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Keys from the Golden Vault Session 8

Starring
Varrow, level 4 gnome Thief Rogue
Stayzie Diamondz, level 4 orc Champion Fighter
Elowen Fernwhisper, level 4 wood elf Circle of the Moon Druid
Chéri Powder, level 4 human Illusionist Wizard
Taveen, level 4 aasimar Warrior of Mercy Monk

Now indebted to Skeemo for Elowen’s revival, the party is in desperate need of money. Thankfully, an opportunity walks through the door.

A tiefling named Verity has recently been fired from her job at the Afterlife Casino, an hellish-themed gambling den located in an underground cavern just outside town.

Her brother, Garret, is a bit of a screwup. He spent all his time there gambling what little money they had, and then some. He took out advances on her pay, then gambled that away, and became indebted to the house. 

Verity watched them take her brother into the backrooms while she was working, and when he returned, he was changed. He wore the uniform of the security staff, and didn’t seem to recognize her at all.

When she threw a fit about it, her boss Quentin fired her on the spot, and her own brother threw her out.

She’s lost her job and money, but she’s most concerned about her brother. 

She was given a mysterious golden key and a note with their address. When the party inserts the key into the music box, it displays a diorama of the cavernous casino, and a new song plays: 

Down a river beneath the ground,

A den of sin there is found,

Embodying the Nine Layers of Hell,

 

A shrewd and devilish gnome,

Calls this Casino his home,

Staffed solely with Tiefling personnel,

 

But if a patron cannot pay,

If their fortunes start to sway,

The house always takes its toll

 

A contract bound in blood

With no chance for refund

For if you cannot pay with cash — they’ll take your soul.

Verity isn’t aware of the whole soul-taking part. She believes the Hells-theme is just that, a theme, though the owner, Quentin, is certainly eccentric and seems to revel in it.

The party asks lots of pertinent questions about staff and security, and Verity draws a map of the casino’s layout, including some of the employee backrooms that she’s familiar with.

Mr. Trench also provides the party with some helpful communication devices — sending stone earrings! These little devices allow for open communication between each other, for a limited time. That should help the party communicate with one another if (when) they get separated.

Trench also reminds them that, although they want to save her brother ASAP, they’re not on a heavy time crunch this time. He suggests they scout out the area in person, gather intel, then return to him and plan for the heist the next day.

Before they head out, they stash some of their magical equipment. Verity had mentioned a guard at the entrance scans for magic items. Weapons are technically allowed, but things like the earrings and bag of holding would definitely be a red flag in a casino!

They tell Verity to meet with them again tomorrow, and they head north out of town.

The entrance to the casino is only accessible via a river that winds into a cavemouth. Tiefling employees dressed in head-to-toe black robes ferry patrons into the grand cavern, welcoming folks to the Afterlife Casino.

The casino is brightly lit with magical flames, and features music echoing off the walls, along with the roar of a nearby waterfall.

The rowboats pull up to a small dock, where another employee greets the party, points to the Afterlife Casino rules, and has a guard use his wand of magic detection.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary, the party is allowed to pass, and everyone buys some chips. It’s gamblin’ time!

Each of the areas is themed after a different layer of hell, such as Avernus and Dis, and the party enjoys wandering around and playing with slot machines, roulette wheels, and card games.

Further inside, there’s a high-stakes tournament, a massage parlor, a restaurant, and regular live circus performances.

Stayzie, Taveen, and Elowen get distracted at the gambling areas near the entrance, while Varrow and Chéri remember there is work to be done.

Varrow checks out the security mirrors that Verity had warned them about.

Large, magical mirrors are mounted to the walls over 10-ft high. They’re placed in corners and walls that oversee major areas, presumably giving the security staff an easy birds-eye view of the entire casino.

While Varrow inconspicuously begins checking for blind spots, Chéri chats up a bartender, asking after Verity.

He really wants the tiefling to accompany them on their heist, but she had warned that after being thrown out, she wouldn’t be welcome.

Chéri cleverly (and somewhat creepily) asks if there’s another woman who looks like Verity around. His plan is to disguise Verity as this other employee, if possible, so she can go with them.

The bartender points out the woman who runs the massage parlor and steam baths. What’s a heist without some light kidnapping?

Live post-session discussion: 

Next session: More gambling?

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Support my channel via Patreon!