The Tragedy of Talent Draff
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
System: Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Tools: Mythic GME 2e
In Part 1, we met Talent Draff, the erstwhile scion of a crime empire in The City. Hotheaded and overconfident, he committed what those in the world of crime call “a major fuck-up,” allowing the rival Renk family to seize territory from the Draffs. He was exiled until he could prove himself worthy of the family name again.
An old companion, Torth, came to him with a lead: The Renks were transporting something into The City, and if he could screw up their shipment en route, it could make them look very bad and him look very good. Talent went highwayman and captured the cart, only to find out it wasn’t some rare import inside, but a dead body.
Scene: The Last Call
A cool thing that the Mythic GME does to keep the story from playing out exactly how you expect it is a “testing the expected scene” mechanic. Every time there’s a new scene, you imagine what it would be, then you roll a d10 against your current Chaos Factor. If you roll above the Chaos Factor, you go ahead and play out that scene; but if you roll equal or under, you get either a twist on your expected scene (an “altered scene”) or a completely different scene.
My expectation is that Talent will meet back up with Torth at an inn nearby the farm Talent was exiled to, so they can discuss the body and what to do next.
Testing the Expected Scene
Current Chaos Factor: 6
Result: 9 over 6 = Expected Scene
Mythic Domicile Descriptors Table: “Bleak” + “Odd”
Talent pulls the cart into the stable behind the inn, which a couple of rolls tell me is “bleak” and “odd.” It could be a ramshackle building outside of this community, maybe abutting a cemetery or some kind of barrow hill. An old gravedigger’s quarters that has been turned into an inn and tavern, named “The Last Call.”
Talent walks into the dim tavern, and bleak describes the clientele as well as the atmosphere; it’s mostly deserted, and a few of the lamps are unlit where the innkeeper didn’t bother wasting the oil on refilling them. There are no raucous revelers here, just a few pairs and singletons spread out amongst the bar and tables. Low conversation plays at the edge of Talent’s hearing.
I’m going to ask a Fate Question: is Torth in the tavern? I’m going to say it’s “Unlikely,” and with a chaos factor of 6 that’s still a 50% chance.
Mythic Fate Question: Is Torth in the tavern?
Odds: Unlikely
Current Chaos Factor: 6
Results: 63 over 50 = No
Not seeing Torth in the room, Talent walks up to the innkeeper, a Dwarf who seems more interested in stroking his beard than providing any customer service.
“Evening,” says Talent. “My friend is staying upstairs, mind if I go see him?”
The innkeeper gives a look that says he doesn’t care if Talent sees his friend, kills his friend, or takes a flying fuck at a rolling donut.
Talent heads upstairs and knocks on the door to Torth’s room. His companion quickly lets him in, excited to see him back from the ambush, and pours him a tall mug of wine. He wants all the details, and Talent quickly fills him in on the ambush and the new wrinkle: who is this dead body, and how might it blow back on us?
Throwing back their wine for courage, Talent and Torth head out behind the bar to the stable.
Mythic Fate Question: Is there anybody in the stable?
Odds: 50/50
Current Chaos Factor: 6
Results: 91 over 65 = No
The stable is deserted. They hop into the back of the cart and inspect the body.
I didn’t really describe the body much before, so let’s roll some of those elements.
Mythic Character Appearance Table: “Short” + “Elegant”
This gnome appears to be wearing the clothing she died in, and it’s cleancut and somewhat formal.
“Do you know who this is?” asks Talent.
Well, does Torth know who this is? With his careful attention to detail, I’d say it’s Very Likely.
Mythic Fate Question: Does Torth know who this is?
Odds: Very Likely
Current Chaos Factor: 6
Results: 25 over 85 = No
Not quite an “Exceptional Yes,” but a yes just the same.
Mythic Character Identity Table: “Scout” + “Planner”
Some sort of spy, maybe?
“Yes, I recognize her,” says Torth. “Philomena Chance. She works… er, worked for your father. A spy in the Renks organization, at one of their offices outside the city. I can’t believe she’d make a slip. Maybe somebody ratted her out.”
“If they took care of her,” says Talent, carefully, “why bother to transport her back to the city? Why not toss her in a ditch somewhere?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe they wanted to drop her off where your father would see. You know - ‘we know you’re watching us.’”
“Well, we’ve prevented them from doing that,” says Talent. “For all the good it does us. I wonder what she found out?”
Okay, I think this is all making sense: the Renks have a history of big flashy “fuck yous” in the Draffs’ faces, and dumping their spy on their doorstep would certainly count as that. I think this office where the spy was gathering information could be the next thing for Talent to investigate. If whatever is going on there is serious enough to kill over, it could be a real coup to turn things around on the Renks - especially when they think they’ve got the advantage.
I was about to say “that wraps this scene up” – we figured out the identity and Talent will head to the Renk office next – but there is one big loose end in the shape of a dead gnome in the back of a cart. We stopped the Renks from traipsing this body through the city, but we can’t exactly cart it around forever.
We do, however, happen to be right next to a cemetery.
Let’s get some D&D 5e mechanics in here. Digging a grave for the body will be an Athletics check with a medium DC of 15, and I’ll give Talent advantage because he has the tools from the stable and Torth is helping. If it’s a success, they’ll be able to dig the grave overnight; failure, and they’ll still be working come morning, when somebody is likely to catch them.
Ability Check: Athletics
Result: 25 over 15 = Success
In the darkness outside The Last Call, Talent and Torth dig a fresh grave for poor unlucky Philomena Chance. As the sun rises they’re sweaty and dirty, but they know where to go to avenge her.
As far as bookkeeping goes - the thread “Discover the body’s identity” is resolved and replaced by “Investigate the Renk office.” For characters, I think I can get rid of the instances of “transport” and “body,” but “Renks” and “Torth” both show up again. I’ll also keep “Driver” on there, since that’s a dangling thread that could still cause trouble.
Mythic Threads: Investigate the Renk office
Mythic Characters: Torth; Transport; Driver; Renks; Torth
Finally, I think the Chaos Factor will go back down to 5. Talent had control of that scene, learned new info, and is going into his next encounter with some solid intel.
Current Chaos Factor: 6 -> 5
Scene: Staking Out the Warehouse
My expectation for this next scene is that Talent will show up at the Renk office where Philomena was embedded and do a little poking around of his own. But first, I have to test that expected scene versus the Chaos Factor.
Testing the Expected Scene
Current Chaos Factor: 5
Result: 6 over 5 = Expected Scene
What’s happened so far is leading me to believe that the Renks are in the shipping business, so I think this office is some sort of warehouse/records building; that’s why it would make sense for there to be nicely-dressed clerical workers like Philomena there. Maybe it’s some sort of transport hub, where shipments are processed between the city and various other outlying locations.
Mythic Location Descriptor Table: “Lake” + “Dangerous”
Well, “lake” makes sense for a shipping hub; goods can come in across the lake from connecting rivers, as well as overland. And I’m going to take “dangerous” to mean that it’s well-guarded. Talent’s guns-blazing approach from the cart ambush probably won’t work here.
So we’ve got a warehouse on the edge of a lake. It’s probably not in the middle of the wilderness if it’s a shipping hub, so I’m going to imagine it’s in kind of a small frontier town.
Mythic City Descriptor Table: “Dirty” + “Military”
There could be some sort of fort or outpost here that the town – and the warehouse – grew up around.
Talent leaves his commandeered cart on the edge of town and stretches his legs after a long day’s ride (and a long rest, restoring his lost Hit Points). First question I have – did Torth come along? I’ll say it’s Unlikely.
Mythic Fate Question: Did Torth come along?
Odds: Unlikely
Current Chaos Factor: 5
Results: 98 over 35 = Exceptional No
Not just a “No” but an “Exceptional No.” So I think Torth doesn’t just refuse to come along he’s against Talent’s whole plan. Now that there’s a dead body, he doesn’t want to be involved, and he’s heading back to The City to tell Mordai what happened. Not only is Talent on his own, he’s racing against the clock to try and turn this into a win before Torth upsets things.
Wandering into town, Talent recognizes that the buildings are well-fortified; like in a lot of garrison towns, the military presence had had an impact on the architecture. In the late afternoon, the dirt streets are neither packed nor deserted. The occasional soldier in uniform passes by, but he sees mostly civilians – probably a few military families, and the economy that has popped up here to support the outpost. A cool, fresh breeze blows in off the lake, and the sound of turning mill wheels susurrates in the background.
First order of business is finding the warehouse. With that “Exceptional No” for Torth’s involvement, I feel like Torth told Talent the location of the town and that’s it. I’m going to see if I notice any clues – carts like the one I rode in on, for example, or lots of transport activity – so I think that’ll be a Perception check. Since this is supposedly a legitimate business and not “hidden” or anything, I’m going to give it a DC of 10. I roll a 19, a success.
Ability Check: Perception
Results: 19 over 10 = Success
It’s easy to spot the lakeside warehouse, with its large open bays for carts and docks stretching out into the water. Talent settles into a tavern across the boulevard to watch for a while and see what he can learn about the operation. There are carts regularly entering and exiting the warehouse doors, and there seemed to be a shift change with a number of laborers and clerks coming and going in the late afternoon. Over a mug of ale and a bowl of stew, Talent considers his options.
He needs to get inside this warehouse, so he really has two choices: bluff his way in, or sneak his way in. In a normal D&D party there’d be somebody who has some sort of social skills, but as I demonstrated with Talent’s Intimidation roll of zero in the first scene, it’s not his strong suit. Or even his weak suit. It’s less of a suit and more of a barrel with two suspender straps. Even with a company cart that he could ride into the warehouse, things would probably start to fall apart once he got inside.
So that leaves sneaking in. Talent nurses another ale at a pace that tests the barkeep’s patience and waits for a couple of hours to tick by before leaving a generous tip and stepping outside. He wanders the streets and alleys, looking for any alternate points of entry that could be useful.
Mythic Fate Question: Are there any other buildings close to the warehouse?
Odds: Likely
Current Chaos Factor: 5
Results: 3 under 65 = Exceptional Yes
Not just a “Yes” but an “Exceptional Yes!” So there’s definitely a building next to the warehouse that offers easy access to the roof.
Mythic Domicile Descriptor Table: “Loud” + “Temporary”
Sounds to me like it’s a building under construction, and with the “Exceptional Yes” I’m going to bet that it’s abandoned after working hours and the warehouse workers are used to things clanging and banging around. In other words, the perfect route to sneak in.
I think I like ending the scene there. Talent has some downtime before sneaking in, and something could always come up that forces him to change his plans. The next scene will be the actual B&E.
For threads, “Investigate the Renk office” is still active, and it was a big part of this scene, so I’ll add it on there again. I’ll also add “Find incriminating evidence.” For characters, Torth is still on there – in fact, I’ll add him again, since he’s doing some stuff in the background to try and get information back to Mordai. I’ll also add “Warehouse” as a character, representing the building and the operations going on there.
Mythic Threads: Investigate the Renk office; Investigate the Renk office; Find incriminating evidence
Mythic Characters: Torth; Transport; Driver; Renks; Torth; Torth; Warehouse
Finally, for the Chaos Factor, I’m kind of torn. Shit really hit the fan at the start of the scene with the “Exceptional No” and Torth abandoning Talent. On the other hand, Talent aced his stakeout and found a good path into the building. I’m going to go with the “Random Chaos” option in Mythic and roll a d10: current (5) or less and the factor goes down; 6 or more and it goes up.
Mythic Random Chaos Table
Result: 2 under 5
Current Chaos Factor 5 -> 4
Continue Talent’s Story: Part 3
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