Grotto of the Witch

• DARIDELA CORNETT, Female human druid 6
• Scroll of Lesser Restoration
• +2 wooden armor (APG)
• mwk spear, 
• spell component pouch,
• key to the chest
• Six potions of Cure Light Wounds
• Three potions of barkskin
• Two potions of hide from animals
• Four doses of belladonna
• Six doses of bloodroot
• Ten doses of flayleaf (GMG)
• One dose of Malyass Root Paste
• Note on table:
• A request for "more of your dream-inducing brews, as well as more of that oil", signed by a person named Melisenn
• Daridela's cave
• Four doses of Muscaria
• Type: Ingested; Addiction minor, Fort DC 14
• Price 15 gp
• Onset 30 minutes
• Effects 3 hours; +1d6 alchemical bonus on a single Knowledge (any one), Perception, or Sense Motive check once per minute for the duration of the effect
• Damage 1d4 CHA damage
• 1,694 gp

Daridela will tell you that she originally came from the forest near Illmarsh. She is particularly fascinated with fungus, an interest that initially bloomed from her experiences with a few psychotropic varieties.

She believes her hallucinations provide greater insight into the world and allow her to “see the truth beneath the surface.” Daridela refined and brewed these mushrooms and molds into more potent drugs, and spent hours—if not days—under their effects as she tried to further open her eyes to the mysteries of the world. It was during one of these self-induced ecstasies that she first discovered Xhamen-Dor. In another extended hallucination, she had a vision that put her on the path to learn more of the Inmost Blot.

This vision showed her that Xhamen-Dor lay at the bottom of a remote lake someplace far from Ustalav, and that if she could find it, the Great Old One would transform her into its champion so she might infect the rest of the planet. She also learned her path was not one she walked alone. 

She learned that Count Haserton Lowls was one such soul on the path to find this remote lake and invite Xhamen-Dor into himself. Daridela reasoned that finding Lowls was her first step to unleashing Xhamen-Dor, so she traveled to Thrushmoor to present herself to the count, hoping he would take her along on his journey. 

However, upon arriving in Thrushmoor, Daridela discovered the count had already left on an expedition to halfway across the world.

Reluctant to stay in Thrushmoor, Daridela discovered this grotto less than a mile from town. Here, she brews her dangerous concoctions away from the prying eyes of the suspicious populace. She rarely, if ever, comes into Thrushmoor.