The Escape and Chase
The battle at the Mad Warlock’s Tower concludes with the defeat of Echo, who once again falls and escapes via his Final Messenger.
During the chaos, one cultist seems to telepathically communicate with the Tsucora Quori who hands him the book before he escapes via Misty Step out the window. The party defeats the remaining cultists and capture one alive for interrogation.
In the chaos Cas steals the tentacled canary, managing to calm it as they flee back to Iansa’s.
Domestic Arrangements
Back at Iansa’s four-bedroom single-family home (noted for its nice amenities but poor walkability), the party settles in.
Cas attempts to feed the canary, but it remains hostile until Pallas mimics its cries. The bird immediately falls silent and stares intently at him, though what it thinks he communicated remains a mystery.
The Interrogation
Meanwhile, Cas bribes the female guard and gets the code phrase “Panther Green 13” to deliver to Spyder, while Barbara prepares to interrogate their captive in the basement.
The cultist reveals herself as Mirin, a member of the “Fellows of Shaped Nightmares.” She claims she “doesn’t work for anyone” but has “collaborators” who receive prophetic dreams directing their actions. Barbara’s maternal instincts are triggered when she realizes Mirin is a woman, leading to an unexpectedly gentle interrogation involving tea service with five sugars.
Revelations About the Cult
Through their questioning, the party learns:
- The Fellows are growing in number, with varying degrees of involvement based on the intensity of visions received
- Members are recruited through terrifying dreams that paradoxically make them feel “freed” when they understand their mortality
- Their motto appears to be “Fear reveals truth”
- The wizard who escaped was named Corelis
- Val Gultesh, the Shaper of Nightmares, is seeking unprecedented alliance with quori forces
- The group operates from an abandoned creation forge in the Cogs
When Cas uses charm magic, Mirin reveals the cult’s hideout location and the password “Fear reveals truth.” She explains that Echo will be respawned by morning with all his previous knowledge intact.
Most significantly, Mirin hints at a plan for Val Gultesh and the quori to align for the first time. They also dig through her bag and find her bad poetry.
Dark Conclusions
After extracting all useful information, and assuming she can’t be de-programmed, Taarkhan executes Mirin and feeds her corpse to the canary who slowly consumes it.
That night, Barbara experiences a nightmare: she sees her daughter drifting away in stormy waves, with the water transforming into grasping arms that pull her ever further from her reach.