5.8 KiB
U Spaleného Jazyka
A D&D 5e Oneshot — Level 4
Module Overview
| Players | 3–5 |
| Level | 4 |
| Duration | 4–6 hours |
| Tone | Dark, morally grey, socially driven |
| Genre | Murder mystery / social intrigue |
Premise
The party finds themselves in U Spáleného Jazyka (The Burnt Tongue) — one of the city's most notorious establishments, neutral ground for the worst the underworld has to offer. The barkeep, Orenn, enforces a single rule: no killing. Tonight, that rule shatters.
A brawl erupts between two rival factions — the Guild of Knives (professional assassins) and the Lambent Order (a cult masquerading as a scholarly mage guild). When the chaos subsides, Orenn lies dead behind his bar. Mags, his partner and the most dangerous person in the room, locks the doors. No one leaves until the killer is found.
The murder is a frame job by Xarrul, an ancient fiend the cultists summoned and the assassins accidentally unbound. But solving the murder is only one thread. Every patron in this tavern has a story, and the players can pull on any of them.
Themes
- Trust & Deception — Everyone is lying about something. The truth is available but never comfortable.
- Moral Compromise — No clean choices. Every solution costs something.
- The Cost of Power — Every faction has paid a price. Players will be asked to pay theirs.
- Ambiguity — The right thing to do is never fully clear.
Session Structure
Act 1: The Tavern (15–20 min)
Players arrive, meet Orenn, soak in the atmosphere. Introduce the patrons organically — the cultists in their corner arguing over texts, the assassins drinking with cold discipline, Bren muttering in the corner, Vetch scratching at his arms. Let players choose who to approach first.
Goal: Establish the feel. This is a dangerous place held together by one man's authority.
Act 2: The Brawl (10–15 min)
Tension boils over. An assassin accuses a cultist of poaching contracts. Words become fists. The entire room erupts. This is chaotic but non-lethal — Orenn's rules hold even in violence. Players can:
- Jump in on a side
- Try to break it up (DC 16 Persuasion or Athletics)
- Hide and observe
- Use the chaos to steal, snoop, or grab something
Goal: Controlled chaos. Everyone's distracted. The murder happens under this cover.
Act 3: The Body (5–10 min)
The dust settles. Orenn is dead behind the bar. No blood. No wound. Just a black brand burned into his chest from the inside. Mags emerges from the kitchen, sees him, and the room goes cold. She bars the door. Lockdown.
Goal: Tonal shift. The party is over. Now it's a crime scene.
Act 4: The Lockdown (90–150 min)
The core of the session. Open-ended, player-driven. They can:
- Investigate the murder (clues, interrogation)
- Engage with faction subplots (assassin traitor, cultist fractures)
- Help Bren (the possessed madman)
- Take Veil Dust with Vetch (ethereal trip)
- Trade with Tallow for information or items
- Explore the tavern's hidden spaces
- Try to leave (Mags won't allow it; neither will the assassins or cultists, who don't want witnesses escaping)
Goal: Let players breathe and explore. Follow their interests. Subplots feed back into the main mystery naturally.
Act 5: The Reckoning (30–60 min)
Depends entirely on what players uncovered:
- Fiend confrontation — if they found Xarrul, a tense combat split across two planes
- The Choice — destroying Xarrul in a way that saves Dalla's child but validates the cult's theory
- Faction war — if tensions weren't managed, assassins and cultists go for blood, this time for real
- Quiet ending — players leave with knowledge but no resolution, the fiend still out there
Goal: Payoff for whatever threads the players pulled hardest on.
DM Quick Reference — NPCs
| NPC | Role | Location | Key Trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orenn | Barkeep (dead) | Behind bar | Calm authority, Charon-like |
| Mags | Orenn's partner | Kitchen → main hall | Grieving rage, retired cleaner |
| Tallow | Fence / broker | Corner booth | Calculated, trades info for favors |
| Bren | Possessed madman | Corner, floor | Lucid flashes, controlled by Skein |
| Vetch | Drug addict | Near Tallow | Desperate, gateway to ethereal plane |
| Sevra | Assassin leader (here) | Assassin table | Cold, professional, holding guild together |
| Dace | Assassin (traitor) | Among assassins | Charming, likeable — secretly corrupted |
| Kael | Assassin (hothead) | Among assassins | Wants war with cultists |
| Haddon | Cultist scholar | Cultist table | Composed facade, taking notes on everything |
| Dalla | Cultist (desperate parent) | Cultist table | Will break ranks for her child |
| Rennt | Cultist (true believer) | Cultist table | Passionate, dangerous idealism |
| Essek | Cultist (doubter) | Edge of cultist group | Quiet, afraid of his own people |
| Xarrul | The fiend | Ethereal Plane | Cunning, vindictive, framing both sides |
DM Quick Reference — Subplots
| Subplot | Entry Point | Connects To |
|---|---|---|
| Murder mystery | Orenn's body, clues | Everything |
| Assassin traitor | Sevra's suspicion, Kael's anger | Murder (framing), Tallow |
| The Opening | Cultist fractures, Dalla's desperation | Murder (fiend origin), Reckoning |
| Possession | Bren's ravings, Skein | Murder (witness), Ethereal |
| Ethereal trip | Vetch, Veil Dust, Tallow | Murder (see fiend), Possession (see Skein) |
| Dalla's child | Dalla, Haddon's notes | The Reckoning (the choice) |
Starting Gold
Split 200 gp among the party however they choose. This is their total budget for Tallow's lockdown-priced goods. Suggested: 50 gp per player in a 4-player party, adjusted as needed.