Lord of Nessus - A D&D 5e Homebrew Campaign

"Why are you here, do you remember how you got here?....Just want to learn more about this place and you."

"Well, I don't remember much from before I came here, but I remember a cold, dark, rainy night where I saw this place and the light. Ringmaster Varnus let me in and let me join the Circus." He gestures to inside. "Come, come!" 

Calanin gulps. “Are we going in?” He asks the others quietly.

"Yes, I am rather curious to know if you're going in," the man at the door says. "The door is rather heavy." Suddenly, his face brightens up. "I forgot to ask you! I ask everyone who enters their names. Mine is Bran, by the way." 

OoC: They are a husk of a person...look up bran

Matthÿse straightens himself after Saferetan steps up. Still embarrassed that he ruined the stealthy approach, but relieved that he managed to play it off (he thinks).

He looks hesitant when asked to go inside. Instead, he looks towards Freytha and sends a message:

"Looks like we got ourselves a way inside. Let's make the most out of this situation and find that portal we need."

Matthÿse then moves towards Bran and says:

"You may call me Matt. I can't wait to see the show!"

OOC: Matthÿse will enter unless someone stops him. 

Quote from Yalexis_09 >>

Matthÿse straightens himself after Saferetan steps up. Still embarrassed that he ruined the stealthy approach, but relieved that he managed to play it off (he thinks).

He looks hesitant when asked to go inside. Instead, he looks towards Freytha and sends a message:

"Looks like we got ourselves a way inside. Let's make the most out of this situation and find that portal we need."

Matthÿse then moves towards Bran and says:

"You may call me Matt. I can't wait to see the show!"

OOC: Matthÿse will enter unless someone stops him. 

Entering, you walk down a long, red-carpeted hallway lit by sconces burning with a mysterious blue fire. Other hallways branch off, going to different places in the castle. Eventually, Bran turns right at a hallway lined with doors and opens one up, revealing a lavish room inside with anything that you'd want. You all feel a sense of deja vu, remembering Vecna's castle. "Here's your room," he says. "Dinner is in two hours." Then he shuts the door, and the feeling's gone. A long, sanded oak log with plants growing out of it makes a table, while trees grow wild throughout the room. The connection to nature is astonishing for something in the Shadowfell, as Freytha's face says. She lies down on one of the beds, immediately going to sleep. Only the window outside is a remembrance of the Shadowfell, showing a dark realm beyond the light of this oasis. 

I'm suspicious, but then I'm always suspicious. I turn to Matthyse. "What d'you think of this? Our guide either trusts them or is too tired to care." I nod at Freytha's sleeping form. "Should we follow suit or...?"

"I'll keep one eye open for us...I did that last time too, so if you want to sleep, don't worry about it, I will warn you when something happens."

"I can't say I blame her for wanting to sleep in a comfortable bed. I would do the same if I weren't suspicious of this whole situation. If the door is locked, all the more reason to stay vigilant."

Inside your heads, you will hear:

"Let's wait for her to wake up before we try to find the exit out of this world."

Matthÿse is a very expressive and honest person. He's never lied to any of you about what he feels or wants. But you can see, if you pay attention, he's been fidgeting the amulet with Tyr's symbol for a while. And although he doesn't say it, he feels caged.

You wait for a while- for a time that definitely does not seem like two hours. Then, a loud bell rings, and Bran sticks his head into the room. "Dinner!"

If no one objects, Matthyse will ritually cast Purify Food and Drink on the dinner before anyone takes a bite or a sip. Only then will he eat the food. 

It's not much of a meal, but it'll do after what you've been through and after Matthyse's spell. Freytha finally stirs and eats with you, but she seems tired still, and goes right back to sleeping when you're done. 

I eat my fifth of the entire sprawl. While the others finish up and go about their own business, I decide to poke around, searching every inch of our room for anything suspicious. This whole thing feels off. 

[Investigation: 21]

Quote from BoldHand22 >>

I eat my fifth of the entire sprawl. While the others finish up and go about their own business, I decide to poke around, searching every inch of our room for anything suspicious. This whole thing feels off. 

[Investigation: 21]

Searching around, you do find some things that catch your attention. Next to the window, on a few of the bricks, you see a small collection of scratched runes in a language you do not know. You also notice that in a few different places around the room, there are small splotches of blood along with several blade marks- there appears to have been a struggle here recently. 

The next morning, Bran wakes you up bright and early. "Let's go! Time for the circus! Today we've got a very special act!"

"I wonder which type of special you're talking about," I say with a light scowl. 

I wrestle and weasel out of bed, putting my arms up. My left hand grasps my right and stretches, then I pick up my backpack and put it onto my back. I as well forcefully dust my clothes off, I mumble under my breath with some twinges of anger, and a mountable amount of irritability. I sigh and then attempt to calm down. 

“Um. This is creepy.”

Bran stares at you, confused. "How can it be scary? It's the happiest place in the Shadowfell!" He ponders for a moment. "Then again, the Shadowfell isn't a very happy place..."

"Come on! Let's go to the show." 

Matthyse keeps pretending to be interested in this... circus? He's not sure. However, he will say:

"Nonsense, friends! Let's go! We don't want to miss the show, right?"

And when he looks at Freytha, who had been sleeping this entire time, he sends a telepathic message:

"I hope you got a nice nap because we need to find whatever portal is hidden in this wretched place and leave."

After he's done sending that message to her, he'll address the rest of the party in a friendly manner with a fake smile:

"Come! Stand behind me if you're nervous." And he follows Bran to wherever the 'show' is taking place.

[ OOC: Matthyse trying to lie is so cringey to me. I hate it. XD ]