01-19 to 01-20 963: Beneath the Bishop's Bed

After beginning in front of the Temple of Pelor, everyone hung around the central plaza while Luci went off to a bathhouse after giving most of his money to Sinata for the Cleric if needed. He was able to unwind and clean off with a soak and massage at Dreams of Steam in the northern portion of the city. After he was clean, he headed off to the Temple of Sehanine where he continued his night of unwinding with a chapter of Autumn in the Summer Court under the stars. On his way out he ran into Brianna, whom he appeared to know previously. The two caught up, she asked about his family, and Luci replied that his sister was out and about in the world trying to make something of herself. Brianna wished Lucien a good night before the two parted ways.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party returned to their lodgings where they met with Jerral, a cleric of Avandra. In contrast to many of the other clergy the party had met Jerral appeared to be more of a free spirit, and didn't bother with the robes or tunics of many other clergy. Jerral attempted to cure Sinata's affliction, and when he failed he put Sinata in contact with Saint Phisbus the Great. Saint Phisbus, who appeared to Sinata as an elderly gnomish man, listened to Sinata's description of his ills and examined him. Regretfully, Saint Phisbus informed Sinata that he was under the effect of two different curses. The first he described as a sort of infectious curse that was used in wars of the first age to decimate the populations of other cities. The saint suspected that when the villagers explored the newly exposed ruins, they contracted it and spread it to everyone else. He suggested trying to find where the curse was created, and explained that those who made such curses also had means of protecting their own people and curing the curse. As for the second curse, Saint Phisbus cautioned against deals with hags, as they can often turn out to be more than you bargained for. Saint Phisbus seemed not to know of Granny Preant, but warned that hags that earn the title Granny are not to be trifled with.

At the same time, Jerral aided Chedvah in gaining some relief from the pain of her brands. Jerral noted that although he might be able to heal some of the physical damage, scars like those can often extend into the spirit. That night, Chedvah experienced a nightmare where a worker asked her "why" repeatedly and said that she was supposed to be better while finding bones burned with fire and acid. She also encountered a shadowed version of herself which held out a sealed clay pot and said that she would always be a part of her.

Throughout the evening, Dendra was reflecting on her own dreams, and remembered that occasionally Mattathias would refer to Pelor as "Father" instead of "the Father."


The next morning, the party set out early to check out the Bishop of Pelor's Residence across the river. Arriving at large manor house with neglected-looking grounds they met Belinda, the overworked, halfling Housekeeper. She explained that the Bishop had been having night terrors for two weeks before he passed, and called out about being trapped. Then, for the week leading up to his death the Bishop had been bedridden with fever and suffered delusions and hallucinations. During this period she recalled he said he couldn't see the light of the Father, and that there was some. Upon searching the Bishop's room, Dendra's ring began to fade slightly. Beneath his bed, Nexus found some hair from a humanoid source that had echoes of necromantic magics. In the bishop's desk, they found references to a new section of catacombs that had been discovered beneath the Cathedral which contained carvings related to Pelor and Mattathias as well as documents in an unknown language.

Meanwhile, Luci had decided to separate and assist in the duties of the maids. As he worked, he asked Edith if the staff had been experiencing strange dreams. Although none of the current staff had been acting strange, she had heard that Nora, a former maid, had quit soon after the Bishop's death because she didn't want to stay in a house someone had died in. Luci attempted to get into Nora's former room but was twarted by a lock. After everyone regrouped, Dendra checked in with Belinda and asked if she could find out where Nora was so the party could talk to her. They then returned to Nora's former room where Chedvah demonstrated her lockpicking prowess for a final time that day. After a brief look around Luci found a loose floorboard with some more of the same necromancy-infused hair.

The party took a brief moment to strategize their next steps before descending the stairs on their way to leave. Along the way, they ran into Neron, who had been staying there for a few days. After a brief conversation that included a roller coaster of self-worth for Neron, Luci gave him 2 gp and asked him to come find them when Belinda found where Nora worked now. In the course of the conversation the party learned that, at least in the Bishop's residence, the thing under the bed was actually Fil and not the dreaded Bed Hag. They also learned that Bishop Hugh spends most of his nights staying in Ritten, where he sleeps among the poor.

With a plan for next steps, the party departed the Residence around midday on Thursday the 20th of Aven.