This is a follow-up to another Omikyr related encounter, The Buck Stops Here.
After attending the Fawndue birthing ritual, the party is invited to the next big event of the week, the Fawndoent ritual (pronounced ‘fawn don’t’). One of the women of this tribe of Omikyr has come of age and is set to select her husband from a lineup of eligible bachelors.
As the group prepare for the event, the woman, Lady Doereen, approaches the party with her father Hugh Hoofner with a request. It has been many years since the previous Fawndoent ritual and there are rumors that rival tribes are set to disrupt the event. They are also concerned with recent reports of a doppelganger in their midst.
Doereen and Hugh ask the party to stand guard during the event and determine which bachelor is the Doppelganger and sort it out however they see fit.
The party is welcome to ask additional questions, but Doereen and her father have only heard rumors and are unsure who of the bachelors truly stand out. Hugh pulls the group aside after Doereen leaves and lets them know he also fears that some may be pretending to be wealthy suitors when in reality they are only in it for the money and status.
DMs Note: You can have the party meet the bachelors the night before if you’d like, over a large pre-Fawndoent feast to try and solve the mystery before the day of the event. The key element is to determine who is the doppelganger, who is there for love, and who is there for status. More details below, but that’s the main setup for the party.
On the day of the party, there is a buzz of excitement in the air. All of the omikyr are working to finish off preparations, hanging streamers, picking flowers, and arranging the stage where all of the bachelors will be presented to Lady Doereen.
As Doereen approaches the stage, she is visibly nervous and fidgeting with her bouquet. When she sees the party she will give them a small nod. A quartet of Omikyr begin playing a ceremonial song on instruments carved out of their yearly castings. The noise has a lovely melody, but sounds almost exactly like kazoos.
Hugh approaches the stage, the kazoo music dies out, and he shouts, “Today, our Doereen will make the most important decision of her life. Of those who come forward as suitors, only one shall be chosen.” He turns to Doereen. “My deerest daughter, my the gods shine upon those who stand before you.”
He leaves the stage, the kazoos start back up and the eligible bachelors walk in.
DM Mechanics: Up to the DM how you run the event, but we see it breaking down as two different options.
- Option 1: The DM plays each bachelor role in order to keep cards tight to the vest and keeping control of the flow of how folks react and how questions are answered.
- Option 2 (personal preference): All party members take on the role of one of the bachelors and role play as the individual. It’s a bit sillier, but hey, you’re on a site called Dumbest DnD, you should expect some silliness. This offloads the burden of the DM and allows them to focus more on any insight, perception, etc checks that the players want to roll to glean more info from the bachelors.
The Eligible Bachelors
Below are the core bachelors that stand before Doereen for the Fawndoent. The DM is welcome to create additional, especially to better fit the campaign, but here are a few to start with.
John Deere
The plow and farming equipment mogul has spent years building his business and is a fast-talking decision-maker. What he lacks in charm he makes up for in status and prestige. He is hard at work on something he is calling a “tracktor” which has a combustible engine and would increase the efficiency of fieldwork fivefold (this is a lie).
He IS a Doppelganger, the real John Deere is hundreds of miles away on a business trip.
Age: Middle-aged
Occupation: Plow and Farming Equipment Mogul
Interests: Spreadsheets, making more money, tweaking to the furthest efficiencies
Pros: Not in it for the money
Cons: Talks a lot about himself, big ego, frequent travel
Dave The Accountant
Dave the Accountant is mild-mannered and is the quietest of the bunch. He will ask Doereen lots of questions if given the opportunity, but shies away from saying too much about himself.
Age: Middle-aged
Occupation: Accountant and Treasurer for Mr. Mooses, current candidate for mayor two towns over
Interests: Numbers, eating pencils, reading, long walks in the woods
Pros: Extremely loyal and kind, decent sense of humor, excellent with numbers
Cons: Can be a bit too serious
Sir Deerz Nuttz
From the Acornicus tribe, Sir Deerz is in his twilight years. A respectful elderly gentleman, Sir Deerz is likely to put you to sleep or fall asleep himself with tales of his life as a warrior in the Ancient Order of Cervidae.
He is not a Doppelganger.
Age: Elderly
Occupation: Tribe Elder
Interests: Making tiny figurines out of elk antlers and playing a board games
Pros: Stable and least likely to run around
Cons: Super boring, probably only has one or two good years left. Extremely slow moving. Not much of a sense of humor.
Venny Sun
Venny is absolutely jacked and has muscles on his muscles. He has seen his fair share of battle, but his bulging biceps are purely aesthetic in his current occupation as an HR specialist at Hoofenmouth Consulting.
Venny is actually a Druid using Wild Shape to gallivant as a deer.
Age: Middle-aged
Occupation: Adventurer / HR
Interests: Working out,
Pros: Fun to be around, super strong, excellent high fives
Cons: A bit dense, is actually a Halfling Druid
Summary
There is one Doppelganger and one Druid in the mix for the party to sniff out. Many, many ways for them to find the individuals, but that’s the fun part!
Let the party poke and prod and have Doereen ask leading questions, then once the Doppelganger is revealed, they will need to fight it. The Doppelganger will charge directly at Doereen, and the party must decide if they will defend her or leave her open to attack.
Once battle begins, the crowd will disperse.
Other variation: A rival Omikyr group could interrupt the ritual and kidnap Doereen.
