Strange Aeons / The Rushton Terror pt. 1 / Eire the 9th, 3592 CE / 6-10-20
General Summary
In the aftermath of the battle with the Tatterman, the party takes stock of the situation. The yellow fog that had trapped the inhabitants of Stonebriar Asylum has lifted completely, but there is little time to celebrate or mourn the fallen, as the fiendish Tatterman has one more trick up its vile sleeve: the party watches in horror as the severed head whispers "Awake!" before crumbling to a fine yellow powder along with the rest of its corpse. At those words, the entire asylum begins trembling in a manner that is all too familiar to the orderly, Garrok, who, unlike the rest of the party, recalls what happened during the last earthquake. Knowing that their current location on the crumbling second story puts them especially at risk, he urges them to flee. A falling timber crushes Yew's arm, forcing him to relinquish his glaive in order to survive, and Esp almost falls to her death if not for a timely rescue by Hemlock and Garrok, but the party manages to escape the danger. Upon returning to the cafeteria, they discover the Apostles' headquarters in complete chaos. Doctor Renfield lies dead, apparently beaten to death by Julian Rivers and his followers while attempting to buy the party time. Julian's corpse lies nearby, his throat mysteriously ripped out by some creature. At that moment, August Derleth bursts through the cafeteria doors and urges the party to follow him. He tells them that the refugees from the Sanctuary of Accuris are making a run for the boats used to ferry people to and from Stonebriar Island, but discretion is paramount, as there are not enough boats for all of the asylum's inhabitants, and they do not want a riot to breakout. The party meets Winter and the survivors in the front lobby, but when it is time to leave, Yew elects to stay behind with "his kingdom." He also vows to locate his "Viceroy," Kingfisher, August also volunteers to stay, stating there is not enough room for the boats, feeling a sense of obligation to watch over the patients who remain until help can arrive. The rest of the survivors and the party board the two ferries and head to the mainland. Winter informs them that the nearest town is Rushton, a coastal fishing village. She also lets Hemlock and Esp know that she is has been keeping something from them: her original mission in coming to Stonebriar Asylum was to locate five patients with amnesia, four humans, an elf, and a dwarf. Though, she admits, she does not know the reason for her mission, she reveals that she is working as an agent on behalf of the Blackguard, a clandestine organization that attempts to root out corruption in the nation of Carthia.
Though the yellow fog has cleared, the morning sky is stormy and gray, and when the boats reach Rushton's docks, many of the refugees are drenched from rain. Winter asks the party to accompany her to Rushton's temple of Accuris, referred to locally as the "New Chapel," in order to find a safe haven for Stonebriar's survivors. In exchange she offers to pay for the companions' room and board for the evening, and introduce them to others who may be able to help solve the mystery of their amnesia. The party agrees, but when they reach the New Chapel, they encounter a mob menacing a lone half-elf. It appears the mob blames the half-elf for the bizarre drawings of alien landscapes that have cropped up all over the walls of Rushton, alien landscapes that appear all too familiar to the Stonebriar survivors. As Winter ushers her charges into the temple, the party intervenes on the half-elf's behalf, dispersing the crowd. The half-elf, a local artist come recently to Rushton to complete a mural for the New Chapel, is extremely grateful, and extends an invitation for them to visit him in his studio the next day. In the New Chapel, Winter has more disturbing news: the local priestess of Accuris, Maeve Trelawney, appears to have gone missing. After giving the party some coin and directing them to the local inn, The Silver Carriage, they say their goodbyes, promising to meet up again the next morning.
At the Silver Carriage, the party is startled to discover that there is bad blood between them and the inn's proprietor. The night clerk demands they pay money already due from a previous stay, which the party obliges, and heads to their rooms for a much-needed rest, wondering what other sins from their past may return to haunt them here in Rushton.
Character(s) interacted with
Esp Platyrhnchos,
Hemlock Shores,
Garrok,
Yew,
August Derleth,
Winter,
Lewlyn Havok,
Elgris Nesmith,
Stonebriar inmates, sanctuary refugees, Rushton townsfolk
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