Suns Set Over Aevan-Vhor

The nethermost caverns... are not for the fathoming of eyes to see; for their marvels are strange and terrific. Cursed the ground where dead thoughts live new and oddly bodied, and evil the mind that is held by no head. Wisely did Ibn Schacabao say, that happy is the tomb where no wizard hath lain, and happy the town at night whose wizards are all ashes. For it is of old rumour that the soul of the devil-bought hastes not from his charnel clay, but fats and instructs the very worm that gnaws; till out of corruption horrid life springs, and the dull scavengers of earth wax crafty to vex it and swell monstrous to plague it. Great holes secretly are digged where earth’s pores ought to suffice, and things have learnt to walk that ought to crawl.

                                                                                          —H. P. Lovecraft, excerpt from the

                                                                                            Necronomicon in “The Festival”

Seeking the Living Among the Dead

And lo! I beheld a light in the depths of the lake below that pulsed to the very beat of my heart, and I knew that this was the selfsame flare in the firmament I beheld in my dreams. I felt the pulsing within my very soul, echoing back through my memories, and perceived this light had come to the world eons ago, when the stars themselves first took umbrage against those pathetic and unworthy creatures who dwelt below, scouring away the most unworthy. And I knew that what pulsed within me was growing, and that it was not my heart that was pumping within my breast, for I had long been a dead thing, and this instead was the pulse of the seed of God. 

“Iä! Iä Xhamen-Dor!”

                                                                                                          —Il-Asziph Mavmameniris,

                                                                                          Ninshaburian apostle of the Star Seed 

The Whispering Tree

Gavril continued to read his Manual of Quickness of Action trying to have enough study to receive its bonus.  The rest of the party attended to healing and then they determined that four members would need Restoration spells to remove the strength damage the Shadows had inflicted.

After that was put to rest they began identifying the magic items.  The potions were all of Cure Serious Wounds while the short sword was a Luck Blade with one wish remaining.  The white gem sporting diadem was a Kineticist's Diadem which was of no use to any of the party.  The mouth of the heavy, dark iron cauldron is shaped like a monstrous maw and is large enough to accommodate a single Medium creature. It was determined to be a Cauldron of Resurrection, which could either perform Raise Dead or Resurrection on a single medium or smaller creature.  The cost was heavy at 5,000 or 10,000 gold worth of materials but if one of the party happened to die it could come in handy.