Dungeons and Dragons: Black Egg

Night at the Manor

"Here we are, welcome to my home."
William presented his manor that was nestled amidst rolling hills and surrounded by lush, manicured gardens, the extravagant manor stands as a testament to opulence and grandeur. The imposing structure, wrought from rare and resplendent materials, boasts a façade adorned with intricate carvings and glistening stained glass windows that catch the remaining sunlight in a dazzling display.
"This is certainly a expensive home you got here."
Devarius said to William as he walked into the manor looking at all the decor adorning the interior of the manor
" (Home? This is a eyesore.)"
Alisa thought to herself .
" Make yourselves at home. My servants will unload your belongings and guide you to your bedrooms. Afterward, feel free to unwind in the manmade hot springs upstairs,"
William declared, ringing a nearby bell.
A group of sharply dressed goblins appeared. Alarmed, the party drew their weapons.
"Goblins, I knew something was off," Said Alisa, readying her weapons.
"Relax everyone these aren't regular goblins, these are all my staff."
Said William as he snapped his fingers and the goblins all turned to William awaiting his orders.
"Escort our guest to their rooms for the night, and carry their things."
William ordered his goblins.
As the goblins approached the party, Tykeim was taking in all of their scents, the goblins smelled like the bag William had earlier.
"I can get used to this, now I'm off that to hotspring, last ine in is a rotten egg. "
Arthur said as he handed a goblin his bag and staff and rushed upstairs.
"Right behind you."
Devarius said as handed his things to the goblin staff as he followed Arthur.
"My axe stays with me,"
Xepug asserted, tightening his grip on the weapon.
"If you want, I can have one of my goblins polish that rusty thing for you. It'll look as good as new while you soak in the hot spring."
William, noticing the worn state of the axe, offered.
Considering the offer, Xepug finally agreed to part with his weapon, emphasizing the sentimental value of his trusty axe.
"Alright, but be careful with it. That axe is my best friend,"
The young orc warned.
"No worries. My staff are great at metalwork; we'll have your... friend looking good as new,"
William assured.
Alright mok, fancy a dip?"
The orc's gravelly voice resonated with warmth as he addressed the hatchling, who responded with a gentle coo, expressing eagerness for the impending bath despite Tykeim not really knowing what a bath is.
"Onward!"
Xepug declared, his anticipation mirrored in the hatchling's delightful response.
"Your things sir.
Said one of the goblins as they stood in waiting next to Xepug.
" Oh yeah here ya go."
Xepug, with a hearty chuckle, offloaded his hefty gear onto the unsuspecting goblins, who struggled to maintain their composure under the weight. The clang of armor and the thud of weapons hitting the ground resonated through the opulent foyer, creating a momentary spectacle. Undeterred, the orc, now unburdened, made a swift ascent up the staircase, each step echoing his eagerness to join the soothing embrace of the hot spring.
"As the commotion settled, William turned his attention to Alisa, offering a gesture of hospitality.
"Well, that leaves you, ma'am. If you're inclined, while you wait for your colleagues to finish, perhaps we can engage in a chat over some drinks,"
The Aristocrat proposed with a polite smile.
Alisa, however, displayed a subtle distaste for the suggestion, turning away from William.
"I'm fine. I'll join my friends in the hot springs,"
Aliss declared, handing her bag to the goblins while discreetly retaining her more concealable weapons, a testament to her cautious nature.
"Ah, right then. Enjoy the springs," William bid her farewell with a casual wave as Alisa ascended the staircase, disappearing from view.
"Alright, now it's time for me to work with the new material."
William declared, ringing a bell that summoned a goblin to rush to his side.
"Prepare my equipment; I must work quickly. Can't have my guests knowing of my project."
The man ordered the goblin, emphasizing the need for secrecy.
Unbeknownst to William, Alisa, who had concealed herself behind a nearby column upstairs, overheard the conversation.
"I knew something was off here," she remarked, her suspicions piqued by the clandestine nature of William's project. With a purposeful stride, Alisa quietly walked away, intent on further investigating the mysteries that seemed to linger within the luxurious confines of the manor.
As Alisa delved into her exploration, the four male members of the party reveled in the manmade hot spring. The opulent surroundings and soothing waters provided a temporary escape, unaware of the unfolding intrigue and secrets hidden beneath the surface of their seemingly lavish host's abode.
"This is the life."
Devarius sighed contentedly as he sank into the water, enjoying the warmth and relaxation of the manmade hot spring. However, his tranquility was short-lived as Xepug, the young orc, enthusiastically declared,
"Canon Ball!"
A massive wave of warm water splashed, disrupting the serene atmosphere and splashing Devarius on his face.
"So much for relaxing,"
The young paladin sighed in annoyance.
"Alright Tykeim your turn. "
Arthur encouraged the hatchling who was a little fearful to get into the water.
"M mama!"
Tykeim whined as he reached out to Arthur hoping he would ease him into it.
""C'mon Tykeim, the water feels nice."
Arthur encouraged the dragonborn. Tykeim, initially hesitant, took a few steps and ultimately fell into the boy's arms.
"Alright, nice job Mok!"
Xepug cheered for the dragonborn, celebrating Tykeim's successful venture into the warm waters.
The hatchling now feeling that the water is not so bad after all started lightly splashing around in the warm water, it actually felt nice.
"We haven't been able to rest like this in awhile haven't we, adventuring fun and all but having moments like this in between are king to me."
" Same here. "
Arthur said as he leaned against the wall of the hotspring while holding onto Tykeim.
" Yeah it good to kick up my feet and rest."
Xepug said as he relaxed into the water.
The three young men all sighed in content the scene was all quiet barring the occasional splashing and babbling from Tykeim who was more preoccupied with playing then relaxing.
The tranquility within the hot spring was abruptly interrupted as the door swung open, revealing Alisa entering with a towel draped around her.
"Mama!"
Tykeim looked over and saw Alisa .
"Guys, there's something really weird about this place."
Alisa announced, her voice carrying a tone of concern that sliced through the peaceful ambiance.
The party turned their attention towards Alisa, the comfort of the hot spring momentarily forgotten as they sensed an urgency in her words.
"Wait, what? why? What happened?"
Devarius asked a little worried
" I feel like our host is hiding something from us. I overheard him mentioning a project he's working on, and he emphasized that wep should not know about it,"
Alisa explained.
" What could a prissy guy like be hiding! I think yer a few screws loose elf. "
Xepug said, not convinced of  suspicion against their rich host.
"Well he was weirdly concerned about that bag earlier "
Arthur mentioned.
"Exactly, he even snapped on the kid when he started sniffing it, who does that? "
Alisa asked her group as she started unwrapping her towel.
" Whoa wait Alisa, we can't see you like that, it's not modest! "
Devarius exclaimed as he covered his eyes.
"Relax I'm wearing a bathing suit?"
Alisa revealed as she removed her towel to reveal she was wearing a rather modest swimsuit.
"Oh... right swimsuits we were all wearing those, right."
Devarius said nervously.
"Uh yeah totally not naked at all."
Arthur said just as nervously.
"I don't see what the big deal is with ya milk drinkers nothin wrong with being in ya birthday suit, you don't see the mok throwing a fit about being naked."
Xepug exclaimed as he pointed to the hatchling who was splashing around happily.
" He's a baby, he doesn't care one way or another, but you guys seriously hopped into a random hot spring in the nude. "
Alisa smirked.
" We thought you were gonna wait till we were finished. "
Devarius said.
" And miss out on the first hot soak I've had in awhile, never."
Alisa said as she relaxed into the water.
"But stop worrying, though. I'm not gonna sneak a peek at you all if that's what you're thinking,"
Alisa assured her companions, a playful glint in her eyes.
"Ah, well, good," Devarius responded, visibly relaxing at the reassurance.
A bull was rung from outside the door of the hotspring.
"Dinner is ready."
Said the raspy voice of one of the goblin servants.
"We're on our way."
Alisa responded as she got out of the hotspring.
"Devarius I still have suspicions about our host so at dinner check our food for poison. "
Alisa said to the paladin.
Devarius nodded in affirmation.
Once the party got dressed, the goblin who called them led the group to a dining room where William sat at the head of the table.
"Hello everyone, I trust the hotspring vwas to your liking."
William said.
"It was great, thank you."
Devarius responded.
"No problem, now as promised before a glorious meal for my saviors."
William snapped his fingers as several goblin servants brought out  several dishes.
"Tonight's meal slow roasted roc."
Said one of the goblin staff as plates of food was being served to everyone.
"Alright let's dig in!"
Xepug shouted.
" Wait!, uh let me do a prayer. "
Devarius said.
" Oh yes of course. "
William said as he bowed his head.
" Ugh, fine but hurry up."
Xepug complained m
Devarius nodded to Alisa as he cast detect poison on the food, everything seemed to good.
"Alright let's eat."
Devarius said.
"Finally!"
Xepug wasted no time and dove into the meal, savoring the food provided. Meanwhile, Alisa, considering Tykeim's needs, declared, "
" I'll go ahead and make the kid a bottle. The nun at the orphanage said he needs to drink those for a while."
She stood up, signaling her intention to attend to Tykeim's care.
Curious about the whereabouts of their belongings, Alisa inquired of William.
"Where's our things?"
"Oh, they should be at the doors of your rooms. Shall I send a goblin to show you the way?"
William responded
"Sure, I could use help navigating," Alisa accepted, and with a nod from William, a goblin was summoned. "Staff, show our guest to her things."
William instructed.
The goblin acknowledged the order, saying to Alisa,
"Follow, please."
It led her out of the dining area and towards the bedrooms where the party's belongings awaited.
While Alisa genuinely needed to gather items for Tykeim's bottle, her true goal was to discreetly survey the manor, looking for any anomalies that could confirm her suspicions about William and the mysterious project he seemed intent on keeping hidden. The luxurious surroundings concealed potential secrets that Alisa was determined to uncover.
"Here we are."
Said the goblin presenting the party's belongings outside the doors of different rooms.
"Hmm."
As Alisa moved through the opulent manor gathering items for Tykeim, the surroundings appeared deceptively normal. Yet, an underlying feeling persisted that William was concealing something. Temporarily setting aside her suspicions, she reasoned that the party would depart tomorrow, focusing on the present moment.
"Thank you"
Alisa expressed her gratitude as she collected Tykeim's baby bottle and formula.
"Free us."
"Huh!?"
Alisa was taken aback, turning to the goblin with surprise.
"Return to dining room?"
The goblin inquired.
"Uh, yes."
Alisa replied, deciding to dismiss the peculiar phrase for the time being and return to the dining room.
After a delicious dinner that left the party full and relaxed, a series of satisfied burps echoed through the air.
"Aaaah, that was good,"
Xepug exclaimed, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction.
"Couldn't eat another bite if I wanted to," Devarius remarked, feeling pleasantly full.
"I never had food that good before," Arthur expressed contently, a smile playing on his lips.
"Who knew goblins could cook something besides rats,"
Alisa quipped, injecting humor into the post-dinner reflections.
Another small burp resonated through the air, catching the attention of the party. To their surprise, the source was Tykeim, whom of which resumed suckling on his bottle.
"Good one, Mok!"
Xepug laughed heartily.
"Alright, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna call it a night. I got Tykeim tonight; it's my turn for baby duty,"
Devarius announced, picking up the hatchling.
"Night, guys,"
Devarius bid farewell as he left the dining room.
"Actually, I'm right behind you. I'm calling it too."
Alisa said.
"Yeah, I can use some sleep," Xepug added.
"Me too."
Arthur chimed in.
"Oh well, you all have a good night's rest."
William waved goodbye to the party as they left the dining room.
"Now, as for me, time to attend to my earlier activities."
William declared. He left the dining hall and headed towards a bookcase. Pulling a certain book revealed a secret passage, and William disappeared into it, leaving the party to their restful night while he tended to his mysterious pursuits.