The  Curse of Chardros

From Lexicanum

Castle Sternbrow

The Party spent nearly two months in Menaii, spending the loot they had retrieved from the mysterious tomb they had found in the Grasslands. In typical fashion they spent the time in diverse ways. Sven, turning his skill to good use took-on various small carpentry jobs, while Engard headed back out to the hinterlands to do some hunting, selling the game to local butchers. Shantar, spent time trying to find someone to teach him more of magic, eventually finding Arvin, a wild-eyed crazy fisherman down by the docks who agreed to help - especially after Shantar showed him the dolphin ring they had retrieved form the tomb. Valen, ever focused, spent time improving his equipment, having new armour forged and new clothes tailored, while Trent spent most of the time carousing in The Strong Arms, a tavern down near the docks.

Eventually Valen grew bored of the inactivity and went out seeking work, finding a bounty posted outside the Temple of Law for some bandits who had been plaguing travellers along the road from Menaii to Utkel about 50 miles to the south. He headed down to The Strong Arms and managed to persuade his friends to accept the commission. As they discussed options, they were overheard by Tarlyn who, recently arrived on the Isle, was looking for a way to augment his coin and offered to join them.

Next day, after securing supplies they found themselves on the road south to Utkel, Engard leading the way, riding his prized mount, while the rest trudged along behind him. The first couple of days travel were uneventful, but on the third day, Trent spotted ominous looking clouds forming over the bay, which only grew darker as the day progresses, the wind strengthening from a gentle breeze to heavy gusts. They began to look around for shelter, but on the side away from the coast, the  terrain around them was open mostly grasslands, with distant forested hills beyond. As the rain began to fall and distant flashes of lightning criss-crossed the bay, the winds increased yet more in force, driving the storm towards the shore - and them. There seemed little hope of shelter till Tarlyn, spotted a structure an a granite outcropping nearby. They left the road and headed towards, and before long they found a well-maintained path heading towards what it soon transpired was a small stone keep. The castle is little more than a central keep, a surrounding wall, and red-tiled outbuildings arranged along the inside of the wall. It stood atop a granite tor, jutting up from a green sea of grasses and bracken . Two the west, a sizeable forest began. The keep was small, two stories high, with turrets at each corner that rise another story each.

As the driving rain pelted down, Engard was first to reach the keep, the rest being thoroughly soaked when they arrived. They found the guards surprisingly welcoming - and ever so slightly inebriated. In short order they were ushered into the great hall, which occupied most of the keep's first floor. The wind howled outside, setting the torches flicker and rattling the translucent horn that covers the narrow windows. But the great hall is warm, smoky, and slightly stuffy. Hounds tussle over bones beside the fire. In one corner a handful of travelling musicians alternated sprightly reels with lusty shanties. The chamberlain, Ulsk Valgart, a short man who is as broad as he is tall, announced them adventurers to the assemblage in an accent so thick that it is almost unintelligible to those not of the Purple Towns. Lord Gomrick Sternbrow rose, cup in hand, and welcomed them with a drunken bellow. He invited them to join the celebrations after offering them quarters in the nearby guest hall. With the over-careful concentration of the drunk, Gomrick explains that the feast is to honour his ancestor, Aglarana Sternbrow, and bows respectfully to the portrait behind him. The food wine and ale is plentiful as the Party warmed themselves by the fire. As knives and bread slash and dipped into the bounty, the troubadours continue to play, to much banging of mugs and knife hilts on tables during the more catchy shanties . The songs all are of sailors and the sea, of shipwrecks and treasures, and of brave nobles who died well.

As the Party tucked-in and warmed up they looked round the hall, at the main table with Gormrik and his wife Listoria sat the increasingly inebriated Guards Captain, Trent Kelgar, as did Bruit the Venerable, Gomrick's advisor and a priest of Donblas Other notables of the castle, their wives, and Lady Listoria's ladies-in-waiting rounded out the high table. Other tables were filled with off-duty guards and other retainers. As the night progressed they found themselves drinking and chatted amiably, if not boisterously  with the other guests, all overseen by the huge portrait commemorating the battle where Lady Aglarana slew Tzimik Marghul, a Pan Tangian sorcerer and Chaos priest. She holds Tzimik's head to demonstrate her triumph. Sven gathered that Lady Aglarana was a Champion of Law, faithful to Donblas and the battle took place at his stronghold, the Burning Tower, located in the forest some miles to the east. After prompting Gomrick proudly showed off the very blade, his ancestor held in the painting.

Trent and Tarlyn decided to retired early and slipped out of the great hall, and headed across the covered walkway to the guest hall nearby. Tarlyn found himself talking to the Lady Listoria, discerning that beneath the good cheer she was somewhat apprehensive, if not fearful and flinched at every peal of thunder that rattled the windows. When Tarlyn questioned her she replied that "I celebrate the deeds of the great Aglarana, and the consequences of those deeds, in my own fashion. Now I beg you sir to speak of more pleasant things. when Tarlyn pressed her further, she suddenly  burst into tears and fled the hall. Behind her sudden exit the revelry died like a match. In the aftermath, Lord Gomrick smiled drunkenly, and begged the assembly pay no mind to his wife. "She dwells overmuch upon the past," he explained. "It is said that as he died, Marghul cursed my ancestor and her line for all time. My wife fears that tonight, being the anniversary of Aglarana's victory and being devisable by twenty, as my wise Bruit knows, that tonight the curse may fall upon me. I have told her that she has naught to fear, but no words yet have swayed her in this. Let not a wifely fear trouble you. Feast and make merry; I shall comfort her as I may. Musicians, make you your song now, loud and lusty!"

So saying, Gomrick left the hall, accompanied by a pair of alert and muscular guards. In the hall, the feast wound down gradually, and as many revellers  wrapped themselves in their cloaks and found a place on the floor, Sven decided that the Great Hall, warmed by the fire and the dogs. was probably a better option than a cold guest room, followed suit, as did Shantar, Valen and Engard. The rushes spread on the floor made a not uncomfortable bed though the loud snores of Guards Captain Kelgar were somewhat distracting Occasionally someone reeled out to urinate, then back again to sleep. As the fire guttered and died, darkness falls everywhere in Castle Sternbrow.

Suddenly, sometime after midnight a loud scream from above woke those in the hall, Sven, Engard, Valen and Shantar , grabbing weapons headed up the stairs to find two guards trying to batter down the door to what was presumably Lord Sternbrow's private quarters. The screams were coming from within! With the adventurer's help the door was quickly sprung open.  Sven was first into the room gaping as he saw  Lord Gomrick in his nightshirt, being dragged out the window by a horde of withered, skeletal things. Another lay severed on the floor, cut down by Gomrick's sword. The Lady Listoria abruptly stopped screaming and swooned, fortunately Shantar dashed forward and grabbed her before she hit the floor.

Peering out of the window, Sven could see the creatures crawling down the wall of the keep to the exterior walls and over. Dashing across the room be grabbed a sheet and fixing it to a sturdy armoire near the window, clambered out after them. Engard and Valen followed. As they stood on the high curtain wall in the the driving rain, they could see the creatures had scrabbled like insects down the outside of the keep and the curtain wall, and vanish into the night, though  Sven though he saw a flash of white, possibly Gomrick's nightshirt, illuminated in a lightning flash,  to the east

Back in the bedchamber,  Shantar managed to revive the Lady Listoria who recounted her tale. She awoke, she said, at a scratching at the shuttered window. Even as she shook her husband's shoulder, what seemed a tide of foul creatures crept into the room. Gomrick woke to her screams, and with an oath bounded from bed grabbing the sword from beside the bed. One creature fell before him, but several more seized and subdued him, and he was carried from her in an instant, protesting vainly. The Lady Listoria began to cry again, and beseeched Lassa, Donblas, and the adventurers to save her husband. While Bruit the Venerable arrived with a calming potion Shantar headed off to locate Trent and Tarlyn.

Into the Forest

Led by Engard, the Party followed the tracks eastwards across ploughed fields and into a densely forested area. Following the tracks through the undergrowth was more difficult than through the muddy fields, but generally they continental in an eastward direction. In the distance they could hear the mournful sound of a wolf-pack, presumably hunting for food as the storm continued to abate, when Tarlyn spotted a dull glow of light through the trees. He pointed it out to the others, and saying he was going to check it out disappeared silently into the undergrowth. 

The dull glow turned out to be coming from a small encampment in a clearing - perhaps that of the very bandits they had been seeking. In the light of a heavily banked fire, by which dim light Tarlyn could see figures moving about. He was just about to withdraw when a shadowy figure stepped out from a nearby tree and confronted him. As a second figure stepped out of the bush nearby, Tarlyn took to his heels, attempting to distract with a loud warning cry for the "Captain". The shadowy figures however followed, while those in the camp grabbed weapons and ghosted into the trees. Hearing Tarlyn's shout the rest of the Party headed toward him - untimely resulting into a full-fledged melee. As figures dodged and fought in the darkness between the tress, Tarlyn was wounded, though all the bandits were eventually slain.

After a quick search of the bandit camp, finding a cache of loot largely made up of barrels of flour, the Party located the tracks they had been following, mostly by  just heading eastward!In the distance Sven heard the howl of the wolf pack suddenly turned to distress and fear and they proceeded onwards cautiously, only to run straight into what appeared to be the remnants of the panicked wolf pack.

After fighting their way through, the distressed wolves, the forest began to thin slightly. Suddenly Sven heard something moving though the  undergrowth towards him - more wolves. However these wolves looked somehow strange, their eyes a dullred, in the dim light he could see terrible rends in their flesh through which bone gleamed. As the wolves ever-so silent encircled them, Trent noted that one of the wolves approaching's  foreleg leg dragged, and seemed to be only attached by gobbets of flesh!

As battle was joined the wolves remained eerily silent, Tarlyn once again proved be be unlucky as one of the wolves bit a chunk out of him and felled him. Shantar dashed forward and cast Heal on the  fallen Tarkeshian. After the rest of the party had despatched the hideous wolves. As Valen moved forward and began to bandage the wound, Shantar commented sardonically about the fact it was said that some of the undead could transfer the Curse of Chardros with their bite.