Amphail is a popular town for travelers, being situated on the Long Road a day's journey north of Waterdeep, making it an ideal stopping place for those on their way to the city from Triboar. Despite the stream of travelers to and from Waterdeep and Triboar, the town has little going on. Unless you were interested in buying horses, the town was just an intermediary place between two far more interesting destinations. Such was the case for the five of you.
Residing in the center of the town stands its sole claim to fame: the Great Shalarn, a twenty-foot tall statue of a rearing stallion carved from black stone. Built in memorial of the warhorse belonging to Amphail's founder, it is quite a study in vandalism. Vulgar drawings and phrases have been carved into the horse's haunches. A layer of bird droppings coats the steed's head in spite of the local children's attempts to scare off the crows. On top of that, the base of the horse has become a notice board of sorts for the town. Slips of paper are tucked under the statue's hooves, the curls of its tail, or stuck onto its hind legs by a glob of wax. A recent addition to the horse's collection has been the subject of much interest in the town as of late.
"Investigators wanted," the notice reads. Over the past few days, servants have been vanishing from the estate of Lord Olwin Kindernis. One by one, according to Lord Kindernis' written word, the servants seemingly vanished into thin air while no one was looking. The working theory is that the house is haunted. A reward of four hundred gold pieces has been listed as the reward for whoever can figure out what's snatching his servants and put a stop to it.
There's no adventure quite as thrilling as a haunted house, right? Be it through seeing the advertisement or engaging in some good old gossip, you were led to the gates of the Kindernis estate. Fortunately and unsurprisingly, you were not the only one to take interest. Five of you in total stand at the gates. It is mid-afternoon, but being summer, the sun isn't to set for several more hours.
The house doesn't look too old. Maybe fifty years at most. Despite this, the tall mansion looks as though it's seen better days. The windows are dark, the red shingles painted with white bird droppings, and vines creep up the granite brick walls. It's certainly a large house, three stories high and sporting a tower topped with a conical roof. However, it is taller than it is wide.
A seven-foot high cobblestone wall surrounds the perimeter of the estate, overgrown with ivy and rose bushes. The gate is wrought from rusted black iron and topped with a row of menacing spikes. Unlike the wall, the gate has been rigorously trimmed of anything green. A mossy stone path winds through the neglected gardens (now feral, the flowers blossoming where they please) up the hill towards the house's front door.
Atop the stone cap on the right side of the gate is a tarnished bell the size of a humanoid head, with a rope dangling from it within reach of you. Clearly for alerting the host that their guests have arrived.
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"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
Standing by the rope, seeming eager to pull it to hear the sound of the tarnished bell, stands a young, fairly handsome man with brown unruly hair and a mischiveous smile, however his curiosity with the others waiting at the gate to the haunted house is greater still. "So, here to solve the Mystery of Kindernis House are you?" He asks with a curious smile. You recognize him from earlier as he climbed up the Great Shalarn just to see if it could be done and how the view was from up there. He wears brown and very worn travelers clothes and a studded leather armor, a rapier and a dagger in his belt, a backpack and a lute on his back. "Any objections to me pulling this rope now."
Standing at a respectable distance from the gate is a tall, physically well-built dragonborn of the white chromatic variety. He wears scale armor over his hide and undercoat along with a shield with its crest worn away by years of use and a mace of simple, cold steel hanging from his belt.
He seems to breathe and blink slower than one would normally, and when the man at the bell speaks his head turns slowly.
"I am here to assist in solving it, yes. It is good to see many gathered to figure this out; more likely to bring the matter to a swift conclusion."
He stares upward toward the bell.
"No objections from me. Do tell your name, if we are to be working together. Mine is 'Aruzhal,' if I recall correctly."
A young woman, only 5 ft. in height, is located a few paces back from the gate. She is at least taller than the young boy that stands with her. She has bright red-hair that is meticulously braided to keep it neat and in place. It frames a fair and lightly freckled face.
She is dressed in chain mail, with a fine leather coat. The new-looking painted round shield at her back shows the symbol of a white right-handed gauntlet, extended palm up. At her belt is a battleaxe with ornate grip.
Her light blue eyes carefully scan the gate and the others gathered here. She gives a nod to the white dragonborn as he suggests introductions. "I am la..." There is just the tiniest hesitation before she continues. "... Mikaela Scrivnik. And yes, I am here to provide aid to the Kindernis household," she says, her gaze resting on the man with the unruly hair.
A young women women with bright purple skin, leathery tail, and pertruding horns of a tiefling watches the others while inspecting the exterior fence of the estate. "People disappearing? That's never a good thing. At the very least we need to try and find the source of the disappearance. Especially if people are disappearing into thin air." She dusts off the front of her clothing before pausing. "I'm Kallista by the way," she adds.
She adjusts her hip quiver and bag, "I will say ringing the bell is probably the way in. At the very least it would be rude to enter without making ourselves known."
Next to Kallista, a step to the left and a half step back another figure stands.
Fairly tall (5'8" or 173 cm), slender with dark skin and piercing light gray, almost silvery eyes but currently hidden behind a spectacles made from a dark, almost black crystal. Her white long hair are tied up high yet some are always slip the knot. She is dressed in leather armor of elven origin she looks like a fairly young girl. Her hips are weighted with slim rapier and a whip on the left and a hand crossbow on the right. At the moment she is covered with a long, hooded black cloak and only her chin is visible.
She looks curious yet scans the surrounding area carefully.
"Hardly ever someone vanishes into the thin air. Just someone is not looking... I am Ilithienne." she says in common but with a strange, melodic yet harsh accent of a drow. She takes a step closer to the tiefling putting her palm on Kallista's right shoulder.
"We need the money Kalli..." she speaks to her looking at the others carefully "...but I think we can share. Four hundred by five is still quite a sum and fight is not what we need right now."
Then without hesitation she takes a step closer to the gate and pulls the rope ringing the bell.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM in Tyranny of Dragons
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me..."
The curious dark eyes of the young man with the brown unruly hair studies the others present as they introduce themselves in turn. Aruzhal the white dragonborn seemed a tad bit frosty. Mikaela with the cute freckles kept something to herself, but he would find out soon enough, the young boy beside her would surely give away any secrets she might have. The tiefling Kallista and the cloaked...elf Ilithienne, definitely knew each other, he hoped to soon find out what the long dark cloak kept from his eyes though.
He quickly steps aside as the cloaked one steps up to pull the rope for him, turning to the others again, giving them a theatrical and playful bow with a flourish. "And I am Gavyn, Gavyn Freeflagon, Carouser Extraordinaire, your most humble servant, here to investigate this intriguing mystery, and seeing such extrordinary investigators I have no doubt this conundrum with these enigmatic vanishings will be solved and explained before the tavern closes tonight." He says with an enthusiastic smile. "And you young man, I didn't quite catch your name there." He says, giving the boy at Mikaela's side a curious glance.
The boy, probably only about 8, looks nervously at Gavyn then to Mikaela, taking a step back behind her. "His name is Tam Stoneriver and he is with me. He runs errands," the red-haired woman explains. She then looks to the gate, and past, to see what effect Illithienne ringing the bell will have.
Aruzhal, standing with his arms crossed, gives a nod to Tam. He doesn’t smile but his tone is curious, not inquisitive, despite how stern he looks. ”A future knight in training under Mikaela, then?” He asks the boy.
The antiquated bell lets out a spine-rattling ring as Ilithienne pulls the rope, tangibly echoing against the front of the house. As Mikaela finishes her sentence, the front door of the mansion opens, and out steps a woman in a simple brown dress and a cooking apron. As she makes her way down the cobble path, you see that her hair is partially held in a bun by several decorous pins, and her earrings are mismatched. She stops just behind the gate out of your reach, her hands on her hips.
"The investigators the lord and lady asked for, I take it."
She speaks in a thick northern accent.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
Mikaela jumps in to speak first. "Yes, I believe all of us are here in response to Lord Kindernis' request for aide. I suppose we might all work together to try and resolve this matter for you. Will you show us in so that we might learn more?"
She keeps in her spot a few steps back from the gate as the two converse.
"Are you ready to visit the haunted house then Tam?"The young man with the brown unruly hair says with a wink and a playful smile to the boy behind the freckled knight.
As the door opens, Gavyn's attention quickly turns to the servant with the mismatching earrings emerging from the house, taking a step closer to the gate. "Yes, we are indeed here to solve this mystery, all six of us it seems, but I am sure we will make a good team effort out of it."He says with a polite smile, ready to follow the servant inside.
"Idra."She answers to Aruzhal, pulling a key from her apron pocket. After a couple seconds of wrestling the key into the lock, there is a clank and the gate creaks open. Idra stands to the side, motioning for you to proceed. As you walk towards the house, she closes and locks the gate before turning to catch up with you.
The garden between the gate and the house is horrendously neglected. Weeds pour forth from raised flower beds like a torrent of snakes. The implications of dirt paths can be seen running about the the garden in a spiderweb-like pattern, barely visible through the dense shrubbery of blackberry and rose bushes.
As you reach the varnished oak door, you see it has a brass knocker shaped like an owl's head. Idra cuts around you and opens the door for you once more. Here, she notices Tam for the first time and frowns, wrinkling her nose.
"What's the kid doing here?"She asks, somewhere between annoyed and amused.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
"Haunted?" Tam says in response to Gavyn's question, trepidation in his voice. He looks up wide-eyed at Mikaela. "Don't worry Tam, we won't drag you through the haunted house."
She follows the group in through the garden and up to the door. When Idra asks about the kid, she replies, "The boy, Tam, is with me. He runs errands. I planned to send him back to town once I saw what would be required here. Is there perhaps somewhere he can wait safely for us?"
Ilithienne looks at the little boy and Mikaela. There is something more... she thinks. The boy reminds her brother, Sellithin. He was no older than Tam when...
A small tear rolls on her cheek and she tries to wipe it without drawing any attention. Will I ever forget you, mother?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM in Tyranny of Dragons
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me..."
Kallista looks at the untended garden with some interest as they walk to the door. "Seems like people could already get lost just by walking in the garden..." she muses quietly.
Chapter One: The Dark of Things
Amphail is a popular town for travelers, being situated on the Long Road a day's journey north of Waterdeep, making it an ideal stopping place for those on their way to the city from Triboar. Despite the stream of travelers to and from Waterdeep and Triboar, the town has little going on. Unless you were interested in buying horses, the town was just an intermediary place between two far more interesting destinations. Such was the case for the five of you.
Residing in the center of the town stands its sole claim to fame: the Great Shalarn, a twenty-foot tall statue of a rearing stallion carved from black stone. Built in memorial of the warhorse belonging to Amphail's founder, it is quite a study in vandalism. Vulgar drawings and phrases have been carved into the horse's haunches. A layer of bird droppings coats the steed's head in spite of the local children's attempts to scare off the crows. On top of that, the base of the horse has become a notice board of sorts for the town. Slips of paper are tucked under the statue's hooves, the curls of its tail, or stuck onto its hind legs by a glob of wax. A recent addition to the horse's collection has been the subject of much interest in the town as of late.
"Investigators wanted," the notice reads. Over the past few days, servants have been vanishing from the estate of Lord Olwin Kindernis. One by one, according to Lord Kindernis' written word, the servants seemingly vanished into thin air while no one was looking. The working theory is that the house is haunted. A reward of four hundred gold pieces has been listed as the reward for whoever can figure out what's snatching his servants and put a stop to it.
There's no adventure quite as thrilling as a haunted house, right? Be it through seeing the advertisement or engaging in some good old gossip, you were led to the gates of the Kindernis estate. Fortunately and unsurprisingly, you were not the only one to take interest. Five of you in total stand at the gates. It is mid-afternoon, but being summer, the sun isn't to set for several more hours.
The house doesn't look too old. Maybe fifty years at most. Despite this, the tall mansion looks as though it's seen better days. The windows are dark, the red shingles painted with white bird droppings, and vines creep up the granite brick walls. It's certainly a large house, three stories high and sporting a tower topped with a conical roof. However, it is taller than it is wide.
A seven-foot high cobblestone wall surrounds the perimeter of the estate, overgrown with ivy and rose bushes. The gate is wrought from rusted black iron and topped with a row of menacing spikes. Unlike the wall, the gate has been rigorously trimmed of anything green. A mossy stone path winds through the neglected gardens (now feral, the flowers blossoming where they please) up the hill towards the house's front door.
Atop the stone cap on the right side of the gate is a tarnished bell the size of a humanoid head, with a rope dangling from it within reach of you. Clearly for alerting the host that their guests have arrived.
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
Standing by the rope, seeming eager to pull it to hear the sound of the tarnished bell, stands a young, fairly handsome man with brown unruly hair and a mischiveous smile, however his curiosity with the others waiting at the gate to the haunted house is greater still. "So, here to solve the Mystery of Kindernis House are you?" He asks with a curious smile. You recognize him from earlier as he climbed up the Great Shalarn just to see if it could be done and how the view was from up there. He wears brown and very worn travelers clothes and a studded leather armor, a rapier and a dagger in his belt, a backpack and a lute on his back. "Any objections to me pulling this rope now."
Gavyn Freeflagon
Standing at a respectable distance from the gate is a tall, physically well-built dragonborn of the white chromatic variety. He wears scale armor over his hide and undercoat along with a shield with its crest worn away by years of use and a mace of simple, cold steel hanging from his belt.
He seems to breathe and blink slower than one would normally, and when the man at the bell speaks his head turns slowly.
"I am here to assist in solving it, yes. It is good to see many gathered to figure this out; more likely to bring the matter to a swift conclusion."
He stares upward toward the bell.
"No objections from me. Do tell your name, if we are to be working together. Mine is 'Aruzhal,' if I recall correctly."
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
A young woman, only 5 ft. in height, is located a few paces back from the gate. She is at least taller than the young boy that stands with her. She has bright red-hair that is meticulously braided to keep it neat and in place. It frames a fair and lightly freckled face.
She is dressed in chain mail, with a fine leather coat. The new-looking painted round shield at her back shows the symbol of a white right-handed gauntlet, extended palm up. At her belt is a battleaxe with ornate grip.
Her light blue eyes carefully scan the gate and the others gathered here. She gives a nod to the white dragonborn as he suggests introductions. "I am la..." There is just the tiniest hesitation before she continues. "... Mikaela Scrivnik. And yes, I am here to provide aid to the Kindernis household," she says, her gaze resting on the man with the unruly hair.
Rabbit Sebrica | Skarai | Katryl Brightfury | Rylia Lionrage | Roxana Raincrest | Janek Whitmor | Lokilia Vaelphin
A young women women with bright purple skin, leathery tail, and pertruding horns of a tiefling watches the others while inspecting the exterior fence of the estate. "People disappearing? That's never a good thing. At the very least we need to try and find the source of the disappearance. Especially if people are disappearing into thin air." She dusts off the front of her clothing before pausing. "I'm Kallista by the way," she adds.
She adjusts her hip quiver and bag, "I will say ringing the bell is probably the way in. At the very least it would be rude to enter without making ourselves known."
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
Next to Kallista, a step to the left and a half step back another figure stands.
Fairly tall (5'8" or 173 cm), slender with dark skin and piercing light gray, almost silvery eyes but currently hidden behind a spectacles made from a dark, almost black crystal. Her white long hair are tied up high yet some are always slip the knot. She is dressed in leather armor of elven origin she looks like a fairly young girl. Her hips are weighted with slim rapier and a whip on the left and a hand crossbow on the right. At the moment she is covered with a long, hooded black cloak and only her chin is visible.
She looks curious yet scans the surrounding area carefully.
"Hardly ever someone vanishes into the thin air. Just someone is not looking... I am Ilithienne." she says in common but with a strange, melodic yet harsh accent of a drow. She takes a step closer to the tiefling putting her palm on Kallista's right shoulder.
"We need the money Kalli..." she speaks to her looking at the others carefully "...but I think we can share. Four hundred by five is still quite a sum and fight is not what we need right now."
Then without hesitation she takes a step closer to the gate and pulls the rope ringing the bell.
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me..."
The curious dark eyes of the young man with the brown unruly hair studies the others present as they introduce themselves in turn. Aruzhal the white dragonborn seemed a tad bit frosty. Mikaela with the cute freckles kept something to herself, but he would find out soon enough, the young boy beside her would surely give away any secrets she might have. The tiefling Kallista and the cloaked...elf Ilithienne, definitely knew each other, he hoped to soon find out what the long dark cloak kept from his eyes though.
He quickly steps aside as the cloaked one steps up to pull the rope for him, turning to the others again, giving them a theatrical and playful bow with a flourish. "And I am Gavyn, Gavyn Freeflagon, Carouser Extraordinaire, your most humble servant, here to investigate this intriguing mystery, and seeing such extrordinary investigators I have no doubt this conundrum with these enigmatic vanishings will be solved and explained before the tavern closes tonight." He says with an enthusiastic smile. "And you young man, I didn't quite catch your name there." He says, giving the boy at Mikaela's side a curious glance.
"Hardly, but not impossible Ilith," Kallista leans against the fence and laughs.
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard
The boy, probably only about 8, looks nervously at Gavyn then to Mikaela, taking a step back behind her. "His name is Tam Stoneriver and he is with me. He runs errands," the red-haired woman explains. She then looks to the gate, and past, to see what effect Illithienne ringing the bell will have.
Tam Stoneriver
Rabbit Sebrica | Skarai | Katryl Brightfury | Rylia Lionrage | Roxana Raincrest | Janek Whitmor | Lokilia Vaelphin
Ilithienne looks at Kalista with a faint smile.
It's good nobody can see me blush... she thinks and looks towads the estate if anyone is coming to open the gate for them.
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me..."
Aruzhal, standing with his arms crossed, gives a nod to Tam. He doesn’t smile but his tone is curious, not inquisitive, despite how stern he looks. ”A future knight in training under Mikaela, then?” He asks the boy.
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
"No sir," Tam replies sheepishly. "Just run errands for her and the others," he says nodding towards Mikaela.
"My squire, Luelle, is back in Amphail. Tam is a bit young to truly be a squire," Mikaela responds to Aruzhal.
Rabbit Sebrica | Skarai | Katryl Brightfury | Rylia Lionrage | Roxana Raincrest | Janek Whitmor | Lokilia Vaelphin
The antiquated bell lets out a spine-rattling ring as Ilithienne pulls the rope, tangibly echoing against the front of the house. As Mikaela finishes her sentence, the front door of the mansion opens, and out steps a woman in a simple brown dress and a cooking apron. As she makes her way down the cobble path, you see that her hair is partially held in a bun by several decorous pins, and her earrings are mismatched. She stops just behind the gate out of your reach, her hands on her hips.
"The investigators the lord and lady asked for, I take it."
She speaks in a thick northern accent.
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
Mikaela jumps in to speak first. "Yes, I believe all of us are here in response to Lord Kindernis' request for aide. I suppose we might all work together to try and resolve this matter for you. Will you show us in so that we might learn more?"
She keeps in her spot a few steps back from the gate as the two converse.
Rabbit Sebrica | Skarai | Katryl Brightfury | Rylia Lionrage | Roxana Raincrest | Janek Whitmor | Lokilia Vaelphin
"Are you ready to visit the haunted house then Tam?" The young man with the brown unruly hair says with a wink and a playful smile to the boy behind the freckled knight.
As the door opens, Gavyn's attention quickly turns to the servant with the mismatching earrings emerging from the house, taking a step closer to the gate. "Yes, we are indeed here to solve this mystery, all six of us it seems, but I am sure we will make a good team effort out of it." He says with a polite smile, ready to follow the servant inside.
The white dragonborn standing behind Gavyn nods his head silently, allowing him and Mikaela to speak for the group. "We are they. And you are...?"
Aruzhal - Lv 1 Tempest Cleric - Planescape: Lost
"Idra." She answers to Aruzhal, pulling a key from her apron pocket. After a couple seconds of wrestling the key into the lock, there is a clank and the gate creaks open. Idra stands to the side, motioning for you to proceed. As you walk towards the house, she closes and locks the gate before turning to catch up with you.
The garden between the gate and the house is horrendously neglected. Weeds pour forth from raised flower beds like a torrent of snakes. The implications of dirt paths can be seen running about the the garden in a spiderweb-like pattern, barely visible through the dense shrubbery of blackberry and rose bushes.
As you reach the varnished oak door, you see it has a brass knocker shaped like an owl's head. Idra cuts around you and opens the door for you once more. Here, she notices Tam for the first time and frowns, wrinkling her nose.
"What's the kid doing here?" She asks, somewhere between annoyed and amused.
"Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer."
"Haunted?" Tam says in response to Gavyn's question, trepidation in his voice. He looks up wide-eyed at Mikaela. "Don't worry Tam, we won't drag you through the haunted house."
She follows the group in through the garden and up to the door. When Idra asks about the kid, she replies, "The boy, Tam, is with me. He runs errands. I planned to send him back to town once I saw what would be required here. Is there perhaps somewhere he can wait safely for us?"
Rabbit Sebrica | Skarai | Katryl Brightfury | Rylia Lionrage | Roxana Raincrest | Janek Whitmor | Lokilia Vaelphin
Ilithienne looks at the little boy and Mikaela. There is something more... she thinks. The boy reminds her brother, Sellithin. He was no older than Tam when...
A small tear rolls on her cheek and she tries to wipe it without drawing any attention. Will I ever forget you, mother?
"I don't care, I'm still free. You can't take the sky from me..."
Kallista looks at the untended garden with some interest as they walk to the door. "Seems like people could already get lost just by walking in the garden..." she muses quietly.
Elra Skylash - Human Cleric | Vanzaren Tanidoni - Half Elf Wizard
Mindartis Liadon - Eladrin Barbarian | Naivara Siannodel - Half Elf Ranger
Arrila Evenwood - Half Elf Paladin | Callaphe of Setessa - Human Rogue
Katernin Nemetsk - Aasimar Cleric | Melody - Tiefling Bard