Thiam, once again with the same old troubles.

You have found the Frozen Forge a magical nexus of ley lines that consummates the frigid temperatures of its locale. 'Seether' was somehow controlling Brannis who was forging a giant crystal to harness the natural energy radiating out of the earth. Frost Giants and frozen zombies interfered with your attempts to stop them. Brannis created the massive crystal, which glows with the captured power. 'Seether' removes his face mask revealing four grasping tentacles, which is something none of you have ever heard of...... Even more horrifying 'Seether wraps it's tentacles around Brannis head and you hear a sharp crack as Brannis' skull breaks open. Tronc casts Thunderwave and knocks Brannis and 'Seether' away. Brannis falls to the ground, Seether regains its feet and grabbing the  crystal, steps forward and disappears as if walking through a curtain. The players rest, go through their opponents goods, finding gold, silver and a mace and javelin (cold to the touch). They return to The Razorclaw winter encampment and wait out the remainder of the winter. Tronc disappears into the snows for some time..... Returning to Thiam you are debriefed by Captain Noamhain. Eira and Miriam returned ahead of you and your names have been cleared of charges and you are fully reinstated into the military. Miriam has not been seen after taking control of the Highdrake estate and he asks that you check in on her due to your close relationship. Within the last few months, monster attacks have been increasing yet again, after we thought we had them running scared. You are tasked to eliminate the monsters that recently attacked a local farmhouse. Tracking them from the farm, you follow the larger trail and surprise and ambush a pair of ogres. Following their trail, you find a cave with with more ogres and (surprise!) and ettin. Trying to draw the ogres into battle worked, but not as your party intended. RGB threw many huge blows, felling the monsters quickly. Exploring the cave you find scrawled along the walls a familiar image ......

Discovering "Seether" marks along the walls of the cave, the party hurries back to the fortress to report their findings to the officer on duty. He remarks that these "S" marks have been seen frequently over the last few months accompanying the increased monster attacks and some new and bizarre creatures never before seen in Thiam. The party knows the "S" to be a hallmark of 'Seether', a creature intent on harassing Miriam Highdrake (for unknown reasons) and also competing with the party in discovering artifacts used by the ancient civilization believed by some to have existed in what is now The Fractured Lands. Believing Miriam to be in danger, the party heads to the Highdrake estate to check on their former companion and employer. A dense fog precedes the nightfall. The gates are unguarded, and they have to force them open but they enter the grounds unmolested. The wind picks up and the clouds, already heavy, darken while the day winds down. Hounds bark and howl, a menacing sound as they approach the house. Looking around Jean, Tronc and Baern are the only ones present! Somewhere in the fog RGB, and Ouzel, Jean's wolf companion have been lost. The house is dark, some small lights show in the windows barely casting any illumination. Shadows are heavy in the courtyard. Walking to the front door, a menacing growl erupts from the darkness in front of them when a large black mastiff coalesces from the shadows! Two more appear and they are clearly barring the entrance to the house.....suddenly a muffled cry from inside the house! Jean, Tronc and Baern defeat the shadow dogs, one of whom leaves behind a shining silver key. It opens the door and they enter. Inside, the house is full of shadows and alcoves, and sounds. Constant whispers, creaking of floor boards and the occasional shout or cry from somewhere in the house, the tinkling of piano keys. The furnishings, no the house itself appears...twisted or warped. Dimensions are off, angles are wrong... There is a grand staircase, at the top of which there are three portraits: Lord Highdrake Miriams father and former Lord of the Estate. He looks younger in this than they remember, and stronger. Beneath his portrait is a shelf with a notebook. Opening it script appears as if someone is writing in it now! "Hi Daddy, miss you! When are you coming home?" "Soon kiddo, I love you too. " and so forth.... Gwedolyne Highdrake-Miriams mother. Deceased some years now. The portrait is actively weeping. Miriam Highdrake-she is shown younger than the party new her and appears....uneasy in the portrait. She holds a holy symbol of the Dawnbringer in her lap. Below the portrait is a small silver bowl, used for daily ablutions. The bowl is pristine and almost glows in the dim light and is filled with clear, cold water. Next to the bowl is a small golden ring also adorned with the rising sun of the Dawnbringer . Heading down the east hall, Jean enters a room where he hears occasional tinkling of piano keys. He sees a portrait of Miriam and her mother, a harp and a piano that is playing itself! Slowly at first the discordant notes become a song, fast paced and frenetic. A ghostly figure appears at the piano and then rushes through it to attack! Jean, unable to harm the creature is damaged by the corrosive touch of the Banshee, Baern blasts her with magical force and Tronc is overcome by her horrific visage and flees. She lets out a keening wail, further harming Tronc and Jean but dropping Baern to death's door! Tronc heals Baern as Jean returns to Miriam's portrait to retrieve what he believes to be holy water. The banshee is defeated and the party rests briefly. Jean explores the door to the north and finds an empty library. The hallway north is filled with crawling disembodied hands! He quickly shuts the door and the party chooses another path. South in the study, they find the body of Lord Highdrake appearing freshly dead though he was killed almost two years ago. Baern approaches the body, which starts to bleed freshly! A force grabs him and tries to throw him up into the ceiling! Reacting quickly he wraps his whip around the desk leg and holds himself down. The party quickly dispatches the poltergeist. In the western hallway they enter a trophy room with mounted heads that are twisted and leering and a scary looking bearskin rug. While crossing the room to another door, the rug rears up and attacks! Tronc is thrown to the ground and bitten. Jean cuts many holes through the rug and Baern blasts it with eldritch force. It finally collapses as do our weary party members......

After a brief respite, Tronc, Jean and Baern continue to search the house for Miriam. Leaving the trophy room they find a desiccated greenouse filled with leaf litter and rot. Attempting to pass through, this rotting heap rears up and attacks! While the rotting vegetation seems unable to land a strike, the party persistently and quickly cut it down. Outside they find a wilted and withered garden which also springs to life and surrounds the party, though they are able to clear it without much difficulty. Returning to the house proper, they find a few empty and..indistinct rooms. There is a featureless closet, and a meditation room, with the vague scent of sandalwood that seems....incomplete somehow. The portrait is of no one in particular and in fact doesn't seem to be of anyone. The corners of the room seem almost...blurry. Passing what looks like a private chapel, they find an abandoned kitchen with a pantry stocked only with the skeletal remains of giant rats. There is a stairway leading down to the cellar. It is cold and dark and a sense of terrible dread befalls anyone descending. Inexplicably those attempting to go into the cellar find them selves returning up the stairs, shaking and cold with fear. There is a stairway leading upstairs but it runs smoothly into the ceiling.....no door or opening. The door to the chapel has images of the devout sitting in prayer but they are twisted and deformed and this figure at the altar is frightening to behold. Inside there is a black key on the altar  but as they approach shadowy/ insubstantial figures walk into the hall and through the party members! Two take their seats but one stands and the front and gesticulates as is proselytizing. When Tronc attempts to take the key, the figures come sharply into focus and attack! The shadowy monsters use hit and run tactics within the dim light of the chapel but the steady healing from Jean's healing spirit and the damage dealt by Tronc and Baern destroy the creatures.  They rest and then head into the ballroom.... Inside a wide ballroom that was once grand but is not rotten and ruined they see on the far side Miriam, beaten and battered, slumped before a slender, cowled figure standing above her....Seether!