Sky Bay Casino

### **History**

Built by Lord Verdiana Vidrom in the mid 1400s, the main estate and surrounding houses served as the main base and garrison for House Vidrom. In 1490 the estate was extensively renovated and the surrounding buildings were demolished and turned into gardens. It was later converted into the Sky Bay Casino in 1532 by Lord Dharros Vidrom following the death of his mother.

### **Vidrom Vault**

Constructed in 1490 in collaboration with House Silverstrong, the Vidrom Vault was designed to store dangerous magical artifacts by coating it with thick plates of steel forged from the Nightwell Meteorite. One of the most secure locations in Tulmon, the Vault has been somewhat repurposed since Verdiana Vidrom's death and changed into a private Vault for more general use.

## **Casino Event**

On the 20th of Eleint 1542, three members of the Court of Nine Lords and every other patron of the Sky Bay Casino suddenly vanished.

"*Tulmon is in a state of grief following the Highlord’s death. In remembrance, Lord Dharros Vidrom will be hosting a Celebration of Life reception this Moonday at the Sky Bay Casino. All of Tulmon’s wealthiest movers and shakers will be in attendance. Including a few of the conspirators."*

### **The Arrival**

The Chums were invited to the event through a mysterious letter sent by Le Lievre. Each member arrived at the casino assigned a different job and with a personal motivation to see it through.

Frederico Fantastico arrived unceremoniously and quickly began casing the casino. He discussed gossip with a bartender, drank some wine, and flirted with the chaste Mara Mason. Sated, he then proceeded to quietly steal as much gold as possible while entertaining the elder noble, Nina Bettencourt and her companion, Lord Enard Nolle.

Wolfstein Bear and Gnugnut Silverstrong arrived shortly thereafter, they were led into a private room by Captain Talia Joy, and were introduced to Lord Dharros Vidrom, Lord Nathaniel Glaindree, his son Cyril Glaindree, and the bitter Lord Yacob Deepmantle. The men were uneasy about the return of the Highlord's brother to the city, and tensions between Gnugs and Yacob flared, with the later eventually removing himself from the chambers. Wanting to extricate himself from the situation as well, Nathaniel led Cyril and the young Wolfstein to the gambling tables to drink, smoke cigars, and burn off some steam. Now alone with Vidrom, Gnugs questioned him about his brother's death, to which Vidrom feigned ignorance. Vidrom quickly left the room thereafter, and retreated to his office in the basement.

Toydle Shellingsworth awaited the men as they arrived at the gambling tables. He handily defeated Yacob in a game of dice and won the Lord's purse in coin. Inebriated and fuming, Yacob threatened to lock Toydle up like he had done with a previously Tortle, but was talked down by Nathaniel and the others at the table. Toydle then proceeded to the dinning area, where his mere presence sickened Enard Nolle. Following this outburst, Frederico delt a vicious mockery to Nolle, prompting him to leave the party and retreat to the gardens.

Aria Queen was the last to arrive, and used her familiar Alto to scout the casino and steal as much gold as possible from unsuspecting patrons. Many of who had begun behaving very strangely, suffering from outbursts of aggression, to uncontrollable laughing fits. This behavior seemed to worsen as the night progressed. Directed by a voice, she met with the singer Ilyana Varelle and discovered that she too had been "touched" and was haunted by her past. Unfortunately, Ilyana became erratic and distraught, and recused herself from the conversation.

### **The Turn**

Following a loud explosion, Ilyana Varelle took to the stage and began singing an excruciating song. Her spine lengthened and her skin began sloughing off her flesh. Bursting from her chest, small spiders began forming strands of silk between her ribs, and to her delight she began strumming these new strings, completing her transformation into the Singer of Despair. Elsewhere in the gambling room, Nathaniel Glaindree and Yacob Deepmantle came to blows. They screamed in anguish as their fists melded into each other's flesh. In a grotesque display of pus and blood, their bodies completely consumed one another as they transformed into the Lords of Wrath.

Most of the patrons panicked and tried to escape, with the ill-trained guards locking and blocking the doors behind them. Meanwhile other patrons, like Mara Mason and Nina Bettencourt, began to transform into Monstrosities. The Chums fought bravely and defeated the monsters, only to find themselves trapped inside the casino by a thick black fog encircling outside.

### **First Night**

The Chums found themselves in an empty casino filled with corpses and the stench of death. Drowned by a constant rumbling coming from the basement, they explored the casino floor and rooms, killing all remaining monstrosities in their way. By doing so, they managed to rescue a dwarven bartender named Malgon Keghood, Lord Nathaniel Glaindree's son Cyril Glaindree, an observant waitress named Lisa Phelps, the courageous cook Meatgood and the cowardly guard Guy Fleegman. With the acid fog blocking the windows and exits, Aria and Frederico decided to explore the basement. Creeping down a dark corridor, they spotted Captain Talia, and followed her into the guards' quarters. Inside the dimly lit room, they were ambushed by a large Tentaghoul, but they miraculously managed to escape through the skin of their teeth.

After yet another brush with death, the Chums decided to lick their wounds and rest for the night. Their slumber was far from restful however, and they each found themselves trapped in dreadful nightmares. Frederico performed on a stage, only to be ripped apart by his audience. Gnugnut used his immense powers to vanquish an owlbear, only to be consumed by void within himself. Aria lost herself in her own mind, and watched in horror as someone else took over her body. Toydle drowned in a flood of bones and skulls caused by his incessant gambling. Wolfstein played a nice game of catch with a dark God, and was given a molten ball as a gift.

As they slept, the fog outside abated and a pack of Shadow Mastiffs prowled through the area. Attracted by the stench of death, they slunk their way into the casino and tried to pick off the weak within the group. The Chums stood their ground until the Mastiffs retreated as the fog crept back in. Sadly, Malgon Keghood was slaughtered in the fight. Stuck in a rapidly worsening situation and with no way out, the group agreed to investigate the source of rumbling sound and trekked back down into the basement.

### **The Basement**

The Chums and the other survivors crept into. Together, they burst into Dharros Vidrom's office and confronted him about the Highlord's death, and the slaughter at the casino. Vidrom told them that he was a patsy in the conspiracy, that he had been used as a money launderer for the other conspirators. When pressed for their identities, he did not budge. The Chums tied him up and brought him with them.

Slowly they made their way back to the guard's quarters, only to find the Tentaghoul dead in the middle of the room and Captain Talia sobbing quietly in the corner. They quietly approached to help her, but as she faced them, she revealed a large smile with razor sharp teeth. Having walked into its trap, the Maurezhi impersonating Captain Talia revived the Tentaghoul and summoned her remaining Ghouls. The Chums fought bravely but as their backline was ambushed by Ghouls, Aria freed Vidrom to help in the fight. Waiting for an opportune moment, Vidrom fled to the Vault, opening it in the process. Behind the Vault doors was a raging black sandstorm. Before he could jump through, he was stopped by the spell wielding Frederico.

As the dust settled after the fight, the Chums pinned Dharros Vidrom to the floor and pressed him to name the conspirators. As Vidrom once again refused to comply, they presented him with an ultimatum: help us, or die. He spat in their face and they slit his throat in front of the other survivors. With the dead Lord's body at their feet, and an ominous storm beckoning them, the Chums knew the worst was yet to come.

### **The Vault**

Toydle was the first the cross the threshold of Vault and enter the storm. He found himself in an empty black void save for a lone figure standing in front of him. It was his long lost father. He confronted his father about his abandonment as a child and about the hardships he had faced in the Monastery he was raised in. His father offered that they could forget the past and live happily from this moment forth. But a saddened and furious Toydle pressed the issue, and the image of his father grew angry and distorted, revealing itself to be the Shadow King.

As the other Chums entered the Vault, they found themselves in the eye of a raging storm, with Toydle and his father standing at the center of it. The Vault was in the process of being terraformed by black swirling vortex, with its thick plates being slowly shred from the inside out. Inside the Shadow King's domain, they found themselves in the fight for their lives against an enemy of unnatural speed and ability. The Shadow King was outfitted with the black studded leather garments of a trained assassin and wore the melting golden mask of Highlord Balor. He crawled into their minds and summoned creatures who bore the appearance of loved ones from their past. The Chums fought valiantly, defeating his increasingly more powerful and unstable forms, until Frederico shattered the golden mask and vanquished him.

Suddenly, the Chums found themselves back in the material world and surrounded by an embarrassment of riches. Enthralled by the gold, magic items and wonders inside the Vidrom Vault, the Chums quickly sought and stole things that caught their fancy. Among these items, Frederico found the golden mask he had shattered, and slipped the largest piece he could find into his bag.

Their joy was short lived however, as brightly lit spheres descended from the ceiling and entranced them. Toydle was the only one whose mental fortitude resisted the spell, and he watched as elite soldiers and nobles from House Twupoc, House Silverstrong, House Glaindree and the Nightwell emerged from a teleportation circle in the middle of the room. They quickly seized him and the other Chums. With bags placed over their heads, they were arrested and brought to the Nightwell Fortress for questioning.