November 4th, 2023
Terra, Ignis 6th, 1194
We sell the loot and recuperate. We are unable to sell the scroll of binding and will have to try selling it in Ironwald Downs. While shopping we find a merchant selling the Stormwalker’s Attire. Mayor Heggry has arranged nice accommodations for us while we stay in the city.
Forte, Ignis 7th, 1194
We discuss our next moves and return the mithral sword to the Eldreen family. We are pretty certain that Crove’s cabal, the Keepers of the Oldest, is not what the calendar was portending.
Ralzer researches the city records and comes up with the following timeline.
- Before 950B – Independent city – Followers of the Old Cults
- 950B-568B – Independent city – Kel’Quay worshipers, farmers, hunters, woodworkers
- 568B-546B – Independent city – Mercenaries, barbarians, warmongers
- 546B-348B – Independent city – Kel’Quay worshipers, hunters, soldiers
- 348B-305B – Independent city – Bandits, mercenaries, slavers, thieves
- 305B-118B – Orc city – Barbarians, slavers
- 118B-338 – Undead city – Minions of the Undying Conqueror (lich warlord)
- 338-705 – Independent city – Eliaz worshipers
- 705-743 – Abandoned – Ghosts, scattered plague survivors (bubonic)
- 743-1194 – Blackstone city – Current occupants
Sigmund talks to the mayor and Rupman. Rupman gives us directions to the derro city and he doesn’t believe that the derro pose a threat to the city; as far as he knows, they keep to themselves. He doesn’t know any more about the Old Gods than we already know and suggests that Crove may have secret rooms in the basement of the asylum that we didn’t find.
Ty and Graynor gather information around town and hear rumors of a black market in the undercity.
We settle on doing a thorough search of the asylum basement. We investigate the morlock’s cell, which just leads to another cell. The morlock has no useful information for us. We find a secret library near Crove’s quarters– inside are 4 magic scrolls, research notes, nasty poetry, and a spellbook. The books in this library are quite old and we find some tomes on the Great Old Ones.
Bellum, Ignis 8th, 1194
We finish search the asylum, finding nothing else of note. We release the morlock into the undercity.
Ralzer starts reading the Pnakotic Manuscripts and Sigmund will try and read more of Ty’s book. He finds a passage about how He seeks for those with a spark and will send armies out to find them (just like the one we saw briefly). It mentions debauched ones, degraded ones, fiends of exalted excess, and refers to the leader figure as a prince of demons. We should learn more of these creatures to prepare.
Ty goes to the library to read recreationally. While there she overhears an Investigator Vale book club meeting; they meet on Bellum’s in the evening. She starts reading The Crimson Rite and finds a passage in which Vale must outwit four spawns of the Dark Tapestry; they sound very similar to the beast that the Keepers of the Oldest summoned. They deal extra damage to structures, have tenuous natural invisibility, are very intelligent, and some can cast spells spontaneously. They have many different appearances and vary greatly in size, some even look humanoid. There are old stories about how they were created to destroy life on planets. Ty checks out the book; Sigmund is dismayed.
Iustitia, Ignis 9th, 1194
Ralzer finishes reading the Pnakotic Manuscripts and gains insight into conjuration magic and the Outer Gods.
We try and trace Crove’s steps in the undercity, going to the derro town first. When we encouter some derro, we introduce ourselves with the names we provided earlier. They will escort us to their settlement and we will meet with Chief Sadek. Unfortunately, Sadek does not know what Crove was looking for down here.
We leave the town and begin retracing Crove’s exploration. We start with a route that Crove took to an area in which he did some thorough exploring. The area is at least 1,000 years old, which puts it in the age of the Undying Conqueror. There are statues of rats with their paws wrapped in chains; the rat is the favored beast of Heltrex and this could be related to her.
Ralzer notices that the stonework here is in very good condition. We feel the same sensation that we felt just before the arcane tentacles attacked or when we saw that marching army. Going forward, we’ll call this sensation an unveiling.
In one room there is a thin, prismatic strand that is very hard to see. When we approach, it expands and looks like a portal. It retracts about 30 seconds after we leave it and does not respond when Luna approaches by herself. Perhaps it’s keyed to our sparks? We’ll continue to explore the complex before interacting with this portal.
We encounter and kill a cacophonic echo, an incorporeal undead of auditory themes.