The Calming of Carowyn Manor

• Characters: Alrak, Belton Stoutshield, Crulamin, Domollo Blue
• NPCs: Lord Carowyn
• Synopsis: After searching what remains of Jocylina, the group discovers a hand-scrawled letter addressed to one Rolth. Piecing the text of blood together, the letter requests Rolth’s return after having taken several of her ‘guests’ from the party, including a minstrel. The words also incriminate the gray maidens, followers of Eliosa Arabasi, in the introduction and spread of the Blood Veil. With the bloodied axe, Barl and Zaos leave Carowyn Manor with the damning letter with intents on delivering it to the priest of Torm Eshtani Doctry. With only have of the manor explored, the group continues the room-to-room search after Domollo hears flitterings of movement in an adjacent room. Two zombies are preparing a garnished human for the main course in the kitchen. The sight of the depravity is sickening as the group harshly deals with the would-be chefs. Exploring the exterior of the ground floor, the group moves through the lavish and scenic back yard to the guest house. The winter wonderland is captivating in its peacefulness. That is until Crulamin spots the broken glass and unmistakable foot dragings of the zombies that fearfully exited the manor via the second story windows. Finding the guest house free of the undead, the group ventures to the cellar below, discovering a hidden crawl space that leads back to beneath the manor. A well-stocked wine cellar is also home to a locked room. Crulamin and Alrak blast the door to smithereens, which is more effective than Domollo’s efforts to gain entry. The adventurers find a cowering man who identifies himself as Lord Carowyn. Rambling about his missing wife Domollo calms him enough to drag out additional facts of the party gone horribly wrong. Lord Carowyn depicts the party as any normal gathering of the elite, until the crazed harlequin-dressed elf crashed it. The intruder began firing her crossbow into the guests. Evidently tainted with the Blood Veil, the wounded began succumbing rapidly to the effects of the disease. In the chaos he escaped to the cellar and locked himself in. Domollo assures that help is in route as their comrades have left with the evidence to the Temple of Torm. Lord Carowyn is instructed to remain in his niche until all remnants of Jocylina’s doing are extinguished. After securing the battered door as best as possible, the group returns to the second floor of the manor following the layout as described by the distraught head of the house. In the master bedroom they interrupt one zombie dressing another in a ruined gown. The description provided by Lord Carowyn matches one of the zombies; it is, or was, his wife. Belton looses an impressive array of electrical sparks, catching the two zombies. Alrak and Crulamin converge on the monsters delivering the killing blows. With the extermination of all uninvited guests the adventurers return to Lord Carowyn to give him the horrid news of his wife’s passing. They began extricating the man to bring to Eshtani as he is now a material witness of the crime that is the Blood Veil.
• Encounters: two zombie chefs, Lord Carowyn, zombie debutante, zombie noble
• Achievements: cleared the Carowyn Manor of undead, discovered incriminating evidence linking Jocylina to the Gray Maidens of Eliosa Arabasi, a member of the ruling merchant council, and secured the eye witness Lord Carowyn that Jocylina was spreading the Blood Veil disease.

Jocylina’s Party at the Carowyn Manor

• Characters: Alrak, Barl Bloodbones, Belton Stoutshield, Crulamin, Domollo Blue, Zaos
• NPCs: Eshtani Doctry, Tae Soldado, Daeanaria, Ruan, Jocylina
• Synopsis: The spread of the disease Bloodveil creeps across the adventurers as the deep dwarf Barl Bloodbones succumbs to its depths. Arriving at the Temple of Torm, the group is granted audience with Eshtani who struggles with the dangerous outbreak. After healing Barl, Eshtani is slightly reprieved when the group offers to extend themselves on Eshtani’s behalf. The follower of Torm redirects the adventurers back to the Soldado homestead. Their success in healing the young Brianna reverberated throughout the community and a friend of the Soldado’s comes forward with an urgent request. Daeanaria reports that her brother Ruan is missing. Being a harpist, he was hired by the monied and elite House Carowyn to perform at a galla event two nights prior, but has not returned. She went to the house to investigate herself, but it was boarded up and shuttered. Since the Bloodveil outbreak, she fears contracting the disease but cries for her brother’s whereabouts. Accepting the grieving sister’s request, the group leaves for the Carowyn manor finding it in the exact condition Daeanaria descriped. Domollo and Barl make quick work of the fancy lock and push into the foyer. There they stumble onto a grotesque sight as undead dressed in fancy outfits are paired up on a dance floor, flittering about to unheard music. As inevitable combat erupts, cackling laughter comes from beyond the dance floor. The source is a femal elf, marred with bizarre make-up and dressed in a ball gown, its garish colors clashing. Announcing their entrance, the elf welcomes the party-goers to “Jocylina’s Party” and instructs the zombies to attack. The group plugs up the foyer while battling the undead, only to be the intended recipients of Jocylina’s attacks from afar. In the adjacent lounge more zombies linger, latent in there lack of response to the melee. Arlak is able to break through, tracing the hysterical elf upstairs where he finds more zombies in the gallery. Presenting his newly acquired holy symbol, the dwarf banishes them, sending them scurrying through the balcony windows and crashing to the streets below. A series of unfortunate events plagues the party as Jocylina douses Barl with alchemists’ fire. His return shot with the crossbow errantly fires into Belton’s back, crippling the wizard. Zaos and Crulamin continue decimating the horde as bodies continue to pile up on the dance floor, as the lounging zombies join the soiree. Barl gathers his wits and turns invisible, beginning his hunt along with Domollo Blue for the laughing elf. The two find her in the sitting room only to have her escape again. The crazed hostess is dancing throughout the manor, reeking havoc on her uninvited guests. Another batch of zombies arrives from the dinning room, only adding the great wall of zombies that the party is constructing. But the groups health dwindles even as their foes numbers do in turn. Barl and Domollo track Jocylina to the servants’ entry, rushing her position in an attempt to end this evil play. As she goes to retreat, Domollo swings, violently missing. But the still invisible Barl Bloodbones strike is as true as the Underdark is lightless. Bring his dwarven battle axe down on Jocylina, Barl drives the blow deep into the elf’s torso, sending her body violently in two opposed directions. Clan Bloodbones has earned its name once again as what remains of the hostess is all but red grafitti splattered across the wall. Domollo Blue is stunned at the massive display of brawn but redirects his ally to the zombie battle behind them. Reuniting the party and flanking the undead, the two join the rest and dismember the remaining “guests”. Now all they have to figure out is which head belongs to Ruan the Harpist.
• Encounters: six zombie dancers, three zombie loungers, three zombie art critics, four zombie diners, and Jocylina
• Achievements: discovered the horrific aftermath of an murdered party, destroyed most of the undead of the Carowyn manor, and split the responsible elven witch in two pieces.

Lavendar’s Riot

• Characters: Alrak, Barl Bloodbones, Crulamin, Domollo Blue, Malhavoc, Zaos
• NPCs: Aria Yelloweyes, Eshtani Doctry, Lavendar
• Synopsis: The Teziiran City Watch has established an all-persons curfew at sundown following the massive spread of the Bloodveil. At the Smelted Horse Domollo speaks with Aria Yelloweyes who has heard of his name and is following the exploits of his group, specifically the lycanthrope-striken Belton. After giving Domollo a map of the sewers, she says that a follower of Vernon Archer named Geargz is amassing a following and weapons in the sewers. He was must be convinced to disarm, either diplomatically or physically. Given that the curfew has been established, the group decides to wait it out a night before checking Aria’s authenticity. In the morning Zaos receives a scroll from Eshtani Doctry of the Temple of Torm. A merchant named Lavendar is perpetuating a cure for the Bloodveil. As clerics of Torm cannot thoroughly investigate without being mobbed by plague victims, he requests that Zaos and his group verify the claims of the cure. Traveling to Lavendar’s Luxurious Linamints, they find another development in the outbreak. The city’s merchant council has issued a decree giving Doctor Duvalus and his physicians as well as Eliosa Arabasi and her Gray Maidens full authority in dealing with the outbreak. All citizens must abide by their demands or face extreme prejudice. The emergency powers given to the outsiders is truly frightening and the development reflects the dire situation brought on by the Bloodveil plague. At Lavendar’s place of business, word has spread and people are lined up through the streets. Muscling there way to the front, the two bouncers are intimidated into allowing the group entry. After purchasing a vial of the “cure” Domollo Blue confronts Lavendar, detecting a falsehood in her statements. Zaos presents the written request from the Temple of Torm, but the effect backfires as potential patrons start a riot. Domollo Blue attempts to subdue Lavendar but she escapes into the back alley to her apartment. The riot becomes full-scale as the store’s bouncers are caught in the shuffle and the store is thrashed. The throng of desperate citizens transforms into a stampede. As Domollo, Zaos and Crulamin give chase, Barl and Malhavoc strip the store safe from its foundation and strike fear into the looters. The store is vacated and Alrak is caught up in the rush, coming to blows with one of the bouncers and forcing him to retreat. Lavendar unleashes her deadly blade catching both Crulamin and Zaos with her poison-tipped dagger. She is quickly subdued and covertly escorted back to the Temple of Torm. The circumstantial evidence is presented to Esthani who questions the detective work, but finds Lavendar’s use of poison a criminal offense, enough to halt her peddling of the “cure” at least temporarily. The group rendezvous at the Smelted Horse finds everyone made it out intact. Barl and Malhavoc crack the safe, but do not find any additional incriminating evidence, only fine valuables. Perhaps the confusion of the riot will blur unwanted memories.
• Encounters: Aria Yelloweyes, two rogue thugs, diseased mob, Lavendar
• Achievements: received an inquiry regarding a militant wererat, intimidated store guards, initiated a riot, subdued a practioner of a false cure, and presented flimsy evidence of wrong-doing.
  

A Debt (or Favor) to Teziir’s Redbeard – The Attack of the Goblin Raiders

• Characters: Alrak, Belton Stoutshield, Dimak Cloudchaser Ogolakanu, Domollo Blue, Farthick, Qualen
• NPCs: Sgt. Bartran, Captain Redbeard, Garsys the Merchant
• Synopsis: After defeating the were-rat Vernon Archer, the group collects itself on the docks of Teziir. They are approached by the City Watch headed by Sgt. Bartran. Leading the inquiry Bartran’s attitude shifts from skepticism to reluctant acceptance upon verification of the party’s deeds. He orders the sequestered to the Smelted Horse until the morning when they must explain their activities to the Watch Captain Redbeard. The following morning Bartran’s expectations are met as the adventurers are escorted to the City Watch headquarters and are greeted by Redbeard. He has heard of their exploits and offers up an entirely different escapade to the group. A caravan mercenary survived an ambush from a tribe of goblins that looted the cargo which is desperately needed food stuffs for Teziir citizens. The mercenary produced a map that identifies the revine where the goblins returned to. As the party could earn the City’s good favor, Redbeard suggests that the merchant guild would hold the group in high esteem should they retrieve the goods and slay the trade interlopers. Under escort the group follows the map to the isolated revene and enters one of the several cave entrances. The cave network is only marginally explored before the group intercepts a cluster of six goblins. The bottleneck of the corridors prevents the full group from attacking, but the alarm is raised and another group of goblins attacks from an adjacent corridor. Splitting the party in two, Qualen, Farthick and Alrak challenge the initial goblins while Cloudchaser, Belton and Domollo Blue take on the flanking goblins. The massive battle is soon joined by additional goblins lead by an ogre skull crusher as the sounds of combat and dying goblins has alerted the tribe to an invasion. As Domollo Blue and Alrak are drawn away from Qualen and Farthick, the accompanying light source vanishes as well and the two are left in darkness. Farthick cannot stand against the multitude of goblins and falls to the floor just short of consciousness. The blinded Qualen horribly misses his intended target and lands a fatal blow on his own ally Farthick. Battling back to the others Quallen joins the on-going battle as the combined party forces the goblins to retreat. After a quick assessment and dispersed healing, the party persues their enemy. The encounter turns deadly as the goblins and ogre have been joined by the tribe’s warchief and shaman. Like water the adventurers spread to meet the demand as blades and axes fly. Again the combat shifts to the adventurers’ favor as the warchief is destroyed and the ogre falls. The bereaved shaman is pulled away in yet another retreat, the fallen comrade Alrak is revived and again the party gives chase, hoping to prevent the goblins from regrouping and healing. A locked door is found as Domollo Blue pulls out a rogue trick to give way to a bound and bleeding human. The man is Garsys, the merchant caravan leader, and he pleads for his freedom saying the goblins were planning on using him for ransom. Qualen and Domollo Blue convince the others to persue the goblins so that they cannot regroup. With reluctance the party continues into the chaotic caves on the condition that any additional forces encountered will force a retreat. Rounding a turn in the corridor, they spot the regrouped goblins, but this time reinforced with hobgoblins. It is enough to trigger the condition and the party withdraws from the chase, retrieving Garsys in the process. Returning to near the entrance, they spot the hidden door for the ogre’s personal quarters and loot it. The party hastely retreats from the revene with the saved Garsys and the fallen Farthick and force march back to Teziir. Belton does his best to cover their tracks with his spells but the odds are bad that the goblins know exactly where they are headed.
• Encounters: goblin tribe, ogre skull crusher, goblin war chieftan, goblin shaman, hobgoblin cloister
• Achievements: discover the hidden cave network housing raiding goblins, destroyed a significant portion of the tribe including their primary warriors, retrieved the kidnapped Garsys at the expense of one of their own comrades Farthick.

Teziir’s Men of the Basalisk

• Characters: Alrak, Belton Stoutshield, Crulamin, Dimak Cloudchaser Ogolakanu, Farthick, Qualen
• NPCs: Domollo Blue, Jynn of the Kelemvor Sect
• Synopsis: Domollo Blue has gathered a small band of adventurers at the Smelted Horse in Teziir. A secret contact has been initiated with the Men of the Basalisk, an underground guild rumored to be attempting to take down the Astorians, thieves guild of Teziir. Domollo Blue’s task is to gather a group capable of achieving greatness, but also of surviving. The first task of their initiation is to seek out a crazed were-rat that sought the destruction of Teziir through a series of politically motivated kidnappings and murders, as well as attempted take-overs of the ratcatchers’ guild, the garbage collectors’ guild, and the sewer workers’ guild. The were-rat, one Vernon Archer, was thwarted in his conquest but escaped capture. The target lives on a garbarge scow, frozen in place off the docks in the gulf. The band braves the winter stricken streets only to be targeted by a sniper and a watcher. Both escape and the group calls off the pursuit in lieu of grabbing the attention of the Teziiran guard. Down at the docks, the were-rat’s barge is easy to locate, stacked high with refuse and ill-smelling waste that even winter’s wind cannot disperse. They are immediately attacked by two giant cockroaches as they maneuver onto the barge. The guardians are destroyed after a lengthy melee, and the party proceeds to the lone shack nestled within the mountains of garbage. Through the trapped door, the band stumbles into the firing range of the were-rat, quickly surrounding their target and coordinating the attack to their advantage. Vernon Archer is well dug in, and succeeds in voraciously biting Belton Stoutshield on his casting arm. The were-rat is systematically destroyed before it can infect anyone else, as the group discovers the lair’s treasure, and the almost unmentionable decayed corpse of another female were-rat, propped and meticulously maintained inside a storage closet. Domollo Blue promises to report their success, and if they are still interested, periodically meet the group at the Smelted Horse for further tasks from the secret Men of the Basalisk.
• Encounters: Astorian sniper, two giant cockroaches, trapped door, the were-rat Vernon Archer
• Achievements: gained an ally one of the local blacksmiths, Potter Helm, stumbled upon a hidden sect of Kelemvor with the contact Jynn, drew the attention of Astorian assassins, defeated the crazed were-rat Vernon Archer, but Belton succumbed to the bite of the lycanthrope.