Curse of BlackWater Mansion

"Curse of BlackWater Mansion" (C1.S01.1) is the first one-shot in the first campaign of The Vanguard.

## Synopsis

Long ago, Merthos Blackwater was entrusted by the Arcane Brotherhood with one of the (5) keys needed to unlock the vault where Naraxas the Mage Killer is located. An artifact of devastating power that, if fallen to the wrong hands could have terrible consequences to our world. The Vanguard, a heroes guild tasked with finding and ridding the world of such evil, has been contracted by the Arcane Brotherhood to recover the lost artifact and hold it for safe keeping. The Vanguard believes that the Blackwater key must be hidden somewhere in the mansion.

Time and age has taken its toll and all that is left of the Blackwater Family is their mansion and the small town that bears their name. This small town of Blackwater has been plagued by a mysterious curse that has turned the once-lush swamp on its outskirts into a rotting wasteland.

## Guild Dispatches

The following are messages from the guild members who participated in the mission. They contain valuable information the guild can use to piece together clues.

> *Having recently been inducted into The Vanguard, for a novitiate trial, three adventurers met for the first time in a large alcove for their assignment. General Grom, a large half-orc, sneered at the small group and handed them some parchment while giving an overview of what lay ahead of them. The small town of Blackwater, once home to a thriving wood mill, has been experiencing strange and ethereal disturbances. Arinthal, the mayor of Blackwater, contacted The Vanguard to send some mercenaries and investigate the recent happenings. The job given to the trio is to help the town as best as possible... but also (and strongly encouraged as necessary) to find a rumored key that may be hidden somewhere nearby. "The key is none of your business. Just find it and return it. And, do what you can to help the town."*
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> *Roxy (a high elf wizard), Hulgrim Gloamingguard (a dwarf cleric), and Arrik (an elf rogue) arrive at Blackwater after a 3-day ride on a horse-drawn cart. Barely inhabited, the "town" is ramshackle and bare with a sense of foreboding and misery wherever you look. As the group approaches, a group of people are talking and arguing with Arinthal in the open Square. Announcing themselves, the mayor breaks away from the cluster of people to greet the newest members of The Vanguard. Happy to see them, he begins to share what he knows and answer questions as best as he can:*
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> *The Blackwater family were wealthy and had built a large mansion that could be seen on the edge of the town. They acquired their fortune from many old mills located in the surrounding woods; but are now quiet and unmanned. The family had always been eccentric, and it seems that as their wealth and family grew, so did their fondness for the occult. It is rumored that about five years ago, when a few people vanished, it was the Blackwater family that kidnapped and began using them for sinister experiments. The nearby swamp is surely haunted by the spirits of these victims (and more), where it is said their bodies were disposed of. It has been almost two years since anyone has seen or heard from any member of the Blackwaters. The mansion is in disrepair, even though the groundskeeper, “Old Man” Gendry, continues to reside in a shack on the estate and still tries to maintain the grounds (but it is near impossible with the swamp seeming to slowly creep closer and closer). Captain Haldor of the town guard, took a troop of men into the mansion two days ago. They have not been heard from. “Please find the cause of the evil that is encroaching, banish it, and save us.”*
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> *The trio of hopeful saviors first attempt to re-supply and acquire needed resources. There is not much left aside from a small shop run by a milksop halfling (whose name is inconsequential). Torn between salvation and greed, he only reduces his prices by 10%. And, only because of the influence of the mayor.*
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> *Warnings of traps, spirits, the undead, and madness are shouted to Roxy, Hulgrim, and Arrick as they make their way to the mansion with the hope of gaining more insight by talking to ‘Old Man’ Gendry. The walk is not long and by circumstance, they happen upon the shack and living quarters of the groundskeeper. Even though he does what he can to maintain the estate during the day, the late afternoon means that night will be upon them and he is fearful to step outside. Gendry only speaks of moaning and anguished cries coming from both the mansion and the swamp. He is quite sure the mansion is trapped and contains secret doors with hidden passages built by the Blackwaters as the family’s occult desire became stronger. Moving on to the mansion, the heroes see a fight occurring at the front entrance. Uniformed men, appearing to be battered and wounded, are struggling to escape from emaciated living corpses. The undead are quickly dispatched without incident and thanks are given by Capt. Haldor and his three remaining men (originally, it was 12 who entered). Haldor cannot be persuaded to continue fighting or offer any more assistance. But, he does warn they had explored the upper levels and found nothing to save the town or explain the encroaching curse. He then wishes the Vanguard team the best of luck with a mournful salute.*
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> *Once past the threshold and in the main hall, Roxy casts a detect magic spell which shows that there is definitely something mystical to the East and down a long hallway. Although Arrik, taking the lead, was quiet and careful, he missed seeing the wire to a pitfall trap, which was triggered by the dwarf, Hulgrim. The fall did little more than bruise his ego. But, it did remind them that rumors can be true and they would need to proceed with caution. The end of the hallway led to a study. Searching the desk, some gold was found along with a brass bowl holding a bag of teeth. Strewn papers containing both clear writing and incoherent scribbles show the descent into madness that occurred to the family. A secret latch was found and this opened a door in the fireplace to a steep staircase going down.*
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> *Entering the middle of a wide and long East-West hallway, the group heads East (because why not East?). The hallway ends at a large door. The lock is picked, but as it is opened, the door falls off its hinges and creates a loud ‘boom’. Past the door is a small room with a clean table and chest. With no traps found, the chest is opened and contains a silver candelabra, 4 potions, 520 gp, and a brass key with arcane markings (the key that was to be returned?). Returning to the hallway to go West, some shambling figures are seen approaching. Arrik quickly uses his bow to do some impressive damage. Roxy prepares a dragon breath spell and Hulgrim moves forward to fight. The figures approach closer, and a total of four can be seen. Arrik drops the first zombie with another arrow directly to the forehead. After moving slightly closer, a fire blazes down the hallway from Roxy’s breath. Hulgrim moves closer and engages the undead. The zombies attack and do no more than scratch and claw with little to no injury. Blinded by the flame, Arrik’s next arrow misses. Standing next to Hulgrim, Roxy spews more fire before retreating some paces. This breath, however, sets the corpse in front of her on fire, and Hulgrim dispatches it with a hard blow. The last zombie lurches forward at Roxy. But, Arrik makes a devastating arrow shot into its mouth, severing the spine, and causing it to fall on top of Roxy who slipped while avoiding the attack. It can be seen that these zombies had only recently arisen from death. One carried a powerful holy symbol. Another had exceptional leather armor that impressed Arrik. He looted the body and donned the armor which fit him well. Two handfuls of gold were also confiscated.*
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> *Continuing down the hall and around a corner. The trio found that the walls of the hallway had not only been bashed both from the inside and the outside but that they opened into a larger cavern. Using her detect magic spell again it is revealed that deeper in the cave, there is more magic… and it is moving. Continuing forward, a loud warning of “GeT OuT! LEavE!” is shouted ahead. Undaunted, and slowly moving deeper. It is seen that the decaying body of a large Ogre is aware of them and preparing to fight. Hulgrim takes the lead, Roxy prepares a spell, and Arrik pulls out dual daggers in place of his bow. There is a quick charge and both the Ogre and Hulgrim clash. Roxy’s spell doesn’t seem to work as intended. Arrik slips to the side with the hope of flanking the monster. Another round of fighting produces heavy damage to both the Ogre and Hulgrim. Roxy changes tactics to a melee weapon, with Arrik making a formidable strike with a sneak attack. Hulgrim deflects a powerful strike from the Ogre, which is also able to injure Roxy. Her blade stabs into the beast just as Arrik does a leaping attack from behind, thrusting both daggers into the sides of the Ogre’s neck and slicing down its back. With a terminal flounder, the Ogre’s body falls forward on top of Roxy who was trapped against a wall. The magic from the Ogre dissipates, and a sense of well-being and ease begins to diffuse into the cavern.*
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> *Upon returning to the surface, night has still not yet fallen and the evening sky is clear. No cries or shrieks are heard anywhere. Heading to the Square, townspeople can be seen outside smiling and feeling well. Arinthal greets the team and after hearing the story, thanks them for saving the town. A generous donation is made to the local church along with large purchases of food, drink, and materials to celebrate the victory. The following (beautiful) morning, the team of three begins their return to The Vanguard.*
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1. ↑ Be aware that this is told from the player’s perspective of the adventure. Details and happenings may have been presented with some liberties taken to fill in the blanks from poor memory and scribbled notes. Other players should be asked about their views of what happened, and are also welcome to type their stories to share.