September 1865 and there's a lot to cover in our Vaesen campaign. To begin with, there was some action at Harrow House itself in late August.
Roddy MacLeod was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of a huge silver stag stampeding in the back garden at Harrow House, its antlers dripping blood. The house was roused, but by the time MacLeod got downstairs, armed with his trusty rifle, the stag was gone. A trail of hoofprints was left in the garden but did not seem to lead anywhere.
William encountered the spectre of Isaac Merrow in the kitchen while he was preparing dinner one evening. Merrow - who could only be seen in a large mirror in the kitchen - had quite a lot to say to William:
"The Wight was bound once, but grief is a root that grows again. They crown it now with vermin and filth. When it rises, Bristol will weep blood. And its tears will drown England entire. The crown is hollow, yet it hungers. Break the circle, scatter the choir, and its head will remain bare."
Tom Haskins, the gardener, drew the attention of George Fallowdrake to a widening area of bog or swamp behind Harrow House which he calls 'the Hungry Moor'. Locals are blaming it for the disappearence of sheep, and Haskins says they claim Harrow House is built too close to "the hungry places." Legends tell that there was once a ferocious battle fought on the site, and the dead lie restless. Haskins reckons the bog is getting bigger. Fallowdrake asked him to mark the edges of the bog with white stakes to see whether it is indeed getting larger.
Research was carried out in the library at Harrow House and the team uncovered the Fragmentum Noctis, a fragment of a 13th century manuscript found in Glastonbury Abbey. It speaks of a circle of mourners who feed sorrow into the earth, making a hollow throne ready for their master. It also mentions a ritual called 'crowning the Hollow' involving vermin, bones, and 'the breath of the dying.'
More disturbing yet, they also found a book called Corona Vacua by Lady Agnes Blythe (an amateur mystic), published in 1707, which talks about secret mourning societies in England, groups in the early 18th century who gathered to ritually lament the dead and who believed that grief could be refined into spiritual power. The book mentions the Hollow Crown, a Bristol-based sect who 'wear masks of bone and sorrow' and worship 'the King in Mourning.'
A plea from Colcombe
A letter was received at Harrow House in early September from Elspeth Tregarron, a baker who lives in the village of Colcombe, on the western edge of the Blackdown Hills in Somerset. She had heard of the group's exploits in Wellow and asked them to come solve a mystery in her village. She wrote of an 'ill presence' that was inflicting the children of the village with visions and causing them to walk in their sleep at night. The children speak of a woman 'thin as a birch' trying to lead them away, which old folk believe is an evil spirit called Oonagh the Hollow, a bride left in waiting who has become 'a spirit of want and grief.' Tregarron beseeched the group to come to Colcombe to raise the curse.
Research was duly carried out at Harrow House. It quickly became obvious from Isaac Merrow's diaries that he had visited the Blackdown Hills in 1863 and wrote of meeting an ancient woman called Oonagh who lived there, and was "older than she seemed." He mentioned in his diary that there were various popular legends associated with her locally, including that she could talk to stones and carry water uphill in a sieve.
The party dutifully seat out for Somerset, a day's travel by cart, stopping in Exeter for lunch and some shopping. Some old scrolls were acquired from a dealer in the city before they proceeded on by hired cart to Colcombe. The carter Thomas Lugg proved to be a superstitious soul who had charms of iron and rowan on his horses' harnesses and said they were for protection from the evil spirits he might encounter when travelling country lanes after dark. He told the PCs that sometims he hears strange, hollow laughter when driving his cart at night, and that sheep and other livestock refuse to be driven up the Hollow Lane, which leads east from Colcombe into the Blackdown Hills.
The party has rented rooms at the Bell & Sheaf Inn in Colcombe, which stocks "particularly fine cider", according to landlord Josiah Cribb. After a few beverages he admitted he might have seen "a pale woman" walking down the Hollow Lane one night.
Several houses in the village have rowan charms hung from the rafters to protect them against evil, or odd glyphs chalked on doors or windows.
Questioning of local baker Elspeth Tregarron discovered little of value other than that children are being found out at night seemingly sleep-walking. She did mention that there was little to be found up the Hollow Lane itself, other than a ruined and abandoned cottage. Farmers have been forced to drive their livestock into the hills using alternative routes. The group asked her about strangers in the area, and she mentioned some "polite men from Bristol" who had visited Colcombe the previous year (1864) asking questions about ancient sites and lore. They seemed both wealthy and educated, but did not linger long, and she did not get their names.
A visit was paid to the local vicar, Samuel Renwick, who is the cousin of Alistair Renwick, the Bath lawyer who represented the estate of Isaac Merrow (see episode 1). Samuel Renwick was largely dismissive of the superstitions of the villagers, whom he seemed to feel were benighted, illiterate (and cider-addled) peasants quick to jump at a shadow. He did stock a fine sherry cabinet however, and he had met some of the mysterious personages from Bristol the previous year, whom he said were nosing about asking about local legends and ancient sites (he could not recall any names though). He had also previously met Isaac Merrow when he was in the area in 1863, although he regarded Merrow as a bit of an eccentric. He was able to produce some books belonging to his predecessor, which the investigators read, although most were about local wildlife and flowers.
However, one of the books contains a mention of 'the Name of that Hollow' - a work on ancient folklore, it has a Latin ritual called Fragment on the Extraction of Grief. This talks about a 'shard' and a 'host' and what is needed to extract the shard from the host.
Up the Hollow Lane
The group determined after supper to brave the Hollow Lane at night. Taking their lanterns, they headed up the lane, which is lined by high rowan hedges. At the point where the lane runs out onto the hills, they discovered a cottage, although it was not ruined, and smoke was coming from the chimney. Inside they could see lamplight.
The PCs decided to knock at the door, and it was answered by an old woman, who confirmed her name was Oonagh. She invited them inside and bustled around offering tea and cakes (none have been consumed by cautious characters). She singled William out for special attention, acknowledging him as "one who is lost." Roddy was disturbed by the sight of shadows in the room seemingly twisting into the shapes of antlers, and heard a voice saying "she waits for you still." Oonagh also seemed to register the voice, but with surprise. Nobody else seemed to notice it.
The ancient woman admitted she had met with Merrow a couple of years previously, and that she sees him still, wandering the hills on moonless nights. She professed knowledge of the Hollow Wight, whom she said was now bound, but still restless, and was seeking to break free again. She said: "He will want the rest of me back; and he will want the rest of you too." She said she had been to Whistman's Tor in Dartmoor. Dr Fitzpatrick used his Sixth Sense talent to confirm there was a vaesen in the immediate vicinity.
It was at this point that the adventurers glimpsed the pale face of a girl staring at them through one of the cottage windows. She seemed to have odd black, petal-like growths around her eyes. Oonagh saw her too and cried, "The Hollow Ones....they have found me at last." At which point the sound of someone battering at the door to the cottage was heard...
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