6/8/02

- Goodmonth 21

The party is torn on a course of action: based on Redithidoor's, report, the Welcome Wench is not safe for them, as Chatrilon is still supposed to assassinate them in their sleep. Their guess is that the cultists are hiding out in the millhouse, but the party is reluctant to go up against the cultists without their wizard companion. Their first thought is to contact Elmo and alert him to the danger. However, when they sneak out to the small jail near the keep, it is closed and locked, and Elmo is nowhere to be found. After further debate, they finally decide that they should lie low at the Temple of Pelor, awaiting Vangkor's return the next day.

- Goodmonth 22

In the morning, the party meets up with Redithidoor behind the Temple of Pelor, and discuss their plan with him. The group will hide out in the woods to the west of town. Redithidoor asks what his role is to be. The party charges him with being their liaison in town; he is to wait for Vangkor to return along the north road, keeping out of sight. If and when he spots the half-orc, he is to lead him to their hiding place. Redithidoor seems. Redithidoor seems excited to actually be part of the group but nervous as to his capabilities compared to the other adventurers, especially since his recorder has gone missing. This strikes the group as a bit odd. Minaret lifted the inexperienced bard's recorder during their first meeting, but later gave it to Vesta at the Welcome Wench with instructions to return it to Redithidoor. It is apparent that this did not happen. Not wishing to alienate their seemingly only trustworthy companion in town by admitting to the recorder's theft, they do not mention the incident, but give Redithidoor several potions of healing, and Minaret loans him one of his magical rapiers. That should give him a bit more protection in case the cultists catch on to his association with the party. For his part, Redithidoor seems a bit more at ease with these items, and agrees that he will rendezvous with the party at their hiding place at sundown, with or without Vangkor. The party gives him a note to pass on to Spugnoir, asking for assistance. He agrees to deliver the message and then departs, keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious.

Thanking Yether for allowing them to stay, he party then moves stealthily to the western edge of town. On the way Minaret attempts to do some reconnaissance at the Welcome Wench, but the only entrance she can find is the front door. Not wishing to be seen, she climbs up to their second-story room. It has been cleaned since they last saw it, but it is still unoccupied, and the door is securely locked. Satisfied for the moment, Minaret returns to her companions, and they leave the village entirely, hide deep in the woods to the west.

The day is a long one, and hot. The dry summer they have been experiencing continues, and even the shade of the trees seems a bit stifling. They are nervous and on their guard, but see no creatures, apart from a few squirrels. The shadows elongate, and as the afternoon wanes, the temperature drops to a more comfortable level; yet the party still feels edgy. They do not dare to light a fire, so they munch dispiritedly on cold rations for their evening meal. As dusk approaches, they are startled by a faraway boom, apparently coming from a short distance north of town. The sound is not repeated. There is much speculation as to what the noise might have been, but everyone's first thought is of Vangkor's fireballs. They hope that he has not encountered trouble.

The sun sets, and twilight approaches, with still no sign of Redithidoor or Vangkor. The party grows more worried now. Ian and Fletcher attempt a brief trek to the north of town, but make little progress through the undergrowth in the dark, and return dispiritedly to camp. By this time, full evening has come on, and it is apparent that Redithidoor is not going to show. Wondering if he was captured, forgot, or is actually working for the cultists, the party decides it has no choice but to spend the night hiding in the woods.

* * * *

As the sun sets to the west, Vangkor returns back into town, his heart heavy. His trip has not been a pleasant one, and has raised more questions than answers. He has much to think about, but at the present moment he wishes no more than a comfortable bed to sleep in. His companions were still at the moathouse when he departed, but he hopes that by now they have returned to their room at the Welcome Wench, or at least have left word there as to their whereabouts. He rides straight for the Inn, leaving his horse at the stablers.

Unfortunately, his luck is out: the last Vesta saw of the party was when Vangkor and the others departed for their second trip to the moathouse. She has been curious if they were returning, but since they're paid up through the 27th, she has dutifully had the room turned and cleaned every day. Vangkor thanks her, and goes out to see if he can discern their location.

Knowing that the Church of St. Cuthbert would be the party's first stop upon returning to town with bad news (i.e. dead bodies), he first stops there. Calmer, Y'dey's assistant, recognizes him at once. He says that he last saw the party on the 21st, when they had three party members raised by Y'dey. Since then he has not seen them, but remembers them discussing paying a visit to Yether the Keen. Vangkor thanks Calmer and walks to the nearby Temple of Pelor. Yether greets the half-orc warmly, and tells him of the party's plight: that they have been marked for an assassination, and that the Welcome Wench is no longer safe. Disturbed, Vangkor asks if the party is still at the Temple. Yether replies that they left early that morning, and have not returned; he has no idea as to their present whereabouts. Vangkor knows that if the cultists are aware of the party, then they are surely aware that he is one of the group. Hoping to find his friends the following morning, the wizard humbly asks Yether if he can spend the night at the Temple, and Yether agrees.

Goodmonth 23

The following morning, the adventurers decide that they must risk a trip into Homlett to find out what has happened. They abandon their hiding place and make their way to town. Their first stop is at Spugnoir's, as his potion shop is on the western edge of town. They are greeted by the dwarf Haunor, who recognizes them and goes to get Spugnoir while the party waits in the front of the shop. While they wait, they spot Renee, Spugnoir's daughter, busily doing inventory on the potions in the glass display shelves. She sees them, and waves shyly. A moment later, Spugnoir himself emerges from the back and greets them warmly. "Ah, my saviors! What can I do for you folks this morning?"

The party asks if Redithidoor has been by. The wizard frowns. "Redithidoor? Oh, you mean the bard chap? Hm, I haven't seen him since before I left for the moathouse, over a week ago. I saw him performing at the Welcome Wench, when I stopped for a drink before setting out. Not the greatest performer, if I remember correctly. Why?"

More worried than ever, the party explains their predicament and tell Spugnoir that Redithidoor was to have delivered a him note the night before. The wizard is sympathetic to the party' plight, but is quite sure the bard did not stop by the night before. Uneasy about this but thankful for the information, the party thanks Spugnoir and moves on.

After scouting about town, the party eventually finds Vangkor, much to their relief. His report, however, is not positive: at his meeting, he learned that there appears to be some sort of tension that has developed between the College of Wizardry and the Temple of Maeth. Specifically, although Richter has provided several updates as to the group's progress to Amgerit Maelochtar, the Temple has not shared any of this information with the College of Wizardry. Vangkor makes it plain that since he is representing his order's interests on this excursion, that he must be kept up to date at all times. The party readily agrees to this, assuring him that he will not be left out. They then ask him about the explosion that they heard the night before. Vangkor concurs that he was involved in a slight altercation outside of town, but that he emerged without harm. When asked about other details of his trip, he does not elaborate, only cryptically mentioning something about a cow.

Reunited, the party decides that they should investigate the millhouse as soon as possible. They try to keep a low profile the remainder of the day, only making brief stops at Joman Dart's Trading Post (for supplies and winter clothing in case they return to the moathouse and the obelisk chamber), and then the Welcome Wench. Through several visits to the Welcome Wench, the party learns from Vesta that she did indeed return Redithidoor's recorder to him several days before. The party is now not sure what to think; as Vesta's story directly contradicts Redithidoor's, one of the two is obviously lying. They thank Vesta, and casually mention that they may be heading out of town that evening.

Before planning their next course of action, the party decides to scout out at the millhouse, to see what they can learn. They know that the miller himself lives in the house across the street from the mill. Minaret briefly scouts around outside, quickly peeking in several windows, but sees nobody inside through cursory inspection, which is all she dares during daylight. Richter decides to make a more bold investigation. He approaches the mill alone during business hours. The mill looks unoccupied from the front, but the gate is open, and Richter can hear voices and activity from behind. He walks around the main building to the yard in back, and finds a score of workers busily bagging and hauling around loads of flour. He stops a worker, asking if the miller is around. The worker claims that the miller is out of town, but fetches the foreman, Steve. Steve is a brusque, heavyset man who looks to have worked hard every day of his life. Richter poses as an interested business party, explaining that he is interested in arranging a transaction with the miller. Steve reveals that the miller, whose name is Karlun Fies, has been out of town on business for over a week. While such trips are not unusual, he has been gone a long time: Steve confesses that all the mill's present flour stock has been allocated to fill purchase orders; while Steve can run the day-to-day operation of the mill in the miller's absence, it is the miller himself who renews contracts and allocates stock. Unless the miller returns soon, there may be an impending shortage of flour. Intrigued, Richter asks if the foreman lives alone; Steve shakes his head, saying that the miller lives in the house across the street with his wife. However, he has seen nobody entering or leaving the residence since the miller left, which would seem to indicate that his wife is gone as well. Richter asks him if this is normal; Steve admits that while he doesn't follow the habits of the couple that closely, it does seem a bit odd. Richter politely thanks him for his trouble, and gives him a note to pass along to the miller. He then departs.

When he returns to the party, they discuss what they have learned. They decide that they must all talk to Steve together before entering the mill. Richter is reluctant, having just passed himself off as an interested business partner, but agrees to go along with the plan. They wait until that evening, when the mill's last shift ends. Then they have Soot, Minaret's familiar, follow Steve to his modest house on Homlett's east side, not far from the mill itself. The party visits him there, and learn through divination magic that he is honest and trustworthy, concerned only for the well-being of the mill and his workers. Through a lengthy discussion, the group learns that before Karlun disappeared, he arranged for some acquaintances of his to stay in the cellar beneath the large storage barn. These strangers kept mostly to themselves during the day, and Steve did not pry into Karlun's business. However, he did see enough of them to corroborate Redithidoor's description. The group then warns Steve that the "guests" of the moathouse may actually be cultists, and that the miller may in fact have been captured or killed by these cultists.

For his part, Steve is more than a bit incredulous at all this, but concurs that the odd appearance of these "guests" and Karlun's dissapearance is somewhat suspicious. When asked about Elmo's whereabouts, Steve says that the militia captain has been spending the last few days just outside of town, investigating some renewed ruffian activity (Vangkor's raises his eyebrows at the mention of this, but says nothing). The group realizes that it may be up to them to learn what is truly going on here. They tell Steve that they must investigate these strangers at the millhouse, and that the foreman should stay home that evening. Steve isn't happy to hear this news, and is more than a little suspicious of the group's claims. However, he reluctantly agrees to stay put for the evening, warning that he'll have to alert Elmo to the group's claims in the morning. The party has no problem with this, and they then depart, leaving Soot as a watch to make sure the foreman does not cause any trouble.

The group then sets out for the millhouse. The streets seem oddly quiet, and they reach the mill without seeing anyone. Before investigating the millhouse itself, they decide to check out Karlun's home itself, now that night has fallen. The house is dark and locked, and no signs of movement can be seen from outside. Carefully, Minaret opens one of the home's outside windows, and the party cautiously enters what appears to be a bedroom. Interestingly, the bed appears turned back, as if someone were getting ready for bed. The house is hot and stifling inside, and a rotten, sour odor, like spoiled meat, hangs on the air.

The source of the smell soon becomes all too clear. Upon entering the kitchen, the group sees an appalling sight: the bodies of Karlun Fies and his wife lying two-days dead in a pool of blood in their kitchen. Their heads have been chopped off and placed upon a bureau of crockery. Blood has sprayed all over the walls, but it looks to have been deliberately wiped from the windows to avoid notice from outside. A bloodstained towel with an embroidered mill-wheel lies on the floor. Aghast, the party vacates the house as quickly as possible, knowing now that at least some of their fears are true.

Moving quickly across the street, the party climbs over the gate and moves around behind the millhouse itself. The yard in back is deserted, and the large doors to the barn are shut, though unlocked. The group lights a lantern and cautiously moves inside. Despite the cool evening temperature outside, the interior of the barn is even hotter than the miller's house, and the lantern's light shows many fine, floating particles of flour in the air. Aware that an open flame may cause an explosion, the group does not light any additional torches, relying on their closed lantern for illumination.

They first explore the locked offices of the mill, finding only financial documents and transaction records. An exploration of the barn's loft is similarly fruitless. However, in the northwest corner of the mill they do find an unlatched trapdoor. Carefully lifting it reveals a set of steps going down into darkness: the cellar. No light or movement can be seen below, but Vangkor's sharp eyes spot that the wooden steps themselves appear wet or slippery, though whether this is from condensation or some other source he cannot tell. Being the only party member with darkvision, the half-orc decides to descend first, while the others keep the lantern above. Wary of the slippery-looking appearance of the steps, he ties a rope about his waist that the others hold while he descends. He takes one step, and all is well. Another... and all is still well. Another... and something happens.

As his foot touches the third step, there is a brief flare of magical energy from beneath the step, along with the sound of breaking glass. He yanks his foot back just as a plume of almost liquid flame spurts out onto the steps below: alchemist's fire! He is not burned, but the stairs themselves ignite immediately: their wet appearance seems to have been from some sort of oil or grease. Worse, Vangkor's abrupt withdrawal causes him to slip and fall on his back. Things could have been bad for him and the others were it not for Richter's foresight: that morning he had prepared two castings of the create water spell. My manifesting the spells directly over the steps, he covers the entire area with a sudden cascade of water, drenching Vangkor twice in the process. Luckily, this manages to quench the burning flames before the explosive flour in the air can be ignited.

The group carefully descends the rest of the steps, but they seem to have activated the only trap. The cellar is small and mainly empty, but there are signs that at least several people have stayed here recently: some straw scattered about like the remains of makeshift beds, several scraps of discarded food, and many footsteps in the dirt floor. However, its occupants have apparently left; nothing living can be found in the small cellar, and no other exits or means of egress can be found. Discouraged, the group leaves the cellar and the millhouse itself.

Fletcher, somewhat ahead of the group, rounds the corner from behind the millhouse to spot two figures, each carrying a torch, standing on the road in front of the millhouse. He drops immediately, motioning the others back, and quietly creeps forward. The two figures are talking, looking back and forth between the miller's home and the millhouse itself. As Fletcher draws near, he realizes that one of the figures is Elmo. The other is unfamiliar to the group: an elderly man in a simple brown robe. Fletcher hears Elmo say to the other: "They must still be here. Let's go in and investigate."

At that, Fletcher pops up from behind the front gate, greeting the two figures. They are both startled by his sudden appearance, and Elmo quickly draws his axe. When they see it is Fletcher and that he isn't attacking them, they recover quickly. As Fletcher motions for the others to approach, he sees uneasily that Elmo's face has a hard look the group hasn't seen before. "What are you doing sneaking about the millhouse at this hour?" he asks.

The party explains that they are investigating, and ask if Elmo has been to the miller's house. Elmo's lips tighten. "Indeed I have, and it would appear that you have as well. Jaroo here spotted you sneaking out of the place not ten minutes ago. I want to know what you have been up to, and what you have to do with the death of poor Karlun and his wife."

The party decides that honesty is going to be the best policy here. They explain exactly what they have seen and done since returning to Homlett several days ago. Elmo hears them out, looking more and more grim. When the party finishes, the elderly man next to Elmo speaks loudly. "You story is elaborate, but it is all lies. You were seen hanging about the mill earlier than this, several days ago... on the night Karlun was killed."

The party is indignant. "We weren't even in town then! And who are you, anyway?"

Elmo steps in. "This is Jaroo. He has been a friend and mentor to me since my childhood, and he is beyond reproach. Now, it is obvious there is some devilry here, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. You are all to come with me to the jailhouse, where you will wait until I can fetch Yether to divine the truth of your words."

The party balks strongly at this idea, and Minaret argues fiercely with Elmo, until Elmo is forced to draw his axe again and forcefully command the group to accompany him or face the consequences. The party gives up, and accompanies Elmo to the jail, shooting black glances at the stranger Jaroo. There is another near rebellion when they arrive, and Elmo tries to usher them into a jail cell. They try to convince him that they should accompany him to Yether's, for his own safety. A long argument ensues, and Elmo is looking more and more unsure of himself-- he is not inexperienced, and it is the vehement honesty of the party that is giving him pause. Finally, perhaps becoming aware of time relentlessly passing, Elmo agrees to let one party member accompany himself and Jaroo while Yether is fetched. Vangkor elects to go. In the meantime, the others reluctantly allow themselves to be ushered into a cell, watched by a single human guard.

Vangkor, Elmo and Jaroo make off for the Temple of Pelor. Along the way, Jaroo stops at a garden with a simple wooden structure south of the road. He tells Elmo he must put some things in order, and that he will wait for Elmo's return. Vangkor is immediately suspicious, but Elmo seems to barely notice, continuing on to the Temple. Vangkor asks Elmo again who Jaroo is. Elmo replies that he is the original druid of the town, and has been here for many years. Indeed, he provided spiritual services to the village before any of the other temples were founded, and helped in both uprisings of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Vangkor asks if Elmo has noticed anything strange about his behavior lately. Elmo tightens his lips, but doesn't reply.

They reach the Temple of Pelor, and rouse a sleepy Yether the Keen. When Elmo explains the situation, he is quite willing to help in any way that he can. He gathers his components together, and accompanies Vangkor and Elmo back to the grove, where Jaroo is waiting, just as he promised. All four then return to the jail.

With Yether's Zone of Truth running, the party reiterates their story to Elmo, and Yether confirms indeed that they are telling the truth. Now Elmo looks very perplexed. It is evident that the party did not kill Karlun... and they at least believe that the cultists have infiltrated the very town. He lets the group out of their cell, apologizing with simple dignity: "I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I hope you understand that my concern for the village comes first. But the question still remains: who killed Karlun and his wife?"

Noting that the Zone of Truth is still active, the party begins rapid-firing questions at Jaroo. The druid seems to answer honestly at first, seeming to truthfully deny killing the miller himself, but his replies become more and more evasive as the party begins asking if he knows of the cultists at all. Through all of this Elmo is silent, looking with what appears to be deepening sadness at his old friend. Finally, the druid simply refuses to answer any more questions, and the spell ends. However, Elmo has seen enough. With the anguish barely hidden from his face, he says, "Jaroo, I do not know what part you have played in this, but it is evident that you know something that you are not telling us. I am sorry, old friend, but I must keep you here for further questioning, while we undertake a full investigation." Jaroo at first seems outraged, then seems to settle down, agreeing that a thorough investigation will reveal the true facts soon enough. As he is escorted into the cell, he spares a single, burning glare at the party.

With their reputations cleared (for the time being, anyway), the party turns its attention to discovering the remaining cultists. It is plain that they have abandoned the mill, if they indeed were there before. The group surmises that they are likely at the moathouse, if still in the area at all. Not entirely hopeful of success but hoping for the best, the party sets out once again to the old ruins.

They arrive to find the upper levels of the moathouse completely deserted: they see not a single creature, not even a body, anywhere. However, it is apparent that someone has been here since their last trip: when they reach the chill pit descending to the obelisk chamber below, they find that the pulley mechanism and platform have been removed: using his darkvision, Vangkor can just make out the platform itself lying atop the obelisk, its rope cut. Remembering the vivid description of the party's last encounter here, he casts a spell and cautiously descends downwards. He does not go far before he spots that which the party dreads: a grotesque, tentacled, floating brain-like creature. This one, however, appears to be missing a tentacle, and many slashes and shreds of skin hang from it. Indeed, the entire creature appears to be rotting, and a festering smell comes before it as it floats silently towards the half-orc: it is undead, perhaps the very creature the others killed before! After several futile attempts at combat, Vangkor rejoins his companions before he is paralyzed. The party decides that they are not ready for this encounter, and retreat from the moathouse. Unsure what to do next, they make their way back to Homlett.

Along the way, Vangkor's horse abruptly halts, for no reason that anyone can determine. No amount of coaxing will get it to start moving again. Vangkor looks worried, and casts a detect magic upon the horse. He frowns. "It is as I feared. The horse is exhibiting exactly the same magical aura as the cow."

The others are mystified. "What's all this about a cow?"

Vangkor replies, "On my journey to Etterbrook, I stopped several miles outside of town to allow my horse to rest. Off to the side of the road, I heard the sounds of a scuffle, and discovered an old man pummeling a cow with a wooden stick. He was very agitated, screaming about "destroying the beast before it kills again." The cow seemed to take no notice of his attacks, calmly chewing grass. I approached the man, who claimed that the cow had killed his entire family and burned down his farm by purposefully knocking over a lantern in his barn. Unfortunately, he died of an apparent heart attack before I could get more out of him.

"Anyway, I left the cow and rode into town, keeping my horse at the inn where I was staying. However, the following morning my horse was found dead, bludgeoned to death. Enlisting the help of the local constable, I determined that the cow I had encountered had followed me to the village, and had murdered my horse while I slept. The innkeeper compensated me with another horse, and the contable, several of his men and I tracked down the cow, and managed to kill it. However, it was extremely resistant to magic. I'm worried that the beast may have been possessed, and that whatever had possessed it jumped from the cow to my new horse."

The group considers killing the horse, but is afraid that doing so will merely cause whatever has possessed the beast to simply jump to another of the horses. Instead, they leave it tied to a nearby tree, and continue their journey. Soon night falls, and the party makes camp halfway back to town, several hundred yards away from the road.

The idea of a fire is out of the question, so the group begins settling in when they hear a sound coming from the road: the creak of wagon wheels. The party creeps forward quietly towards the road. The night is dark, but there is just enough dim moonlight to see what indeed looks to be the form of a wagon approaching, surrounded by multiple figures. The party guesses that a wagon travelling on this road in the dead of night can be up to no good.

Vangkor's darkvision leaves no doubt. "We may be in trouble," he whispers. "It's the cultists, all right. There are twelve humanoid figures in all, including the driver... and I think I recognize the wagon."

At this the others pause. "You recognize the wagon? From where?"

"Well, the driver and two of the riders look like the ones from the wagon I encountered just outside of Homlett."

"When was this??"

"When I returned from my trip. At least one of them was a cleric." Vangkor pauses. "I actually helped them fight off a gang of ruffians, but they didn't seem to want my help..."

The party is agog. "YOU HELPED THEM???"

"SHHHH!!"

The wagon abruptly stops, and the figures surrounding it slowly spread out cautiously. It appears they have heard the party speaking. Deciding that they now have little choice, the party breaks cover and charges into the biggest battle they have faced yet.

The lack of light hampers the combat abilities of all but Vangkor, who can see in the dark. To complicate things, one of the figures on the wagon casts a spell, and the wagon itself get surrounded by an obscuring mist, reducing visibility even further. The party soon has their hands full.

Minaret luckily keeps a few of the cultists out of the picture for a bit using carefully aimed color sprays. The ones still conscious begin yelling. One steps blindly over the edge of the wagon and lands flat on his face.

Xaod goes toe to toe in combat with a fighter, landing a heavy blow, but is momentarily taken aback when he realizes it's a woman by her grunt. He is even more surprised when her hood falls back to reveal the visage of Maridosen, the barmaid from the Welcome Wench. She snarls and dishes the damage right back at him in return. Xaod is caught between the desire to smite evil and his strong sense of chivalry. Fletcher steps forward to provide support, and the two keep close to the edge of the wagon, fighting side-by-side.

Vangkor uses his acid orbs and other ranged damaging spells to good effect. However, he soon finds himself up against a man with a black, pointed beard: this can only be Dunrat, the leader of the cultists. The evil cleric casts a terrible incantation, and his hand begins glowing a sickly purple. Vangkor frantically dodges to and fro, trying to keep out of reach.

Richter, used to providing more of a supporting role in combat, finds himself toe-to-toe with multiple opponents, using both spells and weapons. He holds his own as best he can.

Ian is the only one seeming truly at ease in the melee. He smiles grimly, feeling the cold calm of battle wash over him. He lets himself drown in it. He faces three of the cultists at once, who try to stay out of reach of his dangerous axe. He steps forward... and is suddenly held rigid, completely unable to move. One of the cultists has cast a hold person spell on him. His three opponents see this, grin evilly, and move in. A blade cuts into his flesh, and as he falls over the world goes black...

Things are not looking good for the party. With the fall of Ian, the cultists outnumber them over two to one. Several of the enemy have fallen, but the party is slowly but surely weakening. Then there is a clang from the back of the wagon, and out slithers a thick, serpentile form with four tentacles surrounding a gaping maw. The party has seen this type of creature before, in the Mines of Durgeddin: a grick. It attacks Xaod, and with a wail, the already-wounded paladin is brought down. The grick begins to drag the unconscious Xaod away. Quickly, the cleric Dunrat runs around the wagon and darts in, casting a spell that sucks the remaining life force from the paladin's body, channeling it into his own form.

As usual, the situation appears at its bleakest for the party when luck seems to shine on the party once more. Ian, who was thought to be dead by both friend and foe, suddenly leaps to his feat with a roar. The killing blow must have only stunned him! In quick succession, he mows down three of the cultists in less than twenty seconds. The party, heartened by the turn of events, redoubles their assault. They kill the grick, which has tired of feasting on Xaod, and soon all but Dunrat and two others remain. Dunrat, with a look of rage, screams that he will see them all eaten by the righteous darkness of his Lord, and flees into the darkness. Vangkor half-thinks of following him, but decides to stay and finish the fight. The others are brought down quickly.

Panting, the party stands about the wagon. The ground is sodden with blood and bodies: twelve corpses, thirteen counting the grick, lie strewn about. But it soon becomes evident that the party was lucky to come upon this wagon. It has a treasure trove of artifacts, apparently taken from the moathouse: the four-sided statue from the room above the obelisk chamber, a magical torch and incense, a magical sphere, and numerous arms and armor from the bodies.

There are also three important-looking documents secreted in the wagon. One is a collection of notes written in an evil hand, detailing accessing some kind of extraplanar node called the "Black Cyst". Another is apparently a note to Dunrat from one Naquent, giving instructions and telling of the wagon being sent by a Tal Chammish from Rastor. The third is an extremely old-looking document, penned by an anonymous author. Close reading of this third document reveals an interesting reference to the Stone of Years.

In all, it seems obvious that this wagon was taking the majority of the cult members out of the area, having retrieved enough of what they were looking for to return from whence they came. But many questions remain: Where did they come from? And why were they here to begin with? Did they achieve everything they wanted to, or were they fleeing with their mission incomplete? If the latter, was there still something important to be found at the moathouse? Too tired to answer these questions immediately, the party decides to bring the wagon into Homlett and proceed from there. Working as quickly as they can bring their aching muscles to move, they gather the bodies into the wagon, and head back towards town.