The Legendary Heist at Central Wall

The Legendary Heist at Central Wall refers to the theft of an ancient Yuan-Ti artifact by the crew of the *Changemaker* from the museum at the Central Wall. Because the heist was executed so flawlessly, with no nat 1's or mistakes of any kind by the crew, none of them were spotted in the act; as such, the details of exactly what happened are shrouded in rumor. However, it is known that shortly after the Yuan-Ti artifact disappeared from the museum, Bryn Gemflower's journal stops calling the crew's adventures by the name "Toivoan Trainwreck" and begins referring to them as the "Toivoan Triumph". The artifact was never recovered.

## The Client:

On their way to to deliver a shipment of potion ingredients to the Central Wall, the crew of the *Changemaker* passed through a desert cave and were stopped by a Yuan-Ti clanspeaker. The clanspeaker attempted to extract payment from the crew, explaining that the Yuan-Ti had been forced from their ancestral land during the High War by the races that now occupied the Central Wall. Because the crew were supplying goods to the usurpers, they needed to pay a toll to pass through the desert unharmed: forty percent of the value of their cargo, amounting to approximately eight thousand gold pieces. While the crew were privately confident they could defeat the Yuan-Ti in combat, they were unwilling to murder the Yuan-Ti, who were only trying to reclaim their homeland, and they instead decided to play both sides.

Led by Seatoad Coin, the crew struck a deal with the Yuan-Ti: in exchange for safe passage through the desert cave and a rare potion recipe, the crew would secure an ancient Yuan-Ti artifact held in a museum at the Central Wall and return it to the Yuan-Ti on their return trip.

## The Location:

The High Museum of Antiquities (HMA) at The Central Wall.

Located in The Central Wall, within walking distance of several popular shops and restaurants, the HMA is a large building without windows. It is completely closed off to protect it from the sandstorms and heat of the desert. The catacomb tunnels, which spread below the city, stop short of the museum's basements. The nearest subterranean access is 10-15ft from the museum walls.

The museum is open to the public during daylight hours. It has very few attendees, as there is very little tourism in The Central Wall. (As they say, "People come, but nobody leaves.") There is no Entry Fee as donations are extracted from attendees within Exhibit 4. There is a sign-in book at the front desk.

The museum is guarded by 24 tlincali guards, whose primary mission is to protect the museum exhibits from theft -they will not engage with tourists or regular museum goers as they are always on guard. They are posted throughout the museum.

The front lobby holds crystals on pedestals, which change color and produce sound in accordance with the movements and activities of people within the museum. The crystals alert the lobby for each exhibit, whenever someone enters or empties a room. The crystals also track when and where an exhibit has been engaged with, and when the exhibit puzzles are solved.

The museum consists of 7 major exhibits which are each interactive. Slips of paper, handed out upon entry to the museum, provide clues to revealing the nature of each exhibit. Prior to solving the puzzles, it is difficult to identify an exhibit room for what it holds. Correctly identifying the clue to the corresponding exhibit, and performing the correct actions within the room, will prompt a crystal in the lobby to change color and the museum curator will arrive to present a small educational lecture regarding the exhibit.

The museum curator is Magus Bhaecarth Isrosh. He is an elderly man with a bad back, who moves at a moderate pace. He is extremely inquisitive, and will ask detailed questions about the museum guests' histories. (He may not be excessively suspicious, but simply a lonely man with few museum attendees. Nevertheless, the experience of receiving his questions is not unlike undergoing formal questioning at the Central Wall's gate.) He has an unidentified rune on his forehead.

Although Curator Isrosh is the lead historian on the premises, he is still subject to the Tlincali rule. He does not have access to the vaults; he does not determine which exhibits are displayed; he cannot be in the museum after work hours; and he will not gainsay the tlincali guards. He wishes to be no more than a hardworking and upstanding civilian of The Central Wall.

## The Target:

A Shard of Aether.

An artifact of an ancient civilization, covered in runes, and a source of magic. Small enough to carry; weighing less than 10lbs. In the days before the High War, it once floated a city in the sky. It likely came down with that city, as it crushed the land below -creating what is now the Central Wall. Now that the histories have been lost or hidden, few people could identify the Shard. Still, it is an object of power and even speaking of the Shard in an open forum is dangerous -especially in the tense political climate of the Central Wall.

The Shard is stored in a secret vault of the HMA, placed there by a demon, and accessed through a magical portal that only the demon can open. Within the vault, it sits on a pedestal. It is guarded by a Living Disintegrate Ray which is sensitive to motion.

## The Crew:

* Bryn aka Preston Murphy; **The Mastermind.** Blood of the puzzler and arcane thief.
* Safira aka Anna Murphy; **The Scout.** A master of disguise and infiltration expert.
* Coin; **The Backer.** Negotiator, moneybags, and poetic observationalist.
* Krystal; **The Driver.** A professional grifter who moves people and carts.
* Isaac; **The Fixer.** Adaptable wildcard talent and coolheaded operator.
* Ruzyd; **The Muscle.** The little Big Guy and team bodyguard.
* Tahti; **The Distraction.** New meat with a bag of gadgets.

## The Heist

Although precise details are hard to come by, some rumors around the events are assumed to have a stronger basis in truth than others.

As there are few visitors to the museum in general, it's believed that the first attempt to case the building was made by two individuals who identified themselves as siblings Anna and Preston Murphy. There was not anyone by those names logged in the city's entrance or exit records, nor was there anyone who matched their descriptions; it is therefore believed that they were disguised and using pseudonyms. Witness reports of their mannerisms are best matched to Safira and Bryn Gemflower. They completed an ordinary tour of the museum, likely detailing each of the exhibits.

The next day, the conspirators disguised as Murphys returned, along with the entire remainder of the crew of the *Changemaker*. They began solving each of the museum puzzles, though details were not provided to investigators as to how they managed to solve them. Some minor damage was reported as an arbalest was accidentally fired in the museum, but the group nonetheless managed to complete all of the puzzles.

For its efforts, the group was awarded with a certificate of completion in the grassy area behind the museum. The group had a lengthy conversation with Isrosh there; although nothing suspicious was overheard, it is believed that the conversation may have been magically shielded from any attempt at eavesdropping.

According to the testimony of all surviving guards, this is when the heist truly began.

Isrosh began to have a medical emergency, possibly brought on by contact with the poisonous skin of Seatoad Coin. He drew the attention of some of the guards, who were immediately further obstructed when Tahti spilled a bag of ball bearings. Ruzyd abetted the crime as well, knocking guards to the floor in the guise of attempting to help them up.

During this time, other members of the crew--possibly Safira and Bryn as they were disguised, but there is no direct eyewitness testimony--breached the vault. They almost immediately triggered the vault's defenses, which consisted of a living Disintegrate spell.

As the spell followed them out of the vault, the crew quickly broke for the exit. The spell swept across the room that held the entrance to the vault, killing at least one guard and barely missing a tall patron who is believed to be a storm sorcerer. The seven patrons and the curator were able to escape danger unharmed.

On the way out, Safira referred to a "Darius" who needed them, though it's unknown who this refers to.

It is believed that the group immediately proceeded out of the city. They were able to reach the gates before news of the vault breach could, and they were able to conceal the stolen goods from the guards.

The items reported missing from the vault included the Shard of Aether, a longsword known as Fa'ateleina, a Stone of Chronicles, a Tooting Flute of Cahoots, and a vicious starknife. These items have not been recovered.

Investigations have not determined how the group was able to ascertain the location of the vault or the means of access to it. It is not clear how the group managed to avoid the items' detection on their way out of the city or what they did with them. It is not clear whether they had additional co-conspirators or acted alone.

Those who are more sympathetic to the crew of the *Changemaker* marvel at how smooth the operation was, betraying no sign of a robbery until it was already too late for any of the guards to do anything about it. Authorities of the Central Wall urge citizens to exercise extreme caution if they encounter this group, as they are clearly highly competent, highly intelligent, and extraordinarily well-coordinated in order to pull this off.