After thoroughly outfitting themselves for a potentially perilous late-fall journey, the party sets off along the north road toward Winterburg. Just inside the forest, they realize the danger of the Marshals who patrol the roads of Obrith: as enemies of the Sheriff, they may not be welcome on the road.

They attempt to pass the road in disguise, but the marshals are too keen, and they are forced to flee into the woods. Attempting to bypass the tower, they chart a course overland. As night falls, they seek shelter in what appears to be an abandoned dwarven hold.

Within, they find chilling evidence of demon worship and ritual sacrifice. The builder of the hold, Kron the Magnificent, blasphemes the Great Church by proclaiming himself a god among dwarves. Disgusted, they seek to encamp in the entryway just for the night...until a curious dragon unwittingly triggers an ancient trap...

Pursued by an invisible, unstoppable foe, they have no choice but to flee deeper into the dungeon. They do battle with an army of skeletons--remnants of grisly rituals--before finding the true entrance to Kron's hall.

They explore the derelict home, perhaps once well-appointed, its contents now nothing but dust and ash, save for things of stone and metal. They observe the madness of Kron through the art and design of his home. They learn of his four wives, who ultimately slew him.

But before they get too far, they encounter the terrifying denizens of the deep. Investigating what she thought was a pool of water, Dalia is attacked by a creature unlike anything she had ever seen or imagined: a massive, ambulatory blob of transparent ooze. As it swarmed over her, its massive bulk crushed and suffocated her, even as its caustic slime dissolved her clothing and inflicted grievous burns. The party desperately fought to free her, but in the process, Nuala was also engulfed by the monster. Axes and arrows were nigh-useless against it, and it absorbed Nyx's mightiest fire breath with only modest damage. All seemed lost...until it exploded from within, incinerated by holy fire.

Somehow, Dalia escaped with only minor irritation, but Nuala was in a far worse state. Dalia stirred to action, demanding fresh water--which Nyx produced by moving water from elsewhere in the dungeon with his powers of elemental manipulation--while she created alchemical treatments to neutralize the slime and treat the damage. Though Nuala suffered grievously that night, she was saved from permanent disfigurement or worse.

Hours passed--cold, dark, silent hours--as Dalia restored Nuala to stable condition. Exploring their options, they resolved to escape the dungeon. Honn and Tamlin scouted for other ways out, and found a secret passage leading to the surface. While they battled with goblins who had encamped within it, Dalia and the rest were attacked by Rock Slugs: hideous, worm-like beasts which carve through stone with their intense acid. Both battles were fierce and narrowly won.

With the goblins out of the way, they passed through the tunnel, emerging into a cool, clear night. They camped until morning, protected by stone and walls of ice. Daybreak brought warmth and rain, and Nuala seemed to fully recover after a night of moonlight.

Learning that their horses had been tracked, found, and taken away by the Marshals, they decided to return to Chedon, re-equip themselves, and take the south road out of the County, the long way to Winterburg, to avoid any further entanglements with the Marshals. All was going well, until they spotted a small army of Marshals and the Sheriff's men converged on Chedon, arresting many of the townsfolk. They were forced to choose between a hopeless battle or a cowardly flight; prudence won they day, and with the help of a local farmer, they rode quickly away.

After a hard ride, with many miles behind them, they stopped to rest at a small, walled town in the woods. No one there seemed to be hostile, so they were free to enjoy a hot meal and a warm bed at the town's disproportionate inn. Tamlin delighted the townsfolk and earned a free stay with his bardic talents...most particularly, a traveling gnome seemed to be fascinated with his song and tomfoolery. That is...until he was out of material. Then he attacked.

The gnome was a bounty hunter, set on their trial by an attractive bounty the Sheriff had placed on them. The battle was savage--he was a master of the arcane arts, able to counter their best magicks. Worse, as they began to overcome him, he transformed into a giant, monstrous creature, doubling in power. Tamlin was critically injured, Honn banished to some unknown plane, and Nyx frozen in a block of ice. Nuala gave all of her power to Dalia, and with it, she conjured a smiting blast brighter than the sun, slaying the beast once and for all.

In his death, the spriggan release a blast of energy which bolstered all living things in the town and beyond: trees fruited in the fall, lumber began to grow branches, and the wounded were restored to health.

By morning, they were rested, fed, and restored--and a fair bit richer, to boot, having claimed the mage's spoils. They set off to the south.

Also:

• Flameweave Frock: created by Nuala (consumed the Flameweave Thread)
• Ancient silver coins (value: 165, 180, 210. total: 555)
• Silver ring with sapphire (value: 300)

10 BP.

Also: