Those Poor Souls Who Dwell in Light

Introduction
Following the events aboard the Louisiana Lady, our investigators went back to their lives as before, though they were of course much changed. Each member found their day to day lives a little too mundane, a little shallow - now knowing how deep the tendrils of Eldritch horrors dug, it was difficult to continue as if all was well.

Jack Nash in particular struggled to see the world as he once did. Following a string of incidents during his various acting jobs, he found himself without work and whiling away the hours by himself, unsure of what was real and what was not.

A call from his agent, Jeremy Pincer, provided a ray of hope. While no acting work had surfaced, a strange request from a fan seemed to suggest a mystery of sorts to occupy Nash's time. Unsurprisingly, he took the opportunity to rope in the only people who could understand his state of mind: his fellow survivors of the Scarlett Hand's dreadful summoning.

Together they made their way to the home of Lional Gullan, a man who's neice they learned had died tragically at home. In sheets soaked with crimson, she had had, as the police would tell it, a tragic miscarriage. Unmarried and seemingly under enough stress to attempt to steal a book about angels from her uncle without realising it, Gullan's niece, Alice Daw, was out of sorts before her untimely death.

He charged the group with investigating her sudden demise and to bring anyone who may have had a hand in it to justice.

The tendrils of a mystery
Many avenues of investigation were opened to our group of intrepid adventurers. They visited the morgue where young Alice Daw's body was awaiting burial. After quizzing local doctor and mortician, Edith Banks, she warily informed them of a strange wound on the girl's abdomen, which on closer inspection suggested something had eaten its way out of the girl. There was no sign of a fetus.

When pressed, Dr. Banks informed them that a second girl, Mary Hamer had also died recently. Collapsing in the street, complaining of abdominal pain, the girl died before anyone could give her assistance. When Dr. Banks made to examine her body later that day, she found a similar wound on her abdomen, and though the girl appeared to have been pregnant at the time of her death, there was no sign of a fetus.

With this information in hand, the investigators visited Alice's home and the site of the death. Neither parent had been aware of the pregnancy, with the father rather resentful of the fact and charged the investigators with telling him who was responsible should they discover them.

Mrs Daw however suggested that it may be Cecil Bosco, Alice's boyfriend. The investigators also discovered a book with Alice's younger brothers. They claimed to have found it in Alice's room. It related to 16th century, Tudor alchemist, Edward Kelley.

The mystery deepens
The 'Saviours' performed further research at the Library and police station - where Penelope Shutter made particular friends with Constable Wilkins - discovering more about Edward Kelley and a seeming spate of book thefts in the area. This latter fact was compounded when they ran down a man in the streets after he murdered his pursuer in cold blood. Before the police could arrest him, Jack Nash spirited away a book he seemed to be carrying.

Roger took the book back to Lionel Gullan, where his own research and investigation discovered that the book was about communing with angels, an ability that that Edward Kelley laid claim to having during his lifetime.

Following up on the links with Kelley, the investigators visited his old home, now occupied by the friendly Crespos, who discussed how they had once heard the voices of angels in one of the rooms, though they seemed to disappear after a visit from local religious head, Reverend Leigh.

That Reverend was one of two who ran the local parish. The Daw family, Mary Hamer and the Crespo's maid, Sophia were all members of his congregations.

A religious link
When the investigators visited the local priory and confronted Reverend Leigh about some of the recent strange happenings, he was initially dismissive and reticent to cooperate. However when pressed, he became strangely amenable and showed them his rooms, where there appeared to be little in the way of evidence to convict him of anything. Upon Leigh making some minor adjustment within his cassock, the players discovered an unopened letter addressed to the Reverend. It was from Lionel Gullan, confessing to sexually assaulting the deceased women, communing with ancient aliens and using magic to bewitch the locals. It was at this time, that Penelope felt a strange stirring in her abdomen.

Taking the letter and confronting Gullan however, saw the investigators confounded when the letter appeared to vanish, as if it had never existed. Penelope's abdominal discomfort also evaporated. Confused, they decided to commune once again with Dr Edith Banks, to assess the situation.

Instead of a conversation however, they were confronted by Banks' cold corpse, with an internally bitten wound at her throat. Upon searching the morgue, the investigators were attacked by a bizarre, black starfish with a beaked mouth at its centre. They killed it without much difficulty, but its sight alone sent cold shivers through them. Was this what had caused such horrific deaths of the young ladies stored in the drawers in that very room?

Magic, Kelley and the bright light beyond
A phone call gave them little time to ponder, as the Crespo's maid Sophia had collapsed with abdominal pain. Rushing over, Ann Finnigan began an examination of the maid, only to discover what appeared to be more strange starfish inside her. While Roger made sure that the Crespo family did not intervene - through rather violent means - Ann attempted to operate. Six spawn burst forth and assaulted the group, leaving them scrambling to contain them.

The police arrived shortly after and arrested all of those involved. While they were all bailed out shortly afterwards by an anonymous benefactor, the local constables took it upon themselves to assault Roger on his way out, leaving him confined to the hospital while the others continued their investigation.

Taking their suspicions to the source, they confronted Reverend Leigh at his rectory, but once again he targeted them with his arsenal of mind-altering spells, only physical contact itself breaking his control. With Penelope seeming at risk of being assaulted herself, Roger appeared fresh from hospital and used his physical charms to secure the man, making sure to give him a pummelling in the process.

On his person they found a crystal that pulsed with energy and magical power, giving the holder strange visions - further proof of his crimes. They also discovered a key to the rectory's basement. There they discovered the emaciated and fire-wounded body of Edward Kelley. The 500+ year old spoke in gibberish, but warned them of Leigh. Amist his babble, Kelley suggested that he had been torn from the glowing portal in the room beyond by Leigh's scheming.

The white portal glowed with a heat-less and smoke-less fire, though its intensity forced them to shield their eyes. A sheet covered Elder Thing stood watch, its wings and limbs nailed to the floor and pinned in place with ropes and belts. It attempted to have the investigators free it using its own mind-altering powers, but they were able to resist, albeit falling afoul of its terror-inducing presence in various ways.

Attempting to close the portal for good, the investigators flung the magical crystal through it, but nothing happened.

Unable to restrain his curiosity and machismo, Roger followed it through the portal and though the fire felt as if it blistered and burned, his clothes and skin remained unsinged. Beyond he encountered the ethereal, real, forms of the Elder Things, themselves and he made up of white fire. The world was impossibly bright and beautiful, its geometry twisted and alien.

The door to the realm of man was now open though. Seeing the role he must play, Roger gripped the handles either side of the doorway and braced himself against the flame. Although he would remain in unceasing agony, he would hold out to keep his friends from harm.

Back in the real world, the portal zipped closed. The remaining investigators called the police and awaited their arrival. The officers themselves may have been part of the conspiracy however, as the church was swiftly and mysteriously set ablaze and the investigators thrown in jail., their fates uncertain.

Only Constable Wilkins' immeasurable charm and the patronage of Thaddeus Grant saved them. Spirited from the jail in the middle of the night, he furnished them with transport and tickets to one of his safehouse residences in the American city of Arkham.