Ven starts sifting through the papers. As he turns over one ledger, he spots the runeshape of explosive runes on the next page a heartbeat before they explode with concussive force.
*
"Oh..." the woman replies, sounding disappointed but not surprised. "Are... are you friends of my son? Have you seen him recently? Is he well?"
"Son? Is she talking about Lowls then? His mother is here? Do you recall anything about that in our research?", Aenian whispers to Ven.
Allowing the psychic to respond to his question first, Aenian poses this reply unless there is something profound that Ven has to offer.
"No ma'am, we work for him. We have not seen him recently and we hope he is well. Would you by chance know where he may have headed off to?"
Ven hastily backs away from the books and then nods at Aenian. "It must be his mother. No one else calls him Haserton."
"What are you messing with back there ... you find something important?"
"No," the woman laments. "Haserton left me here some time ago. I know he's been busy, but if he's away then he's probably traveled to Caliphas or somewhere else to study. He was always such a good lad... quiet, attentive..."
"... and curious." The tone of the woman's voice changes, becoming panicked. "It's too dangerous! He doesn't understand... you must warn him! Please... please!"
"Of course we'll warn him! What's too dangerous that he doesn't understand? What should we tell him?"
"Haserton's research. It drove him from me. We used to spend our days together, my little boy, but then he locked me away. He seeks something in those occult books, in his dreams."
"No... no!" she wails. "Not again. Not you too!" The sound of her weeping retreats into the attic.
Ven only shakes his head. "Look's like we may need to travel to Caliphas."
He points to the attic. "Probably best to let her be. I could use some time to rest and regain spells."
"Agreed. But what did she mean by 'not you too'? Anyhow, wasnt there a downstairs? We need to stop this ritual"
Ven nods, "Yes, there is a downstairs and possibly a basement complex. Shall we proceed?"
"I think we have to, right? If we stop to rest, they may complete the ritual."
Ven nods grimly and follows Aenian down.
There was this post alerting Melissen that we had escaped
"Wait a second, Ven. Didn't those papers you found say Lowls' mother was dead and buried in the family crypt? He either lied ... or ... something worse."
"Let's see if we can find out more about that from her and then head out to rest. We discussed with Cesadia trying to lure the guests away to a party. Maybe we can see if she has had the time to do that."
One of two references to something happening on the new moon. When is that?
Ven feigns a look of surprise. "What? Lowls lied and actually killed his own mother? I think it's safe to say that there's no limit to the evil that this man is capable of. I can't believe we associated with him."
Ven looks apprehensive when Aenian mentions the mother. "Perhaps she may be more forthcoming if we mention her elder brother in Kerse."
The new moon is not for another week or so.
After a short conference, you climb the dusty stairs into the attic. This large area has a slanted ceiling supported by wooden trusses, beams, and rafters. The ceiling slopes down from the highest beams in the middle to the lowest on the perimeter, where several ugly, fibrous plants sprout from clay pots, barely illuminated by a few dormer windows. The air smells of dust, mold, and decay.
A frail figure in a ragged funeral dress and veil tends to the deformed plants. You can hear her softly weeping and muttering to herself. A creek of the floorboards alerts her to your presence. She starts and quickly covers up behind her veil, but the fabric is so frayed that it cannot hide her features. And they make you pause...
Nemira Lowls's body is twisted by hideous mutations and deformities. Half of her face is scaled like a reptile and an alien eye stares out from her left socket. Massive warts and unidentifiable things cover her arms and legs. Thrashing tentacle growths twist around her torso.
"No... no. You should not be here," she moans piteously, retreating.
Ven nods, "Yes, probably true. Why don't you tell us what really happened with your son? We talked to your older brother in Kerse. We know the truth. We want to help your son. Tell us where we can find him so that we may help him and bring him to justice."
Nemira shakes her head forlornly. "I do not know where Haserton is. He locked me up here after I started to... change. He would visit often, we would share dinner together and discuss our studies and the three Star Stelae, and his toy collection, and the damned cats that always tormented him so, and..." She mutters off into nonsense.
After a minute, she snaps back to attention. "No! He's in danger! She will know where he went." The last is said with a snarl and evil gleam in her alien eye.
She is living, and has been tainted by powers from beyond space and time.
Ven starts backing away. "Perhaps we should be going now."
"No, please stay!" she pleads. "Its been so long since I've had any real company. She never visits, and Haserton has been gone for weeks... or months?"
"Who never visits? Perhaps we can find her for you?", Aenian tries really hard not to grab his weapon.
"That creature Melisenn," Nemira replies with a bitter grimace. "That worm. Ever since Haserton left, she took over Iris Hill. She crawled into his rooms. She burrows around in caverns below the house. She's obsessed with the Star Stelae, as if she can do what my little boy could not."
She stops, looking up at you with suspicion. "Did she send you to end me?"
Ven shakes his head. "No, we seek to stop Melisenn. Perhaps we may be able to avenge you. What is the Star Stelae? Why is she looking for it? Is that what she seeks beneath the house?"
"Help us stop her, so Haserton can return to a quiet and well tended home. Anything you could tell us to bring about her downfall would be greatly appreciated."
"You've seen the two Star Stelae in town, no?" Nemira asks, her alien eye glimmering intensely in the light. "Most do not know, but there is a third hidden in the cavern beneath Iris Hill."
"The trio is an ancient artifact that predates Thrushmoor by millennia. They form some kind of gate, but I never unlocked their secrets. Haserton discovered something and left soon after. She thinks she can power them with sacrifices... living sacrifices. She wants to connect Thrushmoor to Carcosa, the city of her unnameable Great Old One patron."
Ven nods, "A gate to where? Carcosa? That doesn't sound good. Can you tell us any more about her patron?"
He turns to Aenian. "We need to stop Melisenn. Likely she's down in the caverns."
"Yup, around the star stelae to be sure. Aligning with the new moon. Let's go rest up and reoutfit."
Turning to Ms. Lowles, "Ma'am, it's been an honor talking with you and we are going to take care of Melisenn and ensure Haserton is OK. Is there anything else we can do for you or you can tell us about her or her cronies?"
Nemira shudders and shakes her head. "I will not speak his name, but he is known as the King in Yellow. Any further discussion risks drawing his attention..."
"Since taking over, Melisenn has filled the manor with all sorts of wretched creatures and mongrel henchmen. Those kuru patrol the grounds, barking in their savage tongue. Some nobles from Caliphas are staying in the guest house, but I do not know them. And Weiralai is almost certainly in the caverns below, if she hasn't departed on that black sailed ship of hers."
Before you depart, Nemira waves to the space in the attic. "You are welcome to take repose here. I doubt Melisenn would look for you here."
"Might be easier than sneaking in again. What do you think, Venn?"
Ven's pale, wide eyed appearance screams "no-way", but he finds himself reluctantly nodding. "Oh yeah, this would be a fine place to rest ... with Nemira. What possibly could happen to us here?"
He finds the furthest corner to spend the evening.
Yes, we should each take a shift guarding.
You set watches and settle down to rest. The attic is cluttered but spacious, and you have no trouble clearing out room to make camp. Trillis is visibly disturbed by Nemira's presence and watches the mutated woman like a hawk. Nemira potters around with her plants, muttering to herself. The bits you catch are mostly nonsense.
Your rest is broken by only one event, a few hours after you settle down. You hear some movement and angry voices from the master bedroom below -- clearly they found the dead star vampire and penangallen. Nemira laughs and lies down on her ratty bunk and separates... a ghostly projection rises from her entranced body and flies around the attic once before descending through the floor boards. The commotion below intensifies for a moment, but then it becomes quiet once again.
As you break camp, a heavy rain begins to fall outside. The drops patter along the roof like a thousand drum beats. Leaks drip into catch basins for Nemira's garden.
Ven pokes his head below the attic and listens to see if anyone is around. If not, he follows the others down to the ground level.
Aenian remixes his elixirs, popping a cat's grace and a blend and then leads the way down with Ven, using a mutagen on the way.
-- no cover or concealment needed with blend.
Aenian leads the group out of the attic and through the master bedroom. It remains mostly as you left it, but the body of the penanggelan has been removed. The manor is silent and still as you make your way down to the ground level and to the trapdoor in the library.
The trapdoor leads to a narrow staircase that descends into cool, musty darkness. It ends at a doorway and a cramped wine cellar. The shelves in this are neatly stacked with glass and clay bottles, tiny kegs, decanters, mugs, and crystal goblets -- a small fortune in spirits.
A single steel-banded door exits the room. It is locked securely.
I would say descend early morning, before first light.
Ven will search the room for traps or anything interesting.
After collecting some valuable booze in the Haversack, Aenian aids in the search for traps and then attempts to pick the lock.
+ inspiration
Aenian doesn't notice any traps around the door. His first attempt at picking the lock hits a dead end, but with a little more time he eventually gets through.
Beyond is a hallway running about twenty-five feet to a lighted room. To the left is an ajar door to dank, subterranean cell, empty aside from two heavy wooden pallets with manacles to restrain prisoners.
The room at the end of the hallway is are clad with yellow tapestries along its walls. On the east wall is a tapestry that has been defaced with a faithful representation of the Yellow Sign. A lantern sits on the floor between the two hallways, shining light into other areas of the basement.
To the west are a pair of double doors decorated with the Lowls family sigil.
A short passage to the north leads to a storage room furnished with two large wooden shelving units on the west and east walls, holding many small chests, caskets, and several loose objects. In the middle of the floor lies a wooden coffin. Corridors exit to the north and east.
Ven will scan the space for dangers before investigating the chests and caskets.
Ven moves up into the storage area. As you start to look around, you see movement from the shadows of the eastern corridor. A man dressed in black townsclothes strides forward sluggishly. "Have you found the Yellow Sign?" he asks in a rasping voice. As he nears, you see his features are swollen and deathly pale, and his eyes glow with an azure light.
"I hate it when they ask that ... it never turns out well for us."
Aenian gets Red Destiny at the ready and then drinks an extract of shield.
Ven backs away from the man. "Yes ... of course we have found the yellow sign. Melissen has sent us downstairs to tell you that you are needed above!"