ATG Mission 8.5 Kalevoor Castle

Previously On Liters of Tomorrow

After defeating the occupying forces and the Knight Regent of Tellenor, A man known as Spyder Hura'can one of the famed Knights of Aventador, you and Trusilla Fane had time to deal with the death of Agrimor. He was slain by the Knight now without his ubiquitous helmet, was revealed to be a drow man. You watched from a third floor window as the anti-magic field from the helmet nullified any of Agrimor's powers. The presence of the witchfinder known as Kalindor Epiphyte as well as the surprise reveal of the anti-magic helmet leads all of you to believe these Knights of Aventador are more clever than your run of the mill tyrants.
As the long night of battle turned to the beginnings of a sunny morning you cleared the town of the remaining soldiers. You freed the missing Kerra Guard who were detained in the castle dungeon and helped heal Derek Jondunlass, a Kerra Guard captain who lost a hand in a brutal interrogation by the mercenary group known as Morendath Ever'rend. The presence of this drow mercenary group is also distressing and adds greater mystery to these Knights. Karnac disguised himself as the now slain Witchfinder and disguised Derek Jondunlass as one of the soldiers. They went about town to order any remaining soldiers to join the southern war front besieging Penthos. Eulatris and Baji chose a darker path as they used their stealth abilities to remove some of the soldiers permanently. Cog stayed at the castle to monitor the rescue of the Kerra Guard as well as the Duke and Duchess of Kerrigan.
With the Occupying threat neutralized the towns thoughts turned to celebration. The Harvest Festival which had been cancelled by the Knight was now back on. The store room of the castle which had been turned into a supply house for the army was now returned to the good shop keepers and local residents. The Duke declared a day of celebration and the town got to work putting together the greatest harvest festival seen in years. You all grabbed a good 8 hours of sleep in various locations around town. The loss of your headquarters, the Void Omen, still firmly in your minds since it just happened very recently.
As you walked up the hill to join the Festival several of you had strange encounters. Karnac was reunited with the druid known as Sun Paw Kong. Baji met with his strange Fey Patron who tasked him with interesting thievery. Eulatris was visited her patron who asked her to mete out vengeance on behalf of a woman in town who was being abused. Eula went to the Owl bears egg tavern to meet with the young halfling woman known as Willow Bessinger. After learning that the owner, Hob Cullenson, was responsible Eula gifted the woman 1000 gold to leave town and start over. She then beat the the dwarven man to death after learning the breadth of his crimes. As the festival was about to begin a strange elven man entered town who was seeking a demon. He kept to himself and went by the name Akuma.
The festival itself was a grand affair filled with kids in costumes and food and drink. As you all milled about and enjoyed yourselves a strange magical wave pulsed through the town turning several of the children into real versions of their costumes! Now several dangerous creatures were threatening the townsfolk. You all leapt into action. Karnac was away in the woods with the Verdant Sigil you the dangerous elven man Akuma joined in to protect the townfolk and solve the mystery. With the kids returned to their normal selves and the town settled you all followed some clues down to the Northern cave to figure things out. With that Cog, Akuma, and Blizzard Hops teleported out in a strange flash. Eula and Baji were left on the stony hand carved steps leading down to the cave. Inside they discovered the remains of a strange ceremony. Eula determined that someone here had summoned a creature from a dark dimension and unleashed it on the town. Following up on the clues left in the cave led them to the man known as Stullius Stirge. Let's return now to the town of Tellenor and the two wayward heroes left to deal with this plot by themselves...

Plot points/Scenes

Eulatris, you and Baji spent the last few days researching and tracking down the source of the strange incursion of demons during the harvest festival. You found a strange cave on the cliff overlooking the river on the north side of town. During your investigation you found arcane paraphernalia, incense sticks and scraps of flint and kindling, black candles, and sigils drawn in the dirt. Most of these are broken or covered up as if someone had second thoughts about their dangerous ritual. You both can give me Investigation checks. In the dirt you can see hand prints of the culprit trying to wipe out the sigils. You see footprints of a sewn leather shoe that looks to be an expensive type of footwear that shows some wear. The prints are far enough apart to be someone fleeing the scene quickly. In the center of the room is blackened soot and signs of an explosion. You follow the signs of someone fleeing the scene and running back into town. All signs point to a building on the north side of Tellenor. The Stirge House is atop the Distillery building. Stirge's Sting distillery was one of the great draws for travelers coming into Tellenor for rest after traveling the Eastern Road. Today though the building looks dark. As you peer through the windows you see dust on several of the copper coils and stills that are used everyday in the distilling process. Tracked through the flat stone floor are just a few sets of footprints that can be seen in the layer of everyday dust that settles. The door is locked [DC 13 to pick].
Inside you get a better look at the long oak bar and the glassware. Most of which looks like it hasn't been used in months. A few bags of corn and rye lay against the wall. A closer inspection reveals some burrowing by insects, a few grain worms can be seen writhing inside as you filter some of the grain over your hand. The smell is a bit musty and sour as the grain dust puffs out of the burlap. On the wall behind the bar is some of the promotional material for the Blizzard Hops Distillery pinned up. Several small knives are stabbed into the wood of the wall right through the cartoon drawing of Hops' eyes and head. Behind the distilling equipment is a wooden staircase leading up to the living portion of the building.
As you creak up the wooden staircase the wood feels strong and well built like most structures in Tellenor. [DM Note: Roll a perception check. Depending on roll first up the stairs can sense Stullius. He is waiting behind the door with a butcher knife, terrified that the demon is coming for him.] As you walk up the stairs you see that the door to the living area is swung open to the left, though it looks like it has been for some time. Dust on the stairs has been walked on several times in the last few days. As you walk into the room beyond you see a wide room with a kitchen area to the right. A wooden table with two chairs and a stove sit in front of a long counter. Beyond you see another door leading to a bedroom. Suddenly a shriek from behind the door as a crazed figure runs out and slashed at you with a butcher knife! Stullius Stirge is a tall thin human man with a Van Dyke beard of black and grey that just off of his chin. His cheeks look gaunt and his eyes wide and angry. "Get away from me! It's not my fault!" He continues his assault with the butcher knife, what would you like to do? Roll a perception check. As you look up into the rafters a pair of black eyes slowly open. One of the demons slowly unfurls as it's light gray insect like legs begin to move, roll intitiative! Two more of the demons rush up the stairs and attack you from behind.
As you both come up with a plan for subduing Stirge a crackle of energy flashes in the corner of the room, it glows a dull copper color and then flares into a blinding golden flash! Akuma and Blizzard Hops stand in the center of the room, they look battle weary and haggard.

A trip up North!

Hops you feel a vibration in your pack as if something was moving in there. You reach in and pull out the strange piece of metal you obtained in Spinebreak Castle when you fought the vestige of Vellenox. The piece of Viendall’s dimensional control Rod. When you remove it from you back it pulses and as you look it flares into light. A semi circle of holographic light projects above the rod in a brilliant yellowish orange. A cascade of language and numbers begins to fill the semi circle as well as diagrams and equations. The languages flit and dance as they change making it incomprehensible. Finally it projects a strange map of an area unfamiliar to you and creates geometric shapes and lines around it. A cracking sound of electric energies forms around all of you as it gets louder and finally a brilliant flash of white light fills your eyes! As you go to open them again you only see the pulsing black and blue as your eyes readjust. Instead you feel a bitter cold form around you and feel tightly packed snow around your lower legs. As your vision returns you see snow falling all around you. It is night time and the snow fills your darkvision blotting out any details of the area around you.
[DM Notes: Have the team make their way to Kalevoor castle which has docked near the icy shelf off of the northern most point of the Eigerlands. This is their only safe haven. Exhaustion checks must be made every ten minutes of movement due to the freezing conditions. From there they must meet with The Dragon known as Malavoor Doh’ Malis the dark one now had his lair. Malavoor often moves about his castle in his human human guise as Professor Marius Domalus, a humble though very rich researcher who teaches at Vellen University at times. He is a renowned archaeologist and Alienist. He loves the study of Elven and human history through archaeology and will talk at length about the things he has discovered and supposes. In reality his powerful dragon mind is scanning all those around him for latent psionic energies. He can absorb smaller energies very quickly of those around him. Powerful Psionics, especially those few who train in their abilities and are able to use them in combat, are most prized. These individuals he tries to collect and keep at Kalevoor Castle. All of the current servants and guests are kept tightly controlled by Malavoor while he slowly feeds off of their psionic abilities. He renders them docile and mind controls them to be humble butlers, valets, maids, and stable hands. His prize collection get to roam the grounds as special guests of the castle. They get the best rooms and are feted with feasts, dances, and soirees in the various opulent rooms. Unlike the servants these people are consumed quicker and their minds burn out within a few weeks or a month.
The Professor shows a strange interest in their former traveling companion Princess Mewtoolian Moon of the Kingdom of Crossing Sun and Stars. Ideally it would be best to allow the players to wander about the castle slowly putting together clues that the professor is really the dragon. He will slowly start to infect their minds. He also has the next piece of Viendall's control rod. They can trade Mew for the piece of the rod if they want to walk out safely. Otherwise Malavoor will slowly try to control them psionically and turn them into servants. This would be very cool if they fail checks allowing for Mew and Vom Fass to save them the following week! Plus as they move about the castle the entire island will return to the air once more a thousand feet above the ocean.
Malavoor uses several creatures as his attendants and assistants as well as his human and elven and dwarven subjects. He uses the creatures known as Mind witnesses, Duergar, and Nothics. He often polymorphs them into normal looking humans to walk amongst the guests and monitor new arrivals.
Notes:
Characters in the castle for long rests may not recover HP or restore conditions. Make them make a con or INT save .
Malavoor keeps a menagerie of collected creatures in his underground lair including the Mutoillithid
Gather magic items and traps for the underground
Malavoor has a piece of Viendall's control rod
Gas traps and psychic traps for the hallways and underground
As Marius Domalus he is quite chipper and eager to interact with the PC's
Pc's can roll investigation in the study to find Icthiadore's journal and learn about the dragon. Malavoor has studied the team and will use magnetic traps for Cog

Themes

As you search through your packs and bags for any type of protective clothing or even a blanket they icy wind cuts through your clothing.  What is everyone wearing at this moment?  As you bundle up and protect yourselves, everyone give me a perception check.  [DM Note: coming over the ridge through the heavy snow drift is a Dire Owlbear.  There is a family, male female and two cubs who are taking up the rear.]  You hear a heavy shifting of snow as if something heavy is moving through it.  A large shaggy form lunges at you, roll intitiative!
[DM Note: after the battle roll constitution checks.  DC 14 a fail results in one level of exhaustion.  As we move through the snow towards the castle we will make 2 more of these.]
After several hours of walking through the snow you see a dim light off in the distance.  As you look closer you see dark shapes resembling a building, several dim lights glow on the outside, warm like firelight.  The driving snow still impedes your vision as it falls into your eyes.  As you move closer you can see it is an ancient castle with large ice like spires that stand around it.  It seems to be settle in amongst some rolling hills covered in snow with tall think pine trees all around you.

Structure

Exposition

As you get close the huge front doors swing open and two servants clutch thick cloaks tight to their shoulders.  They rush towards you beckoning you in. " Come now you poor souls!  you will freeze to death out there!"  a tall half orc woman offers you a heavy blanket and directs you into the castle.  A human man in a thick fur coat also joins her and raises his voice to be heard over the wind. "Yes, hurry now! We can offer you shelter!"  [DM note: If the PC's resist remind them of the control rod which pulses in Hops' pack]
As you stand there in the grand foyer of the castle you can see two hallways beyond.  The ceiling here is about 20 feet tall and made of a light colored stone as are the walls.  Several torches light the hallway and very old tapestries hang from bronze rods near the ceiling.  They seem to depict and old human kingdom fighting against elven armies.  As you all shake the snow from your shoulders and stomp it from your boots, your limbs tingle with the warmth.  The two servants offer you some warm tea or a draft of whiskey.  The woman looks at you, Hops, and says "Aye you look the type who may prefer a slug of this. The master makes a wonderful warmed whiskey which is spiced with some cinnamon and nutmeg."  The human man notes that they have visitors quite often and that the master is a well known professor that inherited this castle decades ago.  He often has scholars and explorers visit the castle to discuss matters of the intelligencia and share stories.  It's kind of his thing, they always have several guests in residence as well as a full staff. 
He notes that the snows are not usually this bad and many months out of the year they can get sleds and sleighs out this way by using large reindeer. "I can either get you set up in some rooms right away or we can go find Master Marius Domalus, whichever you prefer."  He begins to walk forward and beckons you to follow "Though you may be hungry I'll notify Felo and get you something made up.  I think we will put you up in the east wing guest quarters.  The beds should be made and it was cleaned recently.  Are any of you scholars or college folk?"
Things to do in Kalevoor Castle -
Tea Time at 11 am - Every day at 11 Marius invites several guests to a social event where they discuss new discoveries and the events of the day.
Lecture Series at 3 pm -
Dinner at 7 -
Parlor Series at 9 pm -

Conflict

Professor Marius Domalus

A humble though very rich researcher who teaches at Vellen University at times. He is a renowned archaeologist and Alienist. He loves the study of Elven and human history through archaeology and will talk at length about the things he has discovered and supposes.[DM Note: In reality his powerful dragon mind is scanning all those around him for latent psionic energies. He can absorb smaller energies very quickly of those around him. Powerful Psionics, especially those few who train in their abilities and are able to use them in combat, are most prized. These individuals he tries to collect and keep at Kalevoor Castle. All of the current servants and guests are kept tightly controlled by Malavoor while he slowly feeds off of their psionic abilities. He renders them docile and mind controls them to be humble butlers, valets, maids, and stable hands. His prize collection get to roam the grounds as special guests of the castle. They get the best rooms and are feted with feasts, dances, and soirees in the various opulent rooms. Unlike the servants these people are consumed quicker and their minds burn out within a few weeks or a month.]
The castle is constantly active and lively as guests move about the grounds doing activities in the snow and ice. After a day in the sun building snow and ice scupltures or taking sleigh rides over new powder they always retreat back into the warmth of the castle and a delicious meal. Their glorious benefactor regales them with long lost tales and interesting history. All they while they get more and more drowsy until they retire to bed. [DM Note: give the team constitution saving throws as they go to bed each night. DC 15.  A success means they do not regain hit points but they take no psionic/psychic damage.  A fail means they take a level of exhaustion!]
When new guests arrive the castle and the grounds can always be found near a hill top or on the coast, firmly attached to safe ground. As the guests are entertained and greeted the island slowly floats up into the sky trapping them...forever.

Rising Action

Monsters Polymorphed into guests and servants

Note that Detect Magic and Truesight will detect the Polymorph spell. Polymorph is a 4th level transmutation.
Yathan Kevel - a half elven man wearing a brown vest over a tan tunic, he claims to be from Lamborginus but his accent is very flat. [In reality he is A nothic transformed and monitors the PC's quite often.]
Galeda Klaus - a human woman in her sixties is one of the maids for the main house. She claims to be from Penthos. [A Mind witness polymorphed into a human woman.]
Kelgos Anvus - A dwarven man in his 70's who repairs things. [A Duergar who disguises himself to be a mountain dwarf.]
Yisma Polo - A human woman in her 40's who look much like Sandra Oh. She has black hair and is dressed in dark blue vestments with gold embroidery. She looks every part the rich merchant from Serpico that she says she is. She claims to be the heir to a shipping fortune from ferry's that go between Serpico and Cobra Lah, Listamonte's Shipping. [She is a Nothic that is in service of Malavoor Polymorphed to look like an attractive wealthy woman]

GUESTS -

Jora Opteris Evecta - An elven man who says he is a Ornithologist from the Forest Realms of Oraheim. In Reality he is a member of the Verdant Sigil and a powerful druid. His mind has been tampered with by Malavoor as his latent psionic power is being siphoned off.
Dorthus Malliball - An attractive Elven woman who has quite a fortune in Lamborginus. Her family owns several linen companies and they manufacture expensive silks. She claims to be here to discuss upholstery samples with Marius. She has quite a deep scar running up the right side of her head. [DM Note: In reality she is a former Talon of the Rook who survived the battle of the flotilla. ATG left her for dead and she was thrown into the Wyvern sea. She was rescued by an agent of Malavoor and taken to Kalevoor not long after.]
Madeleine Quail - A low level member of house Quail in Penthos. Madeleine has been tasked with running a haberdashery to keep her out of politics.  She was abducted last year after Malavoor tore open her carriage on the Eastern Road. 

SERVANTS -

Sersi Kharr - A half orc woman by the name of Sersi Kharr and a human man by the name of Bolly Wort. Sersi Kharr formerly lived in the city of Serpico in Ventenheim. She was a courier for the ETC and had developing psionic powers. Now though she only remembers her old job and then accepting the job here.
Bolly Wort used to live in Morden's Bridge and was there when Adventure Team Grimm made their way through. On a trip to Lamborginus he was abducted by a winged horror, Malavoor was on his way home from Vellen Falls and felt his psionic presence.
The Wine Cellar - The Sommelier and the wine maker are both halflings. An attractive female halfling named Erstinda Harbung and a shaggy older halfling man by the name of Gurstin Glinling. Both of these halflings grew up in the Uleris Valley. Their community was terrified of their power and sent them off to Helletowne to find a cure.
Room 3 - This room is staffed by a human servant by the name of Gawyn Harsdale of Helletowne. He grew up in Helletowne and was a successful psionic rogue with the Hare's Catch before being abducted by Malavoor. He attempted to pick Marius' pockets after a class at the university there.
Room 4/5/6- There are two servants assigned to this room. A human named Estelle Loganus and a green elven man named Okalon Oakalus. Okalon grew up in the forest pact of Oraheim, he was travelling to Helletowne when he was abducted by some of Malavoor's thralls and brought to Kalevoor. Estelle Loganus was wealthy woman who had just married a minor baron of House Nuxhall. They had just bought a house in Westinox. She lashed out at a would be suitor who didn't believe she was married with her telekenisis breaking his ribs. She fainted and when she awoke she was a maid in Kalevoor Castle and believes she accepted a position.
The chef is a Firbolg man named Felo Chambers. Chambers was a former cook in the Inorh Region of Oraheim in service of the Inorh family.
A Halfling man by the name of Geddleton Lang catalogues the room and watches for insects and vermin. Lang hails from the Arrow. He was a busy artificer when his psionic powers manifested. He was traveling to Helletowne to find a cure for his condition when he was taken.
The warehouse - is staffed with a human man named Inglehoff Miller. [DM Note: A former nobleman from Lamborginus he was heavily feted by the Talons of the Rook to be part of their psionic vampire group. It is possible on a DC 17 history check for an member of ATG to recognize him from the party.]