(TFT) TFT Adventure: Tainted Inheritance. Part 1

[Rick Smith <rsmith@lightspeed.ca>]

		Tainted Inheritance
		A TFT adventure for 3 to 4 beginning characters.
		(C) 2001, 2004 By Richard W. Smith


  This adventure is designed for a wizard, 1 or 2 fighters and a thief. 
If there are 4 characters then each should have from 32 to 35
attributes.  If there is only one fighter, each of the characters should
be from 35 to 40 attributes.


  Part 1
  Story Setup.
  In a small town that the characters are based in or visiting, a rich
merchant has died.  His children are fighting over the inheritance. 
Everyone in town has strong feelings over what the will should be and it
is the center of gossip everywhere.  It is intended that the children be
memorable characters that will become permanent parts of the campaign.

  The town has a population of around 120 adults.  It is on a river
where an overland trade route crosses the river at a ferry.  The Hasturs
are a merchant family that own the ferry, several warehouses, and 3
river vessels that trade up and down stream.  The family consists of:

  Mordant Hastur.  Just died.  He was selfish and mean and not very
popular in town.

  Emmeni Hastur.  Eldest Daughter.  Has a very good understanding of
business and numbers. She knows the workings of the business better than
anyone.  She has a ruthless streak and can be very rude to people who
are slow to understand or who don't do what she wants.

  Mort Hastur.  Eldest Son.  A lazy drunkard, Mort has always been able
to manipulate people into doing what he wants.  He has a gang of tough
friends that will fight for him.

  Sheena Carrol.  Youngest Daughter (married).  She has 4 children that
Mordant loved.  Her husband worked for Mordant for several years as a
mate on the ships and when he married Sheena he was promoted to Captain.
Her husband (called Preetem) was killed fighting off a pirate attack 2
years ago.  Sheena moved back into Mordant's house after Preetem died
with her children.  The kids are 7, 5, 4 and 2 years old and loved the
crusty old man who spoiled them badly.  They morn the death of Mordant
more than anyone else in the town.  Sheena Carrol is a very shy women
who stutters and will do almost anything to avoid talking in public.

  Zaff Hastur.  Youngest son.  Zaff is a canny trader who risked a small
fortune buying and selling magic items.  His gamble paid off and has
made a lot of money for the family in the last 3 years (almost as much
as all the rest of the families' investments put together).  He is a
very friendly person, who is willing to go to a lot of effort to help
people in trouble.  Many people in town owe him favors and he is easily
the most popular person in the family.



  Major assets owned by the family:
  Dancing Current.  Medium sized river boat worth $4,500.  This vessel
can carry 55 tonnes of cargo and usually makes about $600 per year.  It
is quite new and should last for 10 more years.  This is the vessel that
Preetem died defending from the pirates.

  Strong Current.  Medium sized river boat worth $2,700.  This vessel
can carry 45 tonnes of cargo and usually makes about $400 per year.  It
is old and is beginning to leak badly and is in need of $400 repairs. 
If fixed up it would likely last another 4 or 5 years.

  Chuckling Current.  Small river boat worth $1,500.  This vessel can
carry 20 tonnes of cargo and used to make $150 per year.  It is old but
very well maintained, it should last for 10 years. Zaff has taken over
this vessel and has used it for his magic item trade, under his
management it is making from $800 to $1,200 per year.

  The ferry and two docks.  It costs 2 copper pieces to go across the
river for a passenger on foot.  It costs $1 for a horse and $2 per
cart.  It costs quite a bit to pay the men to pole the ferry across the
river but even so it makes from $100 to $250 per year.  The ferry is in
good shape (it will last 8 or so years) and is worth $600.

  3 Warehouses.  The largest (and best defended) was used for family
goods, the other two are rented out to merchants who want to store
goods, waiting for boats or caravans to come in.  The 3 buildings are
worth about $200 each.  The family warehouse has $3,000 of goods in it. 
The 2 warehouses that are rented out earn about $150 a year each.

  Family Town house.  This is a small secure building across the street
from the "Traveling Tea Tavern" (a high price restaurant / bar where
merchants get together to haggle over trade goods).  It is a working
house with few comforts.  It is worth $600 and costs $55 per year to
maintain.

  Family Manor.  This includes 400 hectares of land which are about half
oat fields and half orchards.  This house is a hollow square with a
lovely garden in the center.  The house is really a fortress, almost a
small castle and could fight off most forces that don't have siege
equipment. It is worth $7,500 (with another $10,000 worth of items
inside).  The lands produce a profit of $500 per year (after paying for
the upkeep on the Manor house).

***
  Note the incomes for the assets above are AVERAGE.  Some years the
asset might produce two or three times as much money, other years it
might lose money.  The Ferry and Warehouse rentals have the most
consistent income (as well as being the easiest to manage).
***

  Bank account.  The family has $3,800 in cash.  Additionally each child
has $600 in private spending money.


  The Wills.
  1st will.
  Mordant Hastur had an early will which evenly divided his estate
between his 3 eldest children.  After Zaff was born this will had a post
script added to it saying that he should be supported by Emmeni Hastur
and that her share should be 10% larger than the others to help support
him and get him started in business when he was old enough. 

  2nd will.
  When Zaff came of age, Mordant made a new will.  This newer will said
that each child should get about 1/4 of the estate.  In particular
Emmeni would get the manor house & the Chuckling Current.  Mort Hastur
should get the Dancing Current. Sheena Carrol (then Sheena Hastur) would
get the Strong Current and Zaff would get the warehouses and the ferry
and most of the bank account.  Since Emmeni got the best deal she would
owe the others several thousand silvers to be paid off over 5 years.

  3rd will.
  1 year ago Mordant made a new will.  He was angry at Mort's laziness &
impressed at how well Zaff was doing in the magic item business.  The
new will gives Mort just the bank account. Emmeni got the Manor, town
house & warehouses (she did not owe anyone else a payment).  The Dancing
Current, Strong Current & the ferry were given to Sheena and the
grandchildren.  The Chuckling Current plus all magic items that Zaff was
trading were given to Zaff (along with some of the most expensive art
work from the manor house).

  4th will. The disputed will:
  Emmeni and Mort claim that one week before he died Mordant made a new
will.  It gives everything to Emmeni except the bank account,
warehouses, townhouse and ferry that went to Mort.  Sheena and Zaff were
to be given $300 each from the bank account.  The two youngest children
think that this will is fake.  Emmeni says that she thinks the new will
is 'unfair', so she will 'take care' of the two younger siblings. 
However she has hinted that if they fight the will, she won't give them
anything.


  The first two wills were kept with a priest in town.  The third will
was given to the local Barron to hold.  The last will was 'found' in
Mordant's papers, but was witnessed by a disreputable priest.

	*****************************************

  Start of the adventure.
  If the players are based in the town, they hear that Mordant is very
sick and medicine, prayers and magic are no longer helping.  (He has
cancer.)  If they are newcomers to town they arrive a couple days after
Mordant's death.  If they are visitors to town, the GM should make sure
that they party has a reason to hang around for a week or two.  (Perhaps
they have been offered a job as a guard on a river boat but they have to
wait for it to come into port, then it is late.)  In any-case Mordant
soon dies.

  The players should at this time bump into a wizard.  This wizard is
dressed in Blood Red robes and is associated with some group that the
players dislike (but are not at war with).  The wizard will say
something sarcastic and or nasty to the PC's (if this will not result in
an immediate attack by the PC's on him) otherwise to some NPC who has
messed up in a minor way.  In any case this wizard should remain
nameless and will go into a boarding house.  This wizard has been hired
by Mort and will be hidden from this point forward.

  A couple days after Mordant's death, the new will is revealed.  There
is a big screaming match at the manner house (some servants saw the
whole thing and gossip about it in town).  That evening everyone is
talking loudly about it in the tavern where the party is hanging out.  A
couple of Preetem Carrol's brothers and a few others of his family are
outraged that their brother's wife and children have been 'beggared'. 
They are telling everyone who will listen that Sheena and her kids are
being cheated by those selfish thieves!  A couple of Mort's friends
start arguing, while a couple more duck out of the bar.  Both sides
loudly refer to what Mordant 'really' wanted.  The Carrol family refers
to earlier wills, but since they don't know what were in those wills
other than they are 'fair' their arguments are fairly weak.  Then the
rest of Mort's gang shows up with Mort leading them.  He loudly
threatens the Carrol family for 'slandering' him.  They jeer at him
claiming that his reputation is so low it is impossible for him to be
slandered.

  In this exchange it is important to have Mort make a strong impression
on the players.  He should be drunk, loud and aggressive.  He should
also be a snob, rubbing the lower status of the Carrol brothers in their
noses.  He will insult Preetem which will enrage the Carrol brothers
since 'our brother saved your best ship while you partied, you coward!'

  One of Mort's friends will try to hire the players to fight for Mort,
'if a fight starts'.  They will pay 1 copper piece to each player.  (If
the players accept this deal they will be cheated as the friend will 
pocket the money and vanish.)

  Eventually a brawl breaks out.  Unless the players step in, Mort's
thugs will clean up their opponents badly hurting the youngest of the
Carrol brothers.  This bar fight is fought with fists, beer mugs and
bits of furniture.  If the players draw weapons or use deadly force,
they should be hunted down and thrown in jail.  Make sure they know that
this is not a place to kill people.

  The next day the players hear some sort of argument going on near the
temple.  If they investigate they will hear the last half of this
argument.
  
  One of the priests (Pettieff) is loudly arguing with Emmeni.  He is
talking about what was in the 'true will' (the 2nd will), which he
copied the rough notes into an official copy.  He is letting everyone
know that 'tho Mordant was a mean boss, he treated all of his children
FAIRLY in his will!'  Emmeni ignores his comments and interrupts asking
him if he shouts the contents of all private papers he copied to the 4
winds.  When he tries to explain that this is important, she sneers at
him and asks if the high priest has given him orders about talking about
the will.  He mutters something about he does not think so (it is
obvious that he is lying).  She loudly says that the High Priest has
some specific orders for him and after insulting his intelligence, piety
and discretion, she storms off.  

  This is a chance for the players to talk to the Pettieff.  He will
tell them the contents of the 2nd will (he does not know about the 3rd
will) and will say he thinks that Emmeni and Mort have paid off the High
Priest because the High Priest has given everyone orders not to
challenge the new will that Emmeni and Mort have found.  Pettieff is
outraged, and is especially angry how Sheena and her children have been
treated.

  If the players ask he can give a great deal of background
information.  He can estimate the value and income of the families
wealth but his estimates will be from 40% to 150% too high for each
of the major assets.

  If there is a thief in the party and the thief is in the lower class
part of town he or she can hear some rumors.  They are saying that
Mordant's mind was not so good towards the end, and he made several new
wills.  They will mention the will that was left with the Baron (will
number 3) and say that another one was given to a priest called Metzz. 
However Metzz was told to rip it up two days later.  (This is a lie.)

  If the party tracks down Metzz, he will say that a will was written
which spilt the estate between 'my 3 children, Mort, Sheena and Zaff'. 
Metzz made a copy of the will and gave it to Mordant to sign.  Later he
asked why Emmeni didn't get anything.  Mordant was surprised he forgot
her, and ripped the will up after re-reading it.

  A couple weeks ago, Mordant summoned Metzz and dictated the last
will.  Metzz asked Mortant if he really wanted to give almost all to
Emmeni, and Mortant said "Yes, she is the most loyal child I have!".  

  Metzz thinks that Mordant was confused by the pain of his disease, but
insists that the 4th will is real.

  (Everything Metzz says is a lie.  He is a brother of one of Mort's
gang member and is being bribed to help support the fake will.)

  ***  
  NOTE:  In this culture, someone being not of sound mind is NOT a valid
reason to overthrow a will.  If Mordant was mentally confused before he
died, his last will, no matter how unfair, would be official.  The baron
can set aside a will if he wishes, but normally should carry them out.
  ***


  If the parties has someone who looks like a wizard, a lower class male
called 'Snap' will offer the wizard $10 to 'escort me to the next
town.'  If the wizard is not interested Snap will up his offer to $25. 
If the rest of the party wants to come on, Snap will pay no more than
$25 for the whole party.  Basically he wants the wizard and if the
others want to come along, they can but the wizard can pay them.

 If the player still refuses, Snap will say thanks anyway and leave. 
However if the offer is refused, Snap will stay in town and show no 
interest in leaving.
  
  Snap's offer is completely on the up and up.  (Snap is a friend of
Mort who wants all the people who understand magic out of town for the
next few days.)


  Late that day the priest Pettieff, is escorted to the docks by Metzz. 
Pettieff has been ordered out of town on some minor chore by the head
priest.  Metzz has been sent along to make sure Pettieff actually
leaves.  Pettieff, is loudly arguing with Metzz, claiming that Metzz has
been bribed by Mort and Emmeni to fake a will.  Since this is true Metzz
gets very angry.  Pettieff is put on a ship with a couple of Mort's
thugs, and sails away down stream.  If the party wants to talk to him,
it shouldn't be too hard to distract his keepers for a short time. 
Pettieff will tell about the 2nd will and has the rough notes that he
drafted the 2nd will from, on his person.  He will give these notes to
any sympathetic person.


  Just before nightfall, a band of 5 tough looking fighters arrive in
town by road.  The leader is very polite, and will ask a party member if
they know where the Hastur Manor house is.  If asked, he will explain
that Emmeni Hastur has offered his band work for a few months, but if it
doesn't work out, they are competent fighters looking for work.  (These
mercenaries are an attribute or two below the party so their description
will vary somewhat depending on how tough the players are.)


  If any of the party members have been loudly supporting Sheena and
Zaff a disreputable female figure will quietly ask them for a word. 
This person (no name is given) will say it is a damn shame that Emmeni
and Mort are taking the old man's money, and something should be done. 
If the party agrees with this, she will offer them $100 to take these 3
molitovs and throw them thru the study's window.  This will destroy the
fake will and everything will be divided up according to the 'fair'
will.

  This women will pretend to be outraged by the 'unfair will' but he is
a poor actor and obviously does not care.  She seems very dirty and low
class to be throwing $100 around.

  The women is a friend of Mort's.  If the party accepts this deal, they
will be surprised as they approach the Manor house.  They will be
attacked by a couple dozen fighters (some better than the party)
probably including the mercenaries that they met this evening.  If any
party members survive being captured, they will be hung for attempted
arson and murder.  The dirty women will testify against them saying she
overheard them planning to torch the building and rob it when people
were fleeing the fire.  The player's claims that she bribed them will
be laughed at.  She is a drunk, where would she get that kind of money?


  In the bars that night, everyone is talking about the wills.  Mort has
started rumors that the old man made several wills in his final few
weeks and people will have heard wild stories about what was in some of
these several 'mad wills'.  (These rumors are all lies.)

  Pettieff has told several people the contents of the 2nd will.  If the
party have talked to Pettieff their information will be of great
interest to the locals.  If they have Pettieff's rough notes, they will
be the center of attention and will be bought many drinks, etc.
=====
Post to the entire list by writing to tft@brainiac.com.
Unsubscribe by mailing to majordomo@brainiac.com with the message body
"unsubscribe tft"