October 8th, 2023
Iustitia, Ignis 2nd, 1194
In the early morning an Advocate Destroyer of Avarra comes bearing gifts for our journey. He said that the goddess told them last night to make these scrolls for us. We then hit the road.
Mors, Ignis 3rd, 1194
While traveling we all suddenly feel a strange sensation and Luna becomes spooked. The scenery starts to shift, looking similar to when Ty would go ethereal. Approaching us on the road are six debauched ones on foot, another nine are riding ostrich-ish birds with green plumage; Ralzer identifies these are degraded ones (Planes 30), a large creature that looks like a cross between a scorpion, a lizard, and a human, and a large, blue-skinned creature wearing purple and black robes (Uunas‘ colors). The latter has a presence that exudes command. They don’t notice us at all and march in the direction that we came from. The vision lasts about 30 seconds before settling back to reality. Ty hops ethereal to see if she can find the platoon, but finds no evidence. Could this perhaps been a vision of the past or future?
Vita, Ignis 4th, 1194
While approaching Crestfall we hear a town crier proclaiming a search for heroes and to go to the Crown Manor. According to the guard, a great beast burst out of a house and then escaped a few hours ago in a district called the Slipper Market. The creature is described as a writhing mass of tentacles. The town is really tightly packed with buildings and only guards are outside in the streets.
We head to the Crown Manor and meet Vanton Heggry, the mayor. The mayor explains that this creature came up from below, burst through a building, killed some people, and then descended again. It has since repeated this a few more times in the city. The beast emerges from sinkholes that are coated in a foul smelling slime. Judging by the description Ralzer thinks it could be a chaos beast. Mayor Heggry gives us 1,500gp up front to help with this problem.
We visit the first site– the home of Marshan, a retired adventurer. One of the victims looks as if he was rung out like a wet towel; Marshan is not amongst the dead. Ralzer inspects the building; it, along with much of the city, is made out of midden stone, a cheaper stone alternative. On the side of the building opposite of Marshan’s home is what looks like a spiral blood pattern. The pattern seems similar to Dark Tapestry imagery and portals. Sigmund believes it could be related to a specific outer god. Inside the ruined house is a nauseating smell of wet fur, moist air and decay. There is a modest book collection here with subjects on astronomy and Crestfall history. We descend into the basement.
The basement is not typical– it contains several sarcophagi and a stuck stone door, which we are unable to breach. The slime trail leads to an 800ft. descending stairway that eventually leads to a moldy, moist cavern. A ghoul, Yarresh, is guarding two bodies near an altar surrounded by barren trees. On the altar is a book that the ghoul won’t let us near. Ty sneaks a look at the title, “Pnakotic Manuscripts”. According to Ralzer, the book is about conjuration and portals, gods and magic of old cults, and was originally written in Aklo. The book could hold valuable information. On closer inspection, both of the bodies are without blood. Graynor doesn’t want to engage in any quest to help this ghoul and get that book, so we end up killing him swiftly and take his magic ring, too.
The book has some inscriptions on the front page in Aklo and underneath are five signatures:
Sulm Marshan
Glem Baskerwhel
Waldur Crove
Arlend Hyve
Rupman Myre
Judging by the handwriting, the rest of the notes in the book are by Waldur.
Upon taking a closer look at the trees, Sigmund believes they were grown with necromancy magic. They are also decorated with bone fetish charms. Down one tunnel we find some recently (within a year) installed iron bars. We find a campsite with books and notes written in Aklo, which we take. We then return to the surface, bringing the two human corpses.
The guards inform us that there as been another monster encounter in the city and IDs one of the bodies as Marshan. We head to the newest beast emergence, the home of Oliver Barker (deceased). There is a similar hole in the house with slime up top, but nothing below. Based on the damage around the area of the hole, Ralzer doesn’t believe it went this way. Using a bit of the slime, we try to have Luna track its scent.
Luna leads us to the docks before losing the scent. We ask the guards about the other names in the Pnakotic Manuscripts and he recognizes Rupman, who has a place close to the docks where he makes midden stone. Inside are disgusting vats of fuming filth manned by undead workers. The zombies and an old, drunk arcane spellcaster assaults us. We destroy the zombies and subdue the drunk old man, whom the guard IDs as Rupman.