Strange Aeons / The Rushton Terror pt. 39 / Eire the 13th, 3592 CE / 10-29-21

With the destruction of the dire rats, the basement below the smoking ruins of Orchid Hill are eerily quiet, as the party of adventurers who have been investigating the estate of Baron Haver Lowell IV prepare to pass through a secret door in the south wall of the Lowell family crypt and plumb the mysteries beyond. Making their way carefully down a spiral stone staircase, with Hemlock and Gleorn, both of whom have the natural ability to see in the dark, leading the way, the party makes their way to the sub-basement, which is permeated by an eerie yellow glow. Stepping into a wide hallway, Hemlock observes that to the north is a vaulted chamber which appears to have been built around a stelae identical to the one Gleorn discovered on a hill in Rushton's fishing district. It is Hemlock's first time observing the stelae, and though its purpose is unclear to him, he does recognize the design and symbology of being reminiscent of the dream city of Carcosa, and is convinced that there is some connection between obelisk and that dread place. Hemlock also notes that the room has a coppery smell and that the floor is stained brown with the remnants of dried blood. Meanwhile, Gleorn has moved to inspect the room to the south. Instead of blood, this room smells of chrysanthemums, the odor seeming to emanate from a thin yellow mist which floats through the room. Gleorn is horrified to see that a tile mosaic of the Yellow Sign, the symbol of the elder god Hastur, covers the floor. Gleorn, whose encounter with the undead Keeper of the Yellow Sign nearly broke his sanity and his given him a strong aversion to the symbol of Hastur, wills himself to overcome his phobia and step into the room. There is a low cackle to the south of the room, near where a throne has been constructed, and as Hemlock and Trakir join him, Gleorn seems a figure begin to take shape. It is Nemira Lowell, the Baron's mother, who has once more manifested as the apparition the party saw as a harbinger of attacking cultists in the rainy streets of Rushton. The apparition spits vile curses at the party and when Trakir returns in kind with invectives against evil on behalf of his goddess, Ishtalar, a fight breaks out, with the ghostly Nemira firing bolts of dark magic while the party quickly discovers that only weapons with a magical quality have even a hope of hitting her. Despite that fact that her psychic powers could potentially be effective against the formless Nemira, Esp has been taken out of the battle by the overwhelming eldritch energy of the room's contents, as she clutches her head in agony. As Trakir with his blessed khopesh, Hemlock with the Tatterman's cursed war razor, and Cassandra with her magical crossbow all tear away at Nemira's form, Gleorn is frustrated to find that despite its heft and power, without magical runes Lockpick has no effect on the apparition, until Hemlock passes him a magical oil, which Gleorn uses to coat his favorite great sword. The next strike with Lockpick finds purchase, and even as Nemira's spirit form cries out, Trakir hears a low noise from behind the throne. Hemlock turns to see that it is Nemira Lowell! Her physical form is badly burned and she lies still. Trakir, thinking perhaps Nemira's ghost can be stopped with the destruction of her corpse, moves swiftly and impales the body, but is horrified to discover that the old woman is in fact still alive, as her eyes fly open and she spits blood. Immediately the ghostly form of Nemira dissipates. As a remaining act of defiance, the dying old woman points a crooked finger at Trakir and prepares a curse, but the cleric's blade is too swift, as the khopesh severs the offending appendage with a single stroke. With her dying breath, Nemira mutters a prayer to Hastur, and expires.