Adventure Summary: A one-session heist for four to five 7th-level characters. During a masked gala, the party must infiltrate the Obsidian Reliquary, identify a stolen Crown Shard among dangerous exhibits, and escape a rotating crystal vault before its curator sells the relic to the Ashen Choir.
Ashfall Crown Saga: Part 3 of 4. This adventure stands alone. Previously: The Cinderwake Caravan. The saga continues with Crown of the Hollow Caldera.
Overview
The Obsidian Reliquary is equal parts museum, fortress, and private auction house. Curator Veyl has acquired the third Ashfall Crown shard and invited wealthy collectors to bid on it during the Night of Masks. The party has one evening to enter, locate the true shard among decoys, disable the mirror alarms, and leave before Veyl completes the sale.
Track Alarm from zero to four. Failed checks, obvious magic, or discovered guards raise it by one. At Alarm 2, doors lock. At Alarm 3, sentinels activate. At Alarm 4, Veyl seals the Crystal Vault and begins the auction early. Clever preparation can reduce Alarm, but the adventure remains playable at every level.
Background
Veyl claims the Reliquary protects dangerous history. In practice, he sells access to anyone rich enough. Caldra offered him a map to the Hollow Caldera in exchange for the shard, but he intends to keep both payment and prize. His guests include scholars, criminals, diplomats, and at least two people who could become allies.
Standalone hook: Archivist Selka Quill offers 1,000 gp to recover a relic stolen from her monastery. Saga hook: The second shard projects the Reliquary’s floor plan when held near obsidian, while Jessa names Veyl as Caldra’s supplier.
Characters
- Curator Veyl: Immaculate mage, collector, and host. He prefers leverage to killing and treats every confrontation as a negotiation.
- Selka Quill: Monastic archivist posing as a noble. She can authenticate the shard if brought within 30 feet.
- Rook Nine: Clockwork chief of security who follows written protocols literally.
- Lady Miren Ash: Bored aristocrat and rival bidder who will create a distraction for a sufficiently interesting secret.
Setting
The Reliquary spans a ravine in black glass towers. Guests wear masks keyed to public rooms; staff masks open service passages; Veyl’s mirrored half-mask opens the vault. A copied mask works once before the security lattice notices the duplicate.
Encourage the players to state a plan, but begin play after no more than ten minutes of discussion. Flashbacks allow each character to spend Inspiration or 50 gp to reveal one prepared tool, disguise, bribe, or escape aid.
Plot Outline
The party selects a gala, service, or ravine entry; gathers credentials in the Masked Gallery; crosses the Mirror Court; manipulates Rook Nine’s protocols; identifies the real shard; confronts Veyl in the rotating vault; and escapes by bridge, service stair, or cable.
1. Choose the Approach
Gala: Present invitations or pass a DC 15 Deception check. Service: Copy uniforms and enter through the kitchens with a DC 14 disguise or tools check. Ravine: Climb support ribs using three DC 14 Athletics or Acrobatics successes. Each route grants access to different allies and begins with zero Alarm on success or one Alarm on failure.
2. The Masked Gallery
Guests trade rumors beneath enchanted portraits. Three social successes using DC 14 Persuasion, Deception, Insight, or Performance reveal that Veyl moved the auction, Lady Miren hates him, and the displayed crown piece is a decoy. Winning Miren’s aid lets the party lower Alarm once when she stages a duel over etiquette.
3. Archive Hall
The archive contains transport records and blank staff masks. A three-ring catalog lock needs three DC 15 Investigation, Arcana, or thieves’ tools successes. Each failure raises Alarm or releases sleep gas, DC 14 Constitution save or incapacitated for one minute. The records reveal that reflected runes, not visible labels, identify authentic exhibits.
4. The Mirror Court
Crossing unseen requires each character to succeed on one DC 15 Stealth, Acrobatics, or Performance check while matching the moving reflections. A failure creates a hostile glass duplicate using shadow statistics. Turning three mirrors toward the ceiling disables the alarm lattice and lowers Alarm by one.
5. Rook Nine’s Protocol
Rook Nine blocks the Sentinel Loft. It can be fought, bypassed with Veyl’s mask, or trapped in contradictory orders. Producing two documents with conflicting seals and succeeding on a DC 15 Investigation or Deception check forces it to escort the party to Veyl for adjudication, providing legitimate access to the vault.
6. The Rotating Crystal Vault
Veyl begins with two obsidian sentinels and offers the party a place in the sale. Once initiative begins, the vault rotates ninety degrees each round. Creatures not braced must make a DC 15 Dexterity save or slide 20 feet. The shard can be freed with three actions and DC 15 Arcana or thieves’ tools checks. Shattering two anchor mirrors stops the rotation; opening the ravine hatch creates a cable escape but raises Alarm to four.
NPCs and Monsters
| NPC or Monster | Statistics | Key Abilities and Table Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Curator Veyl | Use mage statistics; AC 15, HP 72. | Replace cone of cold with wall of force. He bargains at 25 HP and values his collection above victory. |
| Selka Quill | Use priest statistics; AC 12, HP 27. | Arcana and History +6. She can identify the true shard automatically within 30 feet. |
| Lady Miren Ash | Use noble statistics; AC 15, HP 18. | Once, she can create a social distraction that lowers Alarm by one. |
| Rook Nine | Use helmed horror statistics; AC 20, HP 60. | Obeys the most recently presented valid written protocol and pauses one round to resolve a contradiction. |
| Obsidian Sentinel | Use gargoyle statistics; AC 17, HP 52. | Its appearance is glass and clockwork. Shatter effects deal maximum damage to it. |
| Glass Duplicate | Use shadow statistics without Strength Drain. | Its attack deals 2d6 psychic damage and imposes disadvantage on the target’s next Deception check. |
Rewards
- 1,000 gp from Selka, plus one uncommon consumable from the Reliquary if the party preserves the collection.
- Mirrorcloak Brooch: While worn, the brooch grants advantage on one Deception check per short rest. Once per dawn, it can copy the clothing and voice of a creature observed for one minute, as disguise self for one hour.
- The Third Crown Shard: Its facets project a star map locating the Hollow Caldera. Veyl’s private correspondence explains that the completed crown can be neutralized by redirecting the caldera’s magma sluices.
Scaling the Adventure
For a 6th-level party, use animated armor for the sentinels and reduce Veyl to 58 hit points. For an 8th-level party, add one sentinel and let Veyl use a legendary action once per round to move a mirror wall 10 feet. For a shorter game, begin inside the gala and have Lady Miren volunteer the archive clue.
Heist-Themed Table Gear
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- Secret-compartment wooden puzzle box. A tactile stand-in for the Archive Hall catalog lock or the shard’s display case.
- Black masquerade-mask set. Assign masks to guests, staff, and infiltrators so credentials become a visible part of the heist.
- Invisible-ink pens with UV lights. Excellent for hidden protocols, reflected runes, and a player-facing Reliquary security clue.