"It shall be done. Its the least I can do to help you."Mayor Heggry accedes to your request, and sends out some messengers.
The downpour has increased in its intensity, but despite that, both of you can see an increasing number of centipedes crawling on the cobblestones. Both of you hear the sound of violence over the rain. Despite that it should be early afternoon, the stormy skies make it appear as if its already evening. Word has spread faster then you two have expected, and the Crows at the barricades let you pass to your various destinations without any questions.
As you approach the Smuggler's Alley, the presence of the Crows decreases drastically until there are none at all. The streets of the Smuggler's are small and narrow, giving a feeling of claustrophobia, the squat buildings a hotchpotch of styles. The streets are deserted, but you have the feeling your movements are being watched. You spot a signpost labelled, "The Ol' Magick Shoppe", with a Cauldron painted on it. The door is closed, but you can see light from the inside.
You make your way to Crove's Asylum. Crove Asylum is an oddity this low on the hill’s slopes, for it is made entirely out of stone, completely windowless, just as you remembered it has always been.
The door is opened by a burly half-orc, clad in a black leather, axe in hand. He silently motions you into the shop. On the shelves, you see bottles containing dubious substances such as a strange nautilus with crimson-streaked flesh, goblets of slime that still seem to be moving within the bottle.
The shop smells of cinnamon, and through the hazy fumes permeating the shop, you see a dwarf at the counter decocting some kind of yellow bubbling mixture. "What can I do for you today?"The dwarf at the counter hails you.
The door is opened by one of the orderlies, a large man wearing studded leather armor and a cage-like helmet. In his hand is a club. "Howard. Master Crove has been waiting for you." He points at Hastur."It can stay out."
"Yeah, things are really bad around here. I heard that creature in the came out of Marshan's house in the Slipper Market. The entire house shook as if some invisible hand had taken hold of it and was trying to punch it into the ground or crumple it in its fists. Then guards went in, and they ran back into the street only to be lifted into the air by something unseen and crushed most horrifically." He shudders involuntarily.
"And now everyone's trying to get out of town."He adds. "Can't blame em...don't know when the creature's gonna strike next." Then he gets back to business,"Right, lets look at your wares." He examines them meticulously, and gingerly lifts the filthy cloak of protection, with his eyebrows furrowed."Seriously, couldn't you have cleaned this up before you brought it here? It's all muddy." After some grumbling and complaining about the state of the cloak in question, he accepts your items and hands you 6 scrolls of see invisibility and 6 potions of Owl's Wisdom.
"Yeah, we know. Thanks for your good wishes. Try not to get eaten!"The dwarf replies. The half orc just nods gravely and waits for you to go out. The moment you get out into the street, he closes the door.
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"He has to go wherever I go, quite literally. His existence on this plane is predicated on staying within a certain distance of me. Besides which, I don't think it would be a good idea to leave him unsupervised out on the streets.
How about a compromise? Let him in the front door, and he can wait in the main parlor."
The orderly hesitates for a moment, like thinking isn't the sort of thing he is used to doing. "It can stay in the main palor. Come with me."
He calls for another orderly to stay with Hastur while he leads you down to the Asylum basement. The room Hastur is in contains two lunatics, tightly bound in straitjackets and ropes, who upon seeing Hastur, start shrieking in fear,"Not upon us, oh, king! Not upon us!"
The orderly leading you seems entirely unperturbed by the racket they are raising. He leads you down the stairs, where a lunatic is chained by the stairwell. This one looks at the orderly fearfully, and scampers out of the way allowing both of you to pass. At the bottom of the stairs, you hear a scream of pain from the west room, like the sound of someone being tortured. The orderly leads you east, past the dungeon cells, then north, past a storage area and into Crove's study. He knocks on the door twice. "Master Crove. Howard is here." He opens the door to let you in, then shuts the door after you enter the room.
The room you enter contains a large circular table which is. cluttered with scrolls, books and an eclectic mix of strange devices that could be surgical instruments, weapons or writing implements. A human skull bearing horn-like growths along one side with a malformed jaw sits on one corner of the desk.
Crove, your former master, faces you. He is thin and balding, with whats left of his white, mangy, unkempt hair streaming down the sides of his face. His face is haggard, and his eyes sunken in, yet at the same time fever bright with fanatical zeal. He is clad in a bloodstained apron lined with surgical tools, and besides the smell of blood on him, you detect the acrid scent of sweat, like he hasn't showered for days.
"Welcome back, Howard. We stand today on the edge of a new frontier." He greets you with a smile, but the smile does not reaches his eyes.
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"It is good to be back. I think, though, that we should get straight down to business. I have been to the Grove (at the Mayor's request) - I know that you and the other Keepers summoned something from The Dark Tapestry, and I know that it did not quite go according to the original plan - two of the other four are already dead, and the creature is currently hunting for all of you.
Thus far, I have managed to keep your name out of it - as far as the Mayor and the rest are concerned, Hyve and Myre are the only ones left, and I intend to do my best to ensure that they continue to think that way.
From what I can tell, if the others are killed before the beast can get to them, it will be weakened. Do you have a plan for how to kill it, or at least contain it (since I am sure that it would be a useful thing to study)? Moreover, do you know what it is?"
He pauses thoughtfully for a moment.
"I thought you would also be interested in knowing, that the ritual you performed sent out rippling echoes, which those who were sensitive to such things were able to interpret - shortly before your message arrived, I had a lucid dream (all the more puzzling, since you know that I do not sleep); I was there, in the Grove."
"Excellent deductions, my prize pupil. I've missed having you around." He gives you a few slow claps. "But you're wrong in a few matters. It not being contained....was just a slight setback." He waves his hand disdainfully, brushing off his failure."And I have plans to remedy that." He pauses for a moment. "Your concern for my safety is most touching, but unwarranted.
Once I get this creature in my gasp, I will become powerful beyond all imagination. "He clenches a fist as his eyes light with maniacal glee. "I shall plumb the depths of its mind for the secrets of the Dark Tapestry." He thumps the table with his clenched fist."Then I shall create a portal to bring the denizens of the Dark Tapestry, into this world, totally subservient to my will." He gives a peal of diabolical laughter.
"Now for the technicalities." He pulls out a transparent glass bottle with runes etched upon it from one of his apron pockets."This is where I intend to bind the spawn of Yog Sothoth. The entity we summoned." He pulls out a scroll from another pocket, "This is the ritual of binding. I know the Spawn is invisible, don't fret too much about that." He then keeps the scroll, and pets your shoulder condescendingly.
He then leads you to one of the rooms which the orderly earlier brought you through, and utters a few arcane syllables. You see glowing sickly green vine-like patterns weave themselves through the walls. "This whole area is subject to invisibility purge. The moment the spawn comes through, it will become visible. And that's where you come in." He goes to the wall, and pulls out from a secret panel, a wand. "This is a wand of suggestion, used to increase the strength of the binding. As I chant the words to bind this creature into the gem," he points the wand at the glass bottle held in his other hand, "You'll support me by using the wand. It will make the binding more powerful." He explains.
"Also, I do NOT want the Spawn weakened. I want it in its full power, so I may better plumb its mind. Get the other Keepers, cowardly dogs that they are, to come and assist with the binding." He gives a disdainful sniff. "They're just cowering now, waiting to be devoured by the Spawn. Weak, useless fools, who are too spineless to take the next step that will elevate us beyond mankind!"
"You had a lucid dream, Howard, because you are sensitive to these matters. Most people are too mired in this world to see the potential of the Dark Tapestry.You, on the other hand, have your inner eye open."
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"That seems like a fairly elegant plan, and one certainly reasonably likely to result in substantial dividends.
Have you considered the utility of of Ill Omen, Crushing Despair, and Bestow Curse? They would also make it substantially less likely that the creature will be able to resist.
I will do my best to make sure we... acquire... the other Keepers, although I doubt they will come quietly - I will make it clear that their continued existence is dependent upon it"
"Ill omen is but peasant superstitions when they can't find anyone else to blame for their own mistakes. Bestow curse carries its own risks, as it requires touching of the Spawn itself." He pauses for a moment, as if bothered by something. "Pah, why am I even considering that I, Crove, Keeper of the Oldest, would even require other spells to weaken the Spawn?" He scoffs.
"Yes, please do your best to "convince" the other Keepers to assist. You don't have to be gentle, just bring them in a condition to use that wand of suggestion." He gives an nasty smirk."Afterall, once the Spawn is bound, we don't want to share, do we?" He looks knowingly at you, and his smirk becomes an evil smile."Dead men tell no tales."
Hastur's mage armor has worn out, its about 3 pm in the day now.
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Howard frowns.
"I was indeed. The creature we face is a Spawn of Yog-Sothoth, a malevolent creature which is possessed of natural invisibility.
My contact has a plan for what to do with the beast; hear me out. He believes that this creature is too strong for any of us to defeat, so he instead wants to lock it away forever.
In order to do so, however, we will need the other Keepers - their essence will draw the beast, after all, and they can be used to enhance the binding.
Consequently, we will need to capture them alive. Once we have them at the 'trap site' (buried deep in the Asylum), they will have no choice but to assist us, regardless of how they feel about us, since their only other alternative will be certain death, and the erasure of their souls.
Once everything is in place, my contact will attempt to use a Binding ritual to keep it isolated, forever.
Now, this procedure is not without risk - if the beast resists the spell, we will be basically screwed. Moreover, I would not put it past him to try and take us out even if we are successful, so as to limit knowledge of what has been done, so we will need to be on guard for treachery."
Howard pinches the bridge of his nose, and sighs.
"What do you think? I honestly believe it is probably our best shot, despite my misgivings..."
Both of you make your way to The Ol' Magic Shoppe. On your way there, the party notices that sink holes are appearing on the gravelled streets, and a few houses have collapsed. The party can hear cries for help from the collapsed houses. Some Crows are attempting to rescue the people trapped in the rubble, in the pouring rain.
The party manages to get to The Ol' Magic Shoppe without incident, and make the necessary purchases.
Rupman's vat is a 40 foot high single story building looming over the river's edge. The walls are constructed of middenstone around a wooden frame. All doors are locked The party realizes that it could be possible to wiggle in through the sluice gates . Three chimneys rise above each sluice gate, but look too small to pass through.
The fumes coming out from the chimney smell foul.
You hear the sound bubbling liquid, heavy machinery, of gears, chains and moans from the door. Door not trapped. Your nimble fingers make quick work of the lock.
The stench and humidity in the air here is cloying and choking. There is no proper floor in this room, only a series of five-foot-wide middenstone walkways passing along and over a series of pits ten feet below. The ground is obscured by a layer of foul-smelling, bubbling water through which a tangle of violet middenstone pipes weave. Numerous huge metal cauldrons containing a nasty, bubbling violet sludge simmer in the pits, each vat cradled in a nest of steaming pipes. Above, the open ceiling is a tangle of timbers, ropes, chains, and pulleys, many bearing hooks sized for the rings around the cauldron rims below. Ropes and slippery ladders descend into the morass below every five feet along the edges of the slippery walkways, while to the north is a warehouse containing bins of coal, barrels, cages, and other supplies. Beyond this, a huge steaming furnace churns and roars under an upraised observation deck.
Four human alchemically preserved zombies work in the northern part of the room (two feeding coal into the furnace while the other two work the pumps that keep hot water circulating through the pipes), and the other four lumber about in the pit below, moving from middenstone cauldron to middenstone cauldron and stirring the contents with iron rods.
Hastur opens the door and steps inside, utterly unperturbed by the stench around him.
Your ray of holy energy sears through the zombie's clothes and flesh, revealing the bone within.
The zombie moves to get to you, but finds Hastur in the way and starts pounding on Hastur instead. The rest shamble forward.
The blow bounces off an invisible force field.
The party hears a high pitched shriek of fear. They see a haggard old man with his messy locks stumble out from the observation deck above, carrying an empty whisky bottle. His eyes are bloodshot and his hands shaking. He looks aghast at the scene before him, then recovers his wits. "Die, filthy mercenaries!" He screams.
Hastur effortlessly shreds the zombie in front of him, then arcs around to engage the man.
The zombie is easily shredded by Hastur.
Both man and zombie fall unceremoniously on their rump.
seeing the undead approaching Hastur, Angus uses his disrupt undead spell again.
Angus's ray of holy energy burns a large portion of the alchemical zombie up, but it still keeps moving.
The rest of the zombies shamble to defend their master, with one of them trying to Hastur.
Hastur easily sidesteps.
The man shrieks,"Get away from me you oversized buffoon!"
Hastur feels a sudden wave of fear surge through him.
Hastur is frightened for
Hastur attempts to KO the Zombie Master.
The man lies unconscious on the ground after Hastur beats him up brutally.