Exit Craegen
Ada’s panicked shouting brings an early end to Father Wilk’s interrogation of Professor Craegen. With Dale’s help, the professor calls his manservant, Rolfe on the house phone. Rolfe comes to pick Professor Craegen up, leaving the investigators to discuss Ada’s latest horrifying find.
The footprint’s description reminds Father Wilk of a bit of folklore he once heard in seminary. Before the graveyards of Eastern Europe were sanctified by the Church, they were guarded by mythical guardians of a most fearsome aspect. These creatures killed and ate anyone who trespassed in the graveyards at night, especially to desecrate the bodies of the dead.
The investigators study Fresno’s journals to see if he ever had an encounter with such creatures. Sure enough, he does mention speaking to “the gravediggers” on several occasions. He provides a ritual to summon the gravediggers to parley, most of which is centered on the preparation of a large quantity of barely cooked and oddly seasoned meat.
Ada spots some marginalia in which Fresno writes, “be sure to bring enough for everyone!”
Exhausted, the investigators agree to go to bed. Martin, Father Wilk, and Ada watch the cellar in shifts in case anything should emerge into the basement. Nothing does.
Friday, November 21, 1924
Dr. Miller sets out early in the morning to buy pastries from a nearby bakery.
Over breakfast, the group decides (with misgivings) to perform Fresno’s “gravedigger” ritual. Ada studies the ritual while the others procure and prepare the meat, herbs, and spices.
Saul has no interest in going into the tunnels again. He hides in his bedroom and refuses to come out.
The rest of the investigators return to the tunnels and follow Fresno’s crude map to a crossroads. There they lay down their meat and perform the ritual. As Ada chants, the scent of the meat becomes ever more potent and stranger, until…
The Gravediggers
A large group of fanged, clawed, and disturbingly human-looking creatures emerge from the darkness. They fall upon the meat in a ravenous frenzy, fighting amongst themselves for the choicest morsels.
The sight of the creatures unnerves the investigators, with Martin becoming so badly frightened that he stares at the wall for the rest of the encounter.
Once the creatures have eaten everything—including the bones, they deign to answer the investigators’ questions. The investigators explain that Fresno has died and that they are his heirs. The creatures refer to them as “the Heirs of Fresno” for the rest of the conversation and tell the players:
- That they serve an elder being called the Shaper of Flesh.
- That they existed before humanity “came down from the trees”.
- That they are aware of the powers infiltrating Port Harbor (the Masks of Adaru, and so on).
- That Hylmunder and Tiovvoru are different beings.
- That there is another creature walking alone in the tunnels, who does not need light to see. Ada assumes this is one of Maude Collins’ masks. The creatures scoff at this, saying that the Masks are merely human. This other being was something more.
- The tunnels beneath Port Harbor connect to an even deeper complex of tunnels unknown to the surfacers. These tunnels ultimately lead to the Shaper of Flesh.
- Dr. Miller asks about Qiru Yawar, a being that has not previously been mentioned. The creatures say that Qiru Yawar is a primeval hunter deity who leads a pack of relentless hunting dogs.
A Gravedigger
Dale offers some pieces of jerky to the creatures. This causes a bloody scuffle between two of them. The winner eats the jerky, spits it out, and begins licking the ground. They curse Dale, saying that the meat is too dry and tastes wrong.
The meeting ends a short time later, with the creatures returning from whence they came. Before they leave, they say that they can be summoned again, but warn that the investigators must, “bring enough for everyone.”
The rattled investigators return to the surface and try to figure out just how many creatures were watching them in the dark. Martin is uncharacteristically quiet. Ada thinks it was anywhere from 6-10. Dale is pretty sure there were dozens—or hundreds—of creatures down there.
Later, Dr. Miller fills everyone in on the Shaper of Flesh. “It is said that the Shaper of Flesh came to Earth billions of years ago. he stalked the surface of the still cooling planet and was delighted by the colonies of protomatter that grew there. For a time, he busied himself by sculpting it into bizarre and horrifying lifeforms.”
Unexpected Visitors
Saul, who is hiding in his bedroom, hears two people talking in front of the house. He grabs a glass, places it on the wall, and listens in on their conversation.
From context clues, Saul realizes that the speakers are women who have been sent by the leaders of the Luminous Church to check on the house. They think the house looks all right but wonder if they ought to knock on the door to find out if everyone inside is okay.
As the women muster up their courage to knock, Saul flings open the front door. Standing on the porch are Sisters Ray and Penumbra, who had brought the welcome basket several days before. They are shocked at the state of the front hall (which is still damp and slightly charred) but are glad to hear from Saul that everyone is doing all right.
According to the women, Alpha Solaris had a premonition that the house might have come to harm. She dispatched them into town to warn the investigators or help them if something bad had happened. They also wanted to let the investigators know that the Alpha Solaris and Helios Rebecca want to apologize for the “misunderstanding” fro a few nights ago. The investigators are, of course, always welcome to visit the church.
Saul realizes that Ray and Penumbra are clueless flunkies, sent by Alpha Solaris to see if the death orb had done its work. He tries to subtly pump the women for information. Most notably, he learns Zebulon had an accident a few nights ago, and was taken to a hospital in Boston. He has just returned to the church and, while still recovering, is doing well.
Preparing for a Seance
While reading Fresno’s journals the previous evening, Ada discovered a ritual that allowed the participants to speak to souls that have passed on. She suggests performing this ritual to try to speak to Molly Scott. The ritual requires a “tunnel” made of fabric, stakes, and poles (symbolically connecting the physical and the spirit world), and a source of water (used to convey the whispered words of the dead).
Dale, eager to help, procures a washtub from the garage and starts filling it up in the living room. The others like his hustle but think that maybe the house is not the best place to summon the spirits of the dead. While Dale carefully empties the washtub, Martin suggests that they set up the ritual at the pond on the property of Crosstree Farms (where he boards Lincoln).
Ada wants to wait until after midnight to do the ritual, because that’s when spirits are most active, and because she doesn’t want anyone seeing what they’re doing.
The Second Ritual
Late at night, the investigators venture out into the freezing November weather to perform the seance. Ada, freezing and overwhelmed, laments the course that her life has taken. She has a promising career. And a professional reputation. And colleagues that respect her.
Her intrusive thoughts are interrupted by the others, who inform her that they have set up the fabric tunnel.
Dale produces the ruins of Molly Scott’s handbag. Using this as a focus, the investigators perform the ritual and whisper Molly’s name into the pond. The water becomes eerily flat, like the surface of a mirror. Dale gets down on all fours and puts his ear to the water, listening for a response.
But none comes.
As the investigators quietly whisper about what to do next, several of them see that a slender figure, wrapped in a dark cloak, has appeared at the far end of the tunnel. This is no spirit, but a physical being. The figure seems confused and frightened as it lifts its gaze to the investigators.
“Oh, thank god,” they say, in a hoarse whisper. “It’s you.”
The Summonee
Molly Scott
The figure is Molly Scott, who was compelled to appear thanks to the power of the ritual. She admits that she was afraid that the priestesses had tried to summon her. She also admits to calling them to warn them of the church’s impeding attack, and of following them around town the previous night.
“I wanted to make sure that you survived.”
Molly tells the investigators the following:
- Alpha Solaris and Helios Rebecca are false worshippers of Hylmunder, using his power without honoring him. She, however, is a true priestess of Hylmunder, and serves him with her entire being.
- She died from heatstroke and suffocation after being locked in one of the saunas for a purification ritual, which the priestesses claimed would allow her to ascend to the next level of the faith. When no one heard her cries or her knocking, she decided to give herself wholly to the being the church allegedly worshiped.
- She died shortly thereafter but rose again only to find herself buried and in darkness. She dug herself free, escaped, and has been quietly watching the church (and others) to find out what happened to her.
- The ritual room under the “silo” contains a true altar to Hylmumder, erected long before the priestesses came to the area. Molly says that there are plates of gold, inscribed with rituals of Hylmunder, hidden inside the altar.
- Molly says that she cannot do much for the investigators at present, but she does want to help them stop the Luminous Church and end the false worship of Hylmunder.
Dale tries to offer Molly what’s left of her purse. While she recognizes it as belonging to her, Molly says that she no longer has any need of it and says that Dale may either keep it or get rid of it, as he sees fit.
Dale, curious about the properties of the pond while it is under the effects
of the ritual, immerses his hand in the water to see what will happen. Nothing
does, but this disturbs the other investigators so much that Ada immediately
ends the ritual and allows Molly to return from whence she came.
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