The Grain Broker's Choice
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Market StepsGrain StoreStorehouse Cellar
Roleplay EncounterDND5E 2014Party L3 · 4 PCs
The Grain Broker's Choice
Read Aloud
Rain taps on the grain store roof as Mara Venn bars the door with one hand and grips a cleaver in the other. She points at the party's muddy boots and says, "You have one minute to tell me why I should not call the watch." Behind her, something heavy shifts in the cellar.
The Scene
HOSTILEInterrogation under pressureBase DC 13Stakes The town has food for three days; exposing the theft may save the town or leave poor families without grain.
20 to 30 minutes
NPC Goal
Keep her family alive, keep the stolen grain moving to hungry townspeople, and avoid being blamed for the watch captain's scheme.
Leverage
The party can expose the watch captain, protect Mara's family, or offer a safe way to distribute the grain openly.
Player Approaches
- The false shipping records on Mara's counter
- The bloodstained signet ring in the cellar
- The trapped bookkeeper's testimony
- The party's promise to protect the next grain shipment
NPC Gambits
- Ask for the truth, then name one detail already known.
- Offer protection for Mara's family.
- Threaten to call the magistrate, but accept a failure if the threat is empty.
- Separate Mara from the cellar and question her about the ledger.
- Present the signet ring and ask who gave it to her.
NPC Reactions
- A calm question about hungry families shifts Mara to NEUTRAL.
- A direct threat to arrest her makes her lie and advance the clock.
- Mentioning her children makes her stop posturing and reveal the watch captain's name.
- Offering to guard the next shipment shifts her to FRIENDLY.
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