Loshdain, 12th Yarmont
The adventure in the Dwarven Tomb has taken its toll on the party and a few days bedrest are needed for all but Lorgar. Whilst Percy and Rodwig recover, he goes to sell the dwarven figurines to Rodomir the wizard. Afterwards, he goes to Sharp’s General Store and spends some of the party’s funds to order supplies for future adventures. Then its off to Omar the alchemist to stock up on healing potions. A final stop is made to make a donation to Risa’s family and inform them of her death.
The next order of business is replacing their fallen comrades with new adventurers. A sagacious young man called Issac agrees to a share of future treasure and joins. Lorgar also persuads the hunter Anica Black and the swordsman Connor to join as his retainers. He offers them an additional signing on fee for their help with dealing with the bandits that trouble the Wailing Hills.
After the busy day, Lorgar rests. During the night the temple bells ring out again but this time only thirty-two times.
Lunadain, 15th Yarmont
Bolstered by fresh recruits, Lorgar has ambitions to recruit the troublesome Ragdolls who had monikered him “piss-breath” after their first encounter. The party, minus Percy, find the girls causing mischief by the temple. They note the golden veil has shrunk a little, exposing the top of the belltower. They ignore the weeping villager they see outside the temple. “She’ll have to deal with her own grief,” Lorgar says coldly as they move on.
Lorgar makes an entreaty to the Ragdolls to join forces with them to alleviate their boredom. But his charms fail to woo them to his side. He tries hard to make the case that the bandits, possibly led by the moustached man who is staying in the tavern, are a threat to the village. Yet, the young women remain uninterested in working for him.
They joke about telling the moustached man about Lorgar’s suspicions. Lorgar is incensed at this and threatens to kill them if they do. This does not go down well with his new retainers Connor or Anica who have no wish to murder the local girls.
Later, in the inn Lorgar shares his plan to ambush the moustached man staying at the inn, believing he is up to no good. His suspicions were particularly roused when he spotted the man when he was on his shopping trip.
Again his new retainers seem reluctant to ambush someone without any evidence as to their guilt or association with bandits. There is a tense moment as the whole deal with Anica and Connor looks set to collapse. But in the end, Lorgar calms himself and suggests they do something else first.
It is then Issac pipes up about the reason he is in Ragged Hollow. He suffers from terrible migraines and he has come to see the Witch of Gloam Wood. She previously had cured his headaches when he was a child.
So it is agreed, they will head there and see her. Leaving Percy back in town, they make their way to the river. At the river they find a fisherman to ferry them across.
It does not take long to come to the witch’s cottage. It is surrounded by vines and trapped inside the vines is a goblin. The goblin warns the party the witch’s cookies are poison and she is very mean. Not entirely believing the creature, they nevertheless free it to scamper off to the north.
They hear the old lady mumbling about troublesome goblins as they approach the cottage. Issac knocks on the door and a pleasant, grandmotherly lady answers. She is clearly quite forgotful and keeps mixing up Issac with Tobias. Inviting them in, she offers them some mixed berry cookies. After a moment’s suspicion, Lorgar eats his and the others soon follow.
Inside the cottage, they spot a magical broom tidying the cottage and the place is more or less tidy, except for a pile of ash near the fire. When the broom tries to tidy the ash, the witch admonishes it and so the broom sulks in a corner.
Issac pays the witch with a ruby the party had acquired in the dwarven tomb and she heals him of his headaches in an eloborate ritual involving much spit being smeared in his eyes and ears.
As she tends to Issac, she talks with Rodwig and Lorgar about Tobias who had come more than a week ago. She had warned him not to go to the Dwarven Tomb. “Dwarves are always digging up trouble!”
Lorgar asks her about the goblins and she says, she’d be willing to part with Swiffy, her magical broom, if they could convince them to leave her home alone!
She also warns them about staying on the paths as the hag to the west hunts those who get lost in the woods.
With that the party, say their thank yous and decide to head out to the goblin market.