Osberan Truth
An ExpanD&D Campaign for a party starting at level 1-3
Setting the Scene: The City of Osbera
The campaign begins in the City of Osbera, in the world of Excedia. The City of Osbera is the capital of the nation of the same name and the central political point of the entire continent which shares the same namesake, at least as far as public knowledge goes. A massive, sprawling metropolis built on the bank of one of the largest inland lakes on the continent, the capital city is home to over 14,000 souls, and that within the walls of the city alone, to say nothing of the sprawling farmland and extra settlement appearing outside the protection of the city walls.
At the heart of the city lies the Royal Palace, the seat of governance for the nation of Osbera and the site of countless diplomatic events and gatherings. The city of Osbera prides itself on serving as the central point through which all politics on the continent flows, and works tirelessly to ensure that the embassies of the other nations within the palace are kept busy and active, lest anyone come to think they could do their business with the other nations elsewhere. The Royal Family of Osbera only occupies a small, lavish portion of the palace, with the remainder being taken up by diplomatic wings devoted to each of the nations of the continent, including Osbera itself, with the chief advisors, councilors, and military commanders all having places to stay within the palace's walls.
Outside the palace, the city itself is broken into five distinct districts. On the coast of Lake Plenty are the Noondocks and Nightdocks, named more for their east/west geography than for any particular qualities, though the names do tend to inspire like-minded activity, with the Noondocks having the most prosperous high-end trading and the Nightdocks being known for more than a few smuggling rings. Similarly named, the Estward and Duskward districts lie on the East and West ends of the city, respectively. The Estward, being the side of the city facing the sunrise, which is seen as significant in this city that sees itself as the center of the continent, presents the city's 'best' face to the world. This is the high-class district, on the side of the river that runs through the city that the palace rests on, and adjacent to the Noondocks. It has the wealthiest merchant district in the city and serves as the de facto 'noble district'. A small part of the Estward extends outside the eastern gates, serving as the first greeting to a traveler from the east to the city, a veritable tourist trap of welcoming businesses ready to part the unwary from their coin.
Conversely, the Duskward, on the side of the city facing the sunset, is the home of the common man. But Osbera is a city that would not stand to have anything known as a 'poor' district within its walls. Extensive social programs and a fervent religious framework, as well as the city's largest park, ensure that the 'common people' of Osbera live comfortable, if meager lives. A small stretch of the Duskward actually extends beyond the city walls, known as Dusk's Run, the portion of the district that serves as a primary connection point between Osbera proper and the many farms that lie to the west of the city. The Northern quarter rests just outside the walls to the north of Duskward as well, and serves as a rest stop for those coming into the city from the north who are waiting outside for any reason, either preparing for customs or simply to rest away from the noise of the Duskward.
Between these two districts on the opposite side of the palace from the lake lies the region known simply as 'The Sprawl'. The Sprawl is the true mixing pot where the majority of non-osberan commerce, interaction, and communication takes place; the largest concentration of inns, taverns, brothels, homes for rent, mercenary yards, and other establishments that thrive on those not native to the city can be found within The Sprawl, which has easy access to nearly every other region of the city. The section of The Sprawl that extends outside the city walls is known as Spillover, and unlike the similar areas of other districts, exists simply due to the nature of the Sprawl; there is too much of it to fit within the confines of the city, and the area outside the walls primarily serves as an easy place for the more nomadic peoples to find a place to rest away from the bustle of the city while still within the protective watch of the guard.
Themes of the campaign
This particular campaign is particularly deep-diving into themes of Sex and Sexuality, gender identity, body and sex positivity, and of course, the traditional kinks involved in most ExpanD&D games. Before reading further, potential players and game masters should be aware that this campaign does feature Sexual Content, implied or referenced sexual assault, and heavy themes around identity and sexuality, and most certainly will not be for everyone. This work is LGBTQ+ friendly and most characters' gender identity or sexual orientation is left up to the GM to decide, with the exception of a few specific characters for whom their identity or orientation plays a notable part in their story. Box text and flavor text may be written with an assumed set of identities for the characters; feel free to change any of these as fits the needs of the version of the story you are telling.
The City of Osbera - Points of Interest
The following points of interest will be relevant throughout the campaign as places the party may like to visit for various reasons.
The Harvest Eve Inn
Described in further detail in Act 1 Scene 1, the Harvest Eve Inn is a popular establishment for adventurers coming into town, well known for the Six Courtesans that give the Inn its identity as a place of both rest and pleasure. This location will likely serve as a main hub for the party throughout the campaign, with the NPCs that work and operate in the Inn acting as regular characters for the story to offer interesting viewpoints and perspectives through.
Osbera Adventurer's Guild
A guild for adventurers seeking work and the regular haunt of Nera Songsparrow when she's not spending time at The Harvest Eve, the Osbera Adventurer's Guild is the largest and most prosperous guild on this side of the continent of Osbera. According to most, only the Legrasan Adventurer's Guild in Western Osbera is more prestigious and storied.
Player characters can head here if they're looking for potential side jobs between arcs of the main story, to spend downtime or to seek adventure hooks elsewhere.
Knights of the Steel Harvest Barracks
Temple of Letidýra
Sprawl Guard Command Center
Tenth Dawn Harbor
Midnight Pier
Greenleaf Goods
Stevern's Steel
The Unbound Rune
Lilyra's Cosmetics
Estward's Finest
Act 1 Scene 1 - The Harvest Eve Inn
The campaign begins in the Sprawl, in a moderately-sized but well known tavern and brothel known as the Harvest Eve Inn. The environment is comfortable and welcoming, with a warm hearth and wooden floors that seem well-maintained but well-enjoyed, projecting a homey atmosphere for all who come to rest within its walls. The smell of good food and good drink is ever pervasive, and the sounds of merriment are common on the ground floor.
The scene opens with the party enjoying a night's rest in the Harvest Eve, whether they had just met there, had already been journeying together, or had expressly been intending to gather there for some purpose. There is general enjoyment to be had for the first part of the evening, with good food and drink of any quality available for the party to purchase. Individuals of note on the ground floor at this juncture include Madame Olivia, the human proprietress of the inn, a retired Blood Hunter from the order of the Liposanguinor, Shani Dragonheart, a novice human inductee of the local order of the Knights of the Steel Harvest, and Nera Songsparrow, a regular adventurer and human spellsword with some degree of fame, and unknown to the party, the common guise of the Lich Queen Narce. While Shani and Nera are each individually enjoying their drinks and food alone at tables by themselves, Madame Olivia is manning the bar of the establishment, while her servers bring food and drink to tables prepared by Gavraxas, the four-armed Kitchenforged who operates and runs the kitchen of the Harvest Eve.
After some time of the party carousing and enjoying themselves, as the night draws on, the time comes in the evening for the emergence of the Six Courtesans of the Harvest Eve, Dominance, Endras Alathil, Ess, Gorek the broad, Lyndinel Moonswell, and Onnaki. Each of the six courtesans begin to work the tavern, finding potential customers for the night to ply their trade and perhaps even approaching the party to see if any of them might be interested in their services. (See the Six Courtesans sidebar for a brief description of each of the Six courtesans for easy reference.)
Six Courtesans
Each of the Six Courtesans of the Harvest Eve Inn is their own person, with a unique outlook on the world and a unique past that brought them to the establishment, and each represents a different niche within the roles they serve as a courtesan. Each of their Motivations and abilities are explored further in the NPCs section of this document, but a brief description of each of them can be found here:
Dominance (Cisgender Male Tiefling, He/Him): the tiefling taking the virtue name of Dominance is just that; a commanding presence for any of his companions for the night. More than his smoldering gaze and suave mannerisms, Dominance is practiced in both Enchantment and Lipomancy magic, and can give a partner more than just a physically good time. When his partners surrender to his will, he can give them an experience beyond anything they've had before, shaping their mind and body to his will and bringing them to new heights before leaving them satisfied, but craving more.
Endras Alathil (Genderqueer Wood Elf, Any/All:) Confident, outgoing, and happy with his work, Endras puts her all into her job and ensures that none of their clients leave unsatisfied, particularly with his talent for sexual enhancement forms of Lipomancy. But more than her work, Endras values her friendship with Madame Olivia and the other workers of the Inn above almost anything else. He has said more than once that he would die for any of his coworkers, and is usually the first to jump to any of their defense.
Ess (Genderfluid Lizardfolk, She/Her or He/Him, depending): With the aid of a Lipomantically enchanted suit allowing her to shift her physical form at a whim, Ess is able to change his configuration between masculine and feminine at will, and puts this talent to good use for the clientele. Incredibly loyal to the establishment, Ess also acts as a protector of the other staff of the Inn, and with her skill at hand-to-hand combat, he is frequently the one to excise rowdy customers, being one of the more threatening members of the staff behind Gavraxas and the Madame herself.
Gorek the Broad (Transgender Male Half-Orc, He/Him): Gorek is a colossal mass of muscle, fat, and confidence. An utter bear, Gorek is less known for shifting his form, unlike the majority of the Courtesans, and more for what he can do to you. His raw backbreaking strength can take anyone for a ride, but his touch can be surprisingly delicate in the right situation. He tailors his approach to what the needs of his companion for the evening are, playing the dominant brute or the submissive giant as the need arises.
Lyndinel Moonswell (Cisgender Female Half Moon elf/Half Dark Elf, She/Her): Her work outfit themed after a maid, Lyndinel is naturally demure and meek, often seeming timid to those around her. This does a fair job of belying her specialty as a courtesan; serving in the role of a powerful, massively muscular dominatrix. The switch is part of her appeal; as she interacts with her client for the evening, she swells in size and muscularity, becoming more dominant and imposing as the night goes on.
Onnaki (Transgender Female Shifter, She/Her): an exotic beauty from beyond the continent of Osbera, where shifters are rare and her appearance is considered striking as a member of the Six Courtesans of the Harvest Eve Inn. Her particular talent for Lipomancy and allowing her body to swell and shrink with fat at will lets her play the role of the tavern's alluring beauty for those who favor larger women, or the process of seeing someone become so.
The Confrontation
As the night goes on, a pair of local nobles, Laurence Falkirk(Cisgender Human, He/Him) and his brother Mathias Falkirk(Cisgender Human, He/Him) put on a shit showing of themselves, harassing the courtesans and other patrons and generally being horrendous human beings. After getting particularly handsy with Lyndinel without her consent, Endras threatens Laurence with an ornate and uniquely-designed dagger that he owns, telling them both to get out. When the two nobles turn to Madame Olivia for support, they find none, and are forced to leave bitterly before they are thrown out. After this, the night continues on in much higher spirits until everyone retires to their rooms for the night, with or without companions as need be.
The Arrest
The next morning, the group is awoken by a commotion downstairs and find Guard Captain Logan Cormac and a squad of his guards in the tavern, confronting Madame Olivia and the rest of her staff. Apparently, Endras has been accused of the murder of Laurence Falkirk, and their Ornate Dagger was found at the scene of the killing. An argument ensues with Madame Olivia and the Courtesans stridently defending Endras's innocence, and Endras protests that he had misplaced that knife later that evening, and hadn't had it since they'd left the tavern. Logan is sympathetic, but with Endras being the prime suspect, he is forced to take her into custody pending his investigation of the incident.
The Quest
After Logan and his guards leave with Endras, Madame Olivia looks to hire the party to perform an investigation of their own into the events surrounding Laurence's death, promising to provide them free room and board for the duration of their investigation, and to pay them 500 gold if they prove her Courtesan's innocence.
The Secret
The truth of the matter, the secret that the players must uncover in their investigation, is that Laurence's younger brother Mathias is the one behind the murder. Spying an opportunity to replace his elder sibling in the line of succession and pin the blame on another, Mathias paid a captain of the Evil Eye, a city-wide criminal organization, to assassinate his brother using Endras' knife, which he had someone else sneak in and lift from the elf after the pair of them had been kicked out. It is up to the group to uncover this mystery and save Endras from a false accusation.
The Leads
If the party accepts, there are any number of ways they might go about the investigation, but here are a few potential leads that have been laid out that might need to be outlined for the group's convenience.
The Accused
If the party wishes to speak with Endras, they can find him at the Guard outpost. Captain Logan won't begrudge the group a chance to speak to Endras. The guard captain doesn't truly believe that the elf is guilty, but with her being the only suspect, and with a duty to the city and pressure mounting from higher-ups to wrap up any criminal issues in the district swiftly, his duty demands he take them suspect into custody.
For Endras' part, the High elf knows that he lost the dagger that was used somewhere between the Harvest Eve and his home. She notes that she wasn't exactly in the best of moods that night and maybe not paying attention to her surroundings, so it's entirely possible she dropped it somewhere, or more likely, if someone wanted to frame her with a murder, that it was picked off her at some point or even stolen from her house. She lives in a house on the southeast end of the sprawl, and there's more than a couple of different guilds of thieves and criminals that could've pulled that off at someone's behest. Endras speculates that it was probably someone who saw or heard about her fight with the noble and took advantage of the opportunity to frame someone else for a murder that would give them some kind of political advantage. Who that would be Endras has no idea, but he doesn't doubt that the blue-blooded snot had a variety of enemies. Maybe the family's manor would have some clues.
The Adventurer
Nera Songsparrow is a well-traveled adventurer by all accounts, and can be found in the Osberan Adventurer's Guild if the party decides to look for her insight into the situation.