== The Introduction ==

{{date|21|st|Everbloom}}

The story starts in a tavern in the [[Dockside]] district of [[Fynwell]] where [[Barbarian|Kylee O'Ren]] is recruiting mercenaries for her [[job|mission]]. The only people who answer her flyers and show up to the meeting are [[Cleric|Butt Butterscotch]], [[Bard|Bilbido Tastyflute]], [[Rogue|Harlan Underford]] and [[Druid|Zoryy Feathermoon]]. Kylee explains that she has been contacted by old family friend [[Richard Oddenheim]] who needs assistance securing and transporting some [[Paragon Artifacts|Ancient Artifacts]] out of [[Fairhaven]].

The protagonists, meet, greet and introduce themselves. Bilbido then performs a song titled "When You Send Me Carrier Pigeons". Patrons of the tavern agree it is an excellent cover of [[Yoland Swagginson]] hit single, "When You Send Me Ravens". Every one gets their advance pay (half of the agreed upon sum) and make travel plans.

== The Journey ==

{{date|22|nd|Everbloom}} - {{date|3|rd|Cinder}}

[[File:Main.jpg|thumb]]

The company books a trip to [[Fairhaven]] on the [[Royal Seagull]] commanded by Captain [[Bethany Rogers]]. The journey by boat between Fynwell and Fairhaven takes about two weeks of travel. While en-route, the ship becomes enveloped in a magical mist that limits its visibility and then is fired upon by a hidden ship.

The projectiles which crash on the deck turn out to be barrels full of bones, which become animated skeleton warriors. While the crew is busy fighting with the undead threat, the enemy ship emerges from the mist and prepares for boarding. Bethany identifies the enemy ship as familiar merchant vessel [[The Kraken]], however it's crew appears to have been replaced by the living dead. One notable addition to the ships silhouette is a massive trebuchet mounted on the back deck. It's hull also appears to be filled to the brim with human bones.

The boarding crew is composed mostly of skeleton warriors accompanied by a few Wights. The heroes are able to keep the deck clear by liberal use of the Thunderwave spell. Most of the Wights are dunked into the brine before they reach close combat range.

The party members without access to deck-clearing spells fight their way to the ballista, and use it to damage the sails of The Kraken. With its sails ripped to shreds, the undead ship falls behind and the Royal Seagull is able to get away.

The enemy ship appears to be commanded by a [[Squidface]], a mysterious Mindflayer wearing pirate garb. During the encounter he briefly manages to mind control both [[Barbarian|Kylee O'Ren]] and [[Bethany Rogers]]. Kylee experiences a vivid hallucination during which she re-lives the horrific murder of her parents, and passes out.

Bethany on the other hand falls under the control of the Mindflayer and manages to heavily damage the ship's ballista, before she is knocked unconscious by the heroes. The first mate [[Steven LaCase]] is grateful that the heroes managed to incapacitate her before she hurt anyone, and before the crew noticed anything.

<gallery>
File: Seagull2.jpg
File: Seabattle1.jpg
File: Seabattle2.jpg
File: Seabattle3.jpg
File: Trebuchet.jpg
File: Bonepit.jpg
</gallery>

== A Day in Fairhaven ==

{{date|3|rd|Cinder}}

Upon arriving in [[Fairhaven]], the party splits up to attend personal business.

[[Cleric|But Butterscotch]] visited the [[Fairhaven Temple of Tempest]]. [[Barbarian|Kylee O'Ren]] went shopping and ended up at the [[Jerk Blacksmith]]. [[Rogue|Harlan Underford]] established contact with [[Dirty Dirk]], local Thieves Guild member and gathered intel about the local crime underworld.

Dirty Dirk revealed information about the three prominent local gangs, and their leaders: [[Rando DeButt|Rando]], [[Smiling Sullivan]] and [[Cutthroat Jim]].

The party then re-convened at the [[Nice Blacksmith]] and haggled over equipment prices.

== Meeting with Richard ==

[[File:Hut.jpg|thumb|Richard's Hut]]

The heroes left [[Fairhaven]] to meet with [[Richard Oddenheim]] at his archaeological dig site located in [[Briarwood Forest]] a few hours of travel away from the city. Instead of excavations however, they found an [[Richard's Hut|abandoned hut]] in a forest clearing.

[[Druid|Zoryy]] is able to use her ability to speak to animals to confirm a human male was seen entering and leaving the hut in the last few days. Fearing an ambush, the heroes carefully examine the hut, set up a defensive perimeter and attempt to enter inside to search for hidden passages. Suddenly [[Richard Oddenheim]] appears out of thin air and demands to know what their business is in this area.

Upon seeing Kylee, he remembers that they were due to meet here, and invites the heroes to follow him inside [[Richard's Fancyplace]], his private extra-dimensional mansion. He proceeds to explain the delicate nature of his mission. He shows the team a stockpile of crates, filled with [[Paragon Artifacts|strange artifacts]], but he is reluctant to speak about their source or nature. He does mention that while they have immense historical and cultural value, their mere existence is politically inconvenient for the current rulers of the land. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, it would create a lot of trouble for all the parties involved.

Because of this he has arranged for the artifacts to be smuggled from the country in order to preserve and study them. The team's [[job|mission]] is to transport the crates from the hut, to specified drop-sites in [[Fairhaven]].

To ensure that the artifacts are not discovered, Richard magically seals the crates. Any attempt to open the crates, or break the seals will cause the contents to be destroyed in a flash of magical light.

The party is given a map of drop-sites in the city, and provided with a horse ([[Snooky]]) and carriage they can use to transport the crates. The carriage can take up to six crates at a time, so they will have to take at least a dozen trips to transport them all. Upon delivering the crates to the drop locations, they are told to contact [[Rando DeButt]] who will handle them from that point on. They are told to meet him at [[The Wedge]] tavern.

The tricky part of the mission appears to be getting the cargo through the city gates. Richard warns the team that the guards like to perform random searches and solicit bribes from merchants. He insist that the guards must not open any of the crates. He leaves the logistics of getting the cargo through the gate to the protagonists.

The team loads the cart with five crates and after a short rest departs for the city. They arrange to arrive at small hours of the morning when the guard presence at the gate is sparse, and everyone is tired and ready for a change of guard. [[Rogue|Harlan Underford]] attempts to disguise the crates and make them look very unimportant.

== The Ambush ==

[[File:Ambush.jpg|thumb|Ambush]]

While traveling back to [[Fairhaven]] the party is ambushed by highway bandits at the small bridge crossing. The Heroes find themselves surrounded. Kylee and Bilbido attempt to negotiate with, while Harlan hides in the bushes to mount counter-ambush. He is able to pick off a few stray bandits with well timed sneak attacks.

The bandits appear to be led by a huge individual standing on the bridge. At the first glance he is about 8 feet tall and wears a loose hooded cloak. Upon closer inspection, it turns out it's actually two people: a halfling standing on the shoulders of a tall and muscular human. The negotiations fail and the bandits launch an all out attack.

The halfling is very fast and agile. He is able to snatch Kylees gold purse and get away. The purse contain the remaining money that she had owed to the other members of the party, payable upon completion of the [[job]]. The large human appears to be the halfling's bodyguard and protector. During the fight he angrily punches the team's horse in the face, knocking it out. Both leave the scene with the money, leaving the rest of the men behind.

During the brawl, some of the bandits manage to drop one of the crates which explodes, destroying the contents and harming the bandits.

Butters and Kylee are able to take on most of the attackers head on, dispatching several of them out right. Zoryy uses the confusion to shape-shift into a horse form. The bandits do not expect a horse to be hostile, and she is able to take several of them by surprise. In the meantime Bilbido and Harlan work from the shadows, relying on stealth and sneak attacks, though eventually both are taken out of action. Bilbido is knocked out by a Half Orc bandit, while Harlan ends up caught in a snare trap set up by the attackers.

[[File:FairhavenGuard.jpg|thumb|150px|Fairhaven City Guard]]

The bandits suffer heavy casualties and survivors fee the scene. One of them, [[Bob the Dwarf]], is captured and interrogated. He reveals he works for [[Rando DeButt]]. The party votes whether or not to spare his life. Harlan insists that they let the bandit go, Zoryy is undecided since she wants to spare him but also sees the risks involved, and the rest of the party agrees it would be too dangerous. Butterscotch slits the bandit's throat with his dagger.

After looting the bandits, and throwing the bodies into the river, the party resumes their journey.

Upon arriving at the city gates, the heroes decide to split the party. Kylee and Bilbido are chosen to ride on the cart and pretend to be merchants. Kylee is chosen for her tradeswoman experience, and the fact that she can pass for a hired bodyguard. Bilbido is chosen for his and personal charm and the fact he can pass as a merchant and sweet talk his way through the gates.

The rest of the party follows behind, close enough intervene and try to rescue as many crates as possible in case of a scuffle.

The groggy guards at the gate are profoundly uninterested in the cargo, until [[Captain Horsepuncher]] shows up. He notices that the horse had a black eye, and that the cart has scuff-marks in places where it was hit by crossbow bolts. He tries to solicit a bribe, until the heroes mention [[Rando DeButt]] at which point he immediately backs off. As the team departs he gives them a few tips on how to punch a horse so that it won't show which is rather disturbing.

== A Rando Encounter ==

[[File:Dropsites.jpg|thumb|Drop Sites in Fairhaven]]

The heroes are able to deliver the crates to the agreed upon drop-sites in the city without any issues. Upon finishing, they head to [[The Wedge]] tavern to meet with [[Rando DeButt]] and agree upon the pick-up schedule.

Upon entering the tavern, they realize that Rando is actually the same halfling who lead the highway bandits who attacked them. He is accompanied by his half-brother [[Krud DeButt]] (the huge, muscular human warrior) and several other surviving bandits. Rando offers nominal apology for the "misunderstanding" and gives back what is left of the money they stole. He and his men already spent most of the cash in the purse.

Both sides realize they need to work together in the future and so the meeting ends without a physical altercation. On the way out, the heroes order few cases of ale on Rando's tab, and take them back to the Royal Seagull.

While on their way, they notice flyers and posters announcing a grand concert at the [[Bacon Theather]] featuring [[Yoland Swagginson]] as the main attraction.

== Party at the Seagull ==

[[File:Dicegame.jpg|thumb|Dragon Dice]]

The heroes spend the night at the [[Royal Seagull]] and attend a big sailor party and drinking bender.

During the party, they play [[Dragon Dice]] with [[Bethany Rogers]], [[Steven LaCase]] and [[Little D]]. During the game [[Harlan Underford]] cheats on a crucial dice roll and wins over 80 gold. He shares some of his illicit winnings with [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] and [[Butt Butterscotch]] who lost almost all their cash.

Bethany brings out [[The Captain's Reserve]]. The heroes partake in binge drinking of strange grog made by sailors and pass out.

== Dinner with Richard ==

{{date|4|th|Cinder}}

In the morning [[Harlan Underford]] goes out to scout the city walls for possible alternate routes into the city, to avoid more close calls with the city guard. He does not find a reliable entrance they could use, but does hear rumors that [[Prince Regent]] is due to arrive in town and that security is being increased in the anticipation for his arrival.

At the same time [[Butt Butterscotch]] goes to visit the [[Fairhaven Shrine of Tempus]] and upon touching the stone on the altar has a vivid [[Visions#Butt's Prophetic Vision|prophetic vision]].

In the evening the heroes are invited to a dinner at [[Richard's Fancyplace]] to discuss the details of the operation in more detail. [[Kylee O'Ren]] is still recovering from the party, so she decides to stay on the ship. She does, however, write Richard a short letter, describing the altercation with Rando and his men.

Richard is disturbed by the letter and promises to take care of the matter, and recover the money Rando stole. He advises the heroes to hold off making any drops until the matter is settled.

In the meantime, he wants the heroes to do him another favor in order to move his research along. Richard is interested in locating ruins of a [[Lost Dwarf Fortress]] in the area. He believes that the Dwarves traded with local aristocrat [[Lord Aiden]] whose family owned land somewhere near by, long before [[Fairhaven]] was founded. He believes he found a possible location of [[Lord Aiden's Mansion]] and would like the heroes to investigate its ruins for any possible clues about the fortress. He is especially interested in [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]] or any other trade ledgers and documents that might have been preserved.

He provides the party with a set of [[Richard's Scrolls|magical scrolls]] he thinks might be useful in their mission as well as set of magical [[Key Stones]] that they may need to enter [[Lord Aiden's Study]] chamber. He also attempts to teach them some of the [[Paragon Alphabet|ancient alphabet]] that was used in Lord Aiden's times so that they can identify the correct documents if they find them.

<gallery>
File: Scroll.jpg | Magical Scrolls
File: Keystones.jpg | Key Stones
</gallery>

The mansion ruin is located few days of travel away from Fairhaven, so the heroes decide to spend the night at the [[Royal Seagull]] and depart the next morning. At night they receive a [[Tweet]] from Richard saying that he is in the city to deal with Rando.

The heroes decide to head to [[The Wedge]] in order to back Richard up, and make sure he doesn't get himself into trouble. When they arrive, they see the tavern is temporarily closed due to a gaping hole in the wall. An eye-witness confirms that it was vandalized by an angry wizard. There was no casualties on either side.

== Search for Lord Aiden's Mansion ==

{{date|5|th|Cinder}}

The heroes follow Richard's map towards the approximate location of the ruins of the mansion. They camp overnight, and keep watch, but the night is uneventful.

{{date|6|th|Cinder}}

The heroes arrive at the location indicated on the map without issue. They find no traces of human settlement so they retrace their steps tying to make sure they are in the correct place. Even though they have been walking for a significant amount of time, it feels like they are actually walking in circles. Eventually they decide to split the party and search the forest for clues, and re-convene few hours later.

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] proceeds to get completely lost. The part meets at the agreed upon location sans Bilbido and empty handed. They then decide to search for their friend. They manage to find him rather quickly, and in the process notice strange visual distortions out of the corner of their eye. Zoryy detects presence of strong illusion magic that appears to be concealing something.

Upon closer inspection, the heroes realize that the forest appears to been divided into twenty feet cubes that seem to shift around and move and that walking into or past them. The edges of the cubes do not align properly, as if each cube was a projection of the forest, from a different perspective. The party quickly learns to manipulate the cubes, and realize it is a gigantic [[Forest Tile Puzzle|tile puzzle]].

<gallery>
File: Lost.jpg | Lost in the Forest
File: Slidepuzzle.jpg | Illusion Puzze
File: Slidepuzzlesolved.jpg | Illusion Puzzle Solved
File: Ents.jpg | Leafless Ents
File: Lock.jpg | Magical Lock
</gallery>

Upon solving the puzzle the heroes find themselves now standing in a murky, lifeless version of the forest. The sky appears to be permanently overcast and the vegetation appears to have died without access to direct sunlight. Some of the leafless, sickly trees in the vicinity appear to come alive, and turn out the be [[Leafless Ents]].

[[Zoryy Feathermoon]] is able to speak Sylvan and communicate with the Ents. They appear to be very young, and all seem to have awakened in this murky version of the forest. Zoryy confirms that they were likely created by high concentration of magic in the area.

The Ents do not appear to be hostile. Zoryy and Butt Butterscotch both use healing magic to make them sprout leaves and flowers for the first time in their life.

In the center of the lifeless forest clearing there is an [[obelisk]] covered in runes. There are decomposing skeletal remains of several adventurers strewn across the garden. They appear to have been dead for a very long time.

The heroes then approach the wall surrounding [[Lord Aiden's Mansion]]. The wall appears to have magical protection that will thwart any attempt to climb it. There is a single gate, but it is locked by a [[Magical Puzzle Lock]]. Heroes use the notes they took at the dinner with Richard to quickly solve the puzzle and open the gate.

== The Lifeless Gardens ==

After opening the gate, the heroes enter the inner courtyard and dilapidated, [[Lifeless Garden]]. In the middle of the courtyard there is a large stone statue representing a woman armed with a heavy club.

While the garden looks old and abandoned, the mansion itself is in a very good shape and shows no sign of disrepair. No roof tiles are missing, no masonry is crumbled and all the windows still have glass in them. The grass is perfectly kept as well.

[[Harlan Underford]] notices a mysterious figure observing the party from the second story window. The stranger appears to be clad in full plate armor, wearing a helmet with it's visor down to hide the face.

[[Zoryy Feathermoon]] notices a small bat hanging around the statue. She attempts to communicate with the bat using her druidic powers. She learns that the bat is named [[Bruce]] and that he is the night. He is adamant that the party leaves the property right away, lest his master become very cross with them. Zoryy confirms that the creature is a Familiar. It identifies it's master as [[Count Drakenhoff]] who apparently currently resides in the mansion.

<gallery>
File: Gardens2.jpg | Entering the Gardens
File: GardenGnome.png | Garden Gnome
File: Bruce.jpg | Bruce
File: Gartens3.jpg | Garden Gnome Defeated
</gallery>

After it becomes clear the heroes are not about to leave, Bruce becomes irritated and flies off. Harlan considers shooting the bat as it flies away to preven him from alerting his master. Zoryy stops him pointing out that the familiar's master is linked to the animal, and already knows of their presence. She suggests a diplomatic approach, hoping that perhaps the current resident of the mansion may be convinced to trade for the ledgers.

As the heroes approach the mansion, [[Garden Gnome|the statue]] comes to life and swipes it's club at [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] sending him flying across the gardens. A fight ensues, and the heroes are able defeat the animated statue. It crumbles into pieces. Zoryy and Bilbido take the two [[Red Gems]] that were it's eyes to have them identified later.

The door to the mansion has an ordinary, mundane lock, and Harlan is able to lock-pick it in no time. The heroes carefully enter the mansion.

== The Mansion ==

Upon entering the mansion, the [[Protagonists]] find themselves in a expansive foyer. They admire several stuffed Owlbears, as well as a huge painting above the mantle. The painting depicts [[Count Drakenhoff]] along with family, and [[Samuel Summers|servants]].

They start exploring the mansion starting with the ground floor. The the place seems to be unusually clean, and taken care of. There is almost no dust, and no cobwebs suggesting regular maintenance and habitation.

In one of the rooms heroes find some [[Drakenhoff Aged Wine]]. The heroes proceed to open one of the bottles and have an impromptu wine tasting. Surprisingly no one gets poisoned. [[Butt Butterscotch]] takes few bottles for later.

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] finds a [[Leather Bound Music Journal]] which appears to contain notes by some unknown composer.

While traversing a long hallway the heroes are spotted by [[Bruce]] who is inside the house now. He activates one of the mansions defense mechanisms by pulling a lever on the wall, threatening, "[[Mr. Q*Bert]] is gonna F You Up!"

== A Study in Cubism ==

When [[Bruce]] pulls on the lever, several small holes open in the wall behind the heroes, and a Gelatinous Cube oozes into the hallway. The team keeps their distance, and advances forward while taking shots at the slow moving creature behind them. Bruce sees the heroes advancing and disappears beyond the corner. Heroes try several doors in the hallway but some are locked, and they do not want to stick around trying to lock-pick them while the cube is moving purposefully towards them.

<gallery>
File: Mansion1.jpg
File: Mansion2.jpg
</gallery>

When they reach the corner Bruce is there, and this time he brought friends in form of several bat swarms. There appears to be another gelatinous cube approaching from the opposite side of the hallway. Between the two cubes, and the bat swarms the heroes are funneled toward a stairway. They opt to head upstairs, fearing getting trapped in the cellar.

Upstairs there is another long hallway with several closed doors. The cubes follow the heroes upstairs, and continue advancing towards them. Eventually they reach the end of the hallway and [[Harlan Underford]] picks the lock. They find themselves in a small study that contains a desk, and several shelves of books and ledgers. They figure this room may contain [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]] and decide to make their stand here.

While the heroes try to set up defense position to fight the cubes at range, they are ambushed by bat swarms. During the frantic fight they use up both of their [[Richard's Scrolls|Fire Bolt scrolls]]. They are eventually able to vanquish both of the cubes, and chase most of the bats away.

They begin searching the study for the ledger, inspecting the desk and the book shelves. [[Harlan Underford]] notices finely woven tapestries hanging in the room and touches one of them. His hand passes through, revealing it to be a [[Magical Tapestry Portal]] leading to [[Lord Aiden's Study]].

Suddenly the heroes find themselves in a [[White Room]] facing [[Bruce]] and [[Count Drakenhoff]].

== Bat Beat Down ==

[[File:Brucebattle.jpg|thumb|200px]]

[[Count Drakenhoff]] believes the heroes are responsible for the disappearance of an [[Senjack|old man]] who used to visit the mansion. The heroes try to negotiate with Count Drakenhoff but he appears to be uninterested in anything but unconditional surrender. The protagonists refuse to lay down their arms and be captured and prepare to fight. Drakenhoff considers facing them, but ultimately leaves the job of subduing the invaders to his familiar [[Bruce]].

The tiny bat transforms into his monstrous demon form. In this form he is incredibly strong and fast, and more than capable of taking on the protagonists who have been weakened by the fight against the gelatinous cubes and bat swarms. He manages to knock out [[Bilbido Tastyflute]], but eventually is defeated.

He transforms back into his bat form and flies away. Count Drakenhoff returns to the room, to finish the job. At this point the heroes are very weak and completely depleted in terms of spells and ammunition. The heroes make a decision to use one of [[Richard's Scrolls]] to cast [[Oddenheim Domicile]] and scramble into the portal, dragging the unconscious party members along.

Inside of the pocket dimension they rest up, heal, and prepare for battle. Upon regaining consciousness, [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] sings a song to bolster the spirits of his comrades. After taking a long rest, the heroes emerge from the pocket dimension ready for a fight.

{{date|7|th|Cinder}}

To their surprise they are no longer in the White Room but back on the ground floor of the mansion. They re-orient themselves and decide to go back upstairs and finish rummaging through the study, this time avoiding the tapestries.

On their way, they are once again spotted by [[Bruce]]. Almost immediately, they find themselves inexplicably transported to the [[White Room]] where [[Count Drakenhoff]] awaits them.

== Everyone Dies in The White Room ==

This time [[Bruce]] stays out of the fight, humbled by the previous encounter. [[Count Drakenhoff]] takes the matter into his own hands. To even the odds, he drives his sword into the ground and summons three [[Fake Hoff]]s using his blood magic. Those phantom copies of himself appear to have a fraction of his power and magical ability.

<gallery>
File: Drakenhoff2.jpg | Drakenhoff
File: Fakehoff.jpg | Fake Hoff
</gallery>

What ensues is a protracted and arduous battle between the heroes and four Hoffs. Upon being defeated, the Fake Hoffs explode into clouds of bats, which continue fighting, harassing the heroes. One by one, all of the protagonists fall. Last two men standing are [[Harlan Underford]] and [[Butt Butterscotch]]. As one of the Fake Hoffs cuts down Butterscotch, Harlan is able to get behind the real Drakenhoff and deal a final blow that causes him to fall prone.

As Drakenhoff falls, Harlan is attacked from behind by previously unseen enemy. An armored hand lifts him into the air and attempts to break his neck. Just before Harlan falls unconscious he sees Drakenhoff ordering the unseen assailant to stand down.

== Captive Audience ==
[[File:Samuel.jpg|thumb|300px|Samuel Summers]]

The heroes wake up back in the room with the magical tapestries. They are fully healed, and any injuries they have suffered are gone. They are all gagged and tied to chairs. [[Harlan Underford]] notes that whoever restrained them did not have much experience in tying people up, and tried to make up for it by using excessive amount of rope. When he looks around the room he sees a scrawny, teenage boy attending to [[Zoryy Feathermoon]]. He appears to be tenderly adjusting her bindings so that they not any more uncomfortable than they need to be.

When the boy realizes the heroes are starting to wake up, he immediately shifts into the [[Count Drakenhoff]] form. When Harlan calls him out on it, the boy becomes flustered and returns to his youthful appearance realizing there is no point in keeping up the charade. The heroes aggressively demand to be released, making the boy increasingly more nervous. This prompts a hulking giant in full plate armor to enter the room, but the boy sends him away.

The boy demands to know how they have found his secret mansion. Harlan reveals that they have been sent by an affluent scholar and archaeologist researching the history of the the Aiden Family. He decides to conceal the fact their employer is also a powerful wizard. The boy is skeptical of that story and keeps questioning them about man named [[Senjack]] who has recently vanished. This man was the only person in Fairhaven who knew how to find the mansion and bypass the protective magic that conceals it. The boy suspects that the heroes are vampire hunters who have captured, and possibly killed Senjack for this information, and arrived here in order to kill him. He also suspects backup will be arriving in the form of Knights of Tempus.

Even if they are hired mercenaries, as they claim, they cannot be released now that hey know his secret. They could easily sell the information to actual hunters, or worse yet, publicly expose him making him a target for any and all adventurers.

Harlan realizes that the boy might actually be a good person despite his vampirism, and that the idea of holding them prisoner makes him visibly uncomfortable. He feeds him more lies to appeal to his pity and threats to make him reconsider his plans to keep them captive. The boy becomes visibly flustered and leaves the room to think.

Harlan uses this, to retrieve the [[Harlan's Dagger|hidden dagger]] he always keeps in his shoe using his Arcane Trickster skills. He is able to free himself from the inexpertly tied bindings in no time, and he starts untying his companions. By the time their captor returns, almost all team members are free and fully armed.

Seeing weapons in their hands, the large suit of armor following the boy opens up, and envelops him inside, revealing that it is a magical armor golem. From inside his protective construct the boy ends up negotiating a truce. He reveals his name is [[Samuel Summers]] and the suit of armor is [[Mr Clatterby]]. He tells them how he came to be a vampire against his will, and how he inherited the mansion after [[Count Drakenhoff]] fell.

The heroes end up convincing him that their story is true by showing him the [[Key Stones]] given to them by [[Richard Oddenheim]], seeing how Senjack did not have any such stones. Samuel explains that the stones appear to be a key to unlocking one of the [[Magical Tapestry Portal]]s in this very room. He shows them how the tapestries work, by taking them to the [[Extraplanar Portal Hub]] and showing them the many tapestries on display there. He also explains how difficult they are to explore due to the fact many of them may be dead ends with no return portal, and others may lead to planes of existence where time flows differently, or which are inhabitable or even lethal to the living or the undead.

The [[Key Stones]] in their possession appear to be attuned to the other tapestry in the room: the one, that Samuel believes, leads to [[Lord Aiden's Study]] proper. In his 300 years of living in the mansion, he has been unable to activate that portal, and he is very curious as to what secrets are on the other side. He does not, however want to explore it by himself, for fear of getting stuck. Thus he concocts a plan, and asks the heroes to be his forward scouts. If they traverse the portal, and return to tell a story, he will allow them to keep the documents they came for, and release them, provided they make an oath not to reveal him to their employer.

The heroes agree to these terms and prepare for a dangerous journey into the unknown. To prepare them, Samuel gives them several Healing Potions. He also gives [[Kylee O'Ren]] a magical hammer named [[Whiplash]] and [[Butt Butterscotch]] a [[Healing Amulet]] with the symbol of Tempus. Finally he asks them to donate some blood before they leave, so that he can feed. All the members of the party, except [[Harlan Underford]] agree to this, and give blood to the vampire. Harlan politely declines, fearing the act could potentially give the vampire some power over him.

== Detention in the Study Hall ==

The heroes briefly discuss how to handle crossing the portal. If the time was to flow differently on the other side, they could get separated when entering one by one, so they decide to hold hands and enter as a group. Upon crossing to the other side they find themselves on a [[Steelstone]] platform similar to the [[Extraplanar Portal Hub]]. They realize [[Butt Butterscotch]] is not with them.

They quickly make a decision to cross back into the mansion to check if Butterscotch got somehow separated, and test whether or not the time flows differently in both places. They return mere seconds after they left, confirming the passage of time is about the same on both sides of the portal.

They find Butterscotch on the floor. A big hole has been blown in the side of his armor, where the pouch with his [[Key Stones|Key Stone]] was attached. Apparently the stone he was issued had a flaw and exploded when he tried to enter the portal. The heroes immediately use some of the healing potions they were given, to stabilize Butterscotch and bring him back on his feet.

They decide to go back across the portal but now they are a stone short. After some experimentation they realize that one person can carry multiple stones. They simply have one person double back with a spare stone and pick up whoever stays behind.

They begin exploring what appears to be [[Lord Aiden's Study]] proper. Lord Aiden appears to have built himself a sizable library with large book shelves full of strange books and tomes. They are greeted by the [[Flumph Librarian]] who appears on the pedestal at the far side of the room. It informs them that the library is closed and inquires about the reason for their visit.

[[Harlan Underford]] tries to bluff, claiming they are maintenance crew. The Flumph asks them to confirm their credentials by placing a hand on the pedestal. It then consults magical devices on the pedestal and asks them to wait. A small panel opens in the pedestal, revealing five small cups with strange smelling liquid. Flumph encourages them to help themselves to the "refreshments". The heroes politely take one cup each, but all except [[druid|Zoryy Feathermoon]] do not drink the liquid. After performing a smell check, Zoryy decides it smells delicious and has small sip. The beverage turned out to be a heavy sedative, causing her mouth to go numb.

Eventually the Flumph receives a confirmation via his magical apparatus, and calls Harlan's bluff. Alarm sounds start ringing, and curtain walls slide down over all the book shelves and doors. Four [[Caretaker Modrons]] appear from between the book shelves and proceed to attack the heroes. Two of them appear to be configured for ranged combat, while the other two seem to prefer fighting at close range.

<gallery>
File: Study.jpg | The Library
File: Floop.png | The Flumph Librarian
File: Modrons.jpeg | Modron Caretakers
File: Protectrons.jpg | Modron Protectrons
File: Floortiles.jpg | Floor Tile Puzzle
File: Studylock.jpg | Combination Lock
</gallery>

The heroes defeat two of the creatures, and another two appear on the scene. These scuttle around on the floor picking up bits of their fallen comrades and proceed to start repairing them.

As the fight continues, the Modrons change tactics, and re-configure themselves into two [[Modron Protectrons]] by stacking one on top of the other. The heroes manage to finally defeat them, and destroy their metallic bodies to the point where it would be difficult to get them fully repaired.

The heroes note that destroying the modrons granted them access to pass, and the door behind the pedestal is unlocked so they proceed down the [[Lord Aiden's Study#The Winding Walkway|The Winding Walkway]] until they reach a room sized area with runes on the ground, the [[Floor Tile Puzzle]].

The puzzle is composed of pressure plates with magical glyphs. Stepping on each activates a different effect.

Harlan tries to test few pressure plates by throwing his water skin on them to see if they activate. Unfortunately, the pressure plates seem to be calibrated to activate only when a person steps on them.

Through some trial and error the heroes decipher enough symbols to avoid the dangerous trap plates. They also realize that two people can fit on a single pressure plate and quickly "conga line" through the puzzle.

They continue down the walkway until they reach a large door, protected by [[Combination Lock]]. They deduce the glyphs on the buttons are probably numbers and that the door can be unlocked by entering an appropriate code. They enter few test combinations. This seems to set off another magical alarm, and two more Protectrons appear in the distance behind them. At the far end of the hallway, the walls begin to close in the protagonists, forcing them to attempt to quickly solve the puzzle.

The heroes frantically try more combinations. Eventually Harlan and Zoryy suggest trying and ordered sequence such as "1234", which would appeal to rigid and orderly minds of the Modron caretakers. The door unlocks.

== Lower Thy Chub Sir ==

[[File:Arielle.jpg|thumb|Arielle]]

When the door to the inner chamber of [[Lord Aiden's Study]] opens, the heroes meet [[Arielle]], a very tall, young woman with red hair, and strange clothes. She immediately calls off the Modron Protectrons claiming she does not need their help. [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] is extremely excited to see her. [[Butt Butterscotch]] advises him to lower his... Expectations.

Instead of being concerned about the strange people invading her magical habitat, she seems intrigued and overjoyed to see new faces. She asks them many strange questions, and inquires how they managed to get in, and whether they have seen her father, [[Lord Aiden]]. She appears to have spent a very long time in this study and is eager to get out.

The protagonists are guarded at first and reluctant to answer her questions directly, fearing a a Drakenhoff encounter all over again. They try to find out more about her, and whether or not she is telling the truth. If she is indeed Aiden's daughter, it would make her a direct descendant of Paragons. [[Harlan Underford]] quietly muses as to exactly how much gold would [[Richard Oddenheim]] would pay to meet a real live Pargon.

Arielle is very interested in the [[Key Stones]] and asks whether or not she could borrow one of them to get out of the study. The team briefly discusses the pros and cons of letting a wild paragon into the world. Harlan is adamant that whatever they decide to do with her, they can't just leave her locked up in the study. The heroes decide to take her back to the mansion, if she allows them to take [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]]. During the conversation they inadvertently let it slip that many centuries have passed in the outside world, and that [[Lord Aiden]] is a mostly forgotten historical figure to them, and that Paragons are considered a mere legend. Arielle is shocked by these news. She agrees to the trade.

Upon returning to the [[Magical Tapestry Portal]] the team does the back-and-forward trick again, to take six people back with only two stones. The first people in warn Samuel not to freak out. He immediately assumes the [[Count Drakenhoff]] form to look more distinguished. After crossing the portal, Arielle waves the illusion away with a simple gesture. She also temporarily disables [[Mr Clatterby]] who seems alarmed by the new guest.

The two ancient beings talk for a while, exchanging their life stories. Arielle mentions that she cannot sense any of her kin on this plane of existence. Normally she would be a able to feel their presence, if they were here, but all Paragons seem to have been gone from the world. She is intrigued by Samuel's stories about the [[Purge]] and she wonders whether or not anyone she knows have survived them. She becomes concerned that if anyone is still searching for Paragons would be able to sense her arrival.

He asks the heroes to leave her one of the [[Key Stones]] so that she can return to the study for the time being, but have the ability to come and go as she pleases. The team decides to leave her and Samuel one of the stones each. This way both will have the ability to cross the portal, and they will have a backup if one of them explodes like the one used by [[Butt Butterscotch]].

Arielle begs them not to tell anyone about her existence. They agree to lie to Richard and say that three of the stones exploded as they were attempting to explore the study.

Before they leave, Samuel and Bruce teach [[druid|Zoryy]] how to summon her own familiar, [[Treeodore]]. Samuel also gives them [[Samuel's Scroll]] as a way to keep in touch.

{{date|8|th|Cinder}}

After getting some food and some rest, the heroes leave the mansion. On their way out they examine some of the corpses in the [[Lifeless Garden]]. [[Harlan Underford]] finds an [[Alchemical Vial]] full of silver liquid. [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] finds a [[Magical Sickle]]. They note that during their time inside the mansion, the [[Garden Gnome]] has re-assembled itself.

== Come at me Bro ==

[[File:Broblin.jpg|thumb|Broblin]]

At night, the heroes break for camp. [[Harlan Underford]] takes the first shift. At some point he hears a lot of noise, as if a group of people was making its way through the forest. Though he can't understand what they are saying, he is able to distinguish a few choice common swear words in their conversations. He extinguishes the fire, and wakes up his companions. They all hide in the bushes and wait.

Harlan is the closest to the road, and he is able to see an army of goblins passing by. There are over a hundred individuals in the army, all armed, and some riding wolves. They are also dragging carts with supplies and equipment. There are heading in general direction of [[Fairhaven]] but even someone inexperienced in the ways of war can see there are too few of them to lay siege to the city. The walls are simply too high, and too well defended. Harlan knows from his own exploration of the city that there are no weak points in the defenses that a small army like this could exploit to get inside.

The army passes without noticing them. One of the wolf riders in the rear guard however looks straight at Harlan at some point. It is likely a coincidence though, since Harlan's stealth skills are unmatched.

After the army passes, the heroes wait a few hours, then re-kindle the fire, and get back to sleep. The next watch is taken by [[Butt Butterscotch]]. At some point he notices a goblin wolf rider entering the campsite from the shadows. As Butterscotch wakes up the rest of the party, the goblin circles around the campsite, then dismounts his extremely large wolf. [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] recognizes the animal to be a [[Worg]].

<gallery>
File: BroblinAttack.jpg | Broblin Attack
File: Shackle.png | Cursed Shackle
</gallery>

The [[Broblin|goblin]] is missing an ear, and bears many scars, marking him as a war veteran or an expert fighter. From his equipment, one can deduce he is a hunter. He notices the knightly garb, and holy symbols and approaches Butterscotch issuing a challenge for unarmed combat. Butterscotch accepts, and removes his armor, and discards his weapons. The [[Broblin]] does the same, but keeps a large metal shackle with a foot of chain attached to his hand. When Butterscotch points it out, the goblin claims it his not his choice, and is unable to remove it.

As the warriors prepare for fight, [[Harlan Underford]] and [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] conspire to step in if the fight was to go badly. If it looks that Butterscotch is starting to lose, Harlan intends to step in, and stab the goblin in the back. He wants Zoryy to speak to the Worg and distract it long enough to make this possible.

Unfortunately, this preparation is unnecessary. As the Broblin pounces upon Butterscotch, a dark blade sprouts from the shackle, and he stabs the gnome three times in the chest. Butterscotch goes down, bleeding. The Broblin then whirls around and starts attacking the other party members. The Worg announces he intends to eat Harlan. Hearing that, Harlan heroically retreats into the forest, as far away from the animal as possible. The rest of the team combine their forces and take down the goblin. Harlan eventually overcomes his fear, and plinks few crossbow bolts into the fray from the safety of the bushes.

After the [[Broblin]] dies the [[Cursed Shackle]] detaches itself from his arm. Butterscotch picks it up, and it immediately attaches itself to him. He is unable to remove it.

The heroes re-locate their camp, and wait some time to see if the goblin brought any reinforcements, but it appears he did not tell anyone where he was going. The heroes go back to sleep. Zoryy takes the next watch, and while meditating she has a [[Visions|strange vision]].

== Gigantic Problem ==

{{date|9|th|Cinder}}

[[File:Mule.jpg|thumb]]

The next morning, the heroes resume their march towards [[Fairhaven]]. They send [[Richard Oddenheim]] a [[Tweet]] warning him about the goblin warband, in case it would be passing near his [[Richard's Hut|hut]].

Once they get to a small bridge crossing, they notice a bit of a commotion on the other side. A group of goblins (likely members of the same army they have seen last night) have set up a barricade across the road. The barricade however seems to be facing away from the heroes. There is a large ballista in the middle pointed down road. Whoever the goblins are trying to ambush is probably going going to be traveling from Fairhaven or one of the other coastal settlements.

The group contains less than a dozen goblins, and one large Bugbear who appears to be in charge of moving and aiming the heavy ballista. Two of the goblins are mounted on regular wolfs. The heroes decide to ambush the ambushers, but get noticed while crossing the bridge. [[Harlan Underford]] tells a very bad pun and then casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter on the Bugbear causing him to laugh uncontrollably for several minutes. The heroes then go to task, eliminating his smaller brethren with a high degree of efficiency. The bugbear continues to laugh even as a fight erupts around him, and doesn't even stop when being stabbed by his allies. Eventually he gets his shit together only to become target of a few damage spells, and capturing a crossbow bolt with his face.

<gallery>
File: GoblinBarricade.jpg | The Barricade
File: Giant.jpg | Giant Fight
</gallery>

After few minutes, only two goblins are left alive, and the heroes are no worse for the wear. They hear horns in the distance, and ground starts to rumble as if a large group of riders was approaching. They attempt to question the goblins, but hey are extremely scared and beg them to shoot the Mule when it comes.

The heroes approach the barricade, only to see a group of 40 goblin riders being pursued by an angry [[Mule|hill giant]]. The giant seems to be wearing shackles, and rambles incoherently about never being taken prisoner again. He is raging and covered in green blood. Nevertheless, the heroes decide to reason with the giant. They send Butterscotch across the barricade along with one of the tied up, captive goblins to show they are enemies of his enemies and thus can be his friends. [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] happens to know the Hill Giant language so she tries to call for a truce.

The giant appears to be very angry, and not in a mood for negotiation. He takes a swing at Butterscotch, but the Cleric is able to withstand it, and is simply swept aside with minimal damage. Seeing that the negotiations are not going well, [[Harlan Underford]] fires the ballista which was primed and aimed already. [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] and [[Kylee O'Ren]] then help to reload the device for another shot.

Once the giant is close enough, he is able to destroy the ballista with his tree trunk club. At that point however it is surrounded, and succumbs to the Protagonists, collapsing ontop of Kylee and a tree as he goes down. Harlan is able to pick the lock to remove the Giant's shackles, and the heroes revive him using spare dying, then heal him a bit until he regains consciousness. The giant is still very mistrustful, but when he notices his shackles were removed he ceases to be hostile. He gathers his club and scrambles away into the distance. He sees Butterscotch's shiny armor and tries to put him in his pouch and keep him. Luckily Butt is able to climb out before becoming part of a giant's personal treasure collection.

The heroes resume their travel.

== Gateway into Piracy ==

[[File:WestmarchKingsguard.jpg|thumb|140px]]

The heroes arrive at the gates of [[Fairhaven]] only to discover a long, winding line of people. It appears that the [[Prince Regent]] has arrived in the city, and the city defenses have been bolstered. The [[Fairhaven Cityguard]] patrols have been bolstered by the [[Westmarch Kingsguard]] and they have instituted new protocols for entering and leaving the city. All those who enter are searched, and questioned about the recent pirate activity.

The heroes queue up and wait, chatting with the other people to find out more about the situation. As they get closer, they see [[Captain Horsepuncher]] sitting alone and dejected, as his operation was taken over by the Kingsguard. They also notice a lot of new wanted posters pasted outside of the gate. One of them offers a reward of a thousand gold pieces for the body of a [[Mule|hill giant]] that has been terrorizing the local countryside interested parties can inquire at [[The Golden Stag]]. The other, larger, and very prominent poster asks the Fairhaven residents to submit any information about recent pirate activity to the Kingsguard. They offer 50 gold for a useful tip, and 200 gold reward for information leading to a capture of pirates.

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] is first in line, and he is able to get past through the control checkpoint without any issues. [[Butt Butterscotch]] decides to create diversion and uses Thaumaturgy to throw his voice and make it appear as if someone in the distance was warning everyone about a pirate attack. Before people start to panic, the Kingsguard close the gate and establish a defensive perimeter. They send a squad to investigate and patrol the area. After about two hours, the patrol returns, and the guards resume their operation.

When the guards search [[Butt Butterscotch]] they are alarmed by the shackle on his wrist. They want to detain him, but a senior officer of the Kingsguard, Sergeant Sebastian, examines the chain, and notices it is an antique. Shackles of this type have not been used in decades so he decides it must be a memento of some sort and releases the cleric.

The heroes enter the city without any more problems. [[Butt Butterscotch]] throws his voice again, causing more commotion and delays at the gate. The heroes still have a few hours of daylight, so they decide to split up and attend to their own matters.

== It was totally a fair maiden ==

[[File:MariusVerman.jpg|thumb|150px|Marius Verman]]

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] decides to cash in on his knowledge of piratical activity in the region. He approaches Kingsguard with the tip, and is directed to [[Fairhaven Keep]]. There he is questioned by [[Marius Verman]] a wizard of 3rd Order who is in charge of the investigation. He is a bit surprised to see such a high ranked wizard to be handling such a petty matter. The wizard seems to be equally annoyed and baffled by having to perform this function.

While in the process of snitching, Bilbido realizes that he could make a lot of trouble for [[Bethany Rogers]] and her crew. They might be detained and questioned at length, if he was to give their names or the name of the ship. If they do want to help the guard to capture the pirates, they can always come forward themselves.

He gives Verman a fake name "The Fair Lady" and claims they have arrived few weeks ago. The wizard thanks him for his contribution and asks his assistant to go to the docks and pull the manifests and see if the ship is still docked, or if it is due to return soon.

== CSI Fairhaven ==

[[Harlan Underford]] and [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] head out to [[Gustavo's Marvelous Elixirs]] in order to identify the magical items they have discovered in the [[Lifeless Garden]]. The place is closed as usual, but upon seeing a pouch full of coins waved in the window [[Gustavo Lutz]] invites the heroes inside.

He quotes them an astronomical price for identification, but becomes intrigued when shown the [[Alchemical Vial]]. He consults his notes, and claims it is very valuable alchemist tool capable of changing the state of the substance poured inside. When he pours out the silvery liquid out of it into a glass, it immediately hardens into a pint of platinum. He offers to auction it off for Harlan, and take percentage of the profits, which are to be very large. Harlan politely declines.

As a gesture of good will he offers to identify the [[Magical Sickle]] for free. It turns out to be a humane tool used by druids to cut of branches from their holy trees without harming or disfiguring them.

Afterwards the two heroes head to [[Senjack]]'s house near the city walls. Harlan picks the lock, and they enter inside, only to find some signs of struggle. There are scraps of clothing on the floor. Something heavy has been removed from one of the closets. Harlan questions the upstairs neighbor, who claims she has not heard any struggle in the house. She also has not seen anyone visiting Senjack recently. She has not seen him in few days, but assumed he was on one of his fishing trips which usually take a few days.

== Have You Seen Any Warlocks ==

[[File:Warlock.jpg|thumb|150px|Warlock Stout]]

[[Butt Butterscotch]] decides to visit the [[Fairhaven Shrine of Tempus]] once again. There he has his [[Visions|second vision]].

Afterwards he goes to [[Gustavo's Marvelous Elixirs]] to have the [[Cursed Shackle]] looked at. [[Gustavo Lutz]] quotes him an astronomical price for identification that Butterscotch cannot afford. He tries to haggle, but all is for nothing.

Finally he decides to follow up on the tip he received from [[Samuel Summers]] and visit [[The Hammer]], a tavern in the shady part of town connected to Warlock activity. He questions the bartender about Warlocks, and he nods knowingly, and requests 5 gold pieces. He then proceeds to pour him a [[Warlock Stout]].

Butterscotch drinks the stout, and proceeds to have vivid hallucinations. He starts a bar fight, and is promptly thrown out by the bouncers, and told never to come back, and not to mention the Warlock Stout which is very illegal.

{{date|10|th|Cinder}}

Next day the heroes meet back together, and head towards the city gates. They decide to visit [[Richard Oddenheim]] and drop off the ledger, and then go investigate the fishing village where [[Senjack]] was last seen. [[Butt Butterscotch]] is still tripping on the [[Warlock Stout]]. He shows his companions the bottle. [[Harlan Underford]] examines it, and believes he could investigate rumors to find the general location of the brewery. He then disposes of the bottle.

== Alliances broken in an Alley ==

As they near towards the gates, they see a lot of commotion ahead. They see [[Yoland Swagginson]] and his entourage greeting his fans, and handing out fliers and tickets for his show. The party gets separated by the crowd. A woman seems to recognize [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] and calls him by name, as she is being dragged into an alley by two shady thugs. Bilbido follows her into the alley followed by [[Harlan Underford]] who makes a failed attempt to flag down the rest of the team, expecting a trap.

Harlan'd instincts prove to be correct, and the heroes find themselves surrounded by armed thugs, led by [[Rando DeButt]]. The bard suffers a blow to the head which stuns him, but he remains conscious. Rando appears to be dissatisfied with the way the heroes have been doing business so far, and wants to assume greater control over the entire enterprise. In particular he wants to know the address of [[Richard Oddenheim]], and the place where he stores the crates. He wants the heroes to betray the wizard, and to ensure compliance he threatens Harlan's family in [[Fynwell]]. Harlan agrees to the terms, but secretly considers this an open declaration of war.

Rando also reveals he has a [[Secret Tunnel]] that can be used to smuggle the crates into the city. Location of this tunnel is a closely guarded secret known only to him and his most trusted accomplices. He graciously offers to allow the heroes to continue their delivery work, and reveal the location of the tunnel, provided they give up the Wizard. Upon delivering his demands, Rando and his thugs vacate the area, just as the rest of the heroes arrive with backup in the form of two city guards. Seeing that no crime has been committed the guards and the thugs wander off.

Harlan immediately sends a coded message to Fynwell via the Mages Guild letting his family know they might be in danger, and should take immediate precautions. He also tracks down [[Dirty Dirk]] and tasks him with digging up any dirt on Rando he can find. He also wants him to connect him any potential enemies that Rando has in the city.

Later that day the heroes meet [[Richard Oddenheim]] in a pub and give him [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]]. While reporting on their trip, they omit mentioning Samuel or Arielle. They also warn Richard about Rando's plot against him, but he seems unconcerned. He encourages the heroes to comply with his demands and give them the address of [[Richard's Hut]] if it will make him share the location of the secret tunnel. He then promptly leaves to begin translating the ledger.

== O R'lyeh? ==

{{date|11|th|Cinder}}

The next day, heroes decide to visit [[Pearltown]] which was the last known location of [[Senjack]]. They rent some horses in Fairheven stables, and make their way to the fishing village. When they get near the village they notice the fair weather gives way to deep fog. The area is also strangely quiet, given the time of the day. There are none of the noises one would expect from a busy fishing settlement.

[[File:Pearltown.jpg|thumb|250px|Pearltown]]

The heroes leave the horses in the forest, and slowly approach the village on foot. The settlement appears completely abandoned. No one can be seen outside, and there are no fishermen working at the dock. The heroes decide to quietly check all the houses. Nearly all of them are empty, but there are no signs of struggle. In some of the houses food can still be seen left on the table, as if the inhabitants left in a hurry. Some of the food is rotten, suggesting it was lying there for at least few days. They find a few starving animals in the stables, and a stray cat which leads them into one of the houses.

Inside they find a body of an older man, who matches the description of [[Senjack]]. He appears to have a hole in the back of his head, through which his brain was removed. The members of the party well versed in arcana recall that this is how members of the mythical Illithid race are said to absorb memories of their victims. As far as they can tell, [[Squidface]] is a member of said race. The heroes [[Texting|text]] Samuel, describing their findings, and warn him that a dangerous adversary may now possess the knowledge of how to enter the mansion.

Before they are able to leave, the door suddenly slams shut. Looking out the windows, the heroes see the house being surrounded by a horde of zombies. As they ready themselves to fight their way out of the village, [[Squidface]] enters the room, wearing fisherman overalls and carrying the stray cat. He says few menacing things, and then gets distracted by something, which makes him temporarily lose control over some (but not all) of the undead outside of the house. [[Harlan Underford]] uses this to shoot him with his hand crossbow, but the Illithid shrugs off the damage and knocks out the entire party with a mighty psionic attack.

== Mouse Guard ==

[[File:Mouseguard.jpg|thumb|200px]]

Upon regaining consciousness, the heroes realize they have been turned into mice. Not ordinary house mice, but strange bipedal mice that are dressed in tiny versions of their clothing, and carry very small versions of their weapons and equipment. While they seem to be able to walk upright, use their weapons and cast their spells normally, they seem to be unable to speak. Or rather, whenever they speak, others can only hear mouse squeaks.

The heroes find themselves in the same room they faced [[Squidface]], but they see it from a different perspective. Everything seems to be enormous, because they have been scaled to the size of actual mice. The Mindflyer seems to be gone, but the stray cat named [[Princess]] is still in the room, and appears to be interested in the tiny heroes.

Unable to communicate, the heroes try as best as they can to work together in order to defeat the cat. The epic battle takes place under the kitchen table, and involves various kitchen utensils, and common place items. By rocking the table, the heroes manage to drop a heavy steel mug on the animal's head. [[Kylee O'Ren]] climbs one of the kitchen table legs and is able to get on top of the cat and climb up to it's head to deal the final blow with [[Whiplash]].

Upon defeating Princess, heroes wake up back in their own bodies with a headache. The fog appears to be clearing up, and the undead horde outside appears to be gone.

== Pretty Fly for a Wight Guy ==

As the heroes prepare to leave [[Pearltown]] they notice some commotion on the pier. [[Harlan Underford]] scouts ahead to see what is going on there. He finds a group of undead loading the last remaining fishing boat with large crates. The crates appear to be filled with human bodies - possibly those of former Pearltown inhabitants. The dead appear to be lead by a man in rusty armor, and distinctive winged helmet. Harlan relays this to the rest of the crew via Message spell, and makes a decision to stop the dead minions from stealing the bodies of fishermen for their nefarious purposes.

[[File:Wightfight.jpg|thumb|350px]]

Harlan waits for his team mates to set up an ambush, then shoots the man in the rusty armor. He turns around revealing a skeletal face, revealing that he is also undead. A fight breaks out, during which the undead break open one of the crates. The corpses within stand up and join the fight. The skeletal warriors and the newly risen zombies prove to be no match for the heroes who dispatch them with great efficiency.

The undead leader decides to retreat, boards the boat, and pushes off the pier as his minions start rowing away. [[Zorry Feathermoon]] runs after the boat, and uses her Thornwhip spell targeting the leader. The spell hits, and the Wight in rusty armor is pulled off the boat. Zorry pulls him onto the shore, at which point he gets up and re-joins the fight.

Heroes team up against the Wight, and manage to defeat him, but not before he injures [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] with his rusty, highly ornamental sword. While healing Bilbido, Zorry notices the wound was poisoned. She also discovers that her [[Magical Sickle]] glows red in the presence of poison.

Once the fight is over, the heroes build a funeral pyre and burn the bodies of the fishermen. They also take [[Purge Blade|the wight's blade]] and his [[Purge Legionary Helmet|his helmet]] as evidence. They also free and feed the starving animals: a dog they name [[Mr. Barkley]] and a horse.

== A Fair Day in Fairhaven ==

Upon returning to Fairhaven, Harlan visits [[Gustavo Lutz]] and makes a deal with him. He will allow him to sell the [[Alchemical Vial]] and keep 12% of the proceeds, but in exchange he will identify magical items for the heroes for free. To make this an ongoing deal, Harlan promises that if they decide to sell any of the items Gustavo identifies and appraises, he will be able to action off and take part of the profits.

Gustavo identifies the blade and the helmet as equipment made for the Purge Legions. Most of the artifacts from that era have been destroyed by the religious authorities. The sword is indeed magical, and imbued with self-renewing poison, but due to the historical significance of the runes and ornaments it probably can't be sold, unless to a collector or a historian.

Later, Harlan meets with [[Dirty Dirk]] to discuss his findings. While dirk was unable to find any useful information that could be used as leverage against Rando, he did find someone who has a vendetta against him. He sets up a meeting with [[Two Knives Tim]] to discuss potential operation that could incriminate Rando, or at the very least hurt his legitimate business prospects in town.

== The Betrayal at the Brewery ==

{{date|12|th|Cinder}} [[File:Tim.png|thumb|Two Knives Tim]]

The heroes meet with [[Two Knives Tim]] who asks them to make a delivery to the [[Newt Ice Brewery]] owned by [[Rando DeButt]]. Tim's crew intercepted a delivery cart scheduled to arrive at the brewery today, and have replaced some of the supplies with pirate paraphernalia and stolen goods. Combined with an anonymous tip to the City Guard, this should be enough to incriminate Rando in the piratical enterprise. This ought to be especially damaging now that the [[Prince Regent]] has arrived in town and is expected to give a speech about the piracy problem.

The heroes simply need to deliver the evidence into the brewery and make sure no one discovers it, before the plan is sprung. Tim's men are known to Rando's crew and can't do this. Heroes agree to take the job.

They take the cart, and put the supply company's uniforms over their street clothes. They proceed down the agreed upon route, and arrive at the brewery at a scheduled time. [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] talks to the manager in case he needs to be persuaded into letting the heroes in. The delivery is on time, and fairly routine and there is no need for sweet talking. Bilbido inadvertently gives the man his real name, but fortunately he has never heard any of his songs, and so he does not make the connection.

There appears to be more than a dozen of people inside the building, mingling in the common room, eating and drinking. The manager explains they are throwing a party for one of the employees who just had a baby. No one in the crowd recognizes Bilbido.

The heroes deliver the cart into the underground storage without any problems. When the brewery workers want to break open a few casks and sacks to make sure the right goods are delivered, Harlan and Bilbido bribe them with few gold pieces to turn the blind eye. The men are a bit suspicious but the gold convinces them and so they just let things slide this time.

Heroes leave the brewery, excitedly talking about the upcoming [[Yoland Swaginson]] concert they plan to attend. Outside they meet Two Knives and his crew. The gang proceeds to barricade the doors and windows at the ground level, and promptly set the building on fire. Tim explains that anonymous tip would never be enough to get the brewery investigated, since the guards are on the payroll. That said, they would investigate arson, and Rando would probably even urge them to do so.

[[File:BreweryFire.jpg|thumb|300px|Brewery Fire]]

Harlan is concerned about the people inside, and the two have a heated argument which ends with Tim taking a crossbow bolt to the arm. Harlan and Bilbido use their charm spells to persuade few of Tim's thugs to switch sides and task them with dismantling the barricaded doors. A protracted brawl breaks out between the two groups, as the building begins to burn. At the same time the heroes notice a large explosion erupt in another part of the town. They assume it is part of Tim's plan to act as a diversion from the brewery operation.

The heroes manage to get one of the doors opened, allowing some of the people trapped inside to escape. Some of the brewery workers join the brawl, and Tim's crew is repelled. Tim gets away, but not before severely wounding Bilbido. The bard has a near death experience, but miraculously survives thank's to Zorry's epic next level heals.

The heroes help as many people get out of the burning building as they can, then ditch their uniforms and get away from the fire. They make their way towards the Bacon Theater.

== Burnt Bacon ==

The protagonists discover that the [[Yoland Swaginson]] concert at the [[Bacon Theater]] has been cancelled due to an explosion and fire in one of the nearby buildings. There are many wounded laid out on the street and being tended by clerics. The heroes recognize one of Rando's men among them. They bluff their way past the city guard, and administer some first aid and magical healing to the wounded man in exchange for some information.

The injured henchman is not making much sense, but he seems certain that the cause of the explosion was not perpetrated by Jim's crew. Instead he keeps talking about some "kid" who apparently is connected to the explosion. When pressed for details the man passes out from pain and exhaustion. It appears the explosion was a premeditated attack of some sort, probably of magical origin. The target was not the theater, but rather Rando's property.

The heroes decide not to go back to their tavern in case [[Two Knives Tim]] wants to exact a revenge for endangering his plan, and killing a number of his men. Instead they decide to spend the night at the [[Royal Seagull]] which is back in town. They catch up with [[Bethany Rogers]] and [[Steven LaCase]] and get them up to speed on the happenings in Fairhaven, and the encounter with [[Squidface]] at [[Pearltown]]. The crew of the Seagul did not run into any issues during their latest journey, but are rather concerned with the state of the affairs.

Heroes find out that the [[Prince Regent]] will address the citizens of Fairhaven the next day in regards to the pirate attacks. They decide that it might be worth while to talk to [[Marius Verman]] again, and give him information about Pearltown. They make sure Bethany and Steven are aware of this, and remove any contraband from the ship in case the authorities want to question them in regards to the Squidface attack.

== Not Yet King's Speech ==

{{date|14|th|Cinder}} [[File:Prince.png|thumb|200px|Prince Regent]]

The protagonist's go to see the [[Prince Regent]] speak to the people of Fairhaven. Fearing another attack they spend a lot of time picking the right place from which to view the speech. They finally settle on a nearby roof of a building with several escape routes. The speech is short and uneventful. The prince reassures the citizens they have nothing to fear, and that he is committing a significant number of ships from the royal fleet to resolving the pirate issue. He also has requested help from the [[Mages Guild]] who is sending a contingent of [[Battle Mages]] from the Zorander Isle to assist in these efforts.

After the speech the heroes visit [[Marius Verman]]. They share all the information they have about [[Squidface]] and let him know about the fate of [[Pearltown]]. They also show him the [[Purge Blade]]. The wizard is surprised to hear a Mindlfyer is involved, but most of the details confirm findings of his own investigation. He promises to investigate the fishing village for clues.

He declines to pay the heroes for the information, but instead asks them to help him find an orphan boy named [[Charles Knoxton]]. Apparently he has been showing signs of strong magical affinity, and the Mages Guild is interested in getting him proper training at the [[Academy of Magics]]. He promises adequate award for assisting him in this matter.

Afterwards Harlan Underford decides to check on [[Dirty Dirk]] to assess the situation in the city and find out what the gangs think about last night's attack. He thinks it is strange that no one on the streets talks about what should be an impending gang war. Harlan would expect Rando and Jim to be at each others throats by now, but the city is strangely quiet about the brewery attack.

== Pull My Finger ==

Act 1

2016-12-09T06:47:15Z

Leah: /* Gateway into Piracy */

== The Introduction ==

{{date|21|st|Everbloom}}

The story starts in a tavern in the [[Dockside]] district of [[Fynwell]] where [[Barbarian|Kylee O'Ren]] is recruiting mercenaries for her [[job|mission]]. The only people who answer her flyers and show up to the meeting are [[Cleric|Butt Butterscotch]], [[Bard|Bilbido Tastyflute]], [[Rogue|Harlan Underford]] and [[Druid|Zoryy Feathermoon]]. Kylee explains that she has been contacted by old family friend [[Richard Oddenheim]] who needs assistance securing and transporting some [[Paragon Artifacts|Ancient Artifacts]] out of [[Fairhaven]].

The protagonists, meet, greet and introduce themselves. Bilbido then performs a song titled "When You Send Me Carrier Pigeons". Patrons of the tavern agree it is an excellent cover of [[Yoland Swagginson]] hit single, "When You Send Me Ravens". Every one gets their advance pay (half of the agreed upon sum) and make travel plans.

== The Journey ==

{{date|22|nd|Everbloom}} - {{date|3|rd|Cinder}}

[[File:Main.jpg|thumb]]

The company books a trip to [[Fairhaven]] on the [[Royal Seagull]] commanded by Captain [[Bethany Rogers]]. The journey by boat between Fynwell and Fairhaven takes about two weeks of travel. While en-route, the ship becomes enveloped in a magical mist that limits its visibility and then is fired upon by a hidden ship.

The projectiles which crash on the deck turn out to be barrels full of bones, which become animated skeleton warriors. While the crew is busy fighting with the undead threat, the enemy ship emerges from the mist and prepares for boarding. Bethany identifies the enemy ship as familiar merchant vessel [[The Kraken]], however it's crew appears to have been replaced by the living dead. One notable addition to the ships silhouette is a massive trebuchet mounted on the back deck. It's hull also appears to be filled to the brim with human bones.

The boarding crew is composed mostly of skeleton warriors accompanied by a few Wights. The heroes are able to keep the deck clear by liberal use of the Thunderwave spell. Most of the Wights are dunked into the brine before they reach close combat range.

The party members without access to deck-clearing spells fight their way to the ballista, and use it to damage the sails of The Kraken. With its sails ripped to shreds, the undead ship falls behind and the Royal Seagull is able to get away.

The enemy ship appears to be commanded by a [[Squidface]], a mysterious Mindflayer wearing pirate garb. During the encounter he briefly manages to mind control both [[Barbarian|Kylee O'Ren]] and [[Bethany Rogers]]. Kylee experiences a vivid hallucination during which she re-lives the horrific murder of her parents, and passes out.

Bethany on the other hand falls under the control of the Mindflayer and manages to heavily damage the ship's ballista, before she is knocked unconscious by the heroes. The first mate [[Steven LaCase]] is grateful that the heroes managed to incapacitate her before she hurt anyone, and before the crew noticed anything.

<gallery>
File: Seagull2.jpg
File: Seabattle1.jpg
File: Seabattle2.jpg
File: Seabattle3.jpg
File: Trebuchet.jpg
File: Bonepit.jpg
</gallery>

== A Day in Fairhaven ==

{{date|3|rd|Cinder}}

Upon arriving in [[Fairhaven]], the party splits up to attend personal business.

[[Cleric|But Butterscotch]] visited the [[Fairhaven Temple of Tempest]]. [[Barbarian|Kylee O'Ren]] went shopping and ended up at the [[Jerk Blacksmith]]. [[Rogue|Harlan Underford]] established contact with [[Dirty Dirk]], local Thieves Guild member and gathered intel about the local crime underworld.

Dirty Dirk revealed information about the three prominent local gangs, and their leaders: [[Rando DeButt|Rando]], [[Smiling Sullivan]] and [[Cutthroat Jim]].

The party then re-convened at the [[Nice Blacksmith]] and haggled over equipment prices.

== Meeting with Richard ==

[[File:Hut.jpg|thumb|Richard's Hut]]

The heroes left [[Fairhaven]] to meet with [[Richard Oddenheim]] at his archaeological dig site located in [[Briarwood Forest]] a few hours of travel away from the city. Instead of excavations however, they found an [[Richard's Hut|abandoned hut]] in a forest clearing.

[[Druid|Zoryy]] is able to use her ability to speak to animals to confirm a human male was seen entering and leaving the hut in the last few days. Fearing an ambush, the heroes carefully examine the hut, set up a defensive perimeter and attempt to enter inside to search for hidden passages. Suddenly [[Richard Oddenheim]] appears out of thin air and demands to know what their business is in this area.

Upon seeing Kylee, he remembers that they were due to meet here, and invites the heroes to follow him inside [[Richard's Fancyplace]], his private extra-dimensional mansion. He proceeds to explain the delicate nature of his mission. He shows the team a stockpile of crates, filled with [[Paragon Artifacts|strange artifacts]], but he is reluctant to speak about their source or nature. He does mention that while they have immense historical and cultural value, their mere existence is politically inconvenient for the current rulers of the land. If they were to fall into the wrong hands, it would create a lot of trouble for all the parties involved.

Because of this he has arranged for the artifacts to be smuggled from the country in order to preserve and study them. The team's [[job|mission]] is to transport the crates from the hut, to specified drop-sites in [[Fairhaven]].

To ensure that the artifacts are not discovered, Richard magically seals the crates. Any attempt to open the crates, or break the seals will cause the contents to be destroyed in a flash of magical light.

The party is given a map of drop-sites in the city, and provided with a horse ([[Snooky]]) and carriage they can use to transport the crates. The carriage can take up to six crates at a time, so they will have to take at least a dozen trips to transport them all. Upon delivering the crates to the drop locations, they are told to contact [[Rando DeButt]] who will handle them from that point on. They are told to meet him at [[The Wedge]] tavern.

The tricky part of the mission appears to be getting the cargo through the city gates. Richard warns the team that the guards like to perform random searches and solicit bribes from merchants. He insist that the guards must not open any of the crates. He leaves the logistics of getting the cargo through the gate to the protagonists.

The team loads the cart with five crates and after a short rest departs for the city. They arrange to arrive at small hours of the morning when the guard presence at the gate is sparse, and everyone is tired and ready for a change of guard. [[Rogue|Harlan Underford]] attempts to disguise the crates and make them look very unimportant.

== The Ambush ==

[[File:Ambush.jpg|thumb|Ambush]]

While traveling back to [[Fairhaven]] the party is ambushed by highway bandits at the small bridge crossing. The Heroes find themselves surrounded. Kylee and Bilbido attempt to negotiate with, while Harlan hides in the bushes to mount counter-ambush. He is able to pick off a few stray bandits with well timed sneak attacks.

The bandits appear to be led by a huge individual standing on the bridge. At the first glance he is about 8 feet tall and wears a loose hooded cloak. Upon closer inspection, it turns out it's actually two people: a halfling standing on the shoulders of a tall and muscular human. The negotiations fail and the bandits launch an all out attack.

The halfling is very fast and agile. He is able to snatch Kylees gold purse and get away. The purse contain the remaining money that she had owed to the other members of the party, payable upon completion of the [[job]]. The large human appears to be the halfling's bodyguard and protector. During the fight he angrily punches the team's horse in the face, knocking it out. Both leave the scene with the money, leaving the rest of the men behind.

During the brawl, some of the bandits manage to drop one of the crates which explodes, destroying the contents and harming the bandits.

Butters and Kylee are able to take on most of the attackers head on, dispatching several of them out right. Zoryy uses the confusion to shape-shift into a horse form. The bandits do not expect a horse to be hostile, and she is able to take several of them by surprise. In the meantime Bilbido and Harlan work from the shadows, relying on stealth and sneak attacks, though eventually both are taken out of action. Bilbido is knocked out by a Half Orc bandit, while Harlan ends up caught in a snare trap set up by the attackers.

[[File:FairhavenGuard.jpg|thumb|150px|Fairhaven City Guard]]

The bandits suffer heavy casualties and survivors fee the scene. One of them, [[Bob the Dwarf]], is captured and interrogated. He reveals he works for [[Rando DeButt]]. The party votes whether or not to spare his life. Harlan insists that they let the bandit go, Zoryy is undecided since she wants to spare him but also sees the risks involved, and the rest of the party agrees it would be too dangerous. Butterscotch slits the bandit's throat with his dagger.

After looting the bandits, and throwing the bodies into the river, the party resumes their journey.

Upon arriving at the city gates, the heroes decide to split the party. Kylee and Bilbido are chosen to ride on the cart and pretend to be merchants. Kylee is chosen for her tradeswoman experience, and the fact that she can pass for a hired bodyguard. Bilbido is chosen for his and personal charm and the fact he can pass as a merchant and sweet talk his way through the gates.

The rest of the party follows behind, close enough intervene and try to rescue as many crates as possible in case of a scuffle.

The groggy guards at the gate are profoundly uninterested in the cargo, until [[Captain Horsepuncher]] shows up. He notices that the horse had a black eye, and that the cart has scuff-marks in places where it was hit by crossbow bolts. He tries to solicit a bribe, until the heroes mention [[Rando DeButt]] at which point he immediately backs off. As the team departs he gives them a few tips on how to punch a horse so that it won't show which is rather disturbing.

== A Rando Encounter ==

[[File:Dropsites.jpg|thumb|Drop Sites in Fairhaven]]

The heroes are able to deliver the crates to the agreed upon drop-sites in the city without any issues. Upon finishing, they head to [[The Wedge]] tavern to meet with [[Rando DeButt]] and agree upon the pick-up schedule.

Upon entering the tavern, they realize that Rando is actually the same halfling who lead the highway bandits who attacked them. He is accompanied by his half-brother [[Krud DeButt]] (the huge, muscular human warrior) and several other surviving bandits. Rando offers nominal apology for the "misunderstanding" and gives back what is left of the money they stole. He and his men already spent most of the cash in the purse.

Both sides realize they need to work together in the future and so the meeting ends without a physical altercation. On the way out, the heroes order few cases of ale on Rando's tab, and take them back to the Royal Seagull.

While on their way, they notice flyers and posters announcing a grand concert at the [[Bacon Theather]] featuring [[Yoland Swagginson]] as the main attraction.

== Party at the Seagull ==

[[File:Dicegame.jpg|thumb|Dragon Dice]]

The heroes spend the night at the [[Royal Seagull]] and attend a big sailor party and drinking bender.

During the party, they play [[Dragon Dice]] with [[Bethany Rogers]], [[Steven LaCase]] and [[Little D]]. During the game [[Harlan Underford]] cheats on a crucial dice roll and wins over 80 gold. He shares some of his illicit winnings with [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] and [[Butt Butterscotch]] who lost almost all their cash.

Bethany brings out [[The Captain's Reserve]]. The heroes partake in binge drinking of strange grog made by sailors and pass out.

== Dinner with Richard ==

{{date|4|th|Cinder}}

In the morning [[Harlan Underford]] goes out to scout the city walls for possible alternate routes into the city, to avoid more close calls with the city guard. He does not find a reliable entrance they could use, but does hear rumors that [[Prince Regent]] is due to arrive in town and that security is being increased in the anticipation for his arrival.

At the same time [[Butt Butterscotch]] goes to visit the [[Fairhaven Shrine of Tempus]] and upon touching the stone on the altar has a vivid [[Visions#Butt's Prophetic Vision|prophetic vision]].

In the evening the heroes are invited to a dinner at [[Richard's Fancyplace]] to discuss the details of the operation in more detail. [[Kylee O'Ren]] is still recovering from the party, so she decides to stay on the ship. She does, however, write Richard a short letter, describing the altercation with Rando and his men.

Richard is disturbed by the letter and promises to take care of the matter, and recover the money Rando stole. He advises the heroes to hold off making any drops until the matter is settled.

In the meantime, he wants the heroes to do him another favor in order to move his research along. Richard is interested in locating ruins of a [[Lost Dwarf Fortress]] in the area. He believes that the Dwarves traded with local aristocrat [[Lord Aiden]] whose family owned land somewhere near by, long before [[Fairhaven]] was founded. He believes he found a possible location of [[Lord Aiden's Mansion]] and would like the heroes to investigate its ruins for any possible clues about the fortress. He is especially interested in [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]] or any other trade ledgers and documents that might have been preserved.

He provides the party with a set of [[Richard's Scrolls|magical scrolls]] he thinks might be useful in their mission as well as set of magical [[Key Stones]] that they may need to enter [[Lord Aiden's Study]] chamber. He also attempts to teach them some of the [[Paragon Alphabet|ancient alphabet]] that was used in Lord Aiden's times so that they can identify the correct documents if they find them.

<gallery>
File: Scroll.jpg | Magical Scrolls
File: Keystones.jpg | Key Stones
</gallery>

The mansion ruin is located few days of travel away from Fairhaven, so the heroes decide to spend the night at the [[Royal Seagull]] and depart the next morning. At night they receive a [[Tweet]] from Richard saying that he is in the city to deal with Rando.

The heroes decide to head to [[The Wedge]] in order to back Richard up, and make sure he doesn't get himself into trouble. When they arrive, they see the tavern is temporarily closed due to a gaping hole in the wall. An eye-witness confirms that it was vandalized by an angry wizard. There was no casualties on either side.

== Search for Lord Aiden's Mansion ==

{{date|5|th|Cinder}}

The heroes follow Richard's map towards the approximate location of the ruins of the mansion. They camp overnight, and keep watch, but the night is uneventful.

{{date|6|th|Cinder}}

The heroes arrive at the location indicated on the map without issue. They find no traces of human settlement so they retrace their steps tying to make sure they are in the correct place. Even though they have been walking for a significant amount of time, it feels like they are actually walking in circles. Eventually they decide to split the party and search the forest for clues, and re-convene few hours later.

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] proceeds to get completely lost. The part meets at the agreed upon location sans Bilbido and empty handed. They then decide to search for their friend. They manage to find him rather quickly, and in the process notice strange visual distortions out of the corner of their eye. Zoryy detects presence of strong illusion magic that appears to be concealing something.

Upon closer inspection, the heroes realize that the forest appears to been divided into twenty feet cubes that seem to shift around and move and that walking into or past them. The edges of the cubes do not align properly, as if each cube was a projection of the forest, from a different perspective. The party quickly learns to manipulate the cubes, and realize it is a gigantic [[Forest Tile Puzzle|tile puzzle]].

<gallery>
File: Lost.jpg | Lost in the Forest
File: Slidepuzzle.jpg | Illusion Puzze
File: Slidepuzzlesolved.jpg | Illusion Puzzle Solved
File: Ents.jpg | Leafless Ents
File: Lock.jpg | Magical Lock
</gallery>

Upon solving the puzzle the heroes find themselves now standing in a murky, lifeless version of the forest. The sky appears to be permanently overcast and the vegetation appears to have died without access to direct sunlight. Some of the leafless, sickly trees in the vicinity appear to come alive, and turn out the be [[Leafless Ents]].

[[Zoryy Feathermoon]] is able to speak Sylvan and communicate with the Ents. They appear to be very young, and all seem to have awakened in this murky version of the forest. Zoryy confirms that they were likely created by high concentration of magic in the area.

The Ents do not appear to be hostile. Zoryy and Butt Butterscotch both use healing magic to make them sprout leaves and flowers for the first time in their life.

In the center of the lifeless forest clearing there is an [[obelisk]] covered in runes. There are decomposing skeletal remains of several adventurers strewn across the garden. They appear to have been dead for a very long time.

The heroes then approach the wall surrounding [[Lord Aiden's Mansion]]. The wall appears to have magical protection that will thwart any attempt to climb it. There is a single gate, but it is locked by a [[Magical Puzzle Lock]]. Heroes use the notes they took at the dinner with Richard to quickly solve the puzzle and open the gate.

== The Lifeless Gardens ==

After opening the gate, the heroes enter the inner courtyard and dilapidated, [[Lifeless Garden]]. In the middle of the courtyard there is a large stone statue representing a woman armed with a heavy club.

While the garden looks old and abandoned, the mansion itself is in a very good shape and shows no sign of disrepair. No roof tiles are missing, no masonry is crumbled and all the windows still have glass in them. The grass is perfectly kept as well.

[[Harlan Underford]] notices a mysterious figure observing the party from the second story window. The stranger appears to be clad in full plate armor, wearing a helmet with it's visor down to hide the face.

[[Zoryy Feathermoon]] notices a small bat hanging around the statue. She attempts to communicate with the bat using her druidic powers. She learns that the bat is named [[Bruce]] and that he is the night. He is adamant that the party leaves the property right away, lest his master become very cross with them. Zoryy confirms that the creature is a Familiar. It identifies it's master as [[Count Drakenhoff]] who apparently currently resides in the mansion.

<gallery>
File: Gardens2.jpg | Entering the Gardens
File: GardenGnome.png | Garden Gnome
File: Bruce.jpg | Bruce
File: Gartens3.jpg | Garden Gnome Defeated
</gallery>

After it becomes clear the heroes are not about to leave, Bruce becomes irritated and flies off. Harlan considers shooting the bat as it flies away to preven him from alerting his master. Zoryy stops him pointing out that the familiar's master is linked to the animal, and already knows of their presence. She suggests a diplomatic approach, hoping that perhaps the current resident of the mansion may be convinced to trade for the ledgers.

As the heroes approach the mansion, [[Garden Gnome|the statue]] comes to life and swipes it's club at [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] sending him flying across the gardens. A fight ensues, and the heroes are able defeat the animated statue. It crumbles into pieces. Zoryy and Bilbido take the two [[Red Gems]] that were it's eyes to have them identified later.

The door to the mansion has an ordinary, mundane lock, and Harlan is able to lock-pick it in no time. The heroes carefully enter the mansion.

== The Mansion ==

Upon entering the mansion, the [[Protagonists]] find themselves in a expansive foyer. They admire several stuffed Owlbears, as well as a huge painting above the mantle. The painting depicts [[Count Drakenhoff]] along with family, and [[Samuel Summers|servants]].

They start exploring the mansion starting with the ground floor. The the place seems to be unusually clean, and taken care of. There is almost no dust, and no cobwebs suggesting regular maintenance and habitation.

In one of the rooms heroes find some [[Drakenhoff Aged Wine]]. The heroes proceed to open one of the bottles and have an impromptu wine tasting. Surprisingly no one gets poisoned. [[Butt Butterscotch]] takes few bottles for later.

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] finds a [[Leather Bound Music Journal]] which appears to contain notes by some unknown composer.

While traversing a long hallway the heroes are spotted by [[Bruce]] who is inside the house now. He activates one of the mansions defense mechanisms by pulling a lever on the wall, threatening, "[[Mr. Q*Bert]] is gonna F You Up!"

== A Study in Cubism ==

When [[Bruce]] pulls on the lever, several small holes open in the wall behind the heroes, and a Gelatinous Cube oozes into the hallway. The team keeps their distance, and advances forward while taking shots at the slow moving creature behind them. Bruce sees the heroes advancing and disappears beyond the corner. Heroes try several doors in the hallway but some are locked, and they do not want to stick around trying to lock-pick them while the cube is moving purposefully towards them.

<gallery>
File: Mansion1.jpg
File: Mansion2.jpg
</gallery>

When they reach the corner Bruce is there, and this time he brought friends in form of several bat swarms. There appears to be another gelatinous cube approaching from the opposite side of the hallway. Between the two cubes, and the bat swarms the heroes are funneled toward a stairway. They opt to head upstairs, fearing getting trapped in the cellar.

Upstairs there is another long hallway with several closed doors. The cubes follow the heroes upstairs, and continue advancing towards them. Eventually they reach the end of the hallway and [[Harlan Underford]] picks the lock. They find themselves in a small study that contains a desk, and several shelves of books and ledgers. They figure this room may contain [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]] and decide to make their stand here.

While the heroes try to set up defense position to fight the cubes at range, they are ambushed by bat swarms. During the frantic fight they use up both of their [[Richard's Scrolls|Fire Bolt scrolls]]. They are eventually able to vanquish both of the cubes, and chase most of the bats away.

They begin searching the study for the ledger, inspecting the desk and the book shelves. [[Harlan Underford]] notices finely woven tapestries hanging in the room and touches one of them. His hand passes through, revealing it to be a [[Magical Tapestry Portal]] leading to [[Lord Aiden's Study]].

Suddenly the heroes find themselves in a [[White Room]] facing [[Bruce]] and [[Count Drakenhoff]].

== Bat Beat Down ==

[[File:Brucebattle.jpg|thumb|200px]]

[[Count Drakenhoff]] believes the heroes are responsible for the disappearance of an [[Senjack|old man]] who used to visit the mansion. The heroes try to negotiate with Count Drakenhoff but he appears to be uninterested in anything but unconditional surrender. The protagonists refuse to lay down their arms and be captured and prepare to fight. Drakenhoff considers facing them, but ultimately leaves the job of subduing the invaders to his familiar [[Bruce]].

The tiny bat transforms into his monstrous demon form. In this form he is incredibly strong and fast, and more than capable of taking on the protagonists who have been weakened by the fight against the gelatinous cubes and bat swarms. He manages to knock out [[Bilbido Tastyflute]], but eventually is defeated.

He transforms back into his bat form and flies away. Count Drakenhoff returns to the room, to finish the job. At this point the heroes are very weak and completely depleted in terms of spells and ammunition. The heroes make a decision to use one of [[Richard's Scrolls]] to cast [[Oddenheim Domicile]] and scramble into the portal, dragging the unconscious party members along.

Inside of the pocket dimension they rest up, heal, and prepare for battle. Upon regaining consciousness, [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] sings a song to bolster the spirits of his comrades. After taking a long rest, the heroes emerge from the pocket dimension ready for a fight.

{{date|7|th|Cinder}}

To their surprise they are no longer in the White Room but back on the ground floor of the mansion. They re-orient themselves and decide to go back upstairs and finish rummaging through the study, this time avoiding the tapestries.

On their way, they are once again spotted by [[Bruce]]. Almost immediately, they find themselves inexplicably transported to the [[White Room]] where [[Count Drakenhoff]] awaits them.

== Everyone Dies in The White Room ==

This time [[Bruce]] stays out of the fight, humbled by the previous encounter. [[Count Drakenhoff]] takes the matter into his own hands. To even the odds, he drives his sword into the ground and summons three [[Fake Hoff]]s using his blood magic. Those phantom copies of himself appear to have a fraction of his power and magical ability.

<gallery>
File: Drakenhoff2.jpg | Drakenhoff
File: Fakehoff.jpg | Fake Hoff
</gallery>

What ensues is a protracted and arduous battle between the heroes and four Hoffs. Upon being defeated, the Fake Hoffs explode into clouds of bats, which continue fighting, harassing the heroes. One by one, all of the protagonists fall. Last two men standing are [[Harlan Underford]] and [[Butt Butterscotch]]. As one of the Fake Hoffs cuts down Butterscotch, Harlan is able to get behind the real Drakenhoff and deal a final blow that causes him to fall prone.

As Drakenhoff falls, Harlan is attacked from behind by previously unseen enemy. An armored hand lifts him into the air and attempts to break his neck. Just before Harlan falls unconscious he sees Drakenhoff ordering the unseen assailant to stand down.

== Captive Audience ==
[[File:Samuel.jpg|thumb|300px|Samuel Summers]]

The heroes wake up back in the room with the magical tapestries. They are fully healed, and any injuries they have suffered are gone. They are all gagged and tied to chairs. [[Harlan Underford]] notes that whoever restrained them did not have much experience in tying people up, and tried to make up for it by using excessive amount of rope. When he looks around the room he sees a scrawny, teenage boy attending to [[Zoryy Feathermoon]]. He appears to be tenderly adjusting her bindings so that they not any more uncomfortable than they need to be.

When the boy realizes the heroes are starting to wake up, he immediately shifts into the [[Count Drakenhoff]] form. When Harlan calls him out on it, the boy becomes flustered and returns to his youthful appearance realizing there is no point in keeping up the charade. The heroes aggressively demand to be released, making the boy increasingly more nervous. This prompts a hulking giant in full plate armor to enter the room, but the boy sends him away.

The boy demands to know how they have found his secret mansion. Harlan reveals that they have been sent by an affluent scholar and archaeologist researching the history of the the Aiden Family. He decides to conceal the fact their employer is also a powerful wizard. The boy is skeptical of that story and keeps questioning them about man named [[Senjack]] who has recently vanished. This man was the only person in Fairhaven who knew how to find the mansion and bypass the protective magic that conceals it. The boy suspects that the heroes are vampire hunters who have captured, and possibly killed Senjack for this information, and arrived here in order to kill him. He also suspects backup will be arriving in the form of Knights of Tempus.

Even if they are hired mercenaries, as they claim, they cannot be released now that hey know his secret. They could easily sell the information to actual hunters, or worse yet, publicly expose him making him a target for any and all adventurers.

Harlan realizes that the boy might actually be a good person despite his vampirism, and that the idea of holding them prisoner makes him visibly uncomfortable. He feeds him more lies to appeal to his pity and threats to make him reconsider his plans to keep them captive. The boy becomes visibly flustered and leaves the room to think.

Harlan uses this, to retrieve the [[Harlan's Dagger|hidden dagger]] he always keeps in his shoe using his Arcane Trickster skills. He is able to free himself from the inexpertly tied bindings in no time, and he starts untying his companions. By the time their captor returns, almost all team members are free and fully armed.

Seeing weapons in their hands, the large suit of armor following the boy opens up, and envelops him inside, revealing that it is a magical armor golem. From inside his protective construct the boy ends up negotiating a truce. He reveals his name is [[Samuel Summers]] and the suit of armor is [[Mr Clatterby]]. He tells them how he came to be a vampire against his will, and how he inherited the mansion after [[Count Drakenhoff]] fell.

The heroes end up convincing him that their story is true by showing him the [[Key Stones]] given to them by [[Richard Oddenheim]], seeing how Senjack did not have any such stones. Samuel explains that the stones appear to be a key to unlocking one of the [[Magical Tapestry Portal]]s in this very room. He shows them how the tapestries work, by taking them to the [[Extraplanar Portal Hub]] and showing them the many tapestries on display there. He also explains how difficult they are to explore due to the fact many of them may be dead ends with no return portal, and others may lead to planes of existence where time flows differently, or which are inhabitable or even lethal to the living or the undead.

The [[Key Stones]] in their possession appear to be attuned to the other tapestry in the room: the one, that Samuel believes, leads to [[Lord Aiden's Study]] proper. In his 300 years of living in the mansion, he has been unable to activate that portal, and he is very curious as to what secrets are on the other side. He does not, however want to explore it by himself, for fear of getting stuck. Thus he concocts a plan, and asks the heroes to be his forward scouts. If they traverse the portal, and return to tell a story, he will allow them to keep the documents they came for, and release them, provided they make an oath not to reveal him to their employer.

The heroes agree to these terms and prepare for a dangerous journey into the unknown. To prepare them, Samuel gives them several Healing Potions. He also gives [[Kylee O'Ren]] a magical hammer named [[Whiplash]] and [[Butt Butterscotch]] a [[Healing Amulet]] with the symbol of Tempus. Finally he asks them to donate some blood before they leave, so that he can feed. All the members of the party, except [[Harlan Underford]] agree to this, and give blood to the vampire. Harlan politely declines, fearing the act could potentially give the vampire some power over him.

== Detention in the Study Hall ==

The heroes briefly discuss how to handle crossing the portal. If the time was to flow differently on the other side, they could get separated when entering one by one, so they decide to hold hands and enter as a group. Upon crossing to the other side they find themselves on a [[Steelstone]] platform similar to the [[Extraplanar Portal Hub]]. They realize [[Butt Butterscotch]] is not with them.

They quickly make a decision to cross back into the mansion to check if Butterscotch got somehow separated, and test whether or not the time flows differently in both places. They return mere seconds after they left, confirming the passage of time is about the same on both sides of the portal.

They find Butterscotch on the floor. A big hole has been blown in the side of his armor, where the pouch with his [[Key Stones|Key Stone]] was attached. Apparently the stone he was issued had a flaw and exploded when he tried to enter the portal. The heroes immediately use some of the healing potions they were given, to stabilize Butterscotch and bring him back on his feet.

They decide to go back across the portal but now they are a stone short. After some experimentation they realize that one person can carry multiple stones. They simply have one person double back with a spare stone and pick up whoever stays behind.

They begin exploring what appears to be [[Lord Aiden's Study]] proper. Lord Aiden appears to have built himself a sizable library with large book shelves full of strange books and tomes. They are greeted by the [[Flumph Librarian]] who appears on the pedestal at the far side of the room. It informs them that the library is closed and inquires about the reason for their visit.

[[Harlan Underford]] tries to bluff, claiming they are maintenance crew. The Flumph asks them to confirm their credentials by placing a hand on the pedestal. It then consults magical devices on the pedestal and asks them to wait. A small panel opens in the pedestal, revealing five small cups with strange smelling liquid. Flumph encourages them to help themselves to the "refreshments". The heroes politely take one cup each, but all except [[druid|Zoryy Feathermoon]] do not drink the liquid. After performing a smell check, Zoryy decides it smells delicious and has small sip. The beverage turned out to be a heavy sedative, causing her mouth to go numb.

Eventually the Flumph receives a confirmation via his magical apparatus, and calls Harlan's bluff. Alarm sounds start ringing, and curtain walls slide down over all the book shelves and doors. Four [[Caretaker Modrons]] appear from between the book shelves and proceed to attack the heroes. Two of them appear to be configured for ranged combat, while the other two seem to prefer fighting at close range.

<gallery>
File: Study.jpg | The Library
File: Floop.png | The Flumph Librarian
File: Modrons.jpeg | Modron Caretakers
File: Protectrons.jpg | Modron Protectrons
File: Floortiles.jpg | Floor Tile Puzzle
File: Studylock.jpg | Combination Lock
</gallery>

The heroes defeat two of the creatures, and another two appear on the scene. These scuttle around on the floor picking up bits of their fallen comrades and proceed to start repairing them.

As the fight continues, the Modrons change tactics, and re-configure themselves into two [[Modron Protectrons]] by stacking one on top of the other. The heroes manage to finally defeat them, and destroy their metallic bodies to the point where it would be difficult to get them fully repaired.

The heroes note that destroying the modrons granted them access to pass, and the door behind the pedestal is unlocked so they proceed down the [[Lord Aiden's Study#The Winding Walkway|The Winding Walkway]] until they reach a room sized area with runes on the ground, the [[Floor Tile Puzzle]].

The puzzle is composed of pressure plates with magical glyphs. Stepping on each activates a different effect.

Harlan tries to test few pressure plates by throwing his water skin on them to see if they activate. Unfortunately, the pressure plates seem to be calibrated to activate only when a person steps on them.

Through some trial and error the heroes decipher enough symbols to avoid the dangerous trap plates. They also realize that two people can fit on a single pressure plate and quickly "conga line" through the puzzle.

They continue down the walkway until they reach a large door, protected by [[Combination Lock]]. They deduce the glyphs on the buttons are probably numbers and that the door can be unlocked by entering an appropriate code. They enter few test combinations. This seems to set off another magical alarm, and two more Protectrons appear in the distance behind them. At the far end of the hallway, the walls begin to close in the protagonists, forcing them to attempt to quickly solve the puzzle.

The heroes frantically try more combinations. Eventually Harlan and Zoryy suggest trying and ordered sequence such as "1234", which would appeal to rigid and orderly minds of the Modron caretakers. The door unlocks.

== Lower Thy Chub Sir ==

[[File:Arielle.jpg|thumb|Arielle]]

When the door to the inner chamber of [[Lord Aiden's Study]] opens, the heroes meet [[Arielle]], a very tall, young woman with red hair, and strange clothes. She immediately calls off the Modron Protectrons claiming she does not need their help. [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] is extremely excited to see her. [[Butt Butterscotch]] advises him to lower his... Expectations.

Instead of being concerned about the strange people invading her magical habitat, she seems intrigued and overjoyed to see new faces. She asks them many strange questions, and inquires how they managed to get in, and whether they have seen her father, [[Lord Aiden]]. She appears to have spent a very long time in this study and is eager to get out.

The protagonists are guarded at first and reluctant to answer her questions directly, fearing a a Drakenhoff encounter all over again. They try to find out more about her, and whether or not she is telling the truth. If she is indeed Aiden's daughter, it would make her a direct descendant of Paragons. [[Harlan Underford]] quietly muses as to exactly how much gold would [[Richard Oddenheim]] would pay to meet a real live Pargon.

Arielle is very interested in the [[Key Stones]] and asks whether or not she could borrow one of them to get out of the study. The team briefly discusses the pros and cons of letting a wild paragon into the world. Harlan is adamant that whatever they decide to do with her, they can't just leave her locked up in the study. The heroes decide to take her back to the mansion, if she allows them to take [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]]. During the conversation they inadvertently let it slip that many centuries have passed in the outside world, and that [[Lord Aiden]] is a mostly forgotten historical figure to them, and that Paragons are considered a mere legend. Arielle is shocked by these news. She agrees to the trade.

Upon returning to the [[Magical Tapestry Portal]] the team does the back-and-forward trick again, to take six people back with only two stones. The first people in warn Samuel not to freak out. He immediately assumes the [[Count Drakenhoff]] form to look more distinguished. After crossing the portal, Arielle waves the illusion away with a simple gesture. She also temporarily disables [[Mr Clatterby]] who seems alarmed by the new guest.

The two ancient beings talk for a while, exchanging their life stories. Arielle mentions that she cannot sense any of her kin on this plane of existence. Normally she would be a able to feel their presence, if they were here, but all Paragons seem to have been gone from the world. She is intrigued by Samuel's stories about the [[Purge]] and she wonders whether or not anyone she knows have survived them. She becomes concerned that if anyone is still searching for Paragons would be able to sense her arrival.

He asks the heroes to leave her one of the [[Key Stones]] so that she can return to the study for the time being, but have the ability to come and go as she pleases. The team decides to leave her and Samuel one of the stones each. This way both will have the ability to cross the portal, and they will have a backup if one of them explodes like the one used by [[Butt Butterscotch]].

Arielle begs them not to tell anyone about her existence. They agree to lie to Richard and say that three of the stones exploded as they were attempting to explore the study.

Before they leave, Samuel and Bruce teach [[druid|Zoryy]] how to summon her own familiar, [[Treeodore]]. Samuel also gives them [[Samuel's Scroll]] as a way to keep in touch.

{{date|8|th|Cinder}}

After getting some food and some rest, the heroes leave the mansion. On their way out they examine some of the corpses in the [[Lifeless Garden]]. [[Harlan Underford]] finds an [[Alchemical Vial]] full of silver liquid. [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] finds a [[Magical Sickle]]. They note that during their time inside the mansion, the [[Garden Gnome]] has re-assembled itself.

== Come at me Bro ==

[[File:Broblin.jpg|thumb|Broblin]]

At night, the heroes break for camp. [[Harlan Underford]] takes the first shift. At some point he hears a lot of noise, as if a group of people was making its way through the forest. Though he can't understand what they are saying, he is able to distinguish a few choice common swear words in their conversations. He extinguishes the fire, and wakes up his companions. They all hide in the bushes and wait.

Harlan is the closest to the road, and he is able to see an army of goblins passing by. There are over a hundred individuals in the army, all armed, and some riding wolves. They are also dragging carts with supplies and equipment. There are heading in general direction of [[Fairhaven]] but even someone inexperienced in the ways of war can see there are too few of them to lay siege to the city. The walls are simply too high, and too well defended. Harlan knows from his own exploration of the city that there are no weak points in the defenses that a small army like this could exploit to get inside.

The army passes without noticing them. One of the wolf riders in the rear guard however looks straight at Harlan at some point. It is likely a coincidence though, since Harlan's stealth skills are unmatched.

After the army passes, the heroes wait a few hours, then re-kindle the fire, and get back to sleep. The next watch is taken by [[Butt Butterscotch]]. At some point he notices a goblin wolf rider entering the campsite from the shadows. As Butterscotch wakes up the rest of the party, the goblin circles around the campsite, then dismounts his extremely large wolf. [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] recognizes the animal to be a [[Worg]].

<gallery>
File: BroblinAttack.jpg | Broblin Attack
File: Shackle.png | Cursed Shackle
</gallery>

The [[Broblin|goblin]] is missing an ear, and bears many scars, marking him as a war veteran or an expert fighter. From his equipment, one can deduce he is a hunter. He notices the knightly garb, and holy symbols and approaches Butterscotch issuing a challenge for unarmed combat. Butterscotch accepts, and removes his armor, and discards his weapons. The [[Broblin]] does the same, but keeps a large metal shackle with a foot of chain attached to his hand. When Butterscotch points it out, the goblin claims it his not his choice, and is unable to remove it.

As the warriors prepare for fight, [[Harlan Underford]] and [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] conspire to step in if the fight was to go badly. If it looks that Butterscotch is starting to lose, Harlan intends to step in, and stab the goblin in the back. He wants Zoryy to speak to the Worg and distract it long enough to make this possible.

Unfortunately, this preparation is unnecessary. As the Broblin pounces upon Butterscotch, a dark blade sprouts from the shackle, and he stabs the gnome three times in the chest. Butterscotch goes down, bleeding. The Broblin then whirls around and starts attacking the other party members. The Worg announces he intends to eat Harlan. Hearing that, Harlan heroically retreats into the forest, as far away from the animal as possible. The rest of the team combine their forces and take down the goblin. Harlan eventually overcomes his fear, and plinks few crossbow bolts into the fray from the safety of the bushes.

After the [[Broblin]] dies the [[Cursed Shackle]] detaches itself from his arm. Butterscotch picks it up, and it immediately attaches itself to him. He is unable to remove it.

The heroes re-locate their camp, and wait some time to see if the goblin brought any reinforcements, but it appears he did not tell anyone where he was going. The heroes go back to sleep. Zoryy takes the next watch, and while meditating she has a [[Visions|strange vision]].

== Gigantic Problem ==

{{date|9|th|Cinder}}

[[File:Mule.jpg|thumb]]

The next morning, the heroes resume their march towards [[Fairhaven]]. They send [[Richard Oddenheim]] a [[Tweet]] warning him about the goblin warband, in case it would be passing near his [[Richard's Hut|hut]].

Once they get to a small bridge crossing, they notice a bit of a commotion on the other side. A group of goblins (likely members of the same army they have seen last night) have set up a barricade across the road. The barricade however seems to be facing away from the heroes. There is a large ballista in the middle pointed down road. Whoever the goblins are trying to ambush is probably going going to be traveling from Fairhaven or one of the other coastal settlements.

The group contains less than a dozen goblins, and one large Bugbear who appears to be in charge of moving and aiming the heavy ballista. Two of the goblins are mounted on regular wolfs. The heroes decide to ambush the ambushers, but get noticed while crossing the bridge. [[Harlan Underford]] tells a very bad pun and then casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter on the Bugbear causing him to laugh uncontrollably for several minutes. The heroes then go to task, eliminating his smaller brethren with a high degree of efficiency. The bugbear continues to laugh even as a fight erupts around him, and doesn't even stop when being stabbed by his allies. Eventually he gets his shit together only to become target of a few damage spells, and capturing a crossbow bolt with his face.

<gallery>
File: GoblinBarricade.jpg | The Barricade
File: Giant.jpg | Giant Fight
</gallery>

After few minutes, only two goblins are left alive, and the heroes are no worse for the wear. They hear horns in the distance, and ground starts to rumble as if a large group of riders was approaching. They attempt to question the goblins, but hey are extremely scared and beg them to shoot the Mule when it comes.

The heroes approach the barricade, only to see a group of 40 goblin riders being pursued by an angry [[Mule|hill giant]]. The giant seems to be wearing shackles, and rambles incoherently about never being taken prisoner again. He is raging and covered in green blood. Nevertheless, the heroes decide to reason with the giant. They send Butterscotch across the barricade along with one of the tied up, captive goblins to show they are enemies of his enemies and thus can be his friends. [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] happens to know the Hill Giant language so she tries to call for a truce.

The giant appears to be very angry, and not in a mood for negotiation. He takes a swing at Butterscotch, but the Cleric is able to withstand it, and is simply swept aside with minimal damage. Seeing that the negotiations are not going well, [[Harlan Underford]] fires the ballista which was primed and aimed already. [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] and [[Kylee O'Ren]] then help to reload the device for another shot.

Once the giant is close enough, he is able to destroy the ballista with his tree trunk club. At that point however it is surrounded, and succumbs to the Protagonists, collapsing ontop of Kylee and a tree as he goes down. Harlan is able to pick the lock to remove the Giant's shackles, and the heroes revive him using spare dying, then heal him a bit until he regains consciousness. The giant is still very mistrustful, but when he notices his shackles were removed he ceases to be hostile. He gathers his club and scrambles away into the distance. He sees Butterscotch's shiny armor and tries to put him in his pouch and keep him. Luckily Butt is able to climb out before becoming part of a giant's personal treasure collection.

The heroes resume their travel.

== Gateway into Piracy ==

[[File:WestmarchKingsguard.jpg|thumb|140px]]

The heroes arrive at the gates of [[Fairhaven]] only to discover a long, winding line of people. It appears that the [[Prince Regent]] has arrived in the city, and the city defenses have been bolstered. The [[Fairhaven Cityguard]] patrols have been bolstered by the [[Westmarch Kingsguard]] and they have instituted new protocols for entering and leaving the city. All those who enter are searched, and questioned about the recent pirate activity.

The heroes queue up and wait, chatting with the other people to find out more about the situation. As they get closer, they see [[Captain Horsepuncher]] sitting alone and dejected, as his operation was taken over by the Kingsguard. They also notice a lot of new wanted posters pasted outside of the gate. One of them offers a reward of a thousand gold pieces for the capture of a [[Mule|hill giant]] that has been terrorizing the local countryside. The other, larger, and very prominent poster asks the Fairhaven residents to submit any information about recent pirate activity to the Kingsguard. They offer 50 gold for a useful tip, and 200 gold reward for information leading to a capture of pirates.

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] is first in line, and he is able to get past through the control checkpoint without any issues. [[Butt Butterscotch]] decides to create diversion and uses Thaumaturgy to throw his voice and make it appear as if someone in the distance was warning everyone about a pirate attack. Before people start to panic, the Kingsguard close the gate and establish a defensive perimeter. They send a squad to investigate and patrol the area. After about two hours, the patrol returns, and the guards resume their operation.

When the guards search [[Butt Butterscotch]] they are alarmed by the shackle on his wrist. They want to detain him, but a senior officer of the Kingsguard, Sergeant Sebastian, examines the chain, and notices it is an antique. Shackles of this type have not been used in decades so he decides it must be a memento of some sort and releases the cleric.

The heroes enter the city without any more problems. [[Butt Butterscotch]] throws his voice again, causing more commotion and delays at the gate. The heroes still have a few hours of daylight, so they decide to split up and attend to their own matters.

== It was totally a fair maiden ==

[[File:MariusVerman.jpg|thumb|150px|Marius Verman]]

[[Bilbido Tastyflute]] decides to cash in on his knowledge of piratical activity in the region. He approaches Kingsguard with the tip, and is directed to [[Fairhaven Keep]]. There he is questioned by [[Marius Verman]] a wizard of 3rd Order who is in charge of the investigation. He is a bit surprised to see such a high ranked wizard to be handling such a petty matter. The wizard seems to be equally annoyed and baffled by having to perform this function.

While in the process of snitching, Bilbido realizes that he could make a lot of trouble for [[Bethany Rogers]] and her crew. They might be detained and questioned at length, if he was to give their names or the name of the ship. If they do want to help the guard to capture the pirates, they can always come forward themselves.

He gives Verman a fake name "The Fair Lady" and claims they have arrived few weeks ago. The wizard thanks him for his contribution and asks his assistant to go to the docks and pull the manifests and see if the ship is still docked, or if it is due to return soon.

== CSI Fairhaven ==

[[Harlan Underford]] and [[Zoryy Feathermoon]] head out to [[Gustavo's Marvelous Elixirs]] in order to identify the magical items they have discovered in the [[Lifeless Garden]]. The place is closed as usual, but upon seeing a pouch full of coins waved in the window [[Gustavo Lutz]] invites the heroes inside.

He quotes them an astronomical price for identification, but becomes intrigued when shown the [[Alchemical Vial]]. He consults his notes, and claims it is very valuable alchemist tool capable of changing the state of the substance poured inside. When he pours out the silvery liquid out of it into a glass, it immediately hardens into a pint of platinum. He offers to auction it off for Harlan, and take percentage of the profits, which are to be very large. Harlan politely declines.

As a gesture of good will he offers to identify the [[Magical Sickle]] for free. It turns out to be a humane tool used by druids to cut of branches from their holy trees without harming or disfiguring them.

Afterwards the two heroes head to [[Senjack]]'s house near the city walls. Harlan picks the lock, and they enter inside, only to find some signs of struggle. There are scraps of clothing on the floor. Something heavy has been removed from one of the closets. Harlan questions the upstairs neighbor, who claims she has not heard any struggle in the house. She also has not seen anyone visiting Senjack recently. She has not seen him in few days, but assumed he was on one of his fishing trips which usually take a few days.

== Have You Seen Any Warlocks ==

[[File:Warlock.jpg|thumb|150px|Warlock Stout]]

[[Butt Butterscotch]] decides to visit the [[Fairhaven Shrine of Tempus]] once again. There he has his [[Visions|second vision]].

Afterwards he goes to [[Gustavo's Marvelous Elixirs]] to have the [[Cursed Shackle]] looked at. [[Gustavo Lutz]] quotes him an astronomical price for identification that Butterscotch cannot afford. He tries to haggle, but all is for nothing.

Finally he decides to follow up on the tip he received from [[Samuel Summers]] and visit [[The Hammer]], a tavern in the shady part of town connected to Warlock activity. He questions the bartender about Warlocks, and he nods knowingly, and requests 5 gold pieces. He then proceeds to pour him a [[Warlock Stout]].

Butterscotch drinks the stout, and proceeds to have vivid hallucinations. He starts a bar fight, and is promptly thrown out by the bouncers, and told never to come back, and not to mention the Warlock Stout which is very illegal.

{{date|10|th|Cinder}}

Next day the heroes meet back together, and head towards the city gates. They decide to visit [[Richard Oddenheim]] and drop off the ledger, and then go investigate the fishing village where [[Senjack]] was last seen. [[Butt Butterscotch]] is still tripping on the [[Warlock Stout]]. He shows his companions the bottle. [[Harlan Underford]] examines it, and believes he could investigate rumors to find the general location of the brewery. He then disposes of the bottle.

== Alliances broken in an Alley ==

As they near towards the gates, they see a lot of commotion ahead. They see [[Yoland Swagginson]] and his entourage greeting his fans, and handing out fliers and tickets for his show. The party gets separated by the crowd. A woman seems to recognize [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] and calls him by name, as she is being dragged into an alley by two shady thugs. Bilbido follows her into the alley followed by [[Harlan Underford]] who makes a failed attempt to flag down the rest of the team, expecting a trap.

Harlan'd instincts prove to be correct, and the heroes find themselves surrounded by armed thugs, led by [[Rando DeButt]]. The bard suffers a blow to the head which stuns him, but he remains conscious. Rando appears to be dissatisfied with the way the heroes have been doing business so far, and wants to assume greater control over the entire enterprise. In particular he wants to know the address of [[Richard Oddenheim]], and the place where he stores the crates. He wants the heroes to betray the wizard, and to ensure compliance he threatens Harlan's family in [[Fynwell]]. Harlan agrees to the terms, but secretly considers this an open declaration of war.

Rando also reveals he has a [[Secret Tunnel]] that can be used to smuggle the crates into the city. Location of this tunnel is a closely guarded secret known only to him and his most trusted accomplices. He graciously offers to allow the heroes to continue their delivery work, and reveal the location of the tunnel, provided they give up the Wizard. Upon delivering his demands, Rando and his thugs vacate the area, just as the rest of the heroes arrive with backup in the form of two city guards. Seeing that no crime has been committed the guards and the thugs wander off.

Harlan immediately sends a coded message to Fynwell via the Mages Guild letting his family know they might be in danger, and should take immediate precautions. He also tracks down [[Dirty Dirk]] and tasks him with digging up any dirt on Rando he can find. He also wants him to connect him any potential enemies that Rando has in the city.

Later that day the heroes meet [[Richard Oddenheim]] in a pub and give him [[Lord Aiden's Trade Ledger]]. While reporting on their trip, they omit mentioning Samuel or Arielle. They also warn Richard about Rando's plot against him, but he seems unconcerned. He encourages the heroes to comply with his demands and give them the address of [[Richard's Hut]] if it will make him share the location of the secret tunnel. He then promptly leaves to begin translating the ledger.

== O R'lyeh? ==

{{date|11|th|Cinder}}

The next day, heroes decide to visit [[Pearltown]] which was the last known location of [[Senjack]]. They rent some horses in Fairheven stables, and make their way to the fishing village. When they get near the village they notice the fair weather gives way to deep fog. The area is also strangely quiet, given the time of the day. There are none of the noises one would expect from a busy fishing settlement.

[[File:Pearltown.jpg|thumb|250px|Pearltown]]

The heroes leave the horses in the forest, and slowly approach the village on foot. The settlement appears completely abandoned. No one can be seen outside, and there are no fishermen working at the dock. The heroes decide to quietly check all the houses. Nearly all of them are empty, but there are no signs of struggle. In some of the houses food can still be seen left on the table, as if the inhabitants left in a hurry. Some of the food is rotten, suggesting it was lying there for at least few days. They find a few starving animals in the stables, and a stray cat which leads them into one of the houses.

Inside they find a body of an older man, who matches the description of [[Senjack]]. He appears to have a hole in the back of his head, through which his brain was removed. The members of the party well versed in arcana recall that this is how members of the mythical Illithid race are said to absorb memories of their victims. As far as they can tell, [[Squidface]] is a member of said race. The heroes [[Texting|text]] Samuel, describing their findings, and warn him that a dangerous adversary may now possess the knowledge of how to enter the mansion.

Before they are able to leave, the door suddenly slams shut. Looking out the windows, the heroes see the house being surrounded by a horde of zombies. As they ready themselves to fight their way out of the village, [[Squidface]] enters the room, wearing fisherman overalls and carrying the stray cat. He says few menacing things, and then gets distracted by something, which makes him temporarily lose control over some (but not all) of the undead outside of the house. [[Harlan Underford]] uses this to shoot him with his hand crossbow, but the Illithid shrugs off the damage and knocks out the entire party with a mighty psionic attack.

== Mouse Guard ==

[[File:Mouseguard.jpg|thumb|200px]]

Upon regaining consciousness, the heroes realize they have been turned into mice. Not ordinary house mice, but strange bipedal mice that are dressed in tiny versions of their clothing, and carry very small versions of their weapons and equipment. While they seem to be able to walk upright, use their weapons and cast their spells normally, they seem to be unable to speak. Or rather, whenever they speak, others can only hear mouse squeaks.

The heroes find themselves in the same room they faced [[Squidface]], but they see it from a different perspective. Everything seems to be enormous, because they have been scaled to the size of actual mice. The Mindflyer seems to be gone, but the stray cat named [[Princess]] is still in the room, and appears to be interested in the tiny heroes.

Unable to communicate, the heroes try as best as they can to work together in order to defeat the cat. The epic battle takes place under the kitchen table, and involves various kitchen utensils, and common place items. By rocking the table, the heroes manage to drop a heavy steel mug on the animal's head. [[Kylee O'Ren]] climbs one of the kitchen table legs and is able to get on top of the cat and climb up to it's head to deal the final blow with [[Whiplash]].

Upon defeating Princess, heroes wake up back in their own bodies with a headache. The fog appears to be clearing up, and the undead horde outside appears to be gone.

== Pretty Fly for a Wight Guy ==

As the heroes prepare to leave [[Pearltown]] they notice some commotion on the pier. [[Harlan Underford]] scouts ahead to see what is going on there. He finds a group of undead loading the last remaining fishing boat with large crates. The crates appear to be filled with human bodies - possibly those of former Pearltown inhabitants. The dead appear to be lead by a man in rusty armor, and distinctive winged helmet. Harlan relays this to the rest of the crew via Message spell, and makes a decision to stop the dead minions from stealing the bodies of fishermen for their nefarious purposes.

[[File:Wightfight.jpg|thumb|350px]]

Harlan waits for his team mates to set up an ambush, then shoots the man in the rusty armor. He turns around revealing a skeletal face, revealing that he is also undead. A fight breaks out, during which the undead break open one of the crates. The corpses within stand up and join the fight. The skeletal warriors and the newly risen zombies prove to be no match for the heroes who dispatch them with great efficiency.

The undead leader decides to retreat, boards the boat, and pushes off the pier as his minions start rowing away. [[Zorry Feathermoon]] runs after the boat, and uses her Thornwhip spell targeting the leader. The spell hits, and the Wight in rusty armor is pulled off the boat. Zorry pulls him onto the shore, at which point he gets up and re-joins the fight.

Heroes team up against the Wight, and manage to defeat him, but not before he injures [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] with his rusty, highly ornamental sword. While healing Bilbido, Zorry notices the wound was poisoned. She also discovers that her [[Magical Sickle]] glows red in the presence of poison.

Once the fight is over, the heroes build a funeral pyre and burn the bodies of the fishermen. They also take [[Purge Blade|the wight's blade]] and his [[Purge Legionary Helmet|his helmet]] as evidence. They also free and feed the starving animals: a dog they name [[Mr. Barkley]] and a horse.

== A Fair Day in Fairhaven ==

Upon returning to Fairhaven, Harlan visits [[Gustavo Lutz]] and makes a deal with him. He will allow him to sell the [[Alchemical Vial]] and keep 12% of the proceeds, but in exchange he will identify magical items for the heroes for free. To make this an ongoing deal, Harlan promises that if they decide to sell any of the items Gustavo identifies and appraises, he will be able to action off and take part of the profits.

Gustavo identifies the blade and the helmet as equipment made for the Purge Legions. Most of the artifacts from that era have been destroyed by the religious authorities. The sword is indeed magical, and imbued with self-renewing poison, but due to the historical significance of the runes and ornaments it probably can't be sold, unless to a collector or a historian.

Later, Harlan meets with [[Dirty Dirk]] to discuss his findings. While dirk was unable to find any useful information that could be used as leverage against Rando, he did find someone who has a vendetta against him. He sets up a meeting with [[Two Knives Tim]] to discuss potential operation that could incriminate Rando, or at the very least hurt his legitimate business prospects in town.

== The Betrayal at the Brewery ==

{{date|12|th|Cinder}} [[File:Tim.png|thumb|Two Knives Tim]]

The heroes meet with [[Two Knives Tim]] who asks them to make a delivery to the [[Newt Ice Brewery]] owned by [[Rando DeButt]]. Tim's crew intercepted a delivery cart scheduled to arrive at the brewery today, and have replaced some of the supplies with pirate paraphernalia and stolen goods. Combined with an anonymous tip to the City Guard, this should be enough to incriminate Rando in the piratical enterprise. This ought to be especially damaging now that the [[Prince Regent]] has arrived in town and is expected to give a speech about the piracy problem.

The heroes simply need to deliver the evidence into the brewery and make sure no one discovers it, before the plan is sprung. Tim's men are known to Rando's crew and can't do this. Heroes agree to take the job.

They take the cart, and put the supply company's uniforms over their street clothes. They proceed down the agreed upon route, and arrive at the brewery at a scheduled time. [[Bilbido Tastyflute]] talks to the manager in case he needs to be persuaded into letting the heroes in. The delivery is on time, and fairly routine and there is no need for sweet talking. Bilbido inadvertently gives the man his real name, but fortunately he has never heard any of his songs, and so he does not make the connection.

There appears to be more than a dozen of people inside the building, mingling in the common room, eating and drinking. The manager explains they are throwing a party for one of the employees who just had a baby. No one in the crowd recognizes Bilbido.

The heroes deliver the cart into the underground storage without any problems. When the brewery workers want to break open a few casks and sacks to make sure the right goods are delivered, Harlan and Bilbido bribe them with few gold pieces to turn the blind eye. The men are a bit suspicious but the gold convinces them and so they just let things slide this time.

Heroes leave the brewery, excitedly talking about the upcoming [[Yoland Swaginson]] concert they plan to attend. Outside they meet Two Knives and his crew. The gang proceeds to barricade the doors and windows at the ground level, and promptly set the building on fire. Tim explains that anonymous tip would never be enough to get the brewery investigated, since the guards are on the payroll. That said, they would investigate arson, and Rando would probably even urge them to do so.

[[File:BreweryFire.jpg|thumb|300px|Brewery Fire]]

Harlan is concerned about the people inside, and the two have a heated argument which ends with Tim taking a crossbow bolt to the arm. Harlan and Bilbido use their charm spells to persuade few of Tim's thugs to switch sides and task them with dismantling the barricaded doors. A protracted brawl breaks out between the two groups, as the building begins to burn. At the same time the heroes notice a large explosion erupt in another part of the town. They assume it is part of Tim's plan to act as a diversion from the brewery operation.

The heroes manage to get one of the doors opened, allowing some of the people trapped inside to escape. Some of the brewery workers join the brawl, and Tim's crew is repelled. Tim gets away, but not before severely wounding Bilbido. The bard has a near death experience, but miraculously survives thank's to Zorry's epic next level heals.

The heroes help as many people get out of the burning building as they can, then ditch their uniforms and get away from the fire. They make their way towards the Bacon Theater.

== Burnt Bacon ==

The protagonists discover that the [[Yoland Swaginson]] concert at the [[Bacon Theater]] has been cancelled due to an explosion and fire in one of the nearby buildings. There are many wounded laid out on the street and being tended by clerics. The heroes recognize one of Rando's men among them. They bluff their way past the city guard, and administer some first aid and magical healing to the wounded man in exchange for some information.

The injured henchman is not making much sense, but he seems certain that the cause of the explosion was not perpetrated by Jim's crew. Instead he keeps talking about some "kid" who apparently is connected to the explosion. When pressed for details the man passes out from pain and exhaustion. It appears the explosion was a premeditated attack of some sort, probably of magical origin. The target was not the theater, but rather Rando's property.

The heroes decide not to go back to their tavern in case [[Two Knives Tim]] wants to exact a revenge for endangering his plan, and killing a number of his men. Instead they decide to spend the night at the [[Royal Seagull]] which is back in town. They catch up with [[Bethany Rogers]] and [[Steven LaCase]] and get them up to speed on the happenings in Fairhaven, and the encounter with [[Squidface]] at [[Pearltown]]. The crew of the Seagul did not run into any issues during their latest journey, but are rather concerned with the state of the affairs.

Heroes find out that the [[Prince Regent]] will address the citizens of Fairhaven the next day in regards to the pirate attacks. They decide that it might be worth while to talk to [[Marius Verman]] again, and give him information about Pearltown. They make sure Bethany and Steven are aware of this, and remove any contraband from the ship in case the authorities want to question them in regards to the Squidface attack.

== Not Yet King's Speech ==

{{date|14|th|Cinder}} [[File:Prince.png|thumb|200px|Prince Regent]]

The protagonist's go to see the [[Prince Regent]] speak to the people of Fairhaven. Fearing another attack they spend a lot of time picking the right place from which to view the speech. They finally settle on a nearby roof of a building with several escape routes. The speech is short and uneventful. The prince reassures the citizens they have nothing to fear, and that he is committing a significant number of ships from the royal fleet to resolving the pirate issue. He also has requested help from the [[Mages Guild]] who is sending a contingent of [[Battle Mages]] from the Zorander Isle to assist in these efforts.

After the speech the heroes visit [[Marius Verman]]. They share all the information they have about [[Squidface]] and let him know about the fate of [[Pearltown]]. They also show him the [[Purge Blade]]. The wizard is surprised to hear a Mindlfyer is involved, but most of the details confirm findings of his own investigation. He promises to investigate the fishing village for clues.

He declines to pay the heroes for the information, but instead asks them to help him find an orphan boy named [[Charles Knoxton]]. Apparently he has been showing signs of strong magical affinity, and the Mages Guild is interested in getting him proper training at the [[Academy of Magics]]. He promises adequate award for assisting him in this matter.

Afterwards Harlan Underford decides to check on [[Dirty Dirk]] to assess the situation in the city and find out what the gangs think about last night's attack. He thinks it is strange that no one on the streets talks about what should be an impending gang war. Harlan would expect Rando and Jim to be at each others throats by now, but the city is strangely quiet about the brewery attack.

== Pull My Finger ==

Leah:

[[File:Mansion.jpg|thumb|550px|Lord Aiden's Mansion]]

Lord Aiden's Mansion is a large, old mansion in the middle of the forest few days of travel away from [[Fairhaven]].

The mansion is invisible from the outside, and can only be entered by solving the [[Forest Tile Puzzle]]. Casual travelers who don't know what to look for, are likely to miss it entirely.

The area around the mansion is shrouded by magical spell which makes the sky permanently overcast, and permitting no direct sunlight. As a result all the vegetation in forest, as well as the garden surrounding the mansion is dead.

The mansion is surrounded by a magical wall about 7 feet tall that cannot be scaled. The wall has a single gate, protected by [[Magical Puzzle Lock]]. A correct password must be entered on the lock using the [[Paragon Alphabet]] characters in order to open it.

The magically shrouded forest around the mansion is home to [[Leafless Ents]] and contains an [[obelisk]].

The [[Lifeless Garden]] is located inside of the walls. The [[Garden Gnome]], a protective magical construct, guards the courtyard and the entrance to the mansion.

The mansion rafters are home to many bats. They appear to be able to travel through gaps and holes in the walls, and open windows, and have the full reign of the mansion.

The main foyer of the mansion features stuffed Owlbear trophies, and a huge portrait of the Drakenhoff family.

For a long time it was home of [[Count Drakenhoff]] and his vampire progeny.

Throughout history, this home has withstood two notable attacks: [[Lord Aiden]]'s death during the [[Purge]] , and the siege of Drakenhoff's Estate during the [[crusade]] leading to the death of [[Count Drakenhoff]].

==Residents==

The mansion's current residents include:

* [[Samuel Summers]]
* [[Bruce]]
* [[Mr Clatterby]]
* [[Arielle]]

==Notable Rooms==

The upper floor of the mansion features a study with two [[Magical Tapestry Portal]]s. These are finely crafted of metallic fiber and imbued with complicated magic. One of these depicts a library and leads directly to [[Lord Aiden's Study]], requiring one of the [[Key Stones]] to enter. The other depicts a starry sky and leads to the [[Extraplanar Portal Hub]].

There is also another room upstairs that contains a disabled [[Teleportation Circle]].

There is a bat sanctuary to house all of Samuel's bat companions.

==Defenses==
Lord Aiden's Mansion is very well defended to keep intruders out of places they don't belong. The following is a list of many of these defenses:
* fire resistant
* hidden behind an illusion ([[Forest Tile Puzzle]])
* [[Magical Puzzle Lock]] at the front gate
* [[Garden Gnome]]
* Bat swarms
* Gelatinous Cubes