April 5, 2026
The party ventured through a warped landscape where two realms seemed to coexist, following a disembodied floating head to a forest campsite. There they found Orimene Silentvale, the traumatized sole survivor of a previous expedition into the Alabaster Mansion. Elra, reduced to nothing but a floating head, provided them a map and the command word Krokulmar. Puck discovered scattered notes revealing that Markos Delphi performed rituals on the third floor and that a cavernous room lay beneath the basement.
Entering the mansion proved immediately eventful. Puck's Mage Hand triggered a wild surge that turned the air thick as water, granting everyone the ability to fly. The foyer was grand but unsettling — an owlbear rug, thirty-foot ceilings, and candles with flames that floated above their wicks. When magic was cast near the parlor, two suits of animated armor came to life and attacked. The ensuing combat saw Penelope wild-shape into a brown bear and demolish one suit, while the combined efforts of Orimene's radiant True Strike, Anar's wine-bottle-cooling trick and Dreadful Strike, and Puck's Vicious Mockery brought down the second.
Retreating to the kitchen, the party descended into the wine cellar and discovered a hidden door behind a cask — leading to a temple where four purple-cloaked figures muttered obliviously over papers. Elra's head warned them away. When Orimene later spoke the command word, a shadow creature materialized and stabbed her for 8 damage — a wound that defied all magical healing.
After a short rest, the party ascended to the third floor and encountered a transformed wizard — a human woman cursed by the mansion's eldritch energies. She revealed that Markos was in the basement cavern, attempting to summon an eldritch entity using the Codex. She provided the password Farrl Hrak for the ritual room and begged them not to kill Markos, who was under the entity's influence rather than acting of his own will. The session ended with the party armed with crucial intelligence and a dangerous decision ahead.
Penelope wild-shaped into a massive brown bear and charged the animated suit of armor. With a savage claw-and-bite combo — rolling 18 and 19 to hit — she ripped through the enchanted steel like tinfoil. The armor that had knocked Puck flat didn't stand a chance against 400 pounds of druidic fury.
While the rest of the party fought animated armor in the parlor, Anar was in the kitchen filling his wineskins. He emerged — sword in one hand, wine bottle in the other — threw the bottle at a red-hot suit of armor to crack it, then drove his blade home with a devastating Dreadful Strike. Priorities.
Orimene, still shaken from watching her previous party die in this very mansion, channeled her rage into a True Strike and rolled a natural 20. Radiant energy blazed through her staff as she slammed it into the animated armor. "This is for Elra!" she cried — a cathartic moment of payback against the house that took everything from her.
Elra: Reduced to a floating head. Former guide who made the mansion map and provided the command word "Krokulmar." Warns the party but cannot physically help.
Markos Delphi: Mansion owner attempting to summon an eldritch entity in the basement cavern using the Codex. Under the entity's influence — not acting of free will.
Gertie: Delphi family member who hired the party. Views adventuring parties as disposable.
The Transformed Wizard: Human woman on 3rd floor, cursed by the mansion's magic. Allied with the party. Gave password "Farrl Hrak." Her chanting keeps doors/windows open.
Purple-Cloaked Figures (x4): In the temple below the wine cellar. Performing a stabilization ritual for Markos's summoning.
The Cage: Eldritch entity Markos is trying to summon. Worm/dragon-like being from the lowest realm. An avatar of an eldritch god.
Took the brunt of the armor's attacks (14 damage) but kept the party together with Bardic Inspiration and creative spellcasting. Finished the second suit with Vicious Mockery.
The party's heavy hitter this session. Perception 19 on the approach, Heat Metal on armor, then wild-shaped into a bear and destroyed an entire suit of animated armor.
Overcame her trauma to land a nat 20 True Strike and crack the hidden wine cellar door (investigation 23). Paid the price when the shadow creature targeted her.
Wine connoisseur and creative combatant. Threw a wine bottle at heated armor to crack it, then followed with a 13-damage Dreadful Strike. Caught a dagger mid-air.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| The Codex | Infernal book Markos is using for the summoning ritual. Primary retrieval objective. |
| Elra's Map | Full layout of the Alabaster Mansion. Carried by Orimene. |
| Elra's Notes | Markos's room on 3rd floor. Cavernous room under basement. Number "4" circled. |
| Command Word: Krokulmar | Opens sealed doors/windows. Triggers wild surges and potentially the shadow creature. |
| Password: Farrl Hrak | Opens secret ritual room door. Also the entity's true name — speaking it invokes power. |
The party has regrouped at the top of the third floor staircase after a short rest. They are battered but informed — they know where the Codex is, who has it, and what it's being used for. Orimene carries a wound that defies healing. Penelope has one wild shape use remaining. Anar is well-stocked with wine. Puck has recovered some HP but remains below full.
The party must descend to the basement cavern, confront Markos Delphi, and retrieve the Codex — while deciding whether to fight or find a way to save him.