Editing Module One (section)

====3) Visiting Lady Elenora Lorathas’s Estate (Non-combat encounter)====

As influential as she is wealthy, Lady Elenora Lorathas (LN, Human Female), the widow of a wealthy merchant family, has considerable sway in Barrenford. Her estate sits atop a hill overlooking the town, well-guarded and surrounded by iron fencing. Some of the townsfolk believe she’s too stingy to properly fund a militia to protect the town, though she disputes this.

Location

Lady Elenora’s Estate is an imposing, three-story stone mansion. A cobblestone path leads to the iron gates, which stand partially ajar. The interior is richly furnished with tapestries, portraits, and polished wood, though a strange gloom hangs over the house, with the few servants moving silently, their eyes averted.  A large family portrait shows an imposing man with a younger version of Elenora in front of him.  Another portrait shows Elenora and presumably her husband standing looking out over a view of the valley and the town of Barrenford.

Roleplaying Hook

Lady Elenora is stern but polite when meeting the PCs. She doesn’t believe in the supernatural claims but is concerned with the recent increase in crime and the mysterious disappearance of her cousin, Yorick — who never returned after a late-night meeting in town two days earlier.

She will share the following details:

*Yorick’s Disappearance: Yorick went missing a two days ago after visiting the town. Lady Elenora offers a reward if the PCs can find him or learn what happened. She has no idea who is behind it but convinced Yorick wouldn’t have simply left town without speaking to her.  He doesn’t know who he was planning to meet.
*Funding the Militia: Lady Elenora believes that funding a militia would be a waste. She hints that her wealth would be better spent on more personal defence and claims she has already hired private guards to protect her estate.
*Family Crypt: Lady Elenora’s family has a small crypt in the town graveyard, but she hasn’t visited it in years.
*Mayor Varn: Lady Elenora is scathing in her criticism of the current Mayor, convinced he couldn’t organise his way out of a paper bag, let alone run the town well (like her family used to when her late father was around)
*Lord Lorathas died several decades ago.   Lady Elenora was married but her husband also died five years ago in a hunting accident.

Key Clues

*Yorick’s Fate: A successful Investigation check DC13 of his room reveals a diary where he marks in a meeting with “Fred!” in the Inn with a little hand drawn hand print next to the name.  DC16 A separate journal has numerous snide remarks about Elenora being too controlling.  
DC20 Some letters in a box from someone living in Pacedon mentions that Yorick should ask for “Fred” when he visits the inn, code for putting him contact with someone who can help him with his “problem”.