Arcade’s Journal -- Crellar’s Inn Part II, Dopplegangers and Death

...after several days travel we have again arrived at Crellar’s Inn. Despite the deep snow outside, the place is jammed with merchants and other folk returning from New Year’s celebrations, and we have decided to spend the evening....

...all is not well. Kelsey, the younger of Crellar’s boys is very upset and blames the trouble on us. He told us that shortly after we left the first time his brother and father began acting very strangely. They have been cold and cruel to the boy, and seem to communicate without speaking. We immediately suspected doppelgangers. However in the interim, Gertrude, the boy’s mother, has become pregnant, so Tom-Tom "hypnotized" the boy to be sure it was not simply jealousy on Kelsey’s part.

Jealously apparently plays no role here. The lad remembers the exact day that his father and brother began acting strangely. It started after they went outside to move the woodpile closer to the inn. Kelsey also reports that his father closely guards a box that he keeps under the bed....

...chose a new password, and warned everyone to stay alert. Nolin entertained the crowd to create a distraction while Tom-Tom and Grundo went out to search the woodpile.

...I was sitting with Kellog, the older brother, and asked him whether he liked the bard's music. He stared searchingly at me for a while, and then gave a nonchalant answer. It seemed plain that he was reading my mind! Then it occurred to me that he must now know my suspicions about his identity. He quickly rose and started for the kitchen. I followed to prevent him from escaping or warning his colleague. Just inside the kitchen door he turned and ambushed me, his features flowing like wax. A Sleep spell had no effect on him. As I began to cast Color Spray, his rubbery fingers found my neck, wrapped themselves around my throat, and squeezed.

I died.