The Sealing of Einstrahum Manor and the Surrounding Demesne

Disaster / Destruction

Following a violent and destructive incursion by a heretical group of Volrishtad under the leadership of Sybell Vithmokai, a deadly and virulent plague is released upon the Blighted Lands that quickly spreads, becoming the worst epidemic in the history of Cairne.

Following the execution and internment of the body of Mauve Einstrahum in the familial crypt below Einstrahum Manor , a few short weeks of repair and recovery took place throughout the Maliciean Scientific Commune . With the heavy losses sustained and the damage done to the labs below, the Commune was left venerable. Watching from the surrounding territory, a small group of zealots under the direction of Sybell Vithmokai began to gather. She had become convinced that Mauve's body needed to be returned to the Void, and that by doing so and granting her patron, Synchordia Demonda a powerful tool to reanimate and use to his own devices, she in turn would be gifted a boon that would help to elevate her and her cause forward. Seeing the Commune so ill defended and damaged, she planned quickly to take advantage of the situation.   The cultists swept in quietly, the vast majority of them Volrishtad and able to cloak their movements in shadows. They moved through the Commune and into the manor house, seeking a way into the crypts below. Up to this point all had gone well, and they had met no resistance, but they did not expect the Wraith Guard soldiers that were standing vigil with Thomas Einstrahum . It was later explained that they had been put in place to keep watch over the grieving researcher in order to keep him on task and from falling victim to self harm. A small fight broke out in the manor that involved gunfire and shadow play that raged through the manor and finally, down into the crypt itself. Cornered, the remaining cultists, The Void Callers , began to wail and cry out in a blood chilling and mournful song. Unnerved by this, the Guard backed off slightly, concerned that this might be arcane work at play. As the fight raged on, Thomas and a small contingent of his defenders made their escape out of the manor and down into the labs, narrowly avoiding the throng of Blight Born that had begun to converge on the manor house. The numbers were substantial, and due to the noise of the struggle in the crypts, the majority of the Guard that remained did not see the danger that closed in behind them until it was far too late. They were overrun and the Void Callers remained, victorious. Seeing the arrival of the Blight Born as a sign that their offering had been received, Sybell and her followers made their escape back to the fringes of the Void, leaving the foul creatures to take the remains of Mauve.   From outside of the manor, Thomas and the remaining Wraith Guard defenders watched with horror as the cultists made their escape, and in a daring and nearly deadly moment of desperation, moved to attempt to seal off the manor, trapping the Blight Born inside and hopefully protect the remaining residents of the Commune. The manor was silent as they approached, and in the quiet, they saw several of the Wraight Guard that had stayed behind exiting the manor. They assumed they were giving chase to the cultists, and rather than compromise both missions, did not call out to them. Once they were away, they began to seal off the manor. The small group moved to the manor's main entry, but before they could enter, all of them felt the cold touch of Mauve's mind attempting to snake its way into their consciousness. Shocked and horrified at the idea that his daughter had been defiled in this way, Thomas attempted to charge in and was narrowly saved by two of the remaining Guard. The rest had fallen into a kind of stupor and refused to move. As the researcher was being dragged to safety, a shambling group of reanimated Guards burst through the door and began to give chase, Mauve, changed and terrible, followed close behind them. The Guards that had been rendered incapacitated were fell upon quickly, and died in silence. Mauve, whatever she had become was seen to kneel before each and lift up their remains, the bodies of the fallen responding to her commands and joining the growing gathering that slowly pursued Thomas and the remaining Guards. They made their way out swiftly. The demesne was surrounded by a high wall of stone and wrought iron, and they were able to seal the only entrance with little effort, but the threat of Mauve and her abilities, which seemed to linger even in death, was looming ever closer. The Guards at Thomas's side began to succumb to her power, and Thomas was left alone. Whether Mauve had always refused to user her abilities on him, or if by some miracle he was immune, the near broken man remained untouched by her control. In a moment of agonizing desperation, he took one of the Guard's rifles and turned it upon Mauve, firing. The bullet pierced her skull and sent the body spinning. In that moment, she pulse out a shockwave of power that turned the ground black for several yards around her. From that patch of earth, a hovering miasma formed, a pure emanation of Void energy that slowly blanketed the grounds within the walls of the demesne. The area was able to be contained due to the fast work of Thomas and the Guard, who roused the remaining researchers and began to tirelessly seal off the gate. The remaining undead, no longer under the direct influence of Mauve, remained focused on those they could see until the gate was sealed, at which point they began to amble aimlessly throughout the grounds.   Thomas became hyper focused on his work after that day, opting as head researcher to keep the sealed manor as a point of study, in order to be able to experiment on the Void and these new creatures born of their encounter with Mauve's power following her reanimation. Mauve's remains lie still where she fell, Thomas insisting that she stay undisturbed. Unbeknownst to the staff of the Commune at the time, the contingent of Guards that left as they approached, had already been infected by the strange pathogen that Mauve carried, and quickly began to spread it where they went. This was the beginning of the The Breathless Plague , and while a large scale and wide spread outbreak was able to be avoided in the western Blighted Lands, the fringes of east and west alike, remain rife with Restless Dead .