The group starts out recovering at Cu Roi’s house after their adventure into Goibnhu’s sidhe. They finally get around to divvying up the treasure. Liam lays claim to the Chain Shirt of Light Fortification and also keeps the Ring of Protection +1. Dierdre takes the Short Sword +1 and the Small Wooden Shield +1. Cinn Oir takes the Small Wooden Shield of Bashing. Cian grabs the two well made daggers. Bebe carries the claymore and the double-bladed sword.

Taking a bit of a breather, they spend the day lounging around Cu Roi’s place discussing their options for the future. While they don’t openly invite Ceridwen or Cu Roi into the conversation, they discuss things in the open of the common room for them to hear. Dierdre admits to being driven crazy by the woods and its bizarre inhabitants. She’s ready to walk out on the group if she has to so she can get back to civilization. Fortunately, such drastic measures are unnecessary. None of the adventurers are too keen on "working" for Ceridwen any longer and they want to head back south as well. They have a simple map of the isle of Eyru which Cu Roi has provided and they spend much of the afternoon pouring over it. They recall details of past adventures and any local information they might know as they scour the map.

Their encounter with clan Mac Bruil of High Clan Steairn convinces them they want to stay out of those borders for a bit. Also, their knowledge of the clandestine organization known as the "Fist" is sketchy but leaves them wary enough that they are not eager to find out more. Dierdre exercises her new Decipher Script skill and takes a look at a letter Cian remembers they found in the farmhouse which they rescued Archu (Ceridwen’s brother) from (End of Session 3 GM's Note: I just added this info to the session 3 log as I had forgotten about it until Cian's player mentioned it during this session!). 

With her new abilities Dierdre can tell it is not written in a different language but simply a coded form of common. She is able to decipher part of the letter. It seems to be instructions from someone in the Fist to the "farmer", Devon, that was holding Archu prisoner. It appears the Fist is interested in Archu’s "unique appearance" and, taking him to be a demon or faye, want to find more information about Archu’s powers so they may use it to their benefit. It's a dark notion and leaves the party even more reluctant to enter High Clan Steairn’s lands.

Cinn Oir recalls her conversation with the mysterious hunter on Ben Bulben. She remembers asking if she could do anything to help the brooding man. The warrior mentioned that he had not seen his "men" in a long time and that they were held prisoner by the enemy somewhere in the south. Cinn Oir admits to agreeing to help him. The party thinks that they should pursue this, though they decide they need to try to establish a better base of operations in the south first. Wherever they go, they wish to keep a low profile. They are unsure about how much news may have traveled regarding the incident at the Beltine festival in Lynn and feel it best to let things.

Scanning the map, they come across the area known as "The Wastes" or "The Freeman’s Lands". The dwelling place of those who have dishonored their clans or have been otherwise forced from a normal life among the people of Eyru. It is a rough land composed mostly of dangerous bogs and infertile land. From all reports, those that go to live there find banditry and piracy one of the few ways to make a living. The High Clans view the populace there mostly as criminals, though some elements in High Clan Erinin are a touch sympathetic to their plight. (And find they make cheap laborers when necessary.) Further, High Clan Steairn is not beyond employing these lost souls as mercenaries when they need such. 

Giving it some though, the party decides that perhaps that The Freeman's Land is their best place to be among the south. It is perhaps warily watched by nearby clans but none save the Ignoble travel there, so they could operate with some degree of secrecy. Everyone agrees to the plan and they decide to embark on a long journey first thing in the morning. They will travel back through the woods and retrieve Cian’s boat (if it's still there). They’ll then stop by the Witch’s Needle and grab a few things (namely a horse that has hopefully survived on its own). From there, they will sail south and once they reach the mainland, navigate down the River Aber to Loch Meath and turning west on another river toward the Freeman’s Lands.

Ceridwen, overhearing their plan, mentions something to the party concerning the Freeman’s Lands. She has heard rumor of a man named Gaelyn that has risen to position of leadership among the Ignoble. There are also more interesting rumors surrounding this man. Namely that he seems to have an uncanny sense of premonition. Ceridwen has always thought it might be worth investigating whether he has any magical ability but the remoteness of the location has kept it out of her reach. The party takes the information though seems unwilling (and unable) to commit to reporting any findings to her. Ceridwen mentions she will keep an eye on them.

The next morning, the party gets an early start and bids Cu Roi, Ceridwen and Archu. The boat has been left there for around two weeks now and Cian is anxious to see whether it is still there. The trek to the beach takes about 4 days with the party sticking mostly to the northern edge of the Wood Between and only cutting through it when necessary to maintain a straight course to the boat. 

Their journey is far from uneventful. The next afternoon, Cian’s hawk, which is keeping look out from above, communicates a sudden sense of alarm to Cian. Soon, Cian is aware of his hawk being pursued through the air; a confusing feeling for the predatory familiar. The hawk then feels a burning sensation and quickly lets Cian know he is in trouble and heading back to the group at full speed. Within minutes, the hawk is barreling low through the trees with something large and nasty in pursuit.

From what the party can see, the hawk’s pursuer is a green lizard about the size of a man with wings. The monstrosity tears through the forest at a speed that easily outpaces the hawk’s, though the more agile bird is able to keep just out of reach. As the two fly in, Dierdre fires a Magic Missile, striking the creature and Liam lets a sling stone fly but misses. Cian summons a Fiendish Hawk and Cinn Oir casts Produce Flame, missing with her first throw. The hawk zooms in behind Cian with the creature on its tail. Seeing larger and perhaps more filling targets, the flying beast homes in on Cian, barely missing with its claws. Cian and his summoned Fiendish Hawk both lash out and land solid blows as the monster buzzes by.

As the creature turns for another pass, Liam and Dierdre go with their same actions of the previous round and Cinn Oir takes cover behind a rock. Cian meanwhile makes sure his hawk is behind him and casts Mage Armor while commanding the Fiendish Hawk to hold position at his side. This time however, when the lizard gets close, it doesn’t dive to try to rake with its claws. Instead it maintains a height about ten feet over the parties head and unleashes a roiling cloud of Chlorine Gas. Cian takes it full force. The familiar is splashed as well, despite Cian’s efforts to absorb the full impact, but the damage is negligible. Cian then orders the Fiendish Hawk to attack which savagely rakes the scaled monster. Dierdre launches yet another Magic Missile and the beast begins to look a little worse for wear. Cinn Oir, throws another ball of flame and, cursing her luck, misses again.

Instead of coming back for another pass, the creature begins to ride the winds upward in a spiraling motion. It is in range long enough for Liam to let another sling stone fly and Dierdre, another Magic Missile. As the two attacks strike, the monster slowly starts to glide back to earth, looking to land somewhere a little further into the forest. Cian, interested partly in revenge and partly in collecting some interesting spell components tries to convince the party to pursue it. Dierdre however, vetoes the idea, mentioning she isn’t too keen on meeting the creatures family if it indeed has one nearby. That seems to check Cian’s urge for revenge and Liam and Cinn Oir agree. Liam casts a few Cure Light Wounds spells on Cian and his familiar, and the party sets off toward the shore again.

Another day passes and the party stops to make camp for the night. During the first watch, Cinn Oir spots another camp fire further north atop a hill. It appears to be fairly close, about a quarter mile. Cian sends his familiar up to take a look. The hawk gives Cian the impression that there are four ogres having dinner around a campfire. Not wishing to engage them, the party puts out their fire and moves on to the east. They travel another couple of miles and set up camp again. The night is restless but uneventful and the next day finds the party traveling into the deep woods in order to take the straightest route to the boat. Eventually they come across the old road which cuts south through the woods. Cinn Oir uses her Tracking and does see evidence of recent passage of Ogres.

Later that day, Cian’s familiar warns him that they are being followed, though expresses confusion as to what it might be. The party stops and scans the area, seeing nothing. The familiar telepathically informs Cian that whatever it is has been following very closely, but it still can’t see it—only fleeting evidence that it is there. Guessing their pursuer is invisible, Liam summons a Celestial Hound, ordering it to sniff out the hidden pursuer. The dog makes a few laps around the group then stops by a tree just to their right. It growls for a bit, then noses the ground. It’s growling stops and it begins to happily chew on…something. Liam swings in the area with his staff but strikes nothing.

Cian is suspicious that this might be some of the faye. He starts to sneak around to the back side of tree while Cinn Oir throws a handful of dirt next to the tree. The dirt indeed strikes something….though something they can’t see. Just as Cian is about around the tree, the party hears a sound coming from the same location they are all focused on. A fiddle. It strikes up with some tuning, then bursts into a merry song. Cinn Oir, (obviously she enjoys this music) explodes into an uncontrollable dance. With a chuckle, Leverham, the fiddle playing Grigg appears. He waves to Liam, calling him "Miach" and bows to the rest of the party.

Leverham greets them and says he has something to tell them. He informs them that the traffic along the road has increased, composed mostly of the "big guys with no sense of humor." He felt they might want to know since they are from the south. The party thanks him for the information and Cian mentions that they saw another small group of ogres not far from the road. Leverham looks pleased and says he’ll mention it to "the boys". Leverham admits that the ogres don’t have much of a sense of humor but they can be pretty entertaining. Cian then asks about his boat. Leverham assures him it’s right where he left it but something in his tone makes Cian suspicious. Leverham then takes his leave and disappears into the forest.

Cian talks the party into pushing on into the night so that they can reach the boat as soon as possible. About midnight they are nearing their destination when Leverham appears out of the woods again. He seems to be trying to stall the party. At first he asks them to relax and have a drink with him. He then asks Liam to take a look at his foot, as he…..injured it. This goes on for a few minutes while the party insists on continuing on to the beach. Soon Leverham disappears into the woods again. 

Dierdre lays down to get some sleep as soon as she reaches the beach. She fully expects to be interrupted by the faye and wants to try and get as much sleep as possible. Cian walks along the tree line until he finds where they left the boat. He begins to remove the brush and tree limbs they used to camouflage the boat and notices that it is soaked through. Tearing off the debris, he inspects the hull carefully. It appears to be in good condition. The deck however is littered with broken casks of ale, empty flagons and some unidentifiable substances. With a sigh, Liam, Cinn Oir and Cian agree to get some rest for now and rise early in the morning to clean out the boat.

The next day, Cian is up at sunrise. He begins to inspect the boat more thoroughly. Now that the sun is up he can see some minor damage to the sail and some reckless wear to the rigging. Knowing he has some work ahead, he sets to repairs. When they wake, Liam and Cinn Oir work on cleaing out the deck while Dierdre puts her rope use skills to work and assists Cian with repairs to the rigging. It takes most of the day to finish the repairs. Liam suggests they make camp off shore a bit on the boat. Cian agrees and they board the small keel boat and anchor a few hundred feet off shore. Just as night falls, they see a lone grigg come hoping out onto the beach. He looks around, apparently confused. He then spots the party on the boat, gives a sheepish wave, and bounds back into the forest.

The next morning, the adventurers are about to set sail when Leverham hops out onto shore. Dierdre, rolling her eyes, tries to persuade the party to leave immediately. Cinn Oir is in agreement but Leverham calls out to "Miach" and Liam says he wants to hear Leverham out. Dierdre chides Liam by saying that the faye is going to tell him a story of some poor guy from the south who came to the Woods, kept getting suckered by the faye, and was never seen again.

Liam wins out though and the adventuerers take the boat to shore to talk to Leverham. Leverham wants to ask about "those two" and points at Cian and Cinn Oir. He tells the party he can see their "marks" and wants to know why they have the mark of the Children of Lir (from Session 7). Cinn Oir explains they were "adopted" and Leverham asks if their stepmother had anything to say about it. Cian reminds the group that it was the stepmother, Aoife, that cursed the Children of Lir to take the form of swans. Surprised that they knew little about Aoife, Leverham warns Cian and Cinn Oir to watch their backs. He tells them that bearing the marks may let them see into the Otherworld, but just the opposite is true too: those in the Otherworld can now see them.

Liam then asks why Leverham calls him "Miach". Leverham then points where Liam's mark would be and explains that Liam wears Miach's mark. Leverham seems taken back when the group admits to not knowing who Miach is. Leverham explains he was the son of the royal physician of the Tuatha De Danaan, Dian Cecht. He then tells a story about how Nuada, the king of the Tuatha De Danaan, lost his arm in battle. Dian Cecht was unable to fully restore it and thus, Nuada was given a silver one. By the laws of the Tuatha De Danaan, Nuada could no longer be king. However, Miach decided to try where his father had failed. After a grueling ritual, Miach succeeded in restoring Nuada’s true severed limb and Nuada was made king again. Dian Cecht, in a jealous rage killed his son. It is said when Miach died, 365 herbs appeared in the spot where he was put to rest. The herbs outlined his body and each and every organ. Miach’s sister began to gather these herbs but Dian Cecht discovered her and tossed the herbs to the wind so that they could no longer be matched to their function.

Liam thanks Leverham for the story and they say their farewells. After a short trip across the ocean, they reach the Witch’s Needle. Liam is thankful to find the horse they left there still alive, though it is in poor condition. He tends to it and the party rests on the small island for the night. In the morning the set sail to the south, headed for the river Aber.

Their trip down the River Aber to Loch Meath is mostly uneventful. The harbor watch at Lynn gives no sign of suspicion as they pass, much to everyone’s relief. They meet some merchants headed up river and Cian holds a short sailor's conversation with them as they drift by. The next town that they reach is a few days into their journey. There, Cian tries his hand at tattooing some of the locals while Dierdre spends the evening dancing at the tavern (and getting her drinks for free.) She returns to the boat in the wee hours of the morning, quite drunk. During the night, Cian is able to tattoo two drunken sailors, and cover the cost of his materials while doing so.

A few days later, the adventurers reach Loch Meath and head west along a second river. Dierdre offers to help Cian sell his tattoos at the next town and that night they reach another small hamlet. Cian finds a smith across from the local tavern and offers the owner a cut of his profits for allowing them to set up shop on his front porch. The owner agrees and that night Dierdre quite loudly requests a tattoo. She wants a small daisy on her left shoulder which she seductively uncovers. Cian manages to create a small but wonderful tattoo of masterwork quality. Between his skillful job and Dierdre’s ability to draw the crowds, they make an excellent profit. The next town along river is nearly to their destination: the Freeman’s Lands. Cian again makes a good profit tattooing a few sailors and some of the locals with Dierdre greatly assisting the sales.

The following morning, they set out along the river toward the Freeman’s Lands. Not long after leaving town, they spot a barricade across the river. It is made of rope and wood and strung from shore to shore. There is also a small wooden outpost on the north bank. From the top of the tower, a lone sentry watches them. As they approach, the sentry yells at them to halt and comes down to the shore. He asks what their business is and Cian tells him that he is a tattooist and he figures he can find some good business among the Freeman’s Lands. The sentry is quite angry at this and accuses the adventurers of piracy. He orders them to disembark so he can search their boat. A long argument ensues.

Liam who has been riding along the shore, keeping pace with the boat, rides up to the outpost to take a look. He finds another sentry inside and begins a slightly more civil conversation. Hearing the yelling outside, the sentry asks Liam to come with him and he heads out to the shore. There is a stalemate going on wherein the party is refusing to get off of their boat. Exasperated, the sentry that is waylaying them stalks off and Cian, Dierdre and Cinn Oir decide to turn the boat around and head back to town. Liam bids farewell to the sentry he was speaking to, and catches up to the party.

Once back in town, Dierdre finds the harbormaster and arranges to have the boat moored for a month. Using as much sex appeal as she can muster (which is more than the poor man can handle—especially after she offers to show him her tattoo…) she talks him into a price which is less than half what he might normally charge. The party camps out on the boat for the night and plans to set off, on foot, to the Freeman’s lands.