Witchy Witch Adventures
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Sarah of Yellowcrest Manor (Patron)
🕑 Added 2021-05-20 23:41:58 +0000 UTCFive years ago a tragedy occurred. While Lord Viallis Yellowcrest was out, his entire family and four servants were murdered. Now, a diary of a servant girl has made it's way to Candlekeep. Now a ghost is haunting the library. Can a group of adventurers help put the spirit of this poor girl to rest, and what dark secret lies behind the massacre at Yellowcrest Manor?
This adventure really wants to be a murder mystery, but it gives away the murderer in the very beginning. That's okay though, it can be made into one with just a few changes.
Firstly, Lady Maria and her children were properly buried. It was only Sarah and the three other servants that were never found or buried. Lord Viallis blamed Sarah for "forcing" him to kill his family to keep his secret. He took the body of Sarah and the others to turn into a flesh golem as a punishment so that even in death she would have to remain his servant.
Sarah's last entry has numerous misspellings and is written in an extremely shaky cursive script that makes it almost impossible to read. In fact, the party can't decipher the name of who she saw. Worse, the trauma of her death prevents her from remembering the entire last day. of her life.
Finally, the entry now reads:
"I stole close to [blob] today, and saw that he had chalked a circle with strange marks across the floor. A bubbling puddle spread within the circle. I swear to Tyr I think it was blood! He stood next to it motionless, a vile books in hand, and muttered something I could not hear. I slipped away quickly, though I fear he might have seen me. I have never been so scared, but I must tell Lady Maria what I have seen. I must!"
Assuming they go to Waterdeep, or wherever you set it up, the party can talk to the butler who is more than happy to gossip. He'll let them know the official story was that Sarah and the servants murdered the family and ran off. Her boyfriend, Velken was suspected of being involved but it was never proven. Still it ruined his life because no one was going to hire a squire that was implicated in the murder of a noble's family. Velken was forced to take a job as a bouncer and pit fighter in an underground ring. The butler knows where Velken is because that is a less reputable tavern where many commoners can go to gamble and place bets on a pit fight.
Others thought that it was Lord Viallis who did it, with the most wild theory being that he was secretly a cult leader of a cult that had been in the area at the time.
The Butler personally feels it was the business partner who did it because after the murder Viallis was a broken man who left the city to live in Greenfast and put his partner in charge of overseeing all the day to day work.
The business partner, Faerl, is not involved in the cult. He knows nothing. That is a deadend if they go there. He still protects Viallis, but that is just about protecting his own business interests and profits.
Meanwhile, Velken still knows about the disappearances around Greenfast. Further, he knows that Sarah had suspicions of Lord Viallis. When the party confirms that Sarah was dead, that is when Velken decides to go kill Viallis himself.
Lastly, Viallis is now a warlock of the great old one. He was a mage, but gave up on the slow process of learning once he started being gifted power.
The flesh golem/sarah is in the temple summoning room protecting Viallis when the party arrives. If your party is particularly strong, then have the summoning bring forth a Balhannoth instead of grell at either the top of the second or third round.
Viallis will dimension door to escape. He goes to Faerl's home to rest and regain his energy while assuming that the party will all be killed in the ritual room.
When the party arrives at Faerl's they can have a conversation where depending on the outcome Faerl's guards will either help them to contain Viallis or help to protect Viallis if the party can't convince Faerl.
I hope your party enjoys!
Comments
Tim Stellmach
I wouldn't say that an adventure that says who the murderer is right there in the hook is even _trying_ to be a murder mystery. The only questions are where did he go, and what is he up to? That said, if you want a murder mystery for 7th-level D&D characters, you have to contend with the fact that they probably have access to the divination spell, and while the answer can by cryptic, it also has to be truthful.
