Snak Hut

The Myste-Hass Calender

17/08/2023

Father Howell receives a troubling letter about Geoffrey from Quinn. He reads the letter and then sets about making the Sublime Scones from his Holy Dough cookbook.

Quinn looks around the Temple of Alaie at food vendors. He talks to a liquor salesman, selling a clear liquid called Death Wish and the softer Glow Fire.

Quinn then buys all the cabbage from a cabbage vendor to be spread around the people of Myste-Hass, but a single man takes all the cabbage.

Pic collects a bunch of materials from around town and then commissions a gilded acorn from Perfect Glass, which is due to be collected the next day.

Crassus goes to see Goraz about the weather bowl he has. He speaks with Andro who says he is a council member. Andro mentions that Goraz has a meeting with the Hall Master about an issue with a construction project. Sten storms out of the meeting, allowing Crassus Hlaalu his turn.

Goraz has heard a lot about the expedition the group went on a while back.

Crassus Hlaalu returns the bowl and Goraz says that he has a firm grip on the issues at the lighthouse now. He has no more leads on what happened to the old lighthouse keeper. He is very glad that the artifact has been returned though. Crassus indicates his next intentions to deal with the Ship Graveyard and then the Eruption. Goraz asked to be informed immediately in order to deal with requisitions.

Crassus mentions the threat of a large number of orc clans descending from the mountains. Goraz doesn't seem concerned, claiming the Helvettians will be able to defend the town with ease.

Evandrielle is behind the counter when Kishaan heads to Offensive Defence. She fits him up with a scabbard and asks her to deliver it when the work is completed.

Kihaan then heads to Lotion and Libation to see Yanif. He enquires about the blood he delivers. He is going to make a strength enhancing potion with it - dragon strength.

Yanif has healed well. Yanif says that he has a meeting with Engaro setup to see if anything can be done about his hand, which Yanif thinks is very generous because Engaro produces a competing healing potion.

Nazzak talks to Bob, checking on the horses, making sure they are kept clean and healthy.

Cao has had some very vivid dreams about fighting in the Arena, the sword in the storm, the incidents there. All his memories are blurring in together, but he sees banners for fights everywhere.

The group meet at the Temple of Imogen. Nazzak explains the mission.

Father Howell speaks with Quinn about Geoffrey.

Cao pops into the sword school and lets them know he is going away for three days.

On the Dead Man's Raft, Mutina has been caught playing hand man - a game where they wear a noose around their neck and bet on how long it takes to pass out. She still hasn't worked in over a month. Pelis is very keen to get in the noose - he's very good at the game.

Crassus asks Johnny to go ashore and look after the Crab Shack, the tip off the guards that the dragonborn who was sniffy around the business will be disembarking the ship at the end of the day.

The rear of the Dead Man's Raft has recently been repaired.

Nazzak goes with Mutina to do a little sparring in the brig, but she locks Nazzak inside.

From the crow's nest, Cao sees a large ship heading south and a small ship heading north. He sees dolphins.

The Captain disciplines Mutina on her conduct aboard his ship.

The raft goes around the islands and then drops anchor near the outcropping of lands to make their way in the row boat to the shore. They arrive at a rocky beach, with a sixty-foot cliff ahead. Nazzak secures a rope above, whilst Cao tries to race up but is actually much slower.

When the group finally arrives in the lower mountains, they discover the ground has been ripped up. A large creature has scored through the ground, something with a multitude of legs. As Quinn explores the ground, a red centipede-like creature bursts from the ground - ankhegs.

After a tense fight, the group slaughter the ankhegs and their larger queen. One gets away.

Nazzak and Father Howell find the box amongst the human remains, their bodies badly burnt by acid.

Given the description, Pic locates the torn up book inside the ankheg queen. Only the back of the book remains, but it has reformed.

Quinn casts speak with dead on the body of one of the corpses. He asks, "Who did you take the book for?"Torek is the answer. "Where did he ask you to take it?" Back to town. "What is the name of the town." "Myste-Hass". "The Halls". "Torak is short, bearded, human, blue eyes."

PAUSED - send a message back to the boat, rest, destroy the book in the lava pools, head back to town and find this Torak and deal with him.

05/09/2023

Nazzak drops the bodies into the largest Ankheg burrow hole, where Father Howell says a couple of words. Then, he sends a message to Gleeson, telling him the group will take 1-2 days to return to the ship. Gleeson says to tell the captain not worry, he is preparing to sail and ensuring the expendable crew members are below deck scrubbing the floors. THen, Mutina sends another message

Urmm Father Howell, its Mutina, Gleeson would like me to pass on an additional few words to say he meant valuable. Best of luck to you.

The group heads south, finding a clearing in the mountains to rest. The tip of a tower can be seen to the east. The canopy of the North Woods is seen to the south.

A bird flies overhead.

Nazzak cuts down a tree for wood.

Crassus Hlaullu finds the carcass of a small creature in a bed of brash amongst an overhang.

Pic sets up his bed in a tree, then ties himself to the branch.

The group take watches through the night after Father Howell makes a delicious fish stew.

A two-headed creature lands over our nook during Kishaan and Cao's rest, dropping a horse leg he is munching on. The wing appears to belong to a dragon-like creature. It's a chimera.

Kishaan goes down and a Silent Stalker arrives. Meanwhile, Father Howell starts to hear whispering. The chimera cocks all three heads, turning towards Father Howell.

The Silent Stalker reaches inside Kishaan, after he's awake, but finds no soul to be taken. It scoops him up and flies towards the crack in the plane where the creature arrived.

Kishaan finds himself on a dark plain, with a blackened tower ahead, hundreds of Silent Stalkers in the air. He hears a voice say - "Why?"

Crassus Hlaullu kills the chimera, just as it gets its claws around the sack with the remnants of Sylleth's Book inside.

Meanwhile, Cao kills the Silent Stalker.

Pic collects a small amount of meat from the Silent Stalker. The meat is black and bloodless.

The group decide to rest again. This time they succeed to sleep.

Father Howell wakes with the book in his hands.

Kishaan hears a voice that says never before have I felt such unwavering uncertainty, your prayers have reached me. I offer you a gift, cling to your faith, and I will restore you and return what was stolen from you. You will wield power in my name. Resume your unrestricted, unbridled chaos. I have only taken your prayers today. Mine. Now. Accept my gift!

Kishaan refuses the deal.

Nazzak sees the hut, it's looking worse than when he last saw it. There is a clearing with an area for a fire outside. There are glowing embers in the pit. The dew-covered ground has been disturbed this morning, even though the fire burnt down the night before.

It's dry this morning, but it may rain this afternoon.

The door is ajar. Nazzak looks in. There are bedrolls and camping gear in here. The trap door is open, hatch up. The ladder leads down and there is a flickering light below.

Crassus Hlaullu casts pass without a trace.

Pepe and Kishaan have a little chat, before he goes and looks around the joint. There are three corridors with bodies on the floor. Rations have spilled out onto the ground.

Two bodies look human, one is a tiefling and they are all wearing outdoor clothing. They all have necrotic damage on their faces.

There are snake corpses here as well, long rotting.

A floating, spectral figure glowing blue appears.

The person who is speaking saved the book. There is an entity bound to the book, Malek, which is the person that the speaker tricked. He said he would release Sylleth, just do not destroy the book. Bury it, deep. Just do not destroy it.

The ghost rushes Cao, but he disperses it with his attacks. Then, Father Howell runs towards the pit and throws the book in, but not before he pauses, his fingers blackened by necrotic energy.

A black mist floats along the corridor, a creature, then up through the ceiling.

Quinn tries to call the creature, Malek, back, but my contracts are now void and I have returned to reclaim what is mine. I am no longer restricted from the city. I will return to Sylleth.

Father Howell sends an emergency message back to Sylleth. Sylleth, its Howell. You are in danger. Find somewhere safe to hide from magic. Find a lead-covered room. A demon is coming.

Then, Quinn sends a message back to Goraz.

Cao goes around the corner, there is another entity here that looks similar to the one Cao saw in ghost form. In the satchel, there is another book that looks remarkably similar to the one Father Howell destroyed.

Kishaan communes with Fate again, who admires his desperation with randomness, which he defines as a full-gone conclusion.

The group explores the rest of the complex, finding the snake bodies they abandoned all that time ago, undisturbed. There are papers and scrolls in here, left in disarray.

There is a map from a large settlement near a huge lake north of the mountains, Wolfspine, down to the current locations.

Cao and Kishaan hear a voice from cells along their corridor. Styar has been locked up. He acted as a guide, but snakes locked him up. He doesn't want them to leave. He doesn't want to even mention how he has stayed alive, but hes been in there for about three months.

He says the other explorers came by, but didn't help, and he was too weak to grab them. He's eaten his legs and he's stick thin. Nazzak carries him out.

There are long dead people in the other cells.

Quinn casts speak with dead on the woman who was carrying the book. "Were you going to destroy the book." "No." "What were you going to do with the book." "Return it." "To who?" No answer. "Where were you returning the book." "The halls." "Why?" "Money."

Quinn throws the book into the lava.

The group returns to the Dead Man's Raft, with the starved man.