An Unpleasant Host

Miscellaneous

After arriving in Daemon Keep, the party makes an unsettling discovery and blows their cover.

The party arrives in Daemon Keep and finds the place entirely unsettling. Non of the buildings have doors, there are no children playing in the streets (or seen anywhere), all the dogs in town appear to be wolves. When Azarelle stepped into the herbalist shop to look for supplies she found all the herbs in the store were of most use doping or killing.

As they headed towards the keep itself Sage called on The Scholar and extended her senses. He showed her that every person she passed in that town was an undead being, and the party realized they might have gotten in over their head.

The Keep itself they found surrounded in a thick, soupy fog. Though they gained entry without issue and Cryus was able to make their delivery. As they were deciding what to do Lord Daemon appeared, seemingly surprised to see new people in his home he invited them to stay for the night. The party agreed and were given rooms to sleep and get dressed for dinner.

After brief discussion of what to do the party decides to use one room for sleeping. They get ready and go downstairs for dinner. Nervous that the food has been poisoned, Azarelle subtly analyzes it and discovers that it is poisoned. Quickly making an excuse regarding allergies she convinces Lord Daemon and has him remove the food, going to the kitchen to supervise the creation of more. Upon her return the party chats with Lord Daemon and he ends up Charming Azarelle with his Vampiric ability.

While the party is having dinner a man breaks into their room discovering Ari. It turns out the two have some history and the man, a tiefling named Skaemon, says he's now working for Daemon. He's smuggling something to Ossetia in the morning. Ari eventually gets him to leave and Skaemon disappears into the night.

After the rest of the group retires he holds Azarelle back and discovers from her that they were the ones who killed Roc, and cleared out the necromancer ruin in Duskview. Azarelle eventually heads to bed as well. Once she is sleeping, the rest of the party begin an investigation of the Keep. They discover a few things. They find Radulos Deathbloom in the library, somehow alive again. While Cyrus keeps Radulos busy Sage and Kaedwyn break into Lord Daemon's private study and, after some searching, discover a hidden door leading to a set of stairs that go down into a previously unknown basement. They also discover the dragon statue at the front of the Keep is a phylactery of some kind.

Unfortunately, the arcane eye Kaedwyn was using to spy on Lord Daemon finished its duration and shortly after, Lord Daemon made his way into the Library. The two of them, Sage and Kaedwyn almost made it out quietly but Sage stumbled on her way out the window. Lord Daemon discovered the break in and set off after them, with Radulos close behind.

Alerted to the happenings Azarelle and Ari joined in, Azarelle chasing after the "intruders" while Ari moved around to the statue and destroyed it with a fireball. As Lord Daemon turned his attention to her she cast a spell, commanding him to let her and her friends go. The spell seemingly worked and a very angry Lord Daemon stood by and did nothing while the party ran from his hold.

They ran all night, pausing only as the first few rays of sunlight began to filter through the trees, and they realized they had become lost in the woods.