In the Light of Black Stars (Strange Aeons)

Game Master Thackery Baxter J Thorington

Suddenly overwhelmed by the mix of horrific smells - moldering books and worse things - Amber bends over sharply at the waist and retches before continuing to back away from the rat-thing in front of her. She takes another step back and shakily raises her bow, trying to fire off another shot in spite of the sudden weakness and nausea that had overcome her.

At the south of the room, near the doors, Feliks trains his crossbow on the rat-thing that is blind to him and smirks tensely as he opens fire. The bolt rips through the creature's tail, piercing it to the bookshelf.

From underneath the table, the old mans eyes roll back in his head. Teeth grind, and hands clench. A snarl forms on his features before they relax back into blank passivity.

His mind lances out at one of the rats. Harder now, with less subtlety. The creature howls in pain as its body is crushed by an invisible force! It snarls at the dreamers and winks out of sight.

A plague of rats bursts from the largest hole in the wall spilling out from between stacks of gnawed books and papers onto the floor. They pile and spread, heading towards Feliks! The rats scream and cackle, laughing as they squeak and chew! More rats begin rustling behind the walls.

Hearda UP

Hearda finishes his climb up the ladder and advances upon the ratling, a feral grin on his face. "Your pet rats will not be able to save you now!"" He exclaims as he steps forward and swings his mace at the foul beast...

The human-faced rat chortles as it esily ducks the the half-orc's swing.

End round 3 start round 4 Ambe,r Feliks, Oldest One UP

Realizing that they'd do better to focus-fire, Amber turns her back on the ratling she'd been firing at and instead lets fly an arrow at the one engaging Hearda!

Safely hidden under the table the old man gathers his will, prepares a vial, and once more lashes out with his mind.

Feliks fell back from the swarming rats, trying not to think about them rushing over his body and feasting on his flesh, and reloaded his crossbow.

At the other end of the room, Feliks falls back from the swarming rats, trying not to think about them rushing over his body and feasting on his flesh, as he reloads his crossbow.

Beneath the table, the Oldest One gathers his will, prepares a vial, and once more lashes out with his mind. The ratling behind Amber squeals in pain and some oft he squeaking and clawing from within the walls dies down.

Another plague of rats bursts from the hole in the wall and charge towards Amber. They draw near to her boots, and nip at her skirts but she remains out of harm's way. For now. Likewise, the first swarm spreads over the floor, like a sea of vermin. It splashes against Feliks' boots, but he leaps clear just in time.

A maniacal gleam appears in Hearda's eyes as he glares at the ratling. "You may think you have us, but the only thing you have is...DEATH!" He cackles as he swings again.

End of round 4 top of 5, Amber, oldest One, and Feliks, UP

Amber yelps as the swarm of rats suddenly come squeaking towards her and turns and bolts around the bookshelf and towards the table. Too late she spots the Oldest One hiding underneath it but there's no time; she hurries to scramble on top of the table before the rats overtake her.

"RATS! Get off the floor, hurry!" she shrieks.

Stay away. Stay away! Feliks thought, trying to ignore the horde of crawling, biting rats as he took aim at the rat-thing on the bookshelf. He fired, then rushed back from the swarm again.

Oldest one?

Sorry - I need to see the map at home, and that's been hard. Assuming there's still a rat thing up...
Once again the old man's mind lashed out, the rat's squealing sentience suffering under the onslaught of information.

Ya.. i don't know what happened with the account.. i'll figure it out before i leave so that everyone has access everywhere

Amber yelps as the swarm of rats suddenly come squeaking towards her and turns and bolts around the bookshelf and towards the table. Too late she spots the Oldest One hiding underneath it but there's no time; she hurries to scramble on top of the table before the rats overtake her.

"RATS! Get off the floor, hurry!" she shrieks as Feliks sends a bolt soaring past her shoulder.

He darts around the table, desperately trying to get away from the rats spreading over the floors.

Once more, the Oldest One's rage forms a lance of power the strips away at the rat-man's body. Air and storm press against the thing, snapping bones and cutting it a thousand times over. It still clings to life, somehow. Mad with desperation, it charges towards Hearda, skittering on the walls, in a pathetic effort to end its torment.

Bottom of Round 5 Hearda UP

Hearda whips around as he notices the panicked ratling heading towards him. "Not so fast! Stay a while and chat!" He exclaims as he moves to strike at the retreating foe. The shelving proves treacherous for his footing and he stumbles badly, his blow missing by a wide arc.

Hearda whips around as he notices the panicked ratling heading towards him. "Not so fast! Stay a while and chat!" He exclaims as he moves to strike at the retreating foe. The shelving proves treacherous for his footing and he stumbles badly, his blow missing by a wide arc.

The ratling chuckles cruelly, as it moves closer.
End round 5 start Round 6. Feliks, Amber, and Oldest One. UP

guys?

I am a bad person who should feel bad.

Feliks saw the rats closing in and realized he didn't was running out of library. Fast. He didn't dare wait for the ratling to lose track of him. He took aim and fired before rushing away again.

The old Man's dagger wings it's way through the library, curving at the last minute at an impossible angle that takes it past the rat-thing and into the wall.
The old man himself rises up from under the desk, making his way to his feet.

Feliks takes steady aim and fires, killing the ratling before Hearda. The rat falls as a crossbow bolt pierces its side. As it breathes its last the sea of rats squeals and runs back into the bookshelves. A similar rustling above and a falling book show that the invisble ratling also ran away.

The Dreamers are alone in the library, for now.

End of combat. You're alone in the room. there's a hole that Feliks could fit through leading ... somewhere. and there's a whole mess of books to read. I think i posted somewhere how to research the library, but it's late. I'll check again(or someone else can) tomorrow.

From her position on top of the table, Amber slowly lowers her bow and looks around nervously.

"Are...are they gone?" she asks. "What were those horrible things??"

Hearda climbs back down the ladder, keeping a close eye on the hole where the ratling disappeared to. "I know not Oldest One, but I fear disease will be the least of our worries." He waves his hand around the library indicating the rows of books. "This attack was not happenstance. Whoever...or whatever brought us here did not want us to peruse these tomes. The answers must lie therein. We need to continue our search."

Hearda will continue his research as before. Here are his previous rolls for reference:

From her position on top of the table, Amber slowly lowers her bow and looks around nervously.

"Are...are they gone?" she asks. "What were those horrible things??"

"I hope they're gone for good," Feliks said. "But they're probably not. I can fit through that hole there, so they can too." He stared at the hole for a long moment.

"Walked right into that one," he sighed. Reloading his crossbow, he went over and climbed in.

Just far enough to take a look, for now.

Rules

Rules

** spoiler omitted **
"Careful!" the old man warned Feliks. "At least tie a rope around yourself, so we can pull you out if there is trouble. You don't want to die to rats in the walls."

"Damned right I don't," Feliks said. He assented to being tied before going in.

Amber slowly climbs down from the table and moves to watch as Feliks investigates the opening.

"Don't go too far..." she whispers.

Feliks squeezes himself through the hole. It's a tight fit, the halfling's head grazes roof, and his shoulder nearly catch on the walls a few times. It's slow going, the tunnel reeks of rats and rot, but he finally pushes himself through and comes out the other side. The room's sagging ceiling rests atop a pair of bookcases. A sizable fissure cuts the room in half, a desk and two chairs teeter on its edge. A door stands ajar, shadows flicker beyond.

As Feliks works his way through the hole, the other dreamers comb through the books, searching for anything that might be useful. They learn much of the history of this accursed asylum.

At first, what they learn is bland, and uninspiring. Located on Briarstone Isle, Brisartsone Asylum was founded in 4585 with the support of Count Haserton Lowls I and Rozenport's Sincomakti School of Sciences. Up until recent events, the asylum has devoted itself to the treatment of patients with mental diseases and those in need of psychological care. Its staff also pursues humane, nonmagical treatments of such disorders. With the exception of restraints, most physical and surgical treatment methods were phased out at Briarstone over a century ago.

But, the asylum's history stands upon a much darker, more sinister tale. The isle was originally intended to be a fort, positioned to protect Thrushmoor and the trade along the Danver River from pirates sailing Lake Encarthan. The fort's construction began in 4315 and was plagued by accidents, culminating int he death of its overseer, Captain Anoch Alherton. construction on the fort was halted and rumors spread that Briarstone Isle was haunted. To expunge the taint of urban legends, Count Hasterton Lowls I convinced the church of Pharasma to perform a successful, island-wide exorcism in 4584.

In a footnote, at the back of a half-eaten journal, Hearda uncovers the true fate of Captain Alherton. Captain Ancoh Alherton didn't die in a construction accident. The overseer of Fort Briar's construction disappeared, only to be discovered a week later, his entrails strewn across the site. After Alherton's death, work halted on the fort's construction, but locals still reported seeing lights int he deserted, half-constructed structure. Rumors attributed the tragedy to the Briarstone Witch and claim that she'd curse or kill any who trespassed upon her home.

Despite all they have learn, the dreamers are confident the library still has more secrets to share. But's been nearly eight hours of prolonged study, and the day grows long.

You can do research every 8 hours. After 8 hours, you can make another DC 15 research check (knowledge: history, local, or religion) with a +2 bonus. You can use Aid Another to increase the bonus. You can make all 3 rolls each hour, and i'll take the highest roll. The other 3 player's successes will each count as Aid Anothers to that roll. I'll only take one AA from each player, though. Then, i'll roll for "knowledge points" to see what new tidbits you have to learn. The Library had 35 KP, and you've done 15 KP to it. You get new factoids every 5 kp down.

Feliks took in the room as best he could from his perch, weighing options.

"Great...a bit of history with folklore and superstition thrown in...but at least it's more than what we started with," Amber sighs. "What now? Do we keep at it or try and a little rest?"

If we are reading by light spell
The old man harrumphed. "We should at least report back, or the others may worry. My old eyes are tired from reading by wytchlight, but I could certainly put in a few more hours before I sleep. Perhaps we can convince some of the others to assist - or at least stand guard." For the record, figuring NPCs would say no.

"Great...a bit of history with folklore and superstition thrown in...but at least it's more than what we started with," Amber sighs. "What now? Do we keep at it or try and a little rest?"

"I think you are correct. I doubt we'll get much use from these - yet I cannot shake the feeling we might. This witch" he spat the term "and the vanished captain... they suggest that something has hunted here before. Something with a lair outside the three dimensions we are familiar with."

I believe in order to read words you do need a *light* spell; darkvision is insufficient.

Hearda sets down the old journal where the true fate of the unfortunate captain was revealed. "There are many answers revealed, yet more questions raised. Who is...was this witch? Is she linked to the fog that has trapped us here? Is she related to our amnesia?" He rubs his eyes tiredly. "Retreating back to the others seems a good plan. We should return here on the morrow." He then peers over to the crack in the wall where Feliks has vanished, "Feliks? Are you all right?" He calls out softly.

Feliks took in the room as best he could from his perch, weighing options.

** spoiler omitted **

"Okay then...as sounds like we've got a plan," Amber nods. "We fall back and rest, then come back and do some more reading. Hopefully we'll find something more that really stands out."

Of course there are more. Feliks slipped back to the library.

"There's another room just the other side of the hall. Smelled of the rats and there was some kind of shadow moving away when I came. It was stretched somehow, not like just the light does."

"Investigate, or return?" asked the old man

"Well...it might be wise to make sure the area around here is a little...well, safer...as safe as a place like this can be," Amber says slowly, gnawing her bottom lip nervously. "But those rats...it seems like it took a lot out of us. Poking around much further could be really risky unless we're sure we're good for it."
______

Including the research time, how long has it been since we woke up and left the chapel area?

The Oldest One sees the remains of three human-faced rat creatures amongst the tattered books and scrolls of the library--all that remains of their battle in the morning. It's getting on to evening, and the sun should be setting soon, if sun there still is beyond the yellow fog.

It's been about 10 hours, all said and done. Figure you've got another 8 hours to research (if you want) before you should probably go to sleep

"Distasteful as it might be, I've no desire to come back here once we leave these vermin to rot. I suggest we clean these up, and perhaps see what they were reading, then burn it all in another room" The old man suggests.

"I do not know what else lurks beyond these walls. If we stay here we have a better chance of driving off whoever strikes us. Plus the answers are right here, not outside this room." Hearda responds pointedly. "Let us continue here then we can return." He adds after some thought.

"Very well. We can dispose of the bodies when we return." The old man agrees, and sets to it.

"These bodies will not smell too badly...we have suffered through far worse." Hearda responds as he then turns his attention back to the tomes and the answers revealed therein...

"R-right then...better to push on now and maybe the sooner we'll be able to find a way to leave," Amber nods as she settles in, rather uneasily, for another round of research.

So..i had this epic post written, and then paizo hiccuped and lost the post.. here's the cut down version

Superstitions and folklore are powerful forces in the backwaters of the world. Even here, in an enlightened town with an established center of learning and the healing arts, such legends maintain a powerful foothold on the memories of the commons. Such folklore attributes many disappearances and spates of bad luck in the Thrushmoor region to the Briarstone Witch, an elusive crone said to inhabit Briarstone Isle. The first reports of the Briarstone Witch date to the early 4000s, soon after the founding of Thrushmoor by a congregation of psychopomp-worshiping homesteaders. These tales attribute many good works to the witch and present her as a figure who helped the settlers survive their hard early years. Some tales refer to the witch’s servant, called the Tatterman.

Yet, even myth may have a grain of truth. As Hearda and the other Dreamers read on, they come across a passage in a forgotten history" The Briarstone Witch was not a legend. She was a Kellid interested in lesser-known cults and occult knowledge. As she shared her esoteric knowledge with Thrushmoor’s settlers, she joined them, and as she exhibited her power, she eventually came to lead them.
However, in 4050, the report of a Pharasmin inquisitor accused the people of Thrushmoor of engaging in “perverted rites in mockery of Pharasma and her servants’ names.”

The Dreamers close their tomes, shocked by these revelations. the candles have long since burned down to stubs, and long shadows dance eerily about the shelves and ceilings. Their shapes are distorted, and seem to dance in foul mockery of the waning light. Sleep pulls at their eyelids, warring with their desire to learn more.

You can go for another 8 hours and learn more, with a +2 bonus to research because of your successes, but you'll each have a -2 from fatigue. You'll need to make fort saves to avoid falling asleep. Since you'll have been up for 26 hours straight, you'll be fatigued the next day, too, even if you "sleep in" the next day.

Hearda rubs his eyes, trying to remove the dust, grit and grime left of the numerous tomes from his face. Fighting back a jaw-breaking yawn he turns to the other Dreamers. "I...I fear I cannot read another word or cipher now...but the Witch...LIVED! Mayhap she still lives...? I fear should we continue on here, sleep will claim us for her own...which may lead to the endless sleep. Let us return here on the morrow, and finish what we started."

"Okay, so...it's sounding like maybe this witch supposedly cursed Briarstone Isle or at least this part of land the asylum's built on," Amber responds slowly, stifling a yawn of her own. "Since she really did exist and live here once then maybe she wasn't a 'witch' but maybe a mage or shaman of some sort. And interested in occult knowledge? That...that doesn't sound good, even if she really was this good and helpful person to the Thrushmoor settlers."

She marks her place in the tome she'd been searching through and rubs at her eyes. "Hearda's right though...we need sleep. We should close off the doors as best we can and fall back to the sanctuary for now."

The old man jerked upright as Hearda spoke.
"I found a reference. A symbol. A..." he pages through the book before him "It's gone. I... I must have dreamed it." he looks up with haunted eyes "Yes. Sleep. All too easy to miss some crucial passage with so... so..." he stifles a yawn and loses his concentration.

Feliks sat back from the books and sighed, "I can't believe I want to sleep in this place. You should all lay down. I'll take the first watch and wake someone in a few hours."

Feliks sat back from the books and sighed, "I can't believe I want to sleep in this place. You should all lay down. I'll take the first watch and wake someone in a few hours."

And lay down being in somewhere it wouldn't be insane to sleep.