Death Wore A Glass Slipper

[seneschal]

After watching the Rogers and Hammerstien musical Cinderella perhaps one too many times, I got the germ of a scenario idea. So far, I've got a setup and some NPCs but am not sure where to go from here. Suggestions appreciated.

Cinderella: Reloaded

Or

Death Wore A Glass Slipper

By Kevin Scrivner



Briefing

Forget lizards and mice. The player-characters, all special ops types, have been assigned to escort Cinderella’s carriage into the palace. Intelligence reports have indicated that enemies of the kingdom plan to assassinate the royal family at the Prince’s grand ball tonight. The plot was discovered 15 minutes before the ball was scheduled to begin. It is impossible to cancel the event at this late date, since the Queen is determined to hold it and the rebellious Prince is equally determined that this will be the last “meat market party” he will consent to participate in. The King has ordered that the rest of the royal family not be informed of the rumored plot, since such knowledge would inevitably disrupt the proceedings and possibly cause diplomatic repercussions with foreign dignitaries and their hopeful princesses. The palace guard has been alerted, however. The team commandeered the last carriage allowed to enter the palace grounds, a gaudy affair, expelling the rather strange-looking coachman and footmen. The hit is supposed to occur sometime before midnight.

Mission

Protect the royal family; protect the guests as possible; detect and eliminate the assassin or assassins with extreme prejudice; avoid causing an international incident. The PCs may be equipped with whatever super spy skills and gear the GM will allow. Despite the early 19th century nature of the kingdom, they are the special team, after all.

Persons of Interest

Princess X

She has an invitation to the ball but her name is not on the guest list. It doesn’t matter, since her name and identity are unknown. Princess X was a late arrival. Is she an assassin? But surely an assassin would have planned to be in place well ahead of time.

Prince Christopher seems smitten with her; it will be hard to place a female agent near him as a dance partner.

Options:

Princess X is Cinderella, Lady Amesworth’s rarely seem stepdaughter, a lovely and good natured girl seeking a way out of a bad family situation. Despite her mother’s efforts to the contrary, she’s managed to make it to the ball and has no agenda other than having a good time. She can’t help but be delighted that the Prince has taken such an interest in her.

Princess X is Cinderella, whose resentment against her abusive mother has blossomed into a general hatred of the kingdom’s nobility. She’s been recruited by the republican faction to get close to the Prince and to casually spray him with a small perfume vial. She hasn’t been told what the vial contains. Despite her political views, she can’t help but be flattered by the Prince’s attentions.

Princess X is an agent of Duke Esparza, hastily substituted at the last moment for Cinderella, who was grabbed by foreign agents within the palace itself and stuffed (shaken but unharmed) into a cloakroom. Known only as “The Black Countess,” the agent is an experienced killer for hire, skilled at making a hit look like illness or accident and at getting out of the way before the victim collapses.

Count Bartholomew

The King’s younger brother has been in retirement since Prince Christopher’s birth. There are some suspicions that he has funded attempts by republican agitators to get the kingdom to adopt a constitution. Protest leaders have been arrested but with no proof of the Count’s involvement.

Lady Amesworth

Elevated to the nobility by her marriage to a minor aristocrat, Lady Amesworth has been involved in numerous intrigues while trying to promote the fortunes of herself and her two daughters. She reportedly has a stepdaughter, child of the deceased Lord Amesworth, but the girl has rarely been seen in public.

Duke Esparza

Diplomat from a rival kingdom, Esparza has been negotiating trade and non-aggression treaties with the King’s chancellor. The Duke is suspected of being a spy (he is). His daughter is one of the princesses in attendance at the ball.

[ArcherSix]

That sounds really neat. However, I don't know what advise to give you. If I was playing in in, we would surely start an international incident. Fireballs and battle axes at a fancy-dress ball tend to do that!

[petespahn]

This struck me as a great setup for a murder mystery dinner type scenario with the guests all having their own agendas. Or maybe a tournament style module with several plots and subplots to uncover. Very nice germ. I'd like to see the virus.

[Keps]

Nice. This pitch would sell to the right people, female gamers would eat it up.

[rredmond]

Nice. This pitch would sell to the right people, female gamers would eat it up.

Was thinking the same thing Keps. It goes on the list as something new to play with my daughters. Toning some down mayhap.

--Ron--

[seneschal]

Never fear. My scenarios are all G-rated. If the girls can handle an old Charlie Chan mystery movie, they're safe with me.

[rredmond]

They like when I throw in stuff like that. Should be interesting.
Thanks!
--Ron--

[seneschal]

Working on the "guests with agendas" angle:

Additional Guests

Because of the Queen’s broadcast of invitations to eligible young women, the guest list has included a number of people previously not included at palace social occasions. These include:

Mayor Bernard B. Barnstrom, merchant

Wealthy merchant and current mayor of Castle City, Barnstrom is a bulky man with an expansive manner. He’s well-dressed, cordial, genuinely concerned about the well-being and happiness of his employees, known for his philanthropy. Dogs and kids like him. But he’s been known to be a tiger in the marketplace. His success has made him enemies as well as friends. Barnstrom has bailed out the royal exchequer more than once; the King is willing to overlook his common birth.

Beatrice Barnstrom, wife

When they married, Bea was lithe and fun-loving. Now she’s a haughty matron with a double chin. Beatrice suspects her husband of having an affair with dancer Shonda Sharona. She’s recently taken out an expensive life insurance policy on him. She also has detectives (rivals of the PC security team?) planted among the party guests to get dirt on her husband should he attempt a rendezvous during the ball.


Betty Barnstrom, sexy and headstrong daughter

Betty used to be an adorable moppet that accompanied her dad to public appearances, guaranteed to say cute things in his support. Unfortunately, she grew up. She’s gone from adorable to alluring, and her tongue has sharpened considerably. Now she seems to find fault with everything from his table manners to his business practices. Betty has had an army of potential suitors but she’s dating Jason Jemison, not least because Daddy finds him objectionable.

Andrea Delaney, socialite, cat burglar

Lithe and charming, Andrea is one of the many maidens summoned to the ball. She’s also a professional pickpocket and master thief with an eye on the Sepoy Sapphire that Mrs. Barnstrom is wearing. That interest won’t prevent her from filching whatever other valuables she can get her nimble fingers upon.

Mrs. Grimsby, grim housekeeper

Head of the palace cleaning staff, she knows the castle intimately. Grimsby is a confederate of Doctor Sodameyer.

Jason Jemison, Betty’s annoying boyfriend

Third son of a member of the gentry, Jemison is a bad kid from a good family. He’s also a hired goon for Dedric Monson. Jason began chasing pretty Betty Barnstrom before he realized who her father was. Now that he knows, he hopes to profit by the association.

Johnston, haughty butler and major domo

Madam Mimi, shopworn sorceress

Dedric Monson, “businessman”

Monson is escorting his daughter, who was summoned to the ball. He was once involved in questionable deals with Mayor Barnstrom. There’s been a falling out between the former confederates and he’s here to collect.

Heather Hadley, gossip columnist

Shonda Sharona, aspiring opera singer and ballet dancer

Sharona is secretly Bernard Barnstrom’s mistress, Jason Jemison’s ex-girlfriend, or both. She’s not the type to allow past flirtations to get in the way of personal advancement. She’d cheerfully dump either lover to get her claws on the Prince. She’d also be willing leverage her knowledge of Barnstrom’s and Jemison’s personal affairs to pry a little cash out of them, or maybe more than a little.

Doctor Winton Sodameyer

Prominent physician, Sodameyer was invited to at the ball in case of a medical emergency. He’s also secretly an important member of the republican faction with his own plans for the Prince.

Leopold “Chubby” Young, bitter band leader

A prodigy (“upstart” according to older musicians), Young’s dance compositions are all the rage among the kingdom’s youth. He’s conducting the royal orchestra tonight. Young blames Barnstrom’s ruthless tactics for the ruin and suicide of his father, a formerly prosperous tradesman. He’s out for revenge.

The Evil That Men Do:

Duke Esparza tipped off Andrea Delaney about Mrs. Barstrom’s jewels so that the theft would cover his own attempt to rifle the King’s office for secrets. Alternately, he’s hired her to get into the office for him. Her success at either venture might make her a disposable asset.

The vial given to Cinderella by the republican faction in Option 2 contains a fast-acting sedative. Doctor Sodameyer will rush to ailing Prince’s side to offer assistance – actually to make a kidnap attempt with the help of his associates. The Prince will be temporarily put in same cloakroom Cinderella would have been in during Option 3.

The Black Countess will try to dance with the King or the Prince or both. Her drugs, unlike those of the Doctor, are slow acting to give her time to get out of the way, observe, and make a second try if necessary.

Blackmail attempts by Jemison, Monson, or Sharona could result in murder:

Bernard Barnstrom – philanderer and tough tychoon. Murdered by jealous wife? Murdered by avenging son of small businessman he crushed?

Shonda Sharona – mistress, amateur blackmailer. Murdered by jealous wife? Murdered by angry daughter, protecting either her dad or herself, or killing rival for Jason Jemison’s affections? Murdered by Barnstrom himself when he discovered he’s been set up?

Andrea DeLaney – burglar, disposable accessory. “Removed” after successful burglary by Duke Esparza or The Black Countess after she got the papers/jewels?

Jason Jemison – sneaky boyfriend, amateur blackmailer. Killed by Betty when blackmail/connection to Shonda Sharona discovered?

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