I was travellin’ the roof tops of Drury Lane, trying to pick a good mark for some thievin’ when I saw a set of dormer windows that were slightly ajar so I lowered myself down silently and slipped in after applying a little oil. Don’t want ’em squeaking now! On my way in I saw a nice little nook with pillows and a big bed ahead with two figures snoring away.
Well, Drury Lane is fancy and all but who do you think was in that bed? I nearly had a heart attack when I found out who! It was the Mayor! He is meant to live in that big mansion on the river island with his wife, but it was him alright. Well, this had to be a little hidden nook that he had for some sort of lever. Could not tell who that was from where I was so I made the notes above as I moved around. Sneaky old bugger has a hidden room with a big chest in it but I could not reach it before I heard movement from the bed room.
I decided I’d come back at another time and waited until the sounds stopped and moved carefully back into the main room. Not sure why I did it, curiosity I suppose but I went and lifted the cover on the other side with the tip of my dagger.
I fell on the floor and stood as the noise woke them both. The Mayor and the Captain of the Guard in bed together! Naked as the day they were born! I swear it. They begged me not to tell, they offered me gold and a place of privilege. I said in a whispered tone I’d think about it and get back to them. I slipped out onto the roof and fled far faster than they could arise and grab a crossbow.
How much do you think that is worth and who do you think I should sell it to? Of course, I’ll have to clear that chest out first…
Pathfinder Encounters: The Mayor’s Boudoir CR 4
A simple little encounter that is obviously designed for a rogue or thief that spends a bit of time burglarising the village/town or city that they live in. This is almost directly modelled off a game that I had with one of the best DM’s ever. I was the thief who happened across this little scene, though in my game it was not the Captain of the Guard. After that I was blackmailing the Mayor and things became a lot easier for me in the town.
That is part of the purpose of this encounter too. This offers the player a bit of leverage to expand their skills in the village/town or city they are in and is a really good encounter for a sandbox style game. It is a low level encounter despite the relative CR’s of the figures in the bed BECAUSE they are not getting out of the bed nude and unequipped. Use the Mayor and the Watch Captain statistics from the GameMastery Guide to represent the pair. Note that neither of the pair will leave the bed and they want to keep the relationship quiet through some kind of agreement.
While I say that neither want to leave the bed, the Captain of the Guard is an accomplished fighter and if he sees an opportunity to grapple the player and restrain them while they work out a deal then he will take it. The pair may be threatening but in reality they are going to do nothing to harm the thief and are willing to pay to keep them quiet with favours or coin. It is the player with the power in this situation. Due to this I am only giving this a CR 4 rating even though the combined XP of the two suggest a CR 9 encounter.
As to the chest and the secret door, you can do what you want to further that material at a later date. the cupboard in front of the secret door cannot be moved without waking the beds occupants so it is a hook for a later visit perhaps. I would probably steer clear of putting magical items in it unless they are scrying devices or the like. A Mayor is more than likely going to have documents of agreements with shady characters or dark information about residents stored in that chest. Possibly with a lot of coin.
If you use this encounter I hope you have a lot of fun! Let me know how it goes. Keep rolling!