The session opens with the group stopping at the edge of the small sinkhole amidst the bog. Apparently there were some attempts made to disguise it and Cinn Oir with her vast wilderness knowledge, can easily tell that it isn’t a naturally occurring part of the landscape. Figuring it for an ambush, Cian sends his familiar up into the skies to take a look around. The hawk notes three men atop a small hillock only several yards to the west and five more atop a hillock further to the north. So, the party stands around by this hole for quite some time debating what to do.

Several minutes pass and the hawk warns Cian that the three men to the west are on the move and are making their way north towards the other hill (The bandits, confused by the party’s lack of action and seeing them well armed, are trying to sneak back to their leader.) Cian, looks to the west and can see the bandits slinking through the rushes though the rest of the party can’t make out the movement. Cinn Oir excitedly asks where they are and going off of Cian’s verbal description, she blindly throws an Entangle at the bandits. She catches two and muffled shouts of surprise can be heard as the grass takes hold of them. The bandit not entangled, gives up being sneaky and bolts for the hill to the north. As he does, Liam sees him and tags him with a Hold Person, stopping the fleeing bandit dead in his tracks.

With that, two more previously unseen bandits pop up from the east and the five to the north now show themselves and begin a mad dash down the hill toward the party. Cian casts a Sleep spell, catching two of the five charging bandits. Dierdre takes a closer look and notes that the bandits are poorly armed (mostly clubs, rocks and crude saps) and unarmored. Dierdre steps forward and calls for the bandits to stop their attack, lest they die. She does so in her most formidable voice (and tests her Intimidation skill out at that-great Charisma skill roll number one.) The bandits stop dead in their tracks and slowly start to back off, throwing sideways glances at their apparent leader; the one leading the charge from the northern hill. The leader looks around and sees that before they have even had a chance to close, two of his men are taking a nap, two others struggling with some very hungry grass and a fifth playing a very convincing statue. Wisely, he nods and his men back off (very eagerly I might add.)

Dierdre walks forward and strikes up a pleasant conversation with the bandit leader who is immediately overwhelmed by her charms (great Charisma skill roll number two). After a delightful chat, the bandit agrees to escort the party to Tir Gaelyn so that the party may meet Gaelyn. Dierdre promises payment though none is discussed. (See session 9 for a refresher on what the party is up to. In a nutshell they came looking for Gaelyn after Ceridwen mentioned he may be a kindred soul and fellow sorcerer. The party is also interested in the settlement that Gaelyn has presumably established.) The bandit, whose name is Frederick (though he says Dierdre can call him Fred), knows a good deal about Gaelyn and he frequents the city which everyone calls Tir Gaelyn.

Gaelyn it seems actually took the city from its former occupants. An outcast druid named Eamonn had come to the Freeman’s Lands had decided to start a peaceful settlement. It was his way of bringing some sort of order to the wild roving bands of bandits that inhabit the area. Gaelyn however, took a liking to the city and he and his men ousted the druid and his followers in a mostly bloodless overthrow. Frederick notes that the druid wasn’t going to last "out here" anyway. The druid was mostly talking about peace and religion and all that "nonsense" he and his boys don’t have time for. Since Gaelyn has controlled the city, he has established it as a free (though well guarded) place for the wandering people of the Freeman’s lands to seek entertainment, relax, and spend their "hard earned" money.

The journey to Tir Gaelyn takes only two days through the rough bog laden country on to the western coast. The city is simple in construction. It is ringed by a steep earthen wall with viscously pointed logs jutting like teeth from the top. There appears to be one entrance, a heavy wooden gate flanked by two crude towers. As they approach they can see the gate is open and manned by two guards, each wearing scale armor and wielding longspears. The guards eye the party members suspiciously, to the exclusion of their escort.

Crossing their spears, the guards block the open gate and call to the party to halt. After another look, one guard gruffly shouts, "Eight of ya in." Frederick, the leader of the bandit escort, seems unconcerned by this and starts bellowing out orders to his men as to who will stay behind. He and three of his men then walk forward and he motions for the party to follow. As each one of them reaches the gate, the guards look them over and ask for their weapons, which the bandits gladly hand over. The party begins to glance at each other nervously and Dierdre quickly tries to hide her shortsword within the folds of her skirt.

Liam is the first to approach and he hedges a bit, but ultimately hands over his masterwork quarterstaff. The gaurd then motions for him to pull back his robe so he can do a cursory search. The guards eye’s widen then narrow in greater suspicion as Liam complies and reveals the steel chain shirt he is wearing. With a scowling look the guard grants him admission. Cinn Oir is the next to enter and immediately the guard exclaims, "What the hell is that?" pointing (and quickly retracting his finger) in reference to her dog-sized weasel. Cinn Oir immediately hands over her scimitar. She then convinces the guard that her weasel is a new breed of dog and further explains that she needs to keep her staff to keep it under control (great Charisma skill roll number three). With a derisive snort the guard agrees to let her in-he isn’t really convinced but seems to be growing weary of the odd travelers. Cian then hands over his quarterstaff with no fuss though the gaurd does take a sideways glance at his hawk. By the time Dierdre appears, batting her eyelashes to draw attention away from her marginally hidden shortsword, the guard just growls and waves her in.

Once in the gates, the party notes that the closest building is an open air inn by the name of "Da Derga’s Hostel". The lower floor is mostly open to the outside with seven doorways spread among the walls, and only one containing a door. This lower floor is a large common room with a bar near the center. The upper floor is the location of the inn’s rooms. Dierdre immediately approaches the innkeep, an older paunchy balding man with grey hair. She requests a round of drinks, the houses best meal for her and her friends and asks that the same meal and a keg be sent out to their nine friends out front. The innkeep simply smiles and says, "You’ll be paying for that how?" Dierdre reaches into her pouch and produces a handful of gold coins. The bartender smiles nervously and quickly grabs the coins, his eyes darting around the room. With that, he rushes his serving girls to begin filling the order.

During their dinner, Dierdre strikes up a conversation with the innkeep. She very quickly begins asking questions about Gaelyn and the innkeep answers them, though not in detail. She discovers that Gaelyn and his men live above the forge, just by the docks. After a few rounds of questioning, the innkeep begins asking questions of his own, namely where she is from, what she is doing there. The innkeep makes it clear that he knows she is definitely new to the area and that she‘d best watch what she does and slow down on the questions. He also mentions that the people around here give everyone their space and don’t ask questions about things that don’t concern them. Dierdre begins to become a bit nervous at the direction the conversation is headed and bids him farewell. As she is leaving, the innkeep eagerly inquires whether her companions will need a room and she politely refuses.

Shortly after dinner, the group decides to head back outside the city gates and set up camp along the wall. They also note that the guard has been doubled at the gate and quite a few groups are camped out front as well. As the adventurers make camp, Liam keeps an eye on the gate. He notices that they are following the same procedure, breaking up large groups that enter. Probably to avoid any sort of factional build-up within the walls which the guards may not be able to handle. The city also seems to have a sort of critical mass which the guards don’t exceed. The guards outright begin denying access at one point until a few stragglers leave. As the night wears on, the gates are eventually closed.

The party decides on a single person watch pattern and Dierdre agrees to the first watch. As she sits on watch, she notices a very distinct group of individuals camped nearby. There are four men, each covered in tattoos ranging from arm length serpents to intricate knotwork on their face, hands and back. Their hair is washed back with lime and pulled into coarse spikes in places. They are shirtless and wear only simple leather breeches. They sit very somberly in great contrast to the mostly jovial and eager crowd that makes up the majority of campsites around the wall. Between them is a large pile of small animal furs. One of them takes note of Dierdre’s interest and begins to stare at her. (This is where the charisma skills go horribly wrong…great roll number 4. However, making yourself attractive to someone successfully doesn’t guarantee HOW the target will interpret it) Dierdre winks and smiles at him. Still expressionless, the man rises and walks over to her.

Dierdre approaches him and notices how big he is (Oh brother, place this sentence a paragraph down and this gets going downhill even faster…..). He’s a very broad, muscular man whose nearly a foot taller than she. Dierdre smiles and as she does, the man reaches for a bag of coins. He then bluntly asks Dierdre, "How much?" A brief conversation ensues and it becomes obvious the man is assuming Dierdre to be a prostitute. Dierdre however, is completely un-phased and actually plays along with his misunderstanding! (Much to EVERY player’s surprise.) Dierdre feigns naivete, yet sprinkles her conversation with a wealth of teasing allusions. Finally, she coyly mentions that she can entertain him though she only does "group shows". (At this point the DM and most of the players were laughing so hard we had to assume the NPC was speechless.) With a very confused yet excited look, the burly tattooed man returns to his camp to inform his friends.

Dierdre, wisely (and perhaps partly due to Cian’s player mentioning it several times out loud) wakes up the next person on watch which is Cian. She then heads over to the small campfire and proceeds to "entertain" them. With an amazing show of skill and prowess…..she performs an inspiring dance and ballad that is worthy of a master showman. (Using her Perform skill she easily hits a DC of 20. The fact that her "performance" indicates she may be "invited to join a professional troupe" and that she"may develop a regional reputation" spawns yet another round of laughter at the gaming table.) Of the four burly tattooed guys facing her, they seem to enjoy the show, though are a bit confused. With the exception of the one she spoke too. He is not at all amused. Not in the least.

In fact, the burly guy is -so- un-amused that he heads over to the adventurer’s camp and approaches Cian. "Is that your girl?" he bluntly asks Cian. Cian tries to evade his questioning and the burly guy points at Cinn Oir who is still asleep by the campfire. "All she do is just sing and dance too?" the tattooed man asks. Cian again tries to evade his questions and eventually hints that there must have been a misunderstanding. Still visibly perturbed, the muscular man stalks back over to his campfire where Dierdre is finishing her show (to scattered applause from around the area I might add.) As the man leaves, Cian awakens the rest of the adventurers.

The brawny barbarian crudely informs Dierdre that its time for her to learn a new trade and makes a grab for her. Dierdre manages to evade him and tumbles back to the group, drawing her shortwsword as she joins them. She warns the four men (who are now on their feet) to back down before they get hurt. With a word from their leader, the four tattooed men advance. Liam immediately casts a Hold Person on the leader and walks up nose to nose with him. The leader fails his save and Liam begins berating him and telling him to call off his men. Cinn Oir casts Shillelagh, holding her weapon ready. Despite their leader’s inactivity, one of the men grabs for Liam and misses. Cian takes another to the ground and pins him in a well executed grappling maneuver. Cinn Oir advances and orders her dire weasel and snake to attack the man that Cian has pinned, while she takes a few swings at the remaining barbarian. Dierdre closes as well and tries to put a foot into the groin of the man attempting to grab Liam.

Within a few rounds the victors are quite clear. The three active barbarians have flown into rages though it is of little help. Cinn Oir has bludgeoned one into unconsciousness with her Shillelagh and a few punches. The one facing Liam has consistently missed as Liam has chosen to fight defensively and keep berating the helpless leader. The one Cian is grappling has failed a poison save versus Cinn Oir’s snake and the minor constitution loss is enough to help in disabling him as Cian, the dire weasel, and finally Cinn Oir all land blows. By the time the Hold Person has worn off the leader, he explodes with a shout to call off his last standing man. Liam thanks him and the leader glares at Liam in an obvious rage growling, "Are you sure you want to end this now?" Liam nods and steps over to the two disabled barbarians. He performs some quick healing to get them back on their feet. The adventures then return to their camp under the baleful glare of the barbarian leader.

The next morning, the party is admitted back into the city, just behind their new friends who glare at them all the way through the gate. The adventurers head north through what seems to be a market square. Much of the city is of simple construction with wood or sod houses and thatched roofs. Wooden walkways cover most of the streets as the bog-laden town so close to the coast is built on very soggy ground. The market square seems to be a rather solid piece of ground however and even hosts a few trees on its edge. Surrounding it are several shops; a leatherworker, tanner, coppersmith, general supplies, and even an abandoned store. With a look of satisfaction, the group decides the empty store will be their excuse for seeking an audience with Gaelyn.

Just north of the market square, lies the forge. It lies just on the far side of a small moat which has been filled from the nearby coast. It is surrounded by a high wooden fence and gate and the only indication that it exists beyond the fence is a column of smoke rising steadily into the sky. Standing at the end of the bridge are three leather clad ruffians and a female. They are having a casual conversation and the woman is the obvious center of attention. She is wearing leather armor as well, has brown hair and light brown piercing eyes. In her hand she is twirling one end of a spiked chain. As the party approaches, the bridge patrol’s conversation stops and the chain wielder stares at them with great interest.

Dierdre steps forward and says they are there to see Gaelyn. The woman raises an eyebrow and refuses to admit her, saying she is unaware of their visit being scheduled. Dierdre explains that they are interested in the open store in the market place and that her friend (referring to Cian) is an accomplished tattoo artist. The guards are unswayed and finally Dierdre asks if a little money might help. The female guard smiles and nods as Dierdre removes her coin pouch. Dierdre hands her five gold and the chain wielder pockets it with a broad smile and adds, "That’s not nearly enough." Dierdre grimaces and puts her coin pouch away. She then refuses to move until she has met with Gaelyn and attempts to intimidate the guards into backing down. (Here ends the really stellar charisma rolls….) Several times the brown haired female asks her to move along, spinning her chain menacingly. Dierdre refuses each time and is suddenly nearly struck in the face by the spiked chain as it lashes out.

A deadly fight begins as the three men standing next to the chain wielding dervish spread out to the party’s flanks and draw short swords. The female with the chain keeps it constantly in motion, providing a near impassable barrier blocking the bridge. Two of her cohorts engage Liam, quickly flanking him and revealing themselves to be rogues as they slice with deadly precision. Cian casts a Mage Armor while Cinn Oir casts Charm Person on the spiked chain wielder and then calling her closer to the party. Liam also concentrates on the chain wielder, casting Hold Person on her which she saves against. Dierdre, unsure if the Charm Person took or not, decides to hold her action to see if the enemy complies with Cinn Oir’s request.

The next round, Dierdre sees the spiked chain whirling once again in her direction and blasts the woman with a Burning Hands. She manages to catch one of the rogues engaged with Liam and takes a nasty hit from the spiked chain in the process. The wound nearly drops her and she considers backing off at her first opportunity. Liam is struck hard by a sneak attack from one of the two rogues who are working incredibly well together. Liam turns his attention to them and lashes out, gashing one with his dagger. Cian moves in on one of the rogues ganging up on Liam and strikes him with his dagger as well. Cinn Oir, then casts Obscuring Mist and everyone is plunged into a deep fog.

The following round, the spiked chain wielder and one of her cohorts are lost in the mist. Dierdre, who was at the extent of the spiked chain’s range and is now concealed fully by the mist, casts another Burning Hands. She then uses the mist as cover to step back. As she does, the chain whizzes harmlessly through the mist in front of her. Cian and Liam manage to drop one of the rogues while the other fades back into the fog. Cinn Oir decides to make a mad dash for the bridge. Her path takes her right by the spiked chain wielder and the party gets to witness one of this adversaries feats: combat reflexes. Cinn Oir is horribly wounded as she rushes through the whirling chain, though she manages to make it to the bridge and keeps running.

Cinn Oir breaches the fog bank and is faced with the large wooden gate surrounding the forge area. She yells at the other party members to let them know her position. Dierdre, hearing this, begins to move forward through the fog and as she reaches the bridge, notices things have changed slightly. Blocking her passage is one of the rogues, who lunges at her, narrowly missing with his short sword. She blasts him with a Burning Hands and calls for help. From behind the rogue, out of the mist comes Cinn Oir’s Dire Weasel, which takes the rogue to the ground, finishing him off. Not far behind him is Cinn Oir.

Cian and Liam are looking cautiously around when suddenly, the spiked chain wielder appears through the fog. She narrowly misses Cian, who steps back and tags her with a Ray of Frost. Liam then sees the final remaining rogue appear out of the fog beside him. The rogue is moving around into a flanking position once again. Liam, ignoring him, casts Doom on the spiked chain wielder who appears to shrug it off.

The next round is a whirl of action. Seeing that Liam is in trouble, Cian steps forward and casts Blur on Liam. Between the Blur concealment stacked with the fog concealment, Liam is easily missed by both the rogue and the chain wielding female. Liam calls out to Cinn Oir and Dierdre to come and assist and he turns and takes a swing at the rogue behind him, hitting him squarely but not dropping him. Dierdre comes out of the fog, Magic Missile blazing. She strikes the spiked chain wielder but is hit in turn and falls to the ground bleeding and unconscious. Cinn Oir, right on Dierdre’s heels, manages to safely pull her back out of the range of the chain and tends her wounds.

Liam drops the rogue behind him though not in time to avoid the chain wielder taking advantage of the flank. She too has her own deadly sneak attack and Liam is dropped to the ground, disabled with one viscous blow. Cian, casts a Flare and dazes the chain wielder for a round, which, fortunately, negates her attacks of opportunity. Liam is able to cast a Cure Light and get back on his feet. When the chain wielder regains her bearings she takes note that she can no longer see any of her men and she backs off into the fog. Cian rushes to Liam while Liam casts another Cure Light on himself. Hearing shouts from outside the fog bank, Cian suggests its time to go and says he can safely get one of them out with an Invisibility spell. Liam tells him to use it on himself. Liam plans to hop on his horse and make a break for the front gate.

Meanwhile, Cinn Oir has dragged Dierdre out of the fog and sees that the perimeter of it is surrounded by armed guards. Two of these scalemail clad guards approach, leveling spears at them while Cinn Oir protests Cinn Oir tries to Bluff and starts to ask for their help and explain how a madwoman attacked them in the fog.

The session ends with Liam bursting from the fog bank on his horse. Cian is sneaking out cautiously between a line of guards. Dierdre and Cinn Oir are at spear point with Cinn Oir tending to Dierdre’s heavy wounds…….