The party consists of 6 fifth-level adventurers: GIMLIT SON OF GROIN (dwarf fighter), ST.JOHN WILDBLADDER III (human paladin), BELWINA (human female ranger), KRANOVAL (half-elf magic-user), THE BISHOP OF BATHENWELLS (human cleric) and FRITO BUGGER (hobbit thief).
Additionally there is Frito’s dog FIDO, KOBBE the Kobold who had attached himself to Kranoval and MISDORA BONRYNSDÖTTIR OAKENSHIELD the dwarven bard who had attached herself to Gimlit in the hope .of writing some epic songs or sagas.
The party went back to the The Temple of Solanus in the hope of being able to buy some healing potions. They met with Father Beamus Cain who was willing to sell them 3 potions, at what he said were not unreasonable prices. However there was still a problem, despite the fact that the party had cleared out the Temple of Jamboor, there were still beggars and peasants going missing from the city streets and now even Charlie Kilkarin the son of one of the city's merchant houses had disappeared after a drunken orgy. Father Beamus told the party that what's more a guard on patrol in the Noble District who knew Charlie well was certain he heard his voice crying for help from within the Pulanti Estate several days before he was reported missing.
The party promised to investigate the Pulanti Estate and asked Father Beamus to arrange a meeting with the guard. The guard, Nolan Banks, met the party and after receiving a rather large pouch of gold and he told them what he had heard. He also provided the party with a poor quality sketch map of the estate and the schedule with with the city watch patrolled outside the estate. The party decided to explore the estate the next night when there should be a little moonlight.
The party moved carefully through the city in the late of night, timing their arrival at the estate so that the city watch had just passed. The estate was surrounded by a 10 ft high wall into which a set of tall iron gates were set. A weed-choked gravel walkway lined with dying trees could be seen through the gate leading to the front doors of the manor. Frito quickly determined that the gates were locked, but declared that the walls were easily scaled. The party decided not to pull the bell cord by the gate, but to instead go down the side of the estate and there climb the wall.
The party easily scaled the wall an entered the grounds to the rear of the manor. The grounds surrounding the house were filled with high, over-grown grass, swaying wildflowers, and rats could be seen scurrying in darkness. As the party went round the to back of the house they noticed bats flying overhead. Here they found a pair of double doors, inside of which were heavy curtains.
They forced open the doors and went in, they were in a room containing two overturned wicker seats, a smashed coffee table, and two overturned wooden chairs. The floor was smeared with old dried blood. In the far wall was a door leading into the rest of the house.
Ignoring the dried blood, the party continued into the house, turning right in the hallway and entering another room. This was a bedroom of a young lady. Like the first room it was 12 ft high, dusty, covered in cobwebs and with large windows covered by heavy curtains. This bedroom contained a large bed complete with pillows and blankets, all a bit mouldy. There were tables and chairs. On the far wall hung a large mirror and a life-size portrait of a young girl wearing old-fashioned clothing.
Gimlit sent in his jade bulldog to investigate the room. When the dog looked into the mirror, an undead creature jumped out and attacked.
The bulldog fled back to the party, and Gimlit charged forward and chopped the foul undead being into mincemeat with his magic battleaxe.
The party searched the room and found little of interest, the chest was empty except for a small compartment containing 3 bracelets worth 60 gp. In fact the room felt rather abandoned.
Kranoval's intelligence now led him to believe that this was the house of a vampire. Perhaps unwisely, the party decided to continue without first stocking up on garlic, holy water and stakes.
The Bishop of Bathenwells cast a detect evil spell. This told him that the whole estate had a generally evil feel to it, but that by far the biggest evil was coming from the basement below. Sensing the evil, the cleric quickly led the party along corridors through the house to the stairs leading down into the basement. With the Bishop and the bulldog in the lead, the party descended.
The stairs led into a small room containing a wooden table and three chairs. On the table are a decanter and three crystal tasting glasses. The decanter is full of a thick red liquid. Except for copious rat droppings, the room is otherwise empty.
The party explored, to the left was a wine cellar party filled with bottles of red wine, and to the right another cellar this time with white wine.
In the white wine cellar, the Bishop still leading the party noticed humanoid footprints heading to a secret door in the far wall. Frito opened the door. Gimlit and Belwina led the way down a narrow 5 ft wide passage.
The passage led to a large chamber where the party was greeted by a grisly sight. In the centre of the chamber was a pool filled entirely with human blood. Suspended over the pool by a series of wires was a human body, still dripping the last of its blood into the pool. The chamber contained 6 giant rats.
Having sensed the approach of the party, the first wave of rats attacked.
Gimlits battleaxe chopped up the first rats, and the party advanced into the room. Here they were met by the remainder of the rats and two young female vampires who appeared from secret doors in the left hand wall. This was beginning to turn into a desperate fight...
Frito blew a loud blast on his silver horn of Valhalla and six viking beserker fighters appeared to aid the party.
One of the female vampires summoned four wolves to aid her while the other female vampire summoned four giant bats.
Kranoval had been badly hurt by a vampire, so he retired a few paces out of the fight, while the desperate battle continued.
The party was beginning to win the desperate fight, when from a secret door in the far fall entered an old male vampire preceded by 4 giant bats. He was the father to the girls.
Gimlit and Belwina, helped by some beserkers, had "killed" one female vampire but she was replaced in the fight by her father. Frito and Wildbladder fought the remaining daughter while the Bishop, Fido and Misdora tried to deal with the giant bats. Kobbe moved to safety behind Kranoval.
Wildbladder and Frito "killed" the second female vampire.
Kranoval summoned four kobold fighters to aid the party.
The fight continued, Gimlit and Belwina finished of the vampire with help from Kranoval. The rest of the party mopped up the remaining wolves and giant bats. Kobbe, Fido and Misdora were seriously hurt and moved to safety behind other party members.
The fight was finished but every member of the party had been seriously knocked about.
They checked out the chamber and determined that the hanging body was already dead. They then went though the secret doors from which the female vampires had appeared, and found small rooms containing coffins, to which the vampres had returned when they were "killed".
The party quickly constructed three stakes, by breaking up a chair and Gimlit's skill with his battleaxe was used to sharpen them. They were drenched in holy water, blessed by the Bishop and shoved through the hearts of the vampires.
The party then went through the secret door in the far wall, from which the male vampire had appeared. As expected they found a room with his coffin and the same procedure with a stake was repeated.
The party picked up what treasure they could find in these rooms, in such a hurry that they just threw whatever they found into a couple of sacks without checking it. They then retreated from the estate, too seriously damaged to risk another serious encounter. They returned to the Temple of Solanus, through the darkened city streets. Father Beamus welcomed them back and allowed them into the temple to rest.
Charming - as usual!
ReplyDelete