The Whisper Out of Time

This is the journal of Costian Raduva, one member of a group seeking our revenge (and possibly answers) from Count Haserton Lowls who had stolen our souls and was now heading south to unleash some terror upon the world. Previously, we had managed to regain our souls, but have come to the city of Cassomir seeking to follow the path of the Count.

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26th Pharast, 4716, Starday

As the Sellen Starling approached its destination, we got our first view of the great city of Cassomir which is the largest city I’ve seen so far. The shipyards were the first things we saw up close – large wooden skeletons of ships yet to be in the process of being turned into the warships of the Taldoran Imperial navy.

As we got closer I suddenly realised why the ships looked so huge – many of the workers building them were actually halflings.

Soon after we docked, we were approached by the harbour master Koiwip Iona, along with a Prelate Cornus of the Church of Abadar. They seemed pleased to see our captain Skywin. She was in turn pleased when he informed her that her docking fees for the next five years had been paid by Senator Emilo Daldamane. It took us a while, but we finally recalled that we had rescued him and his siblings from Galt some time ago when he was being hunted by Grey Gardeners.

The senator had also provided us with a reward, and we agreed to meet up with the Prelate at his Church later on to collect it. First though we went to find a place to stay – and Skywin recommended the Repose, which turned out to be rather expensive at 20gp/night for each of us. However, we needed somewhere safe to stay so we paid up and also got some fresh clothes.

Then it was off to the Church of Abadar to meet with the Prelate. He told us that the senator wasn’t in the city – he was somewhere off to the east on his family estates – but had left a reward for us. It turned out to be 10,000gp, which was generous, but it wasn’t coin, but paper. Apparently in his big city you can write down a number on paper and it’s just as good as gold – as long as you spend it in the city. So not quite as good as gold.

The Prelate also knew of Miaknian Mun. He is a bleachling gnome, and a member fo the Esoteric Knights of Evolvement (whoever they are) and an alchemist who was aiding the navy with the ship building. He was a friend of the chief shipwright Ethem Baler and lived somewhered in the Admiral Fens.

Since the Prelate wasn’t sure where either were, we headed back to the docks to talk to the dockmaster Koiwip Iona again. With the help of 200 gold pieces he was able to dig out some records that showed that Lowles had come through the city about six weeks ago, and that he’d been really difficult to deal with. His stuff had been sent on to Miacknian Mun, who resides at the Old Infirmary in the Admiral’s Fen. It used to be a place for people with mental problems, but has since fallen into disrepair.

So by late afternoon we found ourselves in a somewhat downtrodden part of town, in front of an overgrown building surrounded by a rusty iron fence. There was an open gate that led through to a path up to the front door, but there wasn’t much sign of habitation, except for a murder of crows perched above the gate. The place reeked of evil, and Ray could tell that there was a trap on the front door.

Rather than try to approach immediately, it was decided to try and do a bit of shopping first and investigate in the morning. This I think was the right idea, since I was able to use my share of the paper money (and some real gold) to purchase a nice new crossbow. It’s just as heavy as my old one, but enchanted with magic against undead. That doesn’t leave me with much money, but it could help save my life.

Sunday, 27th Pharast, 4716

Early in the morning we arrived back the Infirmary, and from a distance Ray was able to disable the magical trap on the front door which sprayed acid all across the path. He then opened the door, and Sheena immediately run up towards it.

We followed a bit more carefully, to see a man standing in the entrance way. Well, not quite a man. His skin seemed stretched across some frame beneath it, and there was a strange chemical smell that lingered on him. He (it?) seemed displeased to see us, and could only state:

Master Mun is busy with his experiments with the Taldon Navy and can’t be disturbed. Please come back tomorrow.

He restated that several times as we crowded in and asked where we could find ‘Master Mun’. It was then that we all heard the voice that we’d heard before.

The blot quivers. The lake ripples. His stain is here.

What the Elf said the 7th time

Catiana decided to have a look around, so took a walk through the closed inner door. This caused the ‘man’ to immediately punch Gregor, almost knocking him out. Gregor fell back whilst Sheena jumped in. With everyone milling around there wasn’t much chance for me to shoot it with my new crossbow, and by the time my sister had come back in Ray had vanished and Gregor had killed it.

Looking around the ground floor, there was a portrait of someone who looked a lot like the ‘man’, though now it was in pieces on the floor it seemed to have been some form of construct. The decor of the place was definitely odd – who in hell has stuffed stirges sitting on their coatrack? Well, maybe someone in hell.

Catiana continued to look around, and next door there was a large room with a railing around a hole in the floor that looked down onto an operating table in the room below. Presumably a gallery for teaching surgery, or worse.

There were stairs up as well, and the sound of shouting was coming from above. Another constructed man came down the stairs and Catiana and Sheena try to block it.

Then a thing appeared behind me – two pairs of stretched and veined leather wings adorned the back of a shrouded reptilian nightmare that had snakes instead of legs.

Catiana rushed across the room to stand between it and myself, and I felt her draw power from me making me weak. She grew in size and turned into a towering red tinged spirit, laying into it, and then Gregor filled it full of arrows and it fell dead to the floor.