Sneaky mystery
The Moonberry Pie Thief
The famous moonberry pie has vanished from the tavern windowsill — on the night of the Lantern Festival, with the whole village coming to eat it. Worse, everyone blames poor Tobbin the pot-washer, because the crumbs lead right to his room. But Tobbin was framed, the real thief is still out there, and the festival starts when the moon is high.
Crumbs and a crooked trail
Set the sceneThe innkeeper meets you by the empty windowsill, wringing her apron. A trail of golden crumbs leads up the stairs to Tobbin the pot-washer, who is crying: he says he was in the cellar all afternoon, counting pickle jars. The crumbs go to his door — but strangely, not one single crumb is inside his room.
Ask the tableThe crumbs tell a story, but is it a true one? What do you look at first?
If they're stuckA hero who looks closely spots tiny paw prints in the flour dust — too small for Tobbin, and they walk away from his door, out the back window.
The witness in the woodpile
Set the sceneThe paw prints lead to the woodpile behind the tavern, where a grumpy old cat named Marrow saw everything. He will tell you — but only if you do something for him first. He has lost his favorite jingle-bell somewhere deep inside the wobbliest, creakiest part of the woodpile.
Ask the tableThe woodpile groans when anyone touches it. How do you get the bell without bringing the whole thing down?
If they're stuckThe smallest hero could squeeze into the gap — or the cleverest could roll logs off the top, one by one, slow as syrup.
✦ Roll for itReaching for the bell is a perfect roll: on a 1–3, a log slips and the pile shifts — the bell drops deeper and the noise startles Marrow, who now wants an apology too.
The pack-rat’s hoard
Set the sceneBell returned, Marrow talks: the thief was Nix, a quick-pawed pack-rat who collects shiny, tasty, wonderful things. Her burrow is under the old bridge, and through the entrance hole you can see it: buttons, spoons, a doorknob — and the moonberry pie, whole and perfect, sitting on a tin plate like a crown jewel.
Ask the tableNix is home, sitting right on top of the pie, and she is fast. Do you sneak, trade, or talk?
If they're stuckPack-rats never steal, exactly — they trade. Ask the heroes what they carry that might be shinier than a pie. Nix’s whiskers twitch at anything that sparkles.
✦ Roll for itSneaking a paw toward the pie calls for a roll: on a 1–3, Nix wakes with a shriek and scrambles for her back tunnel — pie balanced on her head.
Festival on the line
Set the sceneWhether by trade, chase, or a very good deal, the pie is coming home — but the moon is already rising, and the whole village is gathered with empty plates. And someone still has to tell them the truth: Tobbin never took it.
Ask the tableYou march into the festival holding the pie. What do you say to clear Tobbin’s name?
If they're stuckNix’s paw prints are pressed into the pie crust like a signature. Showing everyone is worth a hundred speeches.