"Well, if everyone is in agreement, then I guess we check on where the fiend was trying to retreat?"
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Pendergast adjusts his spectacles and closes the book, for now.
"Right you are. Making haste, and all that."
The spindly Half-elf hoists the heavy tome with an audible grunt.
"Ms. Amiri... Might you have room in your backpack for this? I am afraid my Haversack is already brimming full of alchemical supplies and whatnot."
"Of course, sir!" Amiri takes the tome and stows it away.
If everyone is ready, Amiri heads down the passage the ghoul tried to retreat through.
As the group that chased down Yarresh comes back everyone sees another cavern in the southern portion of the wall. This cavern contains what looks to have been a campsite for five, judging by the number of empty bedrolls along the walls. A few shelves with scattered books on them, a fire pit, and even a crude wooden table provide the furnishings for the site.
A quick investigation of all of the books reveals them to be written in Aklo and are about ancient or defunct religions.
The Pnakotic Manuscripts are much more interesting to look through. The inside cover of the book bears the following inscription:
May we, the Keepers of the Oldest, prevail over the scourge of simplistic thought and lesser men. Following the inscription are five names:
Glem Baskerwhel
Waldur Crove
Arlend Hyve
Sulm Marshan
Rupman Myre
One section of the book is marked by a red silk bookmark—indicating the beginning of a relatively lengthy discussion of how to use special rituals to open portals in key locations. This section has been heavily annotated in the same spidery script on the inside cover.
A section near the end cautions those who would attempt this ritual, warning that forcing open such portals draws forth the spiritual essence of the casters, and that any entity contacted by the portal can make “hideous use of this essence by consuming it, growing more powerful in the bargain, such that only the end of such essence can challenge the intruder’s rights upon your world.”
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Narayan looks with sorrow on the fruits of a brief study of the inscription.
Pride has claimed their ssouls. The sstrength that hides ssuch weaknesss is sso often turned to harm. He turns seriously to Pendergast and Esmeralda, Oncce there is time, you musst not allow these ssecretss to fesster.
Once the wretched bounty has been collected, Narayan will return to a different tunnel. Perhapss the beasst is thiss way?
It was probably Yarresh who opened the bars to this area. The destruction caused above couldn't have been caused by something smaller than an ogre, and the opening through the broken bars are rather small. In fact the only one who can easily get through the opening is Parrym, everyone else squeezing through with some difficulty.
Poking around the area Yarresh was hanging out more thoroughly you discover two corpses. One is facedown in the pool of sludge, the other leaning against the altar stone and missing its arm. Both are twisted like rags and bloodless, covered with deep incisions and circular bites or cuts.
"I believe Master Singh has decided on the next path. I am with you all the way!"
You follow the trail for some minutes, each step seeming to narrow the natural crevice further. Eventually you are forced to stop as you arrive at a natural chimney, water pouring down its throat, which clearly leads outside. It looks like a long, dark climb just to reach what sounds like the outskirts of town...
Either way, this or the way we came. Hanging out here is getting us no closer to the beast.
You trek back up the long stairs and through the ruins of the house in slipper market. The rain continues, now making small rivers running down the cobblestone streets, and the situation seems to have deteriorated. Where before the streets were unnaturally quiet they are now teeming with people, many of them muttering about leaving town. The Crows have their hands full trying to keep order and prevent the more criminally minded from looting. You pass by a stable on the way back to Mayor Heggry where a knot of people are demanding transport.
Back at the manor only two Crows remain with the mayor who turns eagerly to you for a report. "What did you find? Do you know how to kill the beast?"
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On the way, Parrym tries to determine whether the worsening situation is due to new events, or simply because the people are panicking from what happened.
"We at least seem to have found solid suspects as to who summoned it here. Do you or the Crows know the names...", and she looks at her notes: [b]"Glem Baskerwhel, Waldur Crove. Arlend Hyve, Sulm Marshan and Rupman Myre? Is there some goal they had, or common enemy?"[/b[.
The Mayor takes a pair of reading glasses from a case in his front pocket and puts them on, examining the list. "Let's see here: Glem Baskerwhel is a hunch-backed hermit who lives in the Wrythe about a day’s travel east of Carrion Hill. The swamp druid is nonetheless well known in Carrion Hill as a potion-maker, and he visits the city often, always staying with his friend Arlend Hyve at the Elm Way Church on these visits." You remember the mostly intact corpse from the area below had hunched back, much like Mayor Heggry is describing now. Chances are that corpse was Baskerwhel.
The mayor's face pales when he reads the next name, "Waldur Crove is well known as the warden of Crove’s Asylum, a building located in the Crown that the Crows have long used to dispose of lunatics and the insane too dangerous to keep in regular prisons. I can't believe that old man is part of the reason for this..." The mayor seems ready to sit back and reflect on this, but a hastily cleared throat brings him back to the task at hand.
"Oh, right. Let's see...Arlend Hyve is an authority on regional history and lore, a sage who dwells in an abandoned church of Aroden on Elm Way on the southern slope of the Tangles. There are whispers that he dabbles in the black market poison and drug trade.
"Ah, here's a name that should be familiar to you: Sulm Marshan is a goggle-eyed man said to have moved to Carrion Hill recently from the coastal town of Illmarsh; he owned and lived in the house in Slipper Market that was destroyed this morning."
"Lastly, Rupman Myre is a middenstone baron. He owns a large vathouse down in the Filth along the river banks, and is rumored to be involved with illegal necromancy, but to date the Crows have not been able to find enough evidence to arrest him."
Heggry looks up and into all of your faces, "I do hope this will help bring the creature down. Here are some directions to the locations these men reside or work in." He quickly scribbles directions on a sheet of parchment and hands it to you. "Oh, yes, I also managed to gather some magical aid for you. It's not much, but anything to get that dreadful beast out of town and away from my citizens."
He brings forward a small case, filled with vials, scrolls, and a small bag.
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Parrym writes down some notes:
Glem Baskerwhe - dead - could explore his abode a day's march in the Wrythe
Arlend Hyve - ? - could explore his abandoned church in the Tangles
Waldur Crove - ? - should really explore his asylum in the Crown
Sulm Marshan - dead - house destroyed
Rupman Myre - ? - must explore his (necromantic?) vathouse in the Filth
She will leave the group a bit, to cast a spell discreetly upon herself, before returning to interrogate the mayor some more: "Dear sir, it seemed to me that you had some more thoughts regarding Waldur Cove and his asylum. We are not here to judge, but to try and find the source and put a stop to all this. Please tell us what you have in mind, anything can help!".
"Thank you very much", she says to the mayor, looking at the case and bag.
To her comrades, after having cast Read Magic to look at the scrolls and decipher them: [b]"I can take my share of potions, whatever you do not want to carry. I can cast the invisibility purge without problems.
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Having been charged with holding a book, Amiri feels a bit scholarly all of a sudden and attempts to aid the Inspector-like a good little helper would!
The Mayor thinks for a second before telling you what he comes up with. "Myre bought his vats two years ago. He produces middenstone, a building material made from brick, bone, gravel, and a type of roach found in the Wrythe. The runoff and liquid can be poisonous so be careful."
Amiri gets quiet and sullen. Once on their way, and clear of the mayor she vents a bit.
"I don't like how the mayor seemed to assume we didn't find and kill the beast when we were down below. He didn't appear to even entertain the thought-as if coming back up alive was proof of that. Almost like some part of him didn't actually think we would be capable of killing it, had we encountered whatever abomination is wreaking havoc in this town. Well, I got news for him, when we find this thing , we are gonna splatter its guts all over the place!"
You head south through the town and continue past the Slipper Markets, a large crowd growing there of soon to be looters and rioters. The Crows have their hands full keeping the citizens in order and barely acknowledge you as you pass by. Your journey continues out the western gate as you follow the south bank of the river. Crossing a bridge you arrive at a very long building with a sign prominently displayed, Rupman's Vats.
The building is a forty foot high, but single story structure, looming over river. Sheets of water fall from its roof into the quickly swelling waters below, stirring them constantly. Every surface is made of some, slightly sickening to look at, violet hued material, which smells of tar, oil, and graveyards. Overhanging the river side of the building are three small sluice grates, though nothing runs out from these at the moment. Above those are several chimneys spilling a thick noxious smoke into the air.
You try the door to find it locked and notice a small sign under your feet. The string that once held it appears to have snapped, and the sign says in large bold letters .