Strange Aeons / Dreams of the Yellow King pt. 3 / Eire the 17th through the 19th, 3592 CE / 1-7-22

The trio of heroes from Rushton have settled aboard the riverboat Starling, captained by a gregarious halfling named Winnifred Pike. They are on a voyage in pursuit of the Baron of Rushton, Haver Lowell IV, whose dark dealings in the occult have already stripped Esp and Hemlock of their memories, brought ruin to Stonebriar Asylum, and might have done the same to the town of Rushton itself were it not for the heroes' intervention. As they get used to life aboard the riverboat, Hemlock picks up some fishing tips from their companion Otis, and quickly proves to be a natural. Meanwhile, Esp continues to delve into the writings of Baron Lowell, discovering more dark secrets about the realm known as the Dreamlands and his contact there, a mysterious figure known as the Mad Poet who exacts a terrible price for his forbidden knowledge. The party catches Rough Dog listening in on their discussion, and the flustered first mate quickly excuses it as an accident. On their third night aboard the boat, there is a disturbance! One of the sailors keeping watch is snatched from his post by a byakhee, possibly the same one what helped Melissa Korova, the leader of the Cult of Hastur in Rushton, escape. Now the party must explain to Captain Fred and Rough Dog what kind of dangers surround their journey, and the nonplussed captain demands additional payment for the trouble, which the party forks over. The next morning the Starling arrives in Distryll, capital of Carthia, and Captain Fred's cousin Cory disembarks with her fellow Watchers and the cultist of Hastur whom they have been guarding. The party considers stretching their legs in the few hours they have to explore Distryll before the Starling once more sets sail.