The Old Manse
24 Marpenoth, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
Neverwinter Wood, The Sword Coast
In return for a pair of Boots of Elvenkind, Brimsdall offered to travel to the woodland manse and find out if half-orcs were indeed inhabiting the dilapidated house once owned by an elven woman who may be the very same person Brimsdall was searching for in his quest to retrieve the Clasp of Vergren.
In the midst of a rain-soaked clearing, stood a crumbling two-story manse that was all but hidden beneath thorny ivy.
The large house was set atop a six-foot-high stone foundation, and the main entrance had a balcony above it. Pumpkins grew wild in patches around the manse, with several wild boars feeding among them.
Brimsdall kept his guard up, especially since he had run into a boar a few miles back. The boar he happened upon looked similar in size and appearance to the ones he saw in the patches. When he tried to scare the boar away with a prestidigitation spell he used to duplicate the sounds of fireworks going off, the boar grew angry and suddenly transformed into a feral half-orc wearing animal hides and armed with claws attached to his forearms.
The half-orc, speaking in Common, threatened to sacrifice Brimsdall to his god, Talos, the god of thunder. He emphasized the point by striking the dragonborn with a lightning bolt spell.
Rather than try to match the half-orc spell for spell or try to fight him, Brimsdall decided to try a different approach. Brimsdall, using an ability to telepathically speak to the half-orc, was able to convince the half-orc Talos was directly speaking to him. Brimsdall, as Talos, told the half-orc to let the dragonborn and giant badger go adding they were on a divine mission for Talos.
The half-orc worshipper of Talos was easily duped. He shook his head in confusion as Brimsdall and Wink disappeared further into the forest.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Sarros Basha looked on as Brimsdall and Wink walked towards the manse's front entrance.
Sarros was sent by the Circle of Swords, a druidic order led by the archdruid Humboldt, to investigate orc activities in the southern reaches of Neverwinter Wood. The other druids also sent Sarros to investigate whether or not there were truths to possible sightings of a white dragon in the same area. The druids were already concerned about the presence of Venomfang, a young-adult green dragon who laired in the ruins of Thundertree. Another dragon who might claim the Neverwinter Wood as its hunting ground could be disastrous to the inhabitants of the forest.
Before going inside the manse, Brimsdall had Wink get a medium-sized pumpkin from a nearby patch. A boar, busily eating a pumpkin, snorted with contempt as Wink drew near but otherwise ignored the giant badger.
Once Brimsdall and Wink were inside, Sarros moved towards the manse.
Inside, Brimsdall and Wink stood in an undecorated hall that featured a creaky and moldy wooden staircase. Three other doorframes, with their doors smashed to pieces, led into other areas of the manse.
Brimsdall peeked inside what once served as a parlor. The room was strewn with broken furniture — the remains of chairs, side tables, and a wine cabinet. A moldy circular rug covered most of the stone floor.
Back in the hall, Wink started to emit a low growl.
Sarros stepped in to get out of the rain. He introduced himself. Brimsdall did the same.
Now three strong, they decided to go upstairs first. Wink led the way.
The giant badger was near the top of the stairs when it suddenly started to collapse. Fortunately, Wink was able to jump forward and land on the second floor. The upper part of the staircase collapsed revealing a space under the stairs. Brimsdall, who was right behind Wink, saw several wooden spikes planted underneath the staircase.
Somebody had set this trap, Brimsdall thought.
Brimsdall suddenly heard loud multiple buzzing sounds coming from the upstairs hall where Wink was!
Pigeon-sized creatures each looking like a cross between a large bat and an oversized mosquito suddenly dropped from where they were perched on the rafters.
When the battle against the stirges, which both Brimsdall and Sarros had seen before, was over, nine of the creatures had been slain. However, Sarros was attacked by up to three of the blood-sucking creatures.
Wink killed most of them as he tore them apart with claws and fangs. Brimsdall used his spells to great effect, killing two stirges himself.
With the stirges dead, Brimsdall and Sarros joined Wink on the second floor.
The walls of the L-shaped hall were lined with closed doors and shuttered windows. Between them were hooks where decorations once hung. A fireplace along one wall had a large insectoid head mounted above it. Natural light entered through a hole in the roof at the east end of the hall. The floor beneath the collapsed roof was strewn with debris.
"I guess we search this floor," Brimsdall suggested.
Sarros nodded, wondering what or who they were going to run into next.
Session played on December 11, 2020
Player Character:
Sarros Basha (Male Half-elf Druid)
Turnoroth Brimsdall (Male Dragonborn Sorcerer/Warlock)
Sidekick:
Wink (Giant Badger sidekick)
Parent Plot
Stirge
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