As the party is hob-knobbing around [insert town name here], they run across a townsperson that is out of breath and looking for assistance.
They identify themselves as Brick Mortarson, the town’s most elite realtor. He is in the process of selling a house near the center of town, but just witnessed the most horrible of sights. Before diving deeper, he will want the party to sign an NDA, after all, any negative in a home in this economy could ruin a deal!
If the party signs the NDA, Brick will describe the sensation he felt within the home, a 2-story cottage with major curb appeal and an incredibly nice mother-in-law suite. While making some final staging adjustments, Brick felt a cold unlike any he’s felt before, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Turning around he was staring down six beings of shape and form he dare not describe, nor could he accurately enough to make a difference. He begs the party to assist him and keep everything hush-hush, he also requests that, as the house is about to go on the market, they are careful with the removal of the beings.
Giving the party a key to the house and sending them on his way, Brick sprints down an alleyway, flailing his arms in fear.
The House
Entering the house, the party will need to make a Constitution saving throw of DC 12+, otherwise, they are paralyzed in a coughing fit for one minute. With an investigation check or looking around, the party will notice what appears to be spectral dust left in both the air, along the floor, and on some of the furniture.
As they are investigating, there will be a high-pitched squealing tone that rings out, Constitution saving throw again of DC 12+ or be deafened. As the high-pitched noise begins to settle, three shapes emerge from the walls, floors, or elsewhere, in the shape of bunnies, but with a dark, dusty appearance. Essentially they are big Dust Bunnies.
Stat block should be copied from Shadow or Dust Mephit.
As mentioned, there are a few ways to go about this. Depending on the party and how you want to DM the encounter, the Damage Vulnerabilities can change. Fire, radiant, or wind damage would double in these cases.
The party should also be mindful of the damage they may cause to the house, which could affect how they destroy the Dust Bunnies.
If they try to use Animal Handling of DC 15+, the party will learn that the Dust Bunnies grew and grew through years of neglect, and are concerned by the level of cleaning being done. They worry too the eventual homebuyers will continue to clean and they will have no place to live. The party can assist by re-homing them to somewhere else (maybe re-distributing around the town), or decide to toast them and send them into the next life.
The Dust Bunnies are likely best as coming in waves, or if the party splits they can hit them equally. Add as many as you need to have a bit of fun, but if copying the Shadow stat block, be mindful of Strength Drain as it could TPK your party without blinking.
The Resolution
Once the party has dealt with the bunnies, they will find Brick spreading rumors about how he rented the home out to a party of adventurers and they completely trashed the place, ruining its value. If fire was not used, the home will likely be fine and Brick will backtrack saying the home is in great condition. If fire was used, Brick will double down and try to get a tax write-off from the local government.
Either way, Brick will walk the party away from wherever he was chatting and thank them for their work, curious to learn more of the details. If he is pleased with their work, he will offer to help them find a home for a steep discount in the town OR give them an Ultimate Key.
Ultimate Key: a one-use key that can be used to unlock any nonmagical lock. When this key is held near a mundane lock, it flashes bright and the end of the key molds itself into a shape that will open the lock.
If he is disappointed with the result, he will offer them 10cp and begin to cry, revealing that he hasn’t been able to sell a home in the town in over a year. He was hoping that this was the one. The party could try and persuade prospective buyers into buying the home and taking 20% of Brick’s commission, but the DM will need to sort that out if desired.
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