The Night of the First Cry
The Night of the First Cry
“A child is coming, the walls are burning, and someone inside has opened the door.”
— Hook · Defense, investigation, escort, and timed crisis
“Duchess Elira Valedorn is in labor, and bandits are attacking her estate from three directions. The guards can hold the walls, but only if someone protects the duchess, finds the hidden traitor, and keeps the attackers from reaching the nursery. If the estate falls before the child is born, the newborn heir will vanish into the Thornmere hills.”
— Hook · Defense, investigation, escort, and timed crisis
Rain lashes Thornmere Estate as the party arrives beneath a sky lit by distant fires. A wounded guard drags himself from the gatehouse and reports that the Red Knives are attacking the western road, while a servant rushes from the manor to announce that the duchess's labor has begun. Before anyone can form a plan, a horn sounds from beneath the estate, proving that the attackers have already found a way inside.
Duchess Elira Valedorn
The duchess's trusted courier intercepts the party on the road and begs them to return to Thornmere Estate immediately. If the party is already at the estate, Duchess Elira summons them through Mara Venn while guards prepare for the expected assault.
Rumours
d5 · table- 01The Red Knives never attack during storms unless someone tells them exactly where the guards will be.
- 02A servant heard metal scraping beneath the pantry floor three nights ago.
- 03The duchess's pregnancy has made several neighboring nobles unusually interested in Thornmere's succession.
- 04Captain Rusk Vale was once a decorated soldier before disappearing after a disputed battle.
- 05Ser Caldus Mire has been sending private riders toward the northern hills.
If the estate falls, the newborn heir can be abducted, House Valedorn can lose control of the Thornmere Road, and a regional power struggle may erupt. If the party succeeds, they preserve the succession and gain a powerful ally, but the conspiracy behind the attack may continue beyond the estate.
Background Lore
For generations, House Valedorn has guarded the Thornmere Road from its cliffside estate. The current duchess, Elira Valedorn, is beloved by the local villages and is expected to give birth within days. A bandit gang called the Red Knives has recently grown unusually organized, raiding supply wagons and probing the estate's defenses. Their attacks are not merely criminal. Someone within the duchess's household is feeding them information about the estate, the pregnancy, and the expected time of the birth.
The Red Knives, a well-organized bandit gang, are attacking Thornmere Estate on the night Duchess Elira Valedorn is due to give birth. The estate's defenders are outnumbered, the duchess cannot be moved safely, and the attackers appear to know the household's defenses in detail. The adventurers must keep the estate standing, protect the duchess and newborn, and discover how the bandits bypassed the walls.
