Eudaimonia Gunderson gives the party a holy torch which the party can use in combination with DECISIVE EVIDENCE to make someone in denial of the truth confront it. It is in no way a magatama.
The party proceed to the Cataclysm refugee camp. Upon saying something positive, they are attacked by SLEEPERS.
Upon examining the brain of one of the sleepers (thanks to Edward's skills with brain surgery) they discover that the part of it that is associated with strong emotional responses such as sorrow and hope and despair has been overloaded. Edward tries to consume part of the brain and is confronted by an entity that wants to do something rather unpleasant to his soul. Upon contemplating this later, it occurs to him that, with his innate understanding of consumption, the victims have been 'fattened' in some way. This corroborates Clem and Thorn's magical understanding.
Meanwhile, at the camp, they discover three groups of individuals with unusual problems.
The first is a teenager who has found a source of clean water for the camp, but everyone they have brought water to appears to be sick.
The second is a child whose mother has been arrested for murder and scheduled for execution, despite the fact she was only working odd jobs at the docks to provide bread and money for her dependents.
The third is a man whose wife has been kidnapped after being diagnosed with a terminal illness.
In the first instance, it seems as though the 'clean well' the teenager found was actually horribly contaminated. Edward barely avoids the temptation to push everyone inside.
The party present the evidence to the teenager and enable him to confront the need not to be 'strong' in front of the demands of the needy children. He breaks down and admits that he's been bringing contaminated water into the camp because he couldn't face the idea that they would die of dehydration otherwise.
In the second instance, the child's mother is discovered to have been a member of the Red Hook gang, and a violent murderer who found a haven from despair in the excesses of violence. With decisive evidence of her crime, the party convince her to overcome the allure of the violent impulses being nurtured by a misused love. Here, Thorn works out that the violent impulses must be healed to be overcome. She breaks down and confesses to her crimes.
About this time The Wanderer takes a veil potion and has a vision of an ancient pewter sarcophagus to which pilgrims offered up great burdens and came away light again.
Vermillion witnesses that the work of the torch is divine in nature, and that by burning away the falsehood a dark cloud of smoke pours out of the affected individuals and floats away on the wind.
At lunch with Eudamonia and the orphans, the party are able to press Eudaimonia for more information. She discloses that she suspects the incidents are connected to a cursed artefact currently in possession of one of the nobility.
At this, Vermillion heads to a hipster cafe to hit up his art world contacts. They confirm that Walter Cargan came into possession of a sarcophagus sold at a private auction. This tallies with the Wanderer's vision.
The party attempt to gain an audience with Walter, but are told that the Sarcophagus is not to be made available to the public until a 'grand debut' in two weeks' time where over half the council will be present.
Nonetheless, they deploy their skills to try and arrange a faster meeting with Walter.
The party discover the mystery behind the third individual. His wife has died, and her body has been stolen from a mass morgue in the camp and taken to a necromancer's crypt. Thorn solves the nature of the puzzle sealing it in place.
Hacking her out of a flesh amalgam, The Wanderer throws her head at the poor man, waves the torch over him, and is confronted by psychic manifestations of the man's lost love.
Alone, however, he is unable to convince the man to cermonially kill his dead wife. Thankfully the rest of the party are hot on his heels and enable him to commit the grisly deed.
The torch now points to the Cargan estate.
The party are able to have an interview with Walter, and convince him to take them to his new acquisition.
Edward sees a horrid miasma surrounding the sarcophagus.
Vermillion notes that the sarcophagus is divine.
Clem is first to notice the presence of magic in the sarcophagus.
Vermillion and the Wanderer notice its exquisite crafting.
Thorn notices the inscription on the base - sad people with burdens approaching, happy people leaving.
Hitting the sarcophagus with the torch force the party to confront avatars of despair. Being self-confident or optimistic around them seems to cause them pain.
The miasma around the sarcophagus is now visible to everyone.
After some debate, the Wanderer presents the DECISIVE EVIDENCE of the sarcophagus being hella evil to Walter, forcing a psychic combat.
This time, a horrible spider-creature appears to crawl out of the sarcophagus, accompanied by despair-spewing spider children.
Nothing that the party do against the spider seems to work.
Meanwhile, Walter is completely paralysed. He cannot move - thinking himself trapped in a bubble of stasis. Unable to affect the world. Unable to save anyone, even with all his magic.
However, the party are able to convince him out of his paralysis, and after drawing a thunderbolt is able to strike the spider entity, banishing it.