Stalker of Fisher Alley

Start

Have the players decide on what there characters have been doing for the past two weeks. Both will be paid for working their jobs over the past two weeks, which after lifestyle expenses comes out to 14 gold each. Also if I did not give a them a bonus for last week's quest, I will have that they both get 25 gp.

For Iris, suggest activities like Religious Services or Research.

For Alistair, suggest activities like Firearms Training or Gambling.

Rivals

Both characters have enough downtime to warrant a complication from their chosen activity. If they roll a complication involving a rival, each character's rival is listed below. Keep the complication short, maybe only a few minutes with a roll or two to resolve the situation.

For Iris, have Anchorite Jacob Talbot become something of professional rival. This all stems from jealousy over Iris' seeming rise in local status.

For Alistair, introduce a former nobleman by the name of Orie Wilsom-Eggars. He blames Alistair for the turn of fortunes that eventually resulted in him getting cutoff by his parents.

Quest - Session 01

Alistair is contacted by Zella, Velva Legge's enforcer/girlfriend, that she wants Alistair & Iris to investigate a series of disappearances in Fisher Alley. When they come down to the Sailor's Sun Inn, have "Wake Up" by American Murder Song being played by Herr Zärtlich & Herr Sturm.

Velva will basically explain that there are rumors of people beginning to act very weird for a few weeks before disappearing without a trace. They begin to behave oddly, such as forgetting important details or interactions, overplaying an eccentricity they had to an uncomfortable level, or beginning to stalk other locals. This will generally reach a point were their former friends or family begin to either distance themselves or try an intervention, at which point the person disappears. About a week later, another person begins to act weird & the cycle continues.

The latest person to disappear is Eliza Norman, a young woman that was working at the Sailor's Sun Inn as a barmaid. She only just disappeared a few days ago. The characters can then attempt to investigate by interviewing patrons & staff at the inn. Such details can be revealed as follows:

• She was popular with at the inn due to her pleasant demeanor & youthful beauty. She was often cautioned by staff to be becareful around some of the customers. About a month ago one of the former regulars began to stalk her, but he was run off by the bouncer. Ever since then, she began to act weird. The former regular was known as Brother Frederik, a nickname for his devotion to Ezra, though it became fanatical prior to him being run off. Nobody has seen him since.

• She was a barmaid at the inn, but had been talking to the "dancers" about how much money they make. She still seemed hesitant about changing career paths though. Then she became flirty to the point the dancers became weirded out by her sudden change in behavior. She kept asking excessively personal questions.

• She is a tenant at Old Salt Boarding House. If the players investigate the boarding house, the landlord Norah Coghill will tell them that Eliza hasn't been by for weeks. An investigation of her room reveals it has been ransacked, but all items of material value are there. Her journal can be easily found, but it is torn apart. A decent check will reveal that it seems any part that covers backstory details for Eliza have been ripped out (think mother's maiden name, favorite childhood toy, teenage crush's name, etc.)

• If anyone rolls below a 10, they will run into Old Redd Herring. He is basically a version of the Shayne Topp old man character that only ever gives wrong info. He will mention the doppelganger's hideout, but will claim it is inhabited by fish folk seeking to steal women for nefarious purposes.

Lil' Liza, Ms. Joanie, Mr. Jacobs, Nana, Brother Frederick

Quest - Session 02

With the rescue of Eliza Norman & the escape of the shapeshifter that was hunting citizens in Fisher Alley, the Lamplighters & Velva Legge's associates have been on high alert. If the players do not have any ideas as to how they passed the week, suggest that Iris has spent the past week doing research on either shapeshifters or local legends of the Stalker of Fisher Alley. As for Alistair, suggest that he has perhaps been doing his own investigations into trying to find the Stalker (DC 20 for anything resembling an actual lead).

Either way, have that both players have earned 25 gp each for rescueing Eliza, & a profit of about 7 gp from their jobs this week. They are also about 450 xp closer to leveling up (1650/2700).

Also, announce that there has been a retcon, that the shapeshifter did not take the form of the Sheriff, but instead took the form of an old woman (probably Nana McCafferty), confusing the sergeant enough that he got too close & was knocked unconscious.

Start

Have the players start at the Lamplighters Barracks, where they have been summoned by Sheriff Finhallen & Iris Coldheart. They summarize the state of the investigation over the past week as follows:

• The McCafferty house was investigated, & they found evidence of four recent victims: Brother Frederick, Nana McCafferty, Mr. Solomon Jacobs, & Joanie McCafferty. As far as they can tell based on interviews & evidence from the house, the shapeshifter first replaced & killed Joanie to gain easy access to her aunt's home. It later killed Nana's tenant, Mr. Jacobs, who had begun to grow suspicious of the false Joanie's intentions. It then killed Nana to gain ownership of the home as a base of operations. It also seems to have wanted to infiltrate the Sailor's Sun Inn, so it killed & replaced Brother Frederick & had selected Eliza Norman as its next victim.

• It appears that the shapeshifter dismembered its victims & burned their remains in the main fireplace.

• It also took extensive notes about each of its victims, recording a wide variety of details about personal information & behavior traits. It had also been keeping notes of dozens of other denizens of Fisher Alley.

The Sheriff then informs the players that he wants them to have a little more firepower in their group, so has enlisted convicted criminal Charity Marsden. In exchange for offering her muscle as community service, she is hoping to get a commuted sentence for her crimes as a fence for stolen goods.

The Lamplighters also believe that they have managed to trap the shapeshifter in another house in Fisher Alley, but they can't yet discern which of the occupants at the time of the lockdown is the imposter.

The Woodwyrm Carpentry Shoppe

Use the layout of the Coffin Maker's Shop from CoS (p. 116).

When the players arrive, there are a pair of constables at each door with Arcanist Iris Coldheart supervising. The are informed that there are four apprentices inside, carpenters that make most of their money building crates & barrels for Arden Bay Shipping & the Franklin Cannery. Iris informs the players the shop owner witnessed one of his apprentices being murdered, but he didn't specify which one before being murdered himself this morning. Now all the apprentices are locked inside & are awaiting backup to help with the investigation.

They have just recieved the church records about each of the apprentices.

A. Storage

This room is filled with crates & barrels. The players can find the shapeshifter's journal, in which it kept extensive notes about all four apprentices hidden in one of the crates by passing a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. Gaps in the journal's information could hint about information that the shapeshifter doesn't know.

B. Junk Room

C. Workshop

D. Kitchen

E. Bunkroom

F. Attic

Apprentices

George Hargrove

Born on 25th of Coldclaw, 724 BC to Louise (née French) & Harold Hargrove. His father was a ship's steward & his mother is a shop assistant. He is the youngest with three siblings: Louise, Harold, & Peter. He was raised in the Church of Ezra, but has not been attending recently.

DETAILS. George has recently developed an interest in the culture of Kalakeri. He even purchased a sitar recently & has begun to practice off hours. He also has a strong dislike of recent tax increases, feeling that the nobility is taxing everyting. He also performed at the Grimaldi Theater once, playing a character named Professor Egge.

John Winston

Born on 9th of Leaffall, 721 BC, to Julia (née Stanley) & Alfred Winston. His father was a sailor on a merchant ship while his mother was a housewife. He is an only child. He was raised in the Church of Ezra, but has not been attending recently.

DETAILS. John has recently gotten into political philosophy, namely oppression of the working class. He has also begun dating a new girl, but no one is that impressed with her. He has recently taken up painting as a hobby. He also performed at the Grimaldi Theater once, playing a character called the Carpenter.

Paul Jameson

Born on 18th of Flowerbloom, 723 BC, to Mary (née Mohin) & James Jameson. His father was a merchant while his mother was a nurse. He is the eldest with two younger siblings: Peter & Ruth. He was christened in the Church of Ezra, by his family rarely attends services.

DETAILS. Paul is very close to his mother, often seeking advice from her about issues. He was seeing a lovely girl last summer, but she tragically drowned. He has also been considering leaving the workshop to start his own business. He also performed at the Grimaldi Theater once, playing a character called the Walrus.

Richard Starkey Jr.

Born 7th of Summertide, 721 BC, to Elsie (née Gleave) & Richard Starkey Sr. Both of his parents were bakers that sold seasonal treats in the marketplace. He is an only child. He was raised in the Church of Ezra & occasionally attends services.

DETAILS. Richard deals with being the butt of jokes among the other apprentices. The joke it is about his apparent lack of talent & big nose. He is a bit of a clutz & enjoys making trinkets for the local children. He also performed at the Grimaldi Theater once, playing a character called the Octopus.

NOTES

• Remember, the Doppelganger can read thoughts, giving it advantage on Insight & Charisma checks against the target (range 60 ft.).

• The Doppelganger has a +3 to Insight & +6 to Deception checks.