor! She's a Penanggal who's decided to be a vigilante in the north Harbor. Teldi was the next target on her crosshairs, but he was convinced to skip town and never come back, or the Beggar's would happily let the Pennangal take her vengeance.

Case 4: The Case of the Double Dare

Newspaper clippings dug up to reveal Joe Canning's secret

Client: Adam Hersey (Jonathan H. from Texas)

Investigators: Floux, Mallen, Roscoe, Calvin

The Mystery: After being double dared to go into an abandoned prep school in Sag Harbor, Adam and his friend Blaine take the challenge....only to be ambushed by powerful dark magic that turns Blaine into a statue. Now it's up to Adam to recruit the city's best (and cheapest) investigators to figure out what happened, and see if the curse can be reversed???

Suspects:

• Bill Wessler
• Tanya Becker
• Adam???
• Joe Canning (Aka JOE MAMA)

Under the Mask: It was Joe Mama all along. He was over 100 years old and had been tricking school kids into going into the house every 19 years.

What they Missed:

• Quite a bit, due to nobody's understanding of sorcery or magic, and their lack of connections with the Sorcerous Cabal that they may have been able to call a favor from. Still not understanding the curse, or how this mysterious type of dark magic operates, they elected to keep Blaine's paralyzed corpse in the Bodega as a seasonal decoration.

Case 5: The Case of the Copper Door

Ledger entries that led the team to discover the old house on Qim Street where the Copper Door laid

Client: Marwan Abd-al-Aziz (John S. from Maryland), a supernatural investigator from The Seven Cities.

Investigators: Mallen, William, Elara, Drip

The Mystery: Marwan Abd-al-Aziz is in town, a high level investigator from the Seven Cities, the federal entity that claims Al'Adeaf (and 6 other cities) as part of a greater union. One week ago, records show a group of Mercanti brought in a caravan, their camels carried in a massive cloaked object, customs guards don't seem to recall what it was, but say the Mercanti had a strange accent. That group left a few days later, without the object.

Two days ago, a merchant named Majid-Al-Din entered Al'Adeaf via train, with a private compartment full of goods to sell. Witness testimony revealed he bribed the inspections guards, who say now that he also had a large covered item. The bribed guards were paid well, and Marwan recovered one of the coins, showing that it was over 1000 years old, from the "Empire of Merca", a phrase often used by the ancient Serpentine people.

There is strange history, weird objects, and a conspiracy underway in Al'Adeaf---and we're not sure how high it goes.

Suspects:

• Kyriakos, an oppium addict who has visions of Serket
• The Demon of the Wastes, a jinn that served Kyriakos' orders
• al-Snobbit ("The Man from Snobbite") a strange cultist who frequented the Den of Smoke
• Majd al-Din, hired merchant who was also a frontman for several operations
• Tammo & Ponzio, guards working for Majd al-Din.
• Zubair, a swordsmith who created a Sword of the Serpentine used in the door opening ceremony

Under the Mask: It turns out that almost everyone involved (Except for the genie) was in fact working for a cult dedicated to Serket, a god of the ancient Mercan serpentine religion, and they planned to summon an imprisoned Yuan-Ti anathema that lurked under the city behind a set of magic Copper Doors to attack the city and claim it in the name of Merca.

What they Missed:

• While they freed the genie, who subsequently helped stop the ritual, they did not understand that intricacies of the cult, or capture any cultists to discover what further machinations they were planning...

Case 6: The Case of the Missing Landlord

Blueprints to the club which revealed the secret elevator and chambers underground

Case 6 in Full

Client: Adrian Moore (Jayme A. From LA)

Investigators: Mallen, Ardemas, Mauv, Elara

The Mystery: Mr. Kelvin, the landlord of the Bodega, mysteriously goes unresponsive, his body is found by the team dead in his hotel room. Also on site? The lovelorn friend of Kelvin's daughter Amelia Kelvin, who apparently has also gone missing. Who killed Kelvin? Who took Amelia? What mysterious power lurks here preying on the family?

Suspects:

• Bart Kelvin, the departed's brother, who apparently had a relationship
• Peter Lankila, owner of the PussyCat Club and "social caller" of Amelia

Under the Mask:

The Kelvins were confused! The "Mr Kelvin" that Adrian was looking for was in fact "Bart Kelvin", who in fact was also the murderer of his brother. After becoming deep in debt to Lankila's casino, Bart turned to what he believed was his saving grace: Letting Lankila turn his own daughter Amelia Kelvin into a vampire thrall. But when Mr. Kelvin tried to look out for his neice, and decided to hide her from Bart and Lankila, hoping to reverse the vampire thralling that was happening, Bart in a rage attacked his own brother, killing him in the process. At the end of it all, both elder Kelvins were dead, and Amelia was rescued and returned from her Vampire Thralling after the client Adrian took a pledge to join the church of Waukeen and learn the rites himself.

What they Missed: The team had not quite figured out that their landlord, Mr. Kelvin, had actually outfitted himself with everything needed to KILL his neice, not just reverse or fix the thralling. He was going to make the sacrifice thinking it was the only way to save his broken family.

Case 7: The Case of the Darkson Princess

The ship's manifest was key to discovering who on board wasn't where they should have been.

Client: Zelda Brandt (Ali M. From Harlem)

Investigators: Floux, Calvin, Mauv, Charlie

The Mystery: Since Zelda Brandt was only 7, she knew she wanted to get married on "The Princess", a cruise ship now owned by DarkSon Industries that sails through deserts like they were oceans. Its luxuries meant the most extravagant wedding and honey-moon could be celebrated back-to-back. Last Cruise-Season, she took your first trip on The Princess, and got to know and meet some of the staff. They were excited to hear she'd be booking again next year. But flash forward to this year, and some of them, especially resident physician Dr. Coombs have not been so excited. Rumors say there have been recent deaths while abroad, and that might explain the low morale? Or is it something more sinister?

Harvey Cooper is a man whose wealth makes Zelda look poor, he has his own permanent room on the ship, and she suspected he may be pulling some strings and creating a toxic environment. So she took the steps to hire four investigators to come on board as Wedding Guests, knowing that no one smart would try to enact a conspiracy during the cruise when professional detectives were on board. Unfortunately the only money left she could only afford...The Beggar's Bodega. Things took a turn for the worst when Zelda's husband became another one of the conspiracy's victims, killed the morning after their beautiful wedding.

Suspects:

• Captain Mimir Paulsen
• Dr. Coombes - The Scion
• 1st Officer Kilkenny - The Scion
• Security Chief Georgia Roberts - The Scion
• Cruise Director Leon Thornhill - The Scion
• Harvey Cooper, NOT the Scion

And then after it was determined some sort of creature might be on board, the list of suspects became drilled down to a number of creatures that could possibly be responsible:

• Dybbuk - a type of posessive jellyfish, looking for a good host
• Maezel - Maybe the ship crossed its territory and it gets vengeance
• Sword Wraith - Maybe was someone who died on the ship, haunts the ship trying to kill others.

Under the Mask: It was a Deep Sand Scion who had snuck on board and was slowly absorbing the faces of all the important cruise ship members in an attempt to convince the captain and bridge crew to take the ship out to the badlands where a Kraken pit sat, ready to devour everyone on board whole. A number of mysteries and answers were also opened when the team discovered that there was a TON of Kraken Blood going around on the ship. It was essential for the Scion to live, but also made its rounds as a performance enhancing drug enjoyed by a select few in secret corners of the ship.

Case 8: The Case of the Nymphsview Neighbour

Leo's map of Nymphsview used to guide the Bodega Investigators around

Client: Leopold Amor (Craig R from Scotland)

Investigators: Calvin, Tragdor, Ardemas, Jacques

The Mystery: A mystery NOT in Al'Adeaf!?! When Brigadier Gaba, good friend to Leo, is killed in his own home, the rumor mill tells Leo that a crack team of investigators just rolled into the city on the Darkson Princess. With their help will Leo be able to find the mysterious reason why his superior officer was killed?

Suspects:

• Nick Ehrmann, the suspicious up and comer who may just win the mayoral race
• The Agent of Hell, a literal devil running a literal law firm over at Franklin & Stein.
• Bruno Carmena, Hitman for Hire, he ain't saying NOTHING
• The Meleagris Family, owners of the Don's Ark Italian-style restaurant.
• Johann Schmid?! - Lover of spaghett at Don's Ark and friend of Leo's

Under the Mask: Bruno Carmena, the actual hitman, was connected to a yet-unrecognized shadow agency with fingers in every pot around town...cough DarkSons...was hired by the Melagris family (who had put much of their money into Nick Ehrmann) to take out the nosey Brigadier after they found out he knew too much and was piecing together the dark money.

What they Missed: Despite discovering the killer, I don't think the team actually tried to turn Ehrmann or the Meleagris crew in to the authorities. Finding the answers and closing the case was enough to keep Leo and his weird friend Johann happy.

Also there was literally a massive talking Turkey that was part of this mystery that the players definitely did not come across. He was part of "The Turkey Guard" which protected the city.

Case 9: The Case of the False Friend

Client: Heimeric Winkler (Cody M. from Boston)

Investigators: Dash, Charlie, William, Mallen

The Mystery: Clara Winkler -- The daughter of the client, did not return to her apartment in the city according to a call made by landlady Ms. Romano. Last seen studying the occult with a cute boy, the investigators put on their best University Student personas and investigate what supsicious going-ons are happening at Al'Adeaf U. In this high-end investigation, the wealthy Winkler family gives the investigators all access to their wealth and resources to see their daughter rescued. That included a personal carriage, and even access to their BEST servant...JENKINS.

Suspects:

• Ms. Romano the landlady
• Arthur Schenbrink, the cute boy that Clara had disappeared into the mountains with
• Ferdinand Fazzo, mutual friend to both Arthur and Clara, owned a carriage, but returned to Al'Adeaf without either friend, with hair white from fear and insanity.
• Julius Sawback, who ran the Luskin Fretray Convent, the fraternity that gave Schenbrink his scholarship and then ripped it away
• The Caretaker, a mysterious stalker found lurking outside of Fazzo's room. He was recognized by some as the caretaker who took care of the lodge out near Fiddlehead mountains, weird to be here at the university.
• Jenkins!

Under the Mask: It was Arthur Schenbrink, who had lost his university scholarship after dinking tours, who wanted a chance to make his parents proud again. His only hope was to befriend a very rich fellow student who could fund his education in place of the scholarship. Befriending Clara was the obvious choice, and in order to make himself attractive and interesting, Schenbrink researched occult worship practices which Clara was very curious about. Unfortunately their flirty rituals went too far, and they accidentally "shook the boudnaries of reality and summoned a Serpantine Spirit". The spirit killed Arthur, but their mutual friend Ferdinand Fazzo escaped back to the city, driven insane by witnessing the ceremony, while Clara crawled back and huddled under a bed for several days. The investigators found her just in the nick of time, motionless and speechless, but alive.

What they Missed: Jenkins the Winkler's servant was dead! Or...was he?! Turns out the Caretaker followed the team back to the lodge, killed Jenkins, and took his form. So Jenkins was the shapeshifting Serpentine Spirit when they got back in the cart and rode it home to the city, and without being caught by the investigators, the serpentine demon slunk back into the city unnoticed. (This was counted as 100%'d as this twist was thrown in at the end, after the team was done investigating anyway)

Case 10: The Case of the Season Finale

Client: The Lich (Lich Omoi from the Void)

Investigators: Dash, Charlie, Calvin, Mauv

The Mystery: A missing Hydra Hydrangea?! Not on our watch! When the Lich's magical mystery plant gets stolen by adventurers filling out a mission order from the mega corp AgraWealth, it's up to the team to track down who put out the hit, and where the plant was delievered, and where this mysterious "Site B" is...

Suspects:

• Katharine Altone, the CFO and vice president of AgraWealth
• Owen Altone, the missing husband
• Yousef Prakseesin, the mysterious Sheik who was asked to come to the city to meet with Owen
• Mr. Darvall, agent of the 7 Cities working closely with AgraWealth

Under the Mask:

• While Owen was certainly working on his own mysterious evils on the side, planning his own kidnapping and trying to extort AgraWealth, it turns out it wasn't the Altones, but instead the mysterious Mr. Darvall and his agents (Especially Anthony Caul) working inside of AgraWealth, who hired out the adventures via Owen, who believed doing this dirty act for the company would help him get a promotion (and be with his secretary and affair more)...but throwing the Altones under the bus also threw a huge red herring into any attempts to investigate the plant-napping, leading to the trickiest mystery to solve yet. Thanks to the magic of the Lich and Calvin combined, was Site B discovered deep under the quicksands of Al'Adeaf, and the plant recovered.

What they Missed:

• They didn't talk to the maid Azzah, but that's not a big deal. I'll mark this one 100%'d

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Mystery Outlines

To demonstrate how much more free-flowing (and difficult to run) RPG mysteries can be in the GUMSHOE system, here are a number of example mysteries from The Beggar's Bodega (Campaign).

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