#11 Grimm and Liora Arrive

Party: Grimm, Liora (new arrivals), Claus, Amergin

Grimm and Liora's arrival:

• They arrive at a quiet campsite with weasels digging through the soil. The weasels are looking for bones and teeth (remains of old meals). Liora scares the weasels away with a small flame. A hidden stash of 5 gold pieces is discovered.
• They arrive at Wickermoore Hollow. A woman named Beatrice Walse welcomes them at a carpentry workshop. She tells them about the crashed train and other strangers who arrived, some of whom have gone to the manor.

The Road to the Manor:

• A weasel carrying one of Grimm's rations is spotted. At the manor gate they meet the village madman, who warns: "The Crooked Queen has decided that everyone has to die."

Inside the Manor:

• The party encounters a dog named Shaq — determined to be a very good boy.
• Amergin and Claus had been searching for a key. In the hallway they encounter the crooked man with the axe — swings wildly then disappears again.
• Claus and Amergin fill Grimm and Liora in on the train events and the Druskenvalds. Grimm speculates the Druskenvalds might be demigods.
• Amergin notices portraits of Luther and Xalli in a disturbing scene — both are missing their teeth.

The Bloogle Swarm:

• Weasels burst in from two directions, merging into a Bloogle Swarm. The party destroys it.
• Found: a contract between a hag and the Bloogle Swarm — the swarm collected humanoid teeth in exchange for favors. Liora knows Bloogle Swarms are spirits that take the form of weasels and have a fondness for sugar.

The Peacock Room:

• Statues, busts, and an albino peacock statue with a magical gemstone radiating arcane energy in one eye socket.
• Paintings signed by Keziah Endicott with hidden images of centipedes, pigeons, and weasels.
• Liora briefly gets trapped inside one of the paintings but flies out.
• Grimm takes the red gemstone from the peacock statue.

The Music Room:

• A piano plays by itself. Claus looks in a mirror and experiences a vision: a grand ballroom, a woman in a red dress, an endless dance where nothing he gives is ever enough.
• Spectral dancers reenact a ghostly ball. Grimm, Claus, and Liora become charmed and dance. Claus and Grimm perform an impressive tango.
• A whisper: Fesla Browntooth will take their souls and sacrifice them.
• The music stops, spirits vanish, charm ends.
• A key is found hidden inside the piano.

The Dining Room:

• An almost-too-perfect feast laid out — waiting far too long.
• An animated rug attacks Grimm. The party destroys it.
• Found: a golden ring and a Pearl of Power. Liora takes the Pearl of Power; Claus takes the golden ring to sell for the party; Grimm keeps the red gemstone.
• Short rest taken in the dining room.