Gallery of Evil (Sarenith (VI) 18th, 4709 AR)

The Horrible Demise of Asheron Coyle

The Tentacled Horrors. The inside of this once-lovely townhouse is in shambles. Paintings torn from the walls lie in broken pieces, furniture is overturned, and glassware is shattered across the bloody floor.

Two giant octopi that were holding Asheron's corpse dropped it once they became aware of the heroes and focused on the new arrivals. The tentacled horrors grabbed their prey in their tentacles and constricted it. They didn't let go and fought until destroyed.

The creatures turned into large puddles of paint when slain. Searching the premises turned up several terrified servants. One of them explained that his former employer received an unexpected gift about an hour ago from what the courier termed a ''fellow art enthusiast". When he said this, he indicated the only intact painting in the room, which depicts a ravaged ship on a storm-tossed sea. The servant described the man perfectly, as he seemed too well-dressed and well-spoken for a simple courier. In fact, he had a shabbily dressed laborer with him carrying other wrapped paintings. When the servant asked the courier about the other paintings, the courier remarked that he had to deliver similar gifts to other individuals in the district. When Asheron removed the paper covering the painting, the monsters within suddenly appeared. The courier described by the servant is a local rake named Darius Finch, known publicly as the Well-Dressed Gentleman.

Who is the Well-Dressed Gentleman? The Well-Dressed gentleman is a member of a disgraced noble house. He is little more than a rake with a silver tongue. "The Gent", as he is often called, is well connected. He seems to have friends in every social circle in Absalom. Pay him enough coin and he can find out anything you want to know. His real name is Darius Finch. The commoners affectionately call him the wealthiest pauper in Absalom. His expertise in manipulating people and ferreting out the city's secrets are as legendary as his spending binges when he gets a few coins to rub together.

Belfor's Ill-Fated Party

Armed with a good description of their quarry, the heroes had no problem following the directions of vendors, street urchins, and other locals. The trail of the Well-Dressed Gentleman led the heroes a couple streets over to a residence on Peacock Court, the home of yet another wealthy art critic in the Ivy District – an aristocrat named Belfor Vittanis. On the fortunate side, the trapped painting intended for Master Vittanis had not yet been triggered.

Belfor's Townhouse

Front Entrance. The trail of the mysterious courier led to an elegant townhouse on Peacock Court marked number 20. It appeared that its occupants were in the middle of some kind of high society party. Numerous carriages lined the circular drive leading up to the colonnaded entrance. Some of the drivers and servants stood together, sharing mugs and gossiping, while within the grand home music and laughter drifted out to the street on a soft breeze.

A group of more than a dozen drivers and servants gathered near the carriages by the front entrance of the manor were debating Lady Tilianda's taste in men. The heroes became friendly with the servants and learned that a man meeting the description of the Well-Dressed Gentleman arrived about an hour ago. He came with a servant, went inside with what looked like a wrapped painting, stayed for a while, came back out to pay and dismiss his man, then got inside Lady Tillanda's carriage with two more wrapped packages and left to an undisclosed destination. The servants also knew the package he delivered was about to be unveiled inside. When the heroes explained their purpose for being there, the servants ushered them inside.

Entry Hall: Mistaken Identity. Massive double doors of polished dark oak bound in brass open into a wide, vaulted hallway. A grand staircase leads up to a carpeted balcony directly across from the entrance. Closed double doors exit the hall to one side and open doors on the opposite side lead into a large, elegant chamber filled with men and women dressed in expensive outfits. Others seem to be competing at how little they can wear, walking a fine line between indecency and fashion. Music from a group of minstrels competes with the boisterous hum of merrymaking.

Four drunken partygoers stumbled down the grand staircase, slurring their words as they debated the merits of wood versus canvas. Spotting the heroes, the partygoers quickly rushed over and greeted them as the "entertainers" Belfor ordered. They babbled queries about their costumes, pawed at their gear, and wondered aloud if the heroes were going to reenact a battle.

As the heroes dealt with this group they heard Belfor Vittanis shouting to his guests that the time had come to unveil the mysterious painting. The revelers impeded the heroes' movement and delayed them.

Trouble in the Ballroom. This long, vaulted room is exquisitely furnished with beautiful, polished oak tables, cabinets, tapestries, and tall, slender candelabra that provide a rich warm glow. Numerous windows, rising nearly fifteen feet high, line the walls. The upper halves – stained glass with scenes of cherubim, fey, and mighty warlords contrast with the polished wooden louvers of the lower halves, currently flung open to allow cool air into the room. Crimson drapes with golden tassels flank the windows.

The festivities seemed concentrated here, the room crowded shoulder-to-shoulder with party guests sipping wine, whispering scandalous secrets, or boasting of accomplishments in their various social circles. The host – a slender middle-aged man with a long nose, arched brows, and a smirk as if remembering a secret joke – stood at the far end of the room on a small stage shared by a group of minstrels near a large object wrapped in paper mounted on a heavy easel.

Belfor Vittanis was making a grandiose, wine-induced speech about the mysterious painting, with broad flourishes that would make any bard proud. He was about to unwrap the trapped painting for his gathered guests, although only half of them were paying attention to him.

The heroes tried to cross the ballroom to get to Belfor (starting from the entry hall). Moving through the crowded room was difficult, preventing the heroes from running or charging. Belfor stood next to the painting. The noise in this room and the effects of mass quantities of alcohol made calling out to warn Belfor ineffective in stopping him.

Dozens of guests were gathered in the ballroom. Using violence before the unveiling drew the unwanted attention of Belfor's bouncers lurking in the crowd. To get to the other side of the room and stop Belfor from triggering the trap, the heroes had to overcome several social hazards in their path.

Drunk and Affectionate: Moving resulted in an adjacent intoxicated guest making a groping attempt on Aranthor.

Long-winded Talkers: In order to move past extremely sociable and talkative guests, Jules scared them off, while Zemurin diplomatically slipped out of the conversation.

Falling Down Drunk: Gryxxa and Zemurin tried to move past guests who had reached a teetering level of drunkenness in which they could barely stand without help. The drunken party guest stumbled into Gryxxa and caused them both to fall in a tangled heap. Gryxxa immediately managed to untangle herself.

Bouncers: Belfor's four bouncers were positioned in the great hall. They responded immediately to Jules' violent actions by closing with her and grappling her.

Aranthor and Zemurin reached Belfor in time to stop him. Aranthor flew away with the painting while Zemurin convinced Belfor of the danger.

Following these events, the heroes noticed a portrait in the ballroom that depicted Asheron Coyl, Belfor Vittanis, and a gray-haired woman. When the heroes asked about the portrait, Belfor told them that the three are (or were) good friends. All three support the arts and are among the most well-known art critics in Absalom. The woman, Eleazonna Gertwright, lives at 14 Burgundy Wine Terrace.

One of the friendly servants and drivers at the front entrance knows the driver of the carriage the Well-Dressed Gentleman left in mentioned something about driving over to Burgundy Wine. The owner of the carriage, a guest named Lady Tillanda, vaguely remembers meeting the "charming man" and offering him the use of her carriage to meet someone nearby and return.

The Last Delivery

The heroes had enough information to head straight to the home of Eleazonna Gertwright.

The Invisible Assailant

The Well-Dressed Gentleman arrived at the Gertwright home as the heroes rounded the corner. A shiny black carriage stopped in front of a house marked number 14. A handsome man in a charcoal and cream noble's outfit and black cloak stepped out of the carriage carrying a wrapped painting under one arm and a polished ivory walking stick in the other. With a few quick glances at his surroundings, he made his way toward the front gate. As he stepped inside, something unseen struck him from behind, sending him sprawling across the lawn. The painting flew out of his grasp.

The first strike, a glancing blow, merely knocked Darius Finch off balance. He quickly drew his rapier and searched for the source of the attack.

The invisible stalker focused on Darius Finch. Darius attempted to defend himself and escape by talking his way out of trouble.