Quest Line · Original Adventure · Fate Core
One-shot
The Harrington Museum's latest exhibit showcases "famous forgeries" — fake artifacts that fooled experts for years. But night-shift docent Marcus Tully has discovered that several pieces are genuine, impossibly rare originals. He plans to expose the truth tomorrow morning, which will destroy the museum's credibility and trigger investigations into how these priceless items ended up mislabeled. The players must reach Marcus before dawn and convince him to stay quiet, or help him go public, or find a third option that serves everyone's interests.
Players should create characters with reasons to care about the museum's reputation or connections to the art world — security consultants, former curators, insurance investigators, or academics work well. The adventure involves social maneuvering, investigation, and moral ambiguity rather than combat. The museum closes at 10 PM, and the action takes place from 11 PM to 6 AM.
Content Warnings: Moral gray areas regarding truth versus institutional stability, economic pressure, potential career destruction.
Choose one approach based on your group's composition:
The Professional Call: Museum Director Patricia Vance calls the players at 11 PM. Her voice is tightly controlled panic. "Marcus Tully hasn't left the building. He's been acting strangely around the forgeries exhibit. I need this handled quietly before the board meeting at 8 AM. If there's a scandal..." She doesn't finish the sentence. She's offering significant payment for discretion.
The Colleague Connection: One player receives a cryptic text from Marcus, an old friend: "You won't believe what I found. The Mourning Crown is REAL. They don't know. Meeting tomorrow with the press unless you can give me a reason not to. Come tonight?" The message includes an after-hours entry code.
The Insurance Angle: The players work for an insurance company that covers the museum's collection. Their late-shift risk analyst flags an anomaly: if even one item in the "forgeries" exhibit is genuine, the museum has been underinsured by millions of dollars. They need to verify Marcus's claims before the company's liability becomes catastrophic.
The players enter through the staff entrance into the museum's dimmed nighttime lighting. Emergency exit signs cast red glows across marble floors. The central atrium features a massive bronze sculpture of intertwined hands reaching upward. Hallways branch to different wings: Ancient Civilizations (left), Modern Art (right), and Special Exhibitions (straight ahead, where the "Masters of Deception: A History of Forgeries" exhibit occupies the Kessler Gallery).
A security guard, Denise Park, sits at the main desk, trying to look official despite visibly dozing off between coffee sips. If approached professionally (Fair +2 Rapport or Contacts check), she admits Marcus went to the Kessler Gallery hours ago and hasn't checked out. She seems uncomfortable: "Look, Marcus is good people, but he's been weird this week. Keeps muttering about 'them not knowing what they have.' Director Vance asked me to keep extra eyes on him."
Denise won't stop the players if they have authorization, but she'll follow at a distance if they seem suspicious. She knows the security camera system and can review footage if asked, showing Marcus spending hours examining three specific pieces: the Mourning Crown (a gold circlet allegedly made in the 1950s to fool Byzantine art collectors), the Serpent Tablet (a "fake" Sumerian clay piece), and Portrait of the Weeping Merchant (an oil painting passed off as a lost Renaissance master).
The halls echo with footsteps. As players approach the Kessler Gallery, they notice lights moving inside — a flashlight beam playing across display cases. Aspects: Echoing Marble Halls, Surveillance Blind Spots, Institutional Quiet.
The special exhibition room is circular with display cases arranged chronologically by the forgery's era. Each case has a placard explaining how experts were fooled. Marcus Tully stands before the Mourning Crown case, his flashlight beam fixed on the artifact. He's in his late 40s, wearing the museum's burgundy docent blazer over a worn shirt. His messenger bag sits open nearby, stuffed with research printouts, authentication reports, and a digital camera.
Marcus isn't hostile, but he's determined. He's been a docent for fifteen years, passionate about art history despite never getting the curator position he deserved. "You don't understand," he says, hands shaking slightly. "That crown dates to 547 AD. The metallurgy, the gemstone cuts, the wear patterns — all authentic. Same with the tablet and the portrait. Someone catalogued them wrong, or lied, or didn't know what they were looking at."
Marcus Tully (Named NPC):
Players can interact with Marcus through several approaches:
Investigate His Claims (Fair +2 Lore, Crafts, or Investigation): The players can examine the pieces themselves. Success reveals Marcus is right — these are genuine artifacts worth millions collectively. The Mourning Crown alone would rewrite Byzantine jewelry history.
Appeal to His Career (Good +3 Rapport or Empathy): Marcus reveals his real pain: "I've given this place everything. When I applied for junior curator, they gave it to someone with half my knowledge. When I wrote that paper on Islamic metalwork, they didn't even read it. This is my chance to matter."
Warn About Consequences (Fair +2 Provoke or Rapport): Marcus knows the museum will be investigated, Director Vance might be fired, and the board could sue him. He's willing to accept that. "Some things are more important than job security. Truth is one of them."
Offer Alternatives: This is the key choice moment. Players might suggest:
If players investigate the provenance files (in a locked cabinet, Average +1 Burglary), they find something crucial: the items were donated fifteen years ago by the Caldwell Estate with documentation listing them as "authenticated forgeries." Someone at the museum accepted this at face value without independent verification. Director Vance wasn't working here yet.
Complication: At a dramatically appropriate moment, Director Vance arrives with the museum's Board President, Howard Chen. They've come to "handle the situation" personally. Chen immediately tries to intimidate Marcus into silence, offering a small payout. This forces players to choose sides or mediate.
As sunrise approaches (6 AM, giving players roughly an hour to resolve things), the situation reaches critical mass. The players' choices determine the outcome:
Outcome 1 — The Exposure: If players support Marcus going public, the story breaks during breakfast news. The museum faces immediate scrutiny, but Marcus becomes a celebrated whistleblower. Director Vance survives if players helped establish her innocence. The museum eventually recovers with improved authentication procedures. Marcus gets job offers from major institutions. The players are either heroes or villains depending on who's asked, but they've served truth over convenience.
Outcome 2 — The Quiet Correction: Players negotiate a middle path where Marcus is appointed Special Curator for Authentication with a significant raise, the pieces are quietly re-cataloged, and the museum releases a statement about "ongoing research revealing new findings." The Caldwell Estate's executors are contacted discreetly. Marcus gets recognition without destroying the institution. Everyone saves face. Players maintain good relationships with all parties but know they've compromised truth for pragmatism.
Outcome 3 — The Suppression: If players side with the museum against Marcus (unlikely but possible), they must convince or coerce him into silence. This might involve threats, buyouts, or even destroying evidence. Marcus becomes a broken man, the truth stays buried, and the players profit but carry moral weight. The genuine artifacts remain mislabeled, a constant reminder of the choice made.
Wild Card: If players discovered who originally mislabeled the items, they might have leverage to shift blame away from current staff entirely, opening new negotiation options.
Marcus Tully: Night-shift docent, 47, overlooked art history expert. Motivation: Finally receive recognition for his knowledge and vindicate years of being dismissed.
Director Patricia Vance: Museum director, early 50s, competent administrator in over her head. Motivation: Protect the institution she's worked five years to stabilize after previous financial scandals.
Denise Park: Night security guard, 30s, single mother working two jobs. Motivation: Keep her job and stay out of trouble, but she likes Marcus and doesn't want him hurt.
Howard Chen: Board president, 60s, wealthy donor more concerned with reputation than truth. Motivation: Prevent scandal that could embarrass his family name and reduce donation tax benefits.
Dr. Sarah Okonkwo: (Optional) Authentication expert the players might call in, via phone consultation. Motivation: Professional integrity — she'll confirm Marcus's findings if shown evidence, regardless of consequences.
Story Rewards:
Material Rewards:
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