[  Author’s Note: This is the episode synopsis for the 29th session of the Dark Waters Rising campaign. This is my take as to what happened during the session. Please let me know if there are any comments or corrections.  ]

Distillation Of The Outer Dark
Now that Anne, Kirk, and Winston have returned from Germany with another ingredient there are only two left to find. As the group contemplates how to get to the enchanted still Alastair gets a call from Astryd. Astryd explains that someone has come into the shop asking for help. They have some symbols that look “authentic” to her. Alastair calls Ron then the two head to the shop.

At ” The Voodoo That You Do” the pair of hunters find an older gentleman who is watching the shop from just outside the front door. Ron believes that man is not moving in a normal manner. Ron detects that this older man is moving in a slow and deliberate fashion. Alastair calls Astryd who lets them in and introduces then to Joshua Constantin. Joshua shows the group some symbols and Haitian writing that he recorded from the still. The old Cajun man explains that the still is making his people lethargic. Astryd and Alastair think the symbols are part of an elaborate Outer Dark based spell created by Ruby Ray Morales. After Ron and Alastair speak with Joshua he agrees to take them to see the still.

At the small island home of the Constantin family a woman approaches Joshua with tears in her eyes. According to the woman Horatio and some of the other people from the camp took the still. Joshua explains that Horatio came into some money recently and decided to go out on his own. Doing some detective work on the island Anne finds some massive alligator tracks and a post that is crushed by a large clawed hand. Searching the net Kirk finds a nearby boat shop that Horatio always talked about owning. A call to the owner confirms that is was recently sold.

After scoping out the boat shop the team comes up with a simple but clever plan. They will simply buy the still from Horatio. Anne and Alastair approach the shop carefully. Inside they can hear loud music and people having a party. Horatio lets them in when Anne explains that they have a deal the would like to make with them. Anne offers to pay Horatio $45,000 for the still and new truck that is carrying it. After come consideration Horatio agrees if they throw in a new still to the deal as part of the offer. Anne agrees then delivers the cash.

Taking the still back to an empty warehouse Winston, Alastair, and Astryd examine the still and writing in detail. They believe they can use the still to distill essence of the Outer Dark if they enhance it with some of their own magical power. It also gives the three occult researchers a chance to examine the full spell that Ruby Ray created. Alastair’s conclusion is that the spell is much too complex for Ruby Ray to have created it on his own. He guesses that some type of higher intelligence must have aided him.

The group decides to fire up the still to get the next ingredient. As the still starts to produce a black inky material the values start to whistle and hiss! Pouring out from the still is a gaseous creature! Thinking fast Alastair grabs the vial, Anne breaks the propane line, then Ron shoots it with his shotgun! The resulting explosion dissipated the gaseous creature and sends Ron flying.

Akili’s Song
AkiliAfter getting the fourth component the group starts to research the last one. After some research by Anne, Kirk, Alastair, and Madame Farr the group decides that they need a plant that has been tainted by the Outer Dark. They remember the Moth summer home and the oppressive sycamore trees that covered it. While doing research on the site they learn from Instagram that at the site is a group calling itself the Followers Of Thyrsus. Students from Dr. Stone’s class and Kirk’s daughter are also planning on attending.

The group decides to investigate the site immediately. Anne rents a van with a long ladder and packs a chainsaw. Kirk disguises himself then attends as a guest. Behind the house a tarp is setup between the sycamore trees forming an overhang. When they arrive at the backyard camp they find two Rastafarians are leading the festivities. They would later learn that their names are Akili and Jevaun. Akili was playing a haunting tune on a kettle drum. The song had a deep base thrum laid with an empty sounding light treble line. It takes all of Alastair’s mental strength to resist being drawn into the song. When Alastair uses his magical sight he finds that both Akili and Jevaun are glowing with a very powerful and very old magic. He also finds that the three sycamore trees glow with a residual magic from the Rastafarians and a subtle Outer Dark energy. As the sun begins to set Alastair realizes that the trees are growing darker as the night comes on. His feeling is that they need to wait for the darkest part of the night as that is also mentioned in the name of the last component. Alastair also wonders if the song might be needed as well.

As the hunters settle in to wait Akili speaks to Alastair. He remarks that he can hear the song…that he can feel the emptiness. Using his ghosts Anne finds time to search the Rastafarian VS van. Inside she finds some writing on papyrus. This writing is a story of a satyr that ventures alone into a dark forest and learns the meaning of loneliness. That prompts Kirk to quickly research satyrs. Monster hunter boards seem to suggest that satyrs do exist and that they are immortal.

Now they only have to wait…then extract the sap from one of the trees at the darkest part of the night…