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.

The Ruined Tower

As the forest thinned, the trees became more twisted and bent and in places covered with ugly looking fungus growths. Beyond the edge of the trees a ruined tower stood in a clearing. As the Party gazed into the clearing the intermittent moonlight revealed curious patches of disturbed ground in the area around the ruins. Engard thought he saw movement nears some bushes halfway across the clearing but before he could speak Trent and Shantar moved forward.

As they crossed the first patch of disturbed ground, the earth nearby erupted as two zombies burst out and attacked them. Valen, Engard and Tarlyn charged forward to help dispatch the horrible undead. This proved harder than expected as the zombie's leathery flesh proved somehow resistant to their blades, but eventually the zombies were destroyed.

The Party moved forward more cautiously, trying to avoid the patches of disturbed earth, but one zombie, more cunning perhaps than its brethren leaped out, form concealment in a thorn bush and bit at Shantar's neck. As Shantar dropped to the ground  and the zombie knelt to feast, Tarlyn and Engard, attacked the zombie, while Trent cast a spell of healing on their fallen comrade. As Valen knelt to treat Shantar, he saw with relief that Shantar's bite was more on the shoulder than the neck and that he was breathing shallowly, he bound the wound as best he could.

As the Party approached the  entrance to the ruined tower, more of the loathsome undead appeared out of its shadow and  attacked. While his friends engaged the undead, Shantar made his way cautiously around the tower, seeing if there was another way in. Towards the rear he found a portion of wall that had collapsed and Shantar clambered up and over and into the tower. As he surveyed the dark interior a twisted emaciated figure dropped lithely from the rafters above and leaped at him hissing. Wisely Shantar disengaged, joining his friends in fighting the zombies outside.

As the last of the zombies were destroyed Shantar warned his friends there was one of the creatures that had taken Sternbrow within, and they moved cautiously forward, Trent lit his lantern so they could see in the deeper darkness of the tower's interior. The interior, including the rafters, of the tower seemed clear, however at the far side of the tower a shadowy doorway beckoned. In the partial light from Trent's lantern he thought he could discern movement within.

Trent charged through the doorway only to find the creature was clinging to the wall just above the doorway and it bit down savagely at his un-helmeted head. He staggered, blood pouring down his face and nearly fell through an open trapdoor in the shadows at the far end of the small room. Trent managed to withdraw, and Tarlyn cautiously moved into the room next, sword in one hand, a lit torch in the other. The creature dropped down and on to his back and wrestled him to the floor. Engard moved up to tray and help and the creature, its strength belying it's emaciated form suddenly wrenched Tarlyn's head backwards viciously, attempting to break his neck.

As Engard swung viciously at the twisted form, and Valen readied a shot with his bow, Trent dropped to the ground and wriggled beneath Engard's legs, where reached forward and  cast a healing spell on Tarlyn. Taryn, his strength returned arced his back suddenly, dislodging the creature, which left him open to a blow from Engard. As he delivered the blow, Engard dropped to his knees, giving Valen a clear shot which finished the creature off.

The Shrine of Chardros

The members of the Party descended one by one down a rusted iron ladder fixed to the wall beneath the open trapdoor in the small room at the back of the ruined tower. The found themselves in an octagonal room with three exits. The decided to try the westward one first, which led to a corridor with painted murals of Pan-Tangian galleys. After Valen was nearly hit by a spear trap they proceeded more cautiously, but there were no more traps as the corridor led into a wide room dominated at the far end by a stone statue of a humanoid whose face had been chipped away. Searching the room Trent found a curious octagonal object, which when Shantar held to his forehead, grew warm and made him feel somewhat refreshed.

Moving back to the octagonal room they headed out the northern exit to an empty room dominated by a mural of a man in Pan-Tangian plate armour with a ruby inserted in his left eye. an archway to the west led through a short corridor to a room where several large amphorae were stored. As Trent went forward to investigate one of the twisted emaciated horrors leaped out from an exit. His friends quickly rallied round and the creature was slain. The amphorae were full, possibly of liquid, and Trent could smell a cloying sweet aroma through the ancient wax seals which had started to crumble.

Moving forward, Valen triggered a pit trap, but managed to avoid falling in and on to the short spears fixed in the ground 20 feet below. As the Party pondered how to cross this obstacle, Sven came to the rescue. Whipping out his his trusty carpenters tools from his backpack, he removed a couple of the doors from nearby rooms and hastily fabricated a bridge for the gap.

Crossing the bridge safely, Shantar deciding to crawl across, they arrived at what looked like it had once been a study of some kind. The room was guarded by two large skeletal creatures carrying what looked like pikes and wearing over-large Pan-Tangian half-plate over their bony ribs. These guardians proved to be awkward opponents but eventually the Party prevailed against them. Searching the room Shantar discovered most of the scrolls on the shelved had either mouldered into ruin or crumbled to dust  as he picked them up. He did find a mouldering grimoire in which a few  of the pages still might be legible, so stuffed it in his backpack. Trent found a gold ring with a small chip of ruby embedded in it. It didn't seem to do anything but when he tried to remove it, it wouldn't budge!

An exit from this room led to a large circular chamber dominated by a statue of Chardros. there were several of the emaciated figures in the room and near the foot of the statue they could see Count Sternbrow lying huddled in his nightwear. As the Party charged in, one of the horrors ran to the foot of the statue and keeling before it, implored Chardros to aid them. As his friends began to cut a swathe through the horrors, Trent charged forward and slew the kneeling one - thus unknowingly completing the invocation it had started.

Suddenly, as the battle, more a slaughter really, raged time seemed to stop still. As indeed it did. The form of the statue seemed to swell and change as Chardros himself, or a manifestation of the ancient god appeared in the room. For a hear-stopping moment in that instant between moment, the Reaper gazed at each member of the Part and then he laughed cold as the grave. He swirled his mouldering cloak around him and two tattered fragment of cloth detached and twisted in the air forming into two shaper reminiscent of their creator.

Time started again as the statute became once more stone. A pulse of black energy came out, and those horrors that had been slain rose once more. Thee two demons joined the fray wielding icy scythes that deemed to drain the very soles of those they struck. Trent managed to parry most of the blows, but Sven had less luck. While Engard and  Valen dealt with the reanimated horrors, Shantar made his way round the fray to where Sternbrow was lying almost catatonic in shock. As Shantar bent down to pick up the Count he noticed what looked like tendrils of shadow reaching back from the demons to the statue. He passed this information back to Trent and Sven, who immediately switched their attacks from the demons to the statue itself.  As the statue came under attack, all of the horrors in the room turned and joined the demons in attacking Sven and Trent. This made the horrors easy prey for Engard and Valen.

Suddenly with final blow from his warhammer, the statue split with a cracking sound. The demons vanished and the remaining horrors collapsed, once more simply cadavers. Picking up Sternbrow, the Party departed for the forest, where they met the rest of the search party, the men-at-arms, and returned to the castle. The Count was handed over into the care of Bruit.