Strange Aeons / In Search of Sanity pt. 10 / Eire the 5th, 3592 CE / 10-22-19

General Summary

In the aftermath of the battle with the ratlings, Esp discovers a few pages torn from a journal stuck between two of the books on the library shelves. The journal entries appear to have been made by a Seeker named Jacoby Wierus, who was suffering from nightmares of some creature he called a nightgaunt, and who appeared to have an interest in Stonebriar Asylum and even traveled there at some point. Esp volunteers to continue searching the library for clues while the rest of the party backtracks to secure the other doors leading from the asylum's main foyer before venturing further. Though much of the foyer has been damaged due to the mysterious collapse of the building, they do discover several bodies in a sitting room who appear to have been beaten to death with sacks tied over their heads. Another door leads to a wide courtyard of dead trees. They spot a wooden outbuilding just before a thick fog rolls in, and decide to investigate, moving carefully through the mist. At one point Hemlock and Haskell can both swear they hear flapping overhead, though the fog makes it impossible to tell the direction. Inside the outbuilding, they find stairs leading down, however, the stairs end after twenty feet, dropping off to a cavernous void. Haskell transforms into a bat and flies down to investigate, travelling almost five hundred feet down before finding the cavern's floor. However, he quickly notes that the floor appears to be made of the skin of some living creature, and recalls a flash of memory of being in an alien library reading of the existence colossal beasts. Quickly flying back up, Haskell advises the others that whatever is down there, it is best if they leave it be. As they once again cross the dead courtyard, the party suddenly finds themselves under attack as a creature matching the description of a "nightgaunt" from the torn journal pages swoops down and grabs Rorgrim, lifting him high into the air. Haskell quickly pursues in bat form, and when the nightgaunt drops Rogrim from one hundred and twenty feet up, Haskell heroically races to save the dwarf, transforming mid-flight into his hybrid humanoid bat form, and slowing the dwarf's fall, most likely saving Rorgrim's life. The party flees back to the relative safety of the asylum's interior, but the nightgaunt pursues, and is able to force its way into the main hall, despite attempts to secure the door against it. As Yew gathers up Esp and persuades the barricade guard to let them back through, Haskell, Rorgrim, and Hemlock find themselves locked in battle with the monster.

Rewards Granted

2 thunderstones

Character(s) interacted with

Haskell Vorsicht, Yew, Hemlock Shores, Rogrim Coppermane, Esp Platyrynchos, a nightgaunt, a bhole, barricade guard

Report Date

23 Oct 2019