33. Old Mayor’s Manor

“Ruins reborn in shadow—no longer a seat of law, but of cunning.”

Once the seat of civic authority in the village of Nulb, the Mayor’s Manor stood as a modest stronghold on the southern edge of the village, along the overgrown track that leads directly to the Temple of Elemental Evil, just across the Emeryd’s Run. After the Battle of Emridy Meadows and the burning of Nulb during the righteous counteroffensive, the manor was heavily damaged, its walls cracked by siege spells and its halls scorched by elemental and divine fire.

It stood as a shattered monument—until Hedrack saw use in its bones.

Madame Selentis, once known as Nysera Krivaltis, runs the manor as a hub for coordinating the Temple’s illicit supply chains, espionage, and prisoner logistics under the direct oversight of Commander Feldrin and the Supreme Commander Hedrack himself.

Historical Context

• Battle Damage: During the liberation of Nulb, the manor was the site of intense street fighting. Portions were destroyed in magical crossfire. At least one upper turret collapsed under the force of a summoned elemental. Much of the second floor was gutted.
• Temple Reoccupation: As the Greater Temple slowly recovered, Hedrack chose this ruined estate to be a supply node, hiding arms, goods, and operatives beneath the banner of local banditry.
• Current Occupation: Hedrack assigned Smigmal Redhand’s bandits to control the estate, and later placed Madame Selentis here to act as his proxy, administrator, and overseer of the Temple’s covert interests in Nulb.

Exterior Features (Current Condition)

Walls and Architecture

• Once pristine slate-gray stone walls, now patched with salvaged lumber, ship iron, and debris from Nulb itself.
• Collapsing west wing: 25% of the upper floor is still exposed to the elements; planks and canvas offer crude shelter.

Perimeter Defenses

• Tall iron gate: Partially melted during the battle, now reforged with scavenged steel and adorned with shackled skull motifs.
• Overgrown hedgerow: Interwoven with barbed wire and broken glass, it creates a jagged green wall of concealment.
• Lookout perches: Makeshift wooden watchposts built into broken chimneys and roof nooks, manned by bandit archers.

Stable Ruins

• Rebuilt into a bandit armory, storing crossbows, bolts, temple smuggling crates, and two chained dire hounds.

Interior Layout

Grand Foyer (Main Floor)

• Entryway with a collapsed chandelier, now replaced with hanging lanterns made from copper and river glass.
• Twin staircases remain, though the western ascent is broken. The eastern stair leads to what remains of the upper floor.
• The library shelves still line the walls—now containing maps, coded orders, trade manifests, and burned noble tomes from Verbobonc.

Command Room

• Once a council chamber, now Madame Selentis’s logistics center.
• Walls covered in maps of the region, smuggler routes, pirate faction charts, and coded messages from Lucius.
• A long table holds temple correspondence, ledgers for slaver shipments, and bounty lists for Nulb’s troublemakers.

Grand Hall

• Once the mayor’s ballroom, now a war room and feasting den for the bandits.
• Curtains of red-and-black canvas obscure broken windows. Tables bear crude carved runes representing the four cults.
• At one end sits Madame Selentis’s throne—a salvaged high-backed chair draped in dark velvet, a reminder of her noble past.

Upper Floor (Partial Ruin)

Madame Selentis’s Private Quarters

• Rebuilt from remaining intact rooms on the eastern wing.
• Walls hung with faded Krivaltis heraldry, half-burned portraits, and ritual cloths gifted by Lucius.
• A silver mirror, cracked down the middle, stands beside her four-poster bed.
• Contains:
• Her personal journal (coded),
• A secret compartment with poison vials and Temple artifacts,
• A sealed letter from Hedrack, confirming her appointment and protection.

Private Study

• Lit by magical driftglobes. Contains:
• Books on elemental rites, military history, and infernal contracts.
• A mirror of scrying (limited use) used to communicate with Lucius.
• Small shrine to her future: an empty pedestal and the inscription, “To What Was Taken.”

Basement Level

Barracks and Bandit Quarters

• Stone-floored chambers outfitted with bunks, weapon racks, and an underground cistern for water collection.
• The bandits sleep, gamble, and receive orders here. A rotating guard maintains watch at all hours.

Storage & Smuggling Cellars

• Hidden compartments store:
• Slaver chains and manifests from Marad Vesrek,
• Weapon caches from Tolub’s ship,
• Boxes labeled “dried goods” concealing Temple scrolls, uncut gemstones, and vials of alchemical fire.

Security Features

• Traps: Pressure plates at key entryways, hunting snares repurposed for intruders.
• Rotating Watch Schedule: Overseen by Krael Vortash, the bandit captain placed by Smigmal.
• Gnarl Hounds: 2 chained hounds keep the stable.
• Rats and Spies: Local children, thieves, and whores are paid to act as informants. One of them lives within the manor as a page.

Logistics and Supply Chain Operations

The Old Mayor's Manor is now fully integrated within the covert logistics of the Temple of Elemental Evil:

• Receiving Operations:
• Madame Selentis’s men receive prisoners and contraband from two primary locations:
• Boatman's Tavern & Wharf: Operated by Captain Tolub’s pirate crew, shipments of slaves, smuggled goods, weapons, and stolen artifacts arrive from the Velverdyva River and local pirate raids.
• Wainwright Depot: Operated by Ivar Maddok, the depot provides loot, slaves, and essential supplies from bandit raids orchestrated by bandit leaders such as Gattas Void. Wagons routinely transfer cargo across Emridy’s Run bridge under guard by Selentis’s trusted brigands.
• Processing & Transit:
• All cargo and prisoners arriving at the Old Mayor’s Manor are inventoried, sorted, and temporarily stored in hidden cellars and converted stable armories.
• Madame Selentis’s bandits oversee the final transfer of prisoners and supplies from the manor to the Hunting Cottage and Barn managed by Gefreid Patris, where shipments enter the secret tunnel connecting directly to the Temple’s subterranean levels.

Guard Animals and Magical Defenses

Madame Selentis, being a capable wizard herself, has strengthened manor security using magically controlled beasts and summoned creatures. Recommendations for suitable guard creatures under her command include:

• Dire Wolves:
• Vicious, loyal, and intimidating. Ideal for patrolling grounds and tracking intruders. Madame Selentis magically dominates them through enchantments or collars inscribed with controlling runes.
• Stirges (magically controlled):
• Aerial reconnaissance and harassment. They nest in the manor’s damaged towers and swoop down upon intruders at Madame Selentis’s mental command.

Narrative Role in the Campaign

Faction HQ

• Serves as the nerve center of Temple coordination in Nulb—every shipment, bribe, and assassination passes through here in some form.

PC Encounter Possibilities

• Infiltration mission to steal documents or rescue a hostage.
• Final confrontation with Madame Selentis during an unraveling of Temple influence.
• Social encounter—invited to parley in the Grand Hall, under crossbow threat.

Bandit Guards in Nulb by 3orcs

Scene: First Step into the Manor Grounds

Location: Overgrown hedgerow near the iron gate of the ruined manor, dusk. Fog creeps low across the mud-slick path, and crooked lanterns swing on rusted hooks. Distant torches flicker behind shattered glass windows.

Bandit Dialogue:

The lead thug—scarred, lean, and sharp-eyed—spits in the dirt and speaks with an oily drawl.

Insight Check (DC 13):

• Success reveals: They're suspicious, but under orders not to kill unless provoked or threatened. They're testing the party's reactions—nervous, cocky, or useful?

If the PCs Bluff or Talk:

If the PCs Threaten or Attack:

The lead bandit whistles sharply, triggering:

• Two archers from above (rooftop)
• A dire hound from the stable
• 1d4+1 additional bandits from the barracks arrive in 2 rounds.