Libuse, late winter in the year of the Griffin, 633

It was the weirdest awakening ever. Did something go horribly wrong with Dr. Mrkva's hypnosis therapy? Were the intrepid investigators suspended in a realm of dreams and illusions? Everything seemed quite real in the bedroom, though. Sturdy beds with straw-filled mattresses, a single candle burning on a small table in the center of the room. The fellow investigators looked out over the rooftops of a strange town that clearly wasn't Prague. Some of the investigators had experienced bodily changes as well. Felex Jeremiah was ravenously hungry, but he could not see how this might be connected to his hairy and oversized feet. Franz Alter quickly noticed that he awas lacking his characteristic moustache, and that the world weighed so heavily on his shoulders. Many of his usual aches and pains had gone away, though. And where was Mackie?

The Intrepid Investigators found mush of their equipment, or rather artisanal copies of their equipment, in an adjacent room. Conversation and flute music was heard from down the stairs, and the entire building seemed to be some form of inn or hotel, but with a decidedly medieval look. As the investigators slowly walked down the stairs, they were greeted by the proprietor of the inn, a man named Aro, who merrily told the investigators that they had meal and board at the Red Rider Inn paid by a burgomeister named Edelard. Since the investigators were quite hungry, and especially Felix, they all sat down for a hearty meal accompanied by tankards of very good beer. There were at least some similarities to Prague!

Aro the Innkeeper

As the Intrepid Investigators were finishing their meal, and with Felix orderings seconds, a bald man with a moustache approached the table together with what seemed like two bodyguards. He introduced himself as Edelard, the burgomeister or mayor of Libuse. He could not at all explain how the investigators had ended up in this strange place, but he did know that there was a key, the Key of Nefren, that in all likelihood would allow the investigators to return to their own plane of existence. The thing was that the key was the forgotten passageways underneath Castle Imbril, where the wicked Countess Josina held court. Burgomeister Edelard did, however, have an old map of the passageways, including what he claimed to be a secret and hopefully forgotten side entrance. He could also tell the investigators about the strange place they had ended up in:

Edelard the Bold (or Bald, since he keeps his head shaved).

Libuse is a very old city, older than the Brotherhood of Naar, but not as old as Viktra. There have been many dwellings on this spot, and the tunnels and passageways under the city are numerous, especially under Castle Imbril, which is overlooking Libuse from Imbril Hill. Libuse is ruled by the elderly Countess Josina, and she is known to be a particularly cruel ruler. However, she tends to focus on her fiefdom, The County of Carrelon and Lake. Everyday affairs of Libuse are usually run by the mayor, This county is part of a loose confederation of small fiefs, kingdoms, and principalities known as the Iron Circle, which is ruled by the High King in Dragonport.

If one goes north, a traveler will eventually reach the warm shores of the Inner Sea. To the east lies the great kingdom of Belrovia, while beyond the Western Mountains there are vast plains, and beyond them the archenemy of Belrovia, the cruel Principality of Herghest. South lie most of the small kingdoms of the Iron Circle, and beyond those can be found the chilly Anculian Sea. There are several seafaring realms beyond that sea along a temperate coastline.

The High King Carol in Dragonport is, however, dying. He seems to have been unwell for a long time, but this is the end. There is unrest throughout the realm, and both hostile tribesmen and strange beasts are flocking around the western borderlands.

Libuse is awash in rumors, one more fantastic than the other: it is for example said that the great priest Silvander will be visiting Libuse this fall. It is also said that tunnels in the abandoned dwarven mines have collapsed, opening a passage to forgotten treasures. Another rumor concerns the champion knight Sir Sebastian, who is said to be assembling a group of intrepid warriors to rid Libuse of the orcish bandits that are infesting the woods south of the town.

Burgomeister Edelard was kind enough to equip the investigators, and it turned out that the special, well, characteristics of the individual investigators had been adapted to this strange plane of existence. Jules Pollack was a swordsman extraordinaire, skilled in stealth and concealment. Felix Jeremiah had become a halfling with even greater skills in climbing and acting unseen and unheard. Moira Butler was a warrior priestess of Noime, the Goddess of the Coast. She was soon wielding a mighty battle flail, while being able to channel the energies of the Goddess. Howard Lake was a powerful warrior, skilled in the use of the crossbow, but also swordplay, while Frau Claire Bonhofer was standing tall on high-heeled boots and looking down from her chainmail-clad bosom with her trusty whip at her side. Franz Alter had somehow been transformed into a High Elven alchemist, albeit with a yarmulke in his pack. They were ready to take on Castle Imbril!

 

The investigators wasted no time, and they were let out through the city gates discreetly with help from the Burgomeister. It was a cold night, with snowy fields being lit by a gibbous moon. The party was to approach Castle Imbril from the south, to avoid being seen by the guards and alerting the supposedly semi-sentient statue of Marwan, the grotesque Toad God that guarded the main entrance of Castle Imbril. Felix Jeremiah climbed up the steep side of Imbril Hill, and he did indeed find a passage into the hill, although it was covered by lots of snowy underbrush as well as shoddy brickwork. A silence spell took care of the problem of breaking open the brickwork, and the party entered the cold and narrow passages under Castle Imbril. Well. Jules Pollack managed to lose his grip in a rather spectacular fashion, and he entered the passageway being bruised, wet, and miserable. The passageway ended in a confrontation with two horrifying giant spiders in what seemed to be an entrance to what might have been the barracks of some long-forgotten castle guard. The encounter with the spiders proved almost fatal, with several party members facing terrible wounds as well as the nauseating effects of spider venom, but Franz Alter was able to provide antidotes from his portable pharmacy. 

As it turned out, the guards were still on duty, albeit in a zombified state. This is when Moira's powers came into great use, with her commanding voice banishing the zombies in the name of Noime, the Goddess of the Coast. Her commanding voice did however not work on the long row of traps that guarded wide staircases to the inner chambers, but Felix Jeremiah and Howard Lake took care of that - for the most part. The inner chamber turned out to be a tomb, and as one might guess, the denizen of the tomb was restless and demanded to know who disturbed his rest.

 

A fierce melee followed, with the undead horror seemingly impervious to normal weapons. Fortunately, Moira enchanted her flail and started bashing the animated remains of a warrior long gone. The other party members engaged the remaining zombified guards, while Lake managed to take an ancient sword from the tomb. Together, Moira and Lake destroyed the undead warrior with mighty blows.

This gave the party time to both loot the tomb, and find the Key of Nefren. The following inscription was found on the tomb: “Here lies Hothgar, the Champion of Ruin (201-243). May his life make thee think twice”. The party also found 55 old gold pieces, a small gilded cup with semi-precious gemstones, a beautiful longsword with griffon designs and “Excelsior” written at the base of the blade as well as a round shield with a gilded spiked boss, and finally a horned helm with a nose protector and aventail.

The Key of Nefren was indeed found where it was supposed to be. To the horror of the party, though, the handle of the large key was decorated with an image of a figure they clearly recognized: Nyarlathotep!