Investigating High Merchant

Upon approaching the house, all lights were extinguished and all doors locked. The team circled around not finding anything exceptional. Alora picks the lock to the front door and a grisly blood scene awaits them. Two guards look to have been killed and dismembered in the foyer to the room. The team carefully and slowly enters the mansion inspecting the bodies. The team hears a noise and turns to find Edovan Gontain alive and well but cowering in a small closet.

Gontain informs the team that just earlier that day three masked people came into the building. Only two ever fought, one was a man who used a single rapier and the other was a woman who carried guns but used daggers.between them, they slew all of the guards. Gontain escaped the massacre by hiding but worried about the wellbeing of his two daughters. He suspected that they might be held captive in the basement.

Gontain wanted to follow, but was ordered to continue to hide in the closet.

As the team progresses many of the guards have been turned to basic undead mindlessly attacking. The team finds several hidden trinkets as they make their way towards a large staircase up and a door that is especially gory. The team opens the door to see the head of the guard. Undead, but still able to speak and remember his life like a distant memory. He faces the team in what he believes to be an honorable duel. When the captain of the guard is slain, a pendant of half a heart is found on the body. A small key is also found in the room opening a secret compartment holding gold and a nicely crafted firearm.

Finally, the team finds the way to the cellar through the kitchen. There, a ghoul is wearing a fine dress attacking what appears to be a ragged and unconscious Edovan Gontain. In the combat, Jek is inflicted with ghoul fever. The team kills the ghoul, later revealed to be Hilde Gontain, and free the real merchant from the cage. Upon returning to the ground level, fire is everywhere, and in the smoke, the shapeshifter that had pretended to be Edovan Gontain took the form of Bimano. After a fight wreathed in fire, the doppelganger is slain, and the team runs out with Edovan and the body of Hilde Gontain.

The corpse of Hilde is returned to Edovan so she may be returned to life, but not before Nova runs back into the burning building looking for the other daughter Shael Gontain. Nova is forced to leave unable to find anything on the second floor before fire consumes the building.

After rendering medical attention, Edovan Gontain is seen to be afflicted with Ghoul fever and is somewhat delusional. He raves that a wolf-man took his eldest daughter. He fades in and out of consciousness, but repeats that they fled into the Hork Swamp.