The Erovast Codex

The Black Veil#

Black_Veil

Summary#

The black veil is an impenetrable barrier in the undercroft of Westermere Manor, sealing off an ethereal domain beyond. It appeared the moment House Wulfhelm killed the House Westermere family 15 years ago — all that remained visible was “a black wall of force” blocking the undercroft. Source: 2026.09.22, 2026.09.29.

Notes#

  • The veil is impenetrable to Samantha Westermere, who “learned more in the last five minutes than I have in the last five years” just watching others touch it.
  • It is tied to the Curtain (see Westermere Manor), the gateway between the ethereal and material planes beneath the manor.
  • Eleanor Gray was enthralled by the spirit on the other side of the veil — the same dark force it seals off.
  • The veil’s appearance coincided with the Westermere family’s disappearance and the onset of the Wither in Havenport (see Investigate the Wither in Havenport).
  • House Wulfhelm’s coup against the Westermeres may be connected to the veil, though the exact relationship is unknown.

Ways Through#

On 2026.10.06, Odine Dunmere rolled a natural 20 on Insight while studying the veil, never touching it for more than a few moments. She found that it is a wall of necrotic force drawing on what seems to be an alien, near-infinite necrotic power source, and that there are two ways through. Source: 2026.10.06.

  • Breaking the door down: a divine smite powerful enough to surpass the veil’s damage threshold. The GM said this is probably beyond the party, short of a very good prayer to a god. Ian knows no living mortal who could do it; only a paladin, or King Aldrich, could have.
  • Knocking: the veil will invite people in for a price, life force. Passage costs 10 hit points of maximum HP in total, not temporary HP or wounds, and the cost can be shared. In narrative terms it is about a year of life split among four, roughly three months each. Aldric and Odine Dunmere each offered 5. It is unknown whether leaving costs the same again.

Beyond the Veil#

On 2026.10.13, the party paid the toll and passed through together. Beyond lies a misty corridor into the ethereal plane — the domain of death, where all mortal souls pass toward the great beyond, with restless spirits lingering in its liminal space. The mist at their feet is a miasma of trapped spirits — faces whispered through Odine’s radiant flame, begging release from the grasp of The Warden of Death. The corridor opens into an ancient burial chamber: sarcophagi and nine statues of the deities of Erovast, with the Shepherd — the pantheon archetype of death — enthroned on a central dais, newer than the other eight, moved in as if to complete the set. The souls animated the Shepherd statue to fight the party; its destruction left the Warden’s ethereal form seeking a new vessel. Source: Transcript.

  • The toll is paid. Cassian (touching longest) paid the first point (32 → 31); nine points were shared one at a time among the four, and Odine paid the tenth alone to break the seal. Source: Transcript.
  • Passing through was not instant: the black energy climbed past elbows to shoulders as the wall softened to an oozing solid and gave them room. Source: Transcript.
  • Touching the veil to study it (Cassian’s identify) draws its attention and begins to sap permanent hit points within the first minute. Source: Transcript.

Past Attempts#

  • Priests and priestesses have prayed at the veil, studied it and tried to bless the undercroft’s burial site, with no result. Source: 2026.10.06.
  • A hedge mage from House Corwyn spent three days throwing every trick he knew at it. “The veil didn’t so much as flutter.” — Mauve Marigold. Source: 2026.10.06.
  • The Oathkeepers know the veil exists and have ordered Ian not to go down to it, because of missing persons. Source: 2026.10.06.
  • No one in Havenport has ever paid the veil’s price, “and for good reason”. Source: 2026.10.06.

Relationships#

Linked mentions 20