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AN ADVENTURE FORGED

THE VERMILLION LEDGER

D&D 5.5e Lvl 3 4 Players 1h Heist Challenging

The Merchant's Guild of Calport has hired the party through a cutout — a nervous fence named Brix who smells of cheap wine and cheaper excuses. The job: infiltrate the private estate of Aldric Voss, the city's Master Assessor, and steal a leather-bound ledger from his third-floor study before dawn. The ledger contains records of bribes paid to city magistrates, port captains, and at least one temple elder. The Guild wants it to ensure mutual destruction with Voss — a peace through blackmail. They don't want Voss dead, they want him leashed. Urgency arrives with the briefing: Voss departs for the capital in three days, and the ledger travels with him. Tonight, however, his wife hosts a salon — twenty guests filling the ground floor with wine and lute music while Voss himself retreats upstairs to his study. The noise, the open doors, the distracted staff — it's the best window the party will ever have. Brix provides a crude map, a servant's livery set (enough for one person), and a name: Maret, a scullery maid who hates her employer and has agreed to leave the east kitchen door unlatched. She wants one thing in return: a small locked box from the servants' passage on the second floor. It contains letters she wrote to her sister — letters Voss uses to keep her compliant. The clock is ticking. The salon begins at the ninth bell. It is currently ten minutes before the ninth bell. The party stands in an alley across from a lamplit manor, listening to the first strains of a lute drifting through open windows, and everything feels almost easy. It never is.

The Voss estate sits at the end of Coppergild Row, a street of prosperous townhouses in Calport's merchant quarter. The manor is three stories of pale limestone, its facade hung with iron lanterns now blazing for the salon. A low garden wall — four feet of mortared stone — rings the property. Guests arrive through the front gate, where two hired guards check names against a list. The east side of the property abuts a narrow servant's lane smelling of horse dung and kitchen smoke. The west side faces a locked carriage house. The roof is slate tile, slick from an afternoon rain. Inside, the ground floor is warmly lit chaos: a drawing room packed with perfumed guests, a dining room converted into a buffet, a foyer where a butler named Orvath manages coats and names with equal stiffness. The kitchen is hot, loud, and understaffed — three people doing the work of six. The second floor holds a servants' passage, two guest rooms currently used for coat storage, and Voss's private records room (locked). The third floor holds the study where the ledger waits, Voss's bedchamber, and a narrow balcony overlooking the rear garden. Sensory details: beeswax candles and roasting meat compete with horse manure from the lane; the salon's lute and harpsichord bleed through the floors as a persistent tremor underfoot; the limestone walls are cold to the touch even in summer; the servants' passage smells of old grease and cedar sachets; Voss's study reeks of pipe tobacco and ink. Somewhere a clock ticks. It always seems louder than it should.

PR

Aldric Voss

Primary Target / Villain

Traits
A compact man in his late fifties with iron-grey hair oiled flat and a precise, evaluating gaze. Speaks in clipped sentences. Wears a burgundy coat with a Guild assessor's pin — a set of brass scales — on his lapel. Never raises his voice. Doesn't need to.
Motive
Voss has spent twenty years building a web of leverage over Calport's powerful. The ledger is his insurance policy, his retirement fund, and his proof of dominance. He believes himself untouchable. Tonight he is upstairs, reading reports, half-drunk on brandy, and deeply suspicious that someone is watching him — because someone usually is.
“"Every man in this city owes me a debt he can't repay. That is not corruption. That is governance."”
— Aldric Voss
IN

Maret Dun

Inside Contact / Wildcard

Traits
A young woman of twenty-two, brown skin, calloused hands, and a bruise along her jaw she covers with her hair. Moves efficiently and without wasted motion. Her eyes dart to exits. She is terrified and furious in equal measure, and she has no patience for people who are slow to act.
Motive
Maret wants her letters back. More than that, she wants Voss humiliated — but she doesn't trust the party enough to say so yet. She left the east door unlatched as promised but will not risk herself further unless the party earns it. If they retrieve her box without being asked twice, she becomes a genuine ally. If they ignore it, she locks the east door from the inside at the first sign of trouble.
“"The box is in the passage, behind the third candlesconce on the left. It takes thirty seconds. Don't tell me you don't have thirty seconds."”
— Maret Dun
OB

Orvath

Obstacle / Potential Asset

Traits
The butler: tall, skeletal, sixty years old, with the posture of a man who has been disappointing people professionally for four decades. Wears white gloves at all times. Has a sixth sense for people who don't belong. Also has a secret gambling debt and a deep, private hatred for Voss that he will never, ever admit to anyone.
Motive
Orvath's job is to protect the house's function and his employer's reputation. He will raise an alarm if he catches intruders. However, if he is approached cleverly — bribed, blackmailed with knowledge of his debt, or simply asked directly whether he'd like to see Voss brought low — he will look the other way for exactly one hour and then forget everything. He will not act against Voss directly. His cowardice is his defining feature.
“"I neither see nor hear anything that would inconvenience a man of Master Voss's standing. That is my professional opinion, and I will hold it at whatever price seems fair."”
— Orvath
QU

Brix

Quest Giver / Unreliable Ally

Traits
A short, wide man with a patchy beard and ink-stained fingers, who claims to be a cartographer but has never accurately drawn anything in his life. Nervous laugh. Constantly adjusting his coat. Waiting in a tavern two streets away, nursing his third ale.
Motive
Brix is the Guild's cutout and wants the job done so he gets paid and doesn't get killed. He has told the party most of the truth. The thing he hasn't mentioned: a second buyer has offered double for the ledger, and Brix is genuinely torn. If the party takes too long — more than 90 minutes by his pocket watch — he sends a message to the second buyer, a rival crime lord named Cassia, who will send her own crew.
“"Simple job. In, up, out. I've done harder things before breakfast. I mean — you have. You'll do it. Before breakfast. Metaphorically."”
— Brix
WI

Sera Voss

Wildcard / Unexpected Ally

Traits
Aldric's wife: forty-eight, dressed in silver silk, warm laugh lines around tired eyes. She is the best hostess in the merchant quarter and has been performing a happy marriage for twenty years. Her wit is dry and cutting. She notices everything and reacts to nothing visibly.
Motive
Sera knows the ledger exists. She wants it destroyed, not stolen — but she'll accept stolen over nothing. She suspects something is happening tonight (a servant behaved oddly, a door was left unlatched). If she encounters the party mid-heist, she will not immediately raise an alarm. She'll ask one question: 'Are you going to hurt my husband?' If the answer is no, she will buy them sixty seconds by creating a distraction. She wants out of this marriage and this life, and the ledger's destruction is her key.
“"I have been shouting into a pillow for nineteen years. Don't mistake my silence for contentment."”
— Sera Voss

THE GUEST LIST

social

The front gate is guarded by two hired swords checking names against Orvath's list. The party needs to get at least one person inside the front — or circumvent the gate entirely. The east kitchen door is unlatched thanks to Maret, allowing silent entry into the servants' area, but the alley is watched by a third guard making irregular patrol rounds (every 8–12 minutes). Inside the drawing room, Orvath drifts like a white-gloved wraith, cataloguing faces. Sera Voss holds court near the fireplace. The noise and crowd make the ground floor chaotic but not unnavigable. The challenge is entry: cleanly, quietly, without triggering the house's social alarm.

Challenge
The gate guards require a name on the list (Deception DC 14 to bluff a plausible name, with advantage if the character is in servant's livery) or a bribe of 5 gp per person. The alley patrol: DC 13 Stealth to slip past, or DC 12 Dexterity check to time the entry window using the patrol rhythm (requiring 1 minute of observation). Orvath's passive Perception is 14 — anyone without a social cover story must succeed on a DC 13 Deception or Performance check to explain their presence. If the party engages Orvath socially and learns his secret (DC 15 Insight to notice his flinch when Voss is praised, followed by DC 14 Persuasion to extract the gambling debt angle), he becomes a passive ally. Sera Voss: DC 12 Insight to realize she's not a threat; DC 14 Persuasion to earn her sixty-second distraction.
Resolve
If the party enters cleanly, they have a head start on the upper floors before any alarm. If Orvath is turned, he 'discovers' a wine emergency in the cellar at a dramatically convenient moment. If Sera is befriended, she spills a decanter near the stairs, buying the party time to move upward without observation. A botched entry (failed roll by 5 or more, or violence) puts the house on edge: all subsequent Stealth DCs increase by 2 and the alley guard begins a tighter patrol.

THE SERVANTS' PASSAGE

exploration

The second floor is accessed via a narrow servants' stair off the kitchen, barely wide enough for two people abreast, smelling of old candle grease. The passage runs the length of the building behind the guest rooms and connects to the main landing via a door that opens outward — toward a hallway where two salon guests have wandered upstairs looking for a privy. The passage itself holds the candlesconce where Maret's locked box is hidden. The records room is also on this floor, locked with a quality padlock. A sound from above — footsteps, a chair scraping, Voss clearing his throat — reminds the party the third floor is occupied.

Challenge
The locked box: DC 10 Perception to find the correct sconce, then DC 12 Thieves' Tools (or Sleight of Hand) to pry the hidden cache open without damaging the letters inside. The locked records room: DC 15 Thieves' Tools to pick — worth checking as it holds a secondary reward (see Rewards). The wandering guests are a couple having a quiet argument; DC 13 Stealth to pass them unnoticed, or DC 12 Deception ('I'm fetching the master's correspondence, please, guests are not permitted on this floor') to redirect them. The passage ceiling has a weak board — walking without care triggers a DC 11 Dexterity save or it creaks loudly, immediately prompting Voss above to call out 'Orvath? Is that you?' The party has 30 seconds (3 rounds) to produce a plausible sound (knocking over a broom, humming a servant's tune) before Voss descends to check.
Resolve
Retrieving the box and delivering it (or keeping it) to Maret determines her loyalty for the rest of the session. The records room, if opened, reveals a secondary ledger — smaller, less damning, but worth money to the Guild or to Cassia's crew. If Voss descends to check the noise, the party may hide (DC 14 Stealth in the passage's shadows), bluff (DC 15 Deception as 'one of Orvath's staff'), or retreat — triggering the Alarm Twist earlier than expected.

THE STUDY

puzzle

Voss's third-floor study: a rectangular room dense with bookshelves, a massive writing desk, a cold fireplace with two armchairs, and a smell of tobacco and anxiety. The Vermillion Ledger — red leather, brass clasp, edges stained dark from years of handling — is not on the desk. It is not visible anywhere obvious. Voss has hidden it tonight, unusual behavior suggesting he half-expects trouble. Three locked drawers in the desk. A false panel behind the painting of a harbor. A locked document case under the chaise. One of these is the real hiding place, one is trapped, one is empty. The ticking of a large bracket clock on the mantle counts every second.

Challenge
Finding the ledger requires systematic searching. Each search location takes 1 minute (10 rounds) and a DC 12 Investigation check. The painting's false panel: DC 14 Investigation to notice the frame is slightly uneven, then DC 12 Thieves' Tools to open — reveals the real ledger. The locked desk drawer: contains the trapped location — a poisoned needle (DC 14 Dexterity save or 2d6 Poison damage and Poisoned condition for 1 hour, Constitution save DC 12 to end at end of each turn). The document case under the chaise: DC 10 Perception to notice it, then DC 12 Thieves' Tools — empty, a decoy. Total time pressure: if the party spends more than 6 minutes in the study (60 rounds), the salon's entertainment ends and Voss returns upstairs. Additionally, a DC 12 Perception check (passive or active) while searching notices a thin tripwire across the doorway threshold — DC 13 Dexterity to disarm, or step over with DC 11 Dexterity. If triggered: a small bell rings somewhere in the house, alerting Orvath if he hasn't been turned.
Resolve
The ledger is found: the party now needs to leave with it. This is where the escape route matters — front door (harder, more witnesses), the east kitchen door (requires passing through the ground floor again), or the third-floor balcony (15-foot drop to the rear garden, DC 13 Athletics or Acrobatics check to land safely, or use rope). If the tripwire or the desk trap triggered an alert, the exit encounter begins immediately regardless of plan.

EXIT STRATEGY

combat

Something has gone wrong — whether by trap, alarm, ill-timed encounter, or the arrival of Cassia's crew (see Twists). The party needs to get out with the ledger. If the alarm was triggered by Cassia's rival crew, the fight is against them in the rear garden or the servants' passage: three human thugs and their leader, a half-elf assassin named Darro who wants the ledger for his employer. If the alarm was triggered internally (trap or noise), the two gate guards burst in through the kitchen, and a third guard comes over the garden wall — Voss has paid them danger wages tonight, and they're earning it. The Salon guests scatter. Orvath stands very still and stares at the ceiling. Sera Voss throws a candlestick at someone's head (roll 1d6; on 4-6, it hits a guard, not a party member). The party must fight or flee — and fleeing while holding a stolen ledger through a panicking crowd has its own complications.

Challenge
Combat encounter. If facing Cassia's crew: Darro (Spy stat block, CR 1) plus 3 Thugs (CR 1/2 each). If facing Voss's guards: 3 Guards (CR 1/8) plus 1 Veteran (CR 3) who serves as the head of security. The fight takes place in tight quarters (the servants' passage is 5 feet wide — squeezing rules apply for Large creatures; Medium creatures fight at disadvantage if more than 2 are in the same 5-foot corridor). The ledger: if dropped during combat, treat it as a contested Sleight of Hand or Athletics check each round to see who controls it. Escaping without fighting: DC 15 Acrobatics to vault the garden wall while being pursued, or DC 14 Deception to bluff as an alarmed guest fleeing a 'fire' — this requires dropping all obviously stolen items or accepting a DC 16 Persuasion check instead.
Resolve
Stat Blocks
Darro, Half-Elf Retrieval Agent

Medium Humanoid (Half-Elf)

CR 1
13
AC · leather armor
27
HP · 6d8
30 ft.
Speed
str
10
(+0)
dex
15
(+2)
con
10
(+0)
int
12
(+1)
wis
14
(+2)
cha
16
(+3)

SavesDex +4, Int +3

SkillsDeception +5, Insight +4, Perception +6, Persuasion +5, Sleight of Hand +4, Stealth +4

Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16

TongueCommon, Elvish, Thieves' Cant

Cunning Action.On each of his turns, Darro can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Sneak Attack (3/turn).Once per turn, Darro deals an extra 7 (2d6) damage when he hits a target with a finesse or ranged weapon attack and has advantage, or when the target is adjacent to one of Darro's allies.

Fey Ancestry.Darro has advantage on saving throws against the Charmed condition and magic can't put him to sleep.

Actions

Multiattack.Darro makes two Shortsword attacks.

Shortsword.Melee Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.(1d6+2 piercing)

Hand Crossbow.Ranged Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.(1d6+2 piercing)

Thug

Medium Humanoid (Human)

CR 1/2
11
AC · leather armor
32
HP · 5d8+10
30 ft.
Speed
str
15
(+2)
dex
11
(+0)
con
14
(+2)
int
10
(+0)
wis
10
(+0)
cha
11
(+0)

SkillsIntimidation +2

Sensespassive Perception 10

TongueCommon

Pack Tactics.The thug has advantage on attack rolls against a creature if at least one of the thug's allies is adjacent to the target and not Incapacitated.

Actions

Multiattack.The thug makes two Mace attacks.

Mace.Melee Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 5 (1d6+2) bludgeoning damage.(1d6+2 bludgeoning)

Heavy Crossbow.Ranged Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 6 (1d10+1) piercing damage.(1d10+1 piercing)

Voss Estate Veteran Guard

Medium Humanoid (Human)

CR 3
17
AC · splint armor
58
HP · 9d8+18
30 ft.
Speed
str
16
(+3)
dex
13
(+1)
con
14
(+2)
int
10
(+0)
wis
11
(+0)
cha
10
(+0)

SavesStr +5, Con +4

SkillsAthletics +5, Perception +2

Sensespassive Perception 12

TongueCommon

Grappler.The veteran has advantage on attack rolls against any creature it has Grappled.

Actions

Multiattack.The veteran makes two Longsword attacks and one Shield Bash.

Longsword.Melee Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 7 (1d8+3) slashing damage, or 8 (1d10+3) slashing damage if used two-handed.(1d8+3 slashing)

Shield Bash.Melee Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 5 (1d4+3) bludgeoning damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be knocked Prone.(1d4+3 bludgeoning)

Heavy Crossbow.Ranged Weapon Attack. On a hit, deals 7 (1d10+2) piercing damage.(1d10+2 piercing)

A Twist of Fate

CASSIA'S CREW

Trigger
Activated if the party takes longer than 40 minutes in the estate (tracked loosely by encounter pacing), OR if Brix's nervous energy gets the better of him and a player makes a Insight DC 12 check during the briefing and notices he's already been drinking heavily for reasons beyond nerves.
Reveal
Brix, tempted by the second offer, sends a message to Cassia's operation. Three of Cassia's people arrive at the estate — they know about Maret's unlatched door and use it. If the party is still in the building, they encounter Darro and his thugs in the servants' passage or rear garden, turning the exit encounter hostile and competitive rather than purely defensive. The ledger becomes a hot potato — whoever holds it when the guards arrive gets the worst attention. Cassia's crew is not interested in killing: they want the ledger and will offer the party a deal ('give us the ledger, we split the second buyer's payment'). Trusting them is foolish — Cassia wants the ledger to destroy the Guild, not to sell, and her people will betray that offer the moment they can. Brix, if confronted, breaks immediately: he's a coward and admits everything while crying.

A Twist of Fate

VOSS KNOWS

Trigger
Activated if the party triggered any alarm (tripwire bell, creaking passage board, failed social check by 5 or more), OR if the GM wants to increase tension in the final 15 minutes of the session.
Reveal
Voss has not gone to his study. He's been in the dark records room on the second floor with a loaded crossbow, waiting. He saw the unlatched door. He doesn't know how many intruders there are, but he knows someone is coming for the ledger tonight. He is not a fighter — he is a frightened, furious bureaucrat with a weapon and decades of paranoia. When the party reaches the second floor, a Perception DC 14 check reveals a faint sound of breathing behind the records room door. Voss will fire once if the door opens (ranged attack +3, 1d10+1 piercing), then attempt to flee toward the main stairs shouting for the guards. He can be tackled (DC 12 Athletics or Acrobatics to grapple), talked down (DC 18 Persuasion — he's terrified and furious, a hard sell), or simply outrun. If he reaches the main stairs and calls for help, the guard response time drops to 2 rounds instead of 5.

The Vermillion Ledger

Information

The primary objective. Delivered to Brix and the Merchant's Guild, it pays the agreed-upon 200 gp split among the party (50 gp each). If the party reads it first, they discover that two of the bribed officials are names they recognize from their own backgrounds — leverage they can use independently. The ledger also names a judge who owes Voss a debt that was never paid; that judge might become an unexpected patron if approached carefully.

Guild Payment

Gold

50 gp per character for successful delivery of the ledger. Brix has the coin on him in a worn leather pouch. He pays immediately if the ledger is intact, pays half (25 gp each) if it's damaged, and pays nothing and runs if Cassia's crew has complicated things — though he's not fast and catching him is easy.

Maret's Gratitude

Ally

If the party retrieved her locked box, Maret owes them a genuine debt. She is a scullery maid with access to half of Calport's fine houses, an excellent memory for names and faces, and a quiet fury that makes her reliable. She becomes a recurring contact: she can case locations, pass messages, and occasionally lift small items. She will never do anything that puts her directly in danger — but she will never lie to the party either.

Records Room Secondary Ledger

Information

The smaller ledger in Voss's locked records room (second floor, DC 15 Thieves' Tools to open). Less damning than the Vermillion Ledger, but it contains three years of city contract records with clear evidence of bid-rigging in the harbor reconstruction project. A reporter, a reform magistrate, or a rival contractor would pay 80 gp for it. The Guild would prefer it destroyed — it implicates two of their own members.

Voss's Signet Ring

Magic Item

A heavy gold ring bearing the assessor's seal. Non-magical, but functionally powerful: bearing this ring allows a forged official document to pass casual inspection (advantage on Deception checks when presenting forged Guild or City permits in Calport). Worth 30 gp as jewelry, considerably more as a forgery tool to the right buyer. Voss wears it. Getting it requires either his willing removal (not happening), pickpocketing during a distraction (DC 16 Sleight of Hand), or taking it by force — which carries obvious complications.

RO

Thessa Coldmantle

Human · Rogue · Lvl 3

22
HP
14
AC
30 ft.
Speed
CL

Brother Aldous Pen

Halfling (Lightfoot) · Cleric · Lvl 3

24
HP
16
AC
25 ft.
Speed
FI

Kael Mireth

Half-Elf · Fighter · Lvl 3

31
HP
17
AC
30 ft.
Speed
WI

Ysolde Ashwick

Gnome (Forest) · Wizard · Lvl 3

18
HP
13
AC
25 ft.
Speed
✎
Margin Notes The GM's Hand