Adventure Summary
Xir (male Xeph Soulknife), Eleria Moonsilver (female Elven Bard), Elthic Bazelmak (male Mountain Dwarf Rogue), and Abdul Alhazred (male Grey Elf Wizard) are hired by Lucias Darque who is accompanied by his servant Thaddeus. They are given a job to clear out any creatures or traps located within a house which Lucias is part heir to from the will of his brother the wizard Allahastor Darque. Primarily, they are to acquire the key to the front door within a certain time limit and deliver the key to Lucias so that he may be the one to take possession of the house instead of Allahastor’s familiar, Verminar Necrotuz.
Traveling to and entering the house, the party encounters and overcomes a variety of traps and creatures. Not to mention a spectral voice that communicates with them in their minds warning them off and urging them to leave between it’s light insults and derogatory remarks. The group deals with deadly skeletons in the basement after being dumped there by a stairway trap from the first floor. Making their way back outside, they also pass a magical portal in the basement which glows with the light of its protective spell enshrouding and blocking it from use.
Battling past various vermin, the party cleared the first floor of threats and ascended the tower stairs to the next floor where they defeated a Shocker Lizard, an animated rug and an illusionary hellhound which still managed to somehow subdue the elven wizard Abdul. The three continued onward to unlock and deal with the trap on a chest full of treasure which they couldn’t take due to their agreement with Lucias Darque.
Taking the trapdoor up to the roof, the group was confronted by a pseudodragon who said he was Verminar, Allahastor’s familiar and the other party that stood to inherit the house if Lucias did not acquire the key to the house by midnight of that very night. He offered the group a new deal with him to go against Lucias and work for him instead by helping him keep the house which his master wanted him to have even though he was forced legally to include a chance for Lucias to gain control in his will. Xir’s honor prohibited him from switching sides and Verminar did not wish to turn the party against one another, so battle was joined for the fate of the house. The pseudodragon and it’s summoned bear brought down the group but spared their lives. They awoke later to find that the midnight deadline had come and gone which left Verminar the pseudodragon in ownership of the house. Since Lucias was not going to pay them for their failure to get the key for him, Verminar paid them as if they had switched sides and worked for him and he wished them well in the future. Abdul was restored to normal form and the group left to pursue other adventures in the future.
In the end, Lucias Darque was displeased with the party’s failure to complete the mission he gave them. Verminar on the other hand, was thankful for their help in clearing the house of its dangerous creatures even though they opposed him in the end. He has respect for them in holding to their honor even though it went against his interests.
OOC: Living ENWorld Wiki link:
http://bluwiki.com/go/Living_ENWorld:Adventure:The_Darque_Demesne(PH1)
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