Session 3 - Schloss Horstkopf Slumbers
General Summary
Sigisar told Manfred the spindle is fey influenced, which led him to turn his attention to potential nearby fey in wooded areas for answers. He told Sigisar he was cursed by the fey previously. Sigisar remains adamant that there could likely be some culprit from within the castle. Manfred revises his earlier theory that Winifred could be a dark magic sorceress, thinking instead she may be a victim. He told Sigisar he will go look for Winifred and examine her condition. Sigisar went to talk to the majordomo to see if he encountered any strange phenomena. Manfred met with Winifred, and told her that he cannot rescue her tonight. He tells her there is a fey sickness in the castle, and that an expedition to find a cure, with her faking symptoms, may help her escape. Kaleb went with the dogs to find Manfred. The majordomo finds and tries to stop Kaleb. Sigisar, Manfred, Kaleb, Winifred, the majordomo and the dogs all meet. Sigisar tells the majordomo to throw Kaleb out of the castle, and Manfred agrees to go along to look after Kaleb.
Meanwhile, Narcissa infiltrated the nursery to steal Sigisar’s sister, Melisande. She used Charm Person to subdue the nurse, then carried the baby to the strange seamstress grandmother (Sigisar would later guess this entity’s name was Helga). Upon doing this, the grandmother disappeared. A crack of terrible lightning, strange lights, a dark vortex and terrible tentacles began to arise in this room. Narcissa retreated to her own room to feign a lack of knowledge of these events.
When the lightning happened, Manfred and Kaleb were being thrown out of the castle at the gates by Edmon. Sigisar and Winifred, still in the castle, went to investigate, with Winifred informing Sigisar of the strange woman there. The black tendrils on the stairway began freezing other people, and Sigisar and Winifred were forced to retreat. Kaleb was trying to reenter the castle, leading to a melee between him and Edmon. Eventually, Sigisar and Winifred, fleeing from the castle, convinced the others they should flee as well as the black tendrils enveloped the entire castle. Finally, Narcissa, with some immunity, managed to escape herself.
Winifred revealed more details about the 'Grandmother', and tried to get Narcissa to corroborate her story. Narcissa gaslit her and said she had no idea what she was talking about. Sigisar and Manfred pressed Winifred for more details, and found the connecting thread of the spinning wheel. Narcissa was questioned on how she escaped. She claimed to be a holy woman, and managed to refocus the conversation on Sigisar retreating too quickly without Winifred.
The six then marched in the rain to Bärendorf. Manfred got the beginnings of a cold from how badly they had been drenched. On the way, they discussed future plans, with Manfred pledging as a physician he would help Sigisar find a cure for the people of the castle. Once they arrived in the next town, Manfred suggested to Winifred that she could now flee, but she refused, having lost interest given the horrible experience they all survived, and the fact that her brother was also now potentially frozen and unable to hold sway over her.
Sigisar requested food and lodging at the inn. Narcissa used some minor magic to help warm the party after the rain. Edmon seemed rather distraught about what had potentially happened to his father and the Margrave. The family running the inn stayed in the barn. Sigisar left them 3 gold pieces, a fair market rate. The men and women slept separately.
The next day, the group returned to the castle to see what had become of it. It had been overgrown with vines. The group attempted to hack their way into the castle, but the vines came to life and fought back. The castle then revealed even more defenses, with sentient suits of armor and flying swords attacking the party. There was much rushing back and forth under a portcullis, with Edmon and Sigisar working as a team to hold it up. Manfred mocked the sentient suits of armor, calling them ridiculous and rusty. Winifred revealed her powers by throwing fire bolts. Narcissa’s raven companion was killed. Eventually the new defenses of the castle proved too great for the six, who were forced to retreat.
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