The Corpse Hall and Home
General Summary
The party began their investigation by examining a mechanical corpse collector beneath the mill, a strange construct with spears and swords protruding from its rust-colored metal body. Bodies from the recent demon attack dangled from the machine, painted with dark blue streaks that would prove significant later. Pomplin performed a medicine check to confirm the timeline of deaths matched the recent attack, while Sylrie examined the painted markings to see if they were runes, though she couldn't determine their meaning. The party decided to remove the bodies to give the townspeople closure for proper burial.
Sylrie performed divine funeral rites over the recovered bodies, feeling the presence of her god and temporarily lifting the oppressive gloom that permeated the chamber. Tupolo, in his dire wolf form, sniffed the corpse collector to check for similar scents in the area but found nothing conclusive. As they completed the funeral rites, they felt evil and decay beginning to seep back from deeper within the underground complex. The party moved forward cautiously, peering around a corner into a larger chamber where they discovered strange flowers growing in pots.
Tansy identified the expensive plants as originating from another plane of existence, specifically from demon realms and used in alchemy. When consumed, these plants could imbue a person with demonic rage by channeling essence from the demonic realms. The party also found a bucket with blue towels that matched the paint on the corpse collector, along with bottles on shelves and a sword. Tupolo scouted ahead and made a horrifying discovery - a massive ten-foot-tall demon with syringe fingers praying over a corpse on an altar, injecting something into the body before carrying it away.
The party identified an arcane teleportation circle in the chamber, which Tansy recognized through her arcana knowledge as conjuration magic used for summoning and teleporting. They realized this might be how the undead demonic army was transporting between locations during their coordinated attacks. Slyrie cast dispel magic using a sixth-level spell slot to deactivate the circle, causing the glowing runes to go completely dark. To ensure it remained disabled, they physically removed one of the runic bricks from the circle, with Sylrie keeping it as potential evidence or trade material.
Devising an infiltration plan, Tansy cast Disguise Self to appear as the corpse collector they had encountered earlier. Pomplin attempted to harvest pieces from the actual corpse collector to add authenticity to the disguise, studying the blue paint markings to replicate them. The party discussed positioning and stealth tactics, with Tansy leading in disguise while the others followed behind. However, when they attempted to pass through an archway, they encountered a black, viscous magical barrier.
The barrier dealt eight points of necrotic damage to Tansy and repelled her, revealing that demon blood was required to pass through safely. Pomplin applied the blue demon blood paint to his clothes and successfully passed through without taking damage. Tupolo dipped his paw in the demon blood and also made it through, while Tansy managed to pass after the blood transfer burned away but still got through safely. They brought the bucket of demon blood closer to act as a doorway passage for future use.
In the altar chamber beyond the barrier, Pomplin cast Detect Magic on a stone altar, revealing strong necrotic energy typical of necromancer lairs used for reanimating the dead. Tansy examined the demon blood more closely, determining it contained sulfur and iron, confirming its demonic origin. Sylrie listened at a stone door and heard large footsteps, liquid being poured, and metal latches closing from the chamber beyond. The party positioned themselves strategically around the room, with Tansy maintaining her corpse collector disguise in front of the door.
When the stone door opened, it revealed the massive demon they had glimpsed earlier - a ten-foot-tall creature with dark red skin, curved horns, and syringes grafted into its fingers instead of normal nails. The demon immediately saw through Tansy's disguise, declaring "That's a really bad disguise" before combat began. Tansy's spiritual weapon, positioned strategically as a glaive, immediately attacked for twelve points of force damage as initiative was rolled.
The battle was intense but decisive. Tansy dropped her illusion and launched into a devastating flurry of attacks, successfully landing a stunning strike that left the demon unable to take actions or reactions. With the demon stunned, Sylrie attacked with advantage, dealing slashing damage with both her weapon and spiritual weapon. Tupolo transformed into his wolf form and bit the demon's ankles, using pack tactics to knock the massive creature prone. Pomplin cast Sorcerer's Burst with lightning damage, which also burned off the demon blood residue from his body.
Tansy's most devastating moment came when she delivered a flurry of blows with advantage against the prone demon, including a critical hit that dealt maximum doubled damage. She used her Hand of Harm ability, adding significant necrotic damage and poisoning the demon. In a single turn, Tansy dealt eighty-two points of damage, completely destroying what they thought was the demon and reducing it to "piles of blue meat." However, their victory was short-lived.
The demon had been playing dead after regenerating, having rolled a natural twenty on its stealth check. It suddenly erupted with a wave of black energy, dealing forty-six points of necrotic damage to Tansy and reducing her hit point maximum. The creature struggled back to its feet with wounds knitting back together, revealing it was a Demetica demon - a support demon known for healing abilities and regeneration. Slyrie responded with Steel Wind Strike for thirty-three force damage, followed by a War Priest bonus action attack for fifteen more slashing damage.
The final blow came from Tupolo, who transformed into his starry archer form, his body becoming a constellation of stars. He fired a radiant arrow that appeared as a tracer beam of golden starlight, dealing thirteen radiant damage. The radiant damage proved crucial, as it stopped the demon's regeneration ability, causing the creature to melt back to the fiendish realm. The demon spoke something in Abyssal before disappearing completely, finally defeated.
After the intense combat, Sylrie cast Greater Restoration on Tansy to remove the necrotic damage effect that had reduced her hit point maximum. The party then explored the demon's lair more thoroughly, with Tupolo finding a potion of clairvoyance and a potion of mind control among various alchemical supplies. They discovered large metal tanks containing human bodies being transformed into demons through necromantic and transmutational magic. Most disturbing were two coffins bearing the Dewhold family crest - an eight-point star in a telescoping pattern.
The coffins contained elvish skeletons from the Age of Spirits, thousands of years old and properly deceased. Sylrie showed visible relief that the bodies were ancient skeletons rather than recent victims or missing family members. Pomplin made a history check and learned about the ancient Dewhold family lineage, discovering they were pure-blooded elves who were xenophobic and anti-pantheon. This led to a tense conversation where Pomplin questioned whether Sylrie's family might be allied with demons, given the presence of their ancestral coffins in this demonic laboratory.
The party investigated the transformation tanks more thoroughly, finding bodies in various stages of demonic transformation. Sylrie cast Spirit Guardians to deal radiant damage to any emerging undead, then they systematically opened each tank. As the caustic fluid drained out, skeletal remains emerged and began moving, but the radiant damage from Spirit Guardians destroyed them. Pomplin attempted to cast Speak with Dead on the least transformed body, but the spell failed on the undead demon hybrid creatures. They realized these were undead demons - a dangerous combination that would be nearly impossible for a town to defeat.
Deciding to prevent future use of the laboratory, the party set fire to the underground complex. Tupolo and others cast burning hands to ignite the surgical equipment and alchemical tools, while oil was poured on instruments to fuel the flames. The fire spread to moss and fungus growing in the stone cracks, weakening the structural integrity and causing rocks to fall. Tupolo grabbed a magical greatsword during their escape, and the entire windmill above burned down completely.
When they emerged, villagers surrounded the burned windmill with water buckets, and an elderly townsman approached to ask what had happened. The party explained they had found the bodies of missing townspeople beneath the windmill and discovered demons using a teleportation circle for their attacks. They clarified that the miller had been mind-controlled by an intellect devourer rather than being complicit, showing the creature's remains as proof. The townspeople were told they could recover bodies for burial after the smoke cleared, though the party warned about toxic demonic residue that had been disposed of.
Commander Leilchak, a dragonborn military leader, debriefed the party about their discoveries. They explained the underground chamber where corpses were being transformed into demons, the intellect devourer that controlled the miller, and the teleportation circle they had found using a ring and hidden mechanism. The commander promised to search other attacked towns for similar hidden chambers and thanked them for their professional work. The party received a respectful farewell before departing for their next destination.
That evening, the party retired to a tavern for rest and celebration. Pomplin stayed up to experience the local culture, ordering pig-themed food and drinks while adding his own spices to strange desserts. He and Tansy discussed celebrating survival and the importance of living in the moment rather than just moving from one crisis to the next. Their philosophical conversation was interrupted when Pomplin decided to enter a mud wrestling match against the tavern champion, Brog the Brogue.
The wrestling match was entertaining but brief. Pomplin entered as "Pump the Piggy," using his sword training techniques in the first round to grab and throw his opponent. However, Brog recovered in the second round and delivered a devastating belly flop that slammed Pomplin into the mud, defeating him decisively. Pomplin emerged covered in mud, having lost his pig nose prop but keeping the tail, and sporting a distinctive belly-shaped red mark that would last until morning.
The next day, the party planned their route and decided to travel directly to Elodream rather than visiting the oracle in the woods. Sylrie showed visible anxiety about returning to her homeland but agreed it was necessary for their mission. They began a two-and-a-half-day journey through the forest, with Sylrie navigating despite not having been there for twenty years. The journey was relatively safe, and they observed that elven families were growing and new communities were forming, contrary to the typical fantasy trope of elves being a dying race.
Upon arriving at Elodream, the party was amazed by the elven capital city. Built into a forest valley, the city featured buildings constructed into trees, a massive tree castle called the Castle of Mirages where the fairy lord resided, and various districts accommodating different races. Tupolo was particularly excited by a wizard's tower and a glass dome atop the tree castle, while they all noticed Dracodiant riders (dragon-pegasus creatures) flying overhead. A new temple complex called the Deity Amaglamate dominated the northwest corner, and the Jumping Toad Stool inn towered over the trees like a giant fungus.
Sylrie became visibly tense upon entering the city, adopting unnaturally perfect posture as if ready to instantly blend in with elven society. People in the city noticed and stared at their unusual group, particularly the contrast between Sylrie's suddenly perfect bearing and her companions' more casual demeanor. They made their way to the Dewhold family manor in the center of the city among the nobility's homes, a perfectly maintained estate with meticulous landscaping and magical aura.
At the manor, they were greeted by Jerrod the Butler, the family butler described as the most trained and proper elf ever seen. He expressed surprise at Sylrie's return and offered to prepare guest rooms for her traveling companions, informing them that her parents were out conducting merchant business but would return before dinner. Tupolo secretly slipped Gerard a gold coin as thanks, which the butler politely returned to his pocket, maintaining his professional dignity.
As they walked through the manor halls, the party observed paintings of old elves and a childhood portrait of Sylrie from fifty to seventy years ago. Notably, there were no religious insignia anywhere in the house, reflecting the family's anti-pantheon stance. Pomplin was tempted to touch the perfectly maintained ancestral weapons and armor on display, while Tansy tried to keep him from touching things out of anxiety for Sylrie. When Tupolo asked about an observatory, Sylrie mentioned they had a wizard's tower but he wasn't allowed up there.
Instead of going to her room as originally planned, Sylrie led the party to the basement of her family home. The basement contained three chambers with various storage items, suits of armor, and most notably, grandfather clocks showing different times: one o'clock, three o'clock, and six o'clock. Tupolo made himself comfortable on a bearskin rug while Sylrie examined a numbered wall panel with stones numbered one through twelve that she remembered from childhood.
In her father's old desk, Sylrie discovered a wooden fox mask carved with two eye holes and a third eye on the forehead, but lacking the antlers that Tansy's similar mask possessed. A note attached to it read "must return to Byville," and Tansy recognized it as similar to a mask worn by a creature in their previous vision beneath the dragon's lair. This discovery added another mysterious connection to their ongoing investigation.
Sylrie attempted to input the sequence 1-3-6 into the wall panel based on the grandfather clock times, but nothing happened. The party realized they needed a fourth number to complete the sequence. After searching, they found a broken grandfather clock hidden in the fireplace with its hands destroyed. Tupolo and Pomplin worked together to repair the clock, discovering it showed ten o'clock when properly assembled.
When Sylrie input the sequence 1-3-6-9, Tupolo got shocked by a security measure while reading an etiquette book about proper elven behavior. However, the correct sequence turned out to be 1-3-6-10, which caused the wall to rumble and reveal a hidden study. The secret room contained disturbing discoveries: a fleshy eyeball growing from the wall that blinked at them, another teleportation circle similar to the one from the mill, and evidence of magical research.
Pomplin color sprayed the eyeball, causing it to retract like a snail, while Sylrie found her sister's enchanting research and journals on a desk. The letters and journals provided significant relief to Sylrie about her sister's situation, suggesting she wasn't complicit in the dark activities they'd been investigating. Sylrie destroyed the eyeball with her weapon, causing it to pop, and the party dismantled the teleportation circle by removing a brick, effectively cutting off another connection in the demonic transportation network.
Their investigation was interrupted when Tupolo rushed out of the basement and collided with Sylrie's father at the basement door. The elder Dewhold was described as gaunt, corpse-like, and naturally stiff - a tall, lean elf with his hair pulled back, wearing robes. His intimidating presence was immediately apparent as he made condescending remarks about not being informed of guests. When Tupolo politely introduced himself, the father referred to him as "little one" in a dismissive, racist manner, setting up what would clearly be a tense confrontation between the party and Sylrie's family.
