Upon arriving at Midmount, the party begins investigating a series of strange events. Thorak, disguised as “Snorak” using his hat of disguise, gathers information from the locals under the pretense of being a new foreman. Rumors of a mine explosion and memory issues surface, and as they journey further into town, Thorak continues his ruse to gain access to the city center. They’re led by a woman named Sam to Lua Hugh, another foreman. Still, their vague story about missing shipments and lack of documentation gets them quickly dismissed, until Bob’s improvisation about searching for a brother elicits Lua’s sympathy. She brings them back in privately and offers to help, though she admits she doesn’t know how much she truly can.Meanwhile, Valen investigates the area and notices unsettling signs: his reflection shows a black smear on his face, and his hands appear stained with charcoal. Back inside, Lua gives the group some names, but strange happenings continue: Bob finds a pencil in his hand that he doesn’t recall taking, and everyone in the group is marked with charcoal without explanation. Dona spots this first, and as they regroup and speak with locals, they learn that such marks began appearing after the mine explosion, linked to something ominously called the “ashen children.” The more they explore, the more markings appear, and no one seems to know how or why.Dona uses Primeval Awareness and senses aberrational presence coming from the mine, while Valen’s Detect Thoughts spell picks up nearby minds he cannot locate. Still disguised, “Snorak” presses further into the mine pretending to be an inspector, hoping to piece together the puzzle of the explosion, the missing shipments, the mysterious children, and the rising aberrations. But as the group delves deeper, the marks on them grow stranger, until one final message appears, stark and urgent: RUN!

There's so much happening, and that's where we pick up…

Find out what happens next in this episode of the Medusa’s Cascade: Blood & Booze!

Theme Music is written and performed by Efflorescence

Mixed by Thomas Lapierre III

Check out the show at themedusascascade.com