The Night Before Nobbletot

Finding the Orchard

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The streets are quiet. Distant crying lures the characters to a small orchard at a chateau. A handful of children are here.   Encounter: Pixie Punks. 6x pixies linger on a ridge above the children, mocking them and laughing at the plight. They have been stealing from the sleeping adults and watching the children for fun. The pixies offer no help unless bribed, flattered, or tricked into revealing what they know. Their hints are vague, full of puns, and may point the characters towards the lore behind the dolls or that it isn’t really Rimpsmeat.

The Kids

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A handful of children have gathered. They are fearful, clutching trinkets and whispering rhymes. Their parents cannot wake, and their magic dolls have been stolen.    

• The origin of the rhyme is unknown, but they all know it.
• They woke to music and discovered their missing dolls.
• Their parents are in an unnatural sleep and can’t be woken.
• Adults forget Nobbletot. The kids beg, “Please remember!”
• Two houses have clues the children noticed before running to safety. Steve and Maggie will show their homes.

Steve Johanson’s House

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Encounter: Steve’s Dream. Steve struggles to recall his dream but grabbed something as his doll James was taken.  

• Insight or Persuasion. Get him talking to help his memory.
• Investigation. There is a piece of a flute under his bed.
• Arcana or History. The piece is part of a magical instrument. An identify reveals the pipe’s full nature.
• Investigation or Nature. Two-legged hoofprints lead to the open window. Higher results identifies them as satyr prints.
• Arcana or History. Satyrs are hedonistic fey who inhabit places of revelry.

Maggie Rodger’s House

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  Encounter: Finding Clues. The garden is trampled, with large hoofprints scattered throughout. Fences and pots are broken.  

• Nature. The prints belong to two different giant goats.
• Investigation. The wine rack is looted, and empty bottles labeled “Hop Shop Hopsap” lie near the back door.

  Laughing. On the kitchen table is an old jack-in-the-box with a faded label reading “Puns of Fun.” Detect magic reveals a faint aura of enchantment.  

• DC 12 Tinker’s Tools (Dex). Activates the music box to play a jaunty tune, forcing a laugh, and waking Mr. Rodgers.

  If Mr. Rodgers awakens, he claims Nobbletot is nonsense and blames the mess on the characters, insisting they leave now.

In the Hop Shop

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Rufus Proudhops left town for the holiday, unaware that Roheet has taken over his brewery and turned it into a hideout. The building is filled with traps, goats, and drunken sabotage.     Encounter: The Brewery Brawl. 2x giant goats roam the building and Roheet (satyr) is positioned in the manager’s office, overlooking the floor with half cover. He uses his pipes of sleeping and shortbow. The two oversized goats rampage, smashing barrels and charging intruders. They do not care if Roheet is freed from the charm effect.   Breaking the Charm. Characters can make Roheet laugh by telling a joke with a DC 15 Performance. Roheet makes an Insight check ( +5 ) at disadvantage to understand. If freed, Roheet will panic bargain. He offers the pipes and his service.   The Dolls. Locked in a cage, tied up to look like real children.  

• DC 15 Strength or Thieves’ Tools. Unlocks the cage.

  Traps Roheet has placed scattered traps throughout the space. Use them as desired based on character movement. Base DC 13.  

• Ale Slick Floor. Difficult terrain; Dexterity save or fall prone.
• Burst Pipes. Releases toxic gas; Constitution save or have disadvantage on saving throws for 1 minute.
• Honey Bomb. Strength save or be restrained. Action to escape.
• Singing Steins. Inspires +1d6 to Roheet’s next attack or save.

Aftermath

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When the charm ends, the adults begin to stir, confused and disoriented. Some may be suspicious, especially if the children are upset or if damage is done to the city.   Memories. Any non-fey creature involved in the events of the night must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the memories of what happened fade like a dream. Success allows them to remember, though the details are messy.

Rewards

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Kid’s Trinkets. A ribbon bow, chipped marble, wooden bird, red button, candy cane, star-shaped candy, crayon drawing, mismatched coins, dried flowers, beaded bracelet, melted chocolate, shiny rock, small bell, seashell, a tangled yo-yo, and an old silver coin with strange markings.   Jack in the Box. Made at the joke shop “Puns of Fun” in the capital city of Ania. Once per day, the jack-in-the-box can be used to cast hideous laughter (save DC 13).   Satyr’s Pipes of Sleeping. If Roheet is defeated or freed."

Pipes of Sleeping

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Wondrous (flute), rare (requires attunement)   This magical flute is carved from an Otherwyld wood and is enchanted to produce a haunting melody that lulls creatures into a deep slumber.   As an action, choose a creature within 30 feet that can hear the melody. The target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or fall asleep. The target can attempt this saving throw up to three times: immediately upon hearing the melody, at the end of its next turn, and the end of the following turn. A creature immune to being charmed is unaffected.   First Failed Save. The target falls unconscious. The condition ends if the target takes damage, is shaken awake, or laughs.   Second Failed Save. If the target fails a second saving throw, it remains asleep. The unconscious condition can only end if the target takes damage or laughs.   Third Failed Save. If the target fails a third saving throw, it falls into a deep magical slumber for 8 hours. During this time, the creature can only be woken if it takes damage or laughs.   A sleeping creature laughs if it hears a joke or humorous event in a language it understands, DC 15 Charisma (Performance).   The pipes have three charges and regain all expended uses at dawn. Fey creatures attuned to the pipes can expend a spell slot of any level to use them, instead of expending a charge.

GM Advice

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This is a holiday story about superstition. It should feel playful and a little unsettling. Let the oddities creep in slowly, with laughter as the thread that holds it all together.   The children guide the tone. Keep them scared but never harmed. Their fear is real, but the world around them is too esoteric for adults to take seriously. Use the dolls to anchor the mystery and reward players for taking the kids seriously.   Throw in talking animals or petty spirits to draw attention elsewhere. Have goats everywhere, they are a part of the holiday; too many goats is exactly the right amount.   Consider avoiding this adventure for characters likely to turn on the town or its children. The vulnerable adults are easy targets for unscrupulous adventurers.

NPCs

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Roheet
C/N, Male, Satyr   Roheet is more clever than your average satyr and twice as reckless. Normally content with drink and mischief, he was caught off guard by Rimpsmeat’s charm and drawn into the Nobbletot holiday. Deep down, Roheet regrets what he’s done but lacks the will to face it directly. If freed, he will try to talk his way out with charm, gifts, or both.   Roleplaying Roheet

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Personality Trait. “Drinking solves all the world’s problems.”
Ideal. “Pleasure. I will do what feels the best at the time.”
Bond. “I can’t let issues linger, so I make them go away.”
Flaw. “Drinking solves all the world’s problems.”