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- Calliope Laurelleaf – Halfling Bard
- Ellyjobell – Gnome Ranger
- Phalen – High Elf Cleric
- Talerien – Wood Elf Ranger (Not Present)
- Trogdorr – Dragonborn Barbarian
- Twirpo – Hill Dwarf Wizard
- Alaric Lysane – Human Fighter
- Calliope, staying with the children sees a small wooden scarecrow about three feet tall that emerges from the dark woods, picks up a pair of axes and runs back into the woods. She then experiences her hand being burned and suddenly being shoved back as if ghostly forces were responsible.
- Roughly an hour later, after bandaging her hand, a Hag appears and threatens the children; so she surrenders herself and the children and the Hag teleports them all into an odd wooden shack
- The Hag then casts a spell and Calliope watches as the house seems to shift through time; and as if it were time lapse, she sees a Druid in the home speaking with a Dwarf; and then children being smuggled away, and the house teleports; then hags appear and seem to be questioning the Druid before killing him in the hallway and using his blood to paint a bloody pentagram in the center of the living room and use the house’s ability to shift through time for their own needs.
- She’s then escorted – when the house seems to come to a stop – into a maze of caverns before she’s brought before two other Hags. While there, she notices both Elly and Twirpo on a ledge above her which the Hags don’t seem to notice; and down another passage is Trogdorr, Phalen and Alaric
- The Hags explain that they need Calliope and her friends to defeat a Demon called Armanite in order to free them from a Devil’s Deal; or allow them to sacrifice the children to gain power enough to resurrect their two deceased Sister Hags
- Calliope explains that she can go find her friends and work on defeating the demon for the Hags, so that the children do not need to be sacrificed
- The Hags agree to not harm the children, if Calliope keeps her word
- Calliope leaves and meets her companions outside the cave and explains the situation
- Trogdor and Alaric go back inside with Calliope and exchange some questions with the Hags and agree to go and defeat the Armanite Demon
- The Hags give them a bag of dust, once sprinkled will illuminate a path that only those within 5′ of the bag being throw down (essentially inhaling the dust) will be able to see the illuminated trail
- The Hags explain they need the horn of the Demon to complete their spell and be free of the Armanite Demon’s hold
- They also explain that they’ve been around for a very long time (hinting perhaps that they may have been around the time history was first recorded; making them over 2,000 years old) and that they know of their quest (having released a Fallen Angel) and that their sister (a green hag) had been slain by (other adventurers – see Here, Here and Here) when investigating the power left behind by the Fallen Angel.
- They also explain, should they help them Defeat the Demon, they will help them unlock the power to shatter a sphere of magic that requires a very specific weapon – the only weapon that can do so…
- It’s at this point, that Twirpo reveals she knows of a Magical Orb that contains ancient magic… and that she and one other know of it’s location… And had done so because if she’d read the book herself, she would have risked having her mind and body shattered and turning into an Allip (which the party had fought back at Lakefront, the town destroyed by the Undead Dragon)
- Elly seems concerned that there’s someone else who knows where this sphere is located
- The party follows the trail into a dark forest where Twirpo succumbs to the dark depression of the forest and falls unconscious; a short moment later the party is attacked by a pack of four trolls
- Trogdorr and Alaric take considerable amount of damage, by the time Twirpo awakens and joins the fight, helping defeat the trolls
- The party resumes their quest – taking a long rest – where they notice a Peryton is circling above them but does not seem to be aware of their presence (being hidden by the tree cover)
- The party’s rest is uneventful (thankfully) and they resume, eventually coming to the base of a volcano
- The party ventures inside, and the deeper they go, the hotter it gets. Those in metal armor feel a great sense of discomfort, and even deeper in, visibility due to heat becomes extremely difficult
- They eventually reach the Armanite demon and Calliope decides to step forward and speak with it
- She explains that the Hags have sent them to kill the Demon
- When the Demon asks why, Calliope explains that they’re holding children hostage
- The Demon becomes concerned with knowing the location of the Children
- Calliope explains that the Hags are holding them hostage; and that if they don’t return with the Demon’s horn, they will kill the Children to siphon their souls and increase their magic and come after the Demon
- Calliope explains she doesn’t want to fight the Demon (she feels that the party isn’t ready to take on a demon) and convinces the Demon to help them kill the Hags
- The Demon explains should they do this, and help him get rid of the treacherous Hags, he will provide them with a clue about a very powerful magic artifact…
- The Demon also senses Phalen’s gauntlet – and tries to summon her to his side – but Phalen resists the gauntlet’s urge to go to his side
- The Demon explains the Gauntlet has evil origins and that he can help her be free of it, if she agrees to give it to him when she’s free…
- The Demon agrees and summons the party into a Summoning Circle where he awaits outside, feigning death
- Elly uses Minor Illusion to create a fake demon horn (now knowing what the Armanite’s horn looks like)
- The Hags ask for it and question how they dragged the demon’s large body all the way back within one day
- Elly explains that they have access to magic these Hags had never heard of before; which insults the Hags and the Hags launch an attack
- Elly quickly retreats outside the cave, where the others ambush the Hags (though the Armanite Demon is slow to rise, perhaps waiting to see if the heroes keep their word or if this is a trick and they’re siding with the Hags)
- A large fight breaks out with the heroes siding with the Demon and fighting the Hags
- Two of the hags cause incredible damage to Trogdor and Alaric, forcing Phalen to try and keep everyone standing with heals
- Once the Demon sees the Heroes keep their word he begins attacking the Hags as well, and together the Hags are defeated
- With their defeat, the Demon asks if the party would like to go home
- The party ensures, using their words carefully, that they will – along with the children – be teleported back home safely
- The Demon wholeheartedly agrees and teleports the party and the Children out of the Shadow Realm
- The party realizes at that point, they had not searched the Hag’s coven cavern, nor did they ask the Demon about the hint about the artifact…
- Now with 10 Children saved, the party heads back to Redstone to return the Children to their parents….