The old manor was much more quiet with Naan gone back to live with her parents at the temple.

Arrrghamont and Sora returned apparently smitten and enjoying their time together taking in the Splendors of Waterdeep.  Aleea was spending most of her time trying to figure out if a loan or making more money would be better to see if they could get the Troll Skull Manor operational.

Zigmund on the other hand was having a hard time in the Manor, each night he wAs having a terrible dream. A stormy night , A bundle of wheat, a farm near a swamp, the group of them standing in front of an old Oak tree and the suddenly a flash of a tiny porcelain doll with emerald eyes that shoot out green lighting with malicious intent. He would awake in sweats and after the third night he began to run around the Manor screaming about what he was seeing.

Once Aleea Calmed Zigmund down and made sense of the information  she remembered there is only once small town near a swamp within a ten day of Waterdeep. Heathrow , a relatively new farming settlement on the way to Goldenfields about 2 days away.

Zigmund had shown his visions to be correct before and Aleea thought where there is danger there is also gold and the group decided to head out to Heathrow.

 

A couple days on relatively safe roads passed quickly and they were soon  upon Heathrow. A large Oak tree stood in the center of the tiny Homlet, the smell of the bog lessened by fragrant flowers growing outside all of the town shops. Zigmund Noticed the Holy Symbol of Chauntea on a small temple just like in his dream  and when they approached the tree Zigmund was certain it was the tree form his dream. They stopped in the temple and spoke with Baylisa the village priest. She did not know what the gnome was talking about but graciously accepted the donations from other party members.

The party headed over to the Tavern ( The Bog’s rest), they met Kladdoc( a hippie-ish Noble) and quickly were drawn to a couple of strangers in the bar. Arrrghamond and this new fellow locked eyes and it seemed as if they were looking at a mirror for a moment. As if fate a conversation began. Belros and his companion Maliphax introduced themselves, Caravan guards out of work just stopping in Heathrow for a rest.

It was then that Dale Tingley,  a local farmer came in complaining about goblins stealing his food. Seeing an opportunity they all agreed to help dale get rid of the goblins that were stealing his crops.

 

They followed Dale form the Tavern to his far, not 20 minutes from town and surveyed the area. They found some tracks and some broken fence pieces and began to set up an ambush incase the goblins came back.

 

It was Zigmunds weasel familiar on the roof that spotted the goblins at the chicken coup and warned all of those in the barn. Sora got the drop on a bunch of goblins from her perch in a tree but Maliphax was taken by surprise while hiding in the corn.  9 goblins in all, 7 of them were slain, one got away and one, well he was captured.

The Captured Goblin( Toka) was not exactly forthcoming with information. He seemed more driven by hunger than anything else. Investigating the goblins they discovered that these foul creatures used to be part of a mercenary band, and have been living in the swamp under their king for a long time. They all looked emaciated and Toka explained all the swamp life disappeared and then some human started stealing goblin children. The goblins had no choice but to steal food from Dale’s to survive.

 

Despite Toka’s less than helpful attitude he eventually agreed to lead them to the goblin camp if they promised that he and the woman and children would be left alive, and as long as he was well fed.

Again the goblin proved less than useful and while Maliphax led him on a noose  he was led right into a pit trap. They were all a little more cautious and Zigmund had to ride on the shoulder of Arrrghamond to avoid swimming across the stagnant water.

 They arrived just on the outskirts of the goblin Camp, staying out of sight of the sentries they opted to send Arrrghamond to scout as a small mouse, Sora worried for her lover called out a little too loudly for him to be safe and the goblins were suddenly aware of their presence. Needless to say things didn't quite go according to plan. Zigmund tried to trick them with an illusion but being unable to speak goblin became the reason they had to fight. A fierce combat ensued the goblins had the high ground and the numbers and the battle brought the druid low. It was a mad chop by Sora that finally took the goblin boss’s head and Well placed arrows and strikes that killed the rest of the Goblin warriors.

 

True to their word they let the woman and children goblin live and Toka became the new chief of the much smaller goblin tribe. The goblin woman spat curses at them for stealing her other children and did not seem all that happy about Toka becoming the new chief.

The new adventuring party was victorious despite the bad start to the attack .

 

Standing in the middle of the stump bog with several crying goblin children the party needed to decide what to do next…..

The party watched as Toka and the other goblins fled into the swamp. Looting the camp they found a few gold pieces and an old leather bound book with some scribbles in it. The book appeared to be callsigns and a ranking system for a northern mercenary group known as the Chill.

The Goblins ousted, they headed back towards Dale’s farm, It didn't take long for them to realise without the help of the captured goblin that the bog was a difficult place to find your way. After several hours of being lost in a torrential downpour the party finally heard the cows in the distance and made their way out.  Happy to be out of the Mire their demeanour turned to concern when the heard a woman screaming from within Dale’s house. Rushing in they learned that Cali, Dale’s Daughter was missing. She was playing in her room and just disappeared. A quick investigation revealed that the window had been opened by a creature with large claws and that no force was used to remove the little girl.

Zigmund thought back to his Visions and remembered what he had seen : A Farm near a swamp, a bundle of wheat, an ancient tree, and a tiny porcelain doll with emerald eyes.  They asked dale about the doll with green eyes and he knew nothing of it, His daughter only had her Dirty stuffed bear missing one eye that she carried with her everywhere.

The adventurers decided to head back into town to Question the Temple of Chuantea and investigate the ancient oak in the center of town.  Looking for answers they wandered around the Hamlet.

At the Temple of Chuantea Zigmund made slight offense to the Cleric Baylisa Merry.  Belros found nothing out of place in the temple, and they learned that the Tree was called the Watcher and that the Harpell Wizard family built this community around the tree. Locals speak of who the tree protects them and rumours of it whispering to people when the wind blows strong was all she knew.

 

At the tavern they learned much the same about the tree, a local drunk confirmed that one night he passed out in town square and the tree woke him up and told him to go home.

 

The heavy rains kept most people indoors but the wandering horse they saw earlier was sitting by itself awkwardly outside the Tavern under an Awning. Arrrghamont investigated the tree closer and discovered that it’s bark was interlaced with the symbol of protection in druidic over and over again, naturally grown into the bark.  Zigmund questioned the Horse who was obviously trying to avoid a conversation but seemed to understand them. Finally after harassing the horse long enough it turned and spoke common and told Zigmund to leave it alone or he would be hoofed. The situation escalated quickly and to anyone one watching they would have seen our mighty heroes begin a 5 on 1 combat against a riding horse in the rain. Maliphax managed to catch the horse in the temple and knocked it unconscious.

 

A large gust of wind blew through the town and they all heard “Stop!” carried on the wind as if it came from all around them.  Arrghamont went to the tree and spoke to it in druidic. The breeze rustled around them and he began conversing with the ancient Oak. He spoke of a missing little girl and the tree told the Firbolg druid what it knew.

“  Over 500 years ago( 957 DR) while the Uthgardt barbarians attacked the ancient city of Illusk( now known as Luskan) they failed to take the city but did take a princess, This princess was ransomed off in trade to an old night hag that ruled the Stump Bog at the time. This hag built a prison for the princess in the bog and used her dark magic to turn her into a monster. She was fed nothing but swamp creatures and forced to consume the flesh of children. Through this vile process eventually the Illuskan princess forgot who she was and became a sea hag with strange powers. The night hag who created her eventually fell to a circle of local druids but the nature of the prison created for the Lady of the Bog is that it would seal itself for 99 years and then open for 1 for the Lady of the Bog to feast on children and return to slumber. “

Arrrghamont told the rest of the party what he learned and they all realised they would be heading back into the foul waters of Stump Bog if they were to try and save Dale’s daughter Cali.

The watcher also asked that Arrghamont helped Maxene, the horse they just hurt . Arrghamont healed Maxene the horse and the horse although standoffish, told them what it knew of the area, said it was laying low from Waterdeep but would  not tell them who it worked for.

They purchased some small boats form the general store and told Dale of their plan. The six brave adventurers headed back into the muck and mire. After several hours the druid led them back to the Goblin camp. The adventurers rested for the night. By Morning the rain had stopped making travel a bit easier and by mid day they came across Toka the goblin and his mistress, they had both been eviscerated and hung from the trees. Not long after Arrrghamont  discovered Druidic signs on the trees of Danger, warning him to go back.

Despite the warning the Heroes pressed onwards until late afternoon when the quiet bog suddenly came to Life

The Bog gave way to a large circle of dry land with only a single waterway passing through. Swamp life such as frogs, newts, and fish begin to appear but are all behaving erratically, swimming in circles and paying no attention to one another. Ahead a small island jutted out of the bog with a single old gnarled Arbutus tree at its center. The water appeared deep around it in all directions.  The once quiet bog was now teeming with the sounds of insects and croaks of toads. Even the odd alligator can be seen circling.

It appeared as if the creatures were under some sort of a charm as they did not attack each other nor did they pay any attention to the heroes on the shore.  Sora the barbarian and some other members saw an Alligator get pulled under the water in the distance and a large underwater wake pulled away from it. Fearing the worst as they had read of the usually quite literal goblins enemy the Snagorgobble, the party tied the boats together to build a bridge above the water to the island. The location they had picked fell a bit short so they would have to jump to the strange island made of stone.

 

Maliphax the brave Paladin opted to go first but found the less than stable canoes not good for the footing of his burly self and fell in the middle of the center boat. Out of nowhere a massive snake head snapped its  toothy maw around the boat shattering it to splinters, Maliphax barely rolled out of harm’s way and scurried back to shore. After a few tense moments Sora the tiefling barbarian was the next to risk the water. She raged and sprinted and leaped over the space between the boats, while mid air the SnagorGobble burst from the water and bite her leg , it was only her destructive strength that allowed her to pull free.

The adventurers were ready this time. Belros hit the beast with a witch bolt and locked on to it as attacks came from everyone. Sora critically hit as The giant snaked veered and went straight for the warlock bringing it s full jaw down across his body and tore the life from him. The Giant snake reared up until it stood 15’ feet out of the water while the rest of the party assaulted it.  In the end by smite and blade and well placed arrow the Snagorgobble was getting whittled down, Zigmund had a moment of clarity and shot a firebolt straight into the maw of the foul beast. The Snagorgobble’s head exploded in a ball of fire and it’s giant carcass fell on the shoreline. Maliphax healed Belros and the party gathered their wits and set across to the small island.

Once on the Island they noticed at the base of the ancient Arbutus tree that a small passage between the roots led to a stairwell carved out of the rock itself. The stairs went into the ground until the came upon a rusty Iron grate above the grate carved into the stone was an inscription that read “ Freedom comes when you reflect upon your darkest self”

Aleea deftly picked the lock and behind the iron bars was a room with a foot of brackish water covering the floor. An old chest had some have burnt torches and the smokey quartz walls had been polished to a mirrored surface in one area.

The adventurers thought deeply about the riddle, some reflecting back on their past tragedies thinking of their darkest selves. Maliphax brought himself to tears with the thought of when he had to slay his mentor. Arrghamont thought the human weak as he too was trying to reflect about the slaughter of all of his kinsmen and was not as so moved.

Sora punched the wall to no avail while Belros and Zigmund spitball some ideas.

Zigmund then lit a torch behind himself and cast his own shadow upon the mirror and looked at his reflection .

Immediately The wall pulled back revealing another stairwell descending into darkness below