Prologue - Death House

The Tiefling shrugs at the lack of knowledge about the seal and carrying the remaining scrolls and books with his arms walks out to show Drina and Narissa.

With the party outside the secret room, it is safe for Drina and Narissa to release the lever. Narissa, being the last spellcaster in the party, still can't make out what the third scroll says (so it's not meant for a sorcerer either). The floorboards creak ominously outside the library. Other than the wind howling in the eaves, all is deathly still.

After looking at the scroll, Narissa shakes her head. "Sorry, I can't read it."

Amalthea begins to roll up the scrolls to distribute among the party to store.

"Whelp, at least we found some treasure. Did you find anything about what we could possibly be facing Abraham?"

The party begins to rest and take stock of their treasure when a distant sound breaks the eerie silence. The tinkle of bells and the creak of axles. . . .

"Vai!" Drina cries, flying out the door and down the hall. If you were to peer out the library windows, you would see a donkey and cart led by a young boy with the same curly hair and ruddy complexion as Drina. Your companion appears on the lawn, sprinting toward the boy and embracing him. Drina's desperation seems to flood out of her body and into the Mist as she holds her brother tight, finally free of the terror of uncertainty. The two give you one final wave goodbye as they lead the cart through the mist and are swallowed. You understand that they have managed to escape this nightmare and return their own world of light, mirth, and family: in a word, home.

---

Abraham will pack one or two of the most important looking books into his pack. "We should be on our way."

The slender form of Taniwha moved to the door Drina had dashed through, finding it jammed he quickly adjusted he positioning to the window and watched the scene unfold in the shadows of the house. His hands and face pressed to the pane until he hears Abraham speak.

The young Tiefling pulls away from the window pulling his hood over and seems to sink further into its shadows, a glimmer of light reflecting off moisture upon a pale cheek. Without a word he moves out of the room with the Warrior.

"Wait, it may be dangerous..."

Before Amalthea can put a steadying hand on Drina's shoulder, the ranger is gone, quick as a flash out the door, down the hall, and far beyond their sight. She rushes to follow along with Taniwha to the library windows and is surprised, but relieved to see the woman embracing a young boy and her body showing a great load of anxiety and fear has been released from her shoulders. As she and her charge wave goodbye, Amlathea thumps the area over her heart and holds the fist up, whispering: "The stone never forgets, and neither do we. Farewell."

She notices Taniwha's moist cheek, but pretends to see nothing and preserve his privacy. The ranger had touched all their hearts and would be sorely missed, but it was comforting to know she was away from the evil and darkness of this house and going home.

Narissa watches the scene playout with confusion, until Drina hugs the little boy, then her expression changes to understanding. Drina, it seems, was needed more somewhere else.

Narissa follows Abraham.

The party leaves the library and ascends the spiral staircase to the third floor. The dented remains of the wolf knight lay strewn about the hall. Past the secret door Taniwha found in the western wall is a narrow, 5' wide staircase, which the party uses to climb up to the attic.

The attic is dominated by a large hall that is 20' wide at its widest point. There are two doors in this room, and a hallway branches north two two more. To the south is a window so slick with grime that it's almost opaque. Yet, the party can see the mist-shrouded lawn outside—and still nothing beyond. The wall of mist still hangs around the house.

Using Vasha's directions, the party can easily find the storage room. The 20' wide space is cluttered with dusty chairs, coat racks, and standing mirrors and draped with white sheets. On the north wall is an iron stove, and in the west wall is an alcove with another grimy window.

The party has to stand in place for a minute until Vasha appears, once again a gaunt, spectral form of pale blue light. "I trust you are here because you found the spells? I fear you will need all the help you can get down there." She presses a ghostly hand to the northeast corner of the room. "Here you will find the secret passage. Would that I could go with you, but my curse prevents me. Please do what you can for the children."

With Vasha's guidance, any of you can easily make out the hair-thin seam of the secret door. It swings wide almost too easily, as if the house wants you to go downstairs. You find a creaky, rotting wood staircase spiraling down and down through a cramped, 5' stone shaft. "I will pray for your safe return. Morninglord be with you." Vasha bows and is gone again.

Once the party decides to move down the rotten staircase, Amalthea will help lead, bringing up her shield and borrow a torch to hold with the other hand. Once they reach the bottom of the stairs or a new room, she will use divine sense if there is not any obvious enemy.

From the shadows of his hood Taniwha asks, "Vasha, would any of the rooms hold anything special to the children. Something that may assist us in showing are good intentions for them?"

Abraham will be to the front of the line -- the first rank if it's two abreast, the second if it's only single file. He will give Amalthea his torch when she asks, so he can have his sword in hand.

Narissa will follow after Abraham. She is prepared to light any torches or fireplaces that she sees, so that everyone can have light and be able to fight at full capacity.

Taniwha will be tail-end Charlie.

"There is the children's room, down the hall from here." Vasha turns her eyes down, as if heartbroken. "It is the last place I saw them when I was alive. It should hold their most cherished possessions."

Taniwha pulls his hood back briefly as he nods his thanks to the spirit. Then turn to the group his voice escaping the shadows of his hood, "Maybe we should check out one last room before heading down, something there may helps us in the confrontation to come?"

The Tiefling already making his way to the door and back into the hallway.

"Aye, after what we saw at the entrance and that knight, we best be prepared."

Amalthea follows Taniwha's lead.

Anraham looks down the stairs but reluctantly relents, following the others to the children's room.

The children's room is just down the hall from the storage room, held tight by a heavy iron padlock. Narrisa uses the iron key, and the door swings wide.

The children's room is a 15' wide square with two dusty beds against the far wall. Between them, a window looks out onto the woods east of the house. Close to the door is a toy chest painted with windmills and a peculiar dollhouse—one that's an exact replica of the house in which you stand. Both of these, and the rest of the furniture, are draped in cobwebs.

Lying in the middle of the room are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing. The smaller one holds a stuffed doll.