11 Eleint 1385

Session 9

After defeating and promptly knocking the Red Wizard unconscious, the party returned to Kythyss in order to discuss with the Mayor what transpired and gain a reward. Upon their return, they met and spoke with the now familiar female guard and her orcish companion, who agreed to let the party in and see Mayor Thardo. They walked up to the keep, waited for a few moments in the waiting room, and were then accepted into the main chambers where the Mayor sat on his seat, waiting for the group.

After some discussion, it became evident that the Mayor saw the groups achievement as more of a convenient favour as there was never any official request to find the missing people or the cause for the disappearances, let alone to discover the mist and who was causing it. Even after being given the journal of the Red Wizard and reading it, he simply stated that the group did a service out of the goodness of their hearts, therefore gratitude should be all they should ask for. The Mayor then thanked the party and after some debate, agreed to gift something of value as, in the long run, they did manage to aid the village regardless of his views. Us noticed however that he appeared reluctant and almost apathetic to the entire situation, which countered the statements the townsfolk had said previously; how the Mayor was kind and just and helpful in the past, until more recently when he began to become more self-centred. They Mayor asked the group to return in the morning and he would give them a reward of some description then. The group left, returned to their rooms in the tavern, and waited till the next morning to earn their rewards.

Upon returning the next morning, they crossed the bridge and were met by an armoured Goliath and Halfling, neither speaking as the group passed, yet wearing the militia colours. The group wandered to the keep and entered, standing in the waiting room and preparing themselves to speak once again to the Mayor. A fe minute ago buy, then 10, then 30, and the group slowly realises something is wrong. The group look outside and notices the two Sons of the Sword guards who were out the front were missing as well as the two militia on the bridge. They couldn’t see movement coming from the village either. So, fearing the Red Wizard got out, the group decided to enter the chambers and discover what was amiss. They entered and noticed the chamber was empty, there was no Mayor on his chair, no other guards, no Red Wizard. Hamwise saw the journal still on a table beside the chair as well as a clear potion that he could see was a Strange Potion of Resistance
but otherwise the contents escaped him.
From here, the group began searching the room for secret doors only to realise the doors they walked through were gone, replaced with cold stone. Checking it wasn’t an illusion, a party member went and examined it, feeling only cold hard stone. Eventually, with some begrudgement, Us cast Ropetrick to get higher and see through the glass windows above the Mayors chair, and upon reaching the beams, noticed a blackness in the upper corners of the chamber. An eye opened, then another. And another. This black darkness became larger, black mist falling off it. A larger eye, no, a large mouth, began opening up, and let out a scream at Us, who then fell back, causing the rest of the party to look up and see this creature descend upon them. As this happened, the room began to turn misty and watery, almost as if the chamber itself was melting, making way for a large area covered in purple mist, surrounded by void, and this creature attacking them.
This creatures form appeared to change here and there, revealing faces of the past to some, untold fears and horrors to others, or both. Hamwise unfortunately became enwrapped in this creatures miasma and was shown many images form his past he wished to forget; his own mind becoming his own worst enemy, causing him to loose consiousness due to both emotional and physical mental pain. The rest of the party however managed to save Hamwise and destroy the creature. Once the creature was gone, the chamber began to materialise once more, and noticed the Mayor was back on his chair, however it was evident he himself was unconscious. The group woke him up, and instantly it appeared he was more himself and willing to help rather than at apathetic.
Hamwise was healed, the groups wounds were mended, and the true unpossessed Mayor was more than willing to give what he could from the villages storages, though he admitted they had dwindled since he was overtaken by what the group now knows as a Dream Eater. The group went back to their tavern to sleep the afternoon away, only to be found and escorted outside by the familiar female guard and orc companion.

Upon returning outside, the Mayor apologised, thanked the party, and gifted several items of interest and coin - money, gems, butter and ale, a quill the doesn’t require ink, and a music instrument, similar to a banjo. They loaded the items into their cart, thanked the Mayor, and went on their way. As they left, they were told Gnolls have been sighted along the main road for a few weeks now and some attacks have happened to the group was told to be aware, to which they said they were already attacked once. They left, heading back north to Caer Callidyrr, knowing it would take less than a week if not a week to arrive back and report to Anthol Spyley and Penelope Rock.