In reply to Reverend Stratton (msg # 73):

Gravely looking back at his companions and remembering what they have seen in Peru and New York, Bromley utters "Given what we've been though, some may say we're already there..."

"While murder, even to end a curse, is out of the question, maybe there is something to investigate with this Stafford line? Either way, I cannot in good conscience keep this information, however grim, from my friends"

Bromley then goes back into the room, places the book on the table and points out the relevant passage.

In reply to Bromley Aveline-Edgeware (msg # 74):

"Gordon Bennett!" exclaims Art. "So there could still be a witch living somewhere around here? I say we track her down!"

In reply to Reverend Stratton (msg # 73):

Gustav interjects. "Well, it doesn't hurt us one bit to make a courtesy call to the descendants of the Stafford Family, at least we get the history right and check if they are familiar with what happened between their family and Vane's generations ago."

You bid farewell to Lawrence Vane and head back to Lesser Edale and your lodgings.

The next morning, after a hearty English breakfast, you meet up with the vicar. He informs you that, yes, there is apparently one direct descendant of Annie Stafford still alive.

Edith Stafford lives with her husband, Will, at remote farm some four miles away. According to the vicar’s house-keeper, Edith has a reputation for being something of a wise-woman, who can help out in matters of the heart, reading palms, and such. She is also the one young women seek out in cases of unwanted pregnancies.

After the breakfast, you drive to the Stafford farm, to the northwest of Lesser-Edale. The four miles on the map the vicar gave you turns out to be almost double that due to the increasingly worsening roads, leading further and further away from civilization.

In the middle of nowhere, you find the farm. Out here, the road is just a dirt track better suited for a tractor or animals. The place screeches of neglect with boarded-over broken windows, old discarded farm tools scattered over the yard, and strange wind chimes hanging from dry trees and from the house. At first glance, the place looks deserted, but then you see a thin veil of smoke emerging from the chimney.

The door is answered by a slob of a man that looks to be in his fifties. “Go away. We dunnit wanna buy anytinn!”

In reply to GM (msg # 78):

Gustav replied to the man at the doorway.

"Good morning kind sir, I assure you that we are not here to sell anything. We came at the advice of the Reverend Stratton to follow up on something. May we enter your lovely farm?"

In reply to Gustav Schmidt (msg # 79):

Dermot butts in. "Oi've got a fine trading enterprise of my own on the high seas, so I hairdly need to come rapping on a country door for sales. As my friend said, we're seeking information."

 “No! Go away!” The man slams the door shut in your face. You can hear raised voices inside, and a moment later the door is opened again, this time by an older woman.

“-Yu have tu excuse our Will, he’s a bit sespiscious uf strangers. What ken I do fer yu?”


This message was last updated by the player at 22:25, Sun 21 Oct 2018.

In reply to GM (msg # 81):

"Guten Morgen Madem, would you by any chance be the Lady Stafford..Edith Stafford? My colleagues and I have come on a matter of some importance, and if possible would like to sit and speak with you... over a cup of tea perhaps?"

You are invited to sit down on dirty chairs at a dirty table and are served disgusting tea in rusty tin cups.

Edith is clearly the one in command here, and while she is talking to you, her husband Will takes care of the dishes, or whatever he’s up to since the pile of unwashed dishes doesn’t seem to diminish in any notable manner.

Edith asks to know your business and after you explain, she corroborates that she is indeed a blood relative of the famous Witch of Edale, Annie Stafford. In the same breath, she also dismisses those rumors as nothing more than superstitious talk.

When asked about her work as a wise woman, she admits that she sometimes dabbles in such things, but also says that she has no real powers and that she considers such things are pure nonsense.
This message was last updated by the player at 20:14, Sun 21 Oct 2018.

In reply to GM (msg # 83):

Dermot gingerly sips from his tea cup, careful to skim from the top to avoid the dregs. In an earnest tone belying his growing suspicion and alarm, he petitions the lady:

"As you say, I'm sure there's nothing in all this witchcraft and palm reading. On the other hand, an auld sailor like me can ill afford to pass up any blessing or insight for future voyages. We're superstitious folk, to be sure, but we've seen things. Can ye tell me any word, be it knowledge or warning?"

"Cross my palm with silver!" demands Edith. After payment, she takes Dermot's hand and stares blankly into space.

"I see many travels for you. A great mountain. A new birth. The eagle of the defender will destroy the harbinger of evil. The star of lies foretells serenity. The people of the palace will restore the empire. A time of war will begin!"
This message was last updated by the player at 20:14, Sun 21 Oct 2018.

In reply to GM (msg # 85):

He's pretty sure she's making it all up as she goes, but he nods gravely as if to accept a weighty gift. He tucks away the reading anyway in the extremely unlikely event it becomes useful.

In reply to GM (msg # 81):


Gustav is bemused at the sight of Mr. Murphy getting his fortunes told and smirked with the realisation that she is just playing around him. After the reading has finished, Gustav interjects.

"I would be interested in that too"

Gustav takes a seat beside Ms. Edith and casually engaged in small talk a few moments later.

"So... Ms. Edith, We are here on behalf of the Reverend Stratton concerning the gruesome murders Lesser Edale has been experiencing. It has come to our attention that outlying farms have been victimised by this anomaly.

We have been to Plum Castle and was able to access its libraries... and your family's bloodline keeps showing up. Do you have any idea why is this so?

Edith takes a coin from Gustav and proceeds with more nonsense; “In the village of the mountain, a terrible traitor will burn. The planet of the sun foretells famine. The dog planet foretells war.”

But then her voice suddenly changes and grows deeper, takes on an American accent…  “I say, did you try the whiskey sours? And have anyone see my pipe? Can’t see to find anything around here – so dark…”

Her eyes open and she shakes her head. “Goodness, I felt strange fer a second there! Will! Get me a glass o’ wine.”

She listens to Gustav’s questions and shrugs. “Oi’ve heard one of my ancester’s put a curse on that family, sure. But we’ve not done no killings here, sure. Will can hardly walk and as you kin see, I’m just an ol’ woman.”

Art leans over to Dermot and whispers. “Was that Jackson? My god, sounded like him! Uncanny!"

He shakes his head and continues quietly. "Apart from that, I do believe this is a dead end. I mean, are we supposed to kill her to see if Bromley’s hunch is correct? Poor Eloise seems to have some sort of inherited disease, not a bloody curse!”
This message was last updated by the player at 20:13, Sun 21 Oct 2018.

In reply to GM (msg # 88):

Gustav take everything what Ms. Edith say with a grain of salt. Even the part wherein she talks like Mr. Elias a little while.

"Anything interesting you folk do here in your spare time? Fish trapping? Tipping cows?"

"How long have you people lived here?"

In reply to GM (msg # 88):

"Good lady, perhaps you could use your insight to tell me about the The Black Power..."
Johan provide some coinage as well.

Edith eagerly collects your coins and yells for Will to serve more tea for the ‘fine gentlemen and the pretty lady”.

As Will shuffles around the table, refilling your chipped mugs, Edith regales you with tales of sorcery and witchcraft, ghosts and goblins, and things that go bump in the night. She has lived in this valley all her life, but did visit Derby once. ‘Noisy and smelly. Didn’t care for it at all!’

“Oi’ve heard of the Beast of Lesser Edale, of course! They say it prowls the moors every full moon and eats babies! It’s the size of four dogs, and has retractable legs so it can leap up at you better, and it glows in the dark!”

You offer Edith more coins and the promise of richer clients if she accompanies you back in your car. She accepts willingly and rushes around, trying to find something decent to wear, which seems to take forever. Leaving the house key to the shaky hands of her husband, she squeezes into the backseat of the car, reminding you all that showers and baths in this area perhaps occur less frequently that you might desire. She chatters endlessly and seems excited about the trip.

Bromley navigates the old car through the light snow that has started to descend, and loses sight of the road a few times. As you turn a slippery corner, there is a loud bang from the engine, and the car shudders to a stop. It is mid-afternoon and the sun will set before 5 PM.


This message was last edited by the GM at 20:56, Mon 22 Oct 2018.

In reply to GM (msg # 92):

Dermot steps out of the car, grumbling. He's still mentally worn out. He walks over to the hood and stares at it, hands on his hips. After a moment, he raises his hand and swiftly brings his fist down twice in rapid succession. The engine roars back to life, and he returns to his seat.

"Off we go, then."

You continue the drive towards Plum Castle and arrive around 4 PM. It is already a lot darker and there are lights in some of the castle windows.

As you pull into the courtyard, Lawrence Vane comes out to meet you. "You're back! What did you learn? We've already put Eloise down in the dungeon. And who is that!?"

The last with a shocked glance at Edith, who is gawking at the old stone castle and scratching her straggly hair.

In reply to Lawrence Vane (msg # 94):

Gustav introduces Edith to Lawrence and proceeded to explain to him the group's intent on witnessing the transformation of Eloise.

"We would want to confirm Eloise affliction. By the way, this is Edith Strafford, the descendant of the supposed family that cursed your family."

"Is there a secured location in the castle to house Ms. Edith while we witness the transformation?"

“Secured?” replies Lawrence with a puzzled frown. “I mean, I could have Giles mind her in the servant’s quarters if necessary. Not very comfortable with letting her roam around my home, to be honest.”

He arranges for Giles to lead Edith Stafford away and keep an eye on her. Once that is arranged, he invites you inside. “Father is in his room and has started drinking already. I fear this is taking a toll on his health.”

The young Vane heir leads you through the Great Hall to the Servant’s Hall and to a staircase in the back kitchen. This leads down to the cellar, where another door takes you to the wine cellar (stocked with dusty old bottles of exquisite claret) and into a storage room, where a stout door leads down to the dungeon. The door is kept locked, although the key rests on a hook that hangs nearby. A long flight of steps leads into a cold and dark stone chamber, in which a few ancient chains hang from the walls. An unlocked iron door leads into a series of nine cells, each fitted with iron doors of their own.

“I only have the key to the last cell, so that’s where we keep her,” explains Lawrence as he takes the lead. As he comes to the last cell on the left, he looks in and stops dead in his tracks. He looks back at you with a confused expression. “She’s not there!”

With shaky hands, Lawrence hurriedly unlocks the cell door. The small cell has been made as comfortable as possible for Eloise, but it’s still a dismal place. Gustav uses his skills as a trained detective and soon discovers a loose stone in the east wall, which when pushed, operates a hidden mechanism that opens a secret door. On the other side is a long and narrow stone tunnel, leading into darkness.
This message was last updated by the GM at 21:33, Tue 23 Oct 2018.

"Uhm, yes... lanterns," replies a clearly flustered Lawrence. "I have no idea where things are kept. Wait here, I will go fetch Giles."

He strides quickly up the dungeon corridor and through the door, leaving you alone. You think you can hear faint scrabbling noises and a low growl coming from the dark tunnel.