The party decides to make camp at the opening of the ravine just a few hundred yards from the pool. Liam begins trying to brew up a salve with the new found herb. It is a very difficult process as the herb is incredibly rare and very fragile. While he does this, Bebe and Dierdre volunteer to keep watch, while Cinn Oir and Cian decide to explore the immediate area. Cian is interested in summoning a familiar from within this enchanted wood. Cian hopes to attract a hawk and with Cinn Oir’s help, they comb the immediate vicinity for any signs of a hawks nest. His plan is to gather some components from these nests to add a little something special to his summon familiar attempt. 

Liam’s first batch takes a few hours to prepare and appears to him, unsatisfactory. His experience in herbalism tells him that the mixture doesn’t quite look right but should be harmless, so he tries it on the comatose faye. There is no visible effect. Liam, convinced he can brew a more potent salve, collects some more of the herb and returns to camp for another attempt. Bebe, however, notices something odd. Just around dusk she hears the bushes near the rare herb rattling. Through the dim light she can't see it's source. She warns Liam, who continues working on his salve, and she then heads over toward the pool to investigate. After a quick search, she spots a pair of humanoid tracks leading to the bush. Curiously, the tracks are wet and coming straight from the nearby pool. She returns to camp and tells Liam and Dierdre of her findings. Cian and Cinn Oir return to camp at about this point. Cian has retrieved a few hawk feathers from a nest which Cinn Oir spotted, though it isn’t quite the find he had been hoping for. Bebe catches them up on what has happened and informs them she was unable to tell whether whatever left the tracks headed back into the pool or not. The party prepares to camp for the night, more wary than usual.

Just after nightfall, Liam completes his next batch of the salve. This one appears more satisfactory and he applies it to the injured faye. Again, there is no response. Cian, thinking about what Bebe had observed earlier, suggests to check the tiny grasshopper faye’s pockets. As Cian suspects, he has a small collection of the healing herb in his possession. Cian suggests that whatever visited the bush earlier may not be keen on letting any of it leave the area. It may have attacked the faerie who had taken some. The party believes it is a good guess. Since they have so far been stumped regarding this mystery, they agree to head back to the boat with a small amount of the herb in the morning, in hopes of luring out whatever harmed the faye.

The night is uneventful and disturbingly quiet. In the morning, the group breaks camp and heads back toward the beach. They move cautiously through the deep woods, expecting trouble at any moment. After a tense journey which takes most of the day, they reach the shore with no sign of opposition. Exasperated, yet relieved, they return to the boat. Ciara has grown quite impatient and asks if they have seen Ceridwen. Her earlier concern for the faye now gone, she wishes to head inland to search for Ceridwen. The party largely ignores her (except for Bebe who eyes her maliciously). Liam, unwilling to give up on the helpless faye, begins another thorough examination of the body, looking for any signs of injury, or even the slightest scratch.

Dierdre asks Liam if he has called upon his gods to simply bless the creature? Liam admits he hasn’t though doesn’t expect it will garner much response. After a little discussion, Liam does indeed cast a Bless spell on the creature. Amazingly, the faye begins to twitch. He blinks then he sits straight up with a look of abject horror on his face. Liam tries to assure him they aren’t enemies and that they are trying to help him. The fearful faye calms down as Cinn Oir brings him a drink as Cian supports his tiny frame. The faye then goes on to tell about how he was exploring the area when he saw an interesting plant he’d never seen before. The faye relates that he knew it was near the "Pool of Black", an area where his brethren wear loath to go, but he never was one for heeding warnings. He goes on to say that a horrible witch leaped from the pool. When Bebe questions him about the witch’s appearance, the faye begins to shiver involuntarily and asks her not to speak of it. After a few minutes, he lapses back into his comatose state.

Liam, intrigued by the results, decides that as soon as morning comes and he has had a chance to pray, he will cast more spells on the faye. Bless and add a Remove Fear to see if that counters the faye’s reaction to questioning about the "witch". The night passes uneventfully and in the morning, Liam unleashes a barrage of Bless and Remove Fear spells on the injured faye. The faye responds, but only for a very limited time. The Remove Fear however seems to have calmed him enough to allow him to speak in detail about his horrifying encounter. The party determines that this "witch" most likely visits the bush next to the pool at dusk everyday (given the faye’s account and their own experience) and they set off back to the pool hoping to reach it before the sunset. This time, they drag the boat ashore and conceal it in the woods, taking Ciara with them.

A quick march through the woods sees them back to the pool by mid afternoon. Dierdre, using some newly acquired trap making skills, decides to setup a snare. A little rudimentary for her tastes, and she doesn’t have the tools she would prefer, but she does a fair job of creating a snare that will at least impede the witch. The party takes up a staggered formation around the pool and lies in wait. Cinn Oir and Bebe are close to the pool with Bebe standing directly between the pool and the bush. Cian, Liam, Ciara, and Dierdre are spread out around the pool, at a greater range. Just as the sun sets behind the trees, Cinn Oir and Dierdre spot motion in the pool. Dierdre casts a Resistance spell upon herself and moves in while Cinn Oir prepares a Faerie Fire in case the monster is invisible.

The next moment, the small ravine bursts into action. The "witch" erupts out of the pool, spraying rancid water across those nearby. Cinn Oir and Dierdre are ready and leap into action. The "witch" lights up with a pinkish glow as Cinn Oir fires off her Faerie Fire and the monster reels from Dierdre’s Magic Missile. The "witch" almost looks human but her hideous appearance makes it obvious she is nothing of the sort. Long stringy, matted hair hangs down around a viscous, warty face. In a rage the monster casts her hideous look at those nearby. Bebe, Dierdre, Cinn Oir and Cian all fight off a wave of fear that threatens to overtake them. Enraged, the hag slices at Cinn Oir with a pair of yellow taloned hands and Cinn Oir steps to the side, avoiding them. As Cinn Oir sdances out of reach, the hag steps further out of the pool. There is a "snap" as Dierdre’s trap closes around the hag’s foot. Dierdre, seeing an opportunity, slips past Bebe who is bringing her axe to bear on the witch. Dierdre throws a cursory glance at the bush just to the side of the pool, one at Bebe and then turns her attention back to the hag. She then spreads her fingers to let loose a Burning Hands spell. Liam and Bebe both scream "Not the bush!" as it erupts in flame, but the hag too is singed.

As Bebe’s axe strikes home and a Magic Missile from Ciara finds its mark, the hag’s ferocious demeanor starts to wane. With a quick glance at the burning bush, she dives for the pool. Dierdre’s snare holds under the sudden jerk and the hag is left flopping in the pool, struggling to break free. Cian and Bebe rush over to reel the beast in, striking horrible blows as they do. Soon, they drag the lifeless body from the stagnant water and Bebe puts an axe in it, just to be sure. As the hag dies, the wounded faye begins to stir. Soon he is dancing around, thanking the party for his life. He offers to introduce them to "the boys". The party agrees and they all set off, headed once again for the stone slab which they first found the wounded faye upon.

Soon, dozens of other Grig (as the faye calls his grasshopper-like breatheren) join them at the clearing, and a great celebration erupts. The apparent leader of these people is the Grig they met earlier who delights in playing the fiddle. He offers the party a tiny ring as a token of their gratitude. It is a very intricate ring made apparently of silver with a darker metal inset around the length of the band. A tiny carving of a snake surrounded by ivy intertwines the ring in the dark inset. Liam accepts the ring and thanks the fiddle player though he expresses some concern about the ring’s size. The Grig, looks puzzled, takes the ring back and placing it on his tiny finger says "looks fine to me". With a satisfied look he hands the ring back to Liam and offers to play the party a song. Bebe requests one which isn’t magically coerced and the wee fiddle player looks on with a smile as Cian reluctantly points out "All music is magic." As the fiddle strikes up, the party breaks into an uncontrollable dance and one by one the little faye bound out of the clearing on their grasshopper legs.

The party, once they feel the urge to stop dancing, decides to head back to the boat. Cian asks everyone to be on the look out for any more hawk’s nests. As they approach the beach, night is falling and Cinn Oir spots a hawk’s nest. Indeed, a particularly enormous nest. Bebe, a skilled climber, offers to check it out. After a few rough starts, she manages to climb fifty feet into the large tree to check out the nest. She is startled by a giant hawk, its beak poised to snap off her head. Backing away slowly onto a sturdy branch, Bebe calls down for Cinn Oir and cautiously ties a rope to the branch she is on. After a rough climb and a nasty fall (despite the rope), Cinn Oir joins Bebe in the tree. The hawk, still looks ready to snatch up anyone that approaches the nest and Cinn Oir casts a Calm Animal spell on it. Instantly, it relaxes and allows her to rummage through parts of its nest. She removes a fair collection of oversized feathers and nesting material. When done, she and Bebe rejoin the group below; Bebe doing so in a much quicker fashion as she falls the last 30 feet. Cian, who had been watching closely, rushes to catch Bebe, absorbing part of the impact.

Exhausted, the group returns to the boat and makes camp. Cian however is quite excited about procuring the hawk feathers. With these, combined with ten coins of precious metal, he sets off into the woods to call his familiar. Halfway into the night a hawk does indeed respond. It is an excellent specimen, easily larger than an average hawk with a regal coat of glistening gold feathers on its breast. Satisfied, he returns to the boat and gets in some sleep before dawn.

As dawn strikes, the party discusses their options. They still have not heard word from Ceridwen over several days. Ciara, feeling she may be in danger insists that they head into the woods to find her. Liam and Cian agree while Bebe and Dierdre seem to be less concerned. In the end, they decide to return to the Grig’s gathering site (the stone slab) and try to solicit their help. Later that afternoon they reach the slab and around dusk, a very hung-over looking Grig stumbles into the clearing. He greets them, asking if they know where "the party" is. Liam, reaches into his herbalist’s pouch and produces a sure-fire hangover cure. The Grig reluctantly drinks it. After a few minutes of recovery, he mentions he will go get Gary (the Grig they assisted.) With a groggy look the faye leaps off into the woods. After bounding off a tree and then heading back through the clearing in a different direction, he finally departs.

Not long after, Gary returns, looking pleased to see the group. He once again thanks them for his life and answers their question about Ceridwen. All he can tell them is that he’s seen her before and that she does indeed live in the woods. He only knows she lives on the other side of the "old road", just to the north somewhere. He then warns the party that if they go to the road, they need to be careful. There have been some exceptionally large travelers there as of late and they don’t have much of a sense of humor. The party thanks him and sets off to the west, toward the road, and deeper into the Wood Between.

By nightfall, they have discovered what must be the road that Gary referred to. It looks like a very ancient stone paved road though it appears mostly clear of the surrounding thick tree cover. They decide to camp for the night and set off north in the morning. As daybreaks, Ciara and Dierdre are on watch. While they wake the rest of the party, Ciara informs them that she heard a faint "chopping" sound further up the road. Ciara doesn’t respond when Dierdre asks her why she didn’t tell her this during their watch. Cinn Oir and Bebe decide to move ahead of the party to investigate.

Not far up the outskirts of the road Bebe and Cinn Oir spot the source of the noise. A small band of giant-kin have set up camp. A large tree has been felled and been turned into both a bonfire and something of a partial barricade along the road’s southern approach. Four of the five creatures are clustered around the fire, apparently asleep. They are also most likely hung over, as the smell of some horribly strong spirits lingers in the air. One is awake, sitting with his back to a tree, casting fairly alert glances up and down the road. 

Unsure what to do, Bebe and Cinn Oir observe the campsite as the rest of the party approaches. Before the party forms up, the ten foot bestial man appears to have spotted Cinn Oir. He rabs a large log for use as a club, peering into the trees. After a tense moment he shouts "You! Come here!" Cinn Oir remains motionless even as the creature warily approaches. Just around the bend to the south, the party is approaching, at a slightly quicker pace having heard the deep voice echoing from the north. Bebe, tired of hiding in the trees, steps out fearlessly onto the road, axe in hand. The giant pauses and looks her over with a sadistic smile. Just then Liam rounds the corner and Commands the giant to "sleep". In an instant, the monster is passed out in the middle of the road.

Quickly weighing their odds, the party sets off at a run into the forest. Not long after they leave the road, there is a shout of alarm from behind them. Tangled by the brush and unable to catch their breath, most of the party quickly starts to fall behind. The giants begin a relentlessly pursuit and their crashing through the forest undergrowth grows closer and closer. Dierdre, Cian and Cinn Oir manage to outpace Liam, Ciara and Bebe by quite a bit. Cinn Oir, unhindered by the vegetation along the forest floor, elects to slow down to keep the rest of the party in sight. Bebe, despite her normally hardy constitution, is having no end of trouble stumbling through the brush and trying to maintain a steady pace. Frustrated, as the giants bear down on them, she swings wide around a tree, and grabs a large rock. As the ogres come into view, she tosses it, narrowly missing the lead ogre. Liam, Cian, and Cinn Oir, see Bebe stop, so they too come to a halt turn to face their pursuers. Three of the five giant-kin have managed to close on them, and are charging into their midst with blood in their eyes.

As the beasts close, Cinn Oir calls upon the forest to Entangle them. Bebe, axe raised, avoids the grasping roots and steps in to take a swing at the closest giant. Soon the party is involved in a death defying struggle with the ten foot giants. Dierdre stops running at a long range. She sends a Magic Missile streaking toward one Giant and continues pelting them with spells as she doubles back to the party. The rest have organized in a defensive line, slashing at the giant within in reach and keeping close watch on the other two who are trying to tear themselves free from the Entangle. Ciara, however, continues to run off into the woods without so much as a look behind her.

In minutes, Bebe has gutted the lead beast, though at great cost to her own health. This just as the other two tear themselves free from the entangling vegetation. Cian grants Bebe with Mage Armor, to protect what health she has left, but as he completes his spell, a now free giant nearly takes his head off with its massive club. Cian stumbles back and falls to the ground, near death. Liam and Cinn Oir engage the third Ogre while Bebe flies into a rage and swings wildly at the second. From the ground, Cian fights the dizziness and pain and fires off a few more spells while Dierdre continues to pelt the giants with a barrage of arcane energy. Liam continues bludgeoning the third as Cinn Oir stuns it with a Flare. The party emerges from the battle victorious though badly wounded. Liam rushes to Cian’s aid, who has passed out and is dying; his last few spells too much for his body to handle.

The session ends with the Liam stabilizing Cian and calling upon the gods to heal some of his comrades wounds. Bebe, collapses, exhausted by her rage, yet all the time vowing to kill Ciara for deserting them.......