Keys to the Hut

"Do we need to become older to face the Eon Pit?" Santrel wondered.

"Aging is not all it is assumed to be," Fanara answered. "Just look at Milos, he can hardly see or walk well these days."

"But I can keep all of you in good health, that is worth more than my reduced sight.  I can see other things than just with my eyes!" Milos retorted.

Fanara attempted to determine meaning from the warnings and was not happy to find that the phrase was part of a "croning ritual" performed by older witches to celebrate the symbolic and spiritual transformation from motherhood into their elderly years.

"Do we really want to get that old?" Casia asked.

A Clue is Given

"Lets try the south doorway first," Fanara suggested.

Jorgen moved to the double doors and tried the keys that he had.  The same key that worked on the other two doors in this chamber opened these doors also.  The doors opened into another passageway that led south, southwest to another arch that clearly resembled the other teleportation arches the party had used before.

"We should try the other doors before going through this arch," Casia suggested.

Again Jorgen tried the keys on the locked doors and found the same key opened these doors also.  This doorway led to another passageway that headed west and then quickly climbed to the south.

"Everyone stay back there is a trap here," Jorgen exclaimed.

The Eon Pit

Jorgen began to explore the room as the giants did not react immediately.  He moved west and east but did not see any other secret doors or hidden items.  The smashed statue was made of wood and resembled a stooped and ancient beldame, now broken into many pieces across the floor.

Amadeo began to edge into the chamber while the others basically waited in the tunnel for some action.

The giants then yelled "Intruders" in Giant which Santrel related for the group.  At this the giants began to slowly move forward to attack.

Meeting the Warden

"We should head to the west here.  We don't want to leave any enemies behind us!" Jorgen suggested.

"Then you should lead us in that direction." Casia ordered.

Jorgen headed up the passage which looked like the rest of the passages in this area with springtime scenes on the walls.

A few feet into the passage Jorgen noted tiny pieces of quartz that formed an inlay of a crescent moon in the floor of this passage, surrounded by a ring of runes. A few feet beyond the inlay a small round table stood in the middle of the tunnel. A wooden bowl filled with fresh wildflowers sat in the center of the table.

Ring of the Sun

"I'm blind!" Jorgen bellowed.

"So am I," echoed Milos.

This was followed by a similar pronouncement from Amadeo and Santrel.

"So all the boys are blind," Fanara noted with a snigger.

A stone call followed and the whole party was hit by a deluge of small stones falling from above.  The floor was littered with stones making movement difficult.

Fountain of Light

After a rest period Fanara wondered if they should head up to the door out of the Maiden. Santrel said that even if Marislova had made it out she would be long gone after the party had rested for eight hours. Fanara was red headed today after her seance, a welcome change from the cadaverous sight from before.

Now the question became where to head next, the supposed hags or the room with sunlight spilling from the entry.  Given that they must go through the hag area it probably behooved them to check of the hag area first.

As they approached the chamber from the north Fanara tried to view the area over the hanging curtains. The area inside seemed to be divided into at least three chambers. Fanara could not get a good view into any of them, but there was some magic in the areas.

The Garden Feeder

"We've been here before, just from a different direction," Jorgen spouted.

"What is the creature in this chamber?" Fanara asked of Marislova.

"He is a Satyr f some kind, but be wary of the Tendriculos," she responded.

"What is that?" Santrel queried.

"A plant, but it can swallow you if you're not careful," 

The Satyr began piping an enticing, suggestive tune on the panpipes. Marislova, Jorgen and Amadeo entered the room and moved close under the Satyr in the muck and slop of the floor.