Vurparnu Mansion

 

artist unknown, source

Sitting next to a waterfall on the Cruth River in western Karameikos, Vurpanu Mansion is home to the old Vurparnu family of old Traladaran heritage and they have held onto their lands despite Duke Stefan's takeover of the rest of Karameikos. As with some other Traladaran nobles they have negotiated with the new regime and are still recognised as the rightful owners though with fealty to Duke Stefan as their feudal overlord. 

Vurpanu Mansion may be in Karameikos but its nearest towns are across the border, Wereskalot and Aergruth in the Five Shires, and this is where the folks of the manor do much of their trade. In fact, Vurparnu Mansion is quite isolated from the rest of Karameikos and by virtue of its near-inaccessibilty from the east is effectively independent from Specularum. 

There is Riverfork Keep, owned and run by the Karameikean army with a small garrison of 30 soldiers, and whenever travelling by river to the sea the Vurparnu family will try to be friendly with the garrison. The people at Riverfork Keep will sometimes buy supplies from Vurparnu Mansion, particularly if lizardmen and bullywugs are making the Blight Swamp impassable for supply boats or the Black Eagle Barony is harrying shipping along the coast. These threats are also problems for Vurparnu Mansion, so sometimes an overland route through the Riverfork Woods to Luln is considered safer if longer. 

8 miles per hex, based on original map by Thorfinn Tait

Vurparnu Manor has a number of hamlets and farmsteads attached to it and these provide food and basic supplies. In return the manor provides a certain amount of protection from bandits and monsters in the Cruth Hills or venturing down out of the Cruth Mountains. 

The manor itself has the family members, 25 servants and a squad of 14 guards (1st level fighters). 

However, the Vurparnu family used to control a much larger swathe of land, particularly in the rugged hills, and a combination of bandits, monsters and neglect have left the Vurparnus looking after a much smaller fief than fifty years ago. It is a long-standing goal for the family to reclaim its lost properties but they do not have the soldiers or resources to do this. Adventurers are a possible solution, if they can be trusted. 

Tasks to be done include:

• Travel to the Reclusium of Serenity to ask if they would provide a chaplain for the manor. 
• Make trade connections with Grulven's Prospect, a dwarf mine run by Grulven Granitefist - the mansion can sell food, and offer a market for copper and gems in the Five Shires.  
• Clearing out a hamlet overrun with kobolds
• Investigating the pack of wolves in the Cruth foothills that have slaughtered sheep and chased shepherds. There is something usually cunning about them. 
• Negotiating with the nixies in the Cruth River to let human and halfling fishermen fish in peace. The nixies have been displaced by an aggressive band of bullywugs. 
• Assisting the nearby cleric of Law in protecting the graveyard from the grave-robbing necromancer and his skeletal minions. Lady Mellidia wants to join in but Lord Elias is worried for her safety. 
• Making contact with a small tribe of gnomes in the hills who have become very isolated and almost xenophobic.  They have had trouble with evil humans and don’t trust anyone taller than a dwarf, and even then they are suspicious of dwarves. But they do have a steady supply of iron ore. 
• Statues of travellers and creatures have been found in the hills north of Vurparnu and the implications are scary. There is a magic staff that once belonged to a nearby wizard that could turn stone to flesh, restoring petrified creatures. The wizard who created it is long dead but his tower still stands. 
• Angry lizardmen have been harrassing human traffic on the river system. They are normally peaceful, letting human boats pass, but something in the Blight Swamp has got them riled up. 

Characters of Vurparnu Mansion

• Lord Elias Vurparnu (5th level fighter, human male, align Lawful, Str 14, Int 11, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 14, Cha 14, equipment: Chain Mail +1, Sword +1 +2 vs Lycanthropes). Lord of the manor and takes his duties and responsibilities seriously. Prefers to be independent from Specularum and keeps a low profile to avoid Duke Stefan’s attention. 
• Lady Mellidia Vurparnu (4th level cleric, human female, align Neutral, Str 8, Int 12, Wis 16, Dex 11, Con 10, Cha 14, equipment: chain mail, Shield +1, mace, Amulet of Levitation), originally from Specularum, and still has family and connections there. She follows the Karameikian Church of Law. 
• Master Ostion Vurparnu, (2nd level fighter, human male, align Lawful, Str 16, Int 8, Wis 8, Dex 12, Con 14, Cha 10, equipment: Chain Mail +1, Sword +1 [Continual Light at will]), well-meaning but ineffectual. But quite good at combat and hopes to become an officer in an army.
• Lady Patrilla Vurparnu (3rd level magic user, human female, align Neutral, Str 10, Int 15, Wis 12, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13, equipment: Ring of Protection +2, spellbook, dagger)  Budding mage, wants to travel to a school of magic for proper tuition. She would like to go to Glantri but her mother Mellidia is only prepared to send her to Specularum.  
• Master Garick Vurparnu (3rd level fighter, human male, align Chaotic, Str 12, Int 14, Wis 10, Dex 16, Con 11, Cha 13, equipment: Chain Mail +1, Shortsword +1 +2 vs Undead), admires Black Eagle Baron Ludwig and believes might makes right. Unpredictable and torn between his family and the Black eagle Baron. Quietly despises halflings, and will avoid Rohani and Garthan. 
• Terrid the Butler (3rd level fighter, human male, align Neutral, Str 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Dex 13, Con 10, Cha 8, equipment: Shortsword +1), quite snobbish and very aware of social standing and decorum. Will often remind the family members of how nobles are supposed to behave, and will try to keep commoners in their place. 
• Rohani Potboiler the Cook (3rd level halfling female, align Lawful, Str 11, Int 13, Wis 13, Dex 12, Con 10, Cha 10, Equipment: Dagger +1 (“Vegetable Chopper”). Easy going and happy to work for Vurparnu family. She has her own family westward in Wereskalot.  
• Garthan Hamfarm the Gardener (2nd level halfling male, align Neutral, Str 14, Int 13, Wis 13, Dex 16, Con 10, Cha 8, Equipment: leather armour, Hand Axe +1 (“Log-Splitter”)), halfling spy for the Five Shires. He does not get up to anything disruptive but will regularly pass information about the area onto his superiors in Shireton. He is particularly concerned about young master Garick’s intentions.  
• Sergeant Aalvestic (3rd level fighter, human male, align Neutral, Str 16, Int 10, Wis 13, Dex 10, Con 13, Cha 13, equipment: chain mail, Sword +1, Shield +1, dagger) is the leader of the mansion’s guards and is generally responsible for the mansion’s guards (14 x 1st level fighters) as well as patrolling the local lands. He is pure Traladaran, proud of it, and is a bit wary of Thyatian influence.