Murder at the Manor
This project was created as part of my Master’s thesis. It is a murder-mystery module designed to be played with the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons 5e, with the focus on roleplaying and unraveling a mysterious crime through dialogue and old-fashioned sleuthing.
Yesenia Paloma
Yesenia Paloma was born to stand out from the crowd. She is a tiefling woman with lavender skin, carefully coiffed dark hair, and onyx eyes. She is a socialite through and through, a constant presence in the ballrooms and salons of the rich and famous. Tonight’s ball is being held in honor of her fortieth birthday, and she is breathtaking in a gossamer purple gown as she entertains the guests. She has a reputation both as a charming and considerate hostess and as a ruthless social climber, willing to do whatever it takes to maintain her standing.
Weston Foley
Being the head butler for a wealthy family is a daunting task, and Weston Foley takes his job seriously. He is a mustachioed and stocky dwarf man well past the days of his youth, but still fit and powerfully built. Weston is a man of big emotions, shifting quickly between stern and bombastic, business-like and emotional.
Lara Adi
There can be no doubt: Lara Adi is at the top of the city’s social and political heap. A stout dwarven woman well into middle-age, Lara has held a seat on the Council for over three decades. As a result, she has hosted many a ball prior to this evening’s affair. She is stern, shrewd, and commanding, and has maintained her standing through careful political alliances and social maneuvering.
Luca Vitali
The circumstance of Luca Vitali’s birth may be murky, but his rise to prominence in the social and economic circles of the city’s elite is well-known. Luca is New Money through and through -- a ruthless and effective businessman who has carved his own seat at the table of power through his conquest of industry after industry. He now finds himself running much of the city’s manufacturing and privately-owned trade networks -- along with several less-than-savory businesses, including gambling houses and pawn shops.
Constance Koh
Constance Koh is a bit of a wallflower, that’s exactly how she prefers to be. She is a young and pretty half-elf, with a modest dress and simple hairstyle that allow her to blend in with the high-society crowd. None of the other guests seem to know her well, or even recognize her at all (she might have been at that one party last year, you remember? But I can’t quite recall...). A few older guests keep their distance and whisper among themselves upon hearing the Koh name, but no one is gauche enough to speak openly on the matter.
Kenneth Pratt
Kenneth Pratt is the goblin groundskeeper of the Adi estate, and lives in a small cottage towards the back of the property. He devotes nearly all his time to maintaining the plants and landscaping of the elaborate gardens and hedge maze. Kenneth is nervous, short-tempered and fidgety at the best of times, and he does his best to be invisible to the high and mighty guests of the manor. His dirty, torn and stained clothing is permitted by his employers and superiors among the staff, on the condition that he confine himself to the grounds. In fact, his presence as one of the suspects is an anomaly in itself. Kenneth may be reclusive, suspicious, and borderline feral -- but is he truly a killer?
