Session Two: Trollskull Manor
Day 2 - Evening
I have arrived back to the temple after our successful
rescue of Floon Blagmar. All last night he was repeatedly thanking Thia. She
appeared to take it in stride but I think Floon may be on a different page than
Thia. Hopefully he moves on. Volothamp was quite jubilant upon our return and
insisted we meet up the next morning to receive our payment for the rescue. The
coinage will serve the temple well.
Day 3
Our party met in the North Ward in an area known as Trollskull
Alley. I’m not exactly familiar with the why and how that name came to land
here. Something about the troll wars in the past. Volothamp was already present
along with a magistrate and her contingent of clerks. The hairs on my neck
began to stand up as something was amiss. This wasn’t going to be simple.
Volothamp greeted us in his typical upbeat, enthusiastic
manner. Many more thanks were given to us for returning Floon. As was said
previously, Volothamp had not the coinage to pay us for our services and still
claimed not to have the coinage. However, to square the record, Volothamp
offered up Trollskull Manor. In a grand flourish, he gestured grandly at a
run-down dilapidated three story building.
There was a quartet of our jaws gapping open in disbelief. What in the
planes were we to do with this?
We all were frozen for a half minute. Volothamp doubled down
upon seeing we were nonplussed with the offer. He began talking about how this
is a unique opportunity to own a hot property in the North Ward of Waterdeep.
It could be a wonderful source of income after a bit of upkeep according to
Volothamp. We remained unconvinced.
I must have stood alternating my gaze between Volothamp and
the run-down building. In truth, there must be some possibilities with this
building. I asked if I could go in and take a tour. This request put Volothamp
into a nervous and apprehensive mood. A weak smile appeared on his mouth. He
then said we were welcome to have a look but he would remain outside.
With a deep sigh, I opened the door to the first floor. A
god's-awful stench hit me square in the face, causing me to step back. I’ve seen
rat nests in the sewer that were cleaner than the main floor. Smelled better
too. Glancing back at Volothamp, he gestured for us to go ahead and enter. With
a deep breath and a prayer to Tempus, I entered with my companions.
The main floor was covered in dust and cobwebs. Every kind
of mess was present here. I had a look in the cellar expecting to find a horde
of vermin. Seems even the vermin had standards and steered clear of making a
home out of the utter filth contained within. I slammed the cellar door shut
and continued the tour. The second and third floors to the building are only
accessible by an outer stairway. We ascended and continued looking. These
floors were in the same sorry state. I didn’t dare look in the privies. After
taking it all in, we came back down to the front of the building were Volothamp
and the Magistrate contingent were waiting. There was a pleading look on
Volothamp’s face for us to just take this building and call it all even. While
I wanted nothing to do with running a business as I was just beginning my
studies at the temple, a voice within me said I should take this opportunity.
It will provide a place to call our own and perhaps with some hard work, my mom
might be able to move into the North Ward. Certainly a step up from her current
domicile. Taking that leap of faith, I informed my companions that we should
accept the building. A short while later, our names were on the deed.
 |
| Fala Lefaliir |
The commotion created by us, Volothamp and the Magistrate
contingent died down but not before the neighbors began coming out to see what
was up. In turn, we met the more vocal and representative members of the
immediate community. The first was Fala who runs a plant store across the
street from us. Fala seemed pleasant enough and gave us the brief rundown of
the business.
 |
| Embric |
 |
| Avi |
Then came Embric and Avi, a pair who owned a forge called Steam and Steel down the
street.
 |
| Talisolvanar "Tally" Fellbranch |
They were followed by Tally the carpenter. Tally provided a quote to
provide furniture for the new building given anything resembling furniture
inside is now a rotten pile of sawdust.
I felt knowing a bit of history about our new asset would be prudent. Thia and I went to the Hall of Records to determine what history could be learned about Trollskull Manor. We mostly ran into dead end after dead end, not truly finding anything to tell the tale of the building. Thia and I returned to assist in the restoration efforts.
Upon our return, Yasuo had arranged for a cleaning crew to
begin the gargantuan cleaning effort. They worked as hard as any hammer at the
temple. Even with their dedication, only the main floor and cellar could be
cleared of dirt, dust, and debris. A queer occurrence happened that afternoon.
My eyes caught a message scrawled in blood on the mirror. The message simply
stated “Get out!” Shaking my head, and having a second look, the message had
disappeared. Coming up empty on the history of the building now appears to have
some consequence as some evil spirit or spirits are at work.
 |
| Emmek Frewn |
The night came. Davian was kind enough to go out and fetch
food for us all. He came back shortly empty-handed although with a tale. The
tavern owner down the way (Emmek I believe was his name) tossed Davian out in
a huff once he put forth that we were the new owners of Trollskull Manor. A
curious thing for certain. My mind went back to Volothamp stating there were
other interested parties in this property, some of which became somewhat
hostile upon losing out at the auction where Volothamp acquired it. At any
rate, some food was eventually procured.
It became clear we would need some money if we were to open
this building and actually begin to do business. Furniture and a seemingly
endless amount of fees require coinage. My mind began to think back to my
earlier days where I could change some acquired items into coins. I had an
acquaintance named Fenton Oakheart who spent a lot of time in the Docks Ward at
The Salty Dog. He might be able to convert our found stash of treasures into
coins. My new companions elected to accompany me. Honestly, I was happy to have
them around in case things became ugly.
We located The Salty Dog without much problem. Upon
entrance, Fenton stuck out. He was  |
| Fenton Oakheart |
We met eyes in the bar. Fenton brightened up and motioned
warmly for me to join him. I crossed the floor and shared a drink and some
small talk with him. Eventually, the conversation opened up and I was able to
bring up our situation. Fenton looked deeper into my eyes, asking about the
source of our treasure. This set me on guard. I elected to offer as little
detail as possible, claiming we found the stash. Nothing more than that. One
more hard look and Fenton accepted my explanation. He motioned that we should
take our conversation out to the alley.
I glanced over my shoulder and requested my friends to stay
back and be on watch. I went into the alley with our cart of treasures. The
alley was empty although I was able to spy a few of Fenton’s associates. I’d
have to play this one smooth. One wrong move could bring all manner of unpleasantness
upon us. Fenton came up and had a look at our cart. He made an offer, although
I couldn’t believe he wasn’t giving me a better deal based on our background. I
countered, pointing out our shared history. Then Fenton dropped the bomb.
“I’ll give you 150% of the value of this haul IF you join
Xanathar’s Guild right now.”
I took a step back. Sell my soul to one of the guilds? Not a
chance. I shook my head.
“I’m out and that is in my past. I’ll have to decline your
offer to join. I’m a war priest of Tempus now.”
Fenton made the offer again, explaining that “acquiring”
treasures in Waterdeep needed to include the guilds. I strengthened my resolve
and declined the offer again. We eventually agreed on a price and the exchange
was made then and there. Before leaving the alley, I told Fenton to watch
himself and mentioned that this life choice has already taken a toll on his
appearance. He smiled and said there is no going back. I gave him a quick
blessing and wished him well before leaving the alley. We headed back to the
North Ward and called it a night. I thanked Tempus for his guidance in this
trying time before turning in.
Day 4
 |
| Stalwart Mirabel Wintermere |
I took a moment to contemplate the situation at Trollskull
Manor. If there were indeed spirits inhabiting the area, they would need to be
laid to rest. This is not something I have tackled previously and thought it
prudent to seek out a fellow hammer. Stalwart Freddert did not seem to be a
wise choice in this regard seeing that I’ve not witnessed him dealing in
matters such as this. I inquired around who might be the most knowledgeable and
found Stalwart Mirabel Wintermere.
After locating and informing her about my predicament, she
agreed to come to the manor. Upon entrance, she could feel an evil in the
cellar and up on the top turret. The cellar visibly shook Stalwart Wintermere.
It was an evil of such magnitude that she recoiled upon its discovery. Her
resistance to pursuing the source of the evil in the cellar gave us little
recourse except to go up to the turret to determine the source of the other
evil.
This source was identified as a past spirit, an elf who had
expired some time ago. Stalwart Wintermere prepared a ritual to make contact
with the spirit and instructed us to come up with no more than 5 questions as
that is all the time we would have. After a few minutes, we came up with a set
of questions and were ready for the ritual to begin. Stalwart Wintermere knelt
down and began. The spirit floated into view, appearing as a slender elven man.
We asked our questions:
1.
Why are you here? – I live and work here.
2.
What is your name? – Lif
3.
What happened in the cellar? – There are
children in the basement. So much horror!
4.
Who’s children? – Remora and her sisters' children
5.
Who are Remora and her sisters? – Remora owned the bar before I worked here as a bartender. I just want to be a bartender. That is what I do.
Stalwart Wintermere came out of the ritual, exhausted after
keeping the conduit open. The spirit Lif disappeared from our view. Once
Stalwart Wintermere had an opportunity to catch her breath, I thanked her for
her help. She then returned back to the temple.
I needed to know what was in the basement. I procured a
shovel and headed down to the cellar. Yasuo joined me as did some of the
workers. Davian also took up efforts to clear the floor while Thia went out to
research this new bit of information. It took a long time making our way
through the floor. We eventually dug deep enough to discover the bones of the
children. The remains of eight were recovered in all. The bones had the look a predator might leave after eating its prey...chewed upon with large, sharp teeth. I made arrangements to
lay them to rest, giving them a proper burial.
Their end was a brutal one, Thia reported. A pair of hags
ran Trollskull Manor as an orphanage. They took in children and devoured them.
No wonder the stench of evil was so strong! Laying the bodies to rest did have an
effect in bringing some peace to the cellar. Some evil remained, staining the
cellar and more would have to be done to bring light into the darkness of that
cellar. However, the day was done.
Davian
Father, I wish you were here. Things are so different than when we were in the woods. First I’m sleeping in a building, and now I own one? I guess this is nice, not being at the mercy of the elements, but it’s still…strange. I guess I can see why people would want to live their lives in little boxes, if they don’t know any better. Maybe in time I’ll grow to be as sedentary as them. And the children, we found some bones of children that were killed and eaten. Disgusting. I hope the wretched things that preyed upon the children can never rest, are forever tormented.
The large fellow brought people in to clean up our new building. The building seemed fine, but I guess city folk aren’t used to dirt. The cleaners were so polite, it was strange. I’m not sure if they belong to him, if he has something on them, or what other reason they would have for doing this. They seemed a little fearful, so maybe he does have something to hold over them. Maybe they fear his immense size and don’t wish for harm to come upon them. He seems kind, but people can be deceiving.
One of the, I think they’re called neighbors, got rather angry when he found out we bought that building. Why are people so obsessed with property ownership? Is it that they feel like they are in control of some part of their lives?
We encountered a spirit. I thought those stories of ghosts that you used to tell around the campfire were just stories. Oh how I wish you could be here, to tell me how many of those stories are based in truth. The spirit wishes to serve drinks, which is very convenient, as the others have shown interest in opening this building to serve drinks to people who will pay to become inebriated.
I guess I should sleep. I’m going to an opera tomorrow, whatever that is. All I know is I have to wear fancy clothes. City folk are strange, but I guess they don’t have to be prepared to run into a bear or wolf, so they can wear their impractical clothing.
Night.
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