Erastus 28 4709

Upon returning to Staghome, the Baroness, Butler, & the Magister decide to put Grigori on trial. He is found guilty, and sentenced to hard labor in the gold mines. High Preist Kavken informs them that there is rumored to be a cult forming. The party investigates, and discovers indeed, a coven of witches worshiping Gyronna has sprung up in town. They begin watching a few suspects, and discover that Captain Wedge's wife is one of them. Late at night, they follow her out of town, to an old barn. In the basement, six women have been led astray by Goodwife Niska. The party defeats them, with out a single casualty. The women are taken back to Staghome to stand trial. The head witch is sentenced to death by burning, and the rest are pardoned.

Staghome begins clearing a new district, and a couple proposes starting a town to the west called Tatzlford. The party agrees to help them found this. They head off toward this area to explore. On the way, they find a Thylacine trapped in a pit. In the process of trying to help it out, manservant Carlton falls in. The hungry beast starts to threaten him, so the party lays into it with lightning, magic and axe. It cowers in fear, leaving Carlton alone. A branch is lowered, giving it a chance to scurry out. At a ford in the river, the party encounters two more Tatzlewyrms. This may be the last two in the area, which they summarily dispatch.

Further south, on the shores of lake Tuskwater, they come to a creepy shack. It is the home of a lonely old hag, The Old Beldame. They cautiously wait for her to return home, then befriend her. Her ability to make potions, and her knowledge of spells prove to be very useful, especially to Magister Deemous. She asks them to collect some black rattlecap mushrooms for her. They continue on.

From the shores of Candlemere lake, they can see a tower on an island in the center. They decide to leave it be. Where the lake and Murque river meet, they find a fortified Lizardman village. Near it, they hear a child screaming in terror. They make ready to storm the place, until they realize the cries are coming from in the swamp, not the village. Following the sound, they find Tig Tannerson submerged up to his neck in the mire, just out of reach of a bunch of hungry Cayman. They free him and return him back to his parents in town.

At Staghome, manservant Carlton begins to woo one of the reformed witches, Violet Rottdrak. Soon after, they are propelled to seek out the treasure from the mad hermits map. It marks the location of a forgotten barrow to the east. On the way, they encounter Howl-of-the-North, an infamous man eating Worg. Upon seeing him and his pack, they let off a couple fireballs, torching the beasts. They continue on to the tomb. Inside, they trigger a trap that leaves them all fatigued. It causes them to be sluggish, and so they rest a day. On the next day, they clear out the dozen shambling skeletons inside, and face down the wight of the barrow. The robe of bones that Deemous put on turned out to be a cursed robe of vermin. He was bitten and distracted during the fight by the filthy pests issuing from it. The wight was destroyed, and Carlton claimed his magical feybane axe.