Book 2: They Watched the Stars

Chapter 3: What Remains

Or, Feed me Seymour!!!

After 4 days of travel, they can see the fallen star’s glow, but they are still far away. From the forest rides an injured looking horse carrying a dead half elf being chased by a carnivorous plant. Innumma takes aim, marking the mutant plant but it shrugs off the arrow. Then the group attacks in earnest. Innumma yells to the group that the Moonflower is an alien species not native to Galarion but has been brought here by an evil organization. The group muses that it seems to be affected by fire after it reacts in pain after Yoi-ko‘s and Hector’s burning attacks. Sammakko tests the theory with his dragon breath with good effect.

After the plant is brought low by the group, the group sees that there is a trail of blood and trampled brush which Innumma can track. Yoi-ko asks if the path of the rider and plant come from the same direction of the fallen star and Innumma says that it seems to.

Hector heals Yoi-ko and also uses his arts on the horse. Sammakko starts eyeing the horse hungrily but Hector sends it away. Though he is sad, Sammakko is comforted by Hector who helps him harvest parts of the plant.
After some harvesting and healing, the group proceeds to follow Innumma as he scouts through the forest. They come upon a mounds of dirt near a well with a rickety wooden steps going down into the well. Beetles emerge from the well, crude faces painted upon them. Maneuvering the beetles with their attacks the party seeks to contain the skin beetles while killing them. Sammakko takes advantage of the strategy and incinerates the beetles save one which Innumma finishes off.

Sakuachi encourages the party then turns their attention to the well and explore it to see if they can find the fallen star while the tribesmen stay in the clearing outside. Innumma examines the trail of blood and tracks leading from the well and suggests that they make haste in case there are others alive below.

At the bottom of the well is a door which does not seem to have any traps. When opened a pile of shields falls to the floor as a rudimentary alarm. There is a banner with a picture of a woman on it who Innumma recognizes as Galfrey of the Mendevian Crusades. Through the next door is a small dining room with doors on three of the walls and paintings on one. Hector checks the paintings and sees that they are of the Mendevian Crusades and worth 50 gp each. He takes them. Innumma follows the trail and determines that it comes from the double doors to the east.

Through the double doors is a cold room with frosted bricks under skins hanging from hooks. Some of the skins are demons and bits of nonflesh hang there as well. Hector climbs the wall, avoiding the frost bricks and skins, to check the rest of the room.

A monstrosity of stitched together skins awaits Hector and attacks. The Stitchskin manages to take a strip of skin off of Hector before meeting its doom at his hands. Unfortunately, skin beetles pour out of the monstrosity and attacks Yoi-ko and Hector. After a lot of smashing and magicing, the beetles are defeated.

Treasure: A moonflower cutting (Sammakko‘s Trophy), 4 Mendevian paintings (50gp each), 2 greater polished demon horns (450 gp each)