Seeing Maud out of position, Drizzle looses another arrow.
"Reap your reward, spawn or Orcus!"
Drizzle's arrow hits the Orc right between the eyes! It staggers backward and falls with a loud thud.
"Orcus has not forsaken you! The power of good is, um, gooder than your evil! So too bad you wasted your life dedicated to unlawfulness. Now I shall pray over your mortal husk that your immortal soul might be spared!"
Looking around the room, you see a foul altar to Orcus in the corner, the bodies, and the weapons and wand of Cause Light Wounds they wielded.
There is also one more door leading south.
Blue begins searching the bodies of the Orcs and the cultist for anything useful. As he works he speaks to his team.
'That was a much better showin' e'ryone. We cut these chumps down quick. Maud, see about that door?'
All Blue Petes finds on the Orcs is their scale mail armor and longswords.
The dead cleric has a pouch with 30 GP. Under his robes he's also wearing scale mail and has a mace. The wand of Cause Light Wounds lies on the ground nearby.
Maud checks the door, which is locked.
She's able to successfully pick the lock!
The door swings open, leading to another long, narrow hallway. At the end you spy 6 sarcophagi, similar to the room on the other side of the tomb.
Robious makes a prayer and brings his hammer down on the items littering the altar.
"This evil shall not stand."
"Save the speeches, the girl found another door and a room full of undead containers."
The elf peers about ready to put an arrow into whatever moves that he dislikes.
"But yes. We were quite formidable right then Blue. That battle was inspired."
Maud peers ahead to the room with the sarcophagi,
Though not very quietly at all. She sees more skeletons inside each coffin.
She waits several seconds, and they don't move. These appear to be the regular dead kind of skeletons.
The room is otherwise enclosed except for the corridor from which you entered.
You appear to have reached the end of the tomb.
Drizzle walks in looking for secret doors or sliding walls.
"This seems too good to be true."
Robuous walks in and makes a blessing over the seemingly dead skeletons.
"I wonder who these people were in life. I suppose the ghoul was what has been terrorizing the country side. Well, that and the followers of Orcus. My church will need to come back here to cleanse and seal this place."
Blue stands from tossing the bodies and thinks for a minute.
'Careful, we had ta come through some locked doors and we ain't found a key on any of 'em yet. Whoever hold tha key's gotta be 'round here somewheres.' He calls to the next room.
Blue Petes looks down to the rubble where Robious smashed the evil cleric's altar, and spies a set of dusty keys on the ground under some debris. Testing them shows that they work on some of the doors, but not all.
Maud and Drizzle search around the sarcophagus room for secret doors and other items.
Drizzle finds a pouch containing several small gemstones in the back corner.
At this point, it really looks like you've reached the end of the tomb!
"Look, gems. Monetary rewards ladies and gentlemen, but I feel we have accomplished so much more. We have cleared this complex. Rooted out ancient and new evils alike, fulfilled an adventure started long ago and will provide proper rites to dead companions."
"For my part I have learned a little humility. Caron, I would have died without your intervention. You were an inspiration to us all. You returned, persevered, and vanquished torments of your past."
"Much respect sir, and my portion of the gems goes to you"
Robious says a prayer.
"And the gods were with us for that last battle. I feel my faith growing. I sense that the girl and our wizard friend may have sated their thirst for adventure, but what about you Blue? Know of any more stinking dens of evil around here in need of holy cleansing?"
'Not off tha top a my head, but if we find more, I'm more 'n willin' to join you in clearin' 'em out. Now, we been down in this hole too long and my skins are dry, as is my throat. What say we go grab a few rounds back at the tavern?' Blue says as he watches their exit to make sure nothing comes up behind them.
Caron is most grateful for the gems.
"Finally, I can get a proper hook for my lost hand! Hooray!"
The group carefully leaves behind the tomb of SIgyfel.
As you climb the stairs out of the tomb for the last time, you see the sun is rising and hear the birds are singing.
Maud and Tydeus bid farewell to the group. Maud has decided to return to pickpocketing in a larger city, and Tydeus is returning to his master wizard for further training. Perhaps you have not seen the last of either.
You walk down the hill and make your way back into town, weary but certainly wealthier. You reach The Green Griffon Tavern, where this adventure began.
Caron says his goodbye.
"I've got to go feed my pigs and chickens now. It's been quite memorable though. If you're ever in town and want to buy me drinks, my door is always open!"
As you enter the tavern, a well dressed man stands the bar. He clearly looks to be from out of town, and immediately walks up to Blue Petes.
"You must be Blue Petes," he says, pulling a folded parchment from his satchel. It's sealed with a red wax stamp that Petes recognizes.
"I have an urgent letter to deliver to you on behalf of my client."
Blue Petes opens the letter, and reads it aloud as Drizzle and Robious look on.
Dear Blue Petes,
As executor of the estate of the late Tazimack the Red, it is my duty to inform you of your status as one of the beneficiaries of the deceased’s Last Will and Testament, the reading of which will take place two months hence, at the Winking Wyvern Inn and Tavern, in the village of Tolb, sundown. Should you choose not to attend, your bequest shall be considered forfeit.
Sincerely,
Mortimer Bean, Esq.
'Next rounds on me, boys. Says here my dear uncle...' He squints at the letter 'Taz-i-Max? Has passed on and left me a nice bit o' inheritance. Looks like me 'n Loretta gotta take a trip to...' He squints again at the letter, this time for longer, clearly re-reading the whole letter. 'Told?'
"Tolb. The Village of Tolb. T-o-l-b, Tolb."
"We could stop by the church and look at the maps they have there."
"Blue, do you know anyone else who might wish to accompany us?"
'I reckon we might be able ta meet up with my brother Red. If I got one a' these letters he did too. Though, he's not near as good company as me.' Blue seems reluctant to want to see his brother again.
Shadowbrook Manor
Two months have passed since your group eradicated the evil within The Tomb of Sigyfel. In that time you have made the long journey to the village of Tolb, summoned by a letter to Blue Petes. You arrived at the Winking Wyvern Inn and Tavern exactly as specified by the letter two days ago, to meet with the solicitor, Mortimer Bean. While there, Blue Petes has also met up with his brother, Red Petes, a thief by trade. The two estranged brothers learned they are the recipients of Tazimack the Red’s estate, Shadowbrook Manor.
The house on the estate has stood for centuries. The legends state that Tazimack himself was a powerful wizard and relentless champion of Law. He had acquired great wealth through his adventures and built Shadowbrook Manor to settle down. He was beloved by the residents of Tolb and known for his great charity and generosity as well as his legendary exploits. In his twilight years, the fear of death set in, and he turned to increasingly dark magics to prolong his own life. The legends further state that he succeeded and lived on for centuries as an unnatural being, loathing himself and goodness as the years stretched on. He was finally consumed by the same unholy forces which kept him alive all those years. The house stood abandoned for nearly a decade, shunned by the locals as cursed with remnants of the darkness he left behind. After years of searching, Mortimer Bean identified the two brothers as the last surviving heirs of Tazimack, and thus they equally own the house.
When the Brothers Petes then inquired about selling the estate, they learned that it is nigh impossible as everyone believes it to be haunted and cursed.
Undeterred, Blue Petes has set out with his companions Drizzle the Elf and Robious the Cleric, along with Red Petes, to explore the house and see for themselves if the legends are true …
Today, you arrive at Shadowbrook Manor. You’ve entered the grounds of the large estate encircled by a dark forest. A cold wind is blowing, and a light rain falls from a cloud-laden sky. To the east is an enormous white house.
'Brother, are you sure I can't just buy you out of the house. Surely, you'd be more comfortable living tavern to tavern? Or in the gutters outside them?' Red has been trying to convince Blue to give up his half of the inheritance since the reading of the will. He walks side by side with his larger, stronger brother towards the house.
'I only end up in tha gutters when I start with mead. Meads a late evenin' drink. Let me at least how tha wine cellar is stocked.' Blue is clearly becoming annoyed by his younger brother's pestering. He quickens his pace to try to leave Red behind.
The elves sharp eyes take in the sight of the abandoned house.
"Home of a once powerful wizard. Check."
"Immense resources needed to build this place and defeat death. Check."
"Large structure remains outwardly unoccupied despite the inferior housing opportunities offered by the nearby village. Check."
"Creepy local legends. Check."
"Increased likelihood of treasure inside. Check."
"Let's check this place out."
"This time I brought holy water."
"No, Blue, not beer."
As you enter the property, you estimate it's around 200 yards in diameter.
You see the house, built of large, smooth white stones that seem to glow in the half-light. It is in inexplicably pristine condition.
Beautiful caryatid columns rise from the porch to support the second story balcony overhead, while the balcony itself is enclosed by a short stone balustrade. The two windows to the right of the front door frame the soft orange glow of firelight emanating from the parlor; the rest of the windows are dark.
As you look on the house, you feel that Drizzle's assessment of the situation was spot-on. Certainly both danger and treasure await.
The Bros. Petes definitely feel this place could be worth a fortune. Perhaps a bit of a fixer-upper, if one factors in that it's likely crawling with evil.
'Ya should make yer holy water outta beer. I bet ya attendance at sermons 'd go way up. Hells, I might even get up fer one.' Blue says with a laugh to Robious. He fingers his new silver dagger absentmindedly, unused to it being on his hip.
Red rolls his eyes at his brother's attempt at humor. He steps up and examines the front door, checking for traps and then attempt to open it.
As you approach the front doors, you observe that both of the 8’ tall doors are adorned with a rust-colored, cast-iron door knocker molded to resemble a medusa’s head.
Red does not detect any traps.
Red reaches out and raps the knocker 3 times and takes a step back expectantly.
'They should be expecting us.'
The doors quietly swing open.
You walk forward into an entry hall, bathed in firelight which casts four fitful, wavering shadows.
A pair of gorgeous antique longswords hang crossed upon the wall.
The hall appears to lead to a larger room you can't fully see yet. On the left wall is a closed door, and on the right a pair of double doors opens into another room.
Blue pushes past his brother and into the house.
'First' He declares with a smirk at his brother. Blue spots the swords on the wall and approaches them with admiration. 'One fer each a us, eh brother?'
Blue checks their edge with a thumb.
From what you can tell they are fully functional and sharpened swords and appear to be in excellent condition.
Blue takes the swords down from the wall and offers one to Red.
"Well, I guess it is all technically yours, but just beware of cursed items."
Robious said as he attempted to figure out if the swords were enchanted or not.
"Doesn't it bother anyone else that there is a fire burning in your abandoned house?"
Drizzle peers about.
'Curses Shmurshes, why would ol' Uncle Tazimack leave us, some cursed swords?' Blue says arrogantly, waving his new longsword about. With his free hand he strokes Loretta and occasionally whispers to her.
'The priest is right, we don't know what to expect here. You really should stop referring to him as 'Uncle' Tazimack, Blue. He was a very distant blood relative and likely had no direct good will toward the pair of us.' Red sounds tired, as if this was a scenario that has played out countless times.
He turns toward Drizzle.
'You're right, though, we should find who lit this fire. Hopefully they can explain to us that this is a perfectly normal house.'
As you test out your new swords, you don't find anything peculiar about them, other than they're extremely well-made and quite sharp.
You gaze to your right through the open doors and see a parlor containing an elegant sofa, a long, low table and a pair of comfortable-looking armchairs dominating the center of this spacious room.
A 5’ tall, 4’ wide wooden cabinet rests against the south wall, between the windows. There appear to be several crystal decanters inside it.
In the east wall, a fire crackles and dances behind the grate of an enormous stone fireplace.
Red makes his way into the room with the fireplace. He eyes the decanters and let's out of long breath knowing where his brother's focus will be. Red moves to check the fireplace for some clue as to who lit the fire.
You inspect the fireplace and notice there's no fuel anywhere for the fire, nor smoke, despite the fact that it rages strongly within the fireplace.
'Must be magic' Red mutters to himself. He moves to inspect the cabinet before his brother can get at them.
Blue swaggers into the room and his gaze immediately shoots to his brother at the cabinet.
'Well, well, well. Looks like we ain't hafta go all tha way down to tha cellar ta get a drink!' Blue shoves in next to his clearly annoyed brother and begins sniffing bottles.
Red sighs and continues a more methodical search of the contents of the cabinet.
The brothers inspect the cabinet and sniff the crystal decanters. There appear to be about 20 in total. Most are various exotic liqueurs and cordials of various hues.
There are 5 bottles that do not smell like alcohol at all.
"Careful! Some of those may be potions. Allow an elf to see."
Drizzle checks to see if they might be magical concoctions.
Robious looks about for any signs of the ever present forces of unlawfulness.
"This is like one of those campfire stories. Abandoned villa in the woods, everburning flame in the fireplace, travelers seeking refuge disturb property, everything is fine . . . Until dark . . . "
"Sorry."