Sheila Cholico, Pd 8, 4/28/22

Sheila Cholico

Pd 8

4/28/22

 

Entry 1: (Day 1, Late Evening) 

I’m writing this entry in the candlelight of my hotel room, for it’s far too late to turn on the oil lamp by my bedside. The journey to Amaldiçoado was long and tiresome, but it was without hitches. It’s a very small town, but I was able to find a small inn close to its outskirts. 

I spoke to the innkeeper briefly before I retired to my room. I inquired about any abnormalities of the town, but he was a man of few words. In fact, it seemed like my very presence put him on edge. Monster hunters aren’t well received in this area. 

In the morning, I will head out to explore the town. I don’t know much about this town, but I know there are rumors of people disappearing in the Tepuis near this area. I’m hoping my arrival in this town will give me some answers. 

Entry 2: (Day 2, Early Morning) 

I went downstairs today in the hopes of getting more answers from the innkeeper, but found that the place was deserted. Upon further investigation, I discovered that today was Sunday mass, and most of the townspeople were at church. A number of the townspeople here seem to be practicing Roman Catholics, though there is a sizable population of the older townspeople that still practice some form of spiritualism.

I decided to take a walk to wake myself up, and I bumped into an older traveler on the trails who explained that the religion they practiced was a branch of spiritualism,  though it was vastly different in practice than in definition. He also warned me not to stay in the village for too long, especially considering my line of work. I paid no heed to his last sentence; danger is a part of the job. 

Entry 3: (Day 2, Late Afternoon) 

This day was an unsuccessful one, filled with more questions than answers. Everywhere I go, I am greeted with apprehensive glances and terse answers. It came to the point where I was refused entry into a couple shops and businesses. I’ve since retired back to my room, but I feel a lingering sense of confusion surrounding the events of today. 

What is this town hiding? 

Entry 4: (Day 3, Late Afternoon) 

I believe I may have found the start I need for my investigation today. As I was questioning a shopkeeper near the town’s center, I spotted an old spirit reading booth, tucked into the side of an alleyway. Some greater force seemed to draw me to it, so I stepped inside and was greeted by an elderly man with dark, tanned skin. 

I’m not one for religion or superstitions, so I took my reading with a grain of salt. However, what happened after is why I am writing in this journal now. The old man had a shelf full of oddities on display behind him, and after my reading, he picked up a strangely shaped rock and handed it to me. 

It was a stone shaped like no other, with engravings that curled like fingers around a hollow center. The old man insisted that I keep it, and I placed it in my pocket. He told me that it would help me find the answers I was looking for. I would be a fool not to observe the magical properties the stone held, holding it up to my eye in the dim light of the booth. The engravings glowed with the faintest of lights, an indicator of magical attunement. 

I asked the man where he got the stone, but I received no answer back. He simply told me to use it soon, before ushering me out of the shop. As I left, he pointed me in the direction of a house near the outskirts of the town. He told me to go there for the answers I seek. 

As I sit in my bed writing this, the stone has stopped glowing, sitting in my palm. The engravings on the rock seem to form a message. 

“When you come to a crossroad, peer into its eye. The stone reveals what was hidden inside.”