Maniero Invictus

MANOR ROOMS
COURTYARD
In the place the map was pointing to, in a sparse rural area just a couple hours' walk  outside the city walls, stands the mansion. The old road leading to it has been neglected, with infesting plants cracking the cobblestones and the milestones broken and unrecognizable. Seems this area has seen little to no traffic in years, if not decades
Overlooking a brackish lake which seems to be no longer afflued by any river, the mansion stands three stories tall, occupies an area of about 80 by 120 feet, and the courtyard in front of it just as much.
Both the mansion and the courtyard are closed in by a 7 foot tall rusted iron palisade, with vicious spikes pointing outwards to deter intruders from climbing. Some sections of the palisade seem to have broken and rusted spikes. though whether that makes them safer or more dangerous to climb, no one can tell
The large windows of the mansion likewise have thick iron grates barring them from the outside.
The courtyard is overgrown with cedar trees, with their fruit, unpicked, spoiled and fallen to the ground, filling the air with a sweet and decaying aroma. One of the trees has grown over the fence in the southwest corner, its smaller branches hanging no more than 5 feet above the ground.

In the center lies a fountain, with what back in its time must have been a tantalizing statue of a horned, winged female fiend pouring water from a chalice in her hand. It is now worn and overgrown with moss, and the water spout is nothing more than a trickle
The gate, 6 feet wide and just as tall and spiky as the rest of the fence, is held shut with a hefty chain and padlock
Just next to the gate is a stout, small gatehouse. The only opening on the outer side is a 2 by 2 feet barred window, presumably once used by the guards to inspect guests. It is not-so-covered from the inside by a tattered black curtain
Finally, the ground in the northeastern portion of the courtyard seems to have collapsed, creating a still, muddy pool.

An exam of the windows reveals that, behind the grate, they have been tightly bricked. There are a total of six windows on the first floor, five on the second, and five more on the third.
Mélodie's survey of the outside spots three possible means of entrance...on the third floor is a balcony. While the rails are broken, there is a series of small pots with well-tended plants of several shapes and sizes peeking out behind them, and the door leading inside, while thick and sturdy, doesn't seem to have any large locks on the outside and just a bar on the inside
The other two are the chimneys. Round-shaped and about 3 feet in diameter, the wire grates covering them are so thoroughly rusted one could tear them off with ease. Squeezing through seems hard but doable. The absence of soot makes it clear they haven't been used recently, if at all. One is in the southeast corner of the mansion, the other in the northeast.


NOTE: Conoscenze Planari per riconoscere la statua come un'erinni.
Il lucchetto sembra ben oliato e usato recentemente.
Cancello rinforzato con Serratura Arcana
Percezione per trovare la piombatoia di scarico rifiuti nella pozza di fango
INCONTRO: Budellamarce(Otyugh) nella pozza di fango
TESORO: Chiave del cancello in una delle sacche
Nella pozza dell'otyugh si trovano ossa di umanoidi smangiucchiate.

GATEHOUSE
The door to the gatehouse, accessible from inside the courtyard, is swung open. Besides a stone countertop behind the bars, under which seem to be a couple small satchels hanging on metal hooks, there is nothing of interest inside.

BALCONY
30 feet from ground level. Besides a broken waist-high railing on the south and the plants, which seem to be well tended and some of which have a rather piquant smell to those with enhanced sense of scent, the only noteworthy feature is the door to the north

BLEEDING ROOM
All this room has for furniture are four raised slabs of stone, three of which have a humanoid laying down on them. The two on the right have a female elf and half-elf on them, while the one in the southwest corner has a male halfling. All of them seem alive, but are staring at the ceiling with an empty gaze and don't react to Amaru's violent entrance in any way. Several hollow needles stuck in their body are slowly extracting their blood, which drips on a groove in the side of the slabs and collects in jugs similar to the one the figure was carrying.
A winged stone statue, which almost seems a more detailed version of the Erinyes statue in the courtyard, seems to stand watch over the room, with an actual bow and arrow drawn in her hands

NOTE: Le persone sono dominate.
INCONTRO: Porphida (Gargoyle Ranger 1), 1 Ghoul Ladro 1
SVILUPPO: Porphida si arrende se il ghoul viene ucciso e lei ridotta a meno di metà PF, negoziando con i PG per uccidere Lord Invictus e liberarla dalla servitù in cambio di informazioni.
TESORO: 4 Urne Refrigeranti in cui il sangue sta venendo raccolto.
"This is the mansion of the Invictus family. More than fifty years ago, my wing found themselves in a life debt to them, and offered them service in exchange. What they didn't expect, though, was that the Invictus were infernal summoners, and they turned their pledge into a contract of servitude endorsed by the Hells themselves."
Porphida brushes aside a lock of hair, exposing a scar in the shape of a five-pointed star pointing down on her forehead.
"As long as a scion of their family stands, we are bound to their command"
"The grandson of the one who bound us, who was the last scion of the family still living came back to claim this place after nearly two decades of absence. He had been turned into a powerful undead, and surrounded himself with a court of ghouls to serve him, offering them food and shelter in exchange for their loyalty"
"Know this then: the master cannot go out in the sunlight. I will take refuge on the roof, since he won't be able to reach me there."
"There are two others from my wing, though the master's ravenous nature has infected their mind. They feast on corpses and are blindly loyal to him, just like his retinue of ghouls. I doubt they will listen to reason, and I'm afraid they will face death rather than parley."
"There are a few places he likes to visit during the daytime. He either lounges in the study on this floor, dines with his servants on the first floor, or sleeps in his sanctum in the basement"
"He also has set traps throughout the mansion which only activate against the living."
Il Ghoul ha una lista: The Caretaker's journal, for those who would read it, seems to be a list of humanoids kidnapped by the gargoyles (all of them vagrants, campers, bandits or travelers from outside, whose absence wouldn't be conspicuous from the town), the date of when they managed to produce a jug's worth of blood, and all of them except three (which are listed as a halfling vagrant and a mother-daughter duo of traveling bards) have one closing note on the page, either "sent to the harem" or "sent to the kitchen"

ARMORY
Trappola magica sulla porta: evoca uno sciame di ragni (1d6 danni e veleno alle creature entro 20 piedi dalla porta) e richiama l'attenzione dei quattro servitori a orologeria al secondo piano.
Porta rinforzata.
Hanging from hooks on the walls, leaning on upright racks and folded in wooden cabinets, the armory houses a variety of weapons, armor and ammunition. While a good part of them has been worn or rotted from time, many seem still serviceable. Most notably, there is a chest sitting on one of the cabinets on the far side of the room; while a chimney passes through here, there is no fireplace.
TESORO: Il baule contiene 1d4 pozioni, 1d4 pergamene e una bacchetta di incantesimi di livello 2 o inferiore

2ND FLOOR LANDING
It must have sported numerous statues and scultures once: all that remains of them now is broken pedestals and rubble, making the landing seem unnaturally wide and empty

INCONTRO: 6 Scheletri

2ND FLOOR CORRIDOR
On the other side is a corridor that extends to the south, then bends to the right. This part of the mansion seems to have been refurbished, and is much less dilapidated than the rest of the rooms seen so far: the tapestries and curtains hanging on the wall would give a sense of warmth if the absolute absence of light besides a few ghastly flames suspended near the ceiling didn't make the atmosphere-as well as the air - chilling

KENNEL
Incontro: Rotula e Tibia (2 Grathkoll)

KITCHEN
Just opposite from the Dining Room is the kitchen. The latest "meal" the chef was preparing is still sitting on the butchering block, meat almost completely stripped from the bone. In the same room, separated by a wooden fence, is a filthy kennel, while dug into the wall is a metal chute connected to the outside. The only noteworthy loot inside are a few jars of valuable clove and saffron in the pantry
Incontro: Chef (Ghoul Esperto 2)

FOYER
Stained and broken chaises-longues and disemboweled futons suggest this foyer was once used to lounge and relax, though that time has long passed. To the south is the inside of the mansion's front door with another smaller one on the right, while to the east are a door to the living room and the one the chef and gargoyle guard came from, and to the west opens a large double door, which seems to have been polished and mantained recently.
Incontro: 1 Gargoyle

BALLROOM
Trappola sulla porta: Maledizione del tempo (invecchiato alla seguente categoria di età, o mezza età, Tempra nega)
Inside, the room has a rich mosaic floor which, barring a lot of missing tiles, seems to have been cleaned and tidied. In the center of the room stands a wide basin filled to the brim with bubbling, ashen liquid, which fills the surrounding area with a thin, grey mist. In the center of the fountain is a birdcage, closed by a heavy latch: inside is a white dove whose feathers seem dirty and scuffed: the animal is tied with a length of cold iron barbed wire, which makes its blood drip to a small cup hanging on the side of the cage

INCONTRO: Lord Invictus (Progenie vampirica Mago 5), Golem di Carne. Lord Invictus usa Fulmine per ferire i PG e rinforzare il golem, dopodichè tenta di assumere forma gassosa e fuggire nel sacrario alla prima occasione.
Leaning on the edge of the basin is a man with skin as pale as bone, wearing rich nobleman's clothing, a wicked smile crossing his slender face. At the edges of the room, besides piled up furniture, what appears to be an oversized humanoid, but is in fact a patchworked collection of body parts, stands with the posture of a soldier at the ready
The nobleman turns to the invading party, his expression a mix of intrigue and contempt. "So they have already sent their dupes to do their dirty work? Can't say I wasn't expecting that." He snaps his fingers, and the humanoid patchwork sparks to life, lumbering towards the party.

SVILUPPO: Se liberato (bisogna rompere o scassinare la gabbia seguito da un'azione di round completo che causa ADO per svolgere il filo spinato) il cassisian Vigael si unisce immediatamente ai PG e combatte al loro fianco, fornendogli i benefici della sua aura sacra, preparando azioni di Aiutare per migliorare la loro CA e usando la sua arma a soffio contro i nemici.
"Forgive my lack of manners. I am Vigael, a humble soldier of the heavens, last remnant of my wing which decades ago sought to purge this place from the Invictus' devilish patrons. Now that I have an opportunity to fulfill my duty, I will help you carry yours in return."
"I know the way to his sanctum for that is where his forebears imprisoned me back in the time. A passage leads from the sanctum to the cloak room not far from here, though the entrance is sealed by a mark of Asmodeus, which must be either appeased with an offering or dispelled by holy power to open the way.

GUARDAROBA: The cloakroom is accessed by an unlocked door, and besides a few dusty nobleman's outfits hanging on hooks or folded on shelves here and there, the only notable feature is one of the tiles in the floor: it is square, 5 feet on one side, and decorated with an iron signet representing the symbol of Asmodeus.
TRAPPOLA: La mattonella si apre se vi si viene versato sopra del sangue (il contenuto di una delle urne refrigeranti, o sangue sufficiente a infliggere 1 danno a Cos a una creatura vivente), ma subisce danni da energia positiva e acqua santa come una creatura nonmorta (30 PF, Durezza 1). Ogni volta che viene danneggiata da questi attacchi, emette un impulso di energia negativa entro 20 piedi (3d6, Volontà 15 dimezza). Se colpita con altri attacchi, ha Durezza 20.

SANTUARIO: The staircase winds down for several loops, then straightens itself to the north, leading to a small room which looks like a crypt. In the middle of it is a coffin, and behind it an altar to Asmodeus, in front of which stands Invictus, fervently eyeing the corridor. Blocking the way through is another gargoyle in the same attire and with the same appearance as the one who had attacked the group in front of the first floor staircase
"The nerve of you! But I haven't known defeat yet and I won't start today! The angel, the celestial, the servants...at the end of this day, I will have them all!" he growls, looking way more deranged and aggressive than he was in the ballroom
TESORO: Chiave ornata di adamantio del valore di 150 MO (Apre tutte le porte del maniero + la mattonella nel guardaroba), contratto di Porphida
INCONTRO: Gargoyle, Lord Invictus (Progenie vampirica Mago 5, buffato e rigenerato dallo scontro prima)

Dining room:
INCONTRO: 6 Ghoul

BATHROOM:The harem has an adjacent bathroom, with a large copper tub which bears a magical enchantment to fill itself with water on command

HAREM: The room itself has the dimly lit façade of a pleasure room of sorts, with mended futons, sofas, beds and curtains: most of them are built for appearance rather than comfort of any sort. In the corner stands a barrel filled with thick, unappetizing-looking gruel and a few bowls and spoons. Seems that's all the thralls have been fed
INCONTRO: 4 Servitori a Orologeria
TESORO: Sete e profumi rari

Chapel: This room seems to be a mix of arcane laboratory and ritual room. A binding circle covers most of the floor in the northern part of the room, while the shelves surrounding it contain books written in Infernal and several summoning supplies such as candles, oils, ceremonial daggers and infernal prayer scrolls. With the exception of the odd silver charm here and there, none of them seems to be of particular value

Study: The shelves, as it turns out, are trapped similarly to the ballroom door, to trigger when the living attempt to remove the books in it. The stained chalice is still on the table: it seems to have the same siccatite lining and preserving enchantment as the blood jugs from the bleeding room.
Besides those, there seems to be nothing of great worth inside.
INCONTRO: Lord Invictus si trova qui se l'allarme non è ancora stato dato.