Session 14 - Tres Brujas

The Dogs of War took the candles that Imindel gave them and left Duskbridge. They lit the first candle, which produced a trail of smoke that led them to a rancid lake covered with green slime. An island lay in the middle of the lake upon which there was a short hut built into the remains of a short and wide dead tree. Smoke and light came from the hut. Nedra created a land bridge across the lake and the party knocked on the door of the hut. They met a hag named Naalna who told them that she would exchange a lock of her hair for a favor, and asserted that this would lead them to Beorhisto. The favor was that she wanted Imindel the candle-maker killed and her head brought back. The party decided to speak follow the other two candles before deciding what to do about Imindel.

The second candle led them to a dark and dense part of the forest where they found a stone house covered with birds of all kinds. Mushrooms of every description grew around the house. Inside was a second hag, a squat, dim-witted woman named Elvie. She agreed to exchange a lock of her hair for 10 Amanita mushrooms. The party left her house and Nedra cast a spell to speak with the mushrooms near Elvie's house. They suggested head off towards a tall hill to look for the Amanita mushrooms. Upon reaching the hill and climbing it, the party found many of the mushrooms the sought, but were forced to overcome both the poison of the mushrooms, and the an angry group of Redcaps who attacked them. The party killed all but one of the Redcaps, and negotiated with the survivor who agreed to accompany them on the understanding that there would be blood and lots of it. They named the short angry fey Kappy. Upon returning to Elvie, the party gave her the mushrooms and she explained that by braiding a lock of hair from each witch, then braiding that onto the tail of a rabbit, the rabbit would lead the way to Beorhisto.

At this point the party returned to Imindel and asked her about Naalna. Imindel burst into tears and revealed that she had struck a bargain with Naalna long ago and that in exchange for the magic required to make her candles, she had been kidnapping orphans and delivering them to Naalna, presumably to be eaten. Wracked with guilt, she agreed to come with the party to help remedy the current situation. They also met with the council of Duskbridge, a group of 5 prominent citizens who were vying for control of the city with the matron of a crime syndicate who had herself struck a deal with one of the hags, making her difficult to eliminate. The council agreed to pay 1,500GP to each party member upon the deaths of the hags.

Upon lighting the third candle and following its smoke, the party mat Anish who lived in a short tower made entirely of bones. Anish said she would sell a lock of her hair in exchange for the party recovering a stolen artifact, the Mask of the Feywolf, which was taken by the warlock Elengon. The party found Elengon's lair, succeeded in breaching his magical defenses, and then instead of attacking Elengon to retrieve the mask, they formed an alliance with him. Both he and Imindel, as well as the council of Duskbridge, had an interest in seeing the hags neutralized, so the party devised a plan to eliminate them.

The party returned to Naalna's hut, using Imindel as enticement for the hag to let them in, then sprung a trap and slew her. At the same time, Elengon and his pets along with and the Duskbridge militia slew Anish and then Elvie when she appeared to help her sister.