Session 7 (191213)
When last we left our heroes Ronda was suffering the effects of the poisoning
she'd received at Gerald's lab and she just started hallucinating when they
found themselves caught between a mob of villagers and a squad of mounted
goblins led by snozzmallow. Ronda woke up long enough to hurl a javalin at
the fleeing goblin and his rail mounted barrel rocket shot out over a foothill
lake and exploded.
Then Tringa was approached by a raccoon and given an amulet through which an
old grandmotherly woman spoke to her, imploring the party to rescue her. So
they travelled to the abandoned Fisk mansion near a walnut grove twenty miles
south of city and Abby climbed into a dumbwaiter and was pulled up, first to
the second floor servant's room where she thought she saw a brush rattle on on
the dresser and then to the master bedroom on the third floor.
The Fisk walnut mansion
An overgown dirt road leads to a gated estate about twenty miles south of
Phandalin. The wrough iron front gate is covered in dead creepers and one side
is only attached by the bottom hinge. A plaque on the wall says 'The Fisk Estate'
A white gravel road winds it's way through thick trees to the Fisk mansion set
before a dark and overgrown walnut grove. There is a sandstone obelisk in the
center of the driveway and two stone lions flanking the front gate.
Back behind the house you can see a twenty foot wide stream and a dark grove
of walnut trees growing gnarled and neglected.
1. Entrance
A wrought iron gate fills the archway of a stone portico. The gate is open a
few inches and soil and dead leaves are piled at it's base.
Its rusty hinges shriek when the gate is opened. Oil lamps hang from the
portico ceiling by chains, flanking a set of oaken doors that open into a
grand foyer (area 1B). Sandstone wall panels show dog headed humanoids holding
lanterns.
2. Main Hall
A wide hall (area 2A) runs the entire width of the house, with a black marble
fireplace at one end and a sweeping, red marble staircase at the other.
Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a short sword and shield of strange
design. The shield is old and stained and the laquer is flaking off but you
can see it was painted with an iridescent green beetle.
The wood-paneled walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers,
nymphs, and satyrs. The decorative paneling follows the staircase as it
circles upward to the second floor.
A cloakroom (area 2B) has several dust covered black cloaks hanging from hooks
on the walls. A top hat sits on a high shelf.
Characters who search the walls for secret doors or otherwise inspect the
paneling can, with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, see serpents
and skulls inconspicuously woven into the wall designs.
3. Den of Wolves
This oak-paneled room looks like a hunter’s den. Mounted above the fireplace
is a stag’s head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are the
remains of three stuffed wolves. Bugs have eaten through their pelts leaving
their heads with large bald spots and lidless glass eyes and each specimen
stands within a halo of hair.
Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table
between them supporting a cracked cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a
pipe rack, and a candelabrum. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table
surrounded by four chairs. Two cabinets stand against the walls.
The east cabinet sports a lock that can be picked with thieves’ tools and a
successful DC 15 Dexterity check. It holds a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow,
a hand crossbow, and 20 bolts for each weapon. The north cabinet is unlocked
and holds a small box containing a deck of playing cards and an assortment of
wine glasses.
Trapdoor A trapdoor is hidden in the southwest corner of the floor. It can’t
be detected or opened until the characters approach it from the underside (see
area 32).
4. Kitchen and Pantry
The kitchen (area 4A) is tidy, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly
placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A
stone, dome-shaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe
connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Behind the stove and to the left is a
thin door leading to a well stocked pantry (area 4B). The food has long since
rotted though there are a few jars with murky colored liquid.
Behind a small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen is a dumbwaiter. A
2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple
rope-and-pulley mechanism that must be operated manually. The shaft connects
to areas 7A (the servants’ quarters) and 12A (the master bedroom). Hanging on
the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a tiny brass bell attached by wires to
buttons in those other areas.
A Small character can squeeze into the elevator box with a successful DC 10
Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The dumbwaiter’s rope-and-pulley mechanism can
support 200 pounds of weight before breaking.
5. Dining Room
The centerpiece of this wood-paneled dining room is a carved mahogany table
surrounded by eight high-backed chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned
seats. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is covered with
silverware and crystalware. Everything is covered in cobwebs and dust.
Mounted above the marble fireplace is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine
vale. Sandstone statues of animal headed humans clutching rods to their
chests stand in the corners.
The wall paneling is carved with elegant images of deer among the trees.
Characters who search the walls for secret doors or otherwise inspect the
paneling can, with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, see twisted
faces carved into the tree trunks and wolves lurking amid the carved foliage.
Red silk drapes cover the windows, and a tapestry depicting hunting dogs and
horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hangs from an iron rod bolted
to the south wall.
6. Upper Hall
Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this once elegant hall. Hanging
above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of the Fisk family: Gustav and
Elisabeth Fisk with their two smiling children, Billy and Ren. Cradled in the
father’s arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of
scorn. Gustav Fisk is holding two walnuts in his outstretched hand.
Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each
suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s
head.
The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward
spiral to the third floor. A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps.
7. Servants’ Room
An undecorated bedroom contains a pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses.
At the foot of each bed is an empty footlocker. Tidy servants’ uniforms hang
from hooks in the adjoining closet (area 7B).
A dumbwaiter in the corner of the west wall has a button on the wall next to
it. Pressing the button rings the tiny bell in area 4A.
Words are scratched into the glass attached to the dresser drawer. 'GO AWAY'
an old brush begins to rattle and skitter across the tabletop.
If the characters stick around they are attacked by the poltergeist of Edward
Shank the house butler. Who lunges out of the mirror with shriek and starts
tossing the lighter characters around and out of the room.
8. Library
Red velvet drapes frame the windows of this room. A huge mahogany desk and a
matching high-back chair face the the fireplace, above which hangs a framed
picture of George Fisk, dressed in hunting gear and holding a riding crop.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder
allows one to more easily reach the high shelves.
The desk has several items resting atop it: an oil lamp, a jar of ink, a quill
pen, a tinderbox, and a letter kit containing a red wax candle, four blank
sheets of parchment, and a wooden seal bearing the Fisk family’s insignia.
The desk drawer is empty except for an iron key (which unlocks the door to
area 20).
The bookshelves hold hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including
history, warfare, and alchemy. Many are so moldy they crumble to dust upon
handling.
Secret Door
A secret door behind one bookshelf can be unlocked and swung open by pulling
on a switch disguised to look like a red-covered book with a blank spine. A
character inspecting the bookshelf spots the fake book with a successful DC 13
Wisdom (Perception) check. Unless the secret door is propped open, springs in
the hinges cause it to close on its own. Beyond the secret door lies area 9.
9. Secret Room
This secret room contains bookshelves packed with tomes describing
fiend-summoning rituals and the necromantic rituals of a cult called the
Priests of Osybus.
The rituals are bogus, which any character can ascertain after studying the
books for 1 hour and succeeding on a DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check.
A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the south wall, its
lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest is a skeleton in leather armor.
Close inspection reveals that the skeleton belongs to a human who triggered a
poisoned dart trap. Three darts are stuck in the dead adventurer’s armor and
ribcage. The dart-firing mechanism inside the chest no longer functions.
Clutched in the skeleton’s left hand is a letter.
Dear Liz,
I'm pleased to report we finally reached the main chamber and have discovered
historical artifacts beyond compare. To catalogue only a portion of these
treasures would require a encyclopedia. I will be sending the majority of the
statues, wooden idols, pottery, and caskets to the museum but as leader of
this expedition I've taken a few items for myself. These include beautiful
works of art, a mummy so well preserved you'd expect her to sit up and look
around, and a curious bronze statue of a crayfish with naked human limbs.
We're packing up now and I expect I will be home by August. I will write you
from town when we hire a boat. I miss you with all my heart.
Love,
Gustav
10. Conservatory
Gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has
a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered chairs line
the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and
children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in
the northwest corner. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp. A
collection of painted pots is set in one corner.
The pots contain a few inches of sand.
Characters hear a scrabbling or scratching sound from the fireplace. If they
inspect it a swarm of rat pours out and attacks.
11. Balcony
Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, a thick carpet set on the
floor, and a suit of black plate armor stands against the wall draped in
cobwebs.
This suit of animated armor and the rug of smother attacks as soon as it takes
damage or a character approaches within 5 feet of it.
A secret door in the west wall can be found with a successful DC 15 Wisdom
(Perception) check. It pushes open easily to reveal a cobweb-filled wooden
staircase leading up to the attic.
- 200xp poltergeist
- 850xp rug and animated armor
- 50xp poltergeist
Everyone gets: 367xp