After a quiet remainder of their train journey, the party disembarked at the Carrion Hill stop and made their way up the winding road into the city. The settlement itself was divided into three districts: the lower hill, home to docks and less savory industries; the midhill, a marginally better area; and the upper reaches, shrouded in mist and mystery.
As they approached the city, the group noticed something troubling—an exodus of townspeople hauling packed belongings. Bosley stopped one of them and asked what was happening. The man replied grimly: “A part of town got smashed last night. Whole buildings, flattened.”
Unsettled but resolute, the adventurers continued on to Nobody’s Inn, a solid two-story building constructed from mitten stone. Inside, a simple system greeted them—money left in a bowl on the counter, keys hanging on the wall. Each member dropped in their coin and selected a room. Zita and Audrey Rose claimed accommodations on the second floor, which were modest but serviceable.
London paid for a meal and food appeared promptly. Audrey Rose ordered grilled fish and Barrel Roller ale, both of which were excellent. Sabrina scribbled "Sharn Broil" on the menu board and deposited two gold, only for the name to vanish mysteriously. Zita tried the Peacock Tongue dish—less than impressive.
The group began asking around about two figures of interest: Rupman Myre, a local baron with rumored ties to necromancy, and Arlen Hyve, a sage and historian who worked out of an abandoned church. A local warned them to avoid Hyve, citing his dealings in black-market items like poison.
The townsfolk also spoke of a recent victim: Old Man Marshon, a reclusive newcomer who’d bought a shop in the Slipper Market. No one knew what he’d planned to sell—now they never would.
Minus Sabrina, the group headed to the Slipper Market, now a field of crushed rubble and flattened structures. At the epicenter lay Marshon’s shop, collapsed entirely. London and Bosley cast Detect Magic, revealing faint traces of Illusion magic. Zita asked if this could be from Invisibility, and Audrey Rose confirmed it was possible with a powerful enough spell. London detected a sulfuric, sour stench beneath it all.
Zita investigated the perimeter and discovered a strange circular depression near the wreckage, about the size of a manhole and sunk six or seven inches into the earth.
A guardsman named Smive approached, initially wary, but relaxed upon learning the group was from the Townsend Agency. He confirmed the destruction had occurred the night prior. When Audrey Rose asked about Marshon’s body, Smive replied bluntly: “He’s paste.” Witnesses had heard someone shouting “Father! Father!” during the night.
Meanwhile, shepherds in the region had reported livestock being drained of blood, leaving gaping, dinner-plate-sized wounds—like those from tentacles. Zita and Audrey Rose speculated about the possibility of a loose, artificially-created creature.
Dahl summoned a bloodhound, which—along with London—traced the strongest stench to Marshon’s destroyed home. Inside, they discovered his remains and a blood spiral on the wall, which Audrey Rose recognized as a component of dark rituals. Slimy residue coated the walls—organic, decaying, but attempting to reassemble. Dahl summoned Tweetie Bear, who confirmed the residue wasn’t necromantic in nature.
While investigating, the group found a collapsed doorway leading downward. With Tweetie Bear taking point, they descended into an ancient gallery lined with ten niches, each housing statues of old goblinoid figures. Bosley noted that the current city had been built atop a goblin civilization. More slime coated the floor and statues.
They encountered two doors. Zita checked for traps, but the second door was jammed. Bosley, London, and even Tweetie Bear failed to force it open. Finally, Audrey Rose used three of her bombs to blast it down.
Inside were three small, cloaked figures—Caligni, dark-dwelling humanoids from Khyber, the Underdark. Armed with small knives and shouting in Undercommon, they pleaded to be left alone. Audrey Rose defused the situation with a bribe, and the Caligni scattered into the shadows.
London was sent to retrieve Sabrina, who reluctantly joined the group—after stopping for “rat on a stick.”
Together, the party descended deeper into the ruins, eventually arriving in a vast stone chamber. At the back was a dimly lit cavern, and scattered throughout the room were crates covered in more of the strange slime. Dominating the space was a colossal, leafless stone tree, holding up the wall. No one could identify any religion that would use such a symbol.
Among the crates, Bosley, Zita, and Audrey Rose discovered documents—military logistics and troop movements from the Last War. London cast Detect Magic on the tree and the platform behind it. The dais bore a magical seal featuring a tree with a gate in its trunk.
Audrey Rose and Bosley recognized it. In the age of goblins, extraplanar invaders had attacked. The Gatekeeper druids sealed gates across the region to protect the world. This was one of those seals—perhaps now failing.
Dahl recalled the invaders: the Daelkyr, foul creatures from the madness-infused realm of Xoriat.
Then came eerie laughter. A gaunt figure crept from the shadows, clutching a tattered book. His gray skin marked him as a ghoul. He offered information in exchange for something to fight undead—a weapon with undead bane properties. Sabrina bluffed an agreement, and Audrey Rose took the book. The ghoul warned: “Talk to Myre. He was down here with others.” Then he bolted down a side tunnel.
As the group explored further, they found more sealed passages and crates full of documents. Audrey Rose examined the book in detail, its secrets still waiting to be revealed.
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