Date: 09/23/09

XP Awarded: 3,343 (Kiria), 4,985 (Deivon, Gob, Signore)

Start: The Foxglove townhouse in Magnimar, late autumn.

After the mysterious creature escapes over the back wall, the party returns to the house and explores the upper floors. They find many ransacked chambers, including a master bedroom and study on the top floor. Signore notices that the fireplace in the master bedroom has a molded brass lion head on each end of the mantle, in a design very similar to the unusually shaped key on the keychain. Deivon notices that there is a small keyhole at the back of the lion's mouth, and when they key is used, the other lion's mouth opens to reveal a hidden cache of coins and papers. Brief inspection shows that the papers are legal deeds to the townhouse and Foxglove Manor on the coast near Sandpoint which make reference to a group named "The Brotherhood," and under the papers is a ledger of financial transactions. The party seal up the townhouse and return to their lodging for the night.

The next morning, Deivon returns to the townhouse and searches the entire building again, this time more methodically. Meanwhile, Signore prowls the streets of Magnimar, speaking with contacts to find out more information about the "Brotherhood" referenced in the deed to Foxglove Manor. Gob spends time poring over the ownership papers and the ledger in between tutoring sessions at the Stone of the Seers school of wizardry. Meeting for dinner, the party is surprised to see Kiria has returned. He says he's been spending time catching up with friends, and that Shalelu is in town, and that due to 'other matters', he won't be able to spend much time helping the party with their investigation. When he finds out that the party now effectively owns a Magnimar townhouse, he volunteers to watch over the place and prepare it for the party to stay there while they carry out their investigations. Deivon reports that he hasn't found anything else in the townhouse, and Signore reveals that he has drawn a blank on his queries into the Sihedron ritual or the Brotherhood. Gob has found more success, though - he reveals a few interesting bits he's gleaned from the deed to Foxglove Manor.

The construction of the manor house 80 years ago was financed 2/3 by the Foxglove family, and 1/3 by a group called "Brothers of the Seven," and after 100 years ownership of the manor house along with lands "around and below" reverts to the Brothers of the Seven. Gob also mentions that the ledger he's found seems to be Aldern Foxgloves, and ends abruptly about three weeks ago. For about three months before the last entry in the ledger, there are curious weekly payments to someone referred to as "B.7" labeled "Iesha's trip to Absalom," indicating 200 gold pieces were dropped off at "The Seven's Sawmill" every Oathday at midnight. Taking this information into account, the party decides to go investigate the Seven's Sawmill that evening. Since almost all mills, shipyards, and noisy workshops are located on Kyver's Islet in the mouth of the Yondabakari river, the party crosses the lantern-lit streets of the city to the now deserted streets of the island.

A bit of searching the neighborhood finds the Seven's Sawmill is a relatively simple wooden building attached to the shore, with most of the building resting on columns standing in the river. Underneath the building large waterwheels churn noisily, creating a fine mist that hangs about the surface of the water. Lights shine from windows and gaps in the wooden walls on the upper floors, indicating the mill is operating even at this late hour.

Signore sneaks out onto the wide outer walk that extends along the side of the building over the river, and finds a large set of locked doors around the corner overlooking the wide, slowly moving river. He also finds a set of stairs that descend along the shore to a single door that seems to lead to the undermill. Peeking through gaps in the wooden walls, he spots a couple wagons on the ground floor, and a mass of machinery in the undermill. Returning to the party, the group decides to start in the undermill.

The party quietly descends the staircase to the door just above the water level. Finding the door unlocked, the adventurers enter to find a room mostly filled with whirring belts of leather, gears, pulleys, cranks, and levers. Four large waterwheels churn, producing a mist that soaks everything as well as making it difficult to speak without shouting. Four enormous pistons labor along one wall. Though the room seemed deserted from the outside, soon three workers in leather aprons appear and warn the party that it's a dangerous place. When Signore asks where they can find the mill's manager, the workers smile as they move closer to the party and say that they aren't allowed to give out that type of information.

Suddenly they grab leering masks and wickedly sharp war razors hidden among the machinery and move to attack. Initially caught by surprise, Deivon quickly reacts to behead one with a lightning-fast slash. Gob conjures a globe of flame that causes the water on the wooden floor to sizzle and spatter and sets one worker aflame. Signore moves to reposition himself behind some of the moving machinery, narrowly avoiding being snagged on the rotating hooks, as the remaining worker rushes past Gob out the open door to the wooden stairway. Though Signore manages to nick the worker as he flees, he is not slowed down and is able to outpace Deivon in his slow, heavy suit of armor. Gob concentrates on his ball of fire and it shoots up the stairway, engulfing the fleeing worker in flames. The adventurers quickly perform first aid on the burned workers, and once they are stabilized, bind them with ropes.

Carrying the prisoners through the deserted streets of the island to a dark, secluded alleyway, the party interrogates them. They aren't able to find out much useful information, other than the workers seem to be cultists devoted to someone they refer to as "Father Skinsaw." Returning the cultists to the undermill, they tie them securely to some wooden beams and head back up the stairs to the main set of doors on the wooden walkway.

These doors also prove to be unlocked, and on the ground floor the party finds two wagons, a big pile of soggy hay, and a wooden staircase heading up to the next level of the four-story mill. At the top of the stairs is a landing surrounding an open shaft, another set of stairs that continues upwards, and a door. Opening the door the party finds a room full of stacks of timber, lumber, pulleys, and ropes. Four workers in leather aprons labour here, and they stop their work to approach the party in a friendly way. They ask the suspicious adventurers what they're doing here, but when Signore again asks for the mill's manager, they smile and say they aren't allowed to give out that information before brandishing hidden war razors and donning the same leering masks seen on the other cultists. Prepared, the party quickly defeat the workers.

Finding robes hidden where the workers retrieved their other equipment, Deivon and Signore don the masks and robes. Immediately their minds are filled with hideous whispers and images of murder and violence. They find that they blood glows brightly to their enhanced vision, to the extent that they can actually make out shimmery traces of veins in others. Disturbed by the violence flooding their minds, they remove the masks and put the disguises aside. The party moves up the stairs to the next landing where they find another door and another staircase leading up. Peeking through the door, Signore spots a room with several workers feeding logs through an enormous spinning blade in the floor, slicing it up into boards. Sneaking up to the next level, he finds one last door that leads to a workshop where two workers are busy carving wood. Returning to Gob and Deivon, they decide to go straight up to the workroom.

Bursting through the door, the workers are surprised for a moment before grabbing nearby war razors and donning their masks. Gob takes one down with a volley of magic missiles and Signore wounds the other badly with his thrown returning dagger. The cultist leaps up and charges towards Deivon, but Deivon quickly cuts him down with a back-handed parry and thrust. The party hears spellcasting coming from a door in the back that seems to lead to a small office, and Gob casts a defensive spell that fills the air around him with multiple copies of himself, making it difficult to determine where he is at. Signore runs up to the closed door and hides himself just around the corner, within striking distance of whatever emerges. Deivon moves up to the door and throws it open to reveal a small office with a large desk and decorations on the walls that appear to be skinned human faces stretched out in frames. Behind the desk is a large man in the robes of a cultist, wearing another of the leering masks. As Deivon and Gob take in the scene, the mask on the man's face begins to spin and warp in a confusing manner. A powerful wave of magical energy wash over the warrior and the wizard, but they resist the effects of the spell and keep their grip on reality. Deivon strikes at the man, but he dodges out of the way with amazing speed. Gob fires a fiery ray that also misses the man, striking one of the human faces mounted on the wall and vaporizing it in a gout of flame. As soon as he's finished the spell, he realizes that the cultists from downstairs are rushing up the stairwell, and turns to hurl a sleeping spell at them. One falls to the ground in a slumber, and from his hidden location Signore fires an arrow through the neck of the first one to reach the top of the stairs.

The man in the robes casts a spell and his hand is enveloped in a black aura of magical energy. He reaches out to touch Deivon, but the warrior sees the attack coming and throws himself out of the way at the last moment. Deivon again attacks, but is not able to swing his sword fast enough to keep the cult leader on the defense. With another spell, the masked spellcaster disappears. Deivon advances, swinging his sword wildly, but cannot tell where the invisible foe has gone. Meanwhile, Gob and Signore have their hands full with the cultists who have charged up the stairs. Deivon continues to flounder about, swinging wildly in the hopes of hitting his unseen foe, but moments later there is a shout to get the adventurer's attention and the spellcaster reappears against the far wall. Magical waves of energy wash out from his mask and the adenturers all feel a powerful sense of confusion battering their minds, but manage to resist the effects.

Now that he has a target, Deivon quickly closes with the villain but is still not able to penetrate his defenses. Gob manages to defeat the cultist who had been threatening him and unleashes bolts of magical energy at the cult leader. Although he sees the bolts coming and twists out of the way, they change course at the last moment to strike and he gives a cry of pain. The party hears him shout "My beloved, I do this for you!" Deivon uses this distraction to his advantage and opens a long wound across the leader's leg, slowing him down. Signore uses Gob's help to attack the remaining cultist and finishes him off with a vicious slice. Surrounding the leader, the party presses the attack. Gob rains down more bolts of magical force, and with the assistance of Signore's feints, Deivon at last drives his sword into the cultist's chest. As he sinks to the floor, the cultist whispers his last words, "My beloved, I have failed you..." Pulling back the cult leader's mask, the party finds a heavyset human male that seems vaguely familiar...