Morning after
Elijah J. Lucas coughing up blood, grabbed Fernie’s leg and checked on her. Fernie didn’t want to die.
Yort Li healed Elijah fully. Tried to heal Ruasar but had no spells left.
Elijah investigated the wolves (failed) and ghouls — undead, brought to life with evil magic, immune to poison, claws can paralyze.
Set up camp on the bluff with Alert spell, fire, organized watch. Short rest went off without a hitch. Back to full health.
Briarhollow
Garrin led us to Briarhollow in the morning.
Ringed by a wall of trees. Danger, danger, danger.
Elijah J. Lucas noticed that no one used the main path; everyone went through the trees on manual footpaths. Very well-traveled, every day. Ruasar sensed similar energy to the rocks at Brackenford’s town square.
We passed through the trees avoiding the main path.
Briarhollow was a skeleton of the old town. As if the forest were retaking and absorbing it. Market destroyed, chapel in ruins. POIs: chapel, orchard, graveyard, market, mill. Hooded figures with baleful torches.
Searching
Market — Kellen’s trading post
Kellen was one of the wealthiest in town but hadn’t been seen since the forest started encroaching. Elijah J. Lucas found gold, torches, and rope. Cisco found an iron-wrought key, a shipping manifest, and other items. Nothing else worth taking.
Observed the hooded figures — no visible body movement, gliding along, cloth not moving. Cisco confirmed they were ghosts. The ghost looked at him and instilled Frightened.
The mill
Ruasar found a strange dagger and weird drawings on the wall — carvings of an old woman looking down on stick figures. Someone had used the dagger to record this for posterity.
The dagger had the forest rune from Brackenford on it. Ruasar described it as an homage to the hag and pocketed the dagger.
The orchard with the chapel
Withered apple trees, ground littered with rotten fruit and bones. Humanoid bones. One hand clutched a note: “Curse you Alric, hope the bargain was worth it.”
The chapel
Pews tipped over, signs of attempted arson. Lorien Painbearer deduced it was originally for a local deity and was desecrated when whatever happened, happened. The citizens had attempted a ritual of six stones to save themselves.
Graveyard / town center
All ghosts and their flames had halted. One figure straightened and moved as we arrived — the Forest Hag (Soul Hag). Asked us what we were here for. “One must remain to tend the dead.”
Cisco showed her the map. She emanated rot and moss. Confirmed she was taking Lord Alric’s and the village’s souls. She had Yort Li’s son Dear Li — mostly unharmed, soul intact.
Pulled us into a vision. Offered a level-up to fight the Forest Hag in exchange for binding ourselves further to her contract. We declined. The Sea Hag then upsold: take the Soul Hag’s necklace for greater power than either hag. Obviously declined.
Lorien Painbearer launched into an epic speech decrying the Soul Hag. Spat on the hag (it passed right through). She took us to her lair for the boss fight.
Boss fight start
Teleported to a forest clearing, walled in on all sides. Hal, Alicia, and Dear Li tied up. Enemies: the Hag, a Darkling Elder, and a few redcaps.
Uh oh, Ruasar is down.