21. Empty Cottage Shop

This is a surprisingly sturdy log home with two traditional bedrooms on the main level, a kitchen, a small living area, and a large front room with an open area and wooden shelves lining the walls, as well as a counter for conducting business. A ladder leads up from the kitchen/dining area to an attic with a 5’ high ceiling. The attic can be used as a third bedchamber and can potentially hold up to eight cots, though it now has but three straw beds within.

The Empty Cottage Shop in Nulb presents an intriguing blend of domestic charm and subtle eeriness. This former general store and residence, now abandoned, sits quietly amidst the daily tumult of Nulb, holding within its walls the echoes of a family's life and mysterious undertones influenced by the village's darker forces. 

Overview

• Formerly a bustling general store and fish market.
• Now abandoned and containing remnants of the previous inhabitants' lives.
• Subtle signs of the influence of the Elder Elemental God.

Physical Description

The structure of the Empty Cottage Shop is a sturdy log cabin design, indicating a well-built foundation intended to withstand the rigors of Nulb’s environment. The main level features essential living areas including two traditional bedrooms, a cozy kitchen, and a small living area, transitioning into a large front room that once served as the retail space with wooden shelves and a service counter.

Structural Details

• Two main level bedrooms and additional attic space.
• Kitchen with dining area connected by a ladder to the attic.
• Large front room previously used for business transactions.

Interior Details and Mysteries

The cottage's interior holds poignant remnants of its last inhabitants—a family whose life can be pieced together through intimate household items. Marks of growth on the door frame, children's drawings, and personal journals offer glimpses into their daily lives. However, amidst these innocent memories are unsettling images of an eye enwrapped in flames, hidden in decorative plates and other household items, suggesting a secret devotion or fear of the Elder Elemental God.

Interior Insights

• Childish drawings and growth marks indicating a family presence.
• Disturbing motifs of an eye enwrapped in flames hidden in household items.
• Artifacts suggesting a blend of normal family life and occult influences.

Historical Background

Originally serving the dual purpose of a dwelling and a marketplace, the Empty Cottage Shop catered to the local demand as both a general store and a fish market. The economic downturn in Nulb, compounded by competition from nearby establishments like Boatman's Tavern and Nulb Market, eventually led to its closure. The family, consisting of two parents and four children, purportedly moved east following the store’s shutdown.

Historical Context

• Transition from a thriving business to abandonment due to economic strains.
• Last known occupants were a family of six who moved away for unspecified reasons.
• Previous role as a key local business serving daily necessities and fresh fish.

The Cottage's Role in Nulb's Darker Schemes

While outwardly just another empty structure in Nulb, the cottage’s subtle imprints of the Elder Elemental God suggest it may have served as more than just a family home and store. These elements hint at possible clandestine gatherings or covert worship activities tied to the broader malicious activities within Nulb.

Secrets Unveiled

• Potential site for covert meetings or rituals related to the Elder Elemental God.
• Possible connection between the family's departure and the dark influences in Nulb.
• Part of a larger narrative of Nulb’s descent into shadowy dealings and cult activities.

Conclusion

The Empty Cottage Shop stands as a silent witness to the complexities of life in Nulb, bridging mundane existence with the undercurrents of dark faiths. Its walls, once resonating with the laughter of a family, now echo with the whispers of forgotten secrets, making it an intriguing site for both wary locals and curious adventurers.

Final Thoughts

• Represents the duality of Nulb’s character: ordinary life shadowed by dark influences.
• Offers exploratory opportunities for uncovering hidden stories and understanding Nulb’s mysterious aspects.
• Continues to pique the interest of those fascinated by the interplay of the mundane and the magical.

DM Only Section

Show spoiler

The Dark Pact of Lodriss Barkinar and the Fate of the Family

The seemingly innocuous closure of the Empty Cottage Shop masks a grim reality orchestrated by Lodriss Barkinar, a key figure in Nulb's shadowy underbelly. Her dislike for competition, particularly from a family-run business that threatened her own interests at the Boatsmen Tavern, led her to a nefarious alliance with the Earth Temple's then-leader, Barkinar.

Conspiracy and Betrayal

• Lodriss Barkinar used her extensive network to initiate a clandestine meeting with Barkinar.
• A pact was forged where Lodriss provided Barkinar with a 25% stake in the Boatsmen Tavern in exchange for the removal of her competitors.
• Barkinar’s solution was brutal: he abducted the family and sacrificed them to the Earth Node, believing this would end all competition.

Survival Against Odds

Unbeknownst to Barkinar and Lodriss, two members of the abducted family survived the ordeal and found refuge in an obscure place known as Soft Asylum. These survivors are the key holders of a dangerous secret that could destabilize the powers within Nulb.

Hidden Survivors

• Two family members live in Soft Asylum, a lesser-known haven from the temple's reach.
• They possess knowledge of a sentient and potent weapon buried beneath their former home.

Iron Box Beneath Cottage by 3orcs

The Sentient Mace: Ylphane

The family's home holds more than just memories; beneath it lies Ylphane, a sentient mace with a malevolent will of its own. The mother, recognizing the danger it posed to her family, especially after it began to subvert her children, took drastic measures to contain its influence.

Secret Weapon Details

Ylphane is concealed within a cold iron box, buried six feet under in the root cellar.

• Originally belonging to a minor Furyondian noble from the Battle of Emridy Meadows, it was claimed by the family’s father after he killed its previous owner.
• Ylphane possesses the abilities to detect invisible and evil presences, heal, and, most terrifyingly, disintegrate its adversaries.
• It is driven by a singular purpose—to kill clerics, irrespective of their allegiance or deity.

Motives and Market Value

Lodriss now holds the deed to the property and is seemingly eager to divest herself of it, perhaps to wash her hands of the lingering dark past associated with the place. She has set the price low to encourage quick sale, but the real value lies hidden beneath the surface.

Property and Content Valuation

• Asking price for the cottage ranges from 500 to 2,000 gold pieces, depending on buyer interest.
• The house contains miscellaneous items and worn clothing of little value; however, original music sheets found within could fetch a high price.
• Ylphane alone could command immense interest or fear, depending on who discovers its existence and capabilities.

DM Notes: Tactical Use of Ylphane and the Cottage

The revelations about Ylphane and the tragic history of the cottage offer multiple narrative threads for a campaign. Whether it becomes a quest to retrieve Ylphane, unravel the truth behind the family's disappearance, or confront the lingering evil of past battles, the DM can use these elements to enrich the story’s depth and complexity.

Strategic Plot Elements

• Introducing Ylphane as a cursed item in a treasure hunt or as a central piece in a larger conflict involving the Earth Node.
• Exploring themes of corruption, betrayal, and the lingering impact of war through the survivors' tales and the dark past of the cottage.
• Utilizing Lodriss’s desire to sell the cottage as a hook for adventurers or as a bargaining chip in dealing with Nulb’s darker forces.

DMonly Treasures

Show spoiler

Sentient Mace: Ylphane

• Ylphane: +2 mace
• talking; detect invisible 1”
• detect evil 1”
• heal 1/day
• 3 languages & literate
• AL LE; Int 16, Ego 15
• purpose: kill clerics; disintegrate

Ylphane Mace by 3orcs

Description: Ylphane is an evil force in the form of a footman’s mace. The head of the mace is sculpted into the severe face of a stern and mature woman. It was wielded by a minor Furyondian noble in the Battle of Emridy Meadows. The noble fared well in the battle and almost managed to strike down the cleric Alrrem, but he was stopped by the father of the family who lived here. The father killed the minor noble and took Ylphane as his reward. Since that day, Ylphane has longed for the death of Alrrem. It’s all the mace thinks about, and it will try to force anyone who wields it to carry out that mission, or to kill other clerics of the Temple should Alrrem already be dead. Note: Ylphane’s only desire is to kill clerics. Ylphane does not care what god the cleric serves or what alignment the cleric is.

Empty Cottage Shop the village of Nulb by 3orcs

Type

Shop, Generic

Parent Location

Nulb

Nulb Cottage Shop Bill of Sale by 3orcs

mpty Cottage Shop Map by 3orcs