One rumor that seems specific to Shoreside involves a dilapidated old mansion house built four miles eastward of the town proper, atop a cliff that faces the sea. Children are warned to keep their distance, because it was once the home of an aged alchemist of some sinister reputation. He has not been seen in over twenty years, and very few people remember him by name; and even when he was present few wished to visit. Lately, there have been tales of eerie lights and ghastly shrieks late at night, and nobody has been brave or foolhardy enough to investigate the hauntings anymore. Is it simply the sort of ghost stories parents tell their children to keep them from wandering too far down the coastline, or has the alchemist's unholy work continued to this day?

The party investigated the mansion, which was heavily dilapidated and showed signs of someone having cleared the trail in front of the entrance. They found a secondary entrance broken through the fence, which had four green ribbons tied around various broken pieces of fencing, and entered through it. There, they noted a fountain with a broken phoenix and symbols of life and growth surrounding it; a well that made a booming shout when they approached (which cost Anton his lantern and dignity, and caused a small grass fire in the yard); a grumpy bear (who was awakened by the loudly barking dog, but was lulled back into complacency with some well-placed radish bread), and the back door entrance to the mansion. Inside, the mansion had various weak areas that collapsed under sufficient weight; one such section of floor collapsed as Mariana was investigating, briefly separating the party. As the party searched, they noted signs that others had been in this area recently - the remnants of a fire built a couple of months ago, and three plants that had been recently watered and clipped. The party has vowed to return later in daylight to investigate more thoroughly, and has brought clippings from the plants back to town to see if someone can identify them. They have also left a dusting of dirt behind in the plant room, so they can see whether it is disturbed by anyone coming to water the plants…

A kobold sneak has snuck off with the bakery's bread, at least as far as anyone can determine. But where are they hiding? And why do they need so much bread?