The party began in Rearsgale, where they contracted with the Celestial Concord to teleport ahead of a hill giant raiding party en route to BarrelHaven. Upon arrival, they discovered the threat had already been neutralized by a coalition of mercenaries and town militia. A victory celebration was planned for that evening—coinciding with the arrival of a traveling carnival.
Before the festivities began, Tezir and Welsh split off to investigate. Tezir visited the University Mobile Scriptorium to research the Darkwater Clan and uncovered records of a heretical offshoot known as the Renewal Church. Though outwardly benign, the Church revered the first Darkwater emperor and rejected the universal pantheon—beliefs that led to centuries of persecution.
Meanwhile, Welsh consulted the Celestial Concord enclave to analyze the frog statuette using their experimental Aether Field Energy Analyzer. The results were catastrophic: the entire enclave was struck by visions of darkness and despair, culminating in the image of a colossal iron golem head opening its mouth to sing. The artifact’s nature was clearly far more dangerous than anticipated.
The party regrouped at their camp to share findings before heading to the celebration. There, they were honored by the mercenary captain who led the defense. As a reward, he presented them with a heavy gold ring set with a frog-shaped emerald taken from Nosnra’s corpse, along with two crumpled parchments—orders from the Permafrost Jarl instructing Nosnra to retrieve a stasis box from a location referred to as the “basalt shelf.” Welsh and Lucious recognized the term from imperial lore, suggesting it might refer to a type of site rather than a specific place.
During the carnival, Lucious enhanced performances with cantrips and charm, drawing the attention of the fortune teller’s barker. He was invited for a complimentary reading from Madame Leota, who cryptically foretold that he would soon meet a stranger bearing a lucrative offer.
The next morning, the party was approached by an itinerant preacher named Brother Ezekiel, a member of the Renewal Church traveling with the carnival. Claiming to have heard rumors of a recovered relic, in exchange for promises of charitable works in BarrelHaven, Lucious agreed to hand over the statuette. Lucious, ever the trickster, conjured a near-perfect replica and handed it over. Ezekiel departed in a frenzy of gratitude.
Welsh, disguised as a housecat, followed Ezekiel back to the carnival. After a long visit to Madame Leota’s tent, Ezekiel emerged visibly shaken and retreated to his wagon, ranting to himself about the deception and his failed instructions. He soon returned to the party’s camp, furious and accusatory, before storming off.
The party, anticipating trouble, packed their camp and returned to Madame Leota’s tent. Her demeanor had shifted—hostile, demanding the frog statuette with the chilling claim: “It belongs to me.” Tezir’s keen senses detected the scent of undeath, and when Leota revealed a grotesque, three-fingered hand, he identified her as a Boneclaw—a failed lich, bound to a master. Leaning in, Tezir whispered, “So, who’s your boss?” Leota shrieked and expelled them from the tent.
The carnival had turned. The air was heavy with menace. The party made a swift exit, activating their teleportation circle and returning to Rearsgale—leaving behind a town now steeped in mystery, memory, and mythic dread.