Hidden away on a craggy, forsaken island shrouded in perpetual fog lies Serenity Vale Asylum, a place of torment and forgotten souls. Once a lauded institution for the mentally unwell, its veneer of respectability hid a dark core. At its helm was Dr. Thalen Bartok, an illegitimate offspring of the noble Ealsu family. Driven by an aberrant belief in the divine power of pain to purify souls, Dr. Bartok subjected his patients to horrific experiments, seeking to cleanse their spirits through physical suffering.
The Ealsu family, wealthy and influential, secretly funded the asylum to distance themselves from Dr. Bartok and potentially benefit from his forbidden research. However, as whispers of the terrible treatments inflicted on patients reached the public ear, the family withdrew their support, and the asylum was shut down. Dr. Bartok disappeared without a trace, leading some to speculate that he died in obscurity.
Years passed, and the asylum was mainly forgotten until recently when eerie lights flickered within its shattered windows. An expedition led by adventurers hired by members of the Ealsu clan and led by a distant cousin of Dr. Bartok set out to explore the building and eliminate any remnants linking back to the family. Instead, they were taken captive by the spirits haunting its dark halls, doomed to fall under their knives.
Now, Serenity Vale Asylum stands as an eerie monument to human suffering and forbidden knowledge, its shattered windows like hollow eyes peering into the fog. The haunting flicker of lights in the distance and the mournful wails that carry on the wind speak of a malevolent presence that endures. A psychic snare, wrought through dark magic and unholy experimentations, still binds spirits to its decrepit halls. Despite its crumbling structure and the scars of the past, the asylum is far from lifeless; it is a restless predator, ever hungry for new souls to trap in its never-ending nightmare. The asylum waits, its corridors filled with dread, ready to claim its next victims...
ADVENTURE HOOK(S)
Our heroes have been dispatched to the remote but quaint little seaside town of Port Ailward by Lady Maryelle, the right hand of the Queen herself. There have been reports of strange and disturbing noises coming from a nearby island, along with a 'doom and gloom' weather front that has shown no signs of dissipating - holding steady for some weeks now - with dark clouds, storms and chilly winds manifesting themselves in raw abundance. The town's unsettled population has been on high alert, but alas, they do not have enough able manpower to deal with whatever might be taking place only a few miles off the coast. It does not help that the town's limited law enforcement forces flat out REFUSE to set foot on Serenity Vale Island.
You have just arrived in Port Ailward in the late afternoon, courtesy of Vroom who had to return back to the capital after dropping you off on the outskirts of town. You are all within short (10-15 min) walking distance of most of Port Ailward's amenities - including the fishing village, the farmers' market and the town center. There are also signs for a ferry service, 5km north-east of your current location. The city streets are sparsely populated with locals; everyone is on their way somewhere in a relatively great hurry, it seems. Still, you have the opportunity to obtain more information as to what you will be dealing with, by engaging with passers-by - before you decide to take the plunge and hire a ferry to get to your ultimate destination...
THE WAILING FOG
Quest unlocked by Ethan Cuyan
Locals in the seaside town of Port Ailward have started to report eerie wailing and incoherent whispers from the sea mists. Fishermen refuse to set sail, fearing the cries come from vengeful spirits trapped on Serenity Vale Island. A figure known as Old Man Eamon claims the sounds remind him of a chant, he once heard within the asylum's stone walls.
A DYING WISH
Quest unlocked by Lana Star & Phoenix Star
Eleanor Larion, an elderly widow, reaches out to the adventurers, her eyes filled with years of unanswered questions. Her late husband, Thomas Larion, had been a patient in the asylum and was said to have died under mysterious circumstances. Eleanor is desperate to find her husband's wedding ring, a family heirloom, and wants to know the twisted truth behind Dr. Bartok's experiments.
THE UNSPOKEN CONTRACT
Quest unlocked by the Party at large...
A shadowy figure known as "The Masked Scholar" contacts the party. They're a known go-between for noble families who wish to keep their distance from handling mercenaries. This benefactor offers a substantial reward—1,000 sovereigns per person—should they successfully delve into Serenity Vale Asylum to determine the source of recently reported hauntings and ensure that whatever secrets are found there remain buried.
THE BEGINNING IS A VERY DELICATE TIME...
As the party gains some new (supporting) information as to all the strange events that have been taking place these past weeks on Serenity Vale Island, they next embark for the Ferry Landing, where they meet up with the town's only available ferry captain, Elira Voss - known as Captain 'Eel' to the locals. Elira agrees to take the party across the sea inlet, so they can continue their mission. Her asking price is steep - 1000 sovereigns - but Ethan is undaunted and offers her the full sum without blinking an eye. Elira then shakes her head and says that she will accept half the price, realizing she will probably sail the party to their doom - but Ethan pays her 700 sovereigns and she accepts.
As the party sails through a thick fog that seems to swallow the ferry whole, an otherworldly mist engulfs the waters. The cries of distressed seagulls give way to an unsettling silence. As they emerge from the fog, the characters glimpse the brooding silhouette of Serenity Vale Asylum. Its shattered windows seem to glower like hollow eyes; its crumbling walls whisper secrets carried by the wind. The ferry grates against the rocky shore, and the party sets foot on an island saturated with dread.
Elira Voss, affectionately called Captain Eel for her reputation for narrowly avoiding storms at sea, is a weathered woman in her early fifties with salt-and-pepper hair tied back in a messy bun. Her eyes, the color of storm clouds, have seen more than their fair share of maritime horrors. She commands the ferry, a creaky vessel named the Widow's Wake, adorned with faded symbols meant to ward off evil spirits. Her garb is an eclectic mix of patched-up seafaring clothes and trinkets from her many voyages.
Captain Eel is a straight-talking, no-nonsense individual who prefers the solitude of the sea over human interaction but understands the necessity of ferrying souls for coin. She's superstitious and will often mutter prayers or incantations under her breath, especially as the boat nears Serenity Vale Island. While she's brave enough to make the trip, she refuses to set foot on the island, citing a vague but potent sense of foreboding.
She knows the following rumors she willingly shares:
• "Ye best be ready to parley with the dead if ye wish to pass. Those specters ain't keen on visitors, I tell ye."
• "Some say the very ground is cursed. Plants won't grow, and animals go mad. Even the rats are said to bite through their own tails."
• "I've seen it with me own eyes. Fires flicker in those broken windows, like some ghastly gathering is takin' place."
• "On quiet nights, you can hear the wind wail through the ruins. It ain't just wind though; it's voices, the lost souls cryin' out."
• "Heard tell that Dr. Bartok himself went mad, consumed by whatever dark practices he was dabbling in. But mad or not, he was cunning—some say too cunning to die in that fire."
ISLAND ARRIVAL
The ferry moves through a sea thick with fog. The air is cold and heavy, filling the silence left by the disappearing cries of seagulls. The mist is so dense it blurs the line between sky and water, and every droplet feels like a cold touch. The sea seems to slow and thicken, resisting the ferry's advance.
A dark shape looms ahead, slowly revealing itself as a cliff with a foreboding structure. As the ship nears, it's clear: this is Serenity Vale Asylum. Its shattered windows glare like empty eye sockets, absorbing any sense of hope. The ferry grinds against the shore, and a chill wind rises...
The Ealsu family, wealthy and influential, secretly funded the asylum to distance themselves from Dr. Bartok and potentially benefit from his forbidden research. However, as whispers of the terrible treatments inflicted on patients reached the public ear, the family withdrew their support, and the asylum was shut down. Dr. Bartok disappeared without a trace, leading some to speculate that he died in obscurity.
Years passed, and the asylum was mainly forgotten until recently when eerie lights flickered within its shattered windows. An expedition led by adventurers hired by members of the Ealsu clan and led by a distant cousin of Dr. Bartok set out to explore the building and eliminate any remnants linking back to the family. Instead, they were taken captive by the spirits haunting its dark halls, doomed to fall under their knives.
Now, Serenity Vale Asylum stands as an eerie monument to human suffering and forbidden knowledge, its shattered windows like hollow eyes peering into the fog. The haunting flicker of lights in the distance and the mournful wails that carry on the wind speak of a malevolent presence that endures. A psychic snare, wrought through dark magic and unholy experimentations, still binds spirits to its decrepit halls. Despite its crumbling structure and the scars of the past, the asylum is far from lifeless; it is a restless predator, ever hungry for new souls to trap in its never-ending nightmare. The asylum waits, its corridors filled with dread, ready to claim its next victims...
ADVENTURE HOOK(S)
Our heroes have been dispatched to the remote but quaint little seaside town of Port Ailward by Lady Maryelle, the right hand of the Queen herself. There have been reports of strange and disturbing noises coming from a nearby island, along with a 'doom and gloom' weather front that has shown no signs of dissipating - holding steady for some weeks now - with dark clouds, storms and chilly winds manifesting themselves in raw abundance. The town's unsettled population has been on high alert, but alas, they do not have enough able manpower to deal with whatever might be taking place only a few miles off the coast. It does not help that the town's limited law enforcement forces flat out REFUSE to set foot on Serenity Vale Island.
You have just arrived in Port Ailward in the late afternoon, courtesy of Vroom who had to return back to the capital after dropping you off on the outskirts of town. You are all within short (10-15 min) walking distance of most of Port Ailward's amenities - including the fishing village, the farmers' market and the town center. There are also signs for a ferry service, 5km north-east of your current location. The city streets are sparsely populated with locals; everyone is on their way somewhere in a relatively great hurry, it seems. Still, you have the opportunity to obtain more information as to what you will be dealing with, by engaging with passers-by - before you decide to take the plunge and hire a ferry to get to your ultimate destination...
THE WAILING FOG
Quest unlocked by Ethan Cuyan
A DYING WISH
Quest unlocked by Lana Star & Phoenix Star
THE UNSPOKEN CONTRACT
Quest unlocked by the Party at large...
THE BEGINNING IS A VERY DELICATE TIME...
As the party gains some new (supporting) information as to all the strange events that have been taking place these past weeks on Serenity Vale Island, they next embark for the Ferry Landing, where they meet up with the town's only available ferry captain, Elira Voss - known as Captain 'Eel' to the locals. Elira agrees to take the party across the sea inlet, so they can continue their mission. Her asking price is steep - 1000 sovereigns - but Ethan is undaunted and offers her the full sum without blinking an eye. Elira then shakes her head and says that she will accept half the price, realizing she will probably sail the party to their doom - but Ethan pays her 700 sovereigns and she accepts.
As the party sails through a thick fog that seems to swallow the ferry whole, an otherworldly mist engulfs the waters. The cries of distressed seagulls give way to an unsettling silence. As they emerge from the fog, the characters glimpse the brooding silhouette of Serenity Vale Asylum. Its shattered windows seem to glower like hollow eyes; its crumbling walls whisper secrets carried by the wind. The ferry grates against the rocky shore, and the party sets foot on an island saturated with dread.
Elira Voss, affectionately called Captain Eel for her reputation for narrowly avoiding storms at sea, is a weathered woman in her early fifties with salt-and-pepper hair tied back in a messy bun. Her eyes, the color of storm clouds, have seen more than their fair share of maritime horrors. She commands the ferry, a creaky vessel named the Widow's Wake, adorned with faded symbols meant to ward off evil spirits. Her garb is an eclectic mix of patched-up seafaring clothes and trinkets from her many voyages.
She knows the following rumors she willingly shares:
• "Ye best be ready to parley with the dead if ye wish to pass. Those specters ain't keen on visitors, I tell ye."
• "Some say the very ground is cursed. Plants won't grow, and animals go mad. Even the rats are said to bite through their own tails."
• "I've seen it with me own eyes. Fires flicker in those broken windows, like some ghastly gathering is takin' place."
• "On quiet nights, you can hear the wind wail through the ruins. It ain't just wind though; it's voices, the lost souls cryin' out."
• "Heard tell that Dr. Bartok himself went mad, consumed by whatever dark practices he was dabbling in. But mad or not, he was cunning—some say too cunning to die in that fire."
ISLAND ARRIVAL
The ferry moves through a sea thick with fog. The air is cold and heavy, filling the silence left by the disappearing cries of seagulls. The mist is so dense it blurs the line between sky and water, and every droplet feels like a cold touch. The sea seems to slow and thicken, resisting the ferry's advance.
A dark shape looms ahead, slowly revealing itself as a cliff with a foreboding structure. As the ship nears, it's clear: this is Serenity Vale Asylum. Its shattered windows glare like empty eye sockets, absorbing any sense of hope. The ferry grinds against the shore, and a chill wind rises...