Liam is standing knee deep in water, watching as a torchlight nears the bank. He can clearly hear the closing sounds of a growling dog. He is sure to come face to face with some very irate villagers in no time when he hears a strange voice. A whisper in his ear as though from someone right behind him. "Trust me…." Confused, Liam half looks over his shoulder to see something that startles him even more. A disembodied hand, dripping with river water, floats lightly over his shoulder. Before he can think what to do, the hand lightly touches his shoulder. Liam tries to resist the strange touch but is unsuccessful. The hand then disappears back into the water just as two people burst into view on the bank.

Liam recognizes them at once. One is Conner, the clansman he had tripped up. The other is Aralt, with a large hound on leash. The hound is growling viscously, pulling the leash tight as it strains in its master’s firm grasp. Liam knows that they will recognize him easily, however the oddity of the evening continues. Both look straight out from the bank, squinting. But their gaze passes through Liam. Aralt turns to Conner saying, "They must have crossed here. Head back to town and let the watch know. See if you can borrow a boat and take some men to the other side and pick up the trail. Ill get some others to keep searching along this bank." With that, Conner heads off toward town and Aralt, fighting with his strangely disobedient hound, disappears back into the woods.

Liam, confused, looks down to notice…..nothing. He can no longer see himself!

Meanwhile, the rest of the party has made considerable progress downstream. Cian is the first to the port and he finds it deserted. Most of the town's inhabitants and guards have gone to the far side of the city, trying to catch a glimpse of what is causing the commotion at the festival. All except one. Bibi, having gotten carried away at the evening's festivities has had more than a little too much to drink. Unknown to Cian, this stranger is quietly passed out toward the back of Cian’s boat amid his supplies. Cian, in quite a hurry, fails to notice this as he unmoors the boat and prepares to head upstream to meet the others.

In no time, Cian has navigated upstream and caught up to Cinn Oir, Dierdre, and the "witch" who has identified herself as Ciara. They inform him that Liam had insisted on waiting where Cian had last seen the party so they board and push upstream. After a few minutes they hear Liam’s voice, calling out from somewhere near the bank. After several minutes of trying to navigate to his voice, Cian launches a rope over board and instructs Liam to grab hold, wherever he may be. The party watches as the rope slackens and tightens, slowly coiling itself up until finally it flops back on deck.

Liam continues to identify himself until they are mostly satisfied. Cinn Oir however, unsure whether she likes the idea of an invisible passenger decides it best to try to wrap Liam up in the rope so that he can be seen. Cinn Oir’s wrestling match with the phantom rope is cut short however by Cian, who notes that toward the city more boats and the light from torches can be seen on the water. The scuffle, aside from distracting the boats occupants, has roused Bibi. She sits up, bleary eyed, and yells at the group to keep down the racket. Bibi answers a few questions with a drunken slur and passes out again on the deck. Stunned, the party looks to Cian, asking if he knows her or even how she got on his boat. Not seeing her as an immediate threat, he convinces the party to get on the oars and ignores Ciara’s whispered suggestion to take care of the stranger and throw her overboard.

The party takes a crash course in rowing and sets off upstream as fast as they can travel. Cian keeps watch on their pursuers. His old half-sized keelboat is really no match for them and he knows its only a matter of time before they overtake the party. Before he can come up with a solution however, they are once again interrupted. Liam hears a vaguely familiar voice just beyond his oar. Looking overboard he sees a female figure swimming alongside the boat. She maneuvers in to the starboard side and grabs hold. Talking to Liam, she asks who the leader of the group is. Liam, unsure what to say, points at Cian, "It’s his boat if that means anything." The party turns toward Liam’s position on the oars and takes note of the slender female figure peering over the side of the ship. Webbed hands grab the lower railing and the moon glistens on an almost scaly complexion.

The figure turns her gaze to Cian and instructs him to follow the River Aber out to sea. There she will meet him and his party tomorrow evening on a small island just north of the coast known as The Witch’s Needle. She will make sure their pursuers do not gain ground on them. The party agrees, unsure of any better plan. As they fight their way upstream, their newfound friend disappears. Moments later the river behind them erupts into a blinding fog.

After journeying all night and no sight of pursuit, the party reaches the Witch's Needle. Along the journey, Ciara explains that she is indeed a "witch", or a sorceress to be exact. She had been on the run for months and she was stealing water from clan Moora’s well. The clansman named Aralt had frightened her and nearly killed her for the theft when she blasted him with a Burning Hands spell. At that point, more of the clansmen arrived and she was knocked unconscious in the ensuing battle. She thanks the party for her life and makes a dark note regarding those who tried to burn her.

Cian’s sailing skills tell him little of the island when they reach it the next morning. It is called the Witch's Needle, for on a clear day a strange white spire can be seen in the center of the island. At the spire’s peak, a metallic glint can be seen for miles. However, clear days around the island are rare as dense fog commonly shrouds it. Cian cautiously navigates the rocky shore line in the fog and finds a suitable beach to land on.

Not much can be seen inland as the fog is thick enough to obscure vision beyond ten feet. A rocky, sandy beach gives way to a lush green turf just off shore, but the rest of the island remains a mystery. Bibi is awake and Ciara stares suspiciously at her, keeping a great distance between them. Exhausted, Liam and Cian decide it is best for everyone to try and get some sleep while they wait to meet the stranger that helped them escape from Lynn last night. Dierdre, curious about what lies inland decides to search for firewood instead. As she is about to leave the party's camp on the cold windswept beach, Ciara and Cian both spot something moving among the fog. There is a quick debate about what it may be and the danger, if any. Ciara decides it was most likely a wild animal and fires a magical missile into the fog to scare it off. Cian, less convinced tries to talk Dierdre into staying near camp until the fog lifts. Dierdre, determined not to spend the chilly day without a fire, sets inland to look for firewood.

As she moves further in, she finds little vegetation and hardly anything which would be suitable for burning. The moist turf inland only supports a soft green grass with little else. Dierdre casts a Light spell to try to penetrate the fog better and continues her search, deciding to stay gone for roughly half the duration of her spell. Continuing inland, she finds some broken white rock but little else. Starting to get frustrated, she is suddenly aware of two large shapes looming in the fog. They are slowly drawing nearer. She hesitates for a second, preparing to cast a Magic Missile at the first thing she sees. Suddenly one of the shapes lurches forward, breaking through the fog. Charging toward her is a massive beast. Ten feet tall, it almost looks human but its sickly yellow skin and coal black eyes easily betray it for the beast it is. Dierdre yells and runs back toward the beach.

The party back at the boat hears her scream. Bibi, until now bored by the inactivity and growing increasingly annoyed at Ciara’s paranoia toward her, draws her axe and moves toward the scream with a look of excitement. Dierdre breaks through the fog first, running toward the boat and screaming about giants. The two figures loom just behind her. The large shapes slow as they draw within sight of the party and pause. Liam, and Cian call to the party members and start working furiously to get the boat back into the water. Ciara and Cinn Oir start to assist. Dierdre grabs the heavy anchor and starts to try to reel it in, but to no avail. In desperation, she reaches for her dagger. Disregarding a worried look from Cian, Dierdre starts to slice into the rope.

Bibi ignores the cries of the group, staring at the monstrous beings with bloodlust in her eyes. She waves her axe back and forth, slicing the air, biding time until they move. Suddenly, with guttural shouts, the beasts charge down the beach. Bibi lets out a fierce yell that belies her small frame and raises her axe in delight. The first to reach her ignores her completely, its goal past her. With a shout of rage, Bibi places her axe in its midsection as it races by, nearly knocking it off its feet. It staggers, clutching its wound, and turns to face her. As it re-appraises her, the look of utter surprise fades from its bestial features and it grabs a massive club off its belt. The other, club in hand, rushes by the two, tearing through the sand for the boat.

Seeing the large beast coming too quickly, the party abandons its attempts to launch the boat. In an instant the sky lights up as bolts of energy course from both Ciara and Dierdre. The air chills as Cian fires a Ray of Frost into the monster. There is a flash in its face as though a flare impacted in its eyes. The creature blinks but does not slow. Reaching the boat it swings its massive club over its head and catches Dierdre square in the chest. The snapping of bone fills the air and Dierdre hits the deck of the ship with a lifeless thud.

Bibi, still engaged with the first beast, charges madly. Her strike barely misses the creature but puts it off balance enough that its club impacts the beach, spraying wet sand into the air. The battle at the boat continues. Liam says a prayer to Epona and grabs Dierdre’s arm through the rail on the ship. Her wounds stop bleeding, but she does not stir. Meanwhile, the beast flails viscously at anyone in range. He strikes Cinn Oir nearly sending her to the ground and turns on Liam. Back on the beach, Bibi, faster than the massive creature, plants her axe in its chest as it raises its club for another strike. Before it has even struck the ground, she turns and races toward the boat. The beast swings and grazes Liam with its club just as Cinn Oir and Cian strike. It wheels to answer their attack but strikes the ground dead with an axe in its back.

Unsure of what to expect, the party piles into the boat and decides to wait the remainder of the day just off shore, ready to set sail. During the day Liam tends to Dierdre’s wounds and prays to Epona for her health. By late afternoon, she is conscious once again. Just before dark, the party returns inland for the meeting.

They are soon approached by a woman dressed in black with fiery red hair that looks to almost explode from her head in contoured spikes. Her iridescent green eyes glow and she walks with a strong sense of certainty and grace. She identifies herself as Ceridwen and the stranger that helped them escape the night before was her friend. She tells them she is also a delver into arcane secrets and that she too was at the Beltine festival in Lynn. Certain reports of a "captured witch" brought her there. She shows a good deal of contempt for the superstition of the general populace and explains she planned to free the girl, Ciara, until the party acted first. She had watched the events unfold in Lynn with great interest and her and her friend had helped them to escape. Ceridwen appears genuinely amazed at having found not only one sorceress but three who are involved with the arcane arts.

She then goes on to describe her plan. She wishes to find others like her and rescue them from the superstitious people on the mainland. She tells of a coming battle and that the two creatures they fought today were signs of it. The giants of the north are stirring as their master, the Manterlaug, awakens from slumber. They are moving south to take the land from the Eyrian people and reclaim it for their own. Ceridwen has little faith that the unorganized warring factions of the south can defeat the giants. She wants to save as many of those born with arcane talents as she can before they are crushed under the giant’s heel.

The party is largely unmoved by the plan, with the exception of Ciara who seems very interested. Ceridwen speaks to the arcane spellcaster’s of the party, telling them that they are already being hunted for association with witches, not to mention the murder of two clansmen. She then informs them that if they return, even if they can avoided being linked to the incident in Lynn, they will always be hunted for what they are. She offers to teach them to use their powers. To prove this, she turns Invisible in front on the party as a display of what she can teach them. Cian grows more interested, but Dierdre, balking at the dramatics of it all, asks Ceridwen what she plans to do for the other party members. Ceridwen tells Cinn Oir she can take her safely through the Wood Between and introduce her to the Faye. The prospect instantly grabs Cinn Oir. As a young druid she would be privy to secrets even elder druids rarely know.

For Bibi she can only offer the chance to "split skulls" and little more. Liam is less convinced. He confronts her couched hatred for the "superstitious" and argues eloquently with her on moral ground. She refuses to give up her stance however and simply avoids his questions by turning the questions back on him. In the end, she says there is nothing she can offer him aside from the chance to travel and see all of Eyru…and beyond. While mildly intriguing to the cleric of Epona, Liam is unwavered.

She turns to leave, telling them there is a cave on the north side of the island where they can stay. They will be safe here as the same superstition that makes the Eyrian people hunt them will keep these pursuers far from the island. The beasts they met were ogres and Ceridwen assures them there are no more on this island. She indicates that she will leave instructions in the cave if they wish to carry out a mission for her. Otherwise, they are free to return home if they wish. She reminds them that they may have to live a life of outlaws if they do, but they are under no obligation to assist her. She then takes her leave, still invisible.

The session ends with the party, amidst some discussion, deciding to seek shelter in the cave for now.......