This is a brilliant adventure that perfectly executes a classic sword-and-sorcery heist. The premise of low-life thieves infiltrating a high-society ball to steal a powerful magical treasure is a fantastic concept that fits the Appendix N theme perfectly, feeling like a story straight out of Fritz Leiber or Jack Vance. The writing is clear and evocative, with the random tables for cover stories and the duke's treasure providing strong, immediate hooks.
From a playability standpoint, the cover stories are a standout feature, acting as both a mechanical starting package and a strong roleplaying prompt for the players. The random demeanour table for the honour guards is another great touch that makes the manse feel like a dynamic and living environment. The entire adventure is presented beautifully; the layout is clean and easy to parse, and the choice of public domain art by Anders Zorn is great, perfectly supporting the high-society theme. A very creative and well-designed heist!