Session 161 - "Swamp Lobster!"
General Summary
The Fellowship continues its investigation at the New Chapter Bookstore and begins its greatly anticipated journey towards Illmarsh.
Oathday, Gozran 28, 4711 AR
New Chapter Bookstore
3.01p
Kelath investigates the altar which bears the malodorous carcasses of many rats and small animals. Triggers a memory, altar found of his captain in Lastwall. Spots a simple ceramic vial with a simple stopper next to it. There appears to be a thick, purplish liquid inside it. The mere look of it just doesn't look quite right. He calls over Neferu who begins to examine with detect magic, but does not notice anything.3.11p
Neferu determines that the man's head exploded outward and contained those pieces of flint. On closer inspection, it actually appears to be pieces of something similar to the star moit. On his upper back, Kyrrn notices a weird bulge underneath his shirt. There they find a discolored mass underneath his skin, the skin itself becoming a scaly, necrotic green, but it looks to be a growth of his own body. Nerferu begins to cut into the growth which is some sort of a mass, almost insect-like, bleeding a purple-black liquid.3.21p
Kelath finds Ravisterr's personal office and room. Looking through his business records, he doesn't find anything immediately unusual. Kyrrn uses her automatic writing to get some guidance on how the books are organized.4.21p
Together Kyrrn and Neferu come across a portion of a text that was clearly hidden in another book. It appears to be pages of a rare text called the Erlette Manuscript. Potions of it mention the Cult of the Black Goat in general, however there are sections that appear to be ritual text.4.31p
Kelath additional finds underneath the mattress a sheaf of papers that are handwritten letters in some sort of cipher. The messages all appear to be written in the same hand. Most of them appear to be requests for copies for particular books, one of which is the Erlette Manuscript. Other books include: Eltdown Shards (ancient writing on stone tablets, hasn't been printed before in a book), the Celaeno Fragment, and two requests for Book of Abstruse Geometries. There is also a short request for prayer and a sacrifice for "my accession", in return for the "most holy milk of Shub-Niggurath". There are about 20 missives in total, wrapped in a leather band. The festival starts in three days, but X forges a sign saying the store is closed for the festival. The Fellowship begins to wonder if Ravisterr was a sleeper agent for the Whispering Way.5.31p
6.31p
Kelath finds one of the Fiendish Bargains anthology that X had been reading is a cover for Star Maps, and several pages that have been stuck in vol. 13, which was located in the astrological section.7.01p
Kelath and Kyrrn find an astrological diagram that matches the entrails on the altar, old geometric diagrams of formula and proofs (before even the dawn of humanity, when the serpentfolk were the dominate race on Golarian). It is referred to as the Convergence when certain celestial bodies form in a certain way, the time of which is nigh (in three or four days, the Concordance). A time when those who can manipulate the ley lines can access great power, the "Transcendence".8.01p
The Fellowship waits for darkness and slips into the night, making their way back at the Silver Wagon in quick time.Oathday, Gozran 28, 4711 AR
The Silver Wagon Inn
5.01a
The Fellowship awakens with the dawn and sets out toward Illmarsh. The area they are traveling through becomes a swampy woodland quickly.Versex
8.01a
The group finds themselves in an area of swampy road heading west, the day is gray and slightly rainy. The foliage is big flat, gray-green leaves as big as kites that droop down off the trees.12.31p
The Fellowship arrives at a dense part of the forest where the trees are taller and the branches form a canopy overhead, letting through small amounts of light and rain. The tree trunks themselves are mostly thin and smooth with a few twisted up with climbing vines or their branches hang down in puddles of water. A small bright red and white butterfly flutters by X and alights on a leaf in the canopy. Followers of Desna believe seeing one while traveling is a good omen.6.31p
The sun begins to set as the Fellowship continues its journey. Mosquitos start to become heavy in the air and the forest frogs begin chorusing.Soddentimbers
10.31p
The group begins to hear the high pitched squeal of bats as they hunt in the night. They start entering an area around Illmarsh known as the Soddentimbers. It is associated with a smell called the "Musties" or the "Fishies", the distinctive smell of the people of Illmarsh.2.31a
Begin to hear amongst the constant hum of flies and mosquitoes a kind of three note whistle that is responded to off in the distance, some kind of bird call.6.31a
