TGAT: Session 9

The Gralhund Villa Bloodbath

### Participants

Gorog Un-Fallas, Lia Saevia, Richard Dickens, Levi Gastonne, Dave D'angle, Bushy

## Progression

### Next →

TGAT: Session 8
TGAT: Session 10

## **Chapter 3: Fireball (Cont...)**

### Scene 5: Gralhund Villa *(day)* (Cont..)

As Richard Dickens stepped down from the wall he had just scaled a concerned citizen shouted *"Hey! Get down from there you scoundrel!"*. Keeping to the trees and well groomed tree line Richard Dickens and Lia Saevia approached the door to the Gralhund Villa's barracks. Richard Dickens too afraid of being caught again fled the scene with Lia Saevia. Meanwhile Gorog Un-Fallas banging on the coach house door caught the attention of the Gralhund groundskeeper Hurv Taldred. Gorog Un-Fallas brazenly told Hurv that someone had climbed over the front wall and was attempting to break in. Hurv invited Gorog Un-Fallas in to show him where they had infiltrated and whistled for his two mastiffs to accompany him, they arrived outside the barracks door just moments after Richard Dickens and Lia Saevia had made their escape. Not finding anyone Hurv let Gorog Un-Fallas out via the main gate.

### Scene 6: Trollskull Manor

The party regrouped back in Trollskull Manor. Levi showed off the newly acquired Nimblewright Detector obtained from Valetta in the Temple of Gond.

### Scene 7: Gralhund Villa *(night)*

Returning to Gralhund Villa at night the party began a second round of reconnaissance. Levi attempted to climb a villa opposite Gralhund Villa to get a view of the grounds but lacked the strength and footholds to get higher than 10 foot up the walls *(rolled a 1)*.

Richard Dickens, Bushy and Lia Saevia opted to infiltrate the villa from the front, scaling the 12 foot tall walls into the yard, with Gorog Un-Fallas, Dave D'angle, and Levi infiltrating via the rear wall. Richard Dickens approaching the barracks door heard a demonic growling noise coming from around the corner, moments later the two normal looking mastiffs from earlier skulk around following the scent of man flesh, however now they appear as black masses of pure shadow. The two shadow mastiffs charged into the trespassing trio who were able to work together to dispatch the beasts.

After the battle Dave D'angle, Levi, Richard Dickens, and Bushy enter the barracks simultaneously from both doors at either end of the guard barracks.

> *This one-story stone building attached to the mansion serves as quarters for twenty house guards. The main room contains ten bunk beds. Each comes with a pair of footlockers containing folded clothes and worthless personal effects.*
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> *The room in the northwest corner contains wooden mannequins and racks designed to hold armour and weapons. Since there are no guards present, the mannequins and racks are bare.*
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As this half of the party explore the guard barracks; Gorog Un-Fallas and Lia Saevia explore the coach house finding four horses and Lady Gralhund's jet-black riding horse Maladar, which is outfitted with horseshoes of speed and two saddlebags, each of which holds four 5-pound gold trade bars worth 250 gp each. They then rejoin the party as they begin to enter Gralhund Villa via the unlocked side-door into the kitchen.

Entering the laundry room containing scrub buckets, wash basins, soap, mops, and chamber pots. The party find a dead servant, a middle-aged female human *(the head maid)* left on the stairs leading up to the servants' quarters. The maid has a ring of keys on her belt which is taken by Richard Dickens.

Entering the pantry the party find shelves containing dry foodstuffs, spices, folded tablecloths, and jars of preserves. Casks of fresh water, ale, and wine are also stored here. Gorog Un-Fallas opens the barred door leading out to the street although visibly struggles *(succeeding a DC 20 Strength check)* to lift and carefully place down the huge iron bar. The party also find the corpses of two servants, an older male human *(the head butler)* and a younger male halfling *(a cook)*.

Entering the great hall for the first time the party notice the following:

* Two human thugs bearing Zhentarim tattoos and holding blood drenched maces stand over the bodies of eight human guards wearing bloody and tattered House Gralhund livery over their chain shirts, as well as two dead human Zhents in black leather armour.
* The sound of fighting can be heard coming from the top of a wide staircase in the northwest corner.
* Two iron chandeliers hang from the dark mahogany ceiling above a long dining table carved from red larchwood. Chairs surround the table, with a particularly tall and elaborate chair at each end.
* A fireplace with a black marble mantelpiece has a framed family portrait mounted above it. (The portrait depicts Lord and Lady Gralhund, their three young children, and a family dog that died three years ago.)

The majority of the party members charged into the two thugs who managed to defend themselves most competently with their heavy maces. Richard Dickens made a flamboyant dash down the length of the dining table, leaping to an iron chandelier and superhero landing behind the Zhentarim duo to make a surprise attack, all while singing strategic advice at the top of his lungs to the other party members.

After dispatching the thugs the party immediately proceeded upstairs to investigate the sounds of fighting. In the foyer at the top of the stairs they found four guards in House Gralhund livery defending an ornate door from being entered by three Zhentarim. The party assisted in dispatching the Zhentarim, but Gorog Un-Fallas continued attacking the House Gralhund guard triggering Bushy to continue fighting as per his programming. Richard Dickens and Dave D'angle also helped to slay the remaining House Gralhund guard.

Entering the master bedroom they find Lady Yalah Gralhund, wearing a breastplate and armed with a rapier, standing next to her well-dressed half-orc bodyguard, Hrabbaz. They inform her that she is safe now and ask if she is okay, before asking what the Zhentarim were doing here to which she replies *"They were trying to kidnap us for ransom. Has my husband fallen with the guards outside or is that maggot cowering in the guest suite?".* As she gestures back towards the door the party hear the sound of a boot being put to a door behind them and go back to the foyer to inspect the other door at the top of the stairs .

Opening the door they party encounter a wounded Urstul Floxin. He's trying to kick open the opposite door in a desperate attempt to capture Lord Orond Gralhund and trade him for the Stone of Golorr. The party accost him before reaching Lord Orond Gralhund, resulting in Urstul making an attempt to flee the villa by skill-fully tumbling past all members of the party. As he passes he drops a handful of caltrops on the stairs behind him and begins to withdraw at maximum speed.

From the top of the stairs Dave D'angle holds his longsword over his head, blade down behind his back and performs a flawless *(natural 20)* overhead launch of his weapon towards the fleeing Urstul Floxin impaling him from the back through his mid-section and he drops to his knees at the bottom of the stairs struggling to breathe via his newly acquired sword-blocked wind pipe.