The Pisspots turned tail and fled, leaving any remaining inhabitants of Innsmouth to their fate. They regrouped with Elida and made their way toward the teleportation circle that offered a means of escape from the island. They stopped once to search for valuable gems mined by the Silken Web, but their efforts yielded only a few shards of worthless minerals.
After inspecting a recovered arrow, Elida explained that the bugbear that nearly killed Arden was likely a member of a nameless guild of assassins known for their secrecy and effectiveness (this incident excluded).
William McGregor once again arrived via teleportation circle and delivered the adventurers to the safety of Clifton. Xan updated the group on the status of the Eye of the Beholder diamond, believed by the group to be valuable in their struggle against the cultists. The Escalante family planned to sell it, they already had a buyer, and the transaction would happen within days. Xan also revealed that her husband Karl spent nearly all his time at a world-renowned academy of magic, located on the fourth and final major island of the archipelago.
Pilst identified the dead cultist’s Wand of Amplification used by Arden to be cursed and draining her wisdom. Arden obtained the aid of the merciful Lady Genoveve Andelson in removing the curse, and using diamond earrings generously gifted by Xan, she was ultimately able to reverse the wisdom draining effects.
Eager to warn Clifton’s general populace of the approaching undead menace, Milo stole the show again at the Tippy Top by delivering a marvelous musical ballad accompanied by illusory magic, depicting in song and vivid imagery the fall of Dis and Innsmouth. Most received the performance as mere entertainment, but the establishment’s owner, Baern, took the portent seriously. However, instead of offering a plan for action, he pointed out that the division between the houses of Clifton meant that no one was in charge, and an organized defense would be difficult to muster.
Desiring to swipe the famous diamond, Remi, Kaicho, and Ragon cased the Escalante mansion at night, searching for security weaknesses. They found only that the entrances were well guarded, and they had leads on neither the current location of their quarry nor where the transaction would take place.
The next morning, Arden performed a divination ritual to learn more about the sale of the diamond. She asked:
Who will be purchasing the Eye of the Beholder from the Escalante family?
The reply:
A name lost to time, like a grain of sand on a beach. Seek and ye shall find, but the truth is often more than you want to know.
There was much to speculate about. Not only was this response foreboding, but Milo’s magnificent mane of hair had turned stark white overnight, and his original brand of desecration had disappeared!