After the harrowing battle, the adventurers returned home, weary but victorious. They bathed, rested, and drifted into sleep, allowing themselves a brief moment of peace. The next morning greeted them with the comforting aroma of breakfast—Barnsby had prepared a delicious spread. Over the meal, Charlie requested a summary of their recent exploits. He had questions, particularly about the silver key Myra had given them.
Sabrina took time to investigate the key’s magical properties. After thirty minutes of study, she uncovered its secrets: the key had a permanent aura of dampness and granted a +4 bonus to resist illusions and a +4 bonus on Charisma checks in the Dimension of Dreams. However, it came with drawbacks—it imposed a -2 penalty on saving throws against sleep, caused the bearer to be considered first when determining who falls asleep, and reduced effective hit dice by two for certain effects. It was stored safely in the party's bag of holding, and Bob confirmed it had no effect on Audrey Rose while stored.
Talk turned to Josef Barvasi, a name Myra had mentioned. The Barvasi family had a reputation for criminal activity, and some of the Brotherhood of the Spider thugs the party had encountered were confirmed to be Barvasis. Myra explained that Josef currently possessed a mysterious book they’d been hearing about, though it had originally been stolen by Frair Tan.
Charlie asked if the group had found more worms. They had not.
The party then met with Baron Trelib d’Medani. Pleased with their progress, the Baron offered them two options: merge with his agency or accept his seal of endorsement for a small upfront fee, with only future jobs requiring payment. A tempting offer, indeed.
Next, they spoke with Captain Crandon of the Fallen district. She expressed deep gratitude for their work shutting down the illegal Shiver trade. She directed them to collect their delayed payment from a man named Stainton Drune.
In the meantime, Audrey Rose sold off their salvaged goods. Each party member received 1,671 gold pieces. The party treasury increased slightly to 8 gold, 4 silver, and 5 copper.
The group spent some time shopping and relaxing:
- **Audrey Rose** purchased a *Headband of Intellect*.
- **Zita** acquired a *Belt of Tumbling* and *Slippers of Scampering*.
- **London** bought a *Cloak of Resistance*.
- **Bosley** got a *Cloak of Quick Reflexes*.
- **Dahl** enchanted their silk armor.
- **Sabrina** enjoyed fine wine and fancy cheese, being massaged and fed bonbons by handsome men. She also bought a *Cloak of Resistance +1*.
Audrey Rose also crafted twenty bottles of moderate lightning bombs in preparation for future battles.
The following day, they returned to the Midnight Chapel to meet with Stainton Drune and collect their reward. He lavished them with praise and handed out heavy purses—1,000 gold to each adventurer. But then his demeanor changed. He began reclaiming gold: “This is for my home… this is for my minions…” As he gathered more bags, his true form was revealed.
Before them now stood a towering 10-foot-tall figure in a grey robe, with razor-blade fingers and an iron mask shaped like a feminine face with black, empty eyes—it was **Iron Koriah**, the hag from the forest.
She made a demand: the group must offer two people to replace the students who had vanished. The party refused. In response, she snapped her fingers, summoning two shadowy figures—undead *shadows*. Dol recognized them immediately and cast *haste* to prepare the group for battle.
Audrey Rose quickly drank a mutagen and identified Iron Koriah as an **Annis Hag**. Zita attacked, landing solid blows, but the hag retaliated fiercely. Sabrina unleashed *glitterdust*, blinding the hag. Dol enhanced Tweetie Bear, who charged in but missed.
Audrey Rose threw an explosive bomb, igniting both a shadow and the hag—the shadow was destroyed. She followed up with another alchemical fire. Zita launched a triple attack, combining an *emboldening strike* and a *debilitating injury*. The hag slashed and bit Zita in retaliation.
Sabrina cast *suggestion*, attempting to manipulate the hag into turning on Tweetie Bear. Bosley joined the fray and flanked with Tweetie Bear, stabbing the hag. London provided healing and struck one of the shadows.
Tweetie Bear landed three hits, but the hag resisted most of the damage. Dol enlarged him for more impact. Then, as the hag burned from residual fire, she finally fell—along with the remaining shadow.
The group claimed Iron Koriah’s eerie iron mask as a trophy, deciding to display it in their home. While inside the house, it provides a +2 bonus to *Intimidate* checks.
Among the hag’s remains, Sabrina foun a battered journal revealing the location of the missing professor—**Carrion Hill**.
They also discovered and freed the real **Stainton Drune** and **Anise**, who had been held captive. The real Stainton led them to a bank in another district, where he rewarded them handsomely: 2,450 gold each for their efforts in shutting down the Shiver operation, recovering the missing people, and turning over the evidence. As a bonus for saving his life, he also presented them with a *Cloak of Resistance +2* and a *Headband of Wisdom +2*. The cloak went to Zita, and the headband to London.
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