Scenario: Esker Keep

It was one of those rare times that Sickle Smile wished, well, that he could stop smiling. It wasn't the ravaged corpses strew about the courtyard that spoiled his mood, or the mishmash of bones and brier gnawing at spilled insides. The greasy smoke stinking of roasting, mortal flesh rising from the keep-side inn didn't sour the grinning herald's attitude, nor did the struggling cries of a trio of jugglers slowly being crushed and digested by the enchanted ivy on the rampart. Indeed, these were a few of his favorite things.

Sickle Smile sighed heavily and sank to sit on the keep's front step. It was the fact he was stuck here because that arrogant waning noble that he'd worked so hard to release pulled rank. Of all the gall! Of course, he bowed and scrapped to Lord Leafripper and spun flowery bullshit about how it was just an honor to serve. The grinning herald grunted. His spindly fingers tapped on the direfly-in-amber top of his cane. With any luck the monstrous plants would hunt down the rest of the mortal scurrying in the corners of Esker Keep sooner rather than later. Then he could be on his way. There was so much unrest left to sew, so many more hearts to break.

"Begging your pardon, Sickle," Sadlesor, his coachman, scrapped as he approached. Not far away one of the carriage thunderchargers glutted itself on a stable hand, "shouldn't we be going? I think things are going good here, don't you?"

"They are," the grinning herald agreed. "However, Lord Leafripper has requested that we remain to aid in his efforts until the Silvertusk heirs are found and dealt with."

"Shit." The cleft coachman sneered, an ugly expression to be sure. Then again, all of Sadlsor's expressions were ugly. "Well hopefully that's fine and done a'fore long. This sort of thing attracts paladins and their lot."

Sickle Smile leveraged his cane to stand. "That it does, Sadlesor, that it does."

Encounter Premise:

A grinning herald of the waning court weaseled its way into an exclusive celebration at Esker Keep under the guise of a lesser nobleman. However, the sinister harbinger wasn't there to hobnob and seduce but rather awake an imprisoned fey lord the keep was built atop of. Once released the fey, Lord Leafripper of the Court of Gales, set on murdering the blueblood's in attendance and using their blood to regrow his long-slumbering brides and his kennel of goreshounds.

However, the mortals have still managed to keep some of the grounds and are causing more trouble than the grinning herald or Lord Leafripper expected. The awakened fey cannot leave the keep's ground until the last of the bloodline who imprisoned him long ago is dead. Likewise, Leafripper will not give the grinning herald leave until this is accomplished, much to the traveling rabblerouser's displeasure.

Location:

Esker Keep, the seat of the Silvertusk noble family. The Silvertusk family traces their lineage back to Esker Tusks of Silver, the orc chieftain who originally ended Lord Leafripper's reign of terror. The orc warlord built a fortress atop the fey lord's prison and took control of the surrounding forests. Over time, the orcs clashed with nearby human tribes but the two groups banded together against a Waning Court invasion seeking to free Leafripper and reclaim the territory. In the aftermath a descendant of Esker Tusks of Silver was in a relationship with one of the human leaders and the majority of the orcs were dead. The remaining greenskins were integrated into the human community. The half-orcs born from the union of leaders were the first to take up the name Silvertusk. Over time their orcish blood has thinned but is still strong enough to be visible. This is a common trait for established families throughout the region, much to the surprise of most travelers.

In the generations that followed the old orc fortress was torn down and replaced with a sturdy, stonework keep that still stands to this day. The Silvertusk family has expanded the estate over the years leading to the grounds' current state of a square wall of stone buildings surrounding the central tower and a few outlying structures. While eventually enobled, the family never really fortified the square of buildings around Esker Keep. Instead they created an inviting destination for fellow bluebloods and country festivals alike. Thankfully, this will provided some advantage when liberating the Silvertusk and their guests, and the keep itself.

Suggested Presentation:

The player characters can become involved in this scenario in a myriad of ways. If they have already dealt with the waning court's torment of the material plane, it could have been the work of the devious grinning herald, Sickle Smile. Hot on the fiend's trail they'd have a chance to catch up with him at Esker Manor, only to find themselves facing a greater foe with Lord Leafripper. If the heroes entertain a noble and/or military background they could have been invited to the celebration at Esker Manor, but been delayed and arrive after all hell has broken loose. Alternatively, Ristea Sunspun's family may have discovered that 'Ansin Sickle' is some manner of imposter pretending to be noble and sent the player characters to rescue the woman's reputation and deal with the cad. Little did they know, of course, what Ansin actually is. Any number of noble, military, or merch NPCs the characters have had a positive interaction with in the past may have escaped the initial onslaught and sought out those they knew could take care of the problem.

In any instance, by the time the player character's intervene Lord Leafripper has escaped his bonds and only remains held in check by the last two Silvertusk heirs still being alive. Along with a few trusted retainers, and one unlucky noblewoman, Gryph and Lalanda Silvertusk are hiding in the keep's granary. There may be other pockets of survivors as well, but time is running out as the fey lord's forces grow and work on purging mortals from the keep and surrounding buildings. Esker Keep will obviously be under siege from within, sunder bodies littering its grounds and rampant, malignant overgrowth covering its walls. Alarune and gorsehounds openly roam, giving any party a fair indication to proceed with caution. How the heroes want to approach and deal with the situation is up to them, just provide the details as needed based on the antagonists and allies below.

Antagonists:

Lord Leafripper: Abnormally tall even for a noble of the waning court, Lord Leafripper towers a head above most men without even counting is twisting antelope-like horns. His antlers are more riven with direfly honeycombs than most fey of his ilk. The crimson-oozing hives spiral up to just below the sharp tips with vile insects crawling about with a sickly glow. Lord Leafripper is the sort of creature who enjoys looming over others, talking down to them in a patronizing, sneering way. This effect is heightened by a smile as broken by his horns and a web of scar-tissue where his left ear once was, thanks to Esker of Silver Tusks.

Cooped up in a nook for centuries Lord Leafripper is eager to not only make Silvertusk's decedent's pay but to murder ever last mortal in the territory. His homicidal madness drove him to keep Sickle Smile here, despite the grinning herald's continuing mission to sew discontent. The fey overseer does not care. He wants to see the forest floor soaked with steaming blood after he chokes the life out of every last mortal. Thankfully, the leather-armor-clad tyrant can't enact his plans while the Silvertusk line still exists. While the noble heirs live he cannot leave Esker Keep proper. Instead, he has to utilize his 'brides' and 'hounds', both fey-twisted plants as well as the chagrined Sickle Smile and Sadelsor.

In the end, Lord Leafripper is an unredeemable, alien evil that cannot be allowed to escape. While cowards might think it wise to smuggle the Silvertusk heirs away from the keep and let the fey lord rot in what amounts to a larger cell, leaving him be will only allow Leafripper to expand his army of corrupted plants and draw darker fey to his banner. Lord Leafripper can be represented by a variety of different waning noble creatures depending the dungeon master's preference and the player character's levels. An obvious choice is a Waning Chevalierof the order of the tearing gale, but at a CR 10 this would be a likely lethal encounter for tier 1 characters. If the heroes are at the cusp of tier 2 a waning barb, blade, or thistle may be more appropriate.

Sadelsor- Cleft Coachman: Sadelsor is a typical cleft coachman, a sadistic curmudgeon in all matters except when dealing with animals. He has been serving Sickle Smile while the grinning herald has been ginning up trouble across the kingdom. Sadelsor loathes the material plane and the mortal vermin who populate it and wishes to return to the Feywild as soon as possible. However, he has delighted it torturing humanoids along the way and has left a trail of broken bodies and mutilation.

As a commoner, in both fey and mortal eyes, Sadelsor was made to wait outside the keep during the party and the horrific aftermath. He lingers near his reaping carriage with the one or two thunderchargers he dotes on. By the time the adventurers come on the seen Sadelsor has butchered the mortal coachmen and stable hands to feed the fey beasts. He also freed the horses which now wander the surrounding forest.

Sickle Smile - Grinning Herald: Ansin Sickle is the mortal guise of Sickle Smile, a Grinning Herald of the Waning Court. He is working to undo the fetters which keep the dark fey from invading the mortal world. Ansin Sickle poses as a lesser noble with a winning smile, charming wit, hawk nose and baritone voice. He dresses in the height of fashion and carries a walking cane topped with a direfly entrapped in amber. Along with his coachman, he's travelled across the region and caused plenty of trouble as needed.

As Ansin he's also left a strong of broken hearts and enraged cuckolds. It was one of his romantic conquests, Ristea Sunspun, who managed an invitation to the exclusive celebration at Esker Keep commemorating the defeat of Lord Leafripper. Once there, he ditched his date, stole to the catacombs beneath the keep and freed the fey lord. He'd planned to resume mortal form and flee along with whatever mortals managed to escape Leafripper's wrath. He even hoped to rescue some new lovely dish to seduce along the way. But the best laid schemes of fairies often go awry.

Lord Leafripper pulled rank and demanded Sickle Smile stick around until he had no more use of the herald. Of course, Sickle Smile is not pleased with this predicament. He has many other horrors to unleash and knows that heroic types will come sooner or later to deal with the trouble. The herald sees himself as a lover, not a fighter, but will scrap if provoked. However, if Lord Leafripper is defeated before Sickle Smile the fey will escape however he can.

Brides of Leafripper -Alarune: These ancient forest spirts were bound to Leafripper long ago and fell one by one at Esker's hand. However, their vile roots ran deep and over time wormed their way into female corpses interred within the Keeps crypts. However without their 'husband's' power, they remained dormant within rotting flesh. With Lord Leafripper freed the surge of fey magic caused the brides to bloom. The putrefied meat rapidly regrew around root-tangled bones, leathery skin regained a false blush of life, and withered hair flowered into wild manes once again.

Intoxicating and otherworldly in their beauty the brides turned heads and started squabbles among the party above the crypts first. They sought out who seemed like they would be the most troublesome and eliminated them in corner rooms and lusty alcoves. When Lord Leafripper made his grand entrance they flowed in a courtly train behind him, and reveled in the carnage which followed.

Gorsehound - These grotesque plants made up Lord Leafripper's hunting party in times of legends. Now that the fey lord has risen the pack of gorsehounds has returned too. Leafripper planted the malignant growth amid the ossuary litter beneath Esker Keep which rapidly grew from the ancient bones. Now the horrors roam the keep's grounds seeking out interlopers and innocent victims alike.

As is often the case when the power of the waning court manifests swarms of direflies choke the air in and around Esker keep. This can lead to a handful of lesser deadwoodsscattered about to plague intrepid heroes. In addition, the ivy and vines marring the building walls could be animated by wild, fey magic, becoming patches of creeping carpets eager to mulch the unwary.

Allies:

Ristea Sunspun: Sickle Smile's spurned lover. Ristea is a lesser noblewoman plagued with great beauty and guilt. She is the reason Sickle Smile, under the guise Ansin Sickle, got into the exclusive celebration at Esker Keep. Seduced by the magnetic fey Ristea has been racked with nauseous anxiety ever since glimpsing the herald's true form and intentions. Worse yet, she realizes she is socially ruined for having a dalliance with 'that thing' and is flabbergasted that the Silvertusk family hasn't thrown her to the bushy wolves, as it were.

The redhead isn't looking a gift horse in the mouth, however. She's determined to ensure the remaining Silvertusk make it through the horror to make up for her transgression. Likewise, Ristea wishes to see Sickle Smile dead, preferably at her hand. She is willing to sacrifice herself to see either agenda to fruition. Ristea is currently hold up with the Silvertusk children and their advisors in the granary on the edge of the keep's square. Even disheveled and battered after a few days of terror she is a stunning woman whose ferocity and passion shines through. Ristea just wishes she had more skills to contribute to the fight. Being a fine gossip and having a mean cross-stitch game hasn't contributed much to the conflict.

Gryph Silvertusk: Gryph is the eldest son of the family, and now technically its head after the death of his grandfather at the hands of Lord Leafripper. The desire for revenge burns strong within the half-orc's solid chest, but he's not let it override his good sense. Gryph realizes he's responsible for the lives of those who survived the fairies initial attack. It was his idea to take refuge in the keeps granary. The structure has the food they need to wait out the siege for a time, higher vantage points to assess the situation outside, and he's set Iablok, his loyal protector, to digging into some of the crypt tunnels below so they can either find a surreptitious escape route or their way to the smithy to get better weapons.

The sudden responsivity has taken its toll on the sage-skinned man. Bags hang around his dark brown eyes and the finery he's been stuck in for days is frayed and rumpled. He tore off both sleeves earlier on to try and stem the wounds of one of his other guards to no avail. Gryph knows how to use an ax and sword thanks to Iablock's tutoring, but knows he's nowhere near competent enough to face Lord Leafripper, Sickle Smile or Sadelsor in combat. If pressed, however, Gryph will do his best. For now, he does his best to exude false confidence for Lalanda and Ristea's sake. He feels pity for Ristea over her unwitting part in all of this and has kept the ginger from doing something foolish a few times over the siege.

Lalanda Silvertusk: While slightly older then Gryph, Lalanda didn't press the issue when the party survivors turned to her brother for guidance instead of she. Lalanda would rather not be the one in charge if she can help it. However, should Gryph falter or worse yet fall she's steeling herself to step into the role. Like the rest of her family, Lalanda sports a grey-green complexion, though her half-orc tusks are a bit more pronounced. Like Gryph, she learned basic combat skills from Iablok but not enough to take the fight directly to the fey. She's also dabbled in some arcane matters with Voyzy but doesn't know much magic other than a cantrip or two.

For now, she's supported Gryph's plan to hold in in the keep's granary, though she'd rather they all make a run for it. Lalanda is convinced that if they reach the tree line they'd all have a shot of making it out alive. It's better, she feels, than sitting here waiting to die. Given she's occupied herself with look-out duty in the upper reaches of the granary, the half-orc noble has seen other pockets of survivors wiped out by Leafripper's forces. While she's privately expressed her opinions to Gryph she's not voiced it around the others in the building. Lalanda is sure that this plan to get to the crypts or smithy will prove worthless and then she'll be able to push for an escape. Additionally, she's troubled over Gryph's coddling of Ristea Sunspun. She sees the foolish noblewoman as a liability, but isn't heartless enough to send Ristea to her doom.

Iablok Axehaft: One of the few full-blooded orcs who grew up in the shadow of Esker Keep, Iablok's family came to the region two generations back seeking a refuge where they wouldn't be persecuted by either their tribes or human and elf dominated regions. The half-orcs and humans of Esker Keep welcomed them with open arms. Not all of the orc families have married into the communities yet. Those that have not make up a large percentage of Silvertusk's militia. Iablok is honored to be hand-picked to guard the Silvertusk heirs, Gryph and Lalanda. He is likewise pleased with the political clout and equipment the position has granted him but doesn't let it get to his head. About the only time he lords it over others is when the Silvertusks deal with outsiders who demean their heritage.

Iablok is a hulking man with a dark olive green complexion. He keeps his hair short, befitting a military man. When all hell broke loose he lost his shield and longsword fending off fey-empowered plants and has been making use of a pair of woodsman's axes ever since. He fully supports Gryph's plan to dig down into the crypts to either find an escape route or make it to the smith's for supplies. He'd like to repair his half-plate armor. Given his powerful frame, Iablok has been doing most of the digging. He's been thankful for Ristea's help, as meager as it is with sometimes only making sure he takes breaks for food and water. While he understands Lalanda's misgivings about the noblewoman he cannot blame Ristea for having the wool pulled over her eyes like everyone else.

Voyzy the Uncanny: This illusionist hails from a faraway land, which explains Voyzy's thick accent and odd facial hair. While advanced in his years Voyzy's still a spry fellow when needs arise. Many such needs have arisen recently. Well versed in a variety of subjects he was contracted to educate Gryph and Lalanda Silvertusk, as well as entertain them with his showy magic. As they grew older he worried that they'd have less use for them. While he has taught a few arcane tricks to Lalanda, Gryph needs the old tutor less and less these days. That was until a few days ago. Voyzy's illusions were instrumental in covering the Silvertusk heir's escape and well-placed phantasms have kept the fey from realizing the granary is occupied. The strain is getting to the old magician, however. More than a few times he's experienced chest pains and dizziness. He fears he might give out soon.

Voyzy wears a long, red coat trimmed with some manner of silver fur. Tailored for the wizard at an earlier, robust age it now hangs awkwardly off of his wizened body. Many rings adorn his boney fingers, clacking away whenever he casts a spell.

Ambience:

Emphasize the carnage around Esker Keep. While any region the waning court touches becomes befouled and devastated, Lord Leafripper's assault on the celebration from within was especially brutal. The abused corpses strewn and hung about are in bright, festive wear now bloodied and tattered. Gay garland hands beside strewn entrails; cracked lanterns among cracked skulls. What should have been a happy day has devolved into a complete nightmare waiting to be vanquished.

However, be careful to make sure the heroes are not overwhelmed. While the situation is dire and the number of enemies likely high it should be something they feel they can overcome with strength of arms and spirit. If the keep comes across as too daunting they may turn away from assaulting it. The sooner the player characters are made aware of the Silvertusk airs in the granary, the better, along with the importance of their survival in keeping Leafripper confined until he can be dealt with once and for all.