FEAR
Several strange invitations were found among the personal affects of many powerful heroes of the realm... with seemingly nothing in common....
They arrived at a fancy manor in Nashkel... Where they were greeted by a fancy buttler, and seated to a dinner of fine wines, meats, and exotic fruits.
As they conversed, and discussed the oddity of the invitations, one of the adventurers noticed a large centipede wriggling around in his wine goblet.... After a commotion, the party turned to the table to find it thoroughly infested with maggots, centipedes, roaches, and other creepy crawlers. They soon found they were locked in the room, and the seemingly wooden doors wouldn't so much as splinter to their weapons...
They soon heard a commotion upstairs... and a door unlocked, leading to a staircase leading upward.
They explored the upstairs, and the attic - to find it haunted by powerful ghosts. One fell in the difficult battle. The group found a book as they gathered their bearings. However, moments later one of them smelled smoke... soon the attic began to flood with it.
A few heroes tumbled down from the attic, while the remaining conscious heroes pulled the unconscious down the ladder. The first to descend saw a child run into a room lit ablaze. The door to the descending staircase was locked, as were the other doors in the hall, save the one from the room ablaze now billowing smoke into the hallway. Another aventurer fell to the noxious fumes... and another... Finally one of the heroes managed to close the door... and the smoke oddly dissipated.
A low chuckle could be heard throughout the hall... then a voice spoke in draconic.... later switching to common. A dragonhead statue protruding above one of the doors began to address the party... posing them a riddle, should they wish to proceed... the party accepted their challenge.
I make you weak at the worst of all times.
I keep you safe, I keep you fine.
I make your hands sweat, and your heart grow cold,
I visit the weak, but seldom the bold.
The door clicked open as the correct answer was uttered. Another book found inside... the door downstairs clicked open. The party descended. They encountered the butler again... who asked if they enjoyed their meals. As they attempted to confront the man... he began to chuckle. Soon the chuckling erupted into laughter, which grew madder and more maniacal as the party continued to try to confront the man... Finally, one of the heroes hurled a punch at him... which passed right through him as he faded into nothingness.... The door behind him clicked... And the party entered a storage room... and the walls bled.
The house emitted a groan... and a hungry roar emanated from below. The house began to shake as the entity began to pound on the floor under the adventurers feet. They soon found a grate which descended below... an eerie flickering light emanated from its edges.
They descended, to find a massive devil which charged them immediately. It felled one of the companions, and turned another to stone. The battle was fierce, but despite many injuries, the party felled the dark entity.
The battle had collapsed a wall... revealing an altar behind. Upon the altar lay three copies of the same book... The 6th edition of the same anthology found in the attic and behind the dragon head door. There were also a few magical weapons.
The manor stirred no more... the party gathered their wounded... made their way to the exit, and went their separate ways.
Participants
Eliphas Valkarian
Kierran Naver
Irini Valkyrian
Auric Blackmore
Jack Artirieri
Anona Anu
Eden
Rewards/penalties
A few injuries
2000xp
a few magical items
some books
