The Wulford Manor

The Wulford manor was around a third the size of the Vasquez manor, a testament to their gap in wealth and influence. A single guard stood watch outside, unlike the full patrol of the Vasquez Manor. Trusting in whatever plan Lucille had concocted, we approached the guard.

“Hold there!” he called out to us, gripping the hilt of his sword. “What business have you?” Lucille stepped forward, pulling a pendant from her satchel.

“I request a formal audience with Lord Wulford,” she declared. The guard looked incredulous, before inspecting the pendant, his mouth agape.

“T-that’s the sigil of-” he stammered.

“Indeed it is. Now, if you would, I would prefer to keep this brief,” Lucille said. The guard bowed profusely.

“Of course, Ma’am, right this way,” he said, opening the door to the manor and leading us inside. As we stood in the parlor, an aged butler entered from the adjacent room.

“Nortis, are these folk guests for the lord?” asked the old man, adjusting the glasses that didn’t quite fit his crooked nose.

“Yes sir, Klaus,” replied the guard, shifting uncomfortably.

“I shall attend to them, return to your station,” said the butler. The guard visibly relaxed, nodding and returning outside. “As for the lot of you, come along. Lord Wulford is in the lounge.”

The butler turned with purpose, heading back towards the room he’d arrived from. I took notice of an old scar on the back of his head, around the base of the skull, leaving behind a gap in his hairline. If it still hurt, he didn’t show it, leading us on with the grace of a man half his age.

We came to the lounge, a room with several fine chairs and a long couch situated around a fancy fireplace. A pair of crossed swords were on display above the fireplace, and several bookshelves adorned the walls on either side. The opposite wall was mostly bare, save a dresser and a few sconces made from the horn of some animal.

Reclining in the chair closest to the fire, facing the entrance was a man in refined clothing. He wore a fancy, yet pragmatic purple robe, black house shoes, and a pendant with a sapphire inlaid into its center. His dirty blonde hair was combed and recently trimmed, though the same couldn’t be said of his unkempt beard. He was reading a large tome from one of the bookshelves, which he set onto the table beside him upon hearing us enter.

“My Lord, you have guests seeking an audience with you,” said Klaus.

“I see. Show them in,” said the lord. His cold amber eyes studied the lot of us. “Go fetch us some tea, Klaus.”

“Yes milord,” the butler said, turning to leave as the others began to sit.

“I’ll keep him distracted, go on,” whispered Lucille as she went to take her seat across from Tyven.

“Oh, um, actually, could I use your restroom,” I asked the butler before he left.

“Very well. This way,” said Klaus, leading me back into the parlor and pointing down a hallway across from the lounge. “It is the third door down, on the left.”

“Thank you,” I said. The butler nodded curtly before heading off through a separate door, likely to the kitchen. Now unattended, I slipped the dowsing rod out from under my cloak. Deciding to test the rod, I pointed it at my blade, and the rod’s tip began to glow, sensing the magic emanating from the enchanted sword. “Good, it works.”

I began to quickly sweep the parlor, but only got a reaction from the lights and door, which was likely a ward or some such spell. I turned down the hall with the bathroom and began checking the doors. The only door to make a reaction was the one at the end of the hall, signaling something was giving off magic energy inside.

I gingerly opened the door, praying the room to be empty, and slipped inside, shutting the door behind me. As it turns out, there was a god...er, goddess, after all, as my prayer was answered, leaving me alone in the room. It appeared to be a simple storage room, with food and various household objects stored in crates or on shelves. I waved the dowsing rod over the crates and shelves, searching for the source of the previous reaction, to find nothing. At least, until I nearly gave up.

The reaction at last sparked up again when I pointed the dowsing rod towards a nearby wall. Figuring it was some secret room or passageway or some such, I felt around the wall searching for a pressure plate or hidden latch. Eventually, I found what I was looking for, a stone in the wall pushing back and the wall sliding to the side to reveal a darkened room. I carefully stepped inside.