The festival complete all the villagers made to go to bed. Arcas saw Viorik (Ori's farther) and gave him the bell he had made for Ori's pet to make amends for having almost killed him. (And to make the stirge easily audible if it approached again) Viorik thanked Arcas and aver a few seconds said, "You are a good man. I suggest you all go back to wherever you are staying, lock yourselves in, and enjoy the dreamers blessings this night. Arcas tried to stop him and ask what this was about locking the doors but Viorik pretended not to hear and just walked off.
The party was very interested in the warning and more determined than ever to go out and search the town for clues once the villagers all turned in. The mayor welcomed the group back to his house and invited them into his study where he offered fine wine or brandy as he answered questions about the town and explained some of the more quaint customs. But then he bid the group good night.
The party took the chance to search the house and turned up several interesting things. Seldion found some ancient rubbings that suggested that the towns worship might have inadvertently slipped form worshiping the dreamer to "he who sleeps" of the underworld. Karsa found a message left behind by the tax collector in a room that he has apparently hidden in. (sleeping under the bed)
Seldion carefully searched the house and found some potions, a wand, some expensive items all of which he appraised but then returned to their places. The brothers rooms was interesting. One bed had a bunch of dead insects and a lot of blood. Seldion decided to search the mayors room and found the mayor had departed via the window. Searching the mayors room using magic he found a hidden chest under the floorboards containing a couple potions, a lot of money, and the tax collectors signet ring.
With evidence in hand the group sacked the house for valuables leaving vases and wine in favor of anything easily portable. The group then went out to find out where the mayor had gone and saw a couple with a shuttered lantern slip around the abandoned house next door. Making their way over to the abandoned house the group slowly became aware that something was keeping pace with the group. The rotting effigy of the dreamer was "following" the group. Approaching it revealed it had long scythe-like fingers. Having seen enough to label it as dangerous the group prepared to engage but then Karsa fell to the ground screaming and thrashing like he was getting beaten to death by an invisible assailant. He was reliving the worst moment of his life at only a glance from the effigy. The others waded in and started disassembling the effigy which fought back with raking claws. In one final attack it turned its glare on Seldion who was struck dumb but quickly shook of the effect as did Karsa.
The group destroyed the effigy and then moved on the the abandoned farmhouse. Inside they were ambushed by cultists with poisoned weapons. The cultists fell easily but soon after the battle the group was attacked by an invisible spider woman the group correctly identified as the weaver from town. Karsa and Seldion cornered her in the attic but Ariel, Arcas, and Qimae were attacked by some form of sentient slime creature. The slime fell quickly and Arcas ran out the door to zap the fleeing spider creature with his wand as she escaped from the attic knocking her off the roof and impaling her on the garden posts in the back yard.
Searching the house the party found the tax collectors body, some loot, the demon pods used to infect the pig and other evidence. The party also found a hidden door outside but it opened into the middle of a large field of cultivated drugs that were infested with stirges so the party retreated to finish searching the house before venturing out into the corn maze in the back yard.
.... TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK