Elder Enigmas

You reach the outside of the mine and the open sunlight of the new day hits your eyes. As you adjust to the blinding sunlight, you see a large group quickly forms up ranks in front of you. You see Earl Sommerset flanked by several Armed Guards.
"There they are! These interlopers invaded and trespassed, and destroyed my property and my pets! They have murdered several of my servants!"
You see He has Victoria in his clutches You can see her cheeks are stained with tears and there are a few bumps and bruises on her face and arms.
"And they attacked and attempted to kidnap my daughter. Arrest them immediately!"
Victoria looks over at you and shakes her head. 
"Bring them to me" Sommerset says in a commanding voice. You recognize one of the Soldiers as General who found you outside of Tirasa and attempted to bribe you into betraying those you trust in that city. He smugly says "Yes. I remember this group. I could tell they were troublemakers from the moment I saw them. I'll be taking my gold back for service unfulfilled... or ignored. You are all under arrest for trespassing, kidnapping and suspicion of Treason. You are to come with us back to the capital." Another low level guard approaches you with manacles. "Alright now Take it easy, come quietly now. No trouble, yeah?"
What would you like to do?
::If the party argues their case well, or on his first combat turn, Sommerset will cast Mass suggestion on them to try and get them to cooperate.:: "My friends, it is within your best interests to cooperate. Come Quietly and we can avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
::IF the party overwhelms the guards, Sommerset will attempt an escape with Victoria. They will become wanted criminals by the EI Soldiers and some Town Guards who will attempt an arrest on sight. IF the party is beaten in the fight, they will awaken in a Mount Cashell Jail And hopefully be rescued:: As the party is led away, You hear Sommerset's voice only it's inside your heads, echoing within your skull. It says
"Thank you for coming to my humble village my friends, And thank you for helping me choose our next sacrifice. Victoria will be perfect for the ritual. Thanks to you, her blood shall spill in the name of our beloved watcher, Tharizdun: The Elder Elemental Eye"

In the jail:

You awaken in dark damp cells. Metal Bars and Stone walls surround you. Sunlight peeks in through small barred windows. You feel around your body and remember your belongings were taken from you. There is a guard at the end of your cell block standing watch
((Spellcasters will not be able to cast any spells requiring material components, and brawlers will have to improvise to find temporary weapons. The guard has a longsword if they investigate him. Otherwise Wood from Benches (Club) ))
What would you like to do?

::after a few moments::
You hear this beautiful melody drift into the cell block it is a soothing little lullaby played on what sounds like a lute. Along with a melodious voice humming a tune. ((If he succeeds on the sleep spell)) Suddenly you See the guard at the end of the cell fall hard onto the cold floor of the cell block, snoring.
Suddenly a figure emerges from the shadows of the staircase beyond this hall.
You recognize them as the Bard who defied the soldiers in the tavern a week ago. He walks into the cell block with Lute in hand. He glances around the cells appearing to be looking for something.
"Ozzy, Lemmy, There you are you old fools. Get your asses up we're going." He looks at the people in the cells with Ozzy and Lemmy
"Looks like it's your lucky day as well. I'm springing these fine chaps from this horrible prison. You can come along too if you like. Or stay here, choice is yours."
::You can easily convince him to spring the rest of your party::

::he proceeds to cast Knock singing "Its a hard knock spell, for you. It's a hard knock spell for you. Instead of Prison, you get free, instead of torture, you get me. It's a hard knock spell"::
And you see each of your prison cell door click and swing loose in their hinges.
"Alright. I've gotta check on the torture chamber, I might have friends that need rescuing there as well.
::DC13 Stealth Check to sneak up on/ Avoid the Torturer::
::Fight their way out of the prison::
Well we've made it. I suppose you're gonna be wanted criminals. You may want to head out of the city. I'm staying here. Gonna cause as much disruptions as I can until our country is free once more. There's word that all the regional Governors From each town are convening a meeting here in the city this week. They plan to open negotiations to try and find some peace accord before real bloodshed begins. I plan on gettin' in there. Make sure they don't hand our country over on a silver platter to the Elder Isle. You should join me. We may need all the help we can get.

::The party is free to move where they wish at this point. If they choose to return to Melduinn to Kill Earl Sommerset and save Victoria?::

You return to Melduinn. It is night time but you see Torches all around illuminating the normally dark village. In front of Earl Sommerset's manor you see the Earl himself presiding over some sort of ceremony. There are Cultists gathered around and an altar of some kind.
::DC15 Stealth Check::
You see on the altar is Victoria. Her eyes are closed and she doesn't seem to be moving. (DC10 Medicine Check You will see she is breathing)
Thunder Rumbles in the distance as Earl Sommerset begins to Speak some sort of sermon
"The hour of Ascension has come. All we have worked for. Our Time is nigh. We prove our undying loyalty by giving our bodies to The Elder Eye to use as he sees fit. With the willing sacrifice of my daughter, we shall receive the gift of ascension from the Eye himself. He draws near. Can you feel him? His cosmic energy comes for us this evening, brothers and sisters. And we willingly go with him on his journey through the worlds. Reshaping them as he sees fit
::If discovered or if they make themselves known:: But he is not the only one. Interlopers draw near as well. See them there. They are destroyers, usurpers, Non believers. Stop them from destroying our holy ceremony!
::Encounter Vs. 6 Cultists. if they are not killed within 3 rounds of combat, The Earl will successfully summon the Avatar of Tharizdun who will kill and "Drink" Victoria on its initiative And proceed to spread his dark aura out to the houses in the village. Plague Demons will emerge from some of the houses. The rest will be locked in their houses unable to escape.
::Encounter Vs. 12 Plague Demons and the Avatar of Tharizdun:: _____________________________________________________________
::IF the party does kill the cultists within 3 rounds of combat::
You watch as Earl Sommerset Looks down at you and steps down from his pulpit and exclaims:
"Deceivers! Interlopers! You shall corrupt us no more!"
::Encounter Vs. Earl Sommerset::

_________________________________________ Aftermath: The Avatar will teleport away if taken too much damage If you rescue Victoria, she will give you the low down on who her father was and growing up with and without him. If Victoria is killed but Sommerset is also killed - proceed with his death monologue

Some plague demons remain in the houses if they wish to loot. Or they could alert the Faithful Dominion who will go in and finish them off once notified.

Then 3 days till the Council meeting.

If Sommerset is Killed..

The Earl Lies there bleeding out. Coughing and wretching. He looks up for a moment ((IF he is badly wounded, or disfigured, he will say this telepathically))
"You are strong. Stronger than any of us would have imagined. But it won't be enough. The wrath of Tharizdun shall wipe the world clean. This has been set in motion long before your time. Acolytes like myself have been moving the cogs of progress for a half century. It begins in the capitol. In three days time, The leaders of this country are meeting to discuss peace treaties, but none of them will escape with their lives *cough* Then the mad screams of dead men and demons shall overrun this country. Overrun this world. Destroy...this universe....I am an Agent of Oblivion"
And with that his body falls silent.