A Tarnished Home Report

General Summary

The party found themselves in a tense confrontation when Tupolo collided with Sylrie's father, Roris, in the secret basement room of the Dewhold manor. The tall, condescending elf referred to the party members as "things" and "foreigners," immediately establishing his disdain for outsiders. Despite the insulting language, Roris suggested they move their discussion to a more appropriate setting - the manor's elegant parlor on the first floor.   The group relocated to an ornate sitting room featuring couches arranged around an unlit fire pit, with large stained glass windows and built-in bookshelves. Tansy positioned herself strategically and noticed suspicious robed figures standing motionless outside through the stained glass windows. Pomplin took a defensive bodyguard position near the entrance while Gerard the butler served drinks, notably wearing a glove on one hand that he hadn't worn before. Tupolo, following etiquette rules from his guidebook, requested an elegant drink and carefully checked it for any suspicious additives before consuming it.   The conversation in the parlor quickly turned dark as Roris revealed the family's sinister plans. He questioned Sylrie about her return and mentioned demonic raids plaguing the area, casually referring to demons as "useful tools" that the family had been working with. Roris revealed that Sylrie's sister Johana had failed to retrieve a crucial family artifact and was now trying to make amends for her failure. The family already possessed a dagger but still needed a jar containing poison - together, these items would allow them to "restore the family to the place it should have always been" by eliminating those they deemed inconsequential.   Tansy confronted Roris about his treatment of Sylrie, while the elf made assumptions about Tansy based on their mask and potentially supportive of demonic activities. Meanwhile, Pomplin's keen hearing picked up voices from the adjacent banquet hall, including Sylrie's mother speaking. He detected something disturbing - two voices, one normal and another with a layer of "insanity" overlaid on top, with the second voice mentioning not caring about children and wanting what the family had lost.   The situation escalated dramatically when Roris began openly discussing the assimilation of party members, revealing his true intentions. Tupolo attempted to excuse himself to use the bathroom as a ruse, while secretly tapping his bag of magical beans to signal Sylrie that he had resources available. Roris dismissed the party and ordered them to leave, but not before attempting magic on Sylrie twice - both attempts failed as she resisted his mental influence. As Sylrie's mother called for her from the banquet hall, Gerard escorted the party out while Sylrie remained behind.   Outside the manor, the party observed four mysterious robed figures standing motionless on the grounds. Tansy suggested they needed to create a distraction to help Sylrie, and they drew straws to determine who would approach the figures. Tupolo drew the short straw and volunteered for the dangerous task. He approached the robed figures, offering them beans from his magical collection, then threw one of the enchanted beans near them.   The magical bean erupted into a massive treant that Tupolo named Bungus. The friendly giant knocked back the robed figures, causing their hoods to fall and revealing pale, undead and fiendish flesh beneath. The treant proved to be an ally rather than a threat, and Tupolo commanded it to engage the undead creatures while the party prepared to assist Sylrie inside the manor.   Inside the banquet hall, Sylrie encountered her mother sitting on an unfamiliar stone throne - a brazen display of superiority that the family had never shown before. The massive hall contained stone columns, great fountains, and a raised platform, but the atmosphere was ominous and threatening. Sylrie's mother greeted her with a mixture of disappointment and calculating interest, viewing her daughter as a potentially useful tool despite her past rebellions.   The confrontation between mother and daughter quickly turned sinister when Sylrie's mother demanded she "let him in," referring to an entity she wanted Sylrie to accept into her mind. Using True Sight, the mother discovered that Sylrie had pledged herself to a god, which explained her resistance to demonic influence. Enraged by this revelation, she threatened to sacrifice Sylrie and revealed plans to use Johana as leverage against her. In response, Sylrie cast Silence using Divine Intervention, creating a sphere of magical quiet that prevented her mother from speaking or casting spells with verbal components.   Combat erupted when Sylrie's father appeared behind her and attempted to petrify her, causing her arm to slowly turn to stone. Initiative was rolled as a massive battle began, with Tupolo transforming into his starry form and commanding Bungus to attack the undead creatures. The treant slammed one of the undead for significant damage, but the creature counterattacked with its axe, dealing slashing damage and causing a split lip condition that affected Bungus's ability to speak properly.   Bungus demonstrated his magical abilities by animating two additional trees, which Tupolo named Ungus and Rungus, creating a small army of plant allies. Tansy moved into combat position and engaged the undead creatures with her martial arts, landing punches but failing to stun her initial target. She used her monk abilities to disengage and reposition tactically around the battlefield.   Pomplin made a dramatic entrance by breaking through a stained glass window and using Misty Step to teleport inside the manor. As he moved toward Roris, he discovered a horrific illusion - what appeared to be an elegant fountain was actually a gruesome display of spears jutting out with blood flowing and corpses impaled on the spikes. Despite this disturbing revelation, Pomplin pressed his attack against Sylrie's father, landing multiple sword strikes and finishing with a Shocking Grasp spell that dealt lightning damage and prevented opportunity attacks.   Roris retaliated by teleporting next to Sylrie and summoning a dangerous red, viscous goo creature called an Oblex from a nearby water feature. Something attempted to assault the party with psychic whispers, but Pomplin resisted the mental attack using his Indomitable ability. Roris then teleported again, switching places with his wife to confuse the party's positioning.   Despite being restrained by the ongoing petrification effect, Sylrie fought back with determination. She cast True Strike as a wizard cantrip from her high elf heritage, then used War Priest to make a weapon attack using her spellcasting ability instead of physical strength. Burning her heroic inspiration to overcome the disadvantage from being restrained, she struck her mother with radiant damage, causing the normally composed woman to grunt in pain - a sound Sylrie had never heard from her before. Aralynn responded by casting banishment on Sylrie, trapping her in a demi-plane   The treants coordinated a spectacular assault on the stained glass windows of the banquet hall. Tupolo retreated from melee combat and fired radiant arrows at enemies, scoring a critical hit that made one opponent vulnerable to radiant damage. Bungus, Ungus, and Rungus threw massive rocks at the windows, with Bungus critically failing his throw but still managing to destroy a window. All three stained glass windows were shattered by the coordinated treant attack, opening up new avenues for the battle.   Tansy used her Step of the Wind ability to grab Tupolo and move them both toward the combat zone, positioning them strategically for the ongoing fight. She attempted to throw a spear at Roris, and while the attack connected for minimal damage, it had a crucial effect - the impact broke Roris's concentration on the petrification spell, stopping Sylrie's arm from turning further to stone.   A psychic attack emanated from the thrones, affecting everyone within 60 feet. Pomplin took significant psychic damage and failed his wisdom saving throw, but pressed on with his assault. He used Misty Step to close distance with Sylrie's mother and made multiple attacks with his rapier, dealing substantial slashing damage before she could cast Mage Armor and teleport to safety.   Gerard the butler revealed his true nature when he emerged wielding a greatsword that materialized from his glove. He dashed toward Pomplin, taunting him about his swordsmanship and challenging him to single combat. Meanwhile, the undead creatures attempted to enter through the broken windows, but the treants intercepted them with opportunity attacks, dealing massive damage as Ungus and Rungus successfully struck their targets.   Tansy unleashed a devastating five-attack combination on Roris that would become legendary. Her first punch used Hand of Harm, dealing significant damage and poisoning the elf while breaking his concentration on the petrification spell. She followed up with a successful Stunning Strike that left Roris helpless and gave her advantage on all remaining attacks. Her assault culminated in a natural 20 critical hit with force damage that dealt 36 points of damage and triggered a special effect.   The critical hit was so powerful that it sent Roris flying 45 feet backward through the bloody fountain, where he crashed through debris and tables, taking an additional 34 bludgeoning damage. The total damage of 70 points was more than enough to kill the cruel patriarch. As Tansy delivered the killing blow, she looked down at the broken man and declared, "My friend deserves a better father than you."   After three rounds of banishment, Sylrie returned to find her father dead and her mother attempting to escape. A magical gate appeared behind Sylrie's mother, and as she stepped through it, Tansy managed to land an opportunity attack. However, the mother simply said "missed" and teleported away, closing the gate behind her and disappearing from the battle entirely.   The final phase of combat saw the party systematically eliminate the remaining enemies. Tupolo cast Guiding Bolt at Gerard, dealing radiant damage and granting advantage on the next attack against the butler. The treants continued their rampage, with Bungus destroying fountains and Rungus throwing rocks at enemies. Tansy engaged the Oblex creature with multiple punches, taking advantage of her superior positioning and martial arts training.   Pomplin faced Gerard in what amounted to single combat, using his Green-Flame Blade cantrip to enhance his sword with fire damage. The magical flame jumped between targets, and in one spectacular strike, Pomplin killed both Gerard and the Oblex creature simultaneously. Sylrie cast Crusader's Mantle to enhance her allies' attacks with radiant damage, then delivered the final blow to the last undead creature, ending the battle decisively.   In the aftermath of combat, Tupolo spoke to his treant allies in Druidic, thanking them for their service before releasing them from his command. Ungus and Rungus returned to being ordinary bushes inside the hall, while Bungus headed off to explore the forest and live freely. The party found themselves at a murder scene, realizing they needed to act quickly to avoid complications.   Tansy attempted to comfort Sylrie, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder and explaining that her father was dead and her mother had escaped through a portal. However, Sylrie largely ignored these attempts at consolation, instead walking toward the throne to study a mysterious sigil that had caught her attention during the battle.   The party searched Roris's body and discovered important items hidden in a secret pouch - a chain containing both a ring and an iron key. The ring bore the same sigil they had seen on the throne: an eye in a black sphere surrounded by mist. They realized this matched another ring they had obtained in a previous encounter, suggesting a larger pattern or organization at work.   Sylrie cast Detect Magic and discovered conjuration and transmutation magic at the base of the platform where the thrones sat. Pomplin found an indent that matched their ring, and when he inserted it, the stone descended to reveal a wooden door. The party debated whether to investigate further or leave the crime scene, ultimately deciding to continue exploring in hopes of finding information about Sylrie's sister Johana.   The door proved to be protected by deadly magical wards. When Pomplin attempted to open it with the key, he took 24 necrotic damage from the defensive magic. Tupolo quickly healed him with Cure Wounds, restoring 17 hit points. They called back Bungus to help break down the door, but the treant also took massive necrotic damage from the wards and nearly died in the attempt.   Sylrie tried to dispel the magic protecting the door but failed to overcome the powerful enchantments. Pomplin attacked the door with his sword, taking more necrotic damage in the process. Finally, Sylrie realized that as a member of the Dewhold family, she might be able to bypass the wards. When she used the key herself, the door opened without incident, revealing that the magical protections were designed to respond only to family members.   The door led to the Dewhold family's secret treasure vault, a chamber filled with gold, silver, and precious gems accumulated over generations. Five magical items were prominently displayed on the walls: a Ring of Spell Storing with arcane sigils, a Serpent's Fang sword made from a giant serpent's fang, a Necklace of Prayer Beads with glass vials, a Gem of Seeing crafted from diamond, and Dimensional Shackles inscribed with arcane runes.   Most ominously, the vault contained a stone arcane circle on the ground with an active portal, suggesting ongoing magical activities and connections to other planes or locations. The discovery of this treasure vault and its magical items provided the party with powerful new resources, but also raised questions about the full extent of the Dewhold family's dark activities and their connections to demonic forces. The open portal particularly suggested that their troubles with this family were far from over, even with Roris dead and his wife fled.