Chapter 17: Kiss of the Damned

Part One
You enter the seat of the Hollowmore domain, a castle town. It is dark. On the way in, you see a large carriage parked by entrance, with an eagle insignia on its helm. A feather clad short woman and a cloaked muscular man with a metallic cross embedded in the side of his head sit at the foot of the carriage talking quietly. The people of the town seem nervous and uneasy, and they talk of corpses emerging with strange puncture marks, and graves being overturned. A small girl in a black hat and fancy clothes greets you as you walk by. “I am Mariah, page of Hollowmore. I am here to assure you of safe lodging, despite these dreadful rumors. We have three inns, the Lachia, the Tepe, and the Prodigal Son, for you to choose from. Have a good night, travelers.” A thick mist paints the night sky.

What do you do?

Part Two
Michael talks to the two people in the wagon by the entrance to Hollowmore. He inquires as to what they are doing in town. They cautiously introduce themselves as Vanderbilt Bossefen and Unomi Silica, and explain that they are here because they have business with the Count. Michael and Calen hit a few pubs and make some money enacting two men cons. Michael retires to the Tepe and Calen to the Prodigal Son, after hearing further rumors that the grave disruption started two weeks ago. Nicole asks Mariah for advice on which inn to stay in and she checks in to the Lachia.

Wojack hisses uncontrollably on Jatin’s shoulder, emitting low roars as he announces that “abominations are all around here, I can smell them, they must be destroyed,” with fury and disgust in his voice. Jatin sends the wolves to examine corpses they find and relay information back to him. In town, Under-the-Valley and Syphon Flickerfoot approach the castle and relay to a steward that Sybilline Horseshadow offers the aid of the Smoke Riders to rid the town of the menace at its hands, Maolo sells some underwyrm flesh at the market, and Solomon gathers materials for, and begins making, Tonics of Dreams and Habit and boomdust. Jatin guesses from the corpses that the killers are wampyr, and he has Solomon line their room of the inn with salt and has his mercenaries and wolves sleep in shifts. Jatin calls Sovereign and attempts to bond with him as a familiar. He places his hand on Sovereign’s head and falls into a deep meditative trance.

Nick touches a few corpses and graves and sees pale, fanged, red eyed people emerging from graves, the same individuals who murdered the recently deceased. Nick relays this information to Jack, who asks Ba'az about what he saw. Ba'az tells Jack about the wampyr, their origins, traits, and weaknesses. Ba'az’s lecture makes Jack realize that Mariah the page girl is actually a wampyr lord. Jack inquires about the girl around town, gleaning that she lives in the castle and has only been seen for around a month, but appears very diligent and well received by the Hollowmore family. Jack also requests that a local blacksmith carve a demon-banishing sigil, which he supplies, into one of his swords, giving him some underwyrm skin in exchange.

At the Lachia, two wampyr emerge from beneath the floorboards and snatch Pippin from his bed without making a sound. At the prodigal son, five wampyr crawl in through windows and do the same to Mika, Jack, and Nick without waking them, biting into their necks before dragging them through the night.

At the Tepe, Wojack wakes the Smoke Riders with a furious growl. “Around us they scurry like rats,” he says, “you cannot hear them.” A resounding blast is heard through the inn as a straight line of devastation shoots through the building, tearing open the far wall. Vanderbilt, visible through several broken walls, brandishes a large golden arm, previously concealed by his cloak, which faintly buzzes and glows as he drives a metallic fist into a wampyr, destroying it entirely as a pulse of energy flares and blasting two more out of the building. Unomi holds up a shimmering hand and whispers something as a wampyr lunging at her turns to glass. “Is this any way for Count Crucifix to greet emissaries?” says Vanderbilt. “We’ll have to have a word with him.” Sol enters the Smoke Riders room in sleeping clothes covered in black blood. “Sybilline, I thought you’d want to know that a few… creatures were stalking the outside of your room. Does anyone want to explain to me what is going on?” Jatin awakens, eyes a smoky grey, and strokes Sovereign’s back.

Jack, Mika, Pippin, and Nick awaken in a decorated dungeon. At the dungeon’s entrance, they see a tall, sharply dressed man with blood red eyes. “I am Count Crucifix of Hollowmore, master of darkness, and you all appear to intend trouble in my kingdom of the night. Welcome to my dark palace, the place of your deaths. After I attend to some quick business, I will find out everything you miscreants know. Children, I trust you will not let them leave.” The count’s cape flickers and spreads through the doorway and he is gone. Hanging from the ceiling, several pairs of red eyes glow faintly.

What do you do?

Part One
Calen and Michael make some money enacting two man cons at a local pub, then he retires to the Prodigal Son, where is captured by wampyr and taken to Castle Hollowmore.