Defend the Manor

Summary

Miandra Venora Argentus, her brother Shashank Venora Argentus, their half-brother Wylan Almeric, and fellows Drakken and Kalnac (both of whose relation to House Argentus is somewhat nebulous) accompanied Edgar Venora and his wife Gillian to the town of Northcrest. The reason for the journey was to attend the wedding of Carina Herrod, the daughter of the town's sovereign, Lord Zachris Herrod. Herrod has ties to the Venora family so it was politically important to be at this ceremony.

The group arrived the day before the wedding. After attending to the usual pleasantries, they enjoyed a grand banquet in Herrod's manor. They also made the acquaintance of Carina's betrothed, Aaron Hyder, and Aaron's father, Orren Hyder, who owned the largest farm in the valley north of Northcrest. Carina was charming and courteous, but Aaron came off as a braggard and a general tool.

All retired to their guest rooms (or the barracks, in the case of the PCs) after dinner. Kalnac, however, had a rendezvous with the lord's wife, Lady Marinn Herrod, in the manor's smithy; it seems she is a bit of a trollop and wanted to experience the "exotic" wares of a Dhazyra.

In the early morning hours, the manor was attacked by a huge force of what seemed to be human and hobgoblin brigands. A number of thugs burst into the manor itself, slaying the servants and attacking the PCs, the guards, and the guests. Around the perimeter of the manor's courtyard a number of archers and a wizard waited to finish off anyone who tried to come outside, though they ended up engaging Kalnac as he and the Lady Herrod were already away from the manor.

The PCs took control of the situation inside the manor fairly quickly, though Drakken fell once due to the battle fury of one of the brigand warriors. Unfortunately, most of the guardsmen perished in the battle as well as Orren Hyder. The Venoras held their own, even trapping one of the bandits for later interrogation. Aaron spent the time panic-stricken, trying to get into Carina's room to see to her safety. Given that her door was locked and no response was forthcoming, he feared the worst for his future bride.

Kalnac attempted to engage the eight brigands single-handedly outside, rather than prudently running for the front door of the manor where the numbers were more in his favor. The warlock would have likely died but for a spell that caused damage to the enemy mage whenever he was hurt himself; the wizard warned his men against attacking Kalnac for most of the battle as it was damaging him even worse. As it was, he still fell before the rest of his companions made it outside. Fortunately, Drakken was able to heal him just prior to the tiefling's sweet embrace by the hand of death.

While the rest of the group was mopping things up outside, Shashank investigated the side of the manor, specifically where Carina's room was located. Despite the poor evening light, he was able to discern that the shutters to her bedchamber were flung wide open. He is currently in the process of investigating further what exactly may have happened...

Memorable Events

• Kalnac made it with a minor noble skank
• Brigand captured

Creatures Encountered

• Hobgoblin Archers
• Hobgoblin Grunts
• Hobgoblin Soldier
• Human Bandits
• Human Berserkers
• Human Mage

Treasures Discovered

• n/a

Locations Visited

• Northcrest

NPCs Encountered

• n/a