Background

Lisport was once the home of the Earl of Lisport, but most of the family died during the Goblin wars. It was a foul murder, made all the worse not just because the murdered Earl, Colonel Elroy Courlander, was one of the West’s most brilliant military leaders during the Goblin wars but also because it was perpetrated by one of the Earl’s daughters.

Elroy Courlander raised an army from the men of Lisport and the surrounding areas, and drove south to protect the embattled town of Brightwood Crossing. During the winter of 1897 Colonel Courlander returned home with his lieutenants to plan for the spring campaign and because they expected an attack against the river towns. That Christmas, Melody Courlander killed the Earl and his two Lieutenants along with the rest of her family.

Lisport was overrun by goblins a few days later.

Only Elroy’s two-year-old grandson survived, and the son-in-law who raised him. Meril Alegar, the heir to the House of Lisport, was taken to the family’s home in Fork, where Fork’s walls protected him from the war.

The family has not flourished. Lisport was never repopulated after the war, and the family has remained in Fork where they manage Lisport House, the last of the family’s holdings.

The current Earl of Lisport is Eldred Alegar, who lives in Fork with his younger brother, Meril. Both have reputations as carousers. While they are both well-liked, it is expected that the family’s holdings will be lost before either of the two brothers can pass it on either to their own (as yet nonexistent) children or to their distant relatives in Black Stag.

Now Eldred is missing, possibly due to his gambling debts. Meril needs to find his brother or his brother’s body and find some way of settling the debts his brother has incurred with Sparkling Danny Chaverson.

You can spice the adventure up with gambling scams in Fork, goblins on the road, and family intrigues, as you prefer.

Quick Overview

The Mysteries

There are three basic mysteries in this adventure. Depending on what they do, they might discover a few other mysteries as well, such as how to exit the vault and how to contact the ghosts.

Except for exiting the vault, these aren’t particularly difficult (Erisu may decide to help them enter) but make sure you keep an eye out for misunderstandings between yourself and the players.

You will want to adjust the difficulty of these mysteries according to what your group finds interesting. This is especially important when it comes to the vault. They could conceivably be trapped in the vault forever. You may need to remind them, if they enter the vault before learning the way out, that they can combine their efforts into group effort for both bonuses and the ability to apply more than one player character’s mojo to a roll.

What happened in 1898?

Erisu possessed Melody and convinced her to kill her family. She used a magic dagger of her father’s, which Erisu had magically poisoned.

Where is the Lisport fortune?

It is in a secret vault in Lisport Manor, in a Lost Corner which can be entered by playing the correct melody on the piano in the drawing room. Exiting the vault requires a different melody, which is why Erisu is still trapped there.

How do they stop Erisu?

They could find some way to keep Erisu locked in the vault. If they never enter the vault, then Erisu will remain there until someone else lets it out. Or they might destroy the piano, which will lengthen Erisu’s time in the vault, since the piano makes it easy to draw victims into the vault. If they have a magic weapon, they could fight Erisu, although with Erisu’s magic poisoned dagger this is a dangerous option. If they “kill” Erisu in this manner, it sends him back to the shadows.

If they can somehow bring about a moment of power or get Erisu to a place of power, they could perform a banishment ritual. The nearest places of power are Brigit’s Springs and the Weaving Wood. If they can convince the three ghosts in Lisport Manor to assist them, they can use a spirit circle to bring forth a moment of power and perform the ritual.

There may be other solutions. They could even let Erisu go, which would make for more adventures later. If Erisu is freed, its first step will likely be to kidnap some likely soul and bring them to a place of power where it can possess them, so as to rid itself of Melody’s rotting corpse. It may also attempt to use the Lisport fortune to cement its power in this world.

Erisu is not aware of any places of power except Brigit’s springs. It might learn of more from the player characters, or of Ebeorie (see Helter Skelter) or Eliazu (see Illustrious Castle). It will use whatever knowledge it has to the best of its ability.

How do they contact the ghosts?

They can contact the ghosts of the three sisters using Melody’s diary, if they have it. A Monk with spirit host or spirit summons can contact them directly. They can also contact them by playing the piano.

How do they perform the ritual?

Elizabeth Mardel knew the ritual. She just didn’t know where the demon was going to strike, or how to bring about a place of power. Her notes in her secret room contain explicit details. And the ritual itself is in the rafters upstairs.

How do they get into and out of the vault?

Because entering and exiting the vault are important to the adventure, here is a summary of where the characters can find clues on how to do both. The entrance melody is the chorus to “I Saw Three Roses” while bearing the family seal. The exit melody is the chorus to “We’re Marching to Zion.”

1. Melody’s diary mentions something about the way in and out, though not obviously.

2. Aunt Mardel created the vault, and her notes describe in detail how to enter and exit the vault (play on the piano while holding something), but not the melodies to use.

3. Melissa knew how to enter the vault and a little about how to exit the vault, and her ghost may provide clues. Her ghost cannot enter the vault, however.

4. Aaron Courlander’s notes from the Lost Castle of the Astronomers, if they have them, do not mention the vault directly (it was created after he left) but do provide clues, where he summarizes correspondence with his sister-in-law, that the piano has some relation to the family fortune. If the characters have read these notes, they will know that there was at least a minor treasure hidden in the manor.

5. The Lisport seal contains a snippet from the song that contains the melody that gets them in, “I Saw Three Roses”.

6. The Courlander family missal contains the melody that gets them out, “We’re Marching to Zion”.

7. Discordant melodies are heard whenever Melody’s ghost is near, when the piano is in the vault.

8. The missal contains the family seal on the front page; Meril’s gold ring also has the family seal on it.

Remember that there are two aspects to this mystery. The first is realizing that it needs to be solved; the second is solving it. The basic act of entering the vault isn’t likely to be difficult. The piano that opens a secret door is a common trope in fantasy horror (where trope is a fancy word for cliché). The melody on the Lisport coat of arms is a dead giveaway. Even if Meril isn’t with them, someone in the group is likely to know the song that it represents.

This means that they may well be able to get into the vault before they know how to get back out again. Remember that Erisu would prefer that they discover the way out, and will likely convince them (as Melody) not to send one person in after another until they have some idea of how to get out, whether they know it or not (Erisu will definitely draw them in if it knows they have a book of music).

Meril Alegar III

Meril Alegar III is a good man. He is a gambler, a ladies man, and a carouser, skills he learned well from his older brother. But he is also versed in the arts and fencing. In his brother’s absence, he oversees the remains of their inheritance: the Lisport House inn and boarding house.

Meril has several “fallen noble” friends, and spends many nights in the more reputable gambling houses carousing with them. He gambles, but does not gamble more than he carries.

If Eldred survives, he is likely to be forced into selling Lisport House in order to pay off his debts. But by the law of Fork if Eldred is dead, even though his family (and thus his brother) will inherit his debts they will not inherit his deadlines. “I guess I’m the one with the most to gain by him dying.”

If Meril is convicted of Eldred’s murder, the Agews inherit the family holdings, including Lisport House.

This is moot unless the body or evidence of foul play is found, or Eldred reappears.

The Agews

The descendants of Meril Alegar III’s grandfather’s sister, the Agews are the Earl’s nearest relatives. They live in Black Stag, and inherit all rights to the family fortune (as well as Lisport Manor and Lisport House) should the Alegar line fail. Lady Miriam (Meril Alegar III’s mother) blamed the Agews for her husband’s death. They had nothing to do with it, and haven’t left Black Stag for over a generation.

If both Eldred and Meril died, the Agews would sell Lisport House quickly, because they don’t have any attachment to it and because any travel to Fork would saddle them with the Lisport gambling debts as well. In fact, with the latest treaty between Black Stag and Fork, they might be subject to the Fork debts immediately on the death of the last remaining Alegars.

Arn Gallade

Arn Gallade is the Alegar’s servant in Lisport. A solitary man, he looks after the house but will not live in it. He fully believes the ghost stories, and can tell a few of his own. He has just returned with news that Eldred entered the manor and left Melody’s diary in the drawing room. Arn searched the house for Eldred and did not find him. Arn did not see Eldred leave the manor, though he could have easily left without being seen.

Danny Chaverson

Meril does not gamble to excess. But his brother did, and has left the family an insurmountable debt to “Sparkling” Danny Chaverson, the head of one of the largest gambling guilds in Fork. Chaverson wants Lisport House, and expects to get it when Eldred’s legal options fail. Because of the laws, it is in Chaverson’s interest that Eldred be alive. He’d like to see Eldred’s disappearance laid on Meril’s head, or he’d like to see Eldred return alive.

Eldred Alegar II

Eldred, the Earl of Lisport, is Meril’s older brother. He is a chronic gambler. Desperate to repay his debts and resume gambling, Eldred went to Lisport Manor to find the vault two weeks ago. He has not returned. He died of starvation and dehydration a week after he entered the vault.

Elizabeth Mardel

Elizabeth Mardel appeared to be little more than an old maid living in an upstairs room of her sister’s prosperous home. In fact she was an accomplished sorceror and spy. She infiltrated the True Family and assisted her brother with information about the goblin army and the goblin mage. She knew about the hooded traveler (the goblin mage) and was aware that the Family had targeted her brother-in-law for demonic revenge. She was researching both magical defenses and ritual protections. One of Elizabeth’s spells freed Melody from possession. Elizabeth cast it just before she died from Melody’s poisoned dagger--a dagger she created for the Courlanders years ago.

If they speak with the Lady of Brigit’s Springs, you might have her mention a Mardel or Elizabeth visiting her a hundred years past looking for knowledge about ritual and summonings.

Erisu

Erisu is a demon of despair. It feeds off of (and gains demonic power from) despair. It was summoned by the Goblin Mage during one of the battles near Brightwood Crossing. The Goblin Mage (actually, a prophet) used Bloodbath to create a moment of power amidst the battle’s carnage.

Erisu is currently in full control of Melody Courlander’s corpse in the Courlander vault. She continues to appear as a young woman due to glamer of life. Erisu is trapped in the vault and does not know how to escape.

Fork

Fork is an exciting and dangerous place. Known for its walls, its gambling houses, its arena, its crime and its corruption, Fork is the main trading center on the Fawn River. For all its problems, there is a hard beauty to the city. If Nelson Algren had a counterpart in Highland, he’d live in Fork.

Lisport

The original Earl of Lisport, Abraham Courlander, moved to Lisport to provide an alternative to Fork’s monopolies. Lisport lies abandoned fifteen miles downriver from Fork. It was deserted during the Goblin wars and mostly destroyed, one of the many ghost towns lining the river.

There is an old set of docks on the west side of the Fawn River, leading two miles up a short road to dilapidated, overgrown buildings.

Lisport House

The Earl of Lisport owns and manages Lisport House in Fork. Lisport House is frequented by traveling nobles and by very well-to-do merchants. Only nobles stay at Lisport House, and they must be invited.

Lisport Manor

Lisport Manor was built in Lisport in 1758 by Abraham Courlander. It was deserted in January of 1897, after Melody Courlander murdered everyone in the house.

Melody Courlander

Known to children around Highland as the “Melly Lisport” who “took an axe”, Melody Courlander was one of three daughters of Elroy Courlander and Melissa Mardel. Her older sister was Melissa. Her twin sister was Meryl. Melody’s fiancé Alan Mardel (a third cousin on her mother’s side) died in the Battle of Brightwood Crossing defending the family’s interests.

Melody killed her family under control of the demon Erisu. Before her aunt died, her aunt cast Demonic Clarity on Melody. Realizing what she’d done and why, Melody fled into the family vault. When the spell wore off, Erisu again took control, and tortured her until she died of starvation. Erisu has maintained control of Melody’s corpse and remains in the vault.

Lisport Family History

Elroy Courlander was born in 1847. He married Melissa Mardel in 1875. In 1876 their first daughter, Melissa, was born. In 1877 the twins, Melody and Meryl, were born. Following the twins, Lady Melissa was unable to bear children again.

In 1894, Melissa Courlander married John Alegar. They named their son Meril after one of the twins.

In 1896 Goblins began attacking the town out of the west in larger and larger numbers. Elroy Courlander raised an army for the town’s defense. Among them was Alan Mardel, a nephew of Lady Courlander’s. Alan spent much time at Lisport Manor, and he and Melody became engaged.

The Lisport regiment, under the Earl’s command, was so successful that they decided to drive deeper into the goblin’s territory. They went downriver to Black Stag and east to Brightwood Crossing where they retook the town and the Courlander holdings. They were aided by information from Elizabeth Mardel, who had infiltrated the True Family cell near Fork.

In the summer of 1897, Alan Mardel died in battle. When Colonel Courlander returned to Lisport in mid-winter, this news had preceded him by several months. On the night he returned home, the brooding Melody went from room to room and murdered Elroy Courlander, Lady Melissa Courlander, her two sisters, her aunt Elizabeth Mardel, and the Earl’s two most trusted Lieutenants, as well as some of the servants.

The town was overrun in the spring, and those who survived dispersed to the other towns of West Highland.

Elroy Courlander had a younger brother, Aaron Courlander, who joined the Astronomers. Aaron died with them when the goblins attacked the Astronomers’ castle south of the Leather Road.

Following the war, young Meril Alegar was groomed to restore the family’s glories. The family stayed in Fork, where they lived in a smaller manor near their upscale inn. The family’s treasure vault was lost. Lisport was abandoned, as was Brightwood Crossing. Money was not plentiful, but there was enough of it in the post-war years.

In 1915, Meril Alegar married Mary Elena Camber. They had three children: Meril II, Elroy, and Elena. Elroy, always sickly, died in 1923 of cold sickness.

Elena eloped with Philip Agew, a well-to-do merchant who often frequented Lisport House, in 1937. Philip and Elena moved to Newhorse. There has been little contact between the Alegars and the Agews. The Agews have since moved to Black Stag.

Meril I had returned to Lisport Manor several times over the years, trying to find the vast treasure that his father assured him was somewhere on the grounds or in the town. In 1927 he went back and did not return. Meril Alegar II and the family servant found him, dead, just outside the old manor, trapped beneath a gargoyle that had fallen from an alcove. Meril Alegar II was twelve years old. He only returned to Lisport Manor twice after this: once to get married, and once to be buried.

Meril Alegar II married in 1939. Their only son was Eldred Alegar, born less than a year later. His wife, whose name is lost to history (she is always referred to as Lady Alegar), died in childbirth.

Eldred Alegar, when he could get away from his brooding father, went to the manor several times, but found nothing to restore their fortunes. Eldred married Miriam Wells in 1962 and devoted himself to her and to the inn for twenty years. Their son Eldred Alegar II was born in 1963, and Meril Alegar III was born in 1964.

As the inn’s fortunes fell, Eldred began again to gaze south to the rumored treasure vaults. In 1978 he began to frequent the old manor again. In 1982 he died from a goblin attack while wandering the old town.

In 1983, Meril Alegar II sold their Fork home and the family--Meril III, his grandfather Meril II, his mother Miriam, and his brother Eldred II--moved into the Lisport House inn. The profits from selling their home left them financially secure, though their status was lessened. Meril II died in 1990. Eldred Alegar II, at 26, was the Earl of Lisport.

Recent History

Eldred Alegar is missing, but his debts are not. Eldred owes 18,959 shillings to Danny Chaverson’s gambling houses.

Eldred disappeared two weeks ago. He didn’t say where he was going, but Meril assumes, correctly, that he went to Lisport Manor. Arn Gallade confirms it, to Meril’s despair. Meril is now going to have to travel to Lisport to try to find his brother. He had planned on bringing Arn with him, but with the player characters coming he’ll leave Arn in Fork.

Eldred went there to find the long-rumored vault. He did find it, and got stuck inside. His despair before dying gave Erisu several points of demonic power.

Timeline

Pre-war

War era

Post-war

Meril’s immediate family history

Meril’s relations