Strange Aeons / The Rushton Terror pt. 40 / Eire the 13th, 3592 CE / 11-5-21

The party leaves the ruins of Orchid Hill, having slain the last inhabitant, Nemira Lowell. They have successfully driven the cult of Hastur from Rushton, and ended the terror that plagued the town, but there are still many questions to be answered, and the retired Watcher, Cassandra Wren, proposes using the notes and books Esp salvaged from Fort Hailstorm and Orchid Hill in order to help the saviors of Rushton find those answers. She proposes they get some rest while she does research, and they will all reconvene at her own manor, Sleepless Hall, later that night. The weary party agrees, but when they reach the cottage lent to them by the Winter and the Church of Accuris, Gleorn takes his leave, saying he feels his part in the story has come to an end. After heartfelt goodbyes, the three remaining party members, Hemlock, Esp, and Trakir, collapse into sleep, rousing just in time to meet up again with Cassandra. At Sleepless Hall, they are met by Coryston Pike, one of the Watchers from Distryll helping Cassandra investigate and keep the peace. Pike informs them party that the cultists they interred in the cells at Fort Hailstorm are all dead, their corpses covered in mushrooms. Hemlock suspects the culprit may be the missing Dream Witch, Darla Coronet. After providing refreshments, Cassandra regales the party with her conclusions regarding the evil goings-on in Rushton: that Baron Haver Lowell IV, in his quest to gain occult knowledge of the Great Old Ones, sacrificed his retainers' minds (including those of Hemlock and Esp) in the Dreamlands to someone called the Mad Poet, in exchange for clues to the location of a lost city which contains stelae similar to those found in Rushton, stelae which the Baron hopes will provide contact with these dark elder gods; that after the Baron's departure on his quest, his assistant Melissa Korova, a follower of Hastur, brought in fellow cultists, cannibals, and monsters, kidnapping townsfolk and sacrificing them in order to try and power the stelae in Rushton for her own evil purposes. Though the cult of Hastur has been defeated in Rushton, Melissa Korova remains missing and the Baron is on his way to the city of Specularum in order to locate an ancient tome called the Necronomicon which he believes will aid him in his quest. Cassandra proposes Hemlock and Esp's best chance of getting their memories back is to pursue the Baron in order to learn the full extent of his dire plans. She offers to fund the party's efforts, and the party agrees, closing the chapter on their time in Rushton and opening up a new one which will take them to distant lands in search of further adventure!