The Circle of Seven: Session Sixteen

A Brief Timeship

The investigators deposit Helios Rebecca on the front steps of Kendrick Sanitarium. She is currently a patient there. It is unlikely that she will recover from her experiences, but time will tell.

Police and fire crews searching the aftermath of the fire discover the secret temple to Hylmunder and the bodies of Zebulon Davis, Alpha Solaris, and Molly Scott.

Saul Frenkel returns home to his pharmacy, having had more than enough of Port Harbor.

Dr. Miller, horrified and pushed to the brink by his experiences, also returns home. After a stint in a private hospital, he returns to normal life.

The First Selectman of Port Harbor, Gerhardt Scholl, resigns abruptly—and possibly under scandalous circumstances—triggering a special election scheduled for the first week of January, 1925. 

The Thanksgiving holiday passes without incident, and the remaining investigators are once again called to the law office of Alexander Sebastian, Esq. on December 13^th, 1924.

New Members of the Circle

Per the stipulations in Nicholas Fresno’s will, Mr. Sebastian has contacted two more people from “The List” to see if they will serve as heirs to the Fresno Estate. The two new people meet with and exchange pleasantries with Mr. Sebastian and the other investigators before signing all the appropriate documentation. The new arrivals are as follows:

Sybil Delacroix

A no-nonsense older woman with a stern demeanor and a very firm handshake.
She smokes cigarettes out of an exceeding long holder and always gets right to the point.

Alfie Davenport 

A famous actor and native son of Port Harbor.
He is currently living in his family’s house in southern Altergarten.
He is a very nice, very charming boy. All of the ladies swoon when he walks by.

At the end of the meeting, the investigators offer to show the new arrivals over to the Fresno house. While making plans, they discover that they are being watched by a gaggle of girls standing on the other side of the street. Ms. Delacroix descends upon them and suggests that they quickly find something else to occupy their time. The girls scatter, but not before blushing and casting moony gazes over at Alfie.

Dale leads the caravan to the Fresno house in the Fresno car, followed by Alfie in his posh vehicle and Ms. Delecroix in her practical Duesenberg.

Upon arrival, the investigators discover a letter that has been sent to Dr. Miller from Kendrick Sanitarium. Since Dr. Miller is no longer in the area, the investigators perpetrate some mail fraud to see what the letter contains. It turns out it’s from Dan Heidecker, the sailor they met at Kendrick. Dan has written Dr. Miller to say that he is improving, and has asked when Dr. Miller will be stopping by to take him on his aversion therapy outing.

Dan's Letter to Dr. Miller

The new arrivals are given a quick tour of the house, while the veterans hem and haw about how badly they should scare their new companions. After a brief visit, Alfie and Ms. Delacroix depart, but not before Alfie invites everyone to his parents’ house for a dinner later that evening.

The remaining investigators have a long discussion about what to tell the others. They ultimately decide that the only moral choice is to tell them everything and hope that they don’t terrify them into fleeing Port Harbor. To that end, the investigators decide to bring several souvenirs of their recent adventures to Alfie’s house, including several of the Fresno journals.

A Dinner Party

Alfie’s parents are quite wealthy, and their house is both large and immaculately decorated. As they are welcomed by Alfie’s butler, the investigators notice several large, professionally made signs in a nearby room. These signs are all for Merle Cottonwood, Jr.’s election campaign for First Selectman.

Alfie explains that the Cottonwoods are long-time friends of his family. The Cottonwoods are also very wealthy. Merle Sr. is a real estate developer who owns the buildings occupied by many of Port Harbor’s most successful businesses. This includes Corrine’s, the local department store.

The investigators proceed to have a delicious, multi-course meal and discuss their recent adventures. Despite the veteran investigators’ misgivings, the new arrivals take the information about their recent inheritance rather well.

As the investigators discuss what to do next, Ms. Delacroix notices the top of a cloche outside of one of the dining room windows.

A Scoop

Without a word to anyone else, Ms. Delacroix leaves her seat at the table and opens the dining room window, confronting the cloche-wearing person beyond. This person—a small, slim woman in her mid-twenties—loudly declares, “this isn’t the library” before trying to flee into the night.

Ms. Delacroix closes the window and resumes her seat, quietly pleased about having done her due diligence. Alfie, overcome with curiosity and a desire to be a good host, excuses himself and runs outside, catching up with the young woman as she flees.

He learns that the woman is Catherine Planchett, the gossip columnist of the Port Harbor News Reader. Catherine, it seems, was trying to get some good information on the local boy turned famous actor. After leaving her flustered and a bit tongue tied, Alfie allows her to resume fleeing into the night.

Catherine Planchett, Roving Reporter

A Second Candidate

After-dinner conversation resumes, and the investigators decide that they should follow up on Maude Collins to try and track down the Book of Black Tourmaline. Ada remembers that she has Maude’s card, which contains an address (in Old Town) and a phone number. No one picks up when she calls, however. The investigators make plans to pay the location a visit the next morning, to see if they can find any leads.

On the way home, several of the investigators drive past a nighttime political rally for one Mr. Cornelius Rose, who is running for First Selectman. Rose is standing on a box, ranting at a small crowd of onlookers through a bullhorn about how the Jews are trying to destroy Christmas. Everyone finds this somewhat alarming.

Mr. Cornelius Rose

Old Town

The next morning, the investigators head to Old Town to discover that the address on Maude Collins’ card is for a secondhand furniture store which is located next door to Stolas Books.

Dale speaks to the proprietor of the furniture store—an older woman of Eastern European descent. She explains that she has a back room, with a phone, that she rents to people who need office space. Dale asks to see the office and finds that it is a room empty but for a table, a chair, a telephone, and some shelves. The proprietor describes her last tenant, who left a few weeks ago, and who sounds a lot like Maude Collins.

Wondering if other people in the neighborhood had seen anything, or if someone who dealt in books might know something about Maude Collins, the investigators visit Stolas Books. There, they meet a young Italian stock boy and his boss, an older Slovenian man with an impressive mustache. Ada York, herself a dealer in rare books, recognizes the proprietor as Bor Vodopivec, someone she has communicated with by correspondence. 

The Circle of Seven: Session Fifteen

Fractures Appear

Molly Scott, High Priestess of Hylmunder

Molly Scott prays quietly at Hylmunder’s altar, while Helios Rebecca stares at her, enraptured.

Most of the investigators return to the church proper to discuss options and to search for the plates. Even Saul comes back from the car to see what’s going on. Martin remains in the cavern temple to keep an eye on Molly. He tries to talk to her several times but gets no response.

For the moment, Dr. Miller and Father Wilk choose not to reveal that they know where the plates are. They keep mum as several of the other investigators search the church and grounds for the plates. Ada’s searches yields fake ids belonging to Alpha Solaris. Val immediately pockets them. Dale searches the saunas, finds no plates, and becomes increasingly agitated.

Meanwhile, the rest of the investigators discuss their options, as well as possible repercussions. This seems to boil down into the following:

• We should give the plates to Molly because we promised we would, and we don’t want her on our bad side. She could be a powerful ally against the other nightmarish monstrosities plaguing Port Harbor. We also kind of like her and feel badly for her.
• We should not give the plates to Molly. She is an eldritch abomination who is capable of killing effortlessly and without remorse. While she once was a person, she isn’t one anymore. We don’t know what she’s capable of, and we don’t want to make her stronger for fear of what she might do. 

Dale Plays with Fire

It should be noted that Dale is not handling this very well. He wants the problem solved one way or another, and he wants it solved now.

After returning from his fruitless search of the sauna, Dale lights the candles on the altar in the upper church, sits down in a pew, and begins neurotically mumbling to himself. The other investigators realize that Dale—whether knowingly or not—is casting some kind of summoning spell.

They try to get him to stop and mostly succeed. In doing so, they learn that Dale was semi-consciously trying to summon part of the fires of Tiovvoru to “solve the problem.” He impatiently tells the others that if they don’t find the plates or figure something else out soon, he’s going to complete the ritual and burn the whole place to the ground.

Pledged to Hylmunder

It should be noted that Dr. Miller is not handling this very well, either. Not only has he been badly injured by magical lightning, but he is also secretly terrified that he is being hunted by the Hounds of Qiru Yawar. He became convinced of this when he discovered that one of his patients had been torn to pieces by the Hounds.

Dr. Miller has noticed that Molly Scott is very powerful, has the backing of Hylmunder, and isn’t afraid of anything. He wonders if he could get Hylmunder’s blessing and protection.

To that end, Dr. Miller suddenly runs back down into the basement. The rest of the investigators follow him as he reaches the altar, walks up to Molly Scott, and demands to be put in touch with Hylmunder.

Molly Scott accepts and burns a symbol into Dr. Miller’s forehead with the tip of her finger. Dr. Miller feels the world fall away from him and finds himself hurtling through a limitless expanse of neverending light and energy. As he travels, a booming voice calls out to him and asks what he is seeking there.

Dr. Miller replies that he wants protection from Qiru Yawar and his Hounds. The voice proclaims that he shall have it, provided he obeys “the true priestess” in all things and recovers the plates.

With a horrified scream, Dr. Miller returns to the waking world, surrounded by his concerned and traumatized friends.

“I know where the plates are,” he says, as he makes his way back up the tunnel to the church.

The investigators follow him. Father Wilk is very worried. Dale, conversely, is happy that they’re getting somewhere.

Saul, for his part, has had more than enough of this insanity. He returns to the car and offers to drive Fitzwilliam Carruthers back to the Port Harbor train station. Mr. Carruthers gratefully accepts the offer.

Recovering the Plates

The rest of the investigators follow Dr. Miller to the outhouses behind the church. Dr. Miller explains that Father Wilk stole the plates previously and threw them down the hole in the privy.

Father Wilk tries to explain his reasoning for doing this, that he firmly believes that Molly Scott is dangerous, in league with a demon, and should under no circumstances have access to the plates. While he pleades his case, Dale pushes past him, enters the privy, and digs around in the excrement. Heedless of the filth, he quickly recovers all eight of the plates and tucks them into a nightsoil-streaked stack under his arm.

It is here that a scuffle breaks about between the investigators. The two factions roughly boil down into those who want to give Molly Scott the plates right now (Dale and Dr. Miller), and those who either want to withhold the plates from her or find a way to use the plates against her (everyone else).

Val displays some exceptional fighting skills, knocking Dale down without effort. This gives Father Wilk time to plead his case. Dale seems to relent, at least at first, but then goes into the church, slams the plate onto the altar table, and resumes his ritual chant. He tells the others that they have until he summons whatever he’s going to summon to figure out a solution, otherwise he’s going to burn the church to the ground.

Burn it All Down!

Father Wilk works quickly. In the better light, inspired by Dale’s threat, he recognizes that the golden plates are written in Enochian—the cypher language created by Dr. John Dee. Scanning the plates, he discovers that each one is a spell or ritual of some kind. One of them seems to allow the practitioner to create “an obsidian servant of Hylmunder”. This seems to be an undead creature of similar abilities to Molly Scott. Father Wilk is relieved to discover that the spell is reversible, allowing practitioners to destroy the servant if necessary.

Dale completes his ritual moments after Father Wilk finishes his translation. A fiery tear in space rips open above the church’s altar, giving the investigators a brief and horrifying glimpse of an infernal realm. One of the flames from that place leaps through the tear and zigzags around the room, igniting everything it touches.

It is possible that the ritual, or the creature it summons, is enough to get Molly Scott’s attention. She comes up from the basement with Martin and Helios Rebecca in tow. As she steps into the church, Father Wilk starts casting the reversing spell. Dale points at Molly and orders the fire creature to destroy her.

Molly Scott hurls destructive energies at the players, to little effect. The fire creature ignites her, burning away her layers of black garments and revealing a charred, partially denuded skeleton beneath. Ada, among others, notices that sections of Molly Scott’s bones have been replaced with black crystalline deposits.

As Molly fights off the fire creature, Father Wilk pronounces the final words of the spell. Whatever powers had brought Molly Scott back to life flee her in that instant, and she collapses lifeless to the floor.

The fire creature continues to wreak havoc, and the flames consuming the church quickly burn out of control. The investigators grab an insensate and raving Helios Rebecca before fleeing the church and grounds, managing to get away long before the fire department arrives on the scene.

The Local Paper Reports on the Aftermath

 

The Circle of Seven: Session Fourteen

NOTE: In order to make it so that people aren’t sitting on the sidelines, we have agreed to place Ada inside the church with Saul and Val. We have also agreed that Martin decided to get Lincoln, his horse, and ride to the church to see what’s been keeping his friends. He arrives just as the lightning bolt strikes Dr. Miller.

Keystone Coppery

The investigators all independently realize that they cannot take overt hostile action without arousing suspicion or the authorities getting involved. They instead all decide to put on a veneer of bumbling, well-intentioned incompetence in order to prevent the church’s leaders from discovering Father Wilk in the basement.

Outside, Dale tackles a limping Zebulon before he can reach the church door, citing his concern that Zebulon is injured. Meanwhile, Dr. Miller compels Fitzwilliam Carruthers to stop Helios Rebecca. Mr. Carruthers only gets the priestess’ hat, but Dr. Miller bears Helios Rebecca to the ground and sits on her. She tries to struggle, giving up once the long shadow created by Martin and Lincoln falls across her.

Inside, Alpha Solaris (with Val in tow) goes to the door to find out what the hell is going on. Zebulon (still immobilized by Dale) shouts that someone’s in the basement. Alpha Solaris goes to investigate, all the while screaming at Val, who is still pestering her with inane questions. This distracts Alpha Solaris enough so that Saul can get behind her and throw a cup of hot coffee on her back. This causes Alpha Solaris to scream in pain and stagger around, which puts her right next to a pew that Ada is “hiding” behind. Ada sees her opportunity, grabs Alpha Solaris’ foot, and pulls her off her feet. Alpha Solaris gets a badly bloodied nose for her pains.

Outside, Zebulon shrugs off Dale and runs for the door. Dale catches up to him and Zebulon, deciding he’s had more than enough, squares up to try and fight Dale. Dale throws a vicious jab to Zebulon’s abdomen, striking him full force in his partially healed bullet wound. The blow is non-lethal, but the intense pain takes the fight out of Zebulon.

Zebulon's Day Only Gets Worse From Here

Truce?

Outside, Helios Rebecca tells Martin and Dr. Miller that she surrenders and that, perhaps, the investigators and the church can come to an understanding. The two men are willing to listen and haul Helios Rebecca into the church while a bewildered Mr. Carruthers follows.

Inside the church, Alpha Solaris staunches her bloodied nose with a handkerchief given to her by Saul. Saul uses a second handkerchief to dab at the spreading coffee stain across the priestess’ back. Val looks smugly on at the scene while Ada sits down next to Alpha Solaris and begins to whisper terrible things into her ear. Things like:

“I have met the true priestess of Hylmunder and she is not you. She is coming for you and your church and you are going to die!”

Her words have a profound effect on Alpha Solaris.

Helios Rebecca asks for a moment to talk to her colleagues privately. When the investigators refuse, Helios Rebecca begrudgingly assents and says that they might as well talk about how much the church will need to pay the investigators to keep quiet. During this conversation, and the one that follows, Helios Rebecca calls Alpha Solaris “Mary-Ellen,” while Alpha Solaris calls Helios Rebecca “Hattie”.

This causes Val to scoff and say that Mary-Ellen’s real name is actually Ruth Green. Alpha Solaris’ eyes bug out as she finally recognizes Val. She demands to know why Val is here and not cooling her heels in a penitentiary somewhere. Val mentions how Alpha Solaris betrayed her, which causes Helios Rebecca to raise an eyebrow.

The church leaders explain that the church is a con job dedicated to fleecing its credible parishioners from their money. Originally, the tenets of the church were intentionally vague “Protestant adjacent” claptrap. This changed when the church elders found the temple of Hylmunder located underneath the church grounds. They soon incorporated Hylmunder-esque trappings into their religious services and began practicing magic.

Alpha Solaris insists that the whole thing is just a con and that she never meant to hurt anyone. Helios Rebecca points out that they hurt “the girl” (Molly Scott) and lied to her family and the police about what happened to her. Dale and the other investigators point out that Nicholas Frenso was killed by a bolt of lightning similar to the one that hit Dr. Miller. Alpha Solaris insists that Fresno died of a heart attack and ignores all evidence the investigators present to the contrary.

It becomes clear that, of the three, Helios Rebecca is the only one who seems remorseful about some of the church’s crimes. Zebulon seems unconcerned about their evil acts, while Alpha Solaris seems entirely justified by it.

Helios Rebecca - The Least Awful Cultist

Father Wilk

In the temple, Father Wilk hears the lightning strike and feels responsible. Taking the gold plates and extinguishing all the torches, he feels his way up the tunnel back to the church basement. As he goes, he hears parts of the commotion and subsequent conversation going on above. He takes some time to replace the movable shelf and sweep the floor to hide his tracks. Then he sneaks up the stairs to the storage room door.

After listening to the conversation for a moment, he decides that decisive action is called for. Concealing the plates beneath his robes, he leaps into the main church hall, clutching at his groin and shouting, “that’s not the bathroom! Where on earth is the bathroom? For the love of God, tell me where the bathroom is!”

Helios Rebecca offers to direct Father Wilk to the church outhouses. Val follows along, just in case. Father Wilk excuses himself, enters the outhouse, and quickly separates the plates from the iron ring holding them together. He then drops the plates one at a time into the effluvia below, watching as they sink out of sight.

Outside, Helios Rebecca asks Val for more particulars about her former relationship with Alpha Solaris. Val paints a less than rosy picture, saying that Helios Rebecca should prepare herself for Alpha Solaris’ sudden and inevitable betrayal. Helios Rebecca thanks her for the advice.

Father Wilk exits the outhouse and all three return to the church.

Into the Basement

The conversation swiftly deteriorates once it becomes clear that the investigators are not keen on taking a bribe to keep quiet about the church. Ada makes things worse by continuing to whisper awful things to Alpha Solaris, including that Molly Scott is the true priestess and that she is coming for her revenge.

Alpha Solaris is clearly terrified and insists, multiple times, that this is impossible, and that Molly Scott is dead. When the other investigators back up Ada’s story and claim that they have seen Molly Scott, Alpha Solaris promises to show them and heads down into the basement.

Dr. Miller stays in the church to tend to his wounds, and Father Wilk takes the opportunity to tell Dr. Miller about the plates and what he did with them. Meanwhile, Saul, who suspects this is not going to end well, and Mr. Carruthers, who has had quite enough of this, retreat to the car.

The rest follow Alpha Solaris as she grabs a shovel, swings open the shelving unit, and heads off to the underground temple. Zebulon and Helios Rebecca follow, the latter grabbing flashlights off of some of the shelves.

They reach the temple area to find that Alpha Solaris has tossed aside one of the rugs that marks out the processional path to the altar. She begins to dig in a patch of floor that is noticeably lower and more loosely packed than the dirt around it. After a few moments of frantic digging, she drops on her hands and knees and begins tearing into the dirt with her fingernails. In a ragged voice, she shouts, “Hattie. Zebulon. She’s not here. She’s not here. Where did she go?!”

As if on cue, Molly Scott, still garbed in her layers and layers of black fabric, phases through the wall and into the temple. Alpha Solaris screams in terror as Ada shouts, “she comes for you, your end is at hand!”

Zebulon pulls a revolver from his pocket and fires three shots into Molly Scott. This phases her not at all. As she walks calmly over to Alpha Solaris, Dale disarms Zebulon with such force that he breaks the man’s wrist.

Alpha Solaris Maxima Est, As Her Empire Crumbles

Showdown

Saul and Mr. Carruthers hear the gunshots. Saul falsely identifies them as more mysterious thunder. Both men remain in the car. Father Wilk and Dr. Miller, on the other hand, fear for their friends and run down into the basement.

They arrive as Molly Scott, who now stands before a kneeling and filthy Alpha Solaris, demands Hylmunder’s golden plates. Alpha Solaris says they are in the altar. Martin calmly goes to get the plates but finds that the secret chamber in the altar is empty.

This enrages Molly Scott, who denounces Alpha Solaris. She whispers that Alpha Solaris has squandered Hylmunder’s power, is a false prophet, and deserves the ultimate punishment for failing to scour the earth in advance of Hylmunder’s coming. With a strength that her slight frame belies, Molly Scott lifts Alpha Solaris up by her neck.

Ada looks away. Val watches in barely concealed excitement. The rest stand rooted, overwhelmed by horror, as Alpha Solaris begins to glow brightly red on the inside and a beam of white energy shoots out of her shrieking mouth. Alpha Solaris quickly blackens, filling the air with a sickly sweet, cooked pork smell.

Molly Scott discards the charred corpse without a second thought before turning to the other two church elders. Helios Rebecca, thoroughly overawed by the horror, throws herself on her face and vows to serve Hylmunder forever. Zebulon snarls at Dale to give him back his goddamn gun.

Dale does so, but only after snapping out the cylinder and dumping the remaining bullets and spent brass. Zebulon scowls at him.

“What do you say, Zebulon?”

“Screw you, lady.”

Molly Scott extends her hand. The air around Zebulon becomes dangerously cold. He quietly slumps down to the floor and expires, the heat of his body completely drained away from him.

“Now,” says Molly Scott. “Fulfill your promise to me. Find me those plates.”

The Circle of Seven: Session Thirteen

Leaving No Trace 

The investigators clean up the ritual site and return to the Fresno House to sleep. As soon as his head hits the pillow, Dr. Miller fears that he has forgotten something at the site. He borrows the car and drives back out to the pond, only to find that the missing item was in his other pocket. He thoroughly searches the area, just in case, before returning home to go to bed. 

Saturday, November 22, 1924

The investigators sit around the breakfast table and discuss plans for dealing with the church. They think that blowing up the hidden altar to Hylmunder might be the easiest way to solve the problem, so Dale and Martin head out to a farm supply store in Salem, CT to buy dynamite. They easily convince the proprietor that they are going to do a little dynamite farming to get their fields ready for next season, and come away with several sticks, a detonator, and some rope. 

Back at the house, Dr. Miller wonders if throwing a party mightn’t be the way to go. He suggests that if they can throw a big enough shindig to attract Port Harbor’s elites, they might be able to also draw in Alpha Solaris and Helios Rebecca. While some of the investigators remain at the party, others could go destroy the altar. Dr. Miller is so pleased with this idea that he immediately calls Fitzwilliam Carruthers, his party planner. Mr. Carruthers is delighted at the prospect of throwing a big party in Port Harbor and promises to drive out right away to discuss the matter. 

The investigators remember seeing an ad in the paper from the Luminous Church about a Thanksgiving party they are planning to host next week. Before anyone can stop him, Dr. Miller calls the Luminous Church and asks to speak with one of the priestesses on the phone. He gets put on with Helios Rebecca and tells her that he wants to help turn the church’s Thanksgiving party into a soiree to remember. 

Helios Rebecca is baffled by this sudden generosity but seems unwilling to refuse the offer. She invites the investigators up to the church for a more in-depth discussion. Dr. Miller agrees and says that he will bring along his party planner. 

Fitzwilliam Carruthers 

Before too long, Mr. Carruthers arrives in a cloud of exhaust smoke, having accidentally (but enthusiastically), run his car up on the curb and onto the Fresno House lawn. He disembarks with two large suitcases, makes introductions, and begins showing off samples of silverware, linens, curtains, and other sundries to the investigators. Eventually, Dr. Miller manages to get a word in edgewise, telling Mr. Carruthers that they are going to be giving a full presentation at the Luminous Church. Mr. Carruthers is delighted.

Everyone but Martin (and maybe Ada, because her player was sick) makes plans to go to the Luminous Church. Val once again dons her ingenue disguise, planning to attend as Dr. Miller’s arm candy. This draws a raised eyebrow from Mr. Carruthers, who planned Dr. Miller’s wedding. However, the party planner is a consummate professional, and doesn’t say anything. 

The Esteemed Fitzwillam Carruthers, Party Planner

The investigators arrive at the church, where they are greeted in a friendly, if skeptical, way by the church leadership. Two tables have been pushed together in the center of the church to provide a meeting space, and coffee and pastries have been provided. The investigators meet with Helios Rebecca, Alpha Solaris (who still seems not to recognize Val), and a slightly limping and pale Zebulon Davis. 

Dale asks Zebulon if he’s all right, which draws a lot of grunts, hisses, and eyerolls from the other investigators. Zebulon, however, seems not to notice, and says he hurt himself working around the grounds. Mr. Carruthers dazzles everyone with his brisk patter, his samples, and his reasonable price points. He suggests a red and green theme before rejecting it for being too Christmasy. He also suggests hanging up some curtains in the church to make everything more festive. 

The priestesses are overwhelmed at all of this attention—and decoration—and ask why the investigators want to help with the party. Dr. Miller replies that they’re new in town and they want to make a good impression. 

The Snooping Begins

At some point, someone brings up the number of attendees. Dr. Miller enthusiastically says he would like to invite as many people as possible. While the church leadership balks at this, Mr. Carruthers says that it’s doable, but they may have to set up some overflow tents on the grounds. He, of course, has several options, including a 40x30’ tent that is “just delightful”. 

Dale offhandedly mentions the smokehouses in the back and says that they could be converted to small dining rooms without too much difficulty. Mr. Carruthers, of course, wants to inspect them. He arranges a guided tour that includes himself, Dr. Miller, Dale, Zebulon, and Helios Rebecca. This leaves Saul and Val sitting at the table with Alpha Solaris. 

But what of Father Wilk? 

The good reverend is ill at ease being at the church again and decides it would be best if he not sit in on the negotiations for doctrinal reasons. Instead, he starts wandering around the church to look for clues. 

He first inspects the wooden table that the church uses as an altar. He wasn’t sure if Molly Scott had said the golden plates were hidden inside of the church altar or the secret stone altar. He manages to give the altar a quick going over and finds no sign of the plates. 

Father Wilk then starts poking around in various side rooms. He is aided by Val who, upon seeing his intention, begins to distract and annoy Alpha Solaris with a breathless string of verbal twaddle. Her nattering soon irritates Alpha Solaris so much that the priestess excuses herself to make more coffee. Saul, who seems to be enjoying this, says that he’s perfectly happy to take another cup. Alpha Solaris retreats into the kitchen. Val follows her, to the priestess’ barely concealed dismay. 

Father Wilk discovers stairs leading down beneath the church. He takes them and finds himself in a storage room whose walls are covered with shelves. Remembering that Val had dropped an earring down here on their first visit to the church, Father Wilk gets down on his hands and knees to look for it. He soon spots a glint of silver on the ground and well behind the shelves on the western wall. He also realizes that those shelves alone are mounted on well-oiled casters. 

Carefully, so as not to draw attention from above, Father Wilk rolls the shelves aside, revealing a concealed tunnel. After pocketing the earring, he places a hand on the tunnel wall and follows it into the pitch blackness. As he progresses, he soon begins to hear Mr. Carruthers’ voice. The party planner seems to be describing Dr. Miller’s wedding and is getting quite choked up by the memory. 

As Father Wilk draws closer to Mr. Carruthers, he blunders into a sconce affixed to the wall ahead of him. Feeling around, he finds a torch, which he quickly lights. Using the torch to illuminate his way forward, he steps into a large chamber containing Hylmunder’s secret altar. He approaches the altar and looks up to see the brick shaft of the roofless silo looming above him. 

Father Wilk searches the altar and quickly discovers a loose brick, which conceals a niche containing the gold plates. He is intrigued by the strange language engraved upon the plates and is convinced that he has seen it somewhere before. He attempts to translate them, but is so focused on discerning their meaning that he accidentally starts sounding out the words aloud… 

What Father Wilk Found Beneath the Church

A Bolt from the Blue 

Up above, the tour of the church grounds continues. Zebulon and Mr. Carruthers seem to agree on a good place for one of the party tents. As Mr. Carruthers starts describing the decorations and the various catering stands, the others notice the acrid smell of ozone in the air. As they watch, Mr. Carruthers’ well-coiffed hair starts to stand on end. 

“Why are you all staring at me like that?” 

Dr. Miller, fearing what is about to happen, leaps for Mr. Carruthers and tries to pull him to the ground. The doctor does manage to push Mr. Carruthers out of danger just as a bolt of lightning strikes. The bad news is that the bolt strikes Dr. Miller, who collapses stunned and badly injured. 

A booming crash of thunder resounds across the compound, rattling windows and shaking the ground. Zebulon and Helios Rebecca turn to look at one another, horror dawning on their faces. “Basement!” shouts Zebulon, grabbing Helios Rebecca by the wrist. “Now!”