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[H3]BACKGROUND[/H3]
In ages past, there once stood a small city in these parts. The city, being subject to constant attacks by feral nomad bands, maintained a sufficiently defensive militia to ward away such attacks as they occurred. This militia stood for centuries, and many commanding officers came and went throughout the years. General Gordon Valerian, known for being fair, firm and stern towards his men, was the last to command this post.
Not long from retirement, General Valerian employed an advisor, Gertrude, who would assist the General in decision making with the forthcoming yearly nomad invasions. This advisor was, in fact, a dark side witch, who planned to ruin the city and use its population to feed from the power of their life force. This was achievable by seducing the General, and corrupting his heart with a powerful green emerald.
The witch firstly fed off the life force of the manor's residents, sucking them dry. As her power grew, the population from the city were next to fall. Heavily undermanned, the city ultimately fell to the nomads and was abandoned, with only the manor standing the test of time. To this day, the manor is the only still standing building to be seen for miles around. Since that time, Gertrude has fed from the unfortunate passers-by who happen to accidentally wander into Valerian Manor!
[H3]ADVENTURE HOOK[/H3]
People have been going missing when traveling in the areas around the manor. The local town's mayor has offered some freelance adventuring work to anyone who is brave enough to enter and investigate the manor. The local rumor has it that a powerful necromantic jewel which lies in the heart of the manor could be worth a fortune to the right people... It could also spell great misfortune if handled by the wrong hands, so it stands to reason that it would be a good idea to retrieve this trinket and surrender it to the proper authorities where it could be kept safe.
Our adventurers decided to head off in the direction of the manor to see what is actually happening there. As they traveled through the nearby forest, they noticed a slight fog forming on the ground but don't make much of it as it does not obscure their vision. At long last, they approach the gate which happens to mark the entrance into Valerian property:
Cal used his robust strength to pry open the door so everyone could slip through - well, everyone except Ethan who was slender enough to make it past the opening without exerting much effort at all. As the group made their approach toward the house, they noticed that there were lights on inside, even though the house seemed otherwise deserted.
The blackness of the stone lining the porch and the entry seemed unnatural and almost tainted. The air grew thick, and what little light that the moon gave somehow became duller and duller the closer that the group got to entering the evil dwelling. Soon enough, they stood in near darkness. Before them was a set of steps that led to the high archways that governed the entryway into the mansion proper. A large set of dark oak double doors sat patiently closed awaiting the group's advance.
Upon approach, Ethan noted a pair of small, crystal blue eyes peering at the group from a nearby window - but they disappeared before he could take a closer look. The main doorway to the house seemed to be lopsided and broken, so the party had to push it out of the way so they could enter the foyer.
They did so, without delay...
Once the path in was cleared, the looming black space behind the entryway stared menacingly at the adventurers, inviting them into its abode.
In ages past, there once stood a small city in these parts. The city, being subject to constant attacks by feral nomad bands, maintained a sufficiently defensive militia to ward away such attacks as they occurred. This militia stood for centuries, and many commanding officers came and went throughout the years. General Gordon Valerian, known for being fair, firm and stern towards his men, was the last to command this post.
Not long from retirement, General Valerian employed an advisor, Gertrude, who would assist the General in decision making with the forthcoming yearly nomad invasions. This advisor was, in fact, a dark side witch, who planned to ruin the city and use its population to feed from the power of their life force. This was achievable by seducing the General, and corrupting his heart with a powerful green emerald.
The witch firstly fed off the life force of the manor's residents, sucking them dry. As her power grew, the population from the city were next to fall. Heavily undermanned, the city ultimately fell to the nomads and was abandoned, with only the manor standing the test of time. To this day, the manor is the only still standing building to be seen for miles around. Since that time, Gertrude has fed from the unfortunate passers-by who happen to accidentally wander into Valerian Manor!
[H3]ADVENTURE HOOK[/H3]
People have been going missing when traveling in the areas around the manor. The local town's mayor has offered some freelance adventuring work to anyone who is brave enough to enter and investigate the manor. The local rumor has it that a powerful necromantic jewel which lies in the heart of the manor could be worth a fortune to the right people... It could also spell great misfortune if handled by the wrong hands, so it stands to reason that it would be a good idea to retrieve this trinket and surrender it to the proper authorities where it could be kept safe.
Our adventurers decided to head off in the direction of the manor to see what is actually happening there. As they traveled through the nearby forest, they noticed a slight fog forming on the ground but don't make much of it as it does not obscure their vision. At long last, they approach the gate which happens to mark the entrance into Valerian property:
Cal used his robust strength to pry open the door so everyone could slip through - well, everyone except Ethan who was slender enough to make it past the opening without exerting much effort at all. As the group made their approach toward the house, they noticed that there were lights on inside, even though the house seemed otherwise deserted.
The blackness of the stone lining the porch and the entry seemed unnatural and almost tainted. The air grew thick, and what little light that the moon gave somehow became duller and duller the closer that the group got to entering the evil dwelling. Soon enough, they stood in near darkness. Before them was a set of steps that led to the high archways that governed the entryway into the mansion proper. A large set of dark oak double doors sat patiently closed awaiting the group's advance.
Upon approach, Ethan noted a pair of small, crystal blue eyes peering at the group from a nearby window - but they disappeared before he could take a closer look. The main doorway to the house seemed to be lopsided and broken, so the party had to push it out of the way so they could enter the foyer.
They did so, without delay...
Once the path in was cleared, the looming black space behind the entryway stared menacingly at the adventurers, inviting them into its abode.