Note: This is the rest of The Insider. This section is still undergoing editing and is still very much a work in progress. but I wanted to get it to you so you can look it over in advance and hope to have a cleaned-up version with links, formatting, maps, and artwork available before Halloween.
After getting Yllbella’s help or directly after the initial gathering, the party might decide to investigate regarding the criminals. Regardless of their suspicion about the organized crime in town, Francis, their leader, is well aware of their presence and the danger they represent for his business. He intends to use them to clear the castle of its threats so he can use it as a stronghold and proclaim himself as leader of an independent and sovereign town. When the party either plans to investigate the criminals or clear the castle, they have finally outlived their usefulness.
Synopsis
Three key moments may cause Francis to decide that it’s time to eliminate the party:
- The Headstrong Party. After the optional encounter in part one, the party decides to investigate the criminals instead of solving the matter of the missing count.
- An unfortunate Turn of Events. The party went after Yllbella’s help, realized they were being followed and returned to town (Francis suspects his cover might be blown).
- A well-deserved rest. The party exits the castle victorious.
Regardless, if the Gray Brothers are alive, they remain hidden until combat starts, then they join in.
Francis’ Ploy
Francis has all thought out, or so he believes. Once the castle is free of its dangers, he will use the gold acquired over the years of crime to renovate the castle, arm his crew, and fortify the town. Before the lords of the region are aware, he will bring Chasm Town to its former glory, impossible to invade and easy to defend. From hisBy his point of view, to be someone that controls the criminals within the realm is a powerful asset for a king to have, therefore, awarding him with a lordship makes all the sense in the world and, if his royal majesty doesn’t agree, he can most certainly be convinced.
The party fits his plans perfectly. Expendable outsiders come, clear the dangers of the castle, and are eliminated once they leave, injured and tired. If they present themselves as a nuisance, they can be overwhelmed by Francis’ numbers, although that would likely take an undesired toll on his crew.
Francis prefers to let the party go to the castle, even facilitating that, instead of having a conflict with them before the issue is resolved.
He has a vague idea of what might have happened, but does not believe that the information is in any way useful for his agenda. Rather, if he’s right, the intel might dissuade the adventurers from entering the castle. He will only reveal the information if he sees it as the only way to avoid direct confrontation and for the adventurers to finally enter the castle. In that case, he tells them the truth (except that he was the married man in the story). In that case, read or paraphrase:
Puffing up his chest solemnly, Francis speaks in a grave, serious voice:
I am not one to spread rumors nonchalantly, but I do have a vague idea of why the count became a reclusive person, although I do not know what happened to him afterward. That can only be verified by entering the castle and investigating, as I suggested all along.
Francis smirks, putting his right hand on his chest and continues, posing like a theatrical narrator with a condescending voice:
Count Zuulpa Thaal was a family man. His wife lost her life at childbirth to his only daughter, and he loved that child deeply. The girl grew strong and vibrant, some kind of an indomitable genius like her father, as well as beautiful and cunning. As the girl became a woman, coveted by all the neighboring lords and princes, her heart was fixed on a married man, to the frustration of her father’s frustration. To prevent the affair, the count locked her in the tower, sealing her fate, for the love she felt was not going to be swayed with ease. She tried to climb down the tower, fell, and broke her back.
He looks up at the tower, directing his gaze at a specific window, now boarded up, before continuing:
As the count ruled the area with an iron fist, he could not cope with the suffering his heart had to endure as a father. Her beloved left, as did all the suitors she used to have. He tried to provide her with all the freedom and liberty so she could continue to be the vibrant girl everyone knew.
Opening his arms broadly, gesturing all over town, he says:
He built all of these ramps and handrails just so that the entirety of town was accessible to her, but the sparkle in her eyes gradually faded under her father’s unyielding rule. Her presence around town gradually decreased, as did her father’s, until no one knew anything about them anymore. Rumors say that he was visited by booksellers that brought him dark tomes, and that he was conducting experiments in order to restore her health. Most likely nonsense, a rich man like him could have hired the best healers available instead of dabbling with such unreliable sources.
The Criminal’s behavior
The party may acquire information by observation without raising suspicions but not much from the criminal’s activity itself, for Francis is a cunning leader. He ordered the gang to stop all activities if the party doesn’t enter the castle to avoid being identified and giving the party evidence to investigate. The populace is too afraid to talk or to “misbehave,” like taking water from the well while the criminals are “off duty.”
A successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal that two buildings stand out, aside from the Brawler’s Cauldron.
- Trap House. This barn is isolated from the other buildings and appears well-maintained and in much better condition than those around it. The building looks like a barn, and it has a reinforced door, the windows boarded up inside and out. The criminals rigged the barn as a death trap in case of nosey adventurers. The roof is prepared with hay among its tiles, and curtains cover the walls so that the fire spreads easily. Once the adventurers enter, the building is going to be locked from the outside and set ablaze. The full gang of criminals (20–30 bandits plus the remaining Gray Brothers) will gather outside to face any survivors. The building was chosen for being far enough from other buildings to prevent burning the whole city down.
- Francis’s House. This house is well maintained, dissonant from the rest of gutter town. Ivaako believes that this is because Francis is a former captain of the city guard and a well-respected citizen, which Francis would claim if asked. If the adventurers insinuate that they are suspicious of Francis or ask to look around his home, he feels threatened and tries to lure them into the Trap House by revealing the information he has on the count’s disappearance (see the sidebar above in Francis’s Ploy) and adding the following, read or paraphrased:
Sadly, and I ask your discretion about the subject,. I must admit I was the married man she had an affair with. I was loyal to her father as I could be, even if I can’t say the same about my marital vows.
He avoids eye contact while proceeding:
I know well that judging me and my weakness is useless in your quest and the solution to this mystery, so I’ll spare both you, me, and the girl of the sordid details of my sins. What I have to tell you is that I’ve built a tunnel that leads from my basement to the castle’s cellar where we used to, er, meet. I’d stopped seeing her after the accident, as per her father’s orders, so I have no idea whether the passage is still secure nor what lies on the other side. I haven’t the courage nor the youth to find out, but feel free to use the passage if you want. But please don’t taint anyone’s name. She might be alive. He could be as well for all I know.
Francis’s Home and the Passage
A neat and well-organized home with nothing luxurious, the house reflects a man with a stoic military background. Nothing stands out, except the full-plate armor beside the bed, a well-polished relic from his days of service, assembled on a mannequin. Inside the left foot of the armor, he hides his personal stash, a bag of gemstones (3000 gp). Francis had been buying the gems as a way to store big amounts of money in a little space to avoid notice.
The basement is empty except for the passageway, shut by a very strong steel door. Francis claims that he reinforced it, afraid of what could come from the castle while he slept, the same reason why Francis will shut the door as soon as the adventurers go through it. (The door only opens via a lock on the basement side.) It goes underground through a well-built tunnel in the direction of the castle. Halfway to the castle, the passage becomes more rustic and less cared for. The secret passage bifurcates to the barn, allowing Francis to visit the criminals’ den without being seen by the townsfolk.
If the adventurers find the secret passage, they end up in the Trap House, as Francis is aware of that chance and prepared for it. The trap door leading into the Trap House is made of iron and is slightly ajar, so it will only open once, locking from below once it closes again. If it locks while one or more of the party is still below, a creature proficient with thieves’ tools can pick this lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.
Encounter One – The Headstrong Party
After being attacked by the dissuasion group, the party might decide to deal with the rest of the bandits. On the corpse of one of the bandits, the party finds a paper with the words “don’t forget the meeting at the barn” written on it. The paper was planted there to lure the party to the Trap House.
As the bandits and the other people in town look indistinguishable from each other, it is nearly impossible to ask around without being seen by one or more criminals, and no citizen will risk talking to the party and “being a snitch”, as their doom would be certain.
If the piece of paper does not lure them to the Trap House, and they insist on investigating the criminal activity, the party receives a letter (see An Unfortunate Turn of Events).
Encounter Two – An Unfortunate Turn of Events
During the recruiting of Yllbella, if the scouts were discovered, at least one of them has returned to town to warn their boss. In that case, Francis will have his guard up and will do his best to lure the party to the Trap House by using an unsuspecting child. Upon their arrival in town, a boy runs up to them and giggles with an envelope at hand. Read or paraphrase:
Heroes! Wait up! A letter to you!
A tiny girl runs up to you giggling, apparently happy despite the visible malnourishment. She hands over the letter and runs towards the alleyway, where the dark maze of corners covers her happy escapade. Inside the envelope, a letter written in beautiful calligraphy, signed as “concerned citizen”, says:
The criminals knoew of your arrival and are hiding with their leader in the barn.
The courier is very quick and knows the alleyway well, so following her requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, but if the party menages to do so, they’ll follow her to the front of _The Brawler’s Cauldron _and see her pick up a gold coin hidden on the side of a barrel. The girl will not reveal who sent the envelope, as she made a “pinky promise” that she wouldn’t, unless she’s threatened, in which case she’ll cry and shout, “Uncle Francis did.” If that happens, and Francis is confronted, he’ll claim to be afraid to openly reveal that information, so he used a proxy to deliver the letter. According to him, now that the child shouted his name, it is paramount that the bandits are dealt with, or his life is in danger, so he urges the party to the barn. If cornered about the bandit’s leader identity, he claims it’s Ashur’s father.
Francis is a trained liar, and realizing that he’s lying requires a DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check.
Encounter Three – A Well-Deserved Rest
Half an hour after the party enters the castle, Francis orders his men to tell the locals to shut themselves inside their homes and then surrounds the castle with the totality of his forces, lying in wait for the party to come out victorious. After they exit, he’ll approach them to discover what they’ve learned and kill them afterwards. With closed doors and boarded up windows, the castle offers the adventurers no visibility to the outside and the threat that awaits them. Read or paraphrase:
A blinding lighting strike tears the sky as thunder echoes through town. The torrential rain washes gutter town as you exit the castle. Francis, the retired captain, stands in front of the castle, wearing full plate armor in a gallant display of vigor. At least twenty people have gathered, looking at you in disbelief as you emerge victorious from the castle. With his helmet open, he smiles with great satisfaction and says:
Welcome back, heroes! We awaited with grieving hearts for your return, for we thought your death was certain! We the people, are happy to have you back victorious! Tell us, what happened to the count and his heir?
This time, it is not as difficult, revealed by a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check, to realize that the people around him are in fact bandits, as they are all armed. After the party tells him what he wants to know, questions him about “what’s going on,” or refuses to cooperate, Francis decides the heroes have outlived their use and unsheathes his sword, in a signal to attack the party.
The Trap House
The bandits plan to set the building on fire after the party enters and is locked in. The windows are boarded up, and the door is heavily reinforced. A countdown will begin as soon as the fire is set. In 3 turns, the upper part of the barn is taken by the fire and anyone in range will suffer 1d6 fire damage as flaming wood and straw falls from above. On the 4th turn, the smoke starts taking a toll, and every character breathing the smoke must succeed on a Constitution Saving throw every turn or take 5 poison damage. On the 6th turn, the smoke has taken the barn completely, and any character without fire resistance has disadvantage on all rolls. On the 7th turn, the entire barn is on fire, and anyone inside takes 1d6 fire damage per turn. On the 10th turn, the building will collapse, and anyone inside will take 12d6 bludgeoning damage (half on a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw).
The iron trap door from the tunnel only opens until vertical and closes if not propped open. Once it closes, it locks and can only be unlocked from within the tunnel.
If the party tries breaking through the walls to get out, they have the following properties:
| Section |
AC |
HP |
| Window Boards (2 layers) |
15 |
40 |
| Wall |
15 |
27 |
| Trap Door |
19 |
14 |
| Door |
17 |
20 |
The iron trap door also has a damage threshold of 10, taking no damage from a hit with less than 10 damage.
The Castle
Background
After conducting all possible investigation, or equipped with pure bravery, the party finally decides to enter the castle and investigate the destiny of Count Zuulpa Thaal and his daughter. A trap awaits them outside, where Francis gathers his forces to eliminate the tired and injured adventurers, so he can finally consolidate his domain ofn the region.
Overarching Plot:
The party is aware that all that enter the castle with the intention of investigating never come out. Many dangers lie inside, from insatiable hunger to terrible sorrow. They shall need to cooperate and use all of their cunning to survive, for there is good reason that the count has lived in isolation for all those years.
The ruins of the castle of solitude
The true tragedy of the insiders
A decade ago, after the accident that left his beloved daughter paralyzed, depression overwhelmed the count. None of the renovations or other measures could undo the damage he causedcaused by him. It was impossible for him not to blame himself. After all, he locked his daughter in a tower as captive to prevent her from following her heart. At the time, he felt justified—lords and princes wanted to marry her, and countless alliances could be made, arrangements that could transform his lineage into a timeless dynasty. The fickle passions of a child should not prevent that destiny!
Only the tragedy made him realize his error and the futility of his values, seeing the love of his life disabled by his cruelty and greed, yet even in the wake of those consequences, he continued to attempt to control her while claiming to protect and accommodate her.
No efforts to improve the accessibility of the town would restore the shine to her soul, crushed not by the fall, but by his narrow understanding of love. She continued to rebel and attempt to follow her own dreams, resenting not her condition, but his continued efforts to control her. And for all the accessibility he implemented in the castle and town, he continued to try to keep her life on the rails he laid for her, both literally and figuratively.
Determined to make his daughter walk again, he tirelessly looked for an answer, any answer, but the gods who certainly had cursed and forsaken him.
The Castle of Solitude
When facing the castle, read or paraphrase:
The castle itself is small if compared with the vulgar display of power that so many nobles exhibit. Despite its absolute lack of maintenance, the architecture reflects a geometric aptitude and seems stable and strong enough to withstand the stomp of a god. The black stones that compose its walls are now in different shades of grey, colored by the ashes from the several fires in town. Partly covered in moss, the stonemasonry makes the walls smooth, nearly impossible to climb. All the windows are broken in clear signs of vandalism, but are all boarded up from the inside, suggesting that someone took the time to keep the interior away from prying eyes. On the other hand, a ramp leads up to its massive iron door, opened halfway, allowing you to peek inside, where you can see a rotten tapestry on the floor, covered in dust.
Note: The inside of the castle is cursed ground. Any attempt to sleep results in feverish nightmares and night terrors. Characters cannot take a long rest inside the castle, and a short rest takes 2 extra hours without first casting a Hallow spell.
The door is unlocked, but its weight requires a successful DC 20 Strength check to open. Once opened, the door makes a loud metallic sound. A spring activates, closing the door once again to its original position. Beside the inside of the door, a lever opens the door with a successful DC 20 Strength check.
The floor has grooves beside the lever. A successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the grooves would perfectly fit the wheels of a wheelchair, and a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check will reveal a connection between attaching the chair to the grooves in the floor and the lever, which makes the lever easy to use (requiring no test).
(Note for the DM: Given that, by all indications, people enter the castle and never leave, the adventurers are likely exercising caution. If for any reason they are noisy or shouting in the dining room, there’s a 60% chance “the governess and the butler” will wake up and attack them, being joined by “the cook” afterwards. If the cook hears the fight with the couple, he joins the fight, as he won’t allow them to spoil all the food.)
The Dining Room
As the adventurers turn their gaze inside the main room of the castle, read or paraphrase:
Through the dim light coming from the door, you behold the remains of what used to be a sumptuous dining room. The large oak table stands degraded, the silverware covered in dust. The remains of a banquet are clean, as not even worms feast upon it. A big painting of the count and his daughter has multiple rips and adorns the wall above the fireplace. The fireplace itself has an opaque glass door that is shut, and although the fire burns, it emits only a faint light through the glass.
The room is broad, but the lack of lights obscures its details. Candles are positioned in several places around the room, as well as a big fancy candelabrum on the ceiling. The opposite wall has some doors with a small studio to the right. Multiple blood stains speckle the floor.
If the players choose to examine the room further, provide additional information based on a Wisdom (Perception) check.
· DC 15 Even though the fireplace is lit, and a considerable amount of firewood fills it, no smoke escapes the castle’s chimney. Even though nothing is visibly rotting, the odor of putrefaction hangs heavily in the air.
· DC 20 A fresh scent of blood wafts from the kitchen. The dining table is missing one chair by a place setting, probably for the count’s daughter.
· DC 25 Small and almost imperceptible spores of mold are scattered through the area.
(Note for the DM: Any character with Blindness has a + [IE] bonus to the Perception checks to notice the scents. There’s no smoke, because the fireplace is designed to take the heat downwards, underground.)
After the initial description and information, let the players move around and decide where to explore.
If the adventurers move in the general direction of the Studio, the door to the left has the following painted on it in what appears to be a child’s attempt at calligraphy: “Uncle Sal’s Kitchen.” On the wall in the same style is painted, “Daddy’s studio, keep quiet,” with an arrow pointing towards the studio.
1. The Kitchen
As the players walk towards the kitchen, a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check will reveal some muffled sounds, as if someone is trying to be silent and failing.
Sal, an ogre chef, heard the door and waits to ambush when the trespassers dare to enter his holy realm, the kitchen. Sal used to be the family’s cook, and he continues to carry out his duties, cooking the invaders that come to the castle from time to time. It has been a long time since he last could cook a fresh meal, so he’s having a hard time waiting for them to finally enter the kitchen and fall for his ambush, so his eagerness confounds his attempts at stealth, his enormous eye on the keyhole, drooling and waiting for his opportunity to attack.
If they open the door or look through the keyhole, Sal attacks immediately. If they linger around for too long, Sal opens the door and rushes them before his main ingredients escape. Once killed, Sal’s body transforms into a human.
After the party defeats Sal, read or paraphrase:
Giving it a closer look, the floor of the kitchen is elevated in relation to the counters, making them accessible to someone in a chair, except when nearing the stove, as if only the non-dangerous parts of the room were adapted for accessibility. Even though everything is old, the kitchen is clean and seems to be used regularly. Hanging on a line, a human leg is covered in salt to preserve it and a net wrapped around it to keep the many flies away. On the highest counter, there's a well-worn cookbook. Behind one of the low counters, there's a door. Other than normal kitchen utensils, nothing else stands out.
The aforementioned door is unlocked and leads to the cellar.
If investigated, the cookbook will reveal the following:
The cookbook starts as usual, hundreds of recipes of everyday food, written in calligraphy, scaling up to more and more sophisticated dishes, befitting of a lord. Some pages show doodles from a child, sometimes of food, sometimes a clown or other childhood images. The closer the book gets to its end, the better and more detailed the drawings become, showing that whoever created them improved with time, displaying better art until it got brilliant. Soon after that, the recipes and drawings stop altogether. In a few of the final blank pages, you find fragmentary rumblings written down. You find four in total, in order:
· Why would the gods allow that? Why!?? Poor Maggie.
· No! No! No! I want her back, poor little girl.
· Why is the count doing that? He makes no sense.
· I think I saw Maggie fly. I think I love her.
2. Storage
The door to the storage is unlocked but is barricaded by something on the other side.
A simple wooden door with a simple lock, the only feature that stands out is the painted words, “Candy Storage,” apparently by a child.
The remains of meat, seeds, flour, and other perishables line the shelves of this closet, moldy and rotten and corrupted by the evil that resides in this forsaken castle. Behind the door, a thick yet soft chunk of black mold has solidified on the door, immobilizing it. The mold, a 10 ft. cube, sticks to the door and fills the entirety of the storage. If anything, or anyone opens the door, which requires a successful DC 15 Strength check, the mold explodes, causing a of 20 ft. radius cloud of spores to expand 30 ft. Anyone caught in the spore cloud must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or take 3d12 poison damage be poisoned, success avoiding being poisoned and taking half damage. Each poisoned creature takes an additional 1d12 poison damage at the beginning of its turn and can attempt the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a successful save. The cloud dissipates after 5 minutes, and all the residue stays on the ground. The cloud of spores can also be burned by fire in order to dissipate faster.
3. Studio
Arriving at the area of the studio, read or paraphrase:
The studio is open and simple. Two candelabra are located at the corners to provide light. A very comfortable armchair has fine embroidery and was likely the place the count used to read. The bookshelves are filled with history and art books, many by famous authors and some very rare. A collection worthy of a rich intellectual, that many would envy. Above them, a single shelf has a jewel box with a simple design on it.
Unbeknownst to the party, there are two mimics in the room, one disguised as the armchair; the other, a small mimic disguised as the jewel box. The jewel box mimic will only attack if interacted with, regardless of the armchair’s behavior.
The armchair will attack on two conditions:
· If someone sits on it or attacks it.
· If someone touches the jewel box, as it is protective of its cub.
On the remains of the jewel box, the key for the Master Bedroom can be found.
4. The Vassal’s Room
Read or paraphrase:
The room at the corner has an inscription painted with the same design as the other doors, apparently made by a child. It reads, "Aunt Mallory and Uncle Mickey". The door is partially broken where the knob used to be; now some wood is nailed over it. Some spots of corrosion mar on the once beautifully carved door, as if acid spilled on it.
Listening at the door reveals heavy snoring, and a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check allows the characters to recognize that the snoring is two different voices.
The room is the quarters of the Knox couple, Mickey, the butler, and Mallory, the governess. Unfortunately for them, they’ve been transformed in a single being, monstrously binding not only their loving souls, but their bodies in one. An Ettin, with a male and a female head, is the fate of the lovebirds that now indiscriminately protect the home of their master and will attack on sight. The monster is dressed in a formal suit in its upper body and a skirt on the lower body.
5. The Master bedroom
The door to the master bedroom is the only door on that floor without any painting or inscription, as the little lady wouldn’t dare, for some reason, to deface her father’s room. As the party approaches the door, read or paraphrase:
The biggest door on the floor is made of iron, and despite standing out significantly, it is a simple flat metal door with no visible hinge and a strangely shaped keyhole at the center
The door is magically sealed and can only be opened by its key (Inside the small mimic at the studio). There is also a trap in the keyhole, in case someone tries to pick the lock, causing 2d6 lightning damage to anyone who puts an object into the hole, repeated every turn attempted.
When the party manages to open the door, read or paraphrase:
The door opens silently, gliding graciously to the left. The fireplace and candles in the room light themselves as the door disappears inside the left wall, in a marvelous display of engineering. The bed is huge, made of ebony with a glass finish over the intricate woodcarvings. The silk sheets that cover the bed are embraided with golden linings, probably a small fortune in itself (500 gp). The walls of the room, however, are in absolute dissonance with the astonishing quality and artwork of the lord's furniture. Feces and blood were used to write all manner of profanity and incomprehensible ramblings in multiple languages. Some arcane signs alluding to dark magic are mixed with the ramblings. On the corner, a well-organized oak desk has a tome upon it that resembles a grimoire, but the leather on the cover has human skin on it. The ripped-off face of an old man adorns the cover of the tome, with horror immortalized on the embalmed skin.
A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check of the master bedroom discloses some other information to the group. Read or paraphrase:
Upon inspection, the room reveals small details that tell a story of an organized mind that was disrupted by trauma. The bed is impeccably made but hasn't been used in years. The chest was left open the clothes on the top disorganized, while the ones at the bottom are neatly folded, as is true of the desk and drawers, as if the owner changed his habits over time until he started to write incoherently on the walls, showing his frustration overwhelming him.
Some items that can be found in the room include:
· The first drawer of the desk is locked, but it can be lockpicked with a successful DC 15 thieves’ tools check or forced open with a successful DC 20 Strength check and contains a bag of holding. The bag of holding contains the count’s diary. (Note for the DM: The bag of holding can be used to safely transport the tome.)
· The tome on the desk is a powerful cursed item. Any creature of lawful good or neutral good alignment will feel a sense of discomfort when within ten feet of it. Any creature not of evil alignment that touches it must succeed on a DC 20 Wisdom saving throw or take 2d10 necrotic damage per round touching it. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage.
· A rare, custom-made wheelchair is stored inside the wardrobe. It has a crank on the side to adjust to a standing position with an adjustable brace to support the user. The chair is reinforced and perfectly fits the rails present in the castle.
The Tome of Despair
Wondrous item, artifact
When the Count looked for answers and solutions for his daughter’s condition, a book collector sold him the accursed tome. Neither the count nor the collector had the full comprehension of what they had in hand. The tome was created in the depths of the Abyss by Anitta, a succubus who sent it to the material plane as a bridge that could facilitate her escape from her prison into a frail and desperate soul. That way, she could not only escape, but also harvest the pain and despair around her to grow in power and bring the stygian power with her. According to the book, she needs a certain yet unclear amount of time and despair to complete her full escape from her Abyssal prison and establish herself on the material plane. Once the process is done, the tome merges with her material form and her full power awakens. On the other hand, if the tome is destroyed while the succubus is on the material plane, Anitta is forever destroyed with it.
This book has 100 hp with AC 15 and is immune to nonmagical damage and resistant to all except radiant damage. The Tome feeds on the damage it causes, draining life and restoring itself after being touched by any non-evil living creature. If the tome is reduced to 0 hp or placed into an unreachable place like a volcano, high seas, or inside monsters, the book will remake itself in the nearest place of great despair. The tome can only be destroyed in the upper planes or hallowed ground by a celestial or a good-aligned character using divine magic that causes radiant damage.
The Count’s Diary
If the adventurers find the diary inside the bag of holding, read or paraphrase:
The diary is an accounting book on its first hundred pages, but after that, it seems that accounting became less relevant and noteworthy, being replaced by increasingly nonsensical notes and expressions of frustration about his daughter's condition. In between the math and the gibberish, among torn pages and stains, one note remains legible:
- The book came to me, I haven't found it as I initially thought, but instead, it used its own mind and volition to come to me. The sheer fact that it was transported inside a magical container was enough to convince me to buy it, and the ridiculously low price, enough for me to know the collector wanted desperately to get rid of it. A tome of black magic that can or cannot be read because it wants to be read? When it wants? Is the book lying to me, talking to me? Can it really restore her health? Will she ever forgive me for paying the price with blood? Does it matter? She will be happy again; this is all that matters.
Encounter Six: The Tower
Encounter type: Exploration/Investigation
Read or paraphrase:
Reaching the stairs that lead up to the tower, you notice that the left wall and the left side of the staircase is adapted with a handrail, rails, pulleys, and a crank for accessibility. An elaborate and pristine work of masterful engineering, it allows a wheelchair up and down the stairs with minimal effort.
Up the stairs, a small balcony extends from which you can see the whole town, leading to a huge bedroom with no doors. The room displays clear signs that it used to belong to a young lady, full of pink sheets and lace curtains in a somewhat exaggerated girly cliché.
The bed has been adapted—it is lower than average with support rails so the owner could easily climb into it. The sheets are stained with blood on both sides, with drops falling down each side.
The dressing table has make-up scattered all over it, and the mirror is broken.
In case the adventurers observe the town from the balcony (If they have Yllbella with them, she notices it.), they notice something eerie down below. Read or paraphrase:
As you walk through the balcony, the stillness of the air and the deafening silence of the town is palpable. Looking down, the normal commotion is gone. The streets are vacant, all doors shut, with the exception of the immediate surroundings of the castle, which is the very opposite of what you have observed before. Dozens of people are around the castle, with their gaze fixed upon the entrance, while badly pretending to look busy. Among them, a man in full plate stands still with his hand on the hilt of his sword.
If the adventurers have been in Francis’s house, they recognize the armor as being his.
One of the drawers contains a roll of 30 drawings. Read or paraphrase:
The drawings were made by someone of great talent, possessing both anatomical exactness and refined nuance. All of the drawings depict the same couple, although in different scenes and sceneries. At first, the age difference between the couple doesn't make it clear whether they depict father and daughter or lovebirds, but as the images advance, the carnal relationship is established. They seem to be grouped in a specific order, making a graphic novel that tells the tales of lovers in their erotic adventures all over town.
As Above, so Below: The underground
Encounter Seven: The Cellar
The cellar has two access points, the secret passage through Francis’s house and inside the castle, through the kitchen, behind the counter. Whatever the means of entering the place, read or paraphrase:
As you enter the room, the air is still except for the waving blue lights of three black candles.
The rest of the room is covered in dust. The wine and beer barrels are visibly broken and empty, as are the crates that once stored food.
On the right wall is a secret passage. Almost imperceptible indentations may be found with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check that would be perfectly fit by the wheelchair in the master bedroom. If fit by the chair, a door will open effortlessly, revealing a secret chamber.
The Black Candles of Thunder: These candles are cursed items that were put there to target people with hearing loss. Each magic candle is made of cooked human fat causes Silence as the spell for all in their radius, except those that are hard of hearing. The greater the extent of hearing loss, the clearer the perception of sound in their area of effect. Any character in the radius with that characteristic will perceive every sound on the environment, accompanied by a sense of euphoria, accomplishment, and warmth. A deaf character, however, will be welcomed by a telepathic message, seemingly coming from the candle in the middle of the room:
- Ahh, the chosen one, welcome my child.
A pleasant voice echoes on your mind.
- This is but a sample of the gifts I bring to you child, and I chose you, among all the broken things of this land, to bear my message. I am the goddess of all that is imperfect and broken, the bringer of restoration, the avatar of all that should-have-been and a cradle of cure. To bring to shame all of those who once thought of you as meager and incapable, I shower you in glory, removing their ability to hear and giving it to you, as a graceful sample of my power and mercy, but will you listen, or is your mind as broken as your body? As I fixed Meghan's spine. I can fix you and all that choose to accept my embrace. Simply draw blood from your forehead and lower it into the blue flame to seal our pact of love so you can be whole again.
The Candles can be individually turned off with Dispel Magic, but any other natural method such as blowing on them or attacking them will trigger a chain reaction of sound explosions. As one candle is doused, the sound wave explosion snuffs out the remaining candles, which explode in turn. Each creature within 15 feet of that point each candle takes 3d10 thunder damage, and creatures that can hear must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of their next turn. A successful Dexterity check halves the damage.
If a character accepts the proposed pact and drips blood on a candle, that triggers a chain reaction of explosions, this time with echoing laughter and disadvantage on both Dexterity and Constitution checks for the one foolish enough to seal the deal, as the message is but a ruse of Anitta to create division amongst the party.
Encounter Eight: The Laboratory
As the party enters the room, read or paraphrase:
Even though the room is filled with countless bookshelves and two large tables for study and strange glass alchemical devices, the laboratory resembles a church, a place of worship filled with profane symbols written in blood all over the walls and ceiling. A young and beautiful woman with long hair, black as the night, sits at a small table. Behind her, a stout man brushes her hair with a golden brush. She notices your presence and stands up with some difficulty, noticeably pregnant. The description fits Meghan, the daughter of the missing Count. Dressed in a long night gown, black with golden embroidery, she seems afraid of you. Carefully holding her belly, she stands up and address you:
Who are you, and why are you in my father's home? Have you no respect? My father is the ruler of this land and bannerman to the king himself. You would do well to cease this trespassing at once and leave immediately!
The woman is in fact Annita, who has taken control of Meghan’s body. The pact made by her father with the evil entity for the recovery of his daughter’s movements allowed her to possess her body and gradually take over her mind and soul. Meghan’s soul still remains within the body but has become catatonic out of self-preservation. The man beside her is Ashur’s father, Ubin, and if Bell is with the party, she’ll recognize him instantly. If not, a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check can lead the adventurers to that conclusion.
In this form, Annita doesn’t have access to her full power, as her essence couldn’t yet complete the transfer to the material plane, making her cautious. She cannot use her Shapechanger, Claw, or Etherealness abilities.
If the adventurers arrived there after going through the mausoleum, they’ll already know the Count’s fate, and she will be aware of that, due to her mental connection with her minions. If that’s the case, she’ll either attack them at the mausoleum while they’re weakened by the combat there, or she’ll try to dissuade them from the fight.
If they’ve arrived through the cellar, she tries to lure them towards the mausoleum.
Here are some examples of dialogue that can happen and how she replies.
· Example one, the group haven’t found the tome and isn’t aware of the succubus.
Ø Players question her: You and your father haven’t been seen on the last decade and we were sent to verify what happened to you.
Ø Meghan/Annita:
“My father and I have been working on my cure, and as you can see, we made wondrous advancements. I can walk again, I have a man, I’m pregnant by him, and I’m happy! I admit, we’ve been absent from ruling the town, but the advancements are so exciting and time consuming! We will remedy that at once!”
She this says while caressing the hair of the man beside her, more like one would caress a pet than a lover. The man stares at her lovingly.
“As per my father, he’s old but strong. He takes very good care of me and is at the crypt at the moment, praying for my mother’s soul. You can verify that yourself if you wish.”
· Example two:
As the group suspects the possession and/or questions her about the monster upstairs and strange happenings, she feels threatened. Still, rather than direct confrontation, she would rather not risk facing them until the full transference of essence is complete, so she tries to dissuade them. In that case, she gives a mental command to the undead at the mausoleum to come towards the laboratory in case there’s combat and holds Ashur’s father as hostage. Once she understands that her cover is blown, Annita stops pretending to be Meghan and speaks plainly.
- Aren't you a bunch of smart little insects? So broken and yet so selfless. Ha ha ha! You are no heroes, for it is easy to relinquish defective lives that aren't worth living, but your fantasies of grandeur are entertaining nonetheless, I'll give you that! My designs, however, are far beyond your league, and you would do well to escape while I allow it, for I was invited here with a purpose, and as you can see, Meghan walks again. I will not depart until I have received what was promised, for the pact can't be broken. I was promised time, and while that time doesn't come to an end, here I'll remain. I bother no one, and I do not interfere with the subjects of lowlings. You have nothing to gain with your interference and everything to lose. Go back to your people, and tell them Meghan lives and that if they are concerned with the bandits in the region, I'll deal with them myself, with my beloved husband and father, isn't that right honey?
The man gazes at the party with no emotional expression but suddenly snaps to attention and moves quickly to cast a spell.
She smirks with a lecherous look towards him. Turning back at you, she proceeds:
- Leave my castle through the front door with your life as my gift for you, and let everyone know the problem is resolved.
Immediately after her speech, or any social interaction that ends in a confrontational dialogue in which the succubus is threatened, the undead (in case they were not already eliminated) barge in. If the party refuses her “offer”, combat ensues. Ubin already cast Mage Armor and Haste before the party entered the room.
If the party has the cursed tome in their possession, she bargains for it. In that case, read or paraphrase in addition to previous dialogue:
- I see that you have something of mine in your possession, my book. It is very precious to me, and I offer you something as valuable in return for it. Instead of killing all of you for invading my home and meddling in my affairs, then simply taking my rightful possession from your corpses, I will provide you safe passage so that you can return to your king, or to do whatever you want with your sorry lives.
The demon looks at you with condescending pity before continuing.
- The man leading the city council, Francis, is in fact the leader of the criminals and have the castle surrounded with dozens of his scoundrels. If you fools were to exit through that door, he would simply kill you and take control of the city. You stand no chance against them, and only I can provide you a way to escape the castle through another path. Take my gracious offer and live to see another day, or refuse and die, for I will use your corpses to enlarge my army of undead.
If the party accepts her offer, she will allow them to use the tunnel behind the underground mausoleum that leads to the passage in the forest (See Yllbella’s storyline).
If the party refuses or tries to further parley, she’ll lose her temper, and combat ensues.
Encounter Nine: The Underground Mausoleum
The mausoleum has two entrances. One is the tunnel through the forest that Yllbella indicates/suggests when the party goes to find her. The other is through the underground laboratory.
Either way, read or paraphrase:
The mausoleum is very old, keeping generations of the Count's family buried there. The place is well kept, transpiring the respect the family has for the memory of lost loved ones. Built in solid polished stone, there are five richly engraved tombs, made of the same stone but with different details each. Clearly, the stonemason responsible for the tasteful work either knew the deceased personally or worked under the detailed instructions of someone who did. Everything is highly personalized.
Your admiration for the artwork doesn't last long, as you hear the growling of a beast that rises from one of the graves, an undead hound. From other graves rise their masters. Their matching nuptial clothing indicates they're a couple, and the Face of the Count is easily recognizable from all the paintings you've seen. Despite the similarity, it seems the Count was mummified right after his death, differently than his wife, whose decomposing bits fall on the ground as she rises from her grave.
Combat ensues with the Undead Count, Undead Countess, and Undead Guardian Hound.
The Aftermath
If the party defeats Annita, a pillar of flame erupts from her body with a scream. Meghan remains, physically unscathed, but no longer appearing pregnant, as the pregnancy was a manifestation of Annita’s gradual entrance into the plane.
Meghan is once again paralyzed and severely traumatized by everything she’s endured. Ashur will find the party once it’s safe to do so and will offer to get Meghan help in processing her experiences. She remembers Ashur and trusts him. Bell will retrieve her wheelchair unless someone else volunteers.
If Francis remains alive, he will attempt to seize power over the community and claim the castle as his own. If he dies, the rest of the mob will scatter and flee.
If Francis is defeated, the town will have a power vacuum. If Ubin is still alive, he will offer to go to the king in hopes of assigning a regent until Meghan feels ready to take over managing the town. The community knows her and loves her and eagerly anticipates her rule.
Sewer Nymph. In a dimly lit chamber filled with shallow sewage, a Sewer Nymph emerges as a paradoxical vision in the dim, murky sewer depths. Her skin, a sickly blend of ochre and taupe, glistens with an otherworldly luminescence, casting an eerie, faintly viridescent radiance upon the foul waters. Her hair, resembling tangled vines woven with flotsam, flows like a polluted waterfall. Adorned in tattered, mold-covered garments that cling to her form, she is simultaneously noisome and strangely enchanting, an enigmatic presence amidst the filth and decay.
A tunnel opens into a chamber filled with three giant rats and three swarms of rats. If the party enters the chamber, they become aggressive. When a giant rat or swarm of rats dies, the remaining swarms use their next action to merge together into a grotesque Rat King, a humanoid amalgamation of the swarms. The party must deal with the Rat King while fending off the remaining giant rats.
As the party assesses the situation, they hear squealing from within the nearby barn. Once they begin the rescue, three agitated 
As the party explores 
