The Haunted House Revisited
20 Marpenoth, The Year of Twelve Warnings (1494 DR)
The Haunted House, 4 miles north of Saltmarsh, The Sword Coast
Sethra La'mourne, a female tiefling sorcerer from Luskan, along with Timmorn, a male longtooth shifter from Neverwinter Woods, entered the decrepit house built upon the edge of a cliff some four miles from the town of Saltmarsh. It was past sunset, and both were seeking shelter from the raging storm outside. Sethra was the first to enter the house, followed a short while later by Timmorn. Neither knew each other. Inside, the two encountered hungry giant rats. After dispatching the rats, they both met a male Kenku monk. The kenku said he was called Russel Crow, so named after the rustling and cawing sound he makes after a fight. The three decided to explore the rest of the house to make sure it was safe before spending the night there, safe from the storm outside. The house’s interior was dilapidated and damp, with patches of harmless mold everywhere. The woodwork was generally rotten, cobwebs and dust were thick, and rubbish was scattered everywhere. Plaster, having fallen from the walls and ceiling, lay strewn across the floor, along with the shattered remains of vandalized furniture. Fireplaces (with chimneys too narrow to climb) showed no signs of recent use. From the outside, the house sat on the highest ground in the area. Around it, a stone wall had crumbled in many places, exposing the interior grounds. An ornate metal gate lay open at the end of the road, swaying slightly in the wind. Wild flora grew throughout the inner yard, but all the years could not hide the evidence of a well-tended garden that once sat here. Near the house, the rotted wooden roof of a water well rose out of the tall grass. From the outside, the house appeared to have two floors and perhaps an attic as well. The ground floor rooms were made up of a library, a study, and living areas. In the library, they found three books. One was titled, The Magical Properties of Gemstones by Elminster of Shadowdale. A second was titled, The Magical Properties of Herbs and Flowers by Mordenkainen. While the third was labeled, The Metaphysics of Time Travel Mathematics by the mage Ahroheim. Inside the third volume lay a piece of parchment torn from a larger sheet, containing a few lines of handwritten text in the Common tongue. Dampness had spoiled it so that only two words were legible: “beyond skeletons.” In the kitchen, the group were attacked by giant centipedes. Except for a bite or two, the adventurers killed all of the giant insects. In one of the living areas which led to an outdoor patio and the garden beyond, the group triggered a loud and malevolent voice that yelled, “Welcome, fools—welcome to your deaths!” Booming, fiendish laughter followed the spoken message. Unaffected by the voice, the group continued on exploring the rest of the house. *** Upstairs, the adventurers found bedrooms that had been vandalized in the past and left in disarray. In one room, overlooking the Sea of Swords, they discovered fresh scratches on a window sill where they deduced a lantern had been placed recently and on more than one occasion. They also saw scuffing of the floor dust immediately near the window. However, the strangest discovery they made was in a bedroom where they found a man, alive, though bound and gagged. He was clad only in undergarments and appeared to have no weapons or equipment. After being untied, the man thanked the three adventurers and introduced himself. He said his name was Ned. He said he was a traveler from Seaton who entered the house the previous night to find a place to sleep during his journey to Saltmarsh where he hoped to find work as an adventurer. He entered through the back door and had only reached the kitchen when he was attacked from behind and knocked unconscious. He awoke some hours ago—bound, gagged, and stripped of his possessions—in the room where the others found him. He said he did not see his attackers nor had he heard any sounds in the house. Thankful, he offered to join the characters in their exploration of the house. The adventurers allowed Ned to join them but were untrusting of him or his story. After searching other rooms and finding nothing much of value, the adventurers, now with Ned, decided to sleep in one of the larger bedrooms they found. They agreed to continue investigating the house in the morning. Each took turns at watch but did not let Ned have a turn. However, when morning came, Ned had disappeared. Russel was on watch and said Ned had told him he was going to find an outhouse or place to relieve himself. Ned never returned. Undeterred by Ned's disappearance, the three continued exploring the rest of the house. Outside, the storm had stopped although the sky was still dark and overcast. They came upon a landing. Along the north wall of the area, a staircase descended to the ground floor of the rear of the house. The treads appeared to be loose and perilous. Another staircase along the east wall climbed to the upper level. This stair had mostly collapsed—only the lowest six steps were still intact, and there was no easy access to the hole in the ceiling to where the staircase used to lead. The group assumed the stairs used to lead to the attic but ignored it until they could find another way to access it. They decided to go back downstairs. *** Downstairs, they discovered a scullery. This room displayed the effects of damp and decay more than most. Mold grew in patches on the floor, walls, and ceiling. A large copper cask, split, discolored, and empty, stood under a window, with a small heap of crockery shards on the floor beside it. Stairs led down into what the group presumed was a cellar. But as they began to go down the stairs, a loud hideous scream, as if a soul was in torment, rise from the cellar below. Timmorn was affected by the scream and felt unsafe in the house for some time after. After calming Timmorn, the group continued downstairs and entered a wine cellar. There, they found shoulder-height wooden bottle racks that lined the north and west walls. There appeared to be no intact bottles left in the racks and shattered bottles cover the floor. Against the east wall, at the foot of the stairs, rested two large metal storage bins that appeared to be empty. In the center of the room lay a human corpse clad in plate mail; a longsword lying by the corpse’s right side, and a large shield covered its legs. Sethra, not trusting the corpse, cast a flaming bolt at the body. Suddenly, body started to move. Large, white grubs started to spill out of the gaps in the armor. At a glance, the grubs’ appearance looked unnervingly similar to curdled milk being squeezed from a bladder. They left the body alone and explored the rest of the cellar. They soon discovered a secret door that led to a secret cellar, larger than the one they had just found. This torchlit chamber was once a large cellar, but it had since been converted into living quarters. Ten crude beds stood along the south wall, each with a wooden locker at its foot. A long wooden trestle table ringed by rickety stools dominated the center of the room. Metal cutlery, cups, and dirty plates sat atop the table. A cookstove was installed near the table, and evidence of recently cooked meals sat in pots atop it. A large ham hung from a loop of twine near the stove. A sturdy set of stairs led to a trapdoor in the ceiling above. There were two wooden doors in the east side of the room. Two figures were also in the room. One, a dwarf in leather armor, was armed with a light crossbow. The other, a female half-elf was armed with a bow. The group tried to parley with the two, but they attacked the party. They said Ned had warned them of the adventurers in the house and they could surrender and be taken to Sanbalet, their leader, who would decide their fate. The adventurers dispatched the two who appeared to be either pirates or bandits. During the encounter, the woman archer tried to flee to the southwest part of the cellar. Sethra presumed a secret door lay somewhere in that area and the woman may have been trying to escape that way. No one could pick the locks on the sea chests, they left those alone for the time being. Timmorn checked out the doors to the east. One door appeared normal, but the other had a wooden bar across it, held in brackets on the frame and the door itself. The word “DANGER” was scrawled on that door in the Common tongue using chalk. The group decided to leave that door alone but opened the other. Unlike the barracks, the small room held comfortable furnishings and appeared to be well cared for. A comfortable-looking bed in the northwest corner had a wooden locker at its foot. A small wooden table stood against the east wall, with a padded leather chair beside it. On the table, a brass three-branch candlestick with three burning candles provided the room with bright light. The candles, though not fresh, were far from spent. Under the table was a small wooden box and an unlit bullseye lantern with a movable shutter over the lens. They immediately recognized the lantern as the one possibly used at the window in the room they found upstairs. On a shelf above the table sat three books. In the northeast corner was a closed wooden wardrobe. A volume of travel poetries fully illustrated and penned by Brostaff the Bard. A naval almanac listing tide times for the area of coast around Saltmarsh (a total of one hundred miles of coastline was covered). And a treatise concerning the archlich, Szass Tam of Thay and his minions. Inside the third book was a sheet of parchment featuring a few simple words and phrases in the Common tongue and their equivalents in Goblin. The words include “stop,” “fight,” “lift,” “come,” and so forth were listed on the parchment. They also found a spellbook hidden in a secret drawer under the desk. Inside the wardrobe, they found an oilskin coat. The small wooden box held twelve candles, flint, and steel, and a piece of parchment with the words, “The Signaling System” scrawled on it. The following was also written on the parchment: Long–short–short–short: “Is it safe?” Short–long–short–long: “Everything safe.” Long–long–long: “Ready to unload; come to the ship.” *** Back in the large cellar converted into a barrack, they eventually found a secret door that led to passages and caverns. The walls were slimy and the floors were moist, though matting lay in places to make them more easily passable. In the passages and caverns, the group encountered nearly a dozen smugglers. At one point in the encounter, the smuggler's leader, Sanbalet, offered the adventurers positions in his gang if they would stop their attacks on the smugglers. The adventurers chose not to join Sanbalet's gang and fought on eventually killing all of the smugglers and their leader, Sanbalet. They even killed Ned, who fought alongside the smugglers. In the encounter, Russel was nearly killed but thanks to Timmorn's ranger healing spells, saved the monk. Timmorn was slightly hurt in the fight, while Sethra was unscathed as she used her deadly spells to kill many of the smugglers. After killing all of the smugglers, the group found a total of eight bolts of silk and thirteen casks of brandy. Each of the casks had a mark, that of the letter P inside a circle stamped on it. The group also found a sea cave that led out to Sea of Swords. There, they found a small boat, large enough for eight people, with oars, a step-down mast, and a neatly furled sail. A rope tied to the bow was being held down by a large boulder that served as an anchor. Sethra, having been a sailor from Luskan, said she knew how to pilot the boat. The group spent some time loading up the boat with the bolts of silk, casks, and armors and weapons they found on the dead smugglers as well as pocketing any coins they found on the smugglers. It was nearly highsun when they finished loading the boat. Once aboard, they decided to sail to the town of Saltmarsh, which lay just a few miles south. There, they figured they could sell the treasures they had found. And then they would let fate decide what further adventures lay in store for them.
Sethra La'mourne, a female tiefling sorcerer from Luskan, along with Timmorn, a male longtooth shifter from Neverwinter Woods, entered the decrepit house built upon the edge of a cliff some four miles from the town of Saltmarsh. It was past sunset, and both were seeking shelter from the raging storm outside. Sethra was the first to enter the house, followed a short while later by Timmorn. Neither knew each other. Inside, the two encountered hungry giant rats. After dispatching the rats, they both met a male Kenku monk. The kenku said he was called Russel Crow, so named after the rustling and cawing sound he makes after a fight. The three decided to explore the rest of the house to make sure it was safe before spending the night there, safe from the storm outside. The house’s interior was dilapidated and damp, with patches of harmless mold everywhere. The woodwork was generally rotten, cobwebs and dust were thick, and rubbish was scattered everywhere. Plaster, having fallen from the walls and ceiling, lay strewn across the floor, along with the shattered remains of vandalized furniture. Fireplaces (with chimneys too narrow to climb) showed no signs of recent use. From the outside, the house sat on the highest ground in the area. Around it, a stone wall had crumbled in many places, exposing the interior grounds. An ornate metal gate lay open at the end of the road, swaying slightly in the wind. Wild flora grew throughout the inner yard, but all the years could not hide the evidence of a well-tended garden that once sat here. Near the house, the rotted wooden roof of a water well rose out of the tall grass. From the outside, the house appeared to have two floors and perhaps an attic as well. The ground floor rooms were made up of a library, a study, and living areas. In the library, they found three books. One was titled, The Magical Properties of Gemstones by Elminster of Shadowdale. A second was titled, The Magical Properties of Herbs and Flowers by Mordenkainen. While the third was labeled, The Metaphysics of Time Travel Mathematics by the mage Ahroheim. Inside the third volume lay a piece of parchment torn from a larger sheet, containing a few lines of handwritten text in the Common tongue. Dampness had spoiled it so that only two words were legible: “beyond skeletons.” In the kitchen, the group were attacked by giant centipedes. Except for a bite or two, the adventurers killed all of the giant insects. In one of the living areas which led to an outdoor patio and the garden beyond, the group triggered a loud and malevolent voice that yelled, “Welcome, fools—welcome to your deaths!” Booming, fiendish laughter followed the spoken message. Unaffected by the voice, the group continued on exploring the rest of the house. *** Upstairs, the adventurers found bedrooms that had been vandalized in the past and left in disarray. In one room, overlooking the Sea of Swords, they discovered fresh scratches on a window sill where they deduced a lantern had been placed recently and on more than one occasion. They also saw scuffing of the floor dust immediately near the window. However, the strangest discovery they made was in a bedroom where they found a man, alive, though bound and gagged. He was clad only in undergarments and appeared to have no weapons or equipment. After being untied, the man thanked the three adventurers and introduced himself. He said his name was Ned. He said he was a traveler from Seaton who entered the house the previous night to find a place to sleep during his journey to Saltmarsh where he hoped to find work as an adventurer. He entered through the back door and had only reached the kitchen when he was attacked from behind and knocked unconscious. He awoke some hours ago—bound, gagged, and stripped of his possessions—in the room where the others found him. He said he did not see his attackers nor had he heard any sounds in the house. Thankful, he offered to join the characters in their exploration of the house. The adventurers allowed Ned to join them but were untrusting of him or his story. After searching other rooms and finding nothing much of value, the adventurers, now with Ned, decided to sleep in one of the larger bedrooms they found. They agreed to continue investigating the house in the morning. Each took turns at watch but did not let Ned have a turn. However, when morning came, Ned had disappeared. Russel was on watch and said Ned had told him he was going to find an outhouse or place to relieve himself. Ned never returned. Undeterred by Ned's disappearance, the three continued exploring the rest of the house. Outside, the storm had stopped although the sky was still dark and overcast. They came upon a landing. Along the north wall of the area, a staircase descended to the ground floor of the rear of the house. The treads appeared to be loose and perilous. Another staircase along the east wall climbed to the upper level. This stair had mostly collapsed—only the lowest six steps were still intact, and there was no easy access to the hole in the ceiling to where the staircase used to lead. The group assumed the stairs used to lead to the attic but ignored it until they could find another way to access it. They decided to go back downstairs. *** Downstairs, they discovered a scullery. This room displayed the effects of damp and decay more than most. Mold grew in patches on the floor, walls, and ceiling. A large copper cask, split, discolored, and empty, stood under a window, with a small heap of crockery shards on the floor beside it. Stairs led down into what the group presumed was a cellar. But as they began to go down the stairs, a loud hideous scream, as if a soul was in torment, rise from the cellar below. Timmorn was affected by the scream and felt unsafe in the house for some time after. After calming Timmorn, the group continued downstairs and entered a wine cellar. There, they found shoulder-height wooden bottle racks that lined the north and west walls. There appeared to be no intact bottles left in the racks and shattered bottles cover the floor. Against the east wall, at the foot of the stairs, rested two large metal storage bins that appeared to be empty. In the center of the room lay a human corpse clad in plate mail; a longsword lying by the corpse’s right side, and a large shield covered its legs. Sethra, not trusting the corpse, cast a flaming bolt at the body. Suddenly, body started to move. Large, white grubs started to spill out of the gaps in the armor. At a glance, the grubs’ appearance looked unnervingly similar to curdled milk being squeezed from a bladder. They left the body alone and explored the rest of the cellar. They soon discovered a secret door that led to a secret cellar, larger than the one they had just found. This torchlit chamber was once a large cellar, but it had since been converted into living quarters. Ten crude beds stood along the south wall, each with a wooden locker at its foot. A long wooden trestle table ringed by rickety stools dominated the center of the room. Metal cutlery, cups, and dirty plates sat atop the table. A cookstove was installed near the table, and evidence of recently cooked meals sat in pots atop it. A large ham hung from a loop of twine near the stove. A sturdy set of stairs led to a trapdoor in the ceiling above. There were two wooden doors in the east side of the room. Two figures were also in the room. One, a dwarf in leather armor, was armed with a light crossbow. The other, a female half-elf was armed with a bow. The group tried to parley with the two, but they attacked the party. They said Ned had warned them of the adventurers in the house and they could surrender and be taken to Sanbalet, their leader, who would decide their fate. The adventurers dispatched the two who appeared to be either pirates or bandits. During the encounter, the woman archer tried to flee to the southwest part of the cellar. Sethra presumed a secret door lay somewhere in that area and the woman may have been trying to escape that way. No one could pick the locks on the sea chests, they left those alone for the time being. Timmorn checked out the doors to the east. One door appeared normal, but the other had a wooden bar across it, held in brackets on the frame and the door itself. The word “DANGER” was scrawled on that door in the Common tongue using chalk. The group decided to leave that door alone but opened the other. Unlike the barracks, the small room held comfortable furnishings and appeared to be well cared for. A comfortable-looking bed in the northwest corner had a wooden locker at its foot. A small wooden table stood against the east wall, with a padded leather chair beside it. On the table, a brass three-branch candlestick with three burning candles provided the room with bright light. The candles, though not fresh, were far from spent. Under the table was a small wooden box and an unlit bullseye lantern with a movable shutter over the lens. They immediately recognized the lantern as the one possibly used at the window in the room they found upstairs. On a shelf above the table sat three books. In the northeast corner was a closed wooden wardrobe. A volume of travel poetries fully illustrated and penned by Brostaff the Bard. A naval almanac listing tide times for the area of coast around Saltmarsh (a total of one hundred miles of coastline was covered). And a treatise concerning the archlich, Szass Tam of Thay and his minions. Inside the third book was a sheet of parchment featuring a few simple words and phrases in the Common tongue and their equivalents in Goblin. The words include “stop,” “fight,” “lift,” “come,” and so forth were listed on the parchment. They also found a spellbook hidden in a secret drawer under the desk. Inside the wardrobe, they found an oilskin coat. The small wooden box held twelve candles, flint, and steel, and a piece of parchment with the words, “The Signaling System” scrawled on it. The following was also written on the parchment: Long–short–short–short: “Is it safe?” Short–long–short–long: “Everything safe.” Long–long–long: “Ready to unload; come to the ship.” *** Back in the large cellar converted into a barrack, they eventually found a secret door that led to passages and caverns. The walls were slimy and the floors were moist, though matting lay in places to make them more easily passable. In the passages and caverns, the group encountered nearly a dozen smugglers. At one point in the encounter, the smuggler's leader, Sanbalet, offered the adventurers positions in his gang if they would stop their attacks on the smugglers. The adventurers chose not to join Sanbalet's gang and fought on eventually killing all of the smugglers and their leader, Sanbalet. They even killed Ned, who fought alongside the smugglers. In the encounter, Russel was nearly killed but thanks to Timmorn's ranger healing spells, saved the monk. Timmorn was slightly hurt in the fight, while Sethra was unscathed as she used her deadly spells to kill many of the smugglers. After killing all of the smugglers, the group found a total of eight bolts of silk and thirteen casks of brandy. Each of the casks had a mark, that of the letter P inside a circle stamped on it. The group also found a sea cave that led out to Sea of Swords. There, they found a small boat, large enough for eight people, with oars, a step-down mast, and a neatly furled sail. A rope tied to the bow was being held down by a large boulder that served as an anchor. Sethra, having been a sailor from Luskan, said she knew how to pilot the boat. The group spent some time loading up the boat with the bolts of silk, casks, and armors and weapons they found on the dead smugglers as well as pocketing any coins they found on the smugglers. It was nearly highsun when they finished loading the boat. Once aboard, they decided to sail to the town of Saltmarsh, which lay just a few miles south. There, they figured they could sell the treasures they had found. And then they would let fate decide what further adventures lay in store for them.
Latest session played on July 28, 2021
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