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The party spends several weeks helping around Lakefront, recovering what they can, including the bodies of the deceased who perished in the attack by the Undead Dragon. After about two weeks, many members of the caravan decide to stay and help restore and rebuild Lakefront. An expert smith, a dwarf by the name of Garrus Hammerstone asks the party for any donations they can make towards restoring Lakefront, and each of them donates:

• Alaric Lysane donates: 180 gold
• Calliope Laurelleaf donates: 200 gold
• Ellyjobel donates: 200 gold
• Twirpo donates: 150 gold
• Talerien donates: 150 gold
• Trogdorr donates: 200 gold
• Phalen donates: 150 gold

The remaining Caravan (down to 4 wagons) proceeds to the next stop which is Redstone. Redstone is a city build into the side of a massive mountain. The legend behind Redstone is that a Celestial being fell from the heavens during some great war and was impaled upon the mountain’s peak. The Celestial’s blood seeped into the mountains; and now, all throughout the mountains there are red gems, some of which glow, some that don’t. The gems, if taken outside of the mountain, lose their red properties and turn into a regular stone.

The party heads into the main tavern, The Nightshade where they meet the owner, Bradbury. It is there the party overhears some local trouble. A woman explains that several weeks ago, a fire streaked across the sky; an ill omen, as if felt evil and dark. Shortly after, an old woman appeared and promised the children a magnificent gift near the back of the caves; further back than anyone typically goes. The children, enthralled by the elderly woman ventured deep inside the cave; and it’s been days since their return. Several parents ventured forward, but claimed to be attacked by various dark, and evil monsters, the likes of which they’ve never seen before – including “angry, bloodthirsty gnomes.”

The old woman’s appearance is remarkably close to an old woman, about fifty years ago, when Redstone was first settled, who could not have children of her own. Depressed, she sought to end her life, venturing deep into the caves, in hopes of getting lost and meeting her demise. One day, she appeared again, and lured children to the back of the cave; the children were never seen again, but years later, what appeared to be aged versions of the children, heads severed, with bat-like wing appendages appeared and attacked the people of Redstone.

Calliope briefly has a vision of a Halfling going from Lakefront to Redstone; then hears the woman mention Drastor (the final destination of the caravan) and one of her comrades refers to her as “Terra Songbird.”

The party agrees to investigate what’s happening and ventures deep inside the caverns of Redstone…

• The party is first attacked by a flock of Vargoyles; the very thing they had heard before about the decapitated heads with bat like wings. After damaging a few (and a few biting and ensnaring residents of Redstone), they vanish.
• Moving further inside, the party bypasses an odd pattern of lights made by the stones inside Redstone
• Further inside, they encounter a lingering mist in the room; and Elly notices that none of the redstones are ignited in the room; attempting to get around the mist, they find themselves attacked by the mist
  • Twirpo and Calliope discover that this is Vampiric Mist; a mist that’s formed when a powerful Vampire is unable to return to his coffin, and eventually gets stuck in this unusual mist like form; and figure that perhaps that is why the “redstones” thought to be the blood of a celestial being may not be illuminated
• The party next encounters a Gauth, a Beholder like creature who thrives on devouring magic; but the party is able to quickly put it down, it’s death reveals a magical door
• The door opens a portal to the Shadowfell, where the party steps inside
• Trogdorr (for reasons unknown) attacks a mushroom, triggering the “alarm” system (a Shrieker, forgetting the last time Trogdorr encountered one of these)
• A human, looking like a zombie suddenly rushes him, and Trogdorr slams him with his shield; it’s not a zombie but a human who has had their life drained from them; he explains that they must help the children and that “the witch” is nearby
• Party ventures into the Shadowfell, where emotions and magic run high; and are almost immediately ambushed by Redcaps. After taking a few hits, Phalen summons up a wind wall and drives them back, where they scatter back into the dark woods/swamp
• They also encounter and defeat a Catoblepas which they defeat
• They arrive at the mouth of the cave and see ten children hovering; eyes lit up red; and discover, as they move the floating children move and turn their gaze to follow them
• Inside they find a cauldron that Calliope puts out as Elly covers the unusual shimmering mirror; only to suddenly have the Annis Hag rip through her bedcover and appear and attack the party
  • The hag lunges at Phalen and inflicts fatal wounds, and it’s only Calliope’s song of Spare the Dying that saves her
  • The hag then casts Blur on herself forcing the party to try harder to strike her down; all the while she continues making her way through attacking the party members, wounding many of them severely
  • However, she is finally defeated and the children freed from her curse and spell that would have eventually turned them into Vargoyles as well
• Twirpo figures out that the runes on the mirror loosely translate to “home”
• The party takes the kids and steps through; and lands not at Redstone… but by some … lake?