Dancing With The Devil
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Author: Samuel M. Wright
Homepage: http://
System: D&D Planescape
Type: Hook
Category: Fantasy
Requirements:

Location

In Sigil, in the Lady's Ward, outside a posh tavern filled with aristocrats and faction high-ups.

Situation

Outside of a posh tavern in the Lady's Ward of Sigil, a member of the adventuring party is scragged after leaving an exclusive party, being stunned and teleported away by an horned figure. The adventurer find's he is alone in a posh but gaudy kip in the Lady's Ward, surrounded by mismatched but plush furnishings and a covey of female slaves of various races. In front of the adventurer is a figure in black, a tall man with fiendish features, black horns, and billowy black bat's wings. The creature offers the captive some refreshments and sits on a throne of bones at one end of the posh apartment. "I apologize for the rough treatment, I am Skelenos Tirth. I require someone of your skills, the courtly skills, to teach me what I need to know. Jink doesn't make you an aristocrat, its what you know-dancing, poetry, sweet words. I am wealthy and powerful. I can crush your skull in one hand. I can summon hordes of warriors from the pits of Hell. But I can't dance. So, you are going to teach me. Do well and I will reward you handsomely. Fail, and I will strangle you with your entrails…"

Background:

Skelenos Tirth, the son of a Pit Fiend and Human slave, was thrown out of a party at the same tavern the adventuring party has been invited to enjoy. Though a wealthy merchant and powerful sorcerer Skelenos lacks the courtly manners to pass in polite society even when his diabolic features are disguised. Skelenos wants nothing more than to belong to the cream of Sigil society, but stepping on toes both literally and figuratively the night before skegging the charismatic hero he's just kidnapped got the half-fiend tossed out of the party and he's running a black one now. Seeing a dapper adventurer dancing blithely at another party at the same tavern gave him an idea. He'd kidnap the cutter and employ him as a tutor in courtly ways. So, turning invisible, he grabbed the adventurer after the party and teleported with him to an isolated apartment in the Lady's Ward.

Skelenos is half Pit Fiend, giving him a number of magical powers, and he has trained himself in magical arts and metalcraft. He makes an abundant living selling greensteel weapons and armour in the Market Ward, and can afford the best of everything. The only drawback being that he has no taste whatsoever, buying things because they're expensive so he can show off his immense wealth. He may be encountered selling items in his smithy, but caution should be applied when buying from him, as he enchants all of his items so that he can watch and listen to their owners through them, spying on his customers to learn their secrets. Skelenos is fond of using stealth and hit-and-run tactics, and always has magical items that provide him with improved invisibility and teleportation on his person. Regardless of the level of the party, Skelenos should be powerful enough that no single party member can defeat him.

Mission

The captured player has his hands full. He can try to escape, but he's surround by slaves whom Skelenos has trained well to keep him informed of any such attempt. Nothing can tempt them to betray their master, they are far too afraid of him. And the apartment has neither windows nor doors, being designed for one who can teleport and enchanted so it only allows Skelenos to use magic. Only a tiny airduct and the pipes of a golden commode lead out of the apartment. The character has little choice but to endeavor to teach this brute of a fiend's son to become an aristocrat, and meanwhile ignore the consequences of such a well-trained fiend joining the elite of Sigil.

The rest of the party may try to find their companion and rescue him, and will find reports of an ill-behaved brute getting tossed out of the club the night before, but whether they connect that to the disappearance of their friend is another matter. Even if they do, the must use whatever skills and powers are at their disposal to trace the location that their comrade was teleported to, then attempt to break into the apartment and retrieve the captive.

Requirements

This mission requires that at least one party member be a high charisma character with skill in etiquette and dancing, preferably a Bard or Paladin, so that they may teach courtly arts to their captor. This character in particular determines the power level of Skelenos Tirth, as the fiend must be able to overpower this character with relative ease.

Complications

Obviously, the situation for the character captured by Skelenos is bad. He is being held hostage and must teach the evil brute Skelenos to behave without angering him. When Skelenos is in a good mood he is true to his word, letting the captive tutor enjoy his slave-girls, eat the finest foods, wear the most sumptuous clothes and jewels, and giving endless of bags of jink as "tips" for a job well done. Bloods who do well with Skelenos Tirth do very well indeed, if they survive the beatings. Generally, any even slight insult or mistake will result in a beating at the hands of the fiend. Vary the brutality level of Skelenos to fit the power level of the sod he's kidnapped.

Berks who've purchased items from the fiendish merchant will be unwittingly giving away their plans as the fiend watches and listens to them scheme against him. That makes the element of surprise go right out the window. Also, there is some time pressure here. The captive player must be rescued before the fiend tires of him and kills him out of hand, and also before the beast actually learns anything valuable from his captive and uses it to rise up the social ladder of the Cage. If Skelenos Tirth can become a member of Sigil's elite, he'll move up in the ranks of Hell, as well, and be able to bring baatezu troops into the Cage using his new social position.